I went sailing last week with Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity. They hold this event every summer and I have gone for the last number of years and every year I enjoy the day. The event is held at the Toronto Island Yacht Club.
This year I brought my daughter with me. She just finished first year at York University in sciences and is working this summer on a concurrent Bachelor of Education. We played tennis in the morning then went swimming before lunch. After lunch we spent 4 and a half hours on Lake Ontario on just a glorious sailing day. The sun was shining, but it was cool out on the lake and it was just a beautiful relaxing day.
Throughout the day many discussions ensued regarding all kinds of topics, of course mainly dental, but as my daughter and I sat with 3 sailors(dentists), UofT class of 52, 56 and 62. An interesting discussion took place. One of the gentleman (our skipper later that day) at his 55th class reunion was asked to speak on the major changes that have occurred in the 55 years since they graduated. He asked the other two what they thought was the single greatest change or innovation they had experienced in dentistry since they had graduated. They both replied "the air rotor." To those non dental people, the air rotor is the high speed drill that we use to drill teeth. When these gentleman graduated, they were trained on the low speed drill , the same drill that had been powered by a footpedal for so many years. (theirs had been electric but still very slow.)
He asked me what was the greatest change that I had seen since I had graduated (class of 86). I said that it was the advent of the dental implant to general practise. The implant has changed so much in terms of the way we do dentistry and the solutions that we can now give our patients.
Well as I sat there with my daughter, I reflected on the passage of time and the work and contribution to the profession of so many who have come before us. I remembered that when I attended my first Ontario Dental Association meeting as a student in 1982, I had met a retired dentist who liked to still attend the meetings. He had graduated in 1923 and he spoke to me about what he had seen in his lifetime as a dentist. Unfortunately, I don't remember his name but I do remember this meeting with him. So as I sat there with my daughter, who is considering going to dental school, I reflected on this gathering of generations and the passing of collective wisdom and knowledge from one generation to another in our profession. I think my daughter also felt that there was something special in this moment. I wondered wether in 20 or 40 or 60 years from now my daugher will be sitting on a sailboat telling some young dentist or dental student of all the glorious changes she had seen in her life as a dentist.
I wonder?
http://www.rondentist.com/
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
What a great country we live in! Happy Canada Day!
I spent Canada Day at Sibald Point Provincial Park with my family. It was a glorious day! The sun shone all day and it was just one of those beautiful summer days. I have been to Sibald Point many times but I don't think that I had ever seen it quite so full. Everyone had something on a barbecue somewhere. This is Canada, people from all over the world, working hard , trying to make a better life for themselves and their children. Here we all were just having a great time together. The really interesting thing was that you could walk down the beach or through the grass and you heard just about every language on Earth being spoken but when you went close to the water and watched all the little kids playing with each other, they were just speaking English. I said to myself, here is the future of this country and it looks pretty promising. I enjoyed a great Canada Day with my family and am very proud to be living in this great country of ours!
www.rondentist.com
www.rondentist.com
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tongue Tied - what does it mean? What do you do?
Today a patient brought in her 4 year old son for the first time. The child was great, no problems except we noticed that the tip of his tongue was tied to tissue attached to the floor of his mouth and rising up to the back of his lower front teeth.
This is called Ankyloglossia or Tongue Tie.
This attachment can interfere with the baby or child's eating or speech. Often it is snipped by the paedatrician when the child is just a baby. Often it is just left so they can see if it does interfere with speech and eating. If it does interfere then it is removed. What the paedatricians often forget is that because it is attached to the gingiva behind the lower front teeth it tends to pull the gingiva down and create gum problems which will affect the long term health of the lower front teeth. In these cases the attachments must be removed.
In addition to consultation with your family doctor you should consult with your family dentist. It is a quick procedure but important to do before you develop any associated problems. The best people to do these procedures are the dentists, periodontists or the oral surgeon.
http://www.rondentist.com/
PS. If you like the info on this blog, become a follower of this blog.
This is called Ankyloglossia or Tongue Tie.
