If you’re retiring in the near future, consider making the most of your remaining dental benefits!

Tooth loss hinders eating and speaking, and can cause a host of future problems. Replacing missing teeth is very important – not only for your appearance but also for your overall health. Fortunately there are different options to choose from:

DENTURES

A denture is a removable plate that holds one or more artificial teeth. Dentures can be full or partial, meaning that they can either replace all teeth on the upper or lower jaw, or just a few missing ones. They are custom-designed by your dentist to fit comfortably in your mouth and visually match your existing shade of enamel.

Dentures are the best option for people who have a weak jaw or unhealthy gums. Dentures are typically made from a hard resin that is softer than real teeth. For this reason, dentures need to be replaced on average every 5 years. While the quality of dentures has progressed they are, by their nature, prone to slipping out while eating or speaking so they need to be secured with denture adhesive. Both dentures and partials require regular cleaning.

DENTAL IMPLANTS

If you have healthy gums but are missing teeth, you may wish to consider dental implants. Dental implants are replacement teeth that are implanted surgically into the jawbone. Dental implants replace the tooth roots and provide both permanence and stability.

Implants include a titanium post which is surgically implanted into the jawbone below gum level to act as a replacement for the root of the tooth. Once your jaw is healed, the replacement tooth or crown is fitted into the titanium and secured. Titanium is used because its properties integrate best with living bone and tissue, and it reduces the risk of infection. With proper care and consistent oral hygiene, dental implants can last 20+ years.

If you are considering dental implants, an assessment will be required in order to determine whether they will work for you. The assessment will determine if there is enough bone density in your jaw to hold the titanium post in place, and if any infections or gum disease will need to be treated.

Our team will work with you to create a personalized action plan to get your teeth in immaculate shape while you’re still covered by your existing dental benefits.

For information on how exactly teeth replacement works, call or email us today!

Call: (905) 637-5463 or (905) 332-0105
Email: info@desiredsmiles.com

The clocks have gone back, daylight is shortening, and the festive season looms closer bringing with it many more reasons to smile. However, the decrease in daylight can be a problem for many. Thankfully, we all come equipped with the tools to help. Heading into the winter months is the perfect time to remind ourselves of the health benefits of smiling.

• Did you know the simple act of smiling boosts endorphin release in the brain and nervous system? Endorphins are our friends, lowering stress and anxiety.

• Another benefit of endorphins is they act as painkillers.

• Smiling improves mood, even when not in social settings.

• When in social settings, happy faces are preferred to neutral faces. It seems obvious, but how often are we out in the world, or in front of a screen in neutral or scowling without realizing? We don’t drive in neutral or reverse (at least not too long), why neutralize our face.

• There is power in the giving of a smile. Mother Teresa said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing”.

• Smiling children are a boon. Studies in Sweden showed other people’s smiles suppress control over our facial muscles forcing us to smile, and children smile 400 times a day compared to the 20 smiles of the average adult!

Take your smile one step further to belly-busting laughter. Hard laughter leads to increased heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen consumption. If this reminds you of exercise, you would be correct. However, this is only present in periods of intense laughter and should not replace aerobic exercise, or to justify that extra bag of chips, no matter how tempting.

Research in the activity of smiling continues to uncover various benefits, including links to boosting your immune system. Now armed with knowledge of the health benefits of smiling, look after your most important asset, your teeth.

For bright, and beautiful smiles, the smile you desire, schedule your free smile analysis at Dr. Walter Heidary Family Dental today.

The start of October has us counting down the days to Halloween, and all the fun that it entails. Between the costumes and spooky movies, there is something fun for everyone to enjoy. But we all know one thing: Halloween is really all about the treats and sweets! There are only a few other times during the year where you can shamelessly indulge in all your favourite goodies, and all those seasonal snacks come back for a limited time only.

Though always important, it is especially crucial during Halloween to pay attention to your oral health. If you’re not careful, the constant presence of all those tasty temptations could really be taking a toll on your teeth!

While we all love to indulge, we don’t want your short-term satisfaction to leave you with life-long toothaches. As such, we’ve put together a few tips on how to keep your teeth clean, and healthy, around Halloween.

Limit Your Treats

The average person consumes 3.4 pounds of candy over Halloween. Yes, that much! We know this can sound almost impossible during this festive time, but the most obvious way to take care of your teeth is to simply limit the amount of treats you enjoy. Whatever tricks you may need to hold back from the treats, we suggest you give it a try for the sake of your teeth. You can even put some candy aside to enjoy in the weeks after Halloween. No need to eat it all at once! Remember, everything is better in moderation.

