Dr. Nathan's Dental Corner, Toronto Dentist

The Haas Family's Busy Weekend!

2010-08-22T15:10:00.001-04:00

Nothing like a Sunday, except in our house it does not mean relaxing. We have spent the whole day so far moving an old crib/daybed out of my daughter's room to make way for her new big girl bed which should arrive anytime.

Ella has grown since she went up north, Sarah and I think it is due to all the good northern air, food and exercise while she was up there with the inlaws. She came back about 2 weeks ago and her crib which has been a daybed for the past 2 years is now much too short and necessitated us spending 3 hours at Ikea yesterday picking out a new bedframe, mattress, bedsheets and pillows. It was fun for Ella, exhausting for mom, dad and Ethan.

This morning consisted of Sarah and I taking the door off Ella's room (which left us both in a sweat as the bolts had been painted over by my mother inlaw and was practically glued into the holders). Once the door was removed getting the crib down the stairs and out the main door was a workout, but thankfully we succeeded and now we wait with an empty bedroom (let's hope Ikea makes it today or Ella has no where to sleep!)

We were hoping with Ella moving into a bed we would coerce Ethan into moving into one as well, but no such luck. Ethan loves his crib, he says "it is cozy, comfortable and DOES NOT WANT A BIG BOY BED!!!" So we wait, who knows how long...possibly until he moves away to college?

So that was the Haas Family's eventful weekend, let's hope next weekend includes some relaxation!

Have a great Sunday,
Nathan

Toddler and Child Day at the Dentist @ Stonebrook Dental

2010-08-13T10:42:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is another Toddler and Child Day at the Dentist, Saturday August 14, 2010 from 9am-2pm. Looking forward to seeing all the children and their parents for another exciting day of introducing dentistry to little ones!

We are fully booked and booking for our next toddler day on Sat. September 18, 2010 from 9am-2pm.
4256 Bathurst St, Suite 405 (Bathurst Medical Centre).

See all of you tomorrow,

Nathan Haas

One month until school...

2010-08-07T14:18:00.000-04:00

This summer just seems to be flying by! As many of you know my kids were up at the grandparents this summer in the Sault, it lasted all of July which suprised me! I honestly thought the kids would be back in a week, but they were having too many good times to bothered being homesick. Sarah and I went up last week to pick up Ethan, but Ella was not ready to come home so she decided she would stay one more week on her own. I am happy to say she is coming home today. Our home has truly felt empty and quiet without our kids and it made Sarah and I wonder what we did before kids (our lives felt busy then, nothing compared to now!). We did enjoy a few days of sleeping in past the regular waking hour of 7:30am, going out for a dinner here and there at the ungodly hour of 8pm!!! and enjoyed some peaceful reading and watching TV, but that gets old quickly...

So the countdown begins to school. I like the month of August but I feel for the kids...those final few weeks before school starts can be bittersweet; you want to go back to see your friends and teachers, but those carefree days of summer are behind you and homework begins.

We will start the countdown and preparations soon, back to routine for the kids (which is good for all of us!).

Have a great weekend!
Nathan

Long time no write!

2010-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well it has been awhile since I have wrote anything here, this spring/summer has been extremely busy! First off at the office, we have been busy seeing many students who are off for their summer break and need some deep teeth cleaning after a long year at school. Welcome backs students!

We celebrated Ethan's 3rd birthday on Canada Day which was great. All those fireworks and festitivities to celebrate our country's birthday provided an excellent background to his. We had to explain to him a few times that not everyone's birthday falls on a special day like Canada Day when their is so much going on. Neverless, we had a fantastic day and finished the day with an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, all of our favourite!

Our family life had been busy up until July 2nd when our children went up north to the Sault to stay with their grandparents for the summer. Sarah and I were very worried that both Ethan and Ella would be homesick, but they have put those fears to rest when each phonecall to them ended in, "I have to go now mom and dad, I am going to play with...or I am going...or I am busy..." We are so glad they are having a great time but we cannot believe that our 4.5 and 3 year old are growing up so quickly and do not seem to 'need' us as much at they used to. Don't get me wrong the quiet time to do things that I remember enjoying prior to having children is nice, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! Actually I cannot totally remember what took up my time prior to them!

This past weekend we visited the kids as we missed them a little too much. We drove all night after our workday on Thursday so we could arrive when they woke up on Friday morning. The kids were very surprised as they had expected us Friday evening (we hadn't told them we were leaving after work). We spent Saturday at the Sault Ste.Marie Rotary Day Parade and Carnival. It was great and to say the crowds were minimal compared to any Toronto venue of the sore it an understatement. The parking was a breeze, we obtained a parking spot about 100 metres from the carnival grounds, this compared to Toronto is like night and day as most know who live here. The carnival grounds were huge and nobody was wedged together, it took place on the waterfront and this was such a great background to the whole experience. On Sunday we sadly left as the kids waved goodbye, they had plans, they were going with grandma and grandpa to the Sault Locks to feed the ducks and geese.

Ella started YMCA day camp yesterday and absolutely loved it. The only downside was Ethan was sad as he was too young to go to, but luckily he got lots of spoiling from grandma and grandpa which made up for it.

We will be off again next week up to the Sault for the August long weekend, thank goodness for extra holiday days during the summer so we can visit our kids we miss so much!

Have a great day!
Nathan

This week we are back to work and we plan again next week to head up for the August long

Toronto Oral Cancer Screening Program

2010-05-26T11:10:00.000-04:00

What an amazing week of weather so far, I must say the humidity is a little much and something I can do without but summer is here for Toronto! I hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as I did, my family went down to the Crystal Beach on Lake Erie and did some swimming in the lake! Myself and my wife were not as adventurous as the kids, they will in fully and swimming!!! The water believe it or not was bearable, not freezing but definitely not warm, definitely refreshing.

This Saturday marks our first Toronto Oral Cancer Screening Program which is sponsored by Zila. The test itself is quick and painless. It starts with a manual examination of the oral cavity as well as the head and neck, followed by a raspberry flavoured rinse for 1 minute. After the rinse is complete we use a special fluorescence light to check all the tissue in your mouth for possible tissue changes.

With new information coming out everyday about products in our environment that have the potential to cause precancerous changes, it is more important than ever to provide oral cancer screenings at a minimal of once per year.

Read on about environmental risk factors for developing oral cancer.
Environmental cancer risks may be more dangerous than you think

How to prevent oral cancer, read on to find out!
Fighting cancer through healthy living

If you live in Toronto and would like to come out this Saturday May 29, 2010 for a free oral cancer screening feel free to call Stonebrook Dental at (416)636-4227 to make an appointment (we have a few time slots still available!).

Have a great Wednesday!
Nathan

New simple test to detect periodontal disease...coming soon!

2010-05-13T10:08:00.001-04:00

New Simple Test to Detect Periodontal Disease-patent pending

This article was in my inbox this morning and I must say I cannot wait until this product comes to Canada. To be able to prevent gingivitis and periodontitis, possibly before it even starts is simply amazing! As well, by treating a inflammatory disease before it starts would be great to help prevent other systemic illnesses which are inflammatory in nature, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and rheumatoid arthritis (and many others). I will definitely add this to my practice once it is in Canada.

That's my news of the day!
Nathan

Poor animals

2010-05-12T13:44:00.000-04:00

As an animal lover and dog owner, I was so saddened over the Newmarket shelter that has/is euthanizing hundreds of animals due to ringworm.
Animals at Newmarket shelter to be euthanized

I am not a vet so I don't want to make comments that are not based on veterinary information, but I do know that ringworm is a fungal infection that is treatable. Ringworm is also easily transmittable thus I understand possibly hard to contain in a closed environment with many animals. How could this happen?

Giving my miniature schnauzer Molly some love right now.

Nathan

Mother's Day at the dentist's house

2010-05-09T10:58:00.000-04:00

First off, Happy Mother's Day!!! I hope that all of you Toronto mothers have an amazing mother's day!

Our mother's day started with sugar-lot's of sweets for my wife and the mother to my children. Yes, we are a dental home, I am a dentist and my wife a dental hygienist, but on special days like today we do not discriminate against chocolate...and lots of it!

My wife loves Ferrero Rocher chocolates and we woke her up with a bunch which she proceeded to eat and so did my kids. Of course we brushed after these sweet indulgences but all morning my kids have been BEGGING for more chocolates. We ate our eggs and fruit for breakfast so they should be quite full but they are desparate for the chocolates, enough that I have had to hide them in a cupboard-up high! Let's just say my kids do not get treats all the time and when a day starts off like it did today-it is their lucky day!

Just a reminder for many of you about our Oral Cancer Screening Program open to all GTA residents on May 29, 2010 from 9am-2pm call Sarah at (416)636-4227 to make you free appointments.

As well, our next Child and Toddler Day at the Dentist Program is on June 19, 2010 from 9am-2pm call Stonebrook Dental at (416)636-4227

Have a great mother's day!
Nathan

Children's Tylenol Recall McNeil Consumer Healthcare

2010-05-06T10:02:00.000-04:00

Hello parents,

Thought I would post this (those a few days late) for all those who give their children Tylenol. McNeil Consumer Healthcare voluntarily recalled these Tylenol products this past week.
Tylenol Recall

As a dentist who recommends either Tylenol or Advil on occasion for oral discomfort for children, this concerns me and many other parents. You can contact the company directly about the recall at
McNeil Product Recall.

Nathan

Open wide to obtain optimal systemic health!

2010-04-29T09:42:00.000-04:00

What we dentists have been saying for a long time, a great dental article from Newswire.ca was sent to my inbox, thought I would share.
Open Wide: Is Your Mouth Trying to Tell You Something About Your Health?

Have a great Thursday!
Nathan

Toddler and Child Dental Program, aka Toddler Day at the Dentist Program

2010-04-25T10:36:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was another great day for our toddler and child dental program. Thank you for all the wonderful children and families that came out to introduce their children (most for the first time) to dentistry.

