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PAGE 14, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1976, WHITBY FREE PRESS Dental Health Week Chairman: "Dentistry is. not necessarily expensive, neglect always 1s by BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer "Put your brush where your mouth is", is the slogan the Ontario Dental Associa- tion is using to pomote Den, tal Health Week, Feb. 15 to 22. Throughout the province next week dentists will be letting the public know what good dental health means and what it can do for the individual. Cha.irman of Dental Health Week for the Durhanî-Ontario Dental Society is Dr. Peers Davidson of Whitby, who, along with nany dentists, is an. advocate of preventive dentistry. "This office is committed to the practice of preventive denistry; ask us about it", says a sign on a bulletin board in his waiting room. "Preventive dentistry is here to stay", says Dr. Davidson. "It's the answer to lower dental bills, a com- fortable healthy smile, free- dom from pain and a func- tional bite, perhaps for the rest of a person's life". Dr. Davidson points out that in former days dentistry used to be repair-oriented Office rather* than preventive- oriented. It used to be a case of "drill 'em, fill 'em, and bill 'em", he says, "but the best dentistry in the world is not going to make a person's mouth healthy--only the patient can do that". "The dentistry provided should prolong a healthy condition that- the patient is able to provide himself", he says. "There is a certain cominittment that the patient must undertake to achieve success over a long period". Preventive dentistry - is attempting to intercept disease and failure before it actually happens, says Dr. Davidson. He points out tliat in the last five to eight years it has been discovered that the cause of inost dental disease is a sticky substance called plaque, a bacteria which covers the outside of the teeth. "Research has shown that the bacteria in this sticky mass feed on the refined sugars in the daily diet", says Dr. Davidson. "These harm- ful sucroses are in turn con- verted to acid by these bacteria. The acid, in turn. is what causes the breakdown of the tooth itself, the gums, and most important, the supporting bone". The answer to the prob- Yem, he says, is to disorgan- ize the p!aque formation, ideally once every 24 hours. "Since the colony ofbacteria is disturbed, the acid produc- tion is markedly decreased", says Dr. Davidson. The best way to disorgan- ize the plaque is first of all, traditional tooth brushing, says Dr. Davidson, but it recently has been shown that the bristles of the tooth brush cannot adequately reach between the teeth and under the gum tissue. "Dental floss appears to be the answer, and the beauty of it is that it need only be used once a day", he says. "Mainy people become frustrated in using floss because it requires a certain skill and technique, but any dental office can provide correct instruction for a good flossing and brushing progran". Dr. Davidson points out that there are threeingredients that lead to dental disease; the .tooth which acts as the ocations Landlords and tenants wishing information, forms or assistance in connection with the Residential Premises Rent Review Act may call or visit their local rent review office listed below. The offices will commence operation Monday, February 9, 1976. OFFICE AND AREA SERVED CENTRAL-EAST Barrie, for the County of Simcoe and the District Municipality of Muskoka Mississauga, for the Regional Municipality of Peel ~Oshawa, for the Regional Municipality of Durham Peterborough, for the Counties of Peterborough, Northumberland, Victoria, and Haliburton Rlchmond Hill, for the Regional Municipality of York OFFICE LOCATION 110 Dunlop St. E. Tel. 737-2111 1310 Dundas St. E. Tel. 270-3280 74 Simcoe St. S. Tel. 579-4421 340 George'St. N. Tel. 743-9511 10255 Yonge St. Tel. 884-6092 MAILING ADDRESS (for all correspondence including completed forms) Ontario Rent Review Box 985 Barrie L4M 5F1 Ontario Rent Review Box 126 Postal Station A Mississauga L5A 2Z7 Ontario Rent Review Box 618 Oshawa L1H 7R2 Ontario Rent Review Box 1586 Peterborough K9J 7S2 Ontario Rent Review Box 391 Richmond Hill L4C 4Y6 If you live outside the toll-free dialing area for the office serving your municipality, dial the operator and ask for Zenith 9-6000. You will be connected with the rent review office free of charge. Ministry of - Consumer and Commercial Relations (PLEASE CLIP & FILE) host, the plaque, and diet. He suggests that one can edit his diet to Cut down on hidden carbohydrates and sugars which feed the bacteria in the plaque. The tooth can be made more immune to decay through the use of flouride in the drinking water, and with toothpaste. This should be applied to the teeth in a more concentrated form twice yearly depending on the age of the patient, he suggests. Many people ask why flouride treatments are re- commended for people over the age of 18, says Dr. Davidson. He replies that as a person matures and approaches middle age, a certain amount of recession of the gums is evident, which exposes new areas of the tooth, especially the root areas, which have not previously been bathed in flouride. Preventive dentistry takes on many forms. As well as discovering that plaque is the cause of tooth disease, and forming.a method of control- ling plaque, preventive dentis- try recomm'ends such things as cast inlays instead of fillings, which Dr. Davidson says can create greater immunity to decay. A silver filling can corrode and break down, but not an inlay, lie says. One of the major trends in preventive dentistry is training auxiliaries to teach flossing control, to apply flourides, to scale and polish the teeth, and to take impres- sions and X-rays, says Dr. Davidson. Comniunity colleges are presently training certified dental assistants to work in "Put Your Brush Where Your Mouth Is", is the message that Dr. Peers Davidson and his assistants Carol Ingram and Carole DeVeau are trying to get across during Dental Health Week, Feb. 15 to 22. This week is set aside to remind people of the importance of dental health, and preventive dentistry. Free Press Photo preventive dentistry, leaving the dentist free to do major surgical work. Dental Health Week is an annual promotion to bring before the public the advancements in the field of dentistry, says Dr. Davidson. "Dentistry isnot necessarily expensive", he says. "Neglect always is". 1 350 Ontario SPEND 15 MINUTES WITH US TOMORROW AND FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON UN DURHAMI NOON REPORT 12:20 p.m. Weather, Sports and News LISTEN TO Ontario THE OSHAWA STATION