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What’s New

Courses:

  • Dr. Courchesne has been attending and has plans to attend the following dental courses:
       - CPR Renewal Sept. 28 with her staff
       - Head & Neck with Dr. Gagne, Physiotherapist on Oct. 15
       - Dental Injuries on Oct. 19 with staff
       - The Pankey Institute, Continuum II in Oct. 2007
       - Coposites on Nov. 16 with staff
       - Hands-on Composites on Nov. 17
       - Implant Study Club - every Tue. evening until Spring' 08
       - is a member of the new female Dentist Study Club in Ottawa

  • Dr. Pariseau continues her studies as well with The Pankey Institute in Oct. 2007.
    She has also co-founded a female dentist Study Club in Ottawa.


Emergency Info:

    Should you require urgent dental care outside of our regular office hours, please call
    613-523-4185 (for the Ottawa area dentist on call).


Holidays:

  • Christmas Holidays - Friday Dec. 21, 2007 – Tuesday Jan. 1, 2008 (inclusive)


Staff News:

  • Jennifer has started learning Wu Tai Ji (a martial style of Tai Chi).
  • Carol is looking forward to getting in shape with cardio kickboxing.
  • Lisa is sad to see summer come to an end and will now be spending most of her free time at the hockey arena.
  • Marla has both her boys signed up for extra-curricular activities, while trying to do her Yagalates class.
  • Dr. Courchesne cannot wait for the snow to fall and go snowboarding at Mont. Ste. Marie where she and her fiancé got thier seasons' passes. She is also busy making wedding arrangements for her wedding in August 2008.

New guidelines regarding antibiotics to prevent infective endocarditis

    The American Heart Association recently updated its guidelines regarding which patients should take a precautionary antibiotic to prevent infective endocarditis (IE) before a trip to the dentist.

    The guidelines, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, are based on a growing body of scientific evidence that shows that, for most people, the risks of taking prophylaxis antibiotics for certain procedures outweigh the benefits. These guidelines represent a major change in philosophy.

    The new guidelines show taking preventive antibiotics is not necessary for most people and, in fact, might create more harm than good. Unnecessary use of antibiotics could cause allergic reactions and dangerous antibiotic resistance.

    Only the people at greatest risk of bad outcomes from infective endocarditis — an infection of the heart's inner lining or the heart valves — should receive short-term preventive antibiotics before common, routine dental and medical procedures.

    Patients at the greatest danger of bad outcomes from IE and for whom preventive antibiotics are worth the risks include those with:
     
  • artificial heart valves
    •  
  • a history of having had IE
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  • certain specific, serious congenital (present from birth) heart conditions, including:
      - un-repaired or incompletely repaired cyanotic congenital heart disease, including those with palliative shunts and conduits
      - a completely repaired congenital heart defect with prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or by catheter interventions, during the first six months after the procedure
      -any repaired congenital heart defect with residual defect at the site or adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or prosthetic device
    •  
  • a cardiac transplant which develops a problem in a heart valve. If you are one of our patients who has required pre-medication for dental visits, you may want to contact your family physician to check whether or not you still need to take antibiotics before dental appointments.
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    If you are one of our patients who has required pre-medication for dental visits, you may want to contact your family physician to check whether or not you still need to take antibiotics before dental appointments.


Implant News:

Implants are now considered standard of care when it comes to replacing missing teeth. Also considered standard of care, are implant supported complete lower dentures. Implants are made of bio-compatible Titanium. Placed in the jaw bone, they become a solid platform to support a single tooth, a bridge or a denture. We are pleased to announce that we now offer this treatment modality to our patients.


Diagnodent:

    Sometimes it is difficult to diagnose cavities, especially in the pits and grooves on the biting surfaces of your back teeth. The Diagnodent is a diagnostic tool that helps locate even the smallest amount of decay.
    The Diagnodent is a laser technology that scans your teeth with harmless pulses of light. When a cavity is present, fluorescent light of a different wave length bounces back to the sensor, which is translated to a digital read-out.
    The widespread use of fluoride has made finding and restoring cavities early in their development more difficult. Fluoride hardens the outer enamel layer of your teeth which means decay has a difficult time gaining a foothold. As a result, cavities are typically smaller and can be much harder to diagnose. Before, a dental explorer would catch on the decay, or the decay would show up on a routine x-ray. Now, however, a small cavity can easily go undetected.

    By diagnosing decay early in its development, we can prevent more extensive damage. Your restorations will be smaller and less costly, and you’ll be able to retain more of your own natural, healthy tooth.


Dental Injuries 101:

    Accidents do happen and it is important to be prepared. Should you or someone close to you suffer a facial trauma strong enough to cause tooth avulsion (tooth completely knocked out of its socket), do the following to improve the odds of saving it:

      Directions for when a person knocks a tooth out:
     
  • Immediately attempt to find the tooth(it could be in the lungs, stomach or gum tissue).
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  • Handle the tooth by the crown only, do not touch the root.
    		•
     
  • Rinse with water but do not rub to clean it.
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  • Replace the tooth back in the socket, if possible, but do not try to force it in.
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  • If this is not possible, place the tooth in milk or owners own saliva (best).
    		•
     
  • Immediately contact your dentist for an emergency appointment. The sooner you receive treatment the better. Successful re-implantation of permanent (adult) teeth depends on proper handling and rapid intervention (ideally the tooth should be replaced in the socket within 5 minutes for best results).

    This procedure only applies to permanant adult teeth as primary (baby) teeth cannot be re-implanted.
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    For additonal information, go to www.SickKids.ca/dentistry.
          Click on Resources then click on Parents/Caregivers Information