It has been almost two years since the start of our Toddler Day at the Dentist Program and I must say it has been a great two years of meeting toddlers and their families. We have seen hundreds of little ones since the program has started and plan on seeing hundreds more.

I believe our dental program is the first of it's kind in Toronto. We are the first free dental program that introduces toddlers and young children to dentistry in a way that encourages the child to build a positive association with their dental health care providers. We don't have any special tricks up our sleeves, we simply enjoy children and have developed child and parent friendly dental education so it takes the fear away from dentistry.

Each child is an individual who deserves compassion and understanding. With this in mind, upon introduction of the child to the dental office, dental equipment and team members we use different dental teaching methods for each child. For those who are nervous we may have the parent assist us in the introduction to ease into becoming comfortable in a new environment. After many years of working with kids I have come to realize one method does not work for all and our child dental program takes this into account.

I am sorry this blogpost has turned into talking just about the great pride I take in our child dental program but we (meaning my team and I) feel that after two years of running it is truly making a difference to many young children and their first experience in dentistry. Thank you to all the children and parents who trust us to make dentistry different for the next generation!

Nathan

Taking care of the mouths of the frail and elderly

2010-04-18T11:59:00.001-04:00

The ODA recently released a report on the increased importance and need for care of the elderly and frail.

Elderyly and frail need optimal oral care

Some great recommendations came from the report, I am hoping these initiatives can be put into affect, nobody should be forgotten especially those who have raised our generation to bring us to what we are now.

Enjoy your Sunday,

Nathan

You can never know too much about your mouth....

2010-04-17T10:33:00.000-04:00

Found some past articles from the Vancouver Sun dealing with the interrelation of oral and systemic health, thought I would share the links with you.

Dentists your best defence against oral cancer

Oral health and overall well being

The window to your overall health? Your mouth

Gum disease linked to common ills

Tooth decay, bleeding gums may herald chronic ills

Overall we have known for years the interrelation between oral and systemic health, but new research that is coming out is linking the two so much more.

I am off to the train show with my son today, looking forward to seeing all the miniature replicas!

Have a great Saturday!

Nathan

Thyroid and Oral Cancer Screening/Examinations

2010-04-11T14:13:00.000-04:00

What a glorious Sunday, it may not be hot like last weekend but atleast we have great sunshine! I have spent the first part of the afternoon at the park with my family, I think my kids could spend the whole day their. Our arms are quite sore from all the pushing on the swing, who would've thought pushing a swing could be so much work!

This article was in my inbox when I came home today, thought I would share it with you.
Thyroid Cancer Diagnoses Increasing
Thankfully this cancer can be detected early on. We typically will check your thyroid during a dental hygiene appointment and oral cancer examination, this includes checking all of your head and neck as well as your thyroid gland.

I have been updating my website, feel free to check it out at http://www.drnathanhaas.com/

Have a great day!
Nathan

Breathing through your mouth and health problems.

2010-04-07T14:57:00.000-04:00

Last night I peaked into my son's room after I returned from work, he was sound asleep but it didn't sound like it, he was breathing so noisely through his mouth that it sounded like his was speaking/snoring. I have not noticed this before so I am hoping it is just because his nose is blocked slightly due to a cold he may be coming down with, thus the mouth breathing.

The funny thing, I sat down to read some articles on Medical News Today online and this article came up
Mouth Breathing and it reminded me of Ethan's noisey breathing last night. I think I will check up on him for the next few weeks and if it continues will have him see our pediatrician. Mouth breathing can have some far reaching complications!

I hope your Wednesday is going as great as mine, I am spending it with my kids!

Nathan

Great dental article in Vancouver Sun

2010-04-05T15:24:00.002-04:00

Check this great article out!

Good Oral Hygiene Habits for All Ages

Have a great one!
Nathan

Some great dental articles!

2010-03-28T11:23:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday to all. I received a few great dental articles in my inbox today and I thought I would share!

No Pepsi or Coke in US Schools!

I totally agree with this article about no pop in schools. Pop is like battery acid for the teeth and also very bad for overall health. This study that recently came out about pop is even one more reason to avoid it.

Drinking pop linked to increased risk of pancreatic cancer

We had another great Child and Toddler Day at the Dentist yesterday! Many amazing little children came out to have their first experience at the dentist and what a fantastic day it was! We counted and cleaned many little teeth, snacked on teeth-healthy snacks and explored the dental world of Mr. Slurpy, Mr. Ticklebrush, Mr.Mirror and Mr.Toothcounter. Overall we were able to examine all of the children's teeth and provide a positive first experience at the dentist! Thank you for everyone who came out to participate and my amazing dental team who I couldn't do this without!

Our next Child and Toddler Day at the Dentist is Saturday April 24, 2010 and Saturday June 26th which are close to fully booked.

As well, we will be offering a free program for all adults in the Toronto area May 8, 2010. Our brand new Oral Cancer Screening Program which is sponsered by Zila, Zila-Vizilite-Oral Cancer Detection. This program will strive to educate the public on the prevalence of oral cancer in the population. Oral cancer is showing up in all age groups, not just those who smoke or drink. It is imperative that all age groups be screened for oral lesions and oral cancer because early detection is the key to positive outcomes. Give us a call to book your free oral cancer screening and detection appointment at Stonebrook Dental at (416)636-4227.

Have a great day!
Nathan

As a I dentist I always loved green tea and now the proof!

2010-03-24T14:45:00.000-04:00

I drink green tea everyday for overall health benefits, I knew tea in itself helps prevent cavities but I didn't know until now that it has an effect on periodontal health. This is a great article about green tea and periodontal disease I wanted to share with you.

I always thought green tea was great!

Drink up to keep your periodontium (bone around teeth, gums and mouth healthy!)

Have a great Wednesday,

Nathan

Stress and Grinding of your Teeth

2010-03-23T10:10:00.001-04:00

Hello all,

It has been awhile since I have wrote, good excuse though, the office moved! We are really proud of our new dental space and really settling in. We really love the light in our new space, as well we are able to look out at the beautiful Earl Bales park and skyline of Toronto. Walks during lunch break have taken on a whole new meaning when you are able to do it in the park.

As you may or may not know our new dental space is at 4256 Bathurst Street, Suite 405 which is the Bathurst Medical Centre. We are currently welcoming new patients during our grand opening days in March and April.

This article popped onto my screen the other day, I thought I would share it with you. Grinding and stress, click below to read it!
Stress and grinding of one's teeth.

Check out our website, http://www.drnathanhaas.com/ for more info about my Family, Laser, Cosmetic and Implant dental practice in Toronto.

Have a great day!
Nathan

Canada wins first Olympic Gold!

2010-02-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

I am sure many of you have been watching the Olympics as I have. Yesterday was such an amazing moment when Alex Bilodeau won the Olympic Gold for Canada in the moguls.
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/

My kids are also enjoying the Olympic games as well! My son Ethan who is 2 loved watching the mogels and laughed as they 'bumped' back and forth down the hill. Ella who is 4 enjoyed watching the skating and asked me when she could start skating like that. I guess this is how it all starts for many children, viewing a sport whether on TV or live and then wanting to try it. Though I don't promote a lot of TV watching in our house, the Olympics are an exception.

Our family today will entail taking it easy, book reading, toy playing, cooking and of course, Olympic viewing.

Have a great family day!
Nathan

Are we Canadians weird?

2010-02-05T06:46:00.005-05:00

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/760654--so-we-drink-milk-out-of-bags-does-that-make-us-weird?bn=1
I got a real chuckle out of this article from the Toronto. Supposedly we in Eastern Canada are the only ones in Canada drinking milk out of bags. Believe it or not those 4L bags of milk you buy at the grocery store are not sold in Western Canada (past the Ontario border)and definitely not sold in the US where these use good old one gallon jugs. Check it out,

A great site for Toronto parents!

2010-02-04T06:23:00.010-05:00

This website is great for Toronto parents, it has news, things to do and reviews for things to do with your kids in Toronto. I have used this site and have always been able to find tons of child related info.

Parenting News, Reviews and Things to do in the Toronto Area!
We connect with families and write about what matters to you. Looking for fun and interesting things to do in the GTA? Need parenting resources and advice? We can help. Interesting links, stories and tips for all parents. Sign up for our e-newsletter and win prizes.

http://www.gtaparent.com/

2010-01-31T10:29:00.005-05:00

I am very happy that Bill Gates foundation is getting so involved in funding for vaccines in the world's poorest countries. 10 million dollars is a lot of money and will go a long way towards preventing disease and keeping children healthy. What a great cause!

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100129/gates_vaccine_100129/20100129?hub+health

Today being a lazy Sunday, myself and the kids are going to the movies. They have tried talking me into seeing Alvin and the Chipmunks for the second time, but I think we have a consensus we will go and see The Princess and the Frog. I hope it is a good one!

By the way, Ethan is not longer wearing diapers! He took him all of one week to get the hang of it, now he is asking for no diapers at night which I personally think is pushing it a bit. I mean, he is in bed for 12+ hours at night, he is still in a crib and I am not so sure how a bathroom run every 1-2 hours all night would work for both myself, my wife and Ethan. We would be pooped in the morning, so I have told him for now we will keep diapers at night for "just in case" until he is a little older and out of his crib (he loves his crib and does not want to sleep in a bed like his 'big' sister). Let's hope today at the movies with all the drinks and popcorn goes okay diaperless ;)

Have a great Sunday!
Nathan

A much needed Saturday!

2010-01-16T09:43:00.002-05:00

Have you ever found that after the holidays you are wiped out? This second week back after the Christmas holidays just seems to be so EXHAUSTING! I think this year more than ever because we are building the new office and such, but I didn't realize how much more so than before.

Today being Saturday I am planning a full day of relaxing activities, ie. change Ella's carseat to a booster seat (yes,she has reached 40pds!), removing holiday lights from the house and playing with the kids. I wish today involved sleeping in, but with my children both 4 and under, waking up at 7:30am is the norm. Hey, maybe I will go to bed early tonight, like before 11pm and hopefully I will catch up on some much needed zzzz's.

So off I go for my 'relaxed' Saturday, I hope yours is great!

