So You Think You Don't Need a Teeth Cleaning......

We hear it all the time with patients, “Nah, I brush and floss my teeth so I don’t need to get my teeth cleaned” or “It’s okay, I’ll just get the filling for my cavity but pass on the cleaning.” What you don’t see is how every time we hear that we are literally trying our best not to scream, haha. Our job is to educate you and ensure we are taking care of your ENTIRE oral health. This includes the foundation of your mouth which includes your bone and gums.

The Breakdown

Your teeth are held in your mouth by the bone that surrounds them. You gums lie over your bone. When bacteria enters your gums and is not removed, your gum begins to tear away from your tooth. The presence of bacteria under your gums is called gingivitis (aka gum disease). If you’ve ever brushed or flossed and have noticed your gums are bleeding, congratulations, you have gingivitis. 

Now if the bacteria under your gums is not removed professionally by a hygienist because you aren’t coming in for a teeth cleaning, guess what? That bacteria then enters the bone surrounding your teeth and now you have periodontitis (aka bone disease). Over time the presence of bacteria in the bone will cause bone loss around the tooth therefore causing the tooth to become mobile which can lead to eventual tooth loss! Say what?!

What people don’t realize is that you can lose a tooth that has NOTHING wrong with it! No cavity, no infection, NOTHING. What happened is that you lost the bone holding it in because you had periodontitis which is 100% PREVENTABLE by brushing, flossing and wait for it - coming in for regular cleaning appointments! 

 The Low-down on Oral Bacteria

Now this bacteria I speak of also has fancy names. Plaque is a sticky biofilm that builds up on your teeth and is made of up of your saliva and the foods and drinks you have.  If the plaque is not removed from your teeth and under your gums (from lack of brushing/flossing and coming in for cleaning appointments) it hardens into calculus (aka tartar).  

Plaque can harden into tartar in as little as 24 hours! Once plaque has turned into tartar it can only be removed by a dental professional due to it’s hardness and strong bond to enamel. Tartar can be found both above and below the gums. Don’t believe me when I say you can’t remove tartar yourself? Just check out the before and after pictures above of a patient who presented with heavy tartar build up and how it looks after once our magical hygienists removed it! Remember, plaque and tartar can lead to decay (ie. cavities), bad breath, and as already mentioned, tooth loss!

Let’s Get Brutally Honest

The truth is you wouldn’t build your house on a crappy foundation, right? Well, same thing here. The health of your bone and gums make up the foundation of your mouth and if you don’t have a strong foundation to build upon, everything else will fail. This means the longevity of any fillings, crowns, bridges, dental implants or any dental work are directly related to the health of your bone and gums. Morale of the story? Book your hygiene appointment with us! Don’t make us stalk you, even though you know we will. :) Any questions? Just hollar at us (or just call and book and appointment).

Dr. Sunayna

Back to School – Snacks, Lunches & More Snacks!

Here we go, another school year.  Whether you are sending your kids to school or are homeschooling, we can all agree this year will look and feel very different .  Although the masks are new, guess what’s not? The dreaded making of lunches and snacks.

Snacks, snacks, and more snacks!

Don’t fret, as usual the Niverville Heritage Dental Gals have got your back.  We are all mostly moms so we get it – the frustration of finding healthy snacks that your kids will actually eat, finding time to pack them, and the worst one – loving something one day and then literally not eating it the next.  How is that even possible?!

Let’s start off by giving you some ideas for snacks and lunches that are good for both the teeth (obviously) AND for your kiddos overall health!

• Cheese – Not only is cheese delicious, but its calcium properties help make teeth strong and some studies have shown that it can neutralize the dental plaque in your mouth!

  Mom tip: Buy the portioned cheese from Costco so that you don’t have to spend time cutting it.  We all know every second counts!

• Fruit, Veggies & Dip – Did you know that antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin C and other nutrients from fruits and vegetables help protect the gums? Plus items such as apples, carrots and celery can help clean plaque off of teeth. It’s a win, win.

  Mom tip: We like to add a different dip to make it more interesting for kids.  Our favorites are hummus (make ahead and freeze) and tzatziki.

• Nuts & Seeds – Keeping in mind your child’s age, nuts & seeds are full of benefits for your teeth since they are packed full of important elements such as calcium, phosphorus, and even fiber, potassium and zinc which can help stimulate saliva.

