Dr. J. Olavo Queiroz received his DDS degree in ’91 from the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, Brazil. He obtained his licence to practice in Canada in ’95 and has been providing modern dentistry to our community ever since. He’s been trained by leaders in dentistry such as Drs. John Kois, Peter Dawson, Frank Spear, Robert Kerstein, Ben Sutter, Carl Misch, Ken Hebel, Les Premier, and more.

TMD (temporomandibular disorders) is a disorder affecting the body’s two temporomandibular joints, which are located directly in front of your ears. They are triangular-shaped and designed to act like hinges for your jaw, allowing you to comfortably and easily open your mouth to eat, drink, and speak. A patient struggling with TMD may experience a wide range of painful or aggravating symptoms, among them frequent headaches or migraines.

Other TMD symptoms include neck, shoulder, or lower back pain; difficulty hearing or ringing/ pressure in the ears; pain, tenderness, or swelling of the face; jaw popping/clicking; tooth sensitive to cold or ice and worn or broken teeth.

The causes behind TMD can range from misaligned teeth and/or teeth grinding to whiplash, sports injuries, or missing teeth. TMD is a disorder of the jaw joint, nerves, teeth and chewing muscles. Stress can also be a cause of it.

Tek-Scan/EMG is a revealing diagnostic tool to analyse the bite and measure the muscle activity, allowing the dentist to precisely evaluate your bite, muscles, and range of motion. It also measures the forces and timing of the bite to see if they are even or need adjustments.

Disclusion Time Reduction (DTR) is a computer- guided form of treatment that makes minor adjustments to teeth, improving occlusion and allowing the muscles to relax. By improving occlusion and relaxing muscles, pain can often be improved or eliminated.

This computer-guided treatment for patients predisposed to TMD (grind or clench a lot or have sore muscles and teeth) has proven to improve or halt disease progression.

Lawrence Park Dental is among few dental offices that offer digital bite analysis and DTR therapy in Toronto.

Dr. Deborah Aber and Dr. Vandna Sharma are co-owners of Little Pearls Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Aber received her dental degree from New York University College of Dentistry and her specialty training at St. Barnabas Hospital in Bronx, New York. Dr. Vandna Sharma received her dental degree from the University of Saskatchewan and her specialty training and Masters Degree from the University of Toronto.

Q: What are the ways Pediatric Dentists can render treatment for children?

A: There are several choices of treatment modalities that help children be more at ease to receive dental work. These choices are made weighing the patient’s age, scope of work to be done, previous dental and medical history. With every patient interaction, Pediatric Dentists employ behaviour management techniques. Some of these techniques are: Tell-Show-Do where every step is explained in age- appropriate language and demonstrated visually before starting, Distraction, Positive Reinforcement, and many more.

In addition to behavior management Pediatric Dentists offer treatment with nitrous oxide or laughing gas, oral sedation, and general anesthesia. Nitrous Oxide or laughing gas provides analgesia and helps the child feel more relaxed during dental treat- ment. Oral sedation can be combined with laughing gas to help children who are moderately anxious receive dental treatment awake and calmly. Pediatric Dentists also can prescribe a medicine that a child takes prior to their dental appointment to help them relax.

Lastly, general anesthesia can be used when the child’s age, scope of work, and the patient’s degree of nervousness for dental treatment prohibits completion of dental care awake. General anesthesia is a mode of treatment where the patient is treated asleep. General anesthesia is given by anesthetists trained to administer this type of sedation. The anesthetists work with Pediatric Dentists as a team. Nitrous Oxide, Oral Sedation and General Anesthesia are all safe treatment modalities that can be tailored to meet each child’s dental and developmental needs. Pediatric Dentists strive to render treatment with positive behaviour outcomes so that children feel safe and happy to receive dental care.

Q: Why should I seek treatment for my child at a Pediatric Dentist?

A: Pediatric Dentists have 2-4 years of extra training treating children. The training includes clinical and pharmacologic training in the dental management of children while focusing on their emotional and psychological needs. Pediatric Dentists aim to foster positive relationships with their patients so that they continue to seek good oral care throughout their lives.

Lisa Wiseman is the President and founder of Eldercare Home Health Inc. Lisa is Gerontological Nurse Certified (Canada) GNC(C) through the Canadian Nurses Association. Eldercare Home Health has been providing PSW care, that is actively case managed by Nurses, to Seniors in Toronto for over 25 years. Call us today to learn more!

Your mom is finally going back home, but the hospital’s saying she’s going to need help. Now what? How do you find the right home health care provider?

If your parent is in the hospital or is being discharged from the hospital, has Parkinson’s, dementia or has had a stroke, or is taking medications, it’s important that the care they receive is supervised and case managed by a Registered Nurse, or Registered Practical Nurse.

PSW (Personal Support Worker) caregivers are key team members in the provision of care, but they do not have the education or credentials to manage your parent’s more complex care needs.

It’s important that an experienced, qualified Nurse be available day or night, weekends and holidays to answer any questions from, and provide direction to, the PSW caregivers who are providing hands-on care to your parent.

It’s especially important that a Nurse be available should your parent’s health status unexpectedly change. The Nurse can determine and implement the correct course of action.

Nurses understand the difference from both a process point of view, and medically, between what is happening and what should be happening. They see the big picture, including the impact of different medications, treatment options and therapies, and can help advocate for your parent on a profession- al level.

Having Nurse case managers who are actively involved in your parent’s care means that potential medical issues can be recognized sooner and action can be taken proactively, avoiding trips to the hospital.

Nurses can help dramatically and positively impact your parent’s overall health and wellbeing, and recovery from illness and surgery.

Hiring a home health care company that provides PSW care that is actively case managed by Registered Nurses and Registered Practical Nurses is probably the single most impactful decision you can make when arranging care for your elderly parent.