Brush After Snacking

We know it may be difficult to limit your treat intake this month; but that’s ok! You can always offset your treats with a good brushing. Whenever you, or your children, dip into your sweets, make sure you are brushing the treats away afterwards. Brushing regularly is always important, and becomes even more so when your teeth are exposed to a higher amount of sugar and sticky snacks. If you choose to snack, make sure you are pairing your snack time with an extra round of brushing to offset the possibility of cavities

Don’t Forget to Floss

We’ve said it before, and we will say it again: flossing is extremely important. Even if you are pairing your treat time with brushing, some of the sticky candy Halloween is famous for will be tough to simply brush away. Flossing allows you to get in between all the corners of your mouth, and give your teeth a more thorough cleaning. Flossing at least once a day will help to prevent cavities, tooth decay, and all the headaches that come along with fixing your teeth after you have let your oral care slip!

Pay Your Dentist A Visit

After all the sweets, treats, snacks, and goodies during Halloween, your dentist will sure be happy to see you come in! If you happen to have an appointment before Halloween, your dentist will likely advise you of much of the same tips you have read about here, particularly the suggestion for more careful and consistent cleaning. If you have a hard time following any of the tips to keep your teeth clean around Halloween on your own, know that your dentist is always there to get you back on the right track! A regular appointment or cleaning will help you get back to your regular oral health care routine, and perhaps be more careful the next time treats come around.

Dental Care at Dr. Walter Heidary Family Dentistry

At Dr. Walter Heidary Family Dentistry, our goal is to perfect your smile. Halloween can be tough on teeth, and we want to make sure you have all the resources necessary to keep your teeth in their best condition. Our general dentistry appointments encompass a regular check-up and cleaning, vital to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Be sure to book your post-Halloween appointment to give yourself piece of mind during the season.

Additionally, we think you’re never too young to take good care of your teeth. Your children, after all their Trick or Treating adventures, could also benefit from one of our children’s dentistry appointments sometime after Halloween. Our goal is for your children to have fewer cavities and gum infections, and a children’s dentistry appointment is a good way to start helping us with this goal.

If you had a particularly indulgent Halloween season, you also may benefit from one of our teeth whitening programs. Whether in-office or take-home, our whitening options could help give you a brighter smile, and get rid of some of the dullness your seasonal snacking may have caused.

Halloween is a favourite for adults and children alike, but that doesn’t mean your oral care has to suffer to enjoy the season. Contact us to book your free smile analysis, schedule an appointment, or learn more about our whitening options, and get the smile you have always wanted.

We care a lot about our teeth. Not just us dentists, but people. People worry about their smiles, about whether their breath smells, or if they have food stuck in their teeth. You may think these are the only indicators that people care about teeth. You may want to disagree and say if people cared about their teeth they’d floss more. While you may be right about the flossing, people do care about their teeth and they show it in unique ways. One of those ways is the way they talk.

Yes that’s right. Our language, the fundamentals upon which we communicate, shows that we care about our teeth. Let’s go over a few idioms for the skeptics that don’t believe us.

Long in the Tooth

Meaning: Long in the tooth is a phrase used to describe someone who is old or aging.

Origin: There was a similar Latin phrase that dates back to the 16^th century. The earliest English use of this phrase is cited in 1852, so it’s likely these sayings developed independently of one another. This fact is extra cool because that means two different groups of people in two different time periods in two different cultures both cared about teeth enough to develop similar sayings.

Why does long in the tooth mean old? Well because as horses age, their gums recede, making their teeth appear longer. So when someone calls you long in the tooth, they’re comparing you to an old horse. You should be insulted, because an old horse is likely having a hard time accomplishing it’s duties – whether those are racing, pulling, or riding. Show ‘em that you’re still competent, regardless of your age! (But don’t bite off more than you can chew).

Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

Meaning: You could have guessed it – biting off more than you can chew means taking on more responsibility than you can handle.

Origin: Often heeded as a warning, the idiom biting off more than you can chew originally referred to chewing tobacco in 19^th century America. When chewing tobacco was commonplace, blocks of it were passed around and some people would greedily bite more tobacco off the block than they could physically keep in their mouths. Those that noticed were quick to point their fingers at the greedy and warn them not to bite off more than they could chew.

Bite Your Tongue

Meaning: This idiom means to stop yourself, or someone else, from saying something you may regret.

Origin: This phrase evolved in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, written in 1593. Before then, however, the phrase was to bide your tongue. The meaning was similar, as bide is a verb that means to wait, endure, or remain. Shakespeare transformed the phrase into an image of someone physically biting on their tongue to prevent words from escaping.

Set Teeth On Edge

Meaning: This phrase is used to describe distaste for something. Literally, it means to cause an unpleasant tingling in your teeth, so literal distaste.