This attachment can interfere with the baby or child's eating or speech. Often it is snipped by the paedatrician when the child is just a baby. Often it is just left so they can see if it does interfere with speech and eating. If it does interfere then it is removed. What the paedatricians often forget is that because it is attached to the gingiva behind the lower front teeth it tends to pull the gingiva down and create gum problems which will affect the long term health of the lower front teeth. In these cases the attachments must be removed.
In addition to consultation with your family doctor you should consult with your family dentist. It is a quick procedure but important to do before you develop any associated problems. The best people to do these procedures are the dentists, periodontists or the oral surgeon.
http://www.rondentist.com/
PS. If you like the info on this blog, become a follower of this blog.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
What about those Wisdom Teeth?
Every week I see a number of new patients and many times I end up recommending the extraction of wisdom teeth.
Inevitably I get some very similar questions:
Why do I need them out? They aren't bothering me!
Why now, my last dentist didn't say anything?
Well for most people it is pretty straight forward, if the wisdom teeth are hurting and there isn't enough space for them to come in, they need to be extracted. Pretty straightforward!
But what about those people whose wisdom teeth aren't hurting, why do they need to come out?
The answer to that always depends on the specific case.
Of course if there is enough room in the jaws and the teeth come in properly then wisdom teeth are normal teeth and can stay.
What does come in properly mean?
The gums around the teeth must sit low around the tooth like any other tooth so that the tooth can be cleaned properly. Also there must be enough room around the tooth so that it can be cleaned by a tooth brush and if need be, the dentist able to do a filling back there. If not, the tooth will either eventually decay or get recurrent gum infections. Since the tooth can not be cleaned or filled properly then the tooth will need to be extracted. Accordingly, as a dentist, our first thoughts are always, will this be a normal tooth or will it have to eventually be extracted.
That brings us to the question of why now if it is not hurting me?
Wisdom teeth when taken out when you are young, up till about age 24 get very good healing of the bone in the socket, after that not as much. This is very important for the future health of the tooth in front of the wisdom tooth. Also, wisdom teeth are easier to extract when you are younger as the bone is more pliable and the tooth will move easier.
In addition, as my dad always said to me, you do any surgeries while you are young and healthy. People don't often think ahead but if you have to do even a minor surgery when you are older and your health is in decline and you are on multiple medications, sometimes a simple procedure can become complicated.
Of course we can't forget Murphy's Law, it may not hurt now but when you want to go on vacation or any event of significance in your life you can bet your bottom dollar that it will start to hurt.
This is really a simple overview and not meant to be a textbook on the subject. If you have a question on the subject you can always e-mail me. If you have a dentist, discuss it with your dentist as every case is different with it's unique set of circumstances which require a dentist or oral surgeon to give their expert opinion.
All the best
Dr. Ron Barzilay
A Dentist in Hamilton Ontario
http://www.rondentist.com/
Inevitably I get some very similar questions:
Why do I need them out? They aren't bothering me!
Why now, my last dentist didn't say anything?
Well for most people it is pretty straight forward, if the wisdom teeth are hurting and there isn't enough space for them to come in, they need to be extracted. Pretty straightforward!
But what about those people whose wisdom teeth aren't hurting, why do they need to come out?
The answer to that always depends on the specific case.
Of course if there is enough room in the jaws and the teeth come in properly then wisdom teeth are normal teeth and can stay.
What does come in properly mean?
The gums around the teeth must sit low around the tooth like any other tooth so that the tooth can be cleaned properly. Also there must be enough room around the tooth so that it can be cleaned by a tooth brush and if need be, the dentist able to do a filling back there. If not, the tooth will either eventually decay or get recurrent gum infections. Since the tooth can not be cleaned or filled properly then the tooth will need to be extracted. Accordingly, as a dentist, our first thoughts are always, will this be a normal tooth or will it have to eventually be extracted.
That brings us to the question of why now if it is not hurting me?
