Dental Did You Know: The Worst Gender for No-Shows; 2010 North American Dental Practice Survey

This can't be too much of a shock :) 77.8% of those surveyed said males were most likely not to show up for an appointment.

Source: 2010 North American Dental Practice Survey Findings, Dental Practice Management, Winter 2010, pg 7-9.

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 Did You Know: The Worst Day for No-Shows; 2010 North American Dental Practice Survey

According to the 2010 North American Dental Practice Survey, 52.5% of respondents said Monday was the worst day for appointment no shows, followed by Friday (14.8%) and Saturday (9.6%). The most reliable day turned out to be Thursday (8.2%).

Source: 2010 North American Dental Practice Survey Findings, Dental Practice Management, Winter 2010, pg 7-9.

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

The Blog is Mobile Enabled!

Hi everyone! Hopefully everyone had a great Christmas holiday! Just a quick note that we have activated the mobile version of the blog to be shown on mobile devices like your iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Phone or Android device. The normal blog site will be shown on regular browsers on your PC or Mac.

Also a reminder that we will operate on a 1/2 day schedule on the 31st and be closed on the 1st of January. Monday January 3rd will be emergencies only (limited schedule) and our normal schedule returns on Wednesday the 5th of January!

Cheers and all the best for 2011!


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: Hypnosis and TMD pain

A recent study showed that hypnosis can reduce TMD pain levels by 50% or more versus a control group that were given simple relaxation techniques. Wow!

Source: Sevels I, Clinical Abstracts, Ontario Dentist, Dec 2010, Vol 87, No 10.

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: Oral Cancer Facts

• Over 90% of oral cancers are carcinomas
• The most common areas are the tongue, lips and floor of the mouth
• Risk factors included tobacco and regular alcohol consumption
• Early detection greatly increases patient survival and only takes 90 seconds to perform initially

Source: Gardner M,  Evidence-Based Clinical Recommendations Regarding Screening for the Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas, Dispatch, RCDSO, Aug/Sep 2010, Vol 24, No 3, pg 26-27.

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

Nice Slideshow on Food and Drinks that Cause Tooth Staining

Saw this nice slideshow on webmd.com regarding food and drinks that are notorious for staining your teeth.

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

A Reminder to Everyone About Their Dental Benefits

Just a quick reminder to everyone that has "typical dental insurance coverage" to take advantage of their benefits before the year is up for pending work like crowns, fillings and cleanings. Most dental coverages reset January 1st at their usual yearly amount.

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

Dental News: Penicillin Shortage in Toronto?

I've been getting reports from at least two pharmacies (One a large chain and one a small independent) that there is a shortage of Penicillin. My initial inquiries suggested that the earliest resolution to the shortage will be in December. Until then, it's been recommended to me to switch to different antibiotics to help alleviate the situation. I'll be following up on this story in the upcoming days and weeks.

Take care,

Hans.

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: Calcium Requirements for Middle-Aged (and Older) Adults

For people 31-50, the daily dietary requirement is 1000mg, for those older, it goes up to 1200mg per day. (A glass of milk has about 300mg)

Source: Ward W Fritz C, The "Sunshine Vitamin" and Periodontal Health: A Vitamin D Update, Oral Health, October 2010, Vol 100, No 10, pg 33-36.

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

My Dental Implant Placement in 9 Minutes

Hi everyone,

This is a video of a dental implant placement procedure (Tooth #47 - Noble Biocare Implant) on myself (Dr. Hans Skariah) by one our fantastic oral surgeons (Dr. Ian Furst at Coronation Dental Specialty Group). I had this filmed on my iPhone to give everyone who has had a dental implant suggested as a treatment option an idea on how easy and fast it is to place. A bit of background first: before this video, I had signed consent forms and had a couple of easy injections with topical to anesthetize the area. There is a bit of lighthearted banter going on as both of us are quite relaxed.