Have a good one!
Nathan

Check our my new Q&A blog!

2010-01-10T09:47:00.003-05:00

www.askatorontodentist.blogspot.com

Neat News about Us!

2010-01-08T10:20:00.002-05:00

I must say this is very exciting, we never thought Toddler Day at the Dentist would be such a hit with Toronto residents, see below!

www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/230102--dentist-aims-to-take-the-sting-out-of-visits

Have a great one!
Nathan

Our northern visit and the office move!

2010-01-06T14:26:00.005-05:00

I must admit, I have been really behind in my posts lately. We were up north in Sault Ste. Marie for the holiday break and had a great time visiting my inlaws. As a few of you know, Sarah's father had a heart attack at the end of October then he had a quadruple bypass in November. We decided the 8 hour trek would be much easier for us than have my mother and father inlaw come down just 6 weeks shy of surgery.

Sault Ste.Marie is a beautiful city, but man it is COLD and SNOWY! Pretty much everyday were up there it snowed, atleast 1-5 cm a day and was well below zero. I think the coldest day was the day we left, our car showed -23, but to us 'southerners' ;) it felt like -100. To our surprise when we arrived home later that day it was -15, I think we imagined we were going somewhere really south where it would actually be on the plus side. Anyways, we are glad to be home and back in the swing of things.

The construction of our new office is going along as planned. We are looking forward to our new space with many different little extras for everyone. 4256 Bathurst, suite 405 is our new dental home come February/March. Construction pictures soon to come!

Hope to see all of you soon and happy 2010!

Nathan

Happy Chanukah!

2009-12-13T14:52:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post to say, Happy Chanukah to all!

Nathan

So I haven't been on a in a few weeks...

2009-12-03T21:10:00.002-05:00

I haven't been on for a few weeks because we have had some health problems in Sarah's family. My father in law had a heart attack and then was hospitalized for a quadruple bypass. Thank goodness all is much better for him, he is two weeks out from surgery and seems to be recovering slowly but surely. For many of you who know, my inlaws live in the Sault and they needed to transport my father in law to Sudbury for the actual surgery. The most stressful thing is not being close to my inlaws now while my father in law is recovering, we are all really looking forward to seeing them during the holidays.

I have been meaning to mention our upcoming move to our new location. In early 2010 we will move 5 minutes from where we are now to our new dental home at the Bathurst Health Centre (4256 Bathurst, Suite 405). We are very excited as myself and my team will solely occupy this location! We will be able to offer all the same dental treatments and services but by being in a space with other health care professionals it will benefit you because of the range of services offered. I hope all of you will appreciate the new location in the new year!

Have a great night!
Nathan

Why floss?

2009-11-19T20:49:00.005-05:00

I would say about 99.9% of my patients brush, I can't say as much about flossing, I would say it is about 60% floss on a regular basis. Which of the two do you think is more important?

Well both are very important to prevent cavities, periodontal disease, bad breath and an assortment of other oral ailments. I must say though that flossing reigns supreme in below the gumline plaque (bacterial mixed with food) removal.

What forms under the gumline with a lack of flossing is what is called biofilms (layers of different types of bacteria/food debris and byproducts). Now everybody has biofilm, even those who floss, but that biofilm in someone who flosses on a regular basis and in someone who doesn't can be quite different. For someone who flosses a few times a week to daily will have a biofilm that is not so diverse (different types of bacteria and food) because they are using the floss to regularly remove this stuff so it doesn't accumulate. For those of us who floss only occasionally or not at all the biofilm will be very diverse (different types of bacteria/food/byproducts) all mixed together. As well, after this plaque has sat for awhile under the gums it can harden into what is called calculus, ie. tartar.

Biofilm can be anywhere from harmless (benign, non-destructive bacteria) that does not cause disease (ie.gingivitis/periodontal disease) to very harmful and destructive causing the body to start an inflammatory response in order to prevent disease progression. One sign of destructive biofilm/bacteria that may be intiating or causing a disease process to start is bleeding/redness of the gums. If you see one or both this means inflammation is starting. In this circumstance I would recommend flossing the area even more not less. I have come across a few people who have becomed frightened when their gums bleed and for good reason, the body is actually giving you a blatant signal that something is wrong. Gums should not bleed when you floss them, not a lot and not a little. Even a little blood shows us something is up, it is not normal to bleed from your gums, just as it is not normal to bleed from your leg. Unless you physically cut yourself with the floss (please don`t, be gentle!) the gums should not be bleeding.

Flossing technique is very important as well. When flossing the floss itself should be gently glided below the gums and gently polished along the side of the tooth it is cleaning. If you just go above the gumline with the floss it is defeating the purpose of flossing. That biofilm we talked about earlier that has the potential to be harmful lives well below the gumline in the dark, warm area that is called the sulcus. This area is perfect for anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that lives well in the presence of no oxygen). Many anaerobic bacteria have the potential to be destructive so these little guys need to be cleaned up and out with the floss.

Once you get good with flossing it should take you no less than a minute to complete your whole mouth. Remember when going between two teeth you need to clean each tooth and area below the gumline individually. Optimally you only need to floss 1x day, if you do more that is a bonus. As well, it doesn`t matter what time of the day you floss, as long as you do it.

So just remember, floss the teeth you want to keep! I won`t say anymore :)

Have a great night!
Nathan

Preventative dentistry and what it means to you!

2009-11-10T08:47:00.006-05:00

I know some, a few, many?? have dental fear, phobia or anxiety. For many of those who grew up in a time when preventive dentistry was not the norm, I can understand why. Back in the day, dentistry was different than what it is now. Dentistry nowadays revolves around prevention-meaning preventing dental problems before they start.

Prevention means dental exams, dental cleanings/therapy and dental xrays as needed, all on a regular basis. These 'regular' appointments can help detect potential issues within the oral cavity and the head/neck area. As well, each patient's needs determine how frequent they should visit the office. For one patient who has very good oral health determined by a lack of gingivitis/periodontal disease/decay I may see this person every 6 months for dental therapy with the dental hygienist and an exam.For another patient who has gingivitis/periodontal disease or other underlying illnesses which put them at higher risk for developing these diseases I usually will see them every 3-4 months.

Unfortunately for some dental benefits dictates how often they see us, even though recommendations may be otherwise. A big thing to remember with dental insurance is concerned is that it is there to help us with our dental treatment needs but sometimes it will not cover all of it. To look at it in a medical perspective, if you needed treatment for something that was inflammed like say your appendix and the physician decided you needed it removed because it was close to bursting would you wait to treat it because theoretically saying your insurance didn't cover it. For most, probably not, this is a medical condition that needs to be treated. Unfortunately in some occasions, developing gingivitis, periodontal disease and cavities are not looked at in the same fashion. Realistically, these diseases, specifically periodontal disease has far reaching sytemic effects and can put us at higher risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, pre-term low birth weight babies and lung infections. Knowing all this, should we wait to treat a disease that has systemic implications and could possibly shorten our lifespan. Education is the key to understanding how oral health is completely intwined with our overall health, the need to prevent/treat oral infection is HUGE. These diseases are all bacteria in nature and can be 'caught' just like any common cold, flu or sore throat, but once they find a home in our mouth they have the potential to cause disease.

Insurance is a great benefit, don't get me wrong, being someone who is self-employed I don't have any benefits, but if I worked for a company that offered it I would be happy to accept it. The biggest thing I am saying is try not to let it dictate what dental treatment you should choose for yourself.

Last thought, look to our neighbour to the south and see what kinds of problems many have had with medical insurance down there. Some have great medical insurance, some have mediocre and some have none, but overall the insurance dictates what gets done and what doesn't, unfortunately for some that means long term illness, suffering or death.

Nathan

Ginga-what? Gingivitis!

2009-11-06T13:04:00.003-05:00

Ginga-what? Gingivitis that is, many have questions what this is, why you have it and how you can get rid of it.

Simply put gingivitis is inflammation of the gums. Gingiva in dental terms are the gums of the mouth. "itis" is a suffix and when added to a name of a body part means inflammation of, for example, appendicitis which is inflammation of the apendix or tonsillitis which is inflammation of the tonsils. The list goees on and on of things that can be inflammed.

In this case gingivitis is inflammation of the gums, this inflammation is caused by the body's response to bacteria which is in the mouth. The mouth naturally has millions of bacteria present and most of the time the bacteria can live in a symbiotic nature within the oral cavity. The problem starts most of the time when overgrowth of bacteria starts to occur due to sub-optimum oral hygiene but other factors can come into play which may allow a person to develop gingivitis even though their oral hygiene is good.

In simple bacteria-related gingivitis buildup of gingivitis causing bacteria accumulate above and below the gumline. The bacteria are attached to a tooth via what is called " dental plaque." Plaque simply put is a matrix of food, bacteria and other particles which adhere to the tooth structure. When plaque is not cleaned away both above and below the gumline it starts to "irritate" the gum which in turn signals the body to initiate an inflammatory response to prevent disease. The body puts up a fight against the bacteria to try and win the war, this is turn is when you see bleeding and redness as a main indicator of gingivitis. The body attempts to bring blood cells to the site of the inflammation to help heal what it perceives as bacterial invasion, in this case bacterial within the plaque is the invader. In this case bleeding should not be perceived as something to be afraid of, it is simply the body's way of telling the person something is wrong and to do something about it. This is when I recommend to floss and brush more, not less.

In other cases of gingivitis the body can play a role in how it responds to dental plaque. Sometimes due to hormonal fluctuations in women, whether it be during pregnancy, cyclical changes during the menstrual cycle or peri-menopause, a woman's mouth can be very sensitive to the dental plaque that is present and can develop hormone-induced gingivitis very easily. As well, people who are diabetic (type 1 and/or 2), have other systemic illness and take medications can be at higher risk for developing gingivitis.

