Practice in Pictures: Part II

Another image from Phi Le (the denturist we refer to) of the very unique roof of our building.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Practice in Pictures: Part I

The denturist we refer to is a hobby photographer and he decided to take a few pictures during one of his visits...here's the first in the series:

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

April is Oral Health Month!

Yes, it's that time of the year....April is Oral Health Month. The Ontario Dental Association has taken a leadership role this year in enhancing Ontarians' understanding about the importance of oral health including:

1. downloadable patient fact sheets and an oral health month guide at http://www.youroralhealth.ca/
2. grants to local communities (via the local component societies of the ODA) during the month of April
3. Brush-a-mania, the annual program to educate our young students on proper dental care. This program has already reached over 230 000 students so far

I will try in the next couple of days to post some of the materials the ODA has regarding these great programs.

Source: Estevao R, April is Oral Health Month, Ontario Dentist, April 2009, Vol 86, No 3, pg 48-9.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental News: Toronto-based Dentist Wins Torturous Desert Race

Saw this article in the Toronto Star Online a couple of days ago. Here's the teaser quote:

A Toronto-based Canadian Forces dentist has won a gruelling weeklong, 250 kilometre footrace across Chile’s Atacama Desert beating out more experienced runners from more than two dozen countries including several Olympians.

You can read the rest of the article here:

Source: The Toronto Star online, Read April 4/09, http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/613863


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Free Dental Care for Kids: The CINOT Program

Here in Mississauga, the municipal and provincial governments have teamed up to provide free dental care to children in need (certain financial eligibility is required). How do you get into this program for your kids? Simple:

1. Call Peel Region Public Health at 905-799-7700 to book a screening appointment. A dental hygienist will determine if the child qualifies for the dental service. Ask for the Fairview screening clinic at 325 Central Parkway Unit 21, Mississauga, ON L5B 3X9. This screening office is the closest to Promenade Court Dental.
2. Paperwork will then be provided to see us at Promenade Court Dental (2233 Hurontario, south of Hurontario and Queensway) for treatment at no charge to you. You can call us when you receive the paperwork at 905-273-7100 to book an appointment for your child.

Cheers!

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Veteran Affairs Canada Dental Information

The Veterans Affairs Canada website now features oral health information titled: "Your Mouth: It Affects Your Overall Health"

Source: Veterans Affairs Canada Website, Viewed March 16, 2009, www.vac-acc.gc.ca/clients/sub.cfm?source=health/dental


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Patients Using Superglue to Fix Teeth

Yes, in these troubled times (TTT), it is sad to see people who are squeezed between good benefits and government assistance having their health compromised. View the video from CNN:



Source: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2009/03/04/zartler.woman.superglues.teeth.kkco?iref=videosearch
Viewed on March 5/09
Disclaimer: I do not endorse any products that may be seen in commercials during the viewing of this clip

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Consumer Alert: Fake Toothbrushes

Saw this article in the Toronto Star Online, here's the teaser quote:

OTTAWA – Consumers and retailers should be cautious when buying toothbrushes after counterfeit products bearing brand names were found on the Canadian market, Health Canada warned Monday.

The toothbrushes are falsely labelled as Colgate Massager, Colgate Navigator, Oral B Classic 40, Oral B Contura and Colgate 360.

"If an imitation is suspected, consumers should stop using them immediately, as the quality, safety and effectiveness of counterfeit products cannot be assured," Health Canada said in an advisory.

Retailers with stock from Canadian importer AG Liquidation should check their products for authenticity and remove any they suspect to be bogus, the agency said.

Last July, a public advisory was issued about a sham Oral B Classic 40 toothbrush being sold. Health Canada received a report of toothbrush bristles dislodging and catching in a consumer's throat.


Source: The Toronto Star Online, http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/588359, viewed Feb 19/09

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Practice Improvements: Video Lab Communications

Hi everyone,

We are now using the Become One video tool with our primary prosthetic lab Pow Labs. This allows for far better communication between our practice and the fabricating lab. The previous method was through lab scripts, phone calls and the occasional visit to the lab. This streamlines information flow, lab processing time and reduces errors.

I've put in a screen capture to show you the screen I would see using the video tool.

Take care

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Practice Improvements: New Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) for our Patients

We have a Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) for the entertainment of our patients (especially our younger generation) in our main operatory. (It also entertains me between patients ;). I have loaded it with a few games and so far it has been an enormous hit with patients. (Here's an image I took of it at home)

















Take care

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

3000 Year Old Mummy had Perfect Teeth

Click the image below to hear the story on CNN:




Disclaimer: I do not endorse any products in the advertising shown in the video clip

Source: CNN Online, Viewed Feb 13/09, http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/02/12/mummy.revealed.roesgen.cnn


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

New Medical Clinic

Hi everyone,

Most of our patients know that we are part of a great medical/health care complex. We have a pharmacy (Best Care Pharmacy), a female physician (Dr. Ngo) along with massage, physiotherapy and chiropractic services (In Motion Rehab).

Well, due to the growth of our facility, we are proud to announce the expansion of medical services in our building. The new All Care Walk-in Clinic will start operations this week with both a female and male physician on staff. Business hours initially will be Friday and Saturday from 10am-3pm. Should you want to book an appointment please call 905-268-0414.

Update (Feb 13/09): The phone number will be active February 16/2009 onwards.