Normally, our patients would undergo this procedure with Dr. Furst and the actual restoration of implant (crown) with us, usually fabricated by the great team at POW Laboratories. I have always felt that a great team works fabulously together and that is definitely the case here, as we have done well over 100 collaborative procedures since 2002 in both the Mississauga practice (Promenade Court Dental) and the Tavistock Dental Health Group. Enjoy the video!

P.S. There was very minimal discomfort after the procedure, easily tolerable with Tylenol for a day or two afterwards.

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: The Development of Peer Review

One of the first instances of peer-review happened in 1731 when the editor of Medical Essays and Observations, published by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, forwarded submitted articles to those they considered "most versed in these matters".

Source: Hardie J, Is This Article Worth Reading? A Critical Analysis of Peer Review, Oral Health , Vol 100, No 9, Sept 2010, pg 70-77.

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 Image Library: Supernumerary (Extra) Palatal Tooth

Supernumerary (Extra) Palatal Tooth (Summer 2010)

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 Image Library: Enamel Pearl on a Premolar

An Enamel Pearl on a premolar tooth. (Excess Enamel)

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: Obstructive sleep apnea...its relationship to health and dental treatment options

Sleep apnea is the cessation of breath for 10 seconds or more and is correlated with:

• hypertension 40-50%
• coronary heart disease 34%
• congestive heart failure 34%
• diabetes 65%
• erectile dysfunction 50%
• renal disease 50%
• nocturnal strokes 84%

Mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea (5-30 events per hour) can be treated through 3 options:

• oral appliances (like a SUAD device, which repositions the mandible)
• CPAP (continuous positive air pressure)
• surgical intervention

You can call us at Promenade Court Dental for a consult. A sleep study is required before seeing us, consult your physician for the appropriate appointments at a sleep clinic.

Source: Rondeau B, Teamwork, June 2010, Vol 3, No 4, pg 50-58. 

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: Oral Cancer Rates in the US

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimated that there would be 23,100 cases of oral cancer in 2009 with 5,370 deaths from the disease.

Source: Rethman M et al, Evidence-based clinical recommendations regarding screening for oral squamous cell carcinomas, PEAK, RCDSO, August 2010, pg 1-15.

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: High Fluoride Toothpaste and Cavity Reduction

The use of high fluoride toothpaste (5000ppm) caused the re-hardening of 76% of non-cavitated root caries lesions. In contrast, toothpastes that had only (1100ppm) caused the re-hardening of only 35% of lesions.

Source: Sevels I, Clinical Abstracts, Ontario Dentist, Vol 87, No 6, pg 20.

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: First Male Hygienist in Ontario

The first male hygienist in Ontario, Master Warrant Officer Hans E. Franzgrote, CD, RDH, (Royal Canadian Dental Corps) was first licensed in June 1970.

Source: Morana C, Dateline: Dentistry 1970, Ontario Dentist, Sept 2010, Vol 87, No 7, pg 58.

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: The First Ongoing Dental Journal

The first ongoing dental journal, the Dental Cosmos, was published by Samuel Stockton White (the founder of the SS White Company) in 1859. This eventually became the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).

Source: Freedman G, Dental Education...As You Like It, Oral Health, July 2010, Vol 100, No 7, pg 3.

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 Info: Dr. Andrew El-Faizy Recruited to PC Dental

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Andrew M. El-Faizy to our practice. Andrew will be applying his expertise in molar endodontics and oral surgery to some of our difficult cases. In addition, his experience in restorative dentistry will be a welcome benefit to our practice. Our practice has grown to a family of five...with more to come. Thanks to our patients for their great support during our growth!

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: Calcium Hydroxide and Deep Fillings

Sometimes, we run into cavities that are exceptionally deep, often exposing a pinpoint area of the pulpal (nerve) area of the tooth. This often necessitates a root canal. However, we can attempt to recover and rehabilitate the tooth by capping a small exposure with calcium hydroxide, followed by a well-sealed restoration. The success levels can be quite good: a review of 14 studies have shown success rates of up to 90% with experienced clinicians.

Source: Hilton T, Keys to Clinical Success with Pulp Capping: A Review of the Literature, RCDSO Peak Publication, May/June 2010, pg 1-16.

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