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The Academy of General Dentistry – for which Dr. Pite is a board member in the British Columbia region, has issued the following advice for parents.

Worst:

•  Chewy/sticky sweets, such as gummy candies, taffy, and even dried fruit can be difficult for children and adults to resist, and even more difficult to remove from teeth. “These candies are a serious source of tooth decay, particularly when they get stuck in the crevices between teeth, making it nearly impossible for saliva to wash them away,” Dr. Sherwood says.
•  Sour candies are highly acidic and can break down tooth enamel quickly. The good news: Saliva slowly helps to restore the natural balance of the acid in the mouth. Dr. Sherwood recommends that patients wait 30 minutes to brush their teeth after consuming sour/acidic candies; otherwise, they will be brushing the acid onto more tooth surfaces and increasing the risk of enamel erosion.
• Sugary snacks, including candy corn, cookies, and cake, all contain high amounts of sugar, which can cause tooth decay.

•  Sugar-free lollipops and hard candies stimulate saliva, which can help prevent dry mouth. “A dry mouth allows plaque to build up on teeth faster, leading to an increased risk of cavities,” Dr. Sherwood says.
•  Sugar-free gum can actually prevent cavities as it not only dislodges food particles from between the teeth but also increases saliva—which works to neutralize the acids of the mouth and prevent tooth decay.
• Dark chocolate and its antioxidants, according to some studies, can be good for the heart and may even lower blood pressure.

“Parents should closely monitor their children’s candy intake this Halloween—and all year round—and continue to promote good oral health habits,” Dr. Sherwood says. “Kids also should be brushing their teeth twice a day for two minutes.”

The program also featured a very important lecture on dental bonding systems and ceramics during the Friday lecture sessions with the world-renowned Brazilian researcher, Dr. Ricardo Carvahlo. Fellow instructors from California, Toronto, Calgary and the UK also attended the program, providing a colourful mix of education and backgrounds.

This continuing educational opportunity provides a platform for further enhancing patient care and delivery of cosmetics to our patients in Oak Bay and Greater Victoria. Improving a smile can change one’s life as it is a big part of one’s first impression. If you have a desire to make a change, whether it’s whitening, veneers or bonding, please call Dr. Pite’s office at (250) 592-3013.

In the last decade, dentists have begun to promote a natural replacement for sugar that is both found in nature and produced naturally in our bodies.

Xylitol, as this product is known, is not the same as aspartame or comparable products. As stated, it is a natural product. It can be used in the form of:

• chewing gum
• pacifiers (slow release)
• chewable tablets
• lozenges
• toothpastes
• mouthwashes
• gummy bears
• mints
• cough mixtures
• many others

In fact, it can also be used in a pure form to replace sugar for coffees, or even products such as barbecue sauce!!  In Dr. Pite’s clinic, there is a “candy jar” of xylitol-containing lollipops in flavours of strawberry, grape and sour apple.

Studies have demonstrated that use of xylitol can reduce the incidence of cavities in children 5yrs of age and under by 70%!

Required:  4-12 grams total/day, spread out over the day 3-5x

When? after and between meals for 5min

Xylitol products can be found at the following places in Victoria:

• Market on Millstream
• Fairway Market
• General Nutrition Care
• The Vitamin Store
• Lifestyle Market
• Pharmasave

By using mouthguards, over 200,000 sports-related oral injuries are prevented each year according to the American Dental Association. Mouth guards cushion the force of a blow to the jaw and dissipate the energy, greatly decreasing the incidence and severity of concussions because the lower jaw (the mandible), is not forced back into the base of the skull (the TMJ), and harmful forces are not transmitted to the brain. These guards also protect the teeth and soft tissues of the mouth through cushioning. Costs related to replacing teeth lost due to trauma can run into the thousands, and can lead to a lifetime of dental problems.

TYPES OF MOUTHGUARDS

Requirements of Mouthgards:A mouth guard must be comfortable, have excellent retention, have little or no interference with speaking or breathing, wear well and resist deformation, and not be bulky but have adequate thickness to be protective.