Take care,

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Article: Early Humans had Nutcracker Jaws

Saw this article online on the Live Science website, here's the teaser quote:

Our ancient human relatives had jaws like nutcrackers that allowed the hominids to chomp down on hard nuts and seeds and adapt to changes in food sources in their environment, a new computer simulation reveals.

Today's humans have comparatively small faces and teeth, making us ill-equipped to bite down forcefully on hard objects. Apparently that wasn't the case for Australopithecus africanus, which lived 3.3 million to 2.5 million years ago.

An international team of researchers used computed tomography scanning to digitally recreate an A. africanus skull to see how the jaw operated and what forces it could produce. Then, they added measurements of how the facial muscles work in chimpanzees, which share common features with Australopithecus.

Read the rest of the article here: Early Humans had Nutcracker Jaws

Source: Live Science Website http://www.livescience.com/history/090203-nut-cracking-jaws.html , Read Feb 8/09.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Here we grow again! New Hygienist!

Again, thanks to our patients and community for making this possible. Just a few months after going to a 5 day week and having our best year ever in terms of numbers and variety of clinical procedures, I would like to introduce Gloria to our team. She is an experienced hygienist who I've worked with for a number of years. I've found her to be a great, kind, funny and an extremely diligent hygienist who is dedicated to her patients. I look forward to her expertise in setting up our hygiene department. We are starting her on Fridays and are currently in the process of refurbishing our second operatory (which was a overflow/storage room of sorts) to match our main (operatory 1). It will eventually become a fully-fledged hygiene operatory/emergency room. Stay tuned for details.

Take care

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Formocresol Blood Levels in Children

Formocresol is a solution used by dentists for over 100 years as a medicament in baby teeth requiring the removal of pulpal tissue (pulpotomies). The solution used by most dentists is composed of 19% formaldehyde, 35% cresol in a vehicle of 15% glycerin and water. Concern has always been expressed about the exposure of these chemicals to young children and the impact on their health.

In a great study by Jeff Kahl and his colleagues, he showed that:

1. Formaldehyde is undetectable above baseline physiologic concentrations in plasma
2. Cresol is undetectable in plasma in patients receiving treatment
3. Benzyl alcohol was detected in plasma but in levels far below the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recommended daily allowance
4. It is unlikely that formocresol when used in doses typically employed for vital pulpotomoies pose any risk to children

Source: Kahl J et al, Formocresol Blood Levels in Children Receiving Dental Treatment Under General Anesthesia, Pediatr Dent, 2008;30:393-9.

Take care

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Vacation Time!

Yes, it's time for the annual vacation clinic shutdown. The practice will be closed and will reopen January 23rd at 2pm. Jodie and I will preferentially accommodate emergencies the first few days back.

See you all soon!

Hans and Jodie


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental Did You Know: Six Toxins Present in Tobacco Smoke

Health Canada has identified the top 6 toxins present in tobacco smoke that are likely to cause harm in humans:

1. Tar - a sticky black residue containing hundreds of chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic or classified as hazardous waste.
2. Nicotine - occurs naturally in tobacco plants but it's highly addictive and is also used as an herbicide and insecticide.
3. Carbon Monoxide - a deadly gas the reduces the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen to tissues causing most of its damage to your heart, brain and lungs.
4. Formaldehyde - a probable human carcinogen and registered pesticide.
5. Hydrogen Cyanide - one of the most toxic agents in tobacco smoke. Many of the short and long-term effects of cigarette smoke have been associated with this chemical.
6. Benzene - This is a Group 1 carcinogen and has been declared toxic by the Canadian Environmental Act. Benzene is believed to be harmful at any level of exposure.

Source: Clinical Tobacco Intervention Bulletin, Nov 2008, Vol 7, No 2, pg 4.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental Art: Salvador Dali's Ruby Lips Brooch at the AGO

I noticed the Toronto Star had this stunning image (The Ruby Lips Brooch (1949)) and an article on the Surrealism show at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) titled: Surrealism and Design.

Here's the teaser quote:

Salvador Dali was perhaps the most celebrated practitioner of Surrealism, and there will be a number of Dali showstoppers on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario throughout this summer.

They are among the 200 tantalizing objects in a deliciously enjoyable exhibit called "Surreal Things," subtitled "Surrealism and Design."

...Surrealism, which flourished in the 1920s and 1930s, was in a way the art of making the fantastic real. It also happened to be an incredibly important avant-garde movement whose influence is still being felt today.

Source: The Toronto Star Online: Viewed Jan 7/09 http://www.thestar.com/Entertainment/article/562741

Image Source: Toronto Star http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/99/7e/d67cb0bf44728fa922ae898077dd.jpeg
(C) SALVADOR DALÍ FUNDACÍO, GALA-SALVADOR DALÍ/SODRAC (2009)

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

CNN: Flossing Helps Extend Your Life

Saw this video on CNN's Paging Dr. Gupta. It goes to show how important limiting inflammation is to not just oral health but general health and longevity.



Disclaimer: I do not endorse any products in the advertising shown in the video clip

Original Source: CNN online http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2009/01/02/gupta.live.longer.flossing.cnn

Online Source: Flap's Dental Blog http://www.flapsblog.net/2009/01/how-to-live-longer-flossing-your-teeth.html


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental Did You Know: Smoking Perceptions Part III

24% of smokers think that the manufacturers label their products with "light" and "mild" as an advertising gimmick

Source: Clinical Tobacco Intervention Bulletin, Nov 2008, Vol 7, No 2, pg 1.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100