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It’s that time of year again where kids gather with their handmade or store-bought costumes. Neighbors are scrambling for last minute treats to be given away. Every street will be busy with little pumpkins and witches with broomsticks this Halloween.

We will give you some safety tips so that you can all enjoy the tricks and the treats that accompany one of our most-anticipated festivals.

1. According to Safe Kids Canada, children under the age of 9 are not developmentally capable of crossing streets safely on their own? If your little one falls in this age group, be sure that they go out with someone you trust or a responsible older child.
2. Teach your child to stop at the curb, look left, right and left again, and to listen for oncoming traffic. This vital skill is especially important when children