Types
(1) Stock Mouth Guards: These offer the least amount of protection. They tend to wear out quickly, have poor retention, are bulky, and make speaking and breathing difficult.

(2) Boil and Bite Guards: Approximately 90% of use. These are made of a thermoplastic material that is softened in boiling water, then adapted by finger and tongue pressure in the mouth by the athlete. Unfortunately, during the heating process and subsequent adaptation, thin spots develop in the material, offering greatly reduced protection. Often, they do not cover all the posterior teeth, and are frequently cut and adjusted by the athlete to make a more comfortable fit, further reducing their effectiveness. They are bulky and interfere with breathing and speaking.

(3) Custom Sports Guards: Custom made mouth guards are superior in every way to the stock and boil and bite guards. After an impression is taken, most commonly of the upper teeth, there are two possible custom mouth guards that can be fabricated:

-a- Vacuum Mouth Guard: Using a vacu-form machine, a piece of material (commonly EVA – ethylene vinyl acetate) is heated above a stone model of the upper teeth. The material is lowered on the model, and a vacuum pulls the material over the teeth. There are limitations. All material thins out when heated by as much as 50%, sometimes more. Additional layers cannot be added, because the material will not fuse unless heat and pressure are used. Because no pressure is used, the internal fit is compromised.

-b- Pressure Laminated Mouth Guard: By far the best sports guard available. These custom-fitted mouth guards are fabricated by a special machine, which fuses layers of material using heat and as much as 10 atmospheres of pressure. Therefore, the internal fit of these guards is extremely precise. These sports guards have virtually no elastic memory (they will retain their shape), will not deform with the heat of the mouth, and additional layers can be fused together to form a thicker guard, or to add material where extra protection is needed. These guards also have the additional advantage of being able to be customized. So, when a sports guard fits well, is personalized, and allows breathing and speaking, it is much more likely to be used.

We also offer bite-optimized Agility Guards for enhanced athletic performance.

In Victoria, BC, like any other city in Canada, a dentist is always available somewhere to see you on short notice for a dental emergency. These may include:

(1) a broken tooth with pain
(2) a broken jaw
(3) swelling due to infection
(4) very loose or missing teeth

It is very important to deal with infection quickly, as some dental infections can quickly become life threatening without intervention.  Teeth knocked out through sports injuries can often be reimplanted

Dental Emergencies for Children

Active children may also be susceptible to mouth injuries. One way for kids to reduce the chances of damage to their teeth, lips, cheek and tongue is to wear a mouth guard when participating in sports or recreational activities that may pose a risk. Avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels and hard candy, which can crack a tooth. Most dental injuries occur between the ages of 1 1/2 and 3. Here are some tips on how to treat the most common dental injuries:

Broken Tooth – Rinse out your child’s mouth with warm water and use cold compresses to minimize swelling. See your dentist.
Cracked Tooth – Contact Dr. Pite
Jaw-Possibly Broken – Go to the emergency room
Knocked Out Tooth – Clean the tooth by holding it by the crown (not the root) and rinsing gently. If possible, re-insert tooth into socket and hold in place until you reach your dentist’s office. If that’s not possible, place the tooth in a glass of milk and bring it with you to the dentist.  It must be reimplanted within approximately 30-45 minutes.

If you have a dental emergency in Victoria, contact Dr. Adam Pite at (250) 661-0710.  He can be reached after hours via the clinic answering service.

A: We’re all victims of funky breath from time to time. Deploying mints, gum or mouthwash may take care of the problem, but in some cases they only mask the odour.

If you’re “minted” but still spewing foul air, you’ll need to do a little reconnaissance to address, hopefully exorcise, the embarrassing horror that is halitosis. According to the Mayo Clinic, certain foods, habits and health conditions can contribute to bad breath.

The obvious culprits are strong-smelling foods, such as garlic, onions and spices. Their oils are absorbed into your bloodstream and carried to your lungs — and then exhaled. Stick with less-pungent foods and drink more water.