  Mom tip: Try adding nuts into a smoothie (sneaky, sneaky) or even nut butters are a great way get your picky eater to try some!

• Yogurt – This is usually a pretty easy one for kids to have which is great cause it’s full of calcium and probiotics that can protect teeth from cavities, gum disease, and even bad breath. Perfect!

  Mom tip: To up the ante a bit, try sprinkling some granola and a dash of cinnamon.

• Water – Yup, just plain and simple water.  Water helps wash away bacteria that may be sitting on your teeth, especially after you’ve eaten. Try to avoid juices, pops, and sports drinks as much as possible.

  Mom tip: Make them want to drink water by getting a fun water bottle! We find the flashier and uglier it is, the better, hahaha.  Just ask Dr. Sunayna who cringes every time at the sight of her daughter’s Paw Patrol glittery water bottle. 

Now that we’ve covered some snack ideas, here’s some expert tips to make your life a bit easier from our favourite dietician, momma of 2, Nita Sharda of Carrots & Cake, and teacher, momma of 4, and meal prep extraordinaire, Shawna Lapointe of Too Busy Livin’:

We love registered dietician Nita Sharda of Carrots & Cake’s recipe for Tropical Green Smoothie. Find it here.

1. As Nita says, “food fatigue” is a real thing when it comes to kids.  One day they’re into it, the next they’re acting like it’s the worst thing ever.  The key is to have variety.  How do we do this? Well, Dr. Sunayna found these snack containers on Amazon that she is using for her kids this year.  It’s great for offering a variety of things in a small amount.  She packs all of them for the week on Sunday and then you are good to go!

2. Shawna is a huge fan of, “make more once, save time later.” Take for instance her take on shredded chicken.  Make more of it once in the slow cooker, freeze, use for tortilla soup, quesadillas, taquitos, and also on pizzas, or in sandwiches. Bam. Click here to see her ways.

3. Nita is a huge fan of smoothies and always tells us how it’s a great way to keep your kiddos and yourself fueled.  We love her genius tip on making smoothie packs in advance and throwing them in the freezer.  This way when you are rushing in the morning no need to get a million ingredients! Just grab that smoothie pack from the freezer, dump contents into the blender, and add your milk of choice! Voila! Our fave is Nita’s tropical green smoothie which you can find here. Happy blending!

As mothers ourselves, we get it.  We know we are all feeling so many things. Just know we are all in this together, and we can and will get through it.  As always, we are here for all our oral care needs! Happy prepping and packing!

Love,

The Niverville Heritage Dental Gals

What we did & learnt during COVID-19

AMANDA

During the pandemic I found that even though we couldn't go anywhere, we were able to say "Yes" to those questions of, "Mom can we.....?" because we had more time and more energy. We really enjoyed the slower, unscheduled pace of life.  We read a lot, baked, puzzled, did projects around the home and yard, watched movies, played ball with our dog, swam in our pool, had late nights and slept in. We discovered a lot with home schooling and got a better insight as to how our kids learn and the challenges they face.

We all have a part during the pandemic and need to take care of each other as we all rely on each other somehow.  We need to take care of our earth. Slow down, enjoy the time.

What I am most looking forward to coming back to work at Niverville Heritage Dental Centre is seeing everyone's smiles again! Can’t wait!

 RACHELE

March 2020 was definitely a month I will never forget. My experience all began when we got notification that an overnight at the museum school trip was canceled for my daughter who was in grade 4. How traumatic for them, they were looking forward to this day for months!!  From there the spiraling happened; the following week we had to start canceling patients, with a lot of unknowns for the future.  That followed by myself, along with the rest of the girls in the office being laid off… again without knowing when we would be able to return!! One month turned into 2, then 3, and now we are working on the 4th month!!

During these last few months, I had my 2 daughters, grade 4 & 7 at home, learning from online as their teachers would send homework and videos to help continue their education.  I can tell you a few things I learnt about this.  I may need to go back to grade school for math!! LOL… but seriously, they have changed the ways of problem solving!! Even though I may know the answer, it’s the explaining of “How to” that I had difficulties with! So, with that said, we are very thankful for our wonderful teachers!!

