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General Questions
Who's Who in the Dental Office
The dentist is a licensed health professional
with the knowledge and diagnostic training and skill to examine
your mouth and to recommend and carry out treatment, including
prescribing medications, and advising you on all aspects of
oral health.
The dental hygienist is a licensed professional
who cleans your teeth and instructs you in home care and oral
hygiene. Hygienists are qualified to do preliminary assessments
of your dental health and provide you with hygiene therapy.
The dental assistant is trained to help the
dentist in examinations and treatment. Assistants may take
radiographs (x-rays) as well, although the dentist must interpret
them.
The dental receptionist usually schedules appointments,
takes care of billings and payments and generally manages
the flow of patients through the office. The receptionist
is well-informed about dental treatment procedures and can
answer your questions about your treatment options.
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Dental Emergencies - What do I do?
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FAQ
Why does my mouth feel dry?
A dry mouth is frequently a side effect of many medications.
Many women also experience a dry mouth after menopause. A
dry mouth is uncomfortable and may cause problems with the
teeth and gums. You should seek treatment to help you with
this condition.
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What does in mean when one
of my teeth feels loose?
Loose teeth can be caused by a blow to the mouth or by gum
disease. You should seek treatment for this.
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I can't seem to get rid of my bad
breath. What does this mean?
Persistent bad breath can be caused by
food, drinking, smoking, fad diets, some medications, gum
disease or other health problems. If you are carefully brushing
and flossing daily and still have bad breath you should seek
a dental evaluation.
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Are dental x-rays safe?
Dental x-rays are designed to be safe for patients. In addition,
dentists protect you in three ways:
1. X-ray equipment targets the location of the x-ray exactly.
High speed film, digital x-rays and precise timers shorten
exposure time. Equipment is checked routinely for effective
and safe operation.
2. A leaded apron and collar are used to act as an effective
barrier to the small amount of scattered radiation that comes
from x-rays.
3. Dental staff are trained and certified to take x-rays.
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What is the difference
between mouthguards I get from my dentist and the ones I get
at the store?
Custom-made mouthguards provide the maximum protection for
your teeth. Have them fitted by
Dr. Holowaty or at a mouthguard clinic sponsored by a local
dental or dental hygiene societies or
health units. Since they are custom-fitted, mouthguards need
to be replaced periodically for growing children!
Boil-able mouthguards are fitted at home. They
are usually bulky and may cause problems with speech or breathing
during play. Never fit one of these mouthguards over braces
or other oral appliances without consulting a dentist.
Use a face shield or cage and a mouthguard for
maximum protection. Mouth protectors should not be tampered
with or adjusted at home. A dentist should make necessary
alterations.
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Why does my dental insurance company say I can get my teeth
cleaned every nine months instead of every six?
Dental insurance is actually a pre-payment plan agreement
between your employer or union and the insurance company.
Your employer or union hires an insurance company to provide
benefits to the employees and its company covers some of the
costs of the dental bills. The insurer says to the union/employer:
for "x" dollars I can give you package "A"
that covers the procedures in that package. The insurer does
not know what type of treatment you need and does not pay
the dental bills. Insurance is there to help you cover some
of the cost of your dental treatment, not to cover whatever
treatment you need.
In your insurance package, certain procedures
may be covered a certain number of times per year. This is
an arbitrary number that most of the time has no scientific
basis. The number of visits you need to keep your teeth and
gums healthy may be very different from what your friends
and relatives need. Your friend may need dental visits every
three months while you may need them every twelve. Because
children develop cavities faster than adults do, dentists
recommend that they visit the dentist every six months.
If your plan covers visits every nine months, that's because
your employer/union wants to decrease the usage rate of the
plan - they would like to decrease their costs.
If your insurer does not agree to pay for certain
treatments this does not mean that you don't need them. It
only means that in the agreement between the insurer and the
employer/union all parties agreed not to cover those treatments.
You should ask our dental team
what treatment is best for you and how often you should receive
dental care to keep your smile good for life!
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Why is my dentist recommending
fillings or other treatment when I don't notice anything wrong?
When your dentist examines your mouth he can see several things
that you may not, including:
1. deterioration in fillings, crowns or other restorations
2. root cavities (decay on the roots of teeth exposed by receding
gums and bone loss)
3. periodontal pockets caused by gum disease
4. new decay under the gumline
5. cavities under existing fillings
6. hairline tooth cracks
7. impacted wisdom teeth
8. early stages of gum disease.
These may be present without you noticing any
significant pain or other symptoms. Waiting until you feel
pain may result in the loss of teeth because decay or bone
loss may be too extensive to be treated.
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Is oral piercing OK?
Not exactly. Oral piercing has become much more common, but
here's what you should keep in mind before having it done.
In most cases, the person doing the piercing has no special
medical training and may not know where the large nerves and
blood vessels are in the tongue or lips. Also, some piercing
studios may not be properly sterilizing their instruments.
You may be risking serious infection, blood-borne disease
transmission (including hepatitis, HIV and others) that can
be life-threatening, nerve damage, loss of sensitivity, gum
infection, bone loss around your teeth or serious fractures
for which you may need root canal treatment or extractions.
An infection in the tongue can spread to the rest of your
body very easily and lead to toxic shock syndrome or blood
poisoning. If you insist on having a tongue piercing, keep
it spotlessly clean and remove the barbell or ring at night
and brush it as you would your teeth.
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Do I need to take supplemental fluoride?
Fluoride is a natural element that is commonly found in trace
amounts in food. In your body, the fluoride gets deposited
in all growing bones and teeth which will become stronger
and more resistant to decay. If your community has a fluoride
content in the water supply of one part per million, you don't
need to take supplemental fluoride. If you use a water filter
at home, you may be removing all the fluoride and not getting
any of its benefits. Also, if you use bottled water for drinking
or cooking, it may not contain fluoride. The Public Health
Unit can tell you where you can have your water tested for
fluoride content and if you need additional fluoride, your
dentist can give you the necessary prescription.
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What is bonding?
Bonding is a special process that we use to attach filling
material to teeth. Since bonding materials are tooth-coloured
we can use them to fill cavities and also to change the contours
of the teeth to provide a more esthetic appearance.
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What is a crown?
A crown is an artificial cover that we place over a tooth
(like a thimble over your finger) to restore it to normal
shape and size. We use crowns to restore teeth with very large
fillings and teeth that have had root canal treatment because
these teeth are more likely to break. A crown can be made
of acrylic, porcelain, metal or a combination of these materials.
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What is a veneer?
A veneer is a custom made cover made of porcelain that we
bond to the front of the tooth much like an artificial fingernail.
We can use them to repair teeth that are stained, broken or
misshapen.
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What is an implant?
An implant is a small metal anchor that
is placed in the jaw where a natural tooth has been lost.
It functions like a natural tooth root and we can use one
or more to support a single crown, a fixed bridge to replace
multiple teeth or a partial or even complete denture that
can be either fixed or removable.
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What is Whitening?
Whitening is a simple procedure that we can use to brighten
your teeth. You can achieve the best results by placing the
whitening gel into custom-fitted trays at home and you can
get brighten your smile in as little as 2 weeks. For greater
convenience we also have in-office whitening during a two-hour
appointment that can provide reasonable results. However,
the results are not as quick and you would need to supplement
the in-office visit with some take-home whitening trays.
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