Overall, the most important thing you can do at home for preventing and help treat gingivitis at home is;
-Brush 3 times a day for 2 minutes with sonic electric toothbrush.
-Floss 1 time a day making sure to clean well below the gumline.
-Mouthrinses such as Listerine which can help kill the bacteria that cause gingivitis or a salt
water rinse.
-In between meals if you are not able to brush, drink water or chew sugar-free gum for a few
minutes to help loosen food and wash it away.

Most adults are aware of the old adage to see your dentist every 6 months for a cleaning and check-up. This may not be true for many of us who have had gingivitis in the past. Research has shown us that it takes about 3 months for bacterial plaque to mature, this is called biofilm and we all have some of this on our teeth, usually below the gumline. For some people who have very healthy mouths that biofilm will cause no harm, but for a large part of the population who have gingivitis, ie. gums that bleed that 6 month interval between cleanings may be too much and damage to the gums and underlying structures may occur. For many gingivitis patients I recommend 3-4 month dental therapy appointments so we can remove the harmful biofilm.

Many patients I see brush very well (some a little too well!) but forget the flossing. My line is, "floss the teeth you want to keep!" That pretty much sums it all up gingiva-wise.

Have a great Friday afternoon!

Nathan

Our next toddler day at the dentist-Toronto

2009-11-03T08:36:00.002-05:00

We are having another toddler day at the dentist on Saturday January 23, 2010 from 9am-1pm. We are inviting everyone to come out and give your toddler a great first experience at the dentist! This is open to all toddlers in Toronto, the only thing we ask is that you call or email us to make an appointment time for your child. Visit is complimentary. Please contact Sarah G. at (416)636-HAAS, and mention you would like to schedule an appointment for toddler day. As well you can email us at drnathanhaas@hotmail.com.

Regards,

Nathan

The big day is here for the kids and the big VACCINE!

2009-10-31T09:19:00.003-04:00

So today is Halloween, my kids are jumping off the wall as I type this, being excited is an understatement. My daughter is going as a fairy (or something else, I will explain below) and my son as a cat-Ella's costume from last year ;) I have a funny story to tell about Ella's first choice of Halloween costume (notice I say first choice as the fairy choice is her second).

Ella by chance had seen a few flyers come in the mail with Halloween costumes and she took it upon herself to 'read' them and request quite loudly to both my wife and myself that she wanted to buy each costume she saw. My wife seized the opportunity to let her know that to buy these costumes she needed money and that money needed to be earned, at this point she directed us to use one of our cards to pay for it. My daughter Ella is four so she doesn't understand a lot of the concept but we tried to explain to her that those days when we are not home, we are at work actually 'working' to earn money. We went on with the spiel that I am sure parents have repeated ad nauseam decades before us that money doesn't grow on trees and it has to be earned not given to us. At this moment I think more than ever I truly felt like a parent (and I sounded a bit like my own parents back in the day).

The funny part of this long winded story was that my wife told Ella what she did for Halloween and how she created her costumes when she was a kid. Back in the day ;) kids actually made their Halloween costume with things they found around the house or their parents sewed a costume for them. My wife was in the first lot, she made her costumes with what she found around the house. So my wife went on to tell Ella that one year she was a garbage bag, how she came up with and designed her garbage bag costume. So Ella took it upon herself to let everyone and anyone know who mentioned Halloween that she would be a garbage bag just like her mom. The look on peoples' faces when Ella told them she was going to be a garbage bag like her mom was quite funny to see as most probably expected her to say a princess, Dora, or the like, but instead my cute little girl says "garbage bag!"

So Ella had it in her mind she was going to be a garbage bag, even come earlier this week when her JK class had a Halloween party she was still saying she wanted to be a garbage bag. My wife and I decided it might not be such a great idea sending her to school in a garbage bag so my wife got her pretend ballerina tutu, some play wings and a headband with feathers on it and somehow convinced her that for school she should be a fairy. Thankfully Ella loved the idea and she was a fairy earlier this week , BUT tonight we will be contending with stuffing a garbage bag (if she really persists that she wants to be one).

So we got the H1N1 vaccine yesterday and I must say the shot itself was nothing (hey I give shots all day so I should be able to take one once in a while). We are in Whitby so we had to stand outside and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait. Four and a half hours of waiting with two children under the age of four is enough to exhaust any human being, you get my drift. I am really just appalled by the wait times for this vaccination, it is unbelievable they can make people wait with young children, older population and pregnant women outside for FOUR + hours. Let's say our family was exhausted last night and today we are pretty tired too though I am thinking it may be a side effect of the vaccine rather than standing up in line for four hours. So we are all vaccinated now, my kids have to go back in three weeks to have the second dose which should be joyful for all involved (and I say this sarcastically!). I am not sure why the health departments can't get it together like my wife's hometown Sault Ste. Marie, see this article from earlier this week in the Globe and Mail,

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/the-town-that-lineups-forgot-a-success-story-in-the-soo/article1343117/.

Now I know the town is smaller and they are not dealing with the huge population like we are in southern Ontario but come on, something has to be better than people waiting in brisk fall weather outside for four and an half hours!!!

Please have a safe and happy Halloween!

Nathan

Toronto Toddler Day at the Dentist October 2009

2009-10-25T10:09:00.004-04:00

We had our toddler day at the dentist yesterday and what a great day it was! We had a great turnout of toddlers, specifically the 2 and under age group. What fascinates me the most about this age group when they are in the chair is how inquisitive they are, I mean they want to explore EVERYTHING which is wonderful, this is the way dentistry should start for every child! I really feel that we are promoting a future for children who enjoy coming to the dentist and promoting oral health for life. Thank you to everyone who came out to make our toddler day a success. We are looking to have our next toddler day at the dentist in the next two months.

Another program that we are anticipating launching soon is our Oral Cancer Detection Program. This program will be complimentary to all residents of the GTA. We would like to make the public aware of the incidence of oral cancer (in the US alone, oralcancer.org states "100 new individuals per day are diagnosed and a person dies every hour of everyday of this devastating illness.") With these statistics it is obvious oral cancer is not a 'rare' illness.

www.youtube.com/user/OralCancerFoundation

The causes of oral cancer are quite distinct, one being tobacco and alcohol use, the other being HPV virus (the one also related to cervical cancer in women). It makes sense that dentists and dental hygienists are the ones who are identifying oral lesions and directing the patient to treatment. If oral cancer is caught early, "it has a 80-90% survival rate." oralcancer.org. Don't assume an oral cancer exam is being done either, the dentist and/or dental hygienist need to physically retract all tissues in the mouth, palpate fully the oral cavity, head and neck regions, as well as check the palate, throat and floor of the mouth. An thorough oral cancer exam takes approximately 5-10 minutes. Any lesions that are noted should be measured and specifics noted, if the lesion is in question then I would either biopsy it immediately or send to our oral
surgeon(s) Dr.Marshall Freilich or Dr.Shane Citron, oralsurgerytoronto.com to examine the oral lesion.

The focus of our new program will be on oral cancer exams/detection as well as treatment of oral lesions from those undergoing cancer treatment (chemotherapy/radiation) who develop oral mucositis as a side effect. We use our diode laser in a low level therapy mode to treat sore areas/lesions of the mouth to help alleviate the discomfort and even inducing healing of the ulcers. Since laser therapy is non-invasive and is simply put a LED light (non-ionizing) it can be used on these patients. Our team is committing themselves to this challenge; preventing/detecting oral cancer, as well as assisting in eliminating pain from those undergoing chemotherapy/radiation for all types of cancer so they may live without oral pain. We will keep you posted on future dates for the start of this program.

Have a great Sunday!
Nathan

My favourite dental instrument, my diode laser!

2009-10-21T11:53:00.003-04:00

I must say lately my laser has been my favourite dental instrument, I have been using it for so many things. Besides using for the common dental treatments you use the laser for such as gingivitis, periodontal disease, cold/canker/denture sores, frenectomies and all soft tissue augmentation procedures, my laser has been my workhorse for desensitizing, disinfection and initiation of healing.

My laser gives much more predictable results each time I need to desensitize a tooth whether it be due to recession or when their is large decay close to the pulp. In a few situations I have been able to prevent/postpone a visit to the endodontist (root canal specialist). I was at a course about a 1/2 year ago given by the Institue of Laser Dentistry www.laserdentistry.ca
where Dr. Frank Yung was lecturing and he talked about using the laser to get patients out of immediate pain and possibly preventing a root canal, I was blown away to say the least.

Besides using the laser to disinfect/sterilize the mouth for periondontal infection/gingivitis to allow patients to heal from the disease process I also use the laser to disinfect the socket of a recently extracted tooth. In these situations I have seen tremendous reduction in post-operative discomfort and which also initiates faster healing. Did you know treatment with a dental laser initiates healing approximately 4x faster than the body's natural healing process.

Can you tell I am in love with my laser, I can absolutely do so many things that I previously could not! In using it I can improve treatment results and offer a higher quality of treatment with a more manageable comfort level. A special compounded type of topical anaesthetic I have been using for about a year now has also reduced how many needles I am giving!

I can across an interesting article that may interest some of you, check it out!
www.dentalassistingschool.org/top-10-teeth-myths-that-everyone-still-believes/
I like all of them except number one, I would prefer if you would ask me about dental whitening agents as many misconceptions exist with over the counter ones vs. professional used ones.

Have a great day!
Nathan

A dentist's favourite holiday...Halloween!

2009-10-18T09:41:00.003-04:00

We are right around the corner from Halloween and I must say it is one of my favourite night's of the year as it is so much fun for both the kids and adults. This year seems to be one that I am getting a lot questions from parents about preventing cavities caused by the large amount of candy eaten after Halloween. One thing I always try to tell parents is it is the frequency of the candy that causes the problem not the amount or type so much.