Along with spending everyday with my girls while my husband continued to work, we got a lot accomplished around the house! Spring cleaning was in full gear!  The weather was also amazing, so we got a lot done around the yard. This included planting all of our flowers, vegetables, getting our pool ready and my oldest and I even built a new garden!

Myself, and family included have learnt that as much as we love our family time, time apart is just as important. We have learnt to be extra thankful for our health and the time we get to spend with our extended friends and family.  One of the other things I learnt is online shopping is WAY too easy!!! For those “regular” errands, such as grocery shopping, I appreciate curb side pick-up that much more now too! Oh… and snacking; let’s just say my clothes will be more forgiving getting back to work & routine! LOL

Returning back to work was yet again another change to our readjusted schedule, but routine plays a pretty big role. I am thankful to be back in the office, talking to our patients and getting them rescheduled from the months we have fallen behind. Not only that, we are welcoming you all back to a brand new office that you can’t wait for you to see!!!

 NIKKI

During this time off during Covid I have made sure that I take care of myself and my family. I worked out almost everyday for my physical and mental health.  I tried new recipes, organized and cleaned my house (as I’m sure lots of you did!) and just tried to relax as much as possible.

I have learned during Covid that you don’t know how everyone feels. Some may be stressed, scared, leery of even speaking to people on a street, and that’s ok. They are free to feel the way they want to. We need to be kind to each other and not judge others.

Lastly, I am looking forward to seeing OUR PATIENTS AGAIN!!! Having good conversations and laughing with people while they sit in our chair is what I have missed....and of course my fantastic co-workers!!  See everyone soon!

SUNAYNA

2020 was supposed to be our year, but 2020 also had other plans.  If you had told me at the beginning of the year that I would be forced to shut down for fourth months, lay off my amazing team all in the middle of a long-awaited renovation and expansion I would’ve told you that you were crazy.  The beginning of COVID at home was definitely an adjustment.  We were so used to being a busy, always on the go family of 4 and all of a sudden there we were, all of us in our house with nowhere to go.

Making three meals and two snacks a day while entertaining two young kids was A LOT.  But here’s what I realized one day while talking to my husband.  When ever in our entire lives would we have the opportunity to take consecutive months off of work?! Never! So in that moment I decided to relax, ease off, and truly try to enjoy the moments I have been given with my kids and family.

As much as I love my family, gosh did I miss work! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I absolutely adore what I do, who I do it with, and my patients.  I feel so lucky.  No matter what financial stresses may have come out of this the sole fact remains my dream of creating a space that feels like home where people can come and provide exceptional dentistry all while being kind is coming true, and for that I am so grateful.

During this time I’ve seen more empathy, love, and kindness around me.  I hope we all continue to make a concerted effort to keep that going.  In the end, I realized 2020 is still our year.  We grew, we learnt, we evolved. I cannot wait to see all of you again and welcome you in our dream space, it’s been a LONG time coming! Most of all, I can’t wait to laugh with you all again.  See you soon!

KAITLIN

It felt like I had just come back from maternity leave and then we had to shut down. I love my job but like lots of people coming back from mat leave, I had a small interest to stay home with the kids and COVID let me live that life for a little bit. I enjoyed my time with them doing science experiments, lots of baking and playing outside. We got a small trampoline and played lots on there. We went for walks often and I did workouts with my kids. On days I didn’t feel like working out or going for my walk my daughter would say that I had to, haha! It was part of our routine. I should add my husband worked from home through this time and that was also very nice that he could be around and move his schedule if needed to be with the whole family.

Through this time I learnt to slow down and be more present with my kids. I soaked up the time I had with them. I learnt to be more patient and to pick my battles, giving into things that don’t really matter in the long run. I am a home body and enjoyed these past few months with my family but I am looking forward to getting back to work!

 LINDSAY

During the Covid-19 pandemic I enjoyed sleeping in the mornings, learning to cook new foods, cleaning and organizing my home, and spending time working on self- improvement.

With this time away from work and socializing, I learned the benefit of slowing down a little bit and taking the time to enjoy nature and my own company. Now that we are back at Niverville Heritage Dental, I look forward to maintaining a healthy balance in my schedule and improving my free-time management skills!

A letter to you.