Rethink your dental routine. Brush your teeth and tongue after eating and floss at least once a day. (You might also want to try a tongue scraper, available at the drugstore.) Better oral hygiene helps fight bad breath in a couple of ways: It clears out odour-causing bacteria, and keeps your mouth healthy so that germs don’t get cozy along your gum line and cause sour-smelling (not to mention painful) gingivitis. See your dentist regularly; he or she can also check for problems like old dental work that’s fallen into disrepair and is trapping food bits in your gob.

Get a medical checkup. Bad breath could signify a health problem, such as xerostomia (dry mouth), a sinus infection, a respiratory infection, acid reflux, metabolic disorders, cancer, diabetes, or kidney or liver problems. Don’t dither about it — just make an appointment and clear up the mystery. Some medications can cause bad breath, including drugs for urinary problems, psychiatric conditions or high blood pressure.

And hey, quit smoking. Not only does it make your breath smell, but it dries out your mouth — the equivalent of rolling out a red carpet for odour-causing bacteria.
- Daily XY

A: We’re all victims of funky breath from time to time. Deploying mints, gum or mouthwash may take care of the problem, but in some cases they only mask the odour.

If you’re “minted” but still spewing foul air, you’ll need to do a little reconnaissance to address, hopefully exorcise, the embarrassing horror that is halitosis. According to the Mayo Clinic, certain foods, habits and health conditions can contribute to bad breath.

The obvious culprits are strong-smelling foods, such as garlic, onions and spices. Their oils are absorbed into your bloodstream and carried to your lungs — and then exhaled. Stick with less-pungent foods and drink more water.

Rethink your dental routine. Brush your teeth and tongue after eating and floss at least once a day. (You might also want to try a tongue scraper, available at the drugstore.) Better oral hygiene helps fight bad breath in a couple of ways: It clears out odour-causing bacteria, and keeps your mouth healthy so that germs don’t get cozy along your gum line and cause sour-smelling (not to mention painful) gingivitis. See your dentist regularly; he or she can also check for problems like old dental work that’s fallen into disrepair and is trapping food bits in your gob.

Get a medical checkup. Bad breath could signify a health problem, such as xerostomia (dry mouth), a sinus infection, a respiratory infection, acid reflux, metabolic disorders, cancer, diabetes, or kidney or liver problems. Don’t dither about it — just make an appointment and clear up the mystery. Some medications can cause bad breath, including drugs for urinary problems, psychiatric conditions or high blood pressure.

And hey, quit smoking. Not only does it make your breath smell, but it dries out your mouth — the equivalent of rolling out a red carpet for odour-causing bacteria.
- Daily XY

Invisalign provides an alternative to those conscious about the appearance of traditional metal braces. It is very commonly used for adults, but can also be applied to many adolescent cases as well. Numerous famous people have used Invisalign to drastically improve their smile… a simple google image search of invisalign and Hillary Duff will show some simple examples of how difficult it is to notice the clear trays being worn.

It is indeed, much as is the case with any material, that mercury is toxic in high doses and can result in signficant neurological impairment. In spite of the mercury leaching concerns with having these fillings in one’s mouth, the most dangerous form of mercury is in the vapour form when these fillings are removed. This is why isolation with a rubber dam and high volume suction are essential to patient and dentist staff safety.

From a dentist’s standpoint, dental amalgam was – and continues to be – one of the longest lasting ways to repair a tooth cavity (aka dental caries). As a dentist more recently trained, I have always had at my disposal, the luxury of bonded composite and porcelain restorations. I truly believe that amalgam no longer has a place in my practice, and this is why I do not have any in the clinic – “amalgam free”.

Amalgam is excellent for dentists to place in areas which are difficult to keep dry, such as those extending below the gums and in areas where blood or saliva seeps into the field. There are alternatives such as glass ionomers that may be used in some of these situations, or even more ideally crowns/inlays/onlays.

The greatest concern I see with amalgam is fracture of the surrounding enamel. Although these restorations last for upwards of 40 years, inevitably, many of them have the potential to crack the tooth in such a way that the tooth may require extraction. Part of the thorough dental exam is to identify these teeth with potential for fracture – and a plan is made to remove the amalgam and replace it with something to protect the tooth, like an onlay/crown/inlay. If you have any more questions, please message me on facebook or twitter.