So first, let me tell you what I do with my children, mind you they are young and cannot eat too much candy yet without feeling sick, this is the rule around our house. The evening and day after Halloween the kids are given their bag of candy and told to go to town, yes they can eat all the candy they want those two days. After the second day though I take it away and we either dispose of it, give it away or my wife and I hide it in OUR closet and sample a few sweets ;)

The reason I do this is one again, the frequency. Imagine if you give your child 1-2 Halloween treats each day until the sack is empty, well that can add up to quite a few days of candy/sugar exposure. This is where the problem is, the child has constant exposure to sugar on his teeth on a daily basis for let's say, for examples sake, 60 days. This adds up to a lot of exposure to sugar for those cavity causing bacteria lurking in the mouth. Most kids bring these Halloween treats to school in which case the sugar/simple carbohydrate is in the mouth for the day (especially in the case of stickier candies like toffee, caramels, gummies, licorice, chocolate bars, you get the drift) as most children do not brush their teeth during the school day (I am being realistic here, though I would love it if they did after lunch ;) Even chips have the potential to stick in the teeth and since they are carbohydrates, they also have the potential to cause cavitities if they stick in the teeth. Any kind of carbohydrate has the potential to break down in the mouth, increase the acidity level and cause decay/cavities

So my recommendation, give them the candy, tell them to eat as much as they like Halloween night and the day after, then tell them it is going away (what you do with it depends on you, but the thing here is to pretend it is gone for good). If you just give them it on a short term basis they you are limiting the sugar exposure to the teeth thus reducing your risk of developing new cavities.

If this technique does not work in your house and the kids want to keep the candy to have some each day, the good oral hygiene rules will need to be applied a little more vigoursly to prevent cavities.

-Floss once a day (for those children not old enough to do it on their own, parents you will need
to step in and do it for them).

-Brush 3 times a day for a minimum of 2 minutes, paying special attention to the biting surfaces of the teeth.

-If you cannot brush during the day, drinking water will help rinse the mouth.

-As well, I really like sugar-free gum, chew it for a few minutes after a meal or sweets and it will help increase your salivary flow which can buffer the mouth (it can also help loosen up food in the biting surfaces of the teeth).

-I would also recommend that a daily or weekly fluoride rinse is incorporated to help prevent
new cavities from forming on the surfaces of the teeth).

Follow my teeth friendly Halloween habits and hopefully you will have a cavity free Halloween 2009!

Have a great Sunday!
Nathan

To star the day fresh....

2009-10-15T06:45:00.002-04:00

The start of another day, I write this as I am 15 minutes away from starting the dental day. I was reading some dental articles last night before bed and I came across this one about keeping dentures clean. This intrigued me as I always thought the 'bubble and fizz' cleaners for dentures kept them the cleanest, well I seem to be wrong, the simplest way to keep them clean was plain old brushing. Check out his article, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166650.php about denture cleaning, what you need to do to keep those artificial pearly whites clean and germ free.

I must say I have been enjoying this fall season. Fall is definitely my favourite season of the year, I think it is the combination of cooler temperatures and the beauty of the leaves that make it the best. Enjoy it while you can!

Have a great one!
Nathan

Sleepy from the turkey?

2009-10-12T20:10:00.005-04:00

Hello fellow Canadians, I hope all the turkey most of you ate today didn't put you to sleep. Did you know that turkey actually contains tryptophan, an amino acid which our body cannot produce. BUT tryptophan usually works best on a empty stomach which most of us do not have during a thanksgiving feast, yes we eat a lot of turkey on thanksgiving, but we also consume a lot of other foods at the same time. So is it the turkey that puts us to sleep or is it just the large meal and relaxing atmosphere that gives us the need to zzzz after the feast?? Check this out,

www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/turkey.asp

We had a festive weekend, besides Thanksgiving my daughter turned 4! We celebrated by spending a night at Great Wolf Lodge, www.greatwolf.ca in Niagara Falls. We spent hours in the waterpark which is huge. My daughter talked me into going onto the waterslide with her and she was more brave than I was, they were fast and to me felt dangerous, I haven't been on one of those since I was young. My wife and daughter spent rest of the afternoon riding the waterslides (the brave ones), while my son and I waded in the toddler pool (thankfully!) Later we had a great buffet dinner and had story time with the mechanical moose, bear, racoon, owl, eagle and talking tree. The time eventually came when my overtired children needed to go to bed, this is where the excitment began for us. My kids were going to sleep in bunkbeds about 8 feet away from our bed. My son who is 2 has never slept anywhere except a crib, he would sleep on the bottom and my daughter would sleep on the top (eeek!). Since we were all in the same room that necessitated myself and my wife going to bed at the same time, which we did, at the late hour of 9:30pm. We needed to push some chairs up against the bottom bunk to keep our son in bed and prevent any falls, crank the white noise machine up to block out any of my snoring and tucked the kids in tightly with the blankets. Needless to say the night went well, the kids started chatting back and forth to eachother at 6:30am which was kinda what we expected but we had hoped we could atleast make it until 7am. Oh well, it was only one night, but we were all quite tired on Saturday.

Back to the office bright and early tomorrow, 7am!

Have a great evening,
Nathan

Recession of the gums and why it happens...

2009-10-08T21:08:00.003-04:00

A lot of talk lately has been about recession...no not what you are thinking, not the economy, that thankfully seems to be on the uprise. I am talking about recession of the gums (gingiva) in the mouth. Recession simply put is the gums pulling downwards from where they would normally be connected to the tooth structure.

Sometimes recession can be caused by things that can be corrected, for example in the case if someone was using a too firm toothbrush with poor brushing technique. In many cases though it can be a combination of many factors.

Recession of the gums can be caused by malocclusion which is simply teeth meeting together in a fashion that is traumatic to the teeth, the tissues of the mouth and possibly even the jaw joint (TMJ). Over time, malocclusion may lead to recession of the gums. When teeth are not in proper alignment or certain teeth are hitting harder together than others, the first thing that may happen is recession.

Grinding and clenching the teeth can also cause gum recession. Once again it comes back to trauma. The excess forces that the teeth and jaw endure due to grinding and clenching can cause the gums to pull away from the natural gum line and move down and away. When someone is grinding or clenching typically a nightguard worn while you sleep will help prevent tooth to tooth grinding or clenching so it may help alleviate jaw strain and ultimately may prevent new recession from occuring.

Yet another example of what causes gum recession is bacteria. Just as bacteria in the mouth can cause cavities and gum infections, recession can also be bacterial related. When bacterial plaque is left behind on the tooth and below the gumline, certain types of bacteria can cause inflammation and infection thus causing the gums to almost want to withdraw from the bacterial trauma, thus they recede.

In some circumstances gum recession may be due to a tight or low lying frenum attachment. A frenum is simply a small band of tissue that connects the lip or cheek tissue to the gum tissue of the jaw. Occasionally the frenum is very tight or it connects quite low, adjacent to the teeth. When it connects very close to the gumline of the teeth it can put stress on the gum and causes it to recede. A situation likes may warrant altering how the frenum attaches to the gum tissue, in which case a laser would be used to painlessly separate it.

Gum recession can be a hazard to your mouth. When the gums recede away from their natural level they move downwards and start to expose the root of the tooth. The root of the tooth is made of what is called cementum and this cemenutm is soft and susceptible to being worn away. This cementum does not replenish itself so when dissapears it goes for good. The problem with cementum being exposed is an increased risk of developing cavities on the exposed root, sensitivity of the teeth to cold/hot/sweets because the stimulus is translated directly to the pulp inside the tooth and possible wearing away of the cemental surface (abrasion and abfractions).
Simply put, the cementum should not be exposed.

To protect exposed roots a few things may be recommended. At some times coverage of the root may be done with white bonding material, which can protect the cementum surface from the toothbrush, stimulus and may prevent decay from occuring on the surface. At other times coverage of the exposed roots may be done with tissue grafting. This tissue may come from the patient's own mouth (palatal tissue) or may be from donor tissue which is sterlized (similar to tissue grafting for burn victims). When tissue grafting is performed the hope is to achieve full coverage of the root and return the appearance of the tooth back to 'normal.' Before any of these procedures are performed it is essential that elimination of other factors as described above; malocclusion, grinding/clenching and bacteria infection are taken into account. These factors need to be corrected prior to bonding or grafting so either treatment has a chance to succeed.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Nathan

Those 'bugs' in the yoghurt...

2009-10-04T17:50:00.002-04:00

So I am not sure if many of you read this or not, but Dannon, yes the producers of Activia yoghurt and the ever famous commercials of women wearing yoga outfits has settled the suit concerning false claims.

Now, let me back up here, I am a proponent of probiotics, I mixed them into my son's formula when he was an infant to assist with digestion and the whole family takes them on a quite a regular basis. I believe probiotics definitely have a place in a person's health, they can help with colonizing the GI tract and help replenish the flora of the GI tract when depleted.

I just don't know about them in yoghurts. I would rather purchase them myself at a health food store (make sure they are in a cooler) and I purchase a brand with a variety of strains. I like to know what I am getting (call me cheap), but paying extra for a yoghurt that does not guarantee how much probiotic I am actually ingesting sounds like a waste of money.

So for now those people who have previously purchased the yoghurt in the US can get their money back by filing out a claim form.

If you are going for probiotics, I would probably say it would be safe to say, go to your healthfood store and get a reputable brand of probiotics and add it to your own yoghurt.

Good night,
Nathan

So why would the dental hygienist take your blood pressure?

2009-10-03T10:09:00.002-04:00

Years back when my dental hygienists started taking blood pressure during each dental hygiene appointment, this was the question they or myself heard multiple times on a daily basis. A simple explanantion exists, high blood pressure is a proven risk factor for cardiovascular disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney disease. Many of our patients see us 3-4 times a year, much more often than they see their physician thus giving our dental team a responsibility to screen the patients blood pressure and inform them that sustained elevated readings can affect their health.

In the past five years that we have been regularly screening blood pressure at our dental hygiene appointments we have been able to refer some of our patients back to their physician and subsequently medications or other modifications were prescribed to help normalize their blood pressure. We decided after trial and error the best time/appointment to take the patient's blood pressure was when they were visiting the dental hygienist for a cleaning/therapy appointment as this neccesitated less nervousness/stress. We take into account 'white coat syndrome' which can sometimes elevate a person's blood pressure due to just viewing the blood pressure cuff or seeing a health professional in general. And we do understand that one blood pressure reading doesn't mean much, it is a series of elevated readings that necessitate seeing a physician (unless the reading is in dangerous levels-then the patient needs to see their physician immediately).

