Toronto's Dental Hygiene    Clinic

 All clients will be provided with a thorough medical and dental history to complete.   These histories can be critical when developing treatment and establishing a dental hygiene diagnosis.  Certain individuals may require premedication before treatment can begin and therefore  a consultation with a physician will determine if antibiotic premedication is necessary.

Dental assessments will include a complete extra-oral, intra-oral and a visual oral cancer examination which will help to formulate a dental hygiene treatment plan customized for your specific needs.

All dental hygiene therapies will be safe and effective and standard infection control practises will be adhered to.

  Dental hygiene care can help maintain a healthy mouth and body  and therefore we will                       assist you or your caregiver in ways to maintain your oral health.

                                                                Remember

            GOOD ORAL HEALTH IS CRUCIAL TO MAINTAINING GENERAL HEALTH

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 Dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during participation in sports.  The majority of these injuries are preventable. An athlete is sixty times more likely to sustain damage to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouthguard.

                 Mouthguards provide protection to the athlete in 3 different ways.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        -   acting as a shock absorber

                  -  protection against neck injuries

                  -  protect against tooth trauma by distributing the force of the blow over all the                              teeth and diminishing contact between the mandible (lower jaw) and the                                     maxilla (upper jaw)

THE MOST IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF THE MOUTH GUARD IS IN THE PREVENTION OF CONCUSSIONS AND BRAIN INJURIES     (Witzig, 1992)

 A mouth guard with the proper thickness of 3 to 5 mm between the teeth can reduce the rate of concussion by preventing the condyle (lower jaw hinge) from being forced in the base of the brain (temporal bone) at impact. Ninety five percent of all football concussions are transmitted through the mandible to the brain (Witzig, 1992).  The use of mouth guards should be encouraged in all contact sports as the most important value of the mouth guard is the concussion saving effect following impact to the mandible (Stenger,1964).

Presently, over 90% of the mouth guards worn are of the variety bought at sporting good stores.  The other 10% are of the custom made variety diagnosed and designed by a health professional (dental specialist and/or athletic trainer).  There are four types of mouth guards presently available.

   - stock mouth guard  - available at most sporting goods stores                                                                                      - sports dentists and health professionals interested in injury                                                        prevention do not recommend this type of mouth guard                                                              - boil and bite mouth guard - most commonly used                                                                     - decrease in  thickness 70%-90% during  molding thus taking                                                      most of  the protective  properties away from the guard

                                       - custom-made mouthguards - supplied by dental professionals                                                 - fullfill all the criteria for adaptation, retention,  and stability                                                       - they interfere the least with speaking and studies                                                                       have shown that the custom made mouthguard has  no                                                              effect on breathing                                                                                                             - there are two categories of custom mouthguards,                                                                            

                                    Vacumm  Mouth guard  and Pressure Laminated                                                                          ( both or which allow for a better fit as they are                                                                           formed over a stone cast of the athletes mouth)

     VACUUM MOUTHGUARD                           PRESSURE LAMINATED MOUTHGUARD

      single layer mouthguard  which will            multilayered allowing for proper                                 loose thickness during formation                 thickness    

TO GET THE FULL BENEFIT OF A SPORTS MOUTHGUARD YOU NEED TO HAVE ONE THAT IS IN THE PROPER POSITION AT IMPACT.  IF IT FITS WELL, IT WILL BE WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.

                    All sports guards produced by Toronto's Dental Hygiene Clinic will be                                      pressure laminated and made with the best material presently available. 

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