Wisdom teeth when taken out when you are young, up till about age 24 get very good healing of the bone in the socket, after that not as much. This is very important for the future health of the tooth in front of the wisdom tooth. Also, wisdom teeth are easier to extract when you are younger as the bone is more pliable and the tooth will move easier.
In addition, as my dad always said to me, you do any surgeries while you are young and healthy. People don't often think ahead but if you have to do even a minor surgery when you are older and your health is in decline and you are on multiple medications, sometimes a simple procedure can become complicated.
Of course we can't forget Murphy's Law, it may not hurt now but when you want to go on vacation or any event of significance in your life you can bet your bottom dollar that it will start to hurt.
This is really a simple overview and not meant to be a textbook on the subject. If you have a question on the subject you can always e-mail me. If you have a dentist, discuss it with your dentist as every case is different with it's unique set of circumstances which require a dentist or oral surgeon to give their expert opinion.
All the best
Dr. Ron Barzilay
A Dentist in Hamilton Ontario
http://www.rondentist.com/
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Dr. Ron comments on Dr. Oz's show regarding thyroid collars
I received the following letter from a patient.
" I am sure you are already up to date."
Next part printed, most likely from an e-mail.
Precautions re: Mammograms and Dental Xrays/ A Useful Warning
On Wednesday, Dr. Oz had a show on the fastest growing cancer in women, thyroid cancer. It was a very interesting program and he mentioned that the increase could possibly be related to the use of dental x-rays and mammograms. He demonstrated that on the apron the dentist puts on you for your dental x-ray there is a little flap that can be lifted up and wrapped around your neck. Many dentist don't bother to use it. Also, there is something called a "thyroid guard' for use during mammograms. By coincidence, I had my yearly mammogram yesterday. I felt a little silly, but I asked about the guard and sure enough, the technician had one in a drawer. I asked why it wasn't routinely used. Answer "I don't know. You have to ask for it." Well, if I hadn't seen the show, how would I have known to ask?
" Since I have had breast cancer and many, many, many dental xrays and mammograms; I thought I would make you aware."
I received this letter from a patient who was concerned regarding dental x-rays. She had had breast cancer and was now obviously concerned regarding thyroid cancer because Dr. Oz had suggested that a rise in thyroid cancer was related to dental x-rays and mammograms.
First thing I assured my patient that in our office it is standard practise to use a thyroid collar to cut down any radiation to the thyroid area. Of course patients have x-rays done on a routine basis and may not even be aware that a thyroid shield is being placed along with the regular shield.
Relating back to the show, I do feel that Dr. Oz's comments regarding the rise in thyroid cancer among women being related to mammograms and dental x-rays was a bit more of a "wow" factor than substance. If you watch the video he did not say that it was related but that it may be related to dental x-rays and mammograms. I quite understand the regular individual watching this, his jaw dropping and as their jaw drops him or her saying "wow!" The next thing that happens is that e-mails start to fly, if you know 10 people then have them send it to 10 people and you know how it goes. This is what keeps TV shows on the air but to Dr. Oz's credit he did run another show with experts giving rebuttal.
The comments in rebuttal were:
1) The increase in thyroid cancer is also occurring in men and since men are not having routine mammograms then there would be no connection between mammograms and an increase in thyroid cancer. The comment was also made that thyroid collars are not given to women during a mammogram unless they ask for one because the shield may distort the image taken and may result in doing the mammogram a second time thereby doubling the actual dose of radiation.
2) In dentistry we do place thyroid collars for protection. Also I can tell you, as was stated on the show, that in dentistry, in the last decades, we are using faster speed film and digital x-rays which have reduced the radiation drastically so that we would expect to see actually less thyroid cancer if dental x-radiation was the cause.
So my feeling on Dr. Oz's comments is that there is a lot more hype than substance here. When you have a daily show, you need a lot of the wow to maintain interest and there was a lot of that here. I have links to his videos here and you can decide for yourself. Bear in mind that these are not the full shows but this is what was available on their website and the time for a meaningful discussion is always limited by the length of the show.