We believe that in order to provide comprehensive treatment for all patients, monitoring of blood pressure and referrals to their health care provider when appropriate is the only way to function. The mouth is not a separate entity and the connection is has to the rest of the body is dynamic and an important one. As well, if we are not addressing symptoms of possible systemic complications then we cannot fully treat the oral condition (s) as well.

Have a great Saturday!
Nathan

Summer has come and gone...

2009-10-01T14:24:00.002-04:00

I must admit I have been remiss, I have not written for the whole summer. I have a good excuse though, we moved our residence and life was a bit upside down for a while.

In May we decided to sell our home, by mid June it was sold and the closing was planned for August, well we thought so. The process was quite smooth, our real estate agent Laura was fantastic (if you need a good one let me know), but time around closing wasn't such a smooth one due to the other party's misadventures which I cannot disclose here. We did end up closing but close to 2 weeks later than we were supposed to. We moved east of the city to Whitby and must admit we (my wife, my kids and I) are enjoying the slower pace a smaller city tends to have. Yes, we do have a commute to my office in the morning, but luckily we start at the ungodly hour of 6:30am with our staff meeting so traffic is not that heavy before 6am.

My daughter has started junior kindegarten which she is thoroughly enjoying it, miraculously with not a drop of tears. My son on the other hand is seriously jealous that she gets to go on the big yellow school bus, takes her lunch to school in a Hanna Montana lunchbox and wears brand new Dora running shoes. The tears fell and the arms/legs flailed on the boulevard from my son's two year old body as she drove away on the bus the first day. As we say around our house, he was not happy, not happy at all!

On the dental front, we have had a wonderful summer at the office and looking forward to autumn. Many of our patients have now be treated with our soft tissue diode laser to assist with healing of their gingivits and periodontal disease with amazing successes. We have also been able to help those with cold, canker and denture sores relieve their pain and encourage the healing very quickly.

This autumn is a very exciting one, we will be attending various courses in the Toronto area to expand our knowledge so we may offer expanded services to our patients. Our goal is to offer only the most up to date, research/scientific based dental services to our patients and we can only do this through continuing education. I will keep you posted!

Until then, be well and enjoy the autumn (and if I must say the best season!)
Nathan

2009-06-07T12:45:00.002-04:00

All of you who know me know what a big dog lover I am. Not sure if this article pertains to us here in North America as it seems these dog chew treats are sold in Australia, but you never know...here's an article on some 'poisonous' dog dental treats.
http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/06/01/are-dental-chew-treats-causing-kidney-disease-in-dogs/

I really enjoy this informative medical health articles site by Dr. Davon Jacobson. The articles he writes are very informative and a good read. I think you may enjoy it to, visit his blog at,
http://healthy-nutrition-facts.blogspot.com/

In the last 6 months we have adopted using a soft tissue laser in our practice and what an amazing time it has been! We have been able to provide our patients with top of the line treatment with very minimal pain and amazing results. Most of these treatments are provided with an anaesthetic which is applied with a q-tip! If you want minimally invasive treatment which heals very quickly, laser dentistry is a great choice.

In a little over 3 weeks my son Ethan will turn two. I cannot believe how time has flown since he was born on Canada Day almost two years ago. I recently discovered a picture upon cleaning a closet of me when I was about his age, my goodness we are a carbon copy of eachother. My daughter Ella saw the picture and asked why the picture of Ethan was black and white. So to all of you that say Ella looks like daddy and Ethan looks like mommy, you are wrong, he is my clone (atleast when I was younger) we will see in a few years.

Enjoy your Sunday!
Nathan

National Dental Hygiene Week and Quinn's Journey to New York

2009-04-21T11:00:00.002-04:00

As you may or may not know this week is National Dental Hygiene Week. It is a good opportunity to take a minute to appreciate the role of the dental hygienist in the health care model in Canada.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146885.php

As well, we wanted to update everyone on Quinn's surgery in NYC this past week. We are happy to hear that he has completed the first surgery and recovering well. We will be making another donation on behalf our patients and team for Quinn's return visit to NYC in June for more surgery. http://themightyquinnduncan.blogspot.com

Wishing everyone a happy spring,

Nathan

The mouth is the window to the rest of the body

2009-04-15T21:22:00.001-04:00

A great article posted yesterday in the National Post,

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/links/story.html?id=1493051

Green tea and periodontal disease.

2009-03-12T20:34:00.004-04:00

A recent study caught my eye and I wanted to share it with all, see link below. I found it very interesting that a healthy beverage can help the mouth!

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/141378.php

Dentistry that treats the whole person.

2009-02-08T12:26:00.003-05:00

These last few months have found the staff and myself very busy. We have been attending numberous continuing education courses to keep us up to date so we can offer dentistry that is in line with much of the oral and systemic health information that we are bombarded with on a daily basis. The information that we have learned has helped us now tailor the services we can offer our patients.

In recent years we have come to learn the dynamic relationship between the oral cavity and the rest of our body. It is amazing that infection/inflammation in the mouth can have far reaching affects in the rest of the body. No longer can we look at the mouth and say "a little bit of bleeding, start flossing and it will get better." We are learning about the effect of the oral biofilm and how that biofilm can sometimes need more therapy than just good flossing and brushing can achieve. The far reaching effects of the oral biofilm spreads widely within the body when not treated properly, it is called inflammation and it can be insidious. Firstly the inflammation may just be localized within the oral cavity but after a period of time the body can no longer contain this inflammation and it spreads thoroughout the rest of the body through cells in the bloodstream. This inflammation can affect almost every system in the body and in order to stop this process the initial bacteria that started the process need to be removed so the body can return to a non-inflammatory state.

We now know of a protein that can measure the inflammation in the body and it is called c-reactive protein. This protein can increase when an inflammatory process begins in the body whether it be from a bacterial infection of the mouth to a broken bone. In the case of the broken bone, the inflammatory process begins when the bone is broken and hopefully decreases as the bone heals, the inflammatory process starts because that is how the body tries to heal itself. In other situations, such as with a bacterial infection of the mouth, if the infection is left and the body is unable to heal it the inflammatory process continues and the cells which cause inflammation circulate in the bloodsteam and can affect other organs and body systems. We can now definitively say that there is interrelation between heart disease, stroke, diabetes, lung infections and pre-term low birth weight babies, with more research now being conducted looking at other inflammatory conditions which may be started or exacerbated by oral disease such as gingivitis and periodontitis.

How can we stop the inflammatory process then? Currently many dentists and dental hygienists have few options to treat, arrest and reverse periodontal infection. Previously, dental scaling (removal of calculus/tartar/plaque), irrigation of antimicrobial medicaments, antibiotics (local and systemic) and other means were used to try and treat oral infections. We now have lasers to treat oral infection, these lasers have shown a significant advance in the fight against oral disease as they can obliterate the bacterial biofilm, increase healing time and over many studies we have seen that bone can actually grow back that has been lost. This is very exciting has we have never see periodontal bone loss actually grow back!

So if you see bleeding in your mouth, please don't say to yourself, just a little bleeding, it's normal for me. Bleeding of any kind (when no trauma has occurred) is not normal, this is your body reacting to bacteria and over the long run, if left, may possibly have systemic effects.

One last thought. Put your thumb on each side of your face and wrap the rest of your fingers around your mouth, now pull both hands away and look how large of a size each of those hands respresent. Now, if you had a wound on your chest that big would you leave it alone or would you treat it? Those two hands represent the size of your oral cavity and if an infection is going on, it is the same size, an open wound, would you treat this?

Why we have our toddler day at the dentist.

2008-11-25T10:05:00.002-05:00

Some people have asked why we have started having the toddler day at the dentist. A few of the reasons we have been having our toddler day at the dentist is to provide a positive and fun first experience for children in our city, prevent oral disease in toddlerhood and for a life time, ultimately we would like this program to provide access for young children to dental screening prior to the start of school. In having the parents come in with the child (unlike in school where they are not present) we can educate the parents on tips for good oral health for a lifetime. Decay can start well before children begin school where screening programs for oral disease exist and this is why the need for this program.

I thought this article in the Toronto Star this past week proved the point in why we need programs like this even before school starts. www.thestar.com/Article/538699

We are looking forward to our fourth toddler day at the dentist on Sat. Feb 7, 2009.

Our busy week

2008-09-21T09:10:00.002-04:00

The title sums it all up, it has been busy!

I came upon this interesting article which was actually on CTV this week, it goes to show you how we need Vitamin D living up in the cold north.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080919/vitamind_ms_080919/20080919?hub=Health&s_name=

Off to doing some grocery shopping with Ethan while Sarah takes Ella to gymnastics and a birthday party.

Monika's wedding was fantastic!

2008-09-12T20:15:00.002-04:00

So it's been almost a week since Monika's wedding and I am finally getting on here to talk about...though Sarah and I have transferred the pictures onto our facebook page,
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70470&id=28128351252.

As both Sarah and Ella would say, Monika looked "absolutely gggorgggeous!!!! (as you can see I stressed the g's :) Really Monika was absolutely the star of the day (Tom too, but you know the bride is always the center of the wedding day). It was such a great day, the ceremony was in the afternoon at Tom's macedonian orthodox church, which I had never been too before and it was a really interesting ceremony. Sarah has been in a church like this before since she grew up in a ukrainian orthodox church so she was quite familiar but it was definitely new for me. I really enjoyed myself and seeing Monika so happy made me feel so happy for her.

The evening was at Le Parc in Richmond Hill. The whole night was great, from the entertainment, the food and the very special slide show that Monika and Tom ran to show pictures of them when they were young, I think that was the highlight of the evening. Ella came with us so we ended up having to leave at around 11pm (quite early), but she was exhausted, she has never stayed up that late in her short life.

