… And How Do We Know We Found It? a Guest Post by Brian D. McLean, BSc, DDS (retired) What is scientific truth?  No one knows. How do we know we found it? We never do. These answers are blunt and short, and for most people I think, they are distressing. Indeed, they are so distressing that most folks become dismissive...Read More

At Growing Beautiful Smiles, we perform some services differently from what is normally done at most dental treatment facilities. Such differences are sometimes called “wholistic,” “alternative,”  “biological,” or “integrative.” For instance, the science that drives mainstream dentistry seems quite certain that the use of mercury in dental “silver” fillings is “safe.” The same type of...Read More

At Growing Beautiful Smiles, we perform some services differently from what is normally done at most dental treatment facilities. Such differences are sometimes called “wholistic,” “alternative,”  “biological,” or “integrative.” For instance, the science that drives mainstream dentistry seems quite certain that the use of mercury in dental “silver” fillings is “safe.” The same type of...Read More

While the general population talks about “the bite” when referring to how the teeth fit together, dentists, for some reason, talk about “occlusion.” We’ll stick with “the bite.”  When the public asks about “adjusting the bite,”  dentists are thinking “occlusal equilibration.”  I mention these terms in case you run across them while talking to insurance companies or wandering about the Internet. I’ll try...Read More

by Bruna Mucaj, RRDH. To an enormous extent, dental disease is preventable. But by far the most effective prevention is done by the teeth’s owners, (or the owner’s parents) – not by the dental profession and not by the government! We believe that of all the services we provide, Oral Hygiene Instruction is right up there with Nutritional Counselling as the most valuable. Alas,...Read More

One of the most important problems in dentistry is infection control. The oral cavity is like an ocean full of microorganisms normally living in balance with the entire body. Under certain conditions, pathogenic (“disease causing”) micro-organisms can become the dominant life forms, thus creating what is known as infection. These pathogenic microorganisms live together to form...Read More

A mouth guard is a flexible device which fits over your teeth and gums, cushioning them and protecting them from damage. There is evidence that custom-made mouth guards (as opposed to the pre-made versions available in sporting goods stores and drug stores) protect not only the teeth and oral tissues but may also serve to prevent brain injuries and  concussion.Read More

Dental sealants are a plastic (composite) coating applied to vulnerable areas of teeth to make decay less likely to get started. They are only applied to the back teeth – the molars and premolars. These are the teeth that have ‘pits’ (small hollows) and ‘fissures’ (grooves) on their biting surfaces. Therefore, they are also known as pit and fissure...Read More

Dentures (“false teeth”) need to be cleaned. They won’t decay, but they will acquire an unpleasant odour. An unpleasant odour is a good clue that there are unhealthy micro-organisms predominating.  In the Office Using an ultrasonic stain/debris removal solution to remove debris from full and partial dentures, gives us a way to “scrub” their surface at a microscopic level.Read More

Full dentures and some partial dentures transfer some of the biting forces to the gums. Full dentures, especially upper full dentures, stay in place because of their accurate fit to underlying structure of the mouth. That underlying structure, once upon a time, used to hold teeth. It’s purpose in life was to hold teeth and to receive...Read More