Origin: This phrase evolved out of the phrase to edge the teeth and described teeth sensitivity. (See – people worried about teeth sensitivity for a long, long time). Its earliest appearance was documented in Middle English. That’s the 1382 version of the English language, before it evolved into the English language as we know it today. This version of the phrase appeared in Wyclif’s Bible as “And the teeth of sones wexen on egge.” Hardly recognizable, huh?

Like many of our modern English phrases, Shakespeare used the phrase in Henry IV, in a way that’s more recognizable to us today.

Scarce as a Hen’s Teeth

Meaning: Rarity – something that you would not often or easily come across.

Origin: This phrase is rooted in the fact that hens have beaks, and therefore, no teeth. It’s earliest use is thought to link back to the colonial period in America, but there is little evidence to this as it’s first recorded use appears about 200 years later in 1862. If this phrase existed, and was in common use for this long, it means people spent a great deal of time wondering about a bird’s teeth – or lack thereof.

There you have it, 5 phrases that prove people think about their teeth more than you’d guess. Bonus: you now know the origin on these phrases and how to use them properly in conversation!

The natural next step in caring for your teeth is setting an appointment with your dentist. Let us help you achieve your desired smile!

So you grind your teeth, no big deal, right? Actually, wrong – grinding your teeth can cause some serious damage. Even if you think your case is mild.

So what exactly is happening when you’re grinding or clenching your teeth?

Teeth grinding, even when mild, has the power to wear down your enamel. This protective coating on your teeth protects them from decay, bacteria, and sensitivity.

When it’s frequent and severe, it can do more damage than just wearing down enamel. It’s a constant strain on your jaw muscles and can cause a condition known as TMJ or temporomandibular joint disorder. This condition causes pain and tightness in the joints around your jaw. In extreme cases it can cause earaches or headaches.

Causes

Many factors can cause teeth grinding. One of the most common causes is stress. Sometimes the emotions caused by stress, like anxiety, anger, or frustration are the direct cause of you grinding your teeth. Other times, grinding your teeth is done unconsciously as a coping or focusing habit.

As stress is one of the main causes of teeth grinding, this condition can develop later in your life, even if you never used to grind your teeth.

Certain substances act as stressors, like caffeine, tobacco, or alcohol use.

Since teeth grinding commonly occurs while you are sleeping, other sleep issues like sleep apnea may be a stressor.

Another cause, although less common, is a side effect from medication or a complication from other diseases.

Children actually experience teeth grinding more commonly than adults, however the causes differ in children from adults. Often, children do it because it relieves the pain of earaches or teething. Other times, it has to do with jaw development. More often than not, children outgrow this habit and more often than not, it is not caused by stress.

Treatment

As stress is a big cause of teeth grinding, stress management is one of the best treatments for this issue. Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting out of the habit of clenching your teeth, which can be achieved through various types of therapy.

Medications that just treat teeth grinding are usually not that effective, as teeth grinding is often a side effect of a bigger issue. Some medications that have provided relief include Botox injections or muscle relaxants. You should talk to your dentist to find out if these are right for you.

Most often, there are simpler solutions. One of these is using a mouth guard at night that prevents your teeth from becoming damaged and your muscles from tensing as much. Your dentist can fit a mouth guard in order to protect your teeth.

Other solutions include changing your lifestyle to reduce stress. This could also include getting into the habit of sleeping well or avoiding stimulants like caffeine that are known to exacerbate teeth grinding issues.

Your dentist can help you relieve the issues caused by teeth grinding, like tooth sensitivity, providing TMJ therapy, or reshape damaged teeth with a variety of cosmetic procedures.

We love the holiday season here at Desired Smiles! Some of our favourite ways to celebrate is with a little decorating, festive songs, and holiday movies!

One of our favourite songs to play during the holidays is All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.

Fun fact: Grade 2 teacher, Donald Yetter Gardner wrote the song in 1948 when he asked his class what they wanted for Christmas. He noticed most of them answered with a lisp as they had at least one front tooth missing.

Our favourite Christmas Special to watch on television is the 1964 television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Our favourite character is Hermey the Misfit Elf. Hermey is a social outcast among the other elves, as he prefers to study dentistry to making toys. In fact, instead of making toys he often spent his time fixing the toy’s teeth.

Although Hermey leaves the North Pole because he feels rejected, he ends up returning and opening his own dental office at the North Pole!

Fun fact: In 2001 reboot Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys, Hermey the Elf has a crush on the Tooth Fairy!

We’re sure you love the holidays too! What are your favourite ways to celebrate? Do you have a favourite song you love to listen to or movie you love to watch to get you in the holiday spirit?