Brushing your teeth with activated charcoal. Yay or nay?
You’ve probably seen an influencer or two on Instagram with a seemingly filthy mouth, a big smile and a story about how they brushed their teeth with activated charcoal for a few weeks to see what would happen. Some say their teeth have never been whiter. Others say they ruined more than a few of […]
Halitophobia: The Fear of Having Bad Breath
Imagine spending your life petrified of having perpetually bad breath, no matter how often you brushed, flossed and/or rinsed? This is called halitophobia, and the world’s leading expert on halitosis, Mel Rosenberg of Tel Aviv University, says it affects 1% of the population. According to Dr. Rosenberg, halitophobia is classified as a Body Dysmorphic Disorder. “Sufferers, […]
How fake smiles make you feel better
We all know genuine smiles can go a long way. As it turns out, so can fake smiles. A 2012 study called Grin and Bear it: the influence of manipulated facial expression on the stress response found “physiological and psychological benefits from maintaining positive facial expressions during stress.” Those benefits include a lift in your mood, a […]
9 Toothpaste Life Hacks
When Colgate invented modern toothpaste in the 1950s, they were trying to create a significant advancement in at-home oral care. But they got way more than that. Consider the following: Toothpaste Hole In Wall Patch Hack for Quick and Easy Fix Dab toothpaste onto the wall, then smooth it out with a playing card. Relieve the itch […]
Why smiling is contagious
Smiling isn’t so much contagious as it is an involuntary reaction known as mirroring — the act of matching a person’s facial expression. Adrienne Wood, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, studies non-verbal communication; specifically, the way people communicate through facial expressions. “In order to recognize the facial expressions and emotional expressions we see, […]
The DMFT Index: Healthy primary teeth by country
For more than 80 years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED) has been keeping stats on healthy primary teeth around the world. The purpose of this effort is to determine which countries are succeeding in promoting oral care so others can follow their lead. To do this, they came up with the DMFT […]
A Sinus Infection and Tooth Pain
Spring time is sinus infection season for a few reasons. The most common culprit is the return of allergy season. If you’re a sufferer, you’re gearing up for the inevitable swelling of the nasal passages and the increased mucus in your nose. This blocks the opening of the sinus drainage pathways and can lead to […]
Teeth Whitening at Yonge and Eglinton
We’ve described the entire teeth whitening process on our website (there’s even a two-minute video describing the treatment). After a long, dreary winter, now’s the time to brighten up your world. Start in your mouth. Here’s the why: Teeth whitening improves confidence When you look in the mirror in the morning you’re revving yourself for […]
Protecting your teeth
Protecting your teeth is important to you. You brush twice a day. You floss regularly. You go to the dentist. These are all good things. But are you avoiding activities that can damage your teeth? Here are five of the more common things people do that inadvertently damage teeth. Your teeth are not a tool […]
February is Children’s Dental Health Month.
In 1941, a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio, to raise money for a children’s dentist office went viral. By 1949, February 8th became National Children’s Dental Health Day. Three decades later, in 1981, the American Dental Association extended the event to the entire month of February. In honour of Children’s Dental Health Month, here are […]
Valentine’s Day blog: Can a kiss spread gum disease?
You look deep into your lover’s eyes. Magic. Then, as you lean in for a kiss, you notice they have unhealthy gums. Should you pull back or keep going? Here are the facts: According to the Journal of the American Dental Association, cavities could be passed between romantic partners. The act of kissing can transfer […]
Links between seasonal affective disorder and oral health
According to the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario, 15% of Canadians experience winter blues and 2 to 6% have seasonal affective disorder. That’s between 800,000 and 2.4 million people with some form of acute depression right now. The significance of this condition can’t be overstated, nor can the effects it can have on every part […]