PRACTICE UPDATE (COVID-19) – March 26, 2020

To our valued patients and community:

We hope you all are keeping well and staying safe.

Since our last update, the Ontario government has declared a state of emergency and has mandated the shutdown of all non-essential businesses in order to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Dental offices providing emergency care have been permitted to remain open. In light of this development, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) has maintained its strong recommendation that although emergency dental treatments should continue, all non-essential and elective dental services should be suspended until the state of emergency has been lifted. You can find out more about the RCDSO’s updates and recommendations here

In response to these recent developments, we will unfortunately need to reschedule all non-essential and elective appointments up to and including April 9th, 2020.  Our team will be contacting all patients who need to be rescheduled within the next few days.

My own period of self-isolation due to my recent travel abroad will come to an end on March 29. Thank you everyone for your well wishes and kind words; I feel healthy and have had no symptoms throughout this period. If nothing changes, once my self-isolation period ends I aim to be available to treat dental emergencies on a case-by-case basis as per RCDSO recommendations (see here for the RCDSO’s guidance on emergency situations). Please keep in mind that the RCDSO is very specific in its definition of a “true emergency situation”  (i.e. oral-facial trauma, significant infection, prolonged bleeding or pain which cannot be managed by over-the-counter medications) and as such, most situations will likely be managed remotely to the best of our ability.

I understand that this has been and continues to be a frustrating and challenging time for everyone, and while we here at Uxbridge Family Dentistry are all eager to get back to doing what we do best – helping our patients – it is imperative that we prioritize the health and safety of our team, our patients, and our community above all else.

Thank you all once again for your continued patience and understanding. As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me directly at drbanh@powergate.ca and I will do my best to assist you.

In the meantime, please stay safe, keep your hands clean, practice social distancing, and of course, brush and floss.

Sincerely,
Dr. Michael Banh

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Week 1 – Eat It Forward (2017 Happy and Healthy Tooth Challenge)

For our first week, we stopped by Eat It Forward and asked Miranda Malisani to share some tooth-friendly snack ideas that would satisfy cravings for all ages. Check out her recommendations below, and, because sharing is caring, we’ll be giving away EVERYTHING featured in her video to one lucky person!!!

Miranda Malisani – Eat It Forward

Week 1 – Eat It Forward with Miranda Malisani (2017 Happy and Healthy Tooth Challenge)

Remember to head over to our Facebook Page for full contest details and to enter! Contest closes Sunday, April 9, 2017 at 9:00 pm. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, April 10, 2017.  GOOD LUCK!

– Uxbridge Family Dentistry

2017 Happy and Healthy Tooth Challenge

April is National Oral Health Month and we’ve got something really exciting planned each week starting Monday, April 3. Check out Dr. Banh’s video below for all the details and don’t forget to tune back in on Monday so you don’t miss out! Have a great weekend everyone!

Uxbridge Family Dentistry – 2017 Happy and Healthy Tooth Challenge

Don’t forget to follow Uxbridge Family Dentistry to stay up-to-date on the exciting things we’re doing:
► Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UxbridgeFamilyDentistry
► Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/uxbridgedentist
► Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uxbridgefamilydentistry
► Website: http://www.uxbridgefamilydentistry.com
► YouTube Channel: http://goo.gl/YlXuCd
► Uxbridge Family Dentistry Blog: www.uxbridgefamilydentistry.wordpress.com

2016 Halloween Contest!

🎃It’s CONTEST TIME!!🎃 Halloween is right around the corner and we’re giving away an amazing treat for the whole family to enjoy —> a family pass for four (2 adults, 2 children), PLUS popcorn and drinks, to the Roxy!!! To enter:
1) LIKE our FACEBOOK page (Uxbridge Family Dentistry)
2) FOLLOW us on INSTAGRAM
3) Comment on our INSTAGRAM post with “DONE” once you’ve completed the two steps above – we’ll be checking 😁 – AND also tell us what costumes your little ones (or big ones!) will be wearing on the big night!
Contest closes at 9pm on Monday, October 31. The winner will be randomly selected from all COMPLETE entries received and will be announced on Tuesday, November 1. GOOD LUCK!!! #uxbridge #uxbridgedentist #uxbridgefamilydentist #uxbridgefamilydentistry #shoplocal #happyhalloween #trickortreat#brushyourteeth #dontforgettofloss #wekeepuxbridgesmiling #uxbridge #uxbridgeontario

At what age should I take my child to see the dentist?

There seems to be quite a lot of confusion as to when you should first take your child to see the dentist.  Just take a quick poll of your friends and family, google “child’s first dental visit”, or even ask your own dentist and you will get a wide variety of answers.

It is not uncommon to hear dentists say that they won’t see children until they are 3 years old. Why? The usual answer is that at that age, kids tend to be more cooperative and can sit through a cleaning with a hygienist. Unfortunately, this is often too late. Most children cut their first teeth by 6 months of age. So if they have their first dental visit at the age of 3 years, that first tooth would have gone unchecked by a dental professional for 2.5 years. A lot of damage could occur during that time, especially if the parents are not brushing the child’s teeth properly. Sometimes the unknowing parent will bring their 3 year old toddler to see me for the first time, only to find out that the child has several cavities. At this point, the child usually needs to be referred to a pediatric dentist to be put to sleep in order to fix the cavities or have teeth removed. Sedation is not without risks – though rare, the biggest risk is that the child does not wake up. A recent report by The Canadian Institute for Health Information found that early childhood caries (AKA “baby bottle caries”) is the leading cause of day surgeries for children ages one to five. This scenario could easily be avoided with early dental examinations and parental education.