I truly love what I do. Yes, I really do laugh like this ALL the time at work.

I struggled a lot about whether to write this or not. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m sweating as we speak (how’s that for a lovely image for you). Here’s why I decided to try to put into words what I’m feeling right now. I think, or at least hope, the reason you come to our office is not only the quality of work we do, but more importantly, because of how we make you feel.  What you see is what you get.  We are REAL. Real women who love what they do and are having a blast while doing it. This is why this crazy situation we are all in has been so difficult - mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. 

I am one of those lucky few who truly loves what they do. Loves teeth? What a weirdo. Yup, this weirdo loves teeth.  But what I also love and feed off of is the human connection. I love chatting (I think all of you can agree with that one), laughing extremely loudly (shocker), and just being with my patients. Not being able to come to work is devastating. Not being able to help my patients by offering them to come in so I can take them out of pain leaves me feeling completely helpless.  Basically not being able to do what I love feels like a piece of me is missing.

The best team a girl could ever wish for.

Then there’s the girls. In the dental field, there tends to a pretty regular turnover of team members.  Not mine.  I hit the absolute dental jackpot when it comes to my team of gals (knocking on wood as we speak).  Having to lay them off for the time being, knowing the stress that puts on them, and not being able to see them has literally kept me up at night.  I feed off of them and when that’s missing, things just don’t seem whole.

Now a bit more about what’s going with me. Holy smokes how do stay at home moms do it?! Being at home with both kids all day, homeschooling, meals, snacks, trying to get some work done, I can’t even! (Shout out to my super sweet patient who waited as my kids barged into my room and began singing at the top of their lungs while I was on the phone with her trying to figure out what happened to her tooth). Anyone feel like they are more exhausted now than before this whole thing happened?! I literally thought I would have time to do the things I never had time for before like organizing the closets, cleaning out the basement, reading that book I never started.  Nope! How is it that I am forced not to work and be at home but still don’t have time?! 

My family. Love these humans, but boy being with them 24 hours a day really does test your love!

Now to the part that is seen as a definite faux pas that no one really talks about - the financial stress.  Let’s be real, no one is going to feel sorry for a dentist.  Am I extremely lucky to be well compensated to do something that I love? Absoutely, without a shadow of a doubt.  Are there well established dentists out there who have been practicing and owned their practice for decades, with savings who this situation will be easier for? Yup.  Am I one of those dentists? Nope. I wish, I would love a new bag, hahahahaha. Just kidding.  Sort of.

The hard truth is I’m still a young practicing dentist who is a new business owner.  I have dental school debt, a business loan for buying into this practice that I love with all my soul, and then to top it all off, a renovation that is still continuing on with no revenue coming in for the foreseeable future. I have zero income that my family relies on and due to the nature of my work when we do go back, we are one of the highest risk as we work in the mouth.  

Now, please know this is not meant to be a “Feel sorry for Sunayna and let’s throw her a pity party” post, but if you want to, I’m happy to join the party you throw for me virtually! I like Beyonce FYI.  But seriously here’s what I know after a lot of soul searching:

Miss you all everyday. I can’t wait to see your smiles again soon.

EVERYONE is struggling, not just me.  EVERYONE is hurting.  EVERYONE is trying their best to navigate this.

GRATITUDE.  Despite what I may be going through right now, I know others have it worse.  I have gratitude for the time my family has together - bedtimes that I miss sometimes due to work, meals together, and all the playing.  I have gratitude for the shelter I have, food we eat, and the ability and option to stay home while others risk their lives for us.

JOY. I refuse to let this bring me down.  From the moment I walked into Niverville Heritage Dental Centre I just knew I was meant to be here.  I work so dang hard.  The girls work so hard.  So we are going to continue with the renovation. I will not let it be a source of stress when it was always meant to be a source of excitement, pride, and pure joy.  Whenever we open, I promise you it will be a space that the girls and I deserve to work in and a space that you deserve to be treated in.  In the end, I choose JOY.

If you read this far, gosh, I owe you a complimentary exam when we open.  Just joking, I’m broke remember? Hahaha.  But seriously thank you.  Know that I dream every night of coming back and seeing all of you again.  I honestly can’t wait.  Stay safe.  Miss you.

Much love,

Sunayna