Prevent Tartar Accumulation

Plaque is a sticky, colorless film that contains bacteria and builds up on tooth surfaces after we eat a meal. The bacteria in plaque produce acids that attack tooth enamel and can damage gums and create cavities. If plaque is not adequately brushed and flossed away, it will turn into tartar, a hard, crusty deposit that only our doctors at Bear Creek Dental are able to remove.

Tartar can be yellow or even brown in color depending on how much buildup is on the teeth. While plaque can be removed by brushing and flossing, tartar, also known as dental calculus can only be removed with a scaling tool. Though these are sold at your local drug store, your best bet is to visit the dentist twice a year for routine cleanings so that tartar doesn’t turn into periodontal disease.

If you have questions or concerns regarding dental health, please give us a call. To learn more about dental cleanings and all the services we provide, visit BearCreekDental.CA for more information.  To schedule an appointment at Bear Creek Dental, located at Unit 201 10015 102 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta, T8v 0z8, Canada, call 780-539-0404.

Avoid Cavities This Halloween

Halloween is a popular holiday that most children and adults look forward to. There are candy and sugar treats galore, and it’s the one day out of the year we can make an excuse to eat as much as we want. Though the sugar cravings are strong, it’s important to have some self-control for the sake of your smile. Too much candy may cause the tooth decay process to begin and leave your teeth with cavities that only our doctors at Bear Creek Dental can repair.

Sticky candies are detrimental to teeth because they will get stuck to enamel and in-between the teeth and gums. Additionally, consistently exposing your teeth to sugar will put your teeth at risk for a dental emergency, such as a broken or chipped tooth. After indulging, be sure to brush your teeth for at least two minutes with ADA approved toothpaste for at least two minutes. Once you are finished, floss your teeth and use a mouth rinse to prevent them from further damage.

If you have questions or concerns regarding dental health or tooth decay, please give us a call. To learn more about dental cleanings and all the services we provide, visit BearCreekDental.CA for more information.  To schedule an appointment at Bear Creek Dental, located at Unit 201 10015 102 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta, T8v 0z8, Canada, call 780-539-0404.

Mouth Guards for Sports

If you and your family are getting active in sports this season, Bear Creek Dental can provide you with an important piece of safety equipment.  Athletes participating in any contact sport should wear some kind of mouth protection. A mouth guard helps prevent damage to the teeth and jaw, and also helps prevent injuries to the cheeks, tongue, and lips.

Sporting goods stores carry mouth guards, but they are generic in form and size.  These mouth guards often end up feeling bulky and uncomfortable, leading to child and teenage athletes in particular not wearing the protection at all.  A very ill-fitting mouth guard can even interrupt breathing and speaking. Custom mouth guards can be fit over braces and won’t interrupt normal activity, so visit Bear Creek Dental for a custom mouth guard fitting.  Get a mouth guard made of thin, hard plastic that protects your teeth and still fits comfortably.  This is an easy precaution to take to protect your mouth, and you can go right back to playing your best!

To learn more about custom mouth guards and all the services we provide at the practice, visit www.bearcreekdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors in Grand Prairie AB, call 1-780-539-0404.

Pediatric Dentistry

At Bear Creek Dental, we want the families from our community to know it’s just as important for children to have regular dental visits.  A child’s first dental visit should be scheduled between when the first baby tooth appears, and the child’s first birthday.  Baby teeth eventually come out, but their growth and development is important for overall oral health for the child and the development of their adult teeth. Baby teeth should be brushed and cared for like adult teeth, and it’s important to monitor their growth and development. 

Missing any tooth for too long can change the development of surrounding teeth and compromise the structure of the jaw bone, but regular checkups can keep a child’s tooth development right on track.  Our dentists are skilled and experienced in administering dental care to children.  If your child has seems nervous about seeing a dentist for the first time, we recommend going through a brushing routine with them at home, and talking about the dental visit before you arrive.  Once we get your child’s oral health off to a great start, we offer a full range of services for child patients including dental cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants.

We love to see good oral hygiene habits formed early, and make lifetime patients out of kids from our community!  To learn more about the services provided at the practice, visit www.bearcreekdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors in Grand Prairie AB, call 1-780-539-0404.

Infant Tooth Care

Baby teeth may be small, but they set the foundation for future teeth to come. To help prevent the buildup of plaque bacteria that can lead to decay, our doctors at Bear Creek Dental recommend regularly cleaning your infant’s gums with a damp washcloth following feedings. It’s important to start cleaning your child’s teeth before they come in to jumpstart a healthy smile.

Wipe the gums off after each feeding with a warm, wet washcloth or a dampened piece of gauze wrapped around your finger. In addition, take measures to prevent baby bottle tooth decay, a disease that causes severe, the swift decay of baby teeth. To help prevent it, do not put your baby to bed with a bottle of formula or a sugary drink, such as juice. The possibility of tooth decay is directly related to the number of times that sugar comes in contact with the teeth. Your child’s baby teeth act as placeholders for adult teeth. Without a healthy set of baby teeth, your child risks having trouble chewing and speaking clearly as they get older.

If you have questions or concerns regarding pediatric oral care, please give us a call. To learn more about dental cleanings and all the services we provide, visit BearCreekDental.CA for more information.  To schedule an appointment at Bear Creek Dental, located at Unit 201 10015 102 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta, T8v 0z8, Canada, call 780-539-0404.

Eat Celery for Fresh Breath

Bad breath is a common condition that affects everyone periodically. To eliminate the odor we might catch ourselves chewing a piece of minty gum on the go, or taking a quick swig of mouthwash before we leave the house for a night out.  Here at Bear Creek Dental, our doctors understand that bad breath can be very embarrassing, but did you know that you can fight it by eating a piece of celery?

Celery fights bad breath because it is rich in fiber which fights Halitosis by breaking down plaque and sulfur compounds.  Therefore, celery is a great thing to eat to help clean your mouth. It is also effective to munch on a carrot or an apple. Snacks that include crispy fresh fruits and vegetables step up your saliva flow between meals to help wash away bacteria from the teeth, tongue, and gums that can cause bad breath. These snacks can also help alleviate bad breath caused by hunger or fasting.

If you have questions or concerns regarding bad breath, please give us a call. To learn more about dental cleanings and all the services we provide, visit BearCreekDental.CA for more information.  To schedule an appointment at Bear Creek Dental, located at Unit 201 10015 102 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta, T8v 0z8, Canada, call 780-539-0404.

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Tooth extractions at Bear Creek Dental in Grande Prairie are generally a simple matter with minimal discomfort for the patient. However, in order to ensure the best outcome, it is important for patients to be fully open with us about their medical histories and current medications. Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a rare but serious outcome that people undergoing extractions should be aware of.

Following a simple extraction, a small bit of jawbone will be exposed at the base of the socket. Normally, the blood will quickly clot, sealing off the socket and locking in moisture. But in people on bisphosphonate medications, exposed jaw bone tissue may die (this process is what ONJ refers to). Bisphosphonate medications prevent bone resorption and are given orally to people with osteoporosis and through an IV drip to people on chemotherapy. The vast majority of cases of ONJ in medical literature occurred in people receiving bisphosphonates intravenously.

If a patient is battling cancer, we’ll work with them to plan any necessary dental work. Patients may need to delay beginning chemotherapy until after undergoing dental extractions, or we may be able to find a solution for their dental problem that doesn’t require tooth removal.

Bear Creek Dental is located at Unit 201 10015 102 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta, T8v 0z8, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 780-539-0404 or visit Bear Creek Dental.