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We have now installed earphones which are connected to our televsions in the operatories. Many patients have indicated to us that the sound of dental equipments is often a reason for their anxiety. Until someone invents noiseless dental handpieces, however, we offer our patients personal headphones connected to our entertainment movie system which will significantly reduce ambient noise.
Perhaps in the future this product will become commercially available and when it does, Metro Dental Care will for certain provide it for our patients.
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Monday, 11 July 2011
Friday, 8 July 2011
The Doors Are Now Open! Harvest Hills Dentists Accepting New Patients and Emergencies
The doors to Metro Dental Care Harvest Hills have now opened! We thank everyone who had dropped by or called for appointments. We really appreciate the opportunity our new patients have given us to be their dentists and really hope our services will benefit the community.
The grand opening will be on July 25th, at which time there will be full-time staffing to accomodate walk-ins as well as appointments. Until then we are appointment-only, but if you happen to drop by when Dr Lam or Dr Chen is in the office we would love to meet you and show you around. We are sure the kids would love the gaming/play stations in the lobby and the ceiling mounted tv's playing cartoons in the treatment rooms.
As always, we will try our best to accomodate same-day emergencies. Call 403-262-2627 for appointments.
The grand opening will be on July 25th, at which time there will be full-time staffing to accomodate walk-ins as well as appointments. Until then we are appointment-only, but if you happen to drop by when Dr Lam or Dr Chen is in the office we would love to meet you and show you around. We are sure the kids would love the gaming/play stations in the lobby and the ceiling mounted tv's playing cartoons in the treatment rooms.
As always, we will try our best to accomodate same-day emergencies. Call 403-262-2627 for appointments.
Friday, 27 May 2011
An Alternative to Local Anesthesia as You Know It
For many people, getting 'the needle' is the thing they least look forward to when they visit the dentist. However, local anesthetic is often an essential component of successful, comfortable dental procedure. The days of being a patient before the invention of anesthetics could be quite horrific indeed!
At Metro Dental Care, we offer an alternative method of local anaesthetic delivery utilizing the STA (Single Tooth Anesthesia) Unit. It differs from 'traditional' local anesthetic delivery in that instead of the dentist pumping the anesthetic, the flow is instead controlled by a computer. Since most discomfort during anesthesia is actually from pressure and rate flow from the anesthetic fluid rather than the actual penetration of the needle, using a computer to control the flow rate of the anesthetic so that it is slow and constant could result in a different experience. We offer both traditional and computer-controlled anesthetic options to our patients at no additional expense.
To learn more about the device and patient feedbacks, please visit the following:
http://milesci.com/sta_patients.html
At Metro Dental Care, we offer an alternative method of local anaesthetic delivery utilizing the STA (Single Tooth Anesthesia) Unit. It differs from 'traditional' local anesthetic delivery in that instead of the dentist pumping the anesthetic, the flow is instead controlled by a computer. Since most discomfort during anesthesia is actually from pressure and rate flow from the anesthetic fluid rather than the actual penetration of the needle, using a computer to control the flow rate of the anesthetic so that it is slow and constant could result in a different experience. We offer both traditional and computer-controlled anesthetic options to our patients at no additional expense.
To learn more about the device and patient feedbacks, please visit the following:
http://milesci.com/sta_patients.html
Friday, 13 May 2011
Hollywood Dental Works
This blog is intended to provide dentistry-related information to the general public. However, it may be appropriate to post some more light-hearted and entertaining, though still dentistry related, topics once in a while.
Today's post is a sampling of Hollywood celebrities' before/after dental work shots.
*Disclaimer: Metro Dental Care did not render any of the treatments on the individuals listed below.
To learn more about cosmetic dental procedures, please visit http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/procedures/index.asp.
Zac Efron had his diastema (gap between his teeth) closed. Diastemas could be closed with braces, composite fillings or veneers. However other celebrities such as David Letterman and Madona are still proudly sporting theirs.
Katherine Heigl had Invisalign orthodontic treatment for her slightly retroclined central incisors.