The next day, Ella was quite cranky when waking at 7am. That day she started her first kinder gymnastic program at Kinder Bounce, on Magnetic Dr near Dufferin and Steeles. She went with her good friend Dylan who is also our next door neighbough. She had a blast and cannot wait until this Sunday when she goes back. This place is pretty great b/c they have gymnastic equipment for small children, we were really impressed.

So this weekend we are actually going to try and have a quiet one, no running around, nothing. We are really looking forward to this, it has been too busy lately!
Have a great weekend!

The Princess Palace it is...

2008-09-08T11:32:00.002-04:00

So we have obliged to having a princess party for Ella. She has been asking us to have a princess birthday party for her 3rd bday and we gave in. As in a previous post I had mentioned a farm or playground, no go, she wants to be a princess for a day and who can blame her?

We have decided on a place in Concord called Princess Palace, how filling, www.princesspalace.ca. How pink and girly can it be? Thankfully I don't have to dress up as a princess that day, I will be sitting in the "parents" waiting area and sipping some tea while my little princess dresses up and has tea herself with her little friends.

Sarah is relieved because she won't have to clean up after this party of 11 children. I am just happy we finally came to a conclusion.

Now on to the holidays...

It has been some time....

2008-09-04T19:39:00.003-04:00

since I wrote a post, wow!!! Time has been flying lately! Sarah and I have been so busy with the kids.

Our weekends have involved quite a few farm visits. We have went to Chudleigh's farm in Milton to pick apples, pet a bunch of farm animals and played on some great slides/sandbox. The kids, Sarah and myself agreed unanimously that this was the best farm because it had the best variety of things to do. We would definitely go back in the Fall or next summer. http://www.chudleighs.com/

We also met our friends at the Oshawa Zoo. This place is a hidden gem, most people know about the Toronto Zoo and the Bowmanville Zoo, but this place beats the two hands down for very young children. Ella and Ethan were over the moon petting the Lemur monkies, ducks, goats, sheet, camels, mini horses, pigs, chickens, alpacas, cows, etc, you get the idea. Tons of small animals that you are close to and able to feed and pet. We purchased a season membership for $20. A great place to bring a picnic lunch and walk around petting the animals. http://www.oshawazoo.ca/

This weekend is Monika's wedding! The big day is Saturday and we are all hoping for great weather for their big day. We cannot wait!!! Good luck Monika!

Sarah and I are trying to decide where to have Ella's birthday, she has told us she would like a farm or playground birthday. Ella's birthday is the beginning of October so we are hoping the weather will be okay if we decide to do it the weekend after Thanksgiving. We will keep you posted with what we/Ella decides. Go figure, she is just turning 3!

Well, I am off, I need to finish up for the night here and go home to my lovely wife.

Feeling her pain...

2008-08-21T19:31:00.002-04:00

This article piqued my interest today, Sarah brought it to my attention after reading about it on her mommy board.

http://www.pregnancytoday.com/articles/fatherhood/feeling-her-pain-2045/3/

Now looking back at both of Sarah's pregnancies, I think I experienced this. I definitely gained weight (and now have successfully lost it and kept it off for 5 months, thank you very much). I did not have any other symptoms but I think that was because Sarah didn't really have any morning sickness or nausea.

The most interesting part was that the hormone levels actually changed for the men in the study during, prior and after the pregnancy. Isn't the body amazing?

Whittamore's farm adventure with the kids.

2008-08-16T20:17:00.003-04:00

Today Sarah, myself and the kids went to Whittamore's farm in Pickering/Markham and we had a great time! We started off our adventure getting lost on the way there, we got off at Morningside and ended up touring Rouge Valley which was nice in itself, but man with two kid whining and Ella asking "are we at the farm yet" repeatedly for 20 minutes, getting lost felt like we had been to the moon and back.

After getting tickets and entering the "farmyard" Ella took off to milk some cows, now don't get too excited, not real cows, plastic utters hanging from a wood outline of a cow. I am not sure why this was so exciting, but Ella adored doing this and throughout the day kept coming back to this same area. To say she may be a farmgirl in the future is an understatement. We also got to see some real animals like, cows, ducks, chickens and sheep. Ethan was over the moon with the cow, he kept repeating both "moo" and "cow" except they came out as "mua" and "ca", but we got the gist of the overexuberate repetitions.

For the kids the best part of the day was the sand area with the toys, now many of these toys are the same we have at home but somehow in the "farmyard" these toys became much more entertaining and were "new" to them again. These certain toys are actually walked over or put aside without a second glance, what makes them so much better in a "farmyard?"

The best part of the day for Sarah and I was the corn. The corn on the cob was honest to goodness the BEST corn I have ever tasted and I have had St. Joseph's Island corn which is the supposed best in Ontario. If I were to explain the corn like I would explain well cooked ribs, I would say they were melting, fall off the bone goodness, well the corn was the same. Surprisingly Ella passed on the corn, Ethan gave it a good go with all his 12 teeth but it didn't work very well.

So we are back at home and the kids were in bed super early, like 6pm early, they both had no nap today which in our home NEVER happens. Sarah and I can have some time to watch a movie, read the newspaper and relax. Have a good one!

The girls went to Monika's bridal shower and the men stayed home :(

2008-08-10T20:17:00.002-04:00

Our weekend was busy. Saturday Sarah and Ella went to Monika's bridal shower and according to Sarah was "the best bridal shower she has ever been too." Now I haven't went to any bridal showers before and honestly I would prefer doing anything other than the such. What man could sit around, eat and ohh and ahh for hours over bridal gifts like housewares and lingerie, ughhh!?

So Sarah and Ella spent about an hour getting ready beforehand, to say my wife Sarah is in heaven because her and her daughter can spend time getting dressed, primping their hair and putting on makeup is an understatement. So Ethan and I escaped before all this started to Yorkdale where I walked and he rode (in his stroller), we had a very enjoyable time going at our own pace and not having to keep up with my wife who always has a agenda when she goes to the mall.

Sarah looked beautiful, Ella looked ADORABLE! After 4 hours they arrived home with full stomachs, gifts from winning the bridal shower games and Ella asleep in her carseat. It must have been a busy afternoon talking weddings. Next up, Monika's wedding!

I am sure many of you heard that last night there was an explosion at Keele and Wilson, which is very close to both our office and our house. Sarah awoke me at 3:30 saying the bed had just been shaken quite violently and she thought we were having an earthquake (Myself and the kids slept through it). Well once awoken I could see what she was talking about because it kept going, small shakings then large shakings. I had absolute no clue and I chalked it up to bad thunderstorms. This morning I was surprised to find out when I turned on the TV that all this had occurred. All I can say is thank god no one was seriously hurt and really this was too close to home.

We stayed home today and I am amazed, other than the corner where our office was closed going westward and CP 24 constantly running footage about the explosion you wouldn't have known anything happened. Life just goes on as usual, even though less than 5km from here a serious and very scary thing happened. People could've been really hurt if this happened during the day and people were outside, cars going by, businesses running, etc. We really need to look into why this happened and put in more safety measures to protect our communities.

Well it's been a long weekend and we start at 7am tomorrow. Good night!

Our dog has eyebrows like Einstein

2008-08-07T20:19:00.002-04:00

Our dog Molly who is a 6 year old miniature schnauzer, has the most comical eyebrows right now. On Monday she went to our groomer Mark, who does an amazing job and we wouldn't go anywhere else, but for some reason this time he left her eyebrows so long she cannot even see.

Now you have to picture our dog, she is very small for a mini schnauzer, I mean pushing it 13 pounds and she is black, so it makes her look even smaller. She is a very cute dog, but right now every time I look at her I cannot help but laugh. Her body is scalped (as we always do in the summer to keep her cool), her beard is full and soft, but her eyebrows, my god they are about 4 inches long, angled in a very feminine way and the eyebrows practically cover her eyes. She is unable to play properly cause she cannot see the ball when I throw it, it is comical. I plan to get the scissors out tonight when Sarah is a sleep and give her an eyebrow cut. Sarah has warned me not to cause she looks so cute, but I will save Molly, I will, I will.

Have a good one!

My little monkey is home and I am whitening my teeth!

2008-08-04T19:34:00.002-04:00

So Ella came home on Saturday and it has been busy! Of course, Sarah, Ethan and I are extremely happy , life has not been the same, it has felt like something was missing in our house and of course, it was our spirited almost 3 year old, Ella. With Ella's return the house is much LOUDER, you don't realize how noisey a house can be until you have a one year old and an almost 3 year old in a small area. These last three weeks have been semi-peaceful with just one child, it's like Ella adds a whole other dimension to loud and for a good reason, she likes to talk. I am feeling she is getting to that stage where every question that comes out of her mouth begins with "Why." So I am working on good answers... :)

Tonight I have begun whitening my teeth in preparation for the removal of my central crowns. They have served me well, I am not telling any of you how old they are, but it is time for replacement because of all the new, amazing aesthetic dental materials out there. My crowns which will be removed and replaced in the near future are PFM's (porcelain fused to metal), which is fantastic and very stable, but I am looking forward to having a metal free smile with Procera crowns which are all porcelain with no metal underneath. Now I just have to make sure to whiten each night for 7 days, thank god I have my wife to remind me.

I am heading out now to relax with my wife, watch some tv and forget that tomorrow is my birthday.

The red ferrari...

2008-07-30T19:16:00.002-04:00

So Tom came by with a red Ferrari 360 Spider today, which all of you know is Monika's (our dental office manager) fiance. He had secretly rented one for the day so they could take pre-wedding pictures, my god that car is AMAZING!!! For anyone that knows me, one of my passions is cars and the ferrari is my FAVOURITE! This was my first time in a ferrari and I was blown away, and this was just sitting in my driveway. My son and I, who I was watching at the time because Sarah was out with a friend, admired this car from top to bottom, including Ethan drooling all over the gorgeous red exterior. So today was probably my first and hopefully not the last time I will see a ferrari up close.

