Tips for a Successful Dental Hygiene Visit

Hello, I’m Kari Slade, a Registered Dental Hygienist and owner of Something to Smile About dental hygiene care in Brantford, Ontario. I love the flexibility of my job and the ability to open up dental hygiene care to those who may not fit so well in a traditional dental care environment.

This is my very first blog entry and what I hope will become a monthly contribution to the world of independent dental hygiene.

As this is my first blog, I had many options I wanted to explore, but settled on a tried-and-true fact of dental hygiene – the first time, nervous patient. Today I’ll be focusing on children, but this can apply to any individual who has anxiety around dental hygiene.

Here’s 5 tips for a successful visit:

-          Look for an office that is focused on preventative care

-          Explore social stories and tv shows depicting successful dental hygiene visits

-          Bring a support person or item

-          Ask about sensory accommodations

-          Book your appointment early in the day if possible

These tips are by and far small things that can be done to make your dental hygiene appointment less anxiety inducing, and allow for a positive dental cleaning experience.

Look for an office that preventative focused – whether this be a pediatric office, independent dental hygiene clinic, or a dental office that takes the time to make you feel comfortable. Look for things like, a non-rushed environment with adequate time to see patients and have your questions answered. Low staff turnover is also a good indicator of an office that puts its clients needs first! Finding an office that focuses on cavity prevention and oral health improvement instead of a more corporate “drill and fill” setting can immediately help you feel more comfortable in treating your oral health needs.

Explore social stories and tv shows- Often a pediatric or special needs office will have a specific social story for their clinic setting. If not, there are many options for dental hygiene social stories both using real life and cartoon pictures. Tv shows which depict a positive dental experience, including shows like Sesame Street, Blippi, Peppa Pig and more can help to put kids minds at ease when it comes to what to expect at their dental hygiene visit (check out my website for an example of the social story for my clinic)

Bring a support person or item- Obviously for children this will include a trusted adult, but oftentimes something small like a favourite toy or stuffy can help to put a child’s mind at ease. It also gives t he provider an object to use to “show and tell” the child about what to expect before procedure.

Ask about sensory accommodations- As people become more aware of the need for sensory sensitivity, accommodations for sensory needs are becoming more common. Accommodations such as noise canceling headphones, music (or no music) lighting, and sound restrictions can make the dental setting significantly more comfortable for an anxious client. Ask ahead of time what sensory accommodations can be made to suit your specific needs.

Book your appointment early in the day if possible- This allows for the appointment to be over early in the day, without time to dwell on anxiety producing scenarios. Oftentimes, children’s focus and attention are also improved with earlier appointments, improving treatment outcomes.

Finally, don’t overlook the benefits of positive reinforcement! Encouragement from a support person, rewards for desired behaviour, and reinforcers for meeting goals are all excellent ways to help children to work passed their dental anxieties.

Thank you for reading through my first blog post! If you have questions, or ideas for future blog posts please reach out to me at something2smileabout.rdh@outlook.com or on socials @somethingtosmileabout

Tongue Ties- More than “How far can you stick it out?”

As a Myofunctional Therapist in Brantford for the last 3 years, the comment I hear most often about tongue tie assessment is “They asked me to stick my tongue out, and said that it was fine.” The assessment, diagnosis and treatment of tongue tie is so much more than can you lick an ice cream or can you stick your tongue out, the assessment at treatment of restricted tethered oral tissues affects so much more than just range of motion.

10 affects of tongue tie:

-          Speech concerns

-          Chewing and swallowing/digestion concerns

-          Growth and development concerns

-          Breathing and airway concerns

-          Sleeping and apnea concerns

-          Focus and attention concerns

-          Can contribute to gagging

-          Can contribute to clenching and grinding

-          Can contribute to TMJ pain and disfunction

-          Orthodontic concerns including relapse

The assessment of tethered oral tissues begins with an assessment of function. How well does the tongue move? Is it able to cleanse the oral cavity? Is it able to seal to the palate to aid in growth and development? How does it affect the client’s ability to speak, sleep, eat, and breathe? It’s surprising to learn that tongue position affects all these things and more! Function can be assessed through a variety of open-interview style questions, measurements and photographs to apply to different modalities of assessment, Dr. Kotlow’s or Friedman’s measurements for range of motion and free tongue space, for example.

Doctor L. Kotlow and Dr. Friedman both have made tongue ties their life’s work. Their websites contain a wealth of knowledge for clients and clinicians. Dr. R. Baxter’s book – Tongue Ties- is also another fantastic resource. There are a range of books, articles, and videos on my website, under the Learn More tab as well.

Once assessment is complete, the next step is treatment. Some restricted tethered oral tissues can be improved with myofunctional therapy alone, while others require release by a doctor in combination with a myofunctional program. The easiest way to tell which you or your child may require is to seek an assessment by an airway focused provider such as a functional dentist or myofunctional therapist. Myofunctional therapy provides the framework for changing one’s oral habits through a series of exercises done daily at home. These exercises help to strengthen and activate the muscles of the oral cavity, while retraining them to work in their proper functions.

Through proper repatterning of the muscles of the oral cavity we are able to reduce or eliminate the symptoms associated with poor oral resting posture and tongue tie, and aid in growth and development that can literally change a person’s life.

Though the affects of restricted oral tissues are gaining more popularity recently, the research of many doctors has been ongoing for decades. As we look towards a more holistic or whole-body approach to health, it becomes evident that the treatment of restricted fascia is critical for overall health and wellness.

For more information on whether you or your child may have restricted oral tissues or a tongue tie, a consultation can be scheduled with me through my website, or feel free to follow the Contact Me link to ask any questions you may have.