'I got them because of this wonky tooth,' she told In Style. 'It's awesome because every two weeks you switch to a new retainer. Pretty much the perfect way to describe Invisalign is Netflix for your teeth'
Demi Moore possibly had a combination of tooth whitening and veneer works?
Catherine Zeta-Jones had some prosthodontic work done on her upper anterior teeth, either crowns or veneers.
It was interesting doing the research for this post. While to the trained eye it's apparent that some of the aforementioned celebrities have had some sort of dental work done, some came as a surprise.
Whatever nature did not give you, as in the case of the sampled celebrities, cosmetic dentistry is available to give you that 'Hollywood smile' if you so desire. However, there is nothing wrong with dental imperfection. A healthy, functional smile is the most beautiful smile of them all!
Today's post is a sampling of Hollywood celebrities' before/after dental work shots.
*Disclaimer: Metro Dental Care did not render any of the treatments on the individuals listed below.
To learn more about cosmetic dental procedures, please visit http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/procedures/index.asp.
'I got them because of this wonky tooth,' she told In Style. 'It's awesome because every two weeks you switch to a new retainer. Pretty much the perfect way to describe Invisalign is Netflix for your teeth'
It was interesting doing the research for this post. While to the trained eye it's apparent that some of the aforementioned celebrities have had some sort of dental work done, some came as a surprise.
Whatever nature did not give you, as in the case of the sampled celebrities, cosmetic dentistry is available to give you that 'Hollywood smile' if you so desire. However, there is nothing wrong with dental imperfection. A healthy, functional smile is the most beautiful smile of them all!
Saturday, 30 April 2011
A Quick Guide to Management of Dental Pain
Everyone (dentists included!) has experienced dental pain at one point or another in life. If you're lucky, your friendly neighborhood dentist may just be one phone call away. But what happens if your tooth starts to hurt at midnight on a long weekend and you can not see a dentist right away?
If in addition to tooth pain you are also experiencing facial swelling, fever, and/or difficulty in swallowing or breathing, you need to go to hospital emergency right away for treatment. Though rare, dental infection can lead to airway obstruction which can be fatal.
If swelling and fever are absent and all you have is a sore tooth, there are a couple of steps you can take at home to alleviate the pain. Depending on the etiology of pain, hot or cold packs on the outside of the face or holding hot or cold water in your mouth may help. Try either hot or cold and see which one works. If both hot and cold make the pain worse, make sure your foods and fluids are lukewarm instead. It is very important to keep hydrated and take in food despite the toothache so your body can keep fighting the infection and also you will be less likely to feel unwell due to low blood sugar when you are at the dental office.
One other important aid is pain medication. It is often easier to control pain at the onset of pain rather than taking the medication only when you can not tolerate the pain any longer.
The first medication of choice would be some type of anti-inflammatory or NSAIDS, such as ibuprofen (e.g. Advil, Motrin) since most dental pains are inflammatory in origin. If you are unable to take NSAID due to history of GI bleeding or allergy, acetaminophen with or without codeine may be the second choice.
If you have any concerns regarding potential allergies to medications, you can ask your doctor for tests. We all know it is not easy to find a family doctor, but the newly opened Oasis Medical Centre is right across the street from Metro Dental Care and they may be accepting new patients.
If your dentist or doctor has prescribed an antibiotic for you, don't expect it to work right away. Depending on the type of antibiotics prescribed, it can take up to 48 hours to kick in.
At the end of the day, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Catching a potential problem with a tooth and treating it early will help you avoid that midnight toothache.
If in addition to tooth pain you are also experiencing facial swelling, fever, and/or difficulty in swallowing or breathing, you need to go to hospital emergency right away for treatment. Though rare, dental infection can lead to airway obstruction which can be fatal.
If swelling and fever are absent and all you have is a sore tooth, there are a couple of steps you can take at home to alleviate the pain. Depending on the etiology of pain, hot or cold packs on the outside of the face or holding hot or cold water in your mouth may help. Try either hot or cold and see which one works. If both hot and cold make the pain worse, make sure your foods and fluids are lukewarm instead. It is very important to keep hydrated and take in food despite the toothache so your body can keep fighting the infection and also you will be less likely to feel unwell due to low blood sugar when you are at the dental office.
