head of the ontario dental association shares the most common oral health mistakes

since the start of the pandemic, dentists across the country have maintained strict disease prevention and control protocols that help protect the health of their patients. whether for an emergency procedure or routine treatment, canadians have been able to access safe dental care in times of the biggest public health crisis in recent history. since that first lockdown in march 2020, no known cases of covid-19 infections have been linked to a dental practice in ontario and a recent study conducted across canada reported similar findings.

dr. charles frank, president of the ontario dental association (oda) spoke with healthing during oral health month about the importance of oral health, including some of the most common mistakes patients make, why slouching throughout the day can lead to teeth grinding at night, and the odd connection between the covid-19 pandemic and cracked or broken teeth.

what are the top concerns that dentists see in patients?

there are several things. dental decay, dental trauma due to accidents or abuse, temporomandibular joint (tmj) pain or dysfunction and cracked teeth due to stress, oral cancer, and dental infections that can become life-threatening if neglected.

are tooth fractures on the rise since the start of the pandemic?

what are the most common oral health mistakes?

what do dentists wish their patients would do?

can a dentist tell if you regularly brush and floss?

in a heartbeat. first, there is halitosis or bad breath. then looking inside the mouth, we see red, purplish inflamed gums that bleed easily. there is the obvious white fuzzy stuff that sticks to the teeth that we refer to as plaque. even if you give your teeth a quick brush and floss before coming in to see the dentist, there is still the telltale signs of puffy, inflamed gums.

i read somewhere that poor posture in the day can lead to teeth clenching and grinding at night. is this true? 

what are clues that you grind your teeth at night, and how can you prevent it?

often, grinding at night is stress-related, so if you can address what is bothering you and reduce your stress, that may solve the problem. another treatment is to wear a night guard or nocturnal bruxism splint .

should we worry about a jaw that makes a clicking or a popping sound?

why do we need so many x-rays of our teeth?

now that we are in the sixth wave of the pandemic, is it safe to go back to the dentist?

absolutely. since the pandemic began, dentists have been working hard in the face of covid-19 to keep patients, staff and themselves protected with enhanced infection prevention protocols. it is far riskier to avoid dental checkups because dental care is a key part of maintaining overall health and well-being. you can find out how dentists are keeping you safe at oda.ca .