Ella will be coming home this Saturday!!! After almost 3 weeks away at her grandparents in the Sault, she will be returning. My conversation with her last night was very funny. She began by telling me that she would be coming home in August, which was correct since Saturday is the 2nd of August, but she thinks she is just coming here for a visit and going back with her grandparents to the Sault. 3 weeks away and she thinks her new home is with her grandparents. Sarah and I were talking about this and we were joking about it, but in the back of my mind I am a little worried that she has replaced us so quickly.

Now I know she is having fun up north each and everyday. I wouldn't say just fun, but spoiled rotten. Each day consists of atleast 2 hours at the park of her choice, eating our for lunch with her Gaga (grandmother) and ice cream after dinner every night while swinging on the swing in the backyard. This little 2.5 year old has had the time of her life and she doesn't want it to stop. Heck, coming back to her parents and Toronto means back to the old routine, or shall I say grind of early bedtimes, tiny tots 3 days a week and eating her veggies, would anyone want to come back? But it has to end and she can dream about next summer when she will do it all over again. I think next year Ethan is going to, it's going to be so quiet around here!

The patient BBQ was a hit and the quest for the kosher hot dog.

2008-07-27T19:07:00.003-04:00

Today we had our patient BBQ and we had a great time. Not only did the rain hold off (we did have a few minutes here or there that got dark and ominous) but we had a fantastic turnout of patients. Monika's hubby had a great martial arts demonstration, Elite Spa and Fitness therapy provided head and neck massages as well as a fantastic draw for many services at their studio and we had kosher hot dogs.

So you are probably asking why I am mentioning the kosher hotdogs. Well it started Friday morning when Sarah woke me up. The plan was I was going to Costco to buy the kosher hot dogs, Sarah kept telling me before we left that they probably did not have kosher hot dogs there and to call a few other places to see if we could come there to get some if Costco fell through. For anyone that knows me, I am pretty stubborn, but that day I decided to listen to my wife because she has been right so many times before.

Well, let's just say Costco had hot dogs, but they were not anywhere near being Kosher. So off we went to Toronto Kosher on Bathurst St. Thank goodness they had 250 kosher hot dogs, we were saved and I was glad I listened to my wife!

I am looking outside right now, seeing the rain starting to come down and I am SO HAPPY that the rain held off until now! First patient BBQ done, now we get down to planning for next year, we think we will do it in June.

Back to work tomorrow!

Every time you sneeze some brain cells die

2008-07-24T14:28:00.003-04:00

I was on a interesting site today, one of those that lists interesting facts and I came across a real interesting (but a little bit scary) fact, every time you sneeze some brain cells die. If this fact is true I am in trouble. The last few months my allergies have been pretty bad so I have been sneezing constantly throughout the day and I guess, losing brain cells. My body somehow thinks it must sneeze multiple times after each meal, this has went on for as long as I can remember. Could my brain have too many brain cells and it needs to get rid of them (I am hoping this is the situation though I doubt it) or is my body somehow rebelling against me and wanting "debrain" me? I must admit this fact is worrying me a bit.

Chewing ice is not great for the teeth

2008-07-23T20:03:00.003-04:00

So I was speaking to some friends on the phone last night and they told me their dirty dental secret-they chew ice. This lovely family of three; mom, dad and 2.5 year old daughter chew ice each night after dinner. Now I don't want to get up on my dental high horse, but could you have any worse dental habit? I gave the spiel about the risks and how long term habits like this can put the teeth at risk of fracture-they were not buying it, they enjoy it and will continue chewing ice. What was a dentist to do? Grin and bear it, they are my friends and its their choice to continue ice chewing, I just hope I won't be seeing them for an emergency's for a fractured teeth cause it is going to be hard for me not to say anything about the ice chewing ritual :)

I came across some interesting dental articles today,

Taming Toddler Tooth Decay
http://www.simplestepsdental.com/SS/ihtSS/r.WSIHW000/st.32571/t.32571/pr.3/d.dmtNewsContent/c.785617.html

Dental Mercury
http://www.simplestepsdental.com/SS/ihtSS/r.WSIHW000/st.32571/t.32571/pr.3/d.dmtNewsContent/c.786476.html
This is a very pertinent article considering the fact Scandinavia has just taken measures to ban dental amalgam.

Flossing adds years to your life!

2008-07-20T19:36:00.003-04:00

This was something a came upon while doing a search, it just reinforces why we tell our patients everyday to floss.

Practice Good Dental Hygiene
Flossing your teeth every day could add 6.4 years to your life, according to Michael Roizen, MD, author of RealAge. In his book, Roizen lists flossing as one of the most important daily activities -- along with exercise and quitting smoking -- that could extend life span.Roizen's calculation may raise some eyebrows, but the idea that oral health is connected to overall health isn't far-fetched.The mouth, after all, is an integral part of the body. "Teeth have a blood supply, and that blood supply comes from the heart," says Richard Price, DMD, consumer advisor for the American Dental Association (ADA).Researchers suspect that the bacteria that produce dental plaque enter the bloodstream. They say these bacteria are somehow associated with the inflammation that occurs with plaque that blocks blood vessels and causes heart disease.Other researchers have found links between oral bacteria and stroke, diabetes, and the birth of preterm babies and those that have low birth weight.In addition to preventing disease, flossing and brushing can help keep your pearly whites intact for more than just cosmetic reasons. Teeth help you chew food, speak properly, and smile -- which, according to Price, can help you keep your dignity

Our little nemo fish is doing the work of nitrous gas!

2008-07-20T14:29:00.004-04:00

Lately I have noticed I have needed to use nitrous (laughing gas) for nervous patients much less often and the reason I am sure why is our tropical saltwater tank in our operatory with the little nemo fish inside. Believe it or not, the sound of the bubbling water and the view of the fish swimming around calms the patients enough that they are foregoing using this calming gas. Patients have commented lately how much they like having the tank in the treatment room and how calming of an environment it creates. Who would've thought when I installed this tank in my operatory 1.5 years ago it would have such an effect. I am elated for my patients as I want them to feel calm and comfortable in my chair as if they were at home (where I have a few tanks for this specific reason-to feel calm and comfortable). Now I just need one in my car to combat the effects of a traffic jam.

So I am sure most of you know all about BPA's (bisphenol A) in the plastic bottles, containers, etc that were pulled off the market just a few months, well we have had a few patients that have asked us about BPA's in nightguards and we got answers from our labs that we work with. First, the nightguards that we were having custom made for our patients previously had almost untraceable amounts of BPA in them, well for us that wasn't enough. We have finally completed our search for a material to make the nightguards with that is completely 100% BPA free, so this is what our labs are using for all of our patients nightguards now, without any excess cost to the patient.

I am off to do some grocery shopping while Ethan naps.

Missing Ella

2008-07-19T20:31:00.002-04:00

So Ella is on vacation, yes our two and a half year old daughter is on vacation, 8 hours north of us in northern Ontario. She is visiting her grandparents for two weeks in Sault Ste. Marie and it is day 5 and we are missing her presence around the house, it is so QUIET without her! Ethan, her one year old little brother is also noticing the quiet, but is thoroughly enjoying all the attention from us! He has been talking so much this week since she left, coincidence, I am not so sure, as he finally doesn't have to yell to be heard. Our house is normally quite noisey, what can you expect with a one year old and a two and a half year old running around right? We are missing Ella around here, Ethan misses playing with her (he doesn't miss the odd pinch or hair pulling here or there though), Sarah and I both miss the incessant talking, believe it or not, cause the funniest things can come out of her mouth sometimes. Our house feels not complete and we are counting down the days until our little monkey comes home, in the meantime Ethan is getting lots of hugs, kisses, buggy rides, park adventures and lots of ATTENTION.

Our friend Jamez is developing our website and we are loving it so far, check it out, www.drnathanhaas.com. It only has a front page but more will be added soon.

We are no longer just treating the mouth!

2008-07-17T20:27:00.006-04:00

In the past our dental patients could only have their "mouth" treated in our office. We have reiterated so many times to so many patients how oral disease is so interrelated to systemic diseases like diabetes, stroke, low birth weight/preterm babies and the list keeps growing. So we had to think, how can we just not treat a mouth and how can we increase the health and wellness of our patients? Today we have finalized how we can make that happen, we have teamed with a state of the art fitness/wellness/spa that is a block away from us called Elite. This place is amazing, they have everything you could imagine under one roof, from spa services galore , to a well stocked gym, personal trainers, a yoga studio and they offer many classes like yoga, hip hop dance, bootcamps and salsa classes, the list goes on, you get the gist. Another great thing is that they have a massage therapist, physiotherapist, accupunturist and a naturopathic doctor on site. We are elated to offer our patients the full spectrum of health, fitness and wellness related services. Check out their website at, www.elitewellness.ca

Nadira who many know as our dental treatment coordinator is off to Cuba on Saturday! She is pretty excited as it will be her first time there. We were giving her a few tips about visiting the Caribbean, what seemed to come out of each and every one of our mouths was to bring Pepto Bismol. Now since she is going with hubby and her three children, maybe we should have informed her to bring 5 bottles of pepto, one for each member of the family. It seems having Montezuma's revenge is a common denominator for most visiting the Caribbean countries, even though most of us know what to eat and what to avoid when there. But doesn't having sun, sand and relaxation make up for a little Montezuma's? In my own situation it was mild and passed quickly, for others I have heard it hasn't been so easy. Oh, I hope Nadira has a good trip and Montezuma doesn't visit her or her family while there!

So I going to go relax a bit, it has been a long day!

So we are having a BBQ for all of our patients but...

2008-07-16T22:00:00.000-04:00

we put the incorrect day on the leaflet, it was listed as Saturday July 27th, wrong wrong wrong.If you look on your calendar their is no Saturday July 27th in 2008, the actual date is right but that falls on a Sunday.

So yes, our BBQ for this year is Sunday July 27th, 12-3pm. Today Monika spent a few hours calling all of patients who have not confirmed just to let them know that there was a print mistake and that it is actually Sunday, so if they are able to come to please confirm. So the confirming is completed and people have confirmed and yes, we will have a great turnout for our BBQ, let's just cross our fingers for great weather that day!

I am heading off to bed as it is too late and I need some sleep!