So when is the right time for a child’s first dental visit?

At my office, I follow the guidelines set out by the Canadian Dental Association, which advises that a child’s initial dental examination should be done within six months of the eruption of the first tooth OR by one year of age, whichever comes first.

While some parents (and some dentists) might think it is a futile exercise to even attempt a dental examination on a writhing infant, it is quite possibly the best investment of time that parents can make in the oral health and general health of that child. Detecting cavities and oral conditions before they become major problems is only one of the benefits of this initial visit. Parents also learn proper brushing techniques and tips about how to better care for their children’s teeth. Dietary factors should be discussed as well as fluoride exposure to ensure proper nutrition and health of the child’s teeth. These early visits also allow the child to build a good trusting rapport with the dental team which helps to alleviate future dental anxieties.

Early childhood caries is a preventable disease. Proper diet, good brushing habits, and early dental visits will help lay the foundation of a lifetime of good oral health for your child.

Please share this widely to help educate parents of young children. Feel free to write any comments or questions below.

– Dr. Michael Banh

Refreshed website

We’ve recently had a major update to our website – it’s got a fresh new look with some updated content and photos added to our smile gallery.  Take a look and see what you think!

– Dr. Michael Banh

Snow White – Durham Farm and Rural Resources

Uxbridge Family Dentistry is pleased to be a Gold Sponsor for “Snow White” – a fundraiser for Durham Farm and Rural Family Resources (DFRFR), which is a non-profit organization that provides children with learning resources in the Durham region.  One such resource is the Early Years Centre, which I have made use of weekly with our son, Kai.  At the Uxbridge location, there is a plethora of toys, books, and play centres for the children.  As well, a lactation consultant and speech pathologist are available every month for free consultations and advice.  Parents of young children in the Durham region are ever so fortunate to have access to four Early Year centres in Uxbridge, Beaverton, Cannington, and Sunderland.  The centres provide a place for kids to interact with peers, learn through play, and also allows parents to meet others in the community.  All centres are provided free of charge thanks to DFRFR.

The Dufflebag Theatre Company will be performing Snow White at Uxbridge Public School to raise funds for Durham Farm and Rural Family Resources

The show will be performed by The Dufflebag Theatre Company.  Please consider attending this event in support of DFRFR and all the young children that benefit from this organization.  This is the third year that we have been supporting this annual event, and we could not be more proud to be associated with such a wonderful organization.  For ticket information, please contact: 905-862-3131 or email: director@durhamfamilyresources.org

– Dr. Michael Banh

Uxbridge Family Dentistry – 2014 in review

It’s been such a busy year that we’ve only published once in 2014, with the introduction of our new associate joining our growing practice. So our New Year’s resolution for next year is to post more than once in 2015 – That shouldn’t be too difficult to beat =).  We’ve got so many new things planned at our office, including upgrading our dental software to help make things run more efficiently and eventually leading to a paperless, more environmentally friendly practice.  We’ll also be partnering once again with The Rotary Club of Uxbridge in March 2015 for BRUSHAMANIA, visiting at least 5 different schools in the Uxbridge township. It seems like clinical cases are a big interest to most of our readers, so we’ll share some more of those in the months ahead.

So stay tuned and thanks for following our blog.  And remember you can always find more information about our practice at http://www.uxbridgefamilydentistry.com, follow us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

– Uxbridge Family Dentistry

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for our blog. Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 28,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 10 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Dr. Victoria Ho will be joining our practice in July 2014

Call our office for more details or stop by to meet her!

Ringing in 2014 with new Belmont dental chairs

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.
                                                                – Ernest Hemingway

No matter how excellent a job we think we are doing, our practice is constantly trying to improve.  We decided this year to take a giant leap and upgrade four of our existing dental chairs with brand new ones that offer our patients nothing short of the best in comfort and elegance.  Our main criteria for selecting a new chair was patient comfort to help make dental appointments as relaxing as possible.  After trying out several different brands and models, we finally decided on the Quolis 5000, the premier line of dental chairs manufactured by a Japanese company called Belmont.

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Belmont has been manufacturing dental chairs for over 38 years, and is known for producing some of the most reliable equipment in the industry.  The amount of detail and precision that they put in their products is evident once you sit in the Quolis 5000.  The Ultraleather upholstery feels like a soft satin to the touch, with a very responsive type of cushioning memory foam – I even noticed the difference just sitting in the operator’s stool.

We chose to upgrade our lights to the Bel-Halo LED lights, which uses less energy and produces less heat, and also happens to look beautiful.   We opted for the ceiling mounted versions of the lights in the dental operatories as it is useful in positioning for oral surgery where we are often standing to perform the procedures.

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We have yet to finalize the colour of the chairs in the hygiene operatories – K-Dental was kind enough to give us loaner upholstery so that we could make a final decision later. Thank you to K-Dental for their consultation and expert installation services throughout the process.

We are very excited to usher in 2014 with brand new equipment that will not only help us to serve our patients better, but will also improve their experiences in our office.

Happy New Year!

– Dr. Michael Banh, Uxbridge Family Dentistry