REOPENING OFFICE ANNOUNCEMENT IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

REOPENING OFFICE ANNOUNCEMENT IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

Sunday, June 7th, 2020

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our communities have been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our office’s commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority in our practice. We follow recommendations and guidelines made by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) and Ontario Ministry of Health. This allows us to make sure that our infection control procedures are up-to-date and enables us to provide the safest environment for our patients and their family members.

We ask that you please be patient and understand that we will do our best to accommodate your scheduling needs as we know many of you are anxious to get back into our office. During this time, we have implemented additional safety precautions to help protect our patients and staff.

Upon scheduling an appointment, a COVID-19 Consent Form will be emailed to you. This Consent Form must be completed and signed before you arrive at the office. We will postpone treatment for any patient who has experienced or been in contact with someone who has experienced the following symptoms within 14 days of the scheduled appointment date: fever, cough, loss of taste and/or smell, flu-like symptoms, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, and fatigue.

If you are over the age of 65 or have preexisting health conditions such as diabetes, chronic lung disease or asthma, serious heart conditions, are immunocompromised, or chronic kidney or liver disease, we recommend you do not visit the office at this time. If you fall into this category but need to accompany a child or family member for a visit, please call our office as we will handle this request on a case-by-case basis.

We will be scheduling appointments in a manner that promotes social distancing and allows for adequate time for us to disinfect all areas of use in between patient appointments.

Upon arrival at our office, call us before entering the office to let us know you have arrived. We will call or text you once the office is ready for you to enter.

We ask that patients enter the office unaccompanied, if possible. For those patients who need a guardian to accompany them, we ask that this be limited to a single family member.

Every person entering the office is expected to wear a face covering and will be asked to sanitize their hands immediately upon entry.

Please take your temperature the morning of your appointment. We will confirm no fever with a contactless thermometer upon your arrival.

Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, charging stations, children’s toys, and so forth, since these items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

Clear plastic screens (sneeze guards) have been installed at the front desk to minimize exposure to airborne pathogens.

Medical-grade high efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) air purifiers have been installed in the office to help improve the air quality in the area for all patients, family members, and staff.

Our doctor and staff will be wearing all of the recommended personal protective equipment (PPE).

Thank you for being part of our family dental practice.  We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors, and friends.

Oral Health benefits of Xylitol

Thursday, September 6th, 2018

What you eat affects your oral health. For example, consuming food and beverages high in sugar can increase your risk of developing a cavity. Bacteria on your mouth feed on sugar and produce acids that start to wear away your tooth enamel, causing decay and cavities.

However, we understand that sometimes you crave a candy, chocolate etc and to satisfy your sweet tooth is to look for other sweeteners that don’t have the same effects as sugar. One such option is Xylitol!

What is Xylitol?

Xylitol is a natural sweetener made from the fibrous parts of plants. For this reason, it does not break down the same way that sugars do, thus it doesn’t leave damaging acids on your teeth. In fact,   it maintains a neutral level of pH inside your mouth.

How does Xylitol Impact Oral Health?

Regular Xylitol use is beneficial in repairing the enamel of your tooth that has been damaged by the bacterial attack. Because bacteria that cause cavities can’t digest Xylitol, so their growth is limited. And thus stimulates the production of saliva, which is able to repair the cavities. Hence, saliva washes away excess food particles, which stops bacteria from consuming them and growing.

Start the School Year with a Smile: 4 Dental Tips

Wednesday, August 29th, 2018

Next week is the start of a new school year, and its a great time to start fresh and make sure your child’s health and mouth are healthy! We have listed four dental health tips to your back to school checklist:

1. Visit your Dentist

Visit your dentist at the beginning of the year for cleaning and examination.  Ask your dentist about fluoride treatments and dental sealants that can help to prevent a cavity. Remember preventing dental problems will help avoid missed schools.

2.  Choose the Right Snacks

Make Sure to pack snacks that won’t harm your child’s teeth. Sticky and sugary candies are bad for your child’s teeth because they cling to their teeth and encourage plaque growth. Instead of candies, swap them for fruits that way it will satisfy your child’s sweet tooth without harming their teeth.

3. Brush and Floss Everyday

Remember to brush your child’s teeth at least twice a day for a minimum of two minutes each time. Also, your child should floss once a day preferably in the evening before bedtime.  We recommend the toothbrush to be replaced every 3-4 months.

If it’s difficult to encourage your child to keep up with their oral hygiene we recommend to try these tricks to make it fun:

• Use a sticker calendar: let your child place stickers on each day to represent brushing and flossing.
• Personalized toothbrush: help your kid pick a themed toothbrush in their favourite colour.
• Play music: play your kid’s favourite two-minute song while brushing.

4. Mouthguards

Protect your kid against injuries. If your child plays sports after school, it is a good idea to make sure they use a mouthguard. Using a mouthguard has many advantages one of them is it helps limit injuries to your child’s lips, tongue and soft tissues of the mouth. Mouth guards also help children avoid chipped or broken teeth, nerve damage to a tooth or even tooth loss.

Ask your dentist about the types of mouthguards available for your child.

Hopefully, these tips give you some ideas of how to integrate dental health into your back to school routine. Since our number one tip is to come in for a dental cleaning and examination, why not request an appointment today by calling our office at 416-701-0600!