One other important aid is pain medication. It is often easier to control pain at the onset of pain rather than taking the medication only when you can not tolerate the pain any longer.
The first medication of choice would be some type of anti-inflammatory or NSAIDS, such as ibuprofen (e.g. Advil, Motrin) since most dental pains are inflammatory in origin. If you are unable to take NSAID due to history of GI bleeding or allergy, acetaminophen with or without codeine may be the second choice.
If you have any concerns regarding potential allergies to medications, you can ask your doctor for tests. We all know it is not easy to find a family doctor, but the newly opened Oasis Medical Centre is right across the street from Metro Dental Care and they may be accepting new patients.
If your dentist or doctor has prescribed an antibiotic for you, don't expect it to work right away. Depending on the type of antibiotics prescribed, it can take up to 48 hours to kick in.
At the end of the day, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Catching a potential problem with a tooth and treating it early will help you avoid that midnight toothache.
Friday, 22 April 2011
Removing Your Wisdom Teeth: It could be a smart move!!
Wisdom teeth removal is often a rite of passage for teens and young adults. Older individuals are often surprised when dentists suggest their wisdom teeth to be removed because "they have never bothered me!". However, regardless of age, there are many reasons why wisdom teeth may warrant removal and they can be either roughly categorized as
1. Necessary: Wisdom teeth MUST be removed to restore health. Existing wisdom teeth may be decayed or the gum tissues around the teeth may be inflamed (pericoronitis), or the orientation of the wisdom teeth may be causing damage to adjacent tooth or periodontia.
2. Preventive: The removal of wisdom teeth will prevent development of serious pathology in the future. This is particularly true for wisdom teeth that have only extruded partly through gum tissue or partially impacted due to risk for pericoronitis. However even if the wisdom teeth have fully erupted, if one can not brush or floss them properly, removal may still be considered to prevent future decay.
Early removal of wisdom teeth for valid reasons is recommended because a younger body simply heals faster than an older body. Further, the extraction will be simpler for both the dentist and patient if done before the roots of the teeth are fully formed.
Before wisdom teeth extraction a panoramic radiograph is taken to evaluate tooth morphology and its orientation. The dentist will also perform an intraoral exam to assess access to surgical site and discuss with you the benefits and possible risks of the procedure. Different sedation options may also be offered.
The Mayo Clinic has good information on this subject for readers interested in more details.
1. Necessary: Wisdom teeth MUST be removed to restore health. Existing wisdom teeth may be decayed or the gum tissues around the teeth may be inflamed (pericoronitis), or the orientation of the wisdom teeth may be causing damage to adjacent tooth or periodontia.
2. Preventive: The removal of wisdom teeth will prevent development of serious pathology in the future. This is particularly true for wisdom teeth that have only extruded partly through gum tissue or partially impacted due to risk for pericoronitis. However even if the wisdom teeth have fully erupted, if one can not brush or floss them properly, removal may still be considered to prevent future decay.
Early removal of wisdom teeth for valid reasons is recommended because a younger body simply heals faster than an older body. Further, the extraction will be simpler for both the dentist and patient if done before the roots of the teeth are fully formed.
Before wisdom teeth extraction a panoramic radiograph is taken to evaluate tooth morphology and its orientation. The dentist will also perform an intraoral exam to assess access to surgical site and discuss with you the benefits and possible risks of the procedure. Different sedation options may also be offered.
The Mayo Clinic has good information on this subject for readers interested in more details.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Visit Our Brand-New Website!!
Apologies to anyone who had trouble accessing our main website at www.metrodentalcare.ca
We had changed our hosting service as well as updated the looks of our pages. The navigation and content remain relatively the same but we are looking forward to updating the 'Clinic' section very soon when construction has progressed more.
Meanwhile please check for more oral-health related postings here! The next posting will be focused on 'Wisdom Teeth'.
We had changed our hosting service as well as updated the looks of our pages. The navigation and content remain relatively the same but we are looking forward to updating the 'Clinic' section very soon when construction has progressed more.
Meanwhile please check for more oral-health related postings here! The next posting will be focused on 'Wisdom Teeth'.
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