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/thyroid-guards-do-you-need-one-pt-1
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/thyroid-guards-do-you-need-one-pt-2
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/thyroid-guards-do-you-need-one-pt-3
When I said I would be writing comments on Dr. Oz, my wife said "ooooh, are you sure?' I said "yes!" She then said to me "just so you should know. There are 3 people that you just don't mess with. One is Oprah, two is Dr. Phil and Three is Dr. Oz."
Accordingly, I humbly submit this blog and Dr. Oz does do a good job bringing health issues forward.
wwww.rondentist.com
" I am sure you are already up to date."
Next part printed, most likely from an e-mail.
Precautions re: Mammograms and Dental Xrays/ A Useful Warning
On Wednesday, Dr. Oz had a show on the fastest growing cancer in women, thyroid cancer. It was a very interesting program and he mentioned that the increase could possibly be related to the use of dental x-rays and mammograms. He demonstrated that on the apron the dentist puts on you for your dental x-ray there is a little flap that can be lifted up and wrapped around your neck. Many dentist don't bother to use it. Also, there is something called a "thyroid guard' for use during mammograms. By coincidence, I had my yearly mammogram yesterday. I felt a little silly, but I asked about the guard and sure enough, the technician had one in a drawer. I asked why it wasn't routinely used. Answer "I don't know. You have to ask for it." Well, if I hadn't seen the show, how would I have known to ask?
" Since I have had breast cancer and many, many, many dental xrays and mammograms; I thought I would make you aware."
I received this letter from a patient who was concerned regarding dental x-rays. She had had breast cancer and was now obviously concerned regarding thyroid cancer because Dr. Oz had suggested that a rise in thyroid cancer was related to dental x-rays and mammograms.
First thing I assured my patient that in our office it is standard practise to use a thyroid collar to cut down any radiation to the thyroid area. Of course patients have x-rays done on a routine basis and may not even be aware that a thyroid shield is being placed along with the regular shield.
Relating back to the show, I do feel that Dr. Oz's comments regarding the rise in thyroid cancer among women being related to mammograms and dental x-rays was a bit more of a "wow" factor than substance. If you watch the video he did not say that it was related but that it may be related to dental x-rays and mammograms. I quite understand the regular individual watching this, his jaw dropping and as their jaw drops him or her saying "wow!" The next thing that happens is that e-mails start to fly, if you know 10 people then have them send it to 10 people and you know how it goes. This is what keeps TV shows on the air but to Dr. Oz's credit he did run another show with experts giving rebuttal.
The comments in rebuttal were:
1) The increase in thyroid cancer is also occurring in men and since men are not having routine mammograms then there would be no connection between mammograms and an increase in thyroid cancer. The comment was also made that thyroid collars are not given to women during a mammogram unless they ask for one because the shield may distort the image taken and may result in doing the mammogram a second time thereby doubling the actual dose of radiation.
2) In dentistry we do place thyroid collars for protection. Also I can tell you, as was stated on the show, that in dentistry, in the last decades, we are using faster speed film and digital x-rays which have reduced the radiation drastically so that we would expect to see actually less thyroid cancer if dental x-radiation was the cause.
So my feeling on Dr. Oz's comments is that there is a lot more hype than substance here. When you have a daily show, you need a lot of the wow to maintain interest and there was a lot of that here. I have links to his videos here and you can decide for yourself. Bear in mind that these are not the full shows but this is what was available on their website and the time for a meaningful discussion is always limited by the length of the show.
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/thyroid-guards-do-you-need-one-pt-1
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/thyroid-guards-do-you-need-one-pt-2
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/thyroid-guards-do-you-need-one-pt-3
When I said I would be writing comments on Dr. Oz, my wife said "ooooh, are you sure?' I said "yes!" She then said to me "just so you should know. There are 3 people that you just don't mess with. One is Oprah, two is Dr. Phil and Three is Dr. Oz."
Accordingly, I humbly submit this blog and Dr. Oz does do a good job bringing health issues forward.
wwww.rondentist.com
Monday, May 30, 2011
We had a visit from the Ticats last week
Hi everyone,
We had a visit from the Ticats last week.
