From the Heart of McLeod Dental Care

On May 11^th, 2013 McLeod Dental Care hosted another successful McLeod Dental Care Day, offering free dentistry to our community.  We have held this event annually for the past five years now and have donated over $190,000.00 worth of dentistry to the community. 

This year proved to be another heart warming day and with our dedicated hard working volunteer staff of seven dentists and over 40 clinical/administrative & hygienists, we were able to see 161 patients for cleanings, fillings and extractions at our two locations. Over $54,000 was raised this year alone.

A great big “Thank You” to all who helped make this day successful and we are already looking forward to next year.  Remember to “smile” it’s free!

Know Your ABC's

Sure, you take good care of your teeth but what about your gums? With so much emphasis on cavities, it can be easy to forget that your gums need care, too.

Vitamins* can be either curative or preventive depending upon the situation; either way, vitamins are very important to your gums. Here are a few of the most important vitamins for gum health:

• Vitamin A is an antioxidant that supports skin and cellular health as well as bone metabolism. Good sources of Vitamin A are liver, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach and pumpkin.
• Folic Acid is a B vitamin that can destroy the toxins that lead to plaque and gingivitis. Good sources of Folic Acid are spinach, egg yolks and beans
• Vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin that helps restore gum tissue. Get adequate levels of Vitamin C to both prevent and treat gum disease. Good sources of Vitamin C are red peppers, strawberries, broccoli and citrus fruits.
• Vitamin D is an anti-inflammatory vitamin that can help treat gum bleeding and prevent periodontal disease. Current recommendations are for 10 minutes of sunlight a day to get your vitamin D. Other good sources of Vitamin D are salmon, tuna, whole egg and fortified milk.spinach
• Zinc is a mineral that can prevent infections and restore gum tissue. Good sources of Zinc are almonds, pumpkin seeds, oysters and beef.

Keep your gums healthy with a combination of brushing, flossing, healthy eating and regular dental check-ups  If you are deficient in vitamins and minerals, your gums maybe showing the early warning signs like receding, sponginess and colour changes. Come see us to determine your gum health.

*Follow the Recommended Daily Allowance guidelines for the healthy amount of vitamins to consume.

McLeod Dental Care Gives Back

McLeod Dental is committed to helping as many people as possible on this one day event each year, to give back to our community and promote good oral healthcare, recognizing a large amount of people do not have insurance or can afford dental care.  

McLeod Dental Care has a dedicated, volunteer staff of 6 dentists and over 50 clinical, hygienists and administrative for this event. 

Registration is from 7:00 am to 8:00 am, treatment from 8:00 am-1:00 pm and the services are provided at our two locations of 6015 McLeod Road and 3486 Portage Road both in Niagara Falls.

This event is not only a benefit to the community, but also heart-warming to the McLeod Dental Care “family”. 

Mind Your Roots!

As people live longer and keep their natural teeth, their risk of developing root cavities significantly increases. As teeth age they lose their natural sensitivity and roots become increasingly exposed.

Like any cavity, this form of decay attacks a tooth’s exposed root. Root cavities are typically not as painful as other cavities, and therefore, can go unnoticed until they are in an advanced stage. These roots become exposed over time as the gum line receeds. However, this condition is not caused by age. There could be several causes for receeding gums and exposed roots, such as:

• Years of heavy-handed toothbrushing scrapes away the gum tissue and exposes a tooth’s root.
• A life-time of ‘wear and tear’ from a misaligned bite.
• A ‘soft food’ diet that tends to be composed mostly of sugary, high-carbohydrate foods. Decay-causing bacteria feed on carbohydrates.
• Medication-induced xerostomia, or dry mouth. Saliva helps wash decay-causing bacteria off of teeth, and it helps replenish minerals that sugary foods dissolve from tooth enamel.
• Dexterity and other physical limitations that hamper the ability to brush and floss properly.

 If you have an elderly loved one in a care facility, inquire about the facility’s oral care program. If your elder lives alone, visit regularly and assist with oral care, if necessary. Regular check-ups are important whether the elder person lives at home or in a care facility. Schedule check-up appointments and provide transportation for your elder to keep that appointment.

What A Pain!

Migraine headaches can be utterly debilitating. There are so many sources of migraines that most people just skip straight to the treatment without considering the cause. One common but usually overlooked cause of migraines is the constant tension of a misaligned jaw known as Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD).

Chronic and increasing strain on the large nerve clusters surrounding the jaw can cause a multitude of problems including headaches and migraines. This constant compression can make the nerves become painfully inflamed. This inflammation can manifest as migraine headaches.

TMD can be easily diagnosed and treated by your dentist using x-rays, jaw and muscle measurements and recording sound or electrically activity in your jaw muscles. After a diagnosis is made, there are multiple treatment options based on your individual needs. One of the most common treatments is use of an oral appliance designed to take the pressure off of the jaw called a Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibition tension suppression system (NTI-tss) designed to take the pressure off of the jaw. Another option is Occlusal Equilbration which involves modifying the chewing surfaces by grinding.

TMD can also be the cause of chronic earaches, uneven wear on your teeth, neck pain and tinnitus.
So, if you’ve tried everything for your migraine headaches, come see us. We can check for TMD or other jaw misalignment issues that could be causing you more than proverbial pain.

Those Stuborn Stains

Staining may be wonderful for wood surfaces but can be troublesome for your pearly white teeth. Chromogenic agents are those often delicious foods and drinks that have a nasty habit of staining your teeth. The staining effect is caused by pigments from the foods becoming trapped in your enamel layer and building up with continued exposure. Pretty much any foods that would stain your tablecloth will stain your teeth.

Keeping your teeth clean and white is a daily process but you can make it easier by avoiding the top culprits of staining. One type of staining is a yellowing or browning process that is created by continuous exposure to foods and consumables like:

    •    Tea
    •    Coffee
    •    Cola
    •    Red Wine
    •    Tobacco Products

Unfortunately, even some healthy foods can be hard on your teeth. The other type of staining is a colouring from heavily pigmented foods such as:
    •    Blueberries
    •    Cherries
    •    Cranberries
    •    Blackberries
    •    Soy Sauce
    •    Beets
   
The degree of staining is based on the frequency and amount of exposure to staining agents. The occasional blueberry muffin won’t cause a lot of discolouration but a pack-a-day smoking habit will yellow your smile in short order.

Help to minimize your risks by rinsing your mouth with water after consuming a known staining agent. Using a straw can help by allowing the staining culprit to sneak past the teeth. If it’s too late for minimizing and time for removing stains, give us a call to discuss options.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail!

Abstaining from Easter Candy is no fun for anybody. Asking a child to watch all their friends find and consume candy right in front of them while they’re left to munch on a carrot stick is no fun at all. A few simple tips can ensure that your child gets to enjoy the fun treats while protecting their teeth.

Try not to let sugary treats sit in your mouth for too long. Stick with candy that dissolves quickly or is chewable. Bacteria in the mouth feed off of sugar to create acidic reactions, and when there is a lot of sugar sitting on your teeth for long periods of time, the acid can damage their teeth enamel.

Parents may want to use discretion on how much Easter candy their child can eat, especially if he or she ended up with a lot of  loot! One suggestion is, eat as much candy as they want –As long as they brush their teeth between each piece!  The amount of candy they consume is entirely up to them at this point.

Try to have them eat all the candy they want in one sitting, and then get rid of the rest. Dragging out the candy consumption is actually worse for your teeth, because you’re consistently feeding sugar to the bacteria. If your kids eat a lot at once, then they can just brush their teeth and be done with it.

HAPPY EASTER