Imagine if your dentist could help your hear again!

With the advancement of modern technology, a fascinating medical device is currently being developed by SONITUS MEDICAL (San Mateo, California).

The Soundbite technology is much different that a traditional hearing aid. A traditional hearing aid uses sound through air conduction; wear as, the Soundbite uses bone conduction making sound pass through teeth and bone into the body’s main hearing center the cochleae.

The Soundbite hearing system is a non-surgical alternative, currently in trails, designed treat specific hearing loss.

The actual unit consists of 2 parts: the Behind the Ear unit (BTE) and the In The Mouth unit (ITM).

“BTE”

This small unit fits behind the ear and a very miniature microphone fits into the ear canal. This unit collects sounds taking advantage of the body’s outer ear shape and its natural ability to funnel sound. Then wirelessly (“Bluetooth” technology), sounds are transmitted to the “In The Mouth” device.

“ITM”

This custom fit appliance fits over the upper back (right or left) teeth and transmits sounds into vibratory energy on the teeth, thus, passing sound vibration through teeth then through bone. Fascinating!!

A specially trained dentist will help design and fit this appliance. And, an Ear Nose Throat doctor fits and designs the “BTE”. A highly specialized device, made for a specific patient.

At Metropolitan Dental, we are a “high-tech” office that offers a variety of specialized dental technologies ranging from digital radiographs, Velscope, Kavo Key 3 Laser, CEREC and many more. We will be following this intriguing technology in hopes that, if approved, it will help patients take a bite out of hearing loss!

(For more detailed information related to the Soundbite device, visit www.sonitusmedical.com)

written by Vanessa Ripley, RDH for Metropolitan Dental

You may have heard that right along with blogging, Facebook and the rest of these “new fangled” web creations, Twitter is the recent craze. Those of us at Metropolitan Dental have yet to venture into Twitter world, but we do note than in a recent article, Demi Moore made news for tweeting about her dental experience on Twitter. E! Online teases us with:

When it comes to twittering, Demi Moore is knows for really sinking her teeth into the latest communication craze. At least the ones she has left.

The 46-year-old actress hopped on her account over the weekend to post a couple of pictures in which she’s smiling in a dentist’s chair and revealing a gaping hole where a tooth used to be.

Take a look at the story on E! Online and see pictures at the following link:

http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/b125706_demi_sometimes_less_moore.html

No doubt she’ll be looking her Fab self soon!

Today our society is making great efforts to “go green” with recycling, the elimination of BPA plastics, banning pesticides and the coming soon Green Bin composting initative planned by the City of Ottawa.  But what can dental offices do to go green?  We can all raise awareness of green and environmental initiatives, and this blog article will help spread the word on how Metropolitan Dental is trying to do its part in Ottawa.

At Metropolitan Dental, we have incorporated several practices in our office and philosophy of care to ensure that we are being proactive in the green community.

• We use an automated email reminder system, a paperless way to communicate and confirm appointment information

• We use digital imaging now instead of traditional x-rays.  This has two great benefits for our patients and the environment; no toxic x-ray development chemicals used, in addition to an 80-90 percent reduction in radiation exposure to our patients

• We have a KaVo Key 3 laser in our office.  Our laser is used for a variety of procedures including NON-surgical interventions – which would have otherwise required more invasive procedures and the necessity for anesthetic

• We offer metal-free fillings, crowns and bridges

• We have available great quality electric toothbrushes – including Sonicare and Braun OralB.  Using one can reduce the amount of plastic disposables going to the landfill and these brushes are proven to improve overall oral health

• We use hypo-allergenic, non-leaching, non-BPA plastics for appliances and advanced night guards

• We use ONLY non-toxic, non-chemical peroxide based disinfectants that have no harmful impact to air or environmental quality

• We have low-energy and Energy Star rated computers and monitors, which save energy

• We have a special waste-water (amalgam) filtration system to ensure that dental materials are not going down the drain

• And finally, our office recycles whatever we can as part of the municipal waste management initiatives and is always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint by cutting down on waste and energy use.

Every effort makes an impact and we all know that little things as a global community will help our world in many ways.  Going green, to the extent we can, is in the best interest of everyone – and as a small business we try to do our part as an Ottawa dental office to make Ottawa a better place to live.

Your Mouth: A Portal To Your Body

An ineffective dental hygiene routine can be much worse than tooth loss as it can also have an effect on your overall health. Remember, you have living tissue inside that mouth of yours, so it shouldn’t be a case of out of sight, out of mind.

Unchecked plaque on your teeth can result in gingivitis, periodontal disease and of course tooth decay.  Clinical research shows a direct connection between periodontal disease and life-threatening illnesses such as lung disease, heart disease and stroke, and diabetes. We don’t say this to scare you – it’s just the facts.

The good news is that you can do something about it!  Periodontal disease can be prevented or controlled through regular brushing with either a manual or powered brush in addition to flossing and rinsing.  Combined with regular dental visits the incidence and severity of this disease is decreased.

A dental hygienist can develop an oral health program that will suit your individual needs and preferences.  Don’t wait another minute.  If it has been a while since your last checkup, make an appointment with your dental hygienist today.  Our experienced team of hygienists here at Metropolitan Dental in Ottawa will be happy to assist.

For further information and tips on oral health visit the Canadian Dental Hygiene website at www.cdha.ca or give our office a call.

The Team at Metropolitan Dental