What do you think?
Well we had some fun as you can tell.
See everyone at Ivor Wynne.
click on this link to watch the Ticats at our office
http://www.ticats.ca/video/index/id/17463
We had a visit from the Ticats last week.
What do you think?
Well we had some fun as you can tell.
See everyone at Ivor Wynne.
click on this link to watch the Ticats at our office
http://www.ticats.ca/video/index/id/17463
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Teeth don't start moving after having your teeth cleaned
A little while back a patient came in whom we had been treating his kids for sometime. He had a loose tooth that was giving him some trouble. We took the tooth out and brought this gentleman back for a new patient exam to check all of his teeth. He had a number of loose teeth which we would have to remove and some teeth that we could save. The patient then said to me, "Dr., whatever you do I don't want you to clean my teeth. My teeth were fine but from the moment they started to be cleaned by a hygenist they started to move!"
Well where do I start. Of course this is nonsense. Teeth move because there is a loss of underlying support structure which is the bone and gums. The underlying bone is destroyed by toxins that come from bacteria sitting in pockets around the teeth. These pockets can be cleaned with the resultant loss of these toxins and the preservation of the tooth but if this cleaning is not done then there will be continual destruction of the tooth support with the tooth eventually starting to move and then falling out. This patient may have associated the movement of his teeth with his first cleaning but it is most likely that this cleaning was the first time he had really noticed what was going on in his mouth.
I can't drive it home any more clearly than the next example. This past week a gentleman, 65 years old came to the office. Believe it or not, this was the first time in his life he had been to a dental office. I didn't believe it so I asked him how he had lost four teeth on the bottom, assuming they had been extracted by a dentist. He told me that they started to move and then just fell out. I checked out the rest of his mouth and sure enough he had a lot of calculus (hard buildup on the teeth) and plaque everywhere. His upper front six teeth were extremely mobile and would have to be extracted. (If he would leave them a little longer they would fall out on their own.) I bring this example ( and I could bring many more) to show that this man never had his teeth cleaned by a dentist or hygenist and this is the result. Teeth do not move because of dental cleaning, they move because of the lack of professional cleaning. In other words when the build up and plaque is left on the teeth the underlying support structures will be destroyed, the teeth will start to move and eventually fall out.
I have to ad that the first gentleman did have all his upper teeth out and a complete upper denture made. The question is how long will the remaining lower teeth last without professional cleaning? The answer, not that long.
http://www.rondentist.com/
Well where do I start. Of course this is nonsense. Teeth move because there is a loss of underlying support structure which is the bone and gums. The underlying bone is destroyed by toxins that come from bacteria sitting in pockets around the teeth. These pockets can be cleaned with the resultant loss of these toxins and the preservation of the tooth but if this cleaning is not done then there will be continual destruction of the tooth support with the tooth eventually starting to move and then falling out. This patient may have associated the movement of his teeth with his first cleaning but it is most likely that this cleaning was the first time he had really noticed what was going on in his mouth.
I can't drive it home any more clearly than the next example. This past week a gentleman, 65 years old came to the office. Believe it or not, this was the first time in his life he had been to a dental office. I didn't believe it so I asked him how he had lost four teeth on the bottom, assuming they had been extracted by a dentist. He told me that they started to move and then just fell out. I checked out the rest of his mouth and sure enough he had a lot of calculus (hard buildup on the teeth) and plaque everywhere. His upper front six teeth were extremely mobile and would have to be extracted. (If he would leave them a little longer they would fall out on their own.) I bring this example ( and I could bring many more) to show that this man never had his teeth cleaned by a dentist or hygenist and this is the result. Teeth do not move because of dental cleaning, they move because of the lack of professional cleaning. In other words when the build up and plaque is left on the teeth the underlying support structures will be destroyed, the teeth will start to move and eventually fall out.
I have to ad that the first gentleman did have all his upper teeth out and a complete upper denture made. The question is how long will the remaining lower teeth last without professional cleaning? The answer, not that long.
http://www.rondentist.com/
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