Anxiety

Do you ever get nervous just thinking about going to the dentist?  You might be worrying unnecessarily. With dentistry's many advances, diagnosis and treatment gets more sophisticated and comfortable every year.

Bad Breath / Chronic Halitosis

Whether you call it bad breath or halitosis, it’s an unpleasant condition that’s cause for embarrassment. Some people with bad breath aren’t even aware there’s a problem. If you’re concerned about bad breath, see your Ottawa family dentist.

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Decay in infants and children is called baby bottle tooth decay. It can destroy the teeth and most often occurs in the upper front teeth. But other teeth may also be affected.

Broken Tooth

Rinse your mouth with warm water to clean the area. Use cold compresses on the area to keep any swelling down. Call your Ottawa family dentist immediately.

Bruxism / Grinding Teeth

If you follow others’ advice to "keep a stiff upper lip" when you are stressed, and you take it literally, you may be grinding your teeth or clenching your jaws. It's called bruxism, and often it happens as we sleep, caused not just by stress and anxiety but by sleep disorders, an abnormal bite or teeth that are missing or crooked.

Oral Cancer

Oral cancer screening is a routine part of a dental examination at your Ottawa family dentist. Regular check-ups, including an examination of the entire mouth, are essential in the early detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions.

Cavities / Tooth Decay

Although tooth decay has declined among young children as a group, it can still be a problem for individual children, and even teens and adults. That’s because plaque, a sticky film of bacteria, constantly forms on your teeth. When you eat or drink foods containing sugars or starches, the bacteria in plaque produce acids that attack tooth enamel.

Cracked Tooth

Do you feel a sharp pain when you bite down? Does it quickly disappear? Do you avoid certain foods or chew only on one side of your mouth? If this sounds familiar, you may have a cracked tooth.

Diabetes and Oral Health

If you have diabetes, it’s important to keep your medical records up-to-date. Let your Ottawa family dentist know.

Diet and Oral Health

Your body is like a complex machine. The foods you choose as fuel and how often you “fill up” affect your general health and that of your teeth and gums. Ottawa family dentists are concerned that their patients are consuming record numbers of sugar-filled sodas, sweetened fruit drinks, and non-nutritious snacks that affect their teeth.

Dry Mouth

Reduced saliva flow that results in a dry mouth is a common problem among older adults. It is caused by certain medical disorders and is often a side effect of medications such as antihistamines, decongestants, pain killers and diuretics.

Dry Socket

After a tooth is extracted, dry socket (alveolar osteitis) is a condition that sometimes occurs. When the socket is slow to heal, the condition can be very painful for about three to five days.

Eating Disorders

Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder that harms your overall health and is particularly destructive to teeth. Anorexia Nervosa is another eating disorder that is characterized by an intense fear of weight gain, the desire to be thinner, and an inability to maintain a minimally normal weight for height and age. It’s self-induced starvation.

Facial / Jaw Pain

More than fifteen percent of adults suffer from chronic facial pain. Some common symptoms include pain in or around the ear, tenderness of the jaw, clicking or popping noises when opening the mouth, or even headaches and neck aches.

Gingivitis / Gum Disease

Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues that support your teeth. Your gum tissue is not attached to the teeth as high as it may seem. There is a very shallow v-shaped crevice called a sulcus between the tooth and gums. Periodontal diseases attack just below the gum line in the sulcus, where they cause the attachment of the tooth and its supporting tissues to break down.

Heart Disease and Oral Health

Lately, the news has been filled with frightening stories that link oral bacteria and oral disease to a variety of serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Dentists have long known that there is a strong relationship between oral health and general health.

Knocked Out Tooth

Hold the tooth by the crown and rinse off the root of the tooth in water if it’s dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, gently insert and hold the tooth in its socket.

Latex Alergy

Natural rubber latex, derived from a milky substance found in rubber trees, it is a common ingredient found in many consumer products. Balloons, balls, rubber bands and shoes are a few products that contain latex.

Mouth Sores

Mouth sores are annoying and painful.  There are plenty of things that can cause them such as bacterial, viral or fungal infections. A loose orthodontic wire, a denture that doesn’t fit, or a sharp edge from a broken tooth or filling may also be the culprit.

Oral Bacteria

It’s not news that the mouth is connected to the body. The mouth oftentimes is the location used to diagnose, make a prognosis, treat and intervene on a host of diseases.

Oral Piercing

From hairstyles to tattoos to jewelry, today's youth are making a fashion statement. But those that want to look cool with oral piercing may be looking to their dentists and physicians for help afterwards.

Plaque

Your teeth are covered with a sticky film of bacteria called plaque. Following a meal or snack, the bacteria release acids that attack tooth enamel. Repeated attacks can cause the enamel to break down, eventually resulting in cavities.

Pregnancy and Oral Health

Brush your teeth twice a day with a CDA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won't do a good job of cleaning your teeth.

Sensitive Teeth

Brush your teeth twice a day with a CDA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won't do a good job of cleaning your teeth.

Shifting Teeth

A patient asked recently, "What's a space maintainer?" I told him this can be vital to your child's dental health.

Special Needs

People of all ages may have special conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, mental retardation, Down syndrome, genetic disorders, Alzheimer’s disease or arthritis. Each of these people has the same basic dental needs we all do: daily brushing and flossing, regular dental visits and a balanced diet.

Teething

Although newborns usually have no visible teeth, most have at least a partially developed set of primary (baby) teeth, which begin to appear generally about six months after birth. During the first few years of life, all 20 of the primary teeth will erupt through the gums. Most children have their full set of primary teeth in place by age three.

Thumb Sucking

You may be concerned about your child’s thumb sucking and wonder if it is harmful, at what age your child should stop, or what could happen if your child doesn’t stop.

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are a valuable asset to the mouth when they are healthy and properly positioned. Often, however, problems develop that require their removal. When the jaw isn't large enough to accommodate wisdom teeth, they can become impacted (unable to come in or misaligned). Wisdom teeth may grow sideways, emerge only part way from the gum or remain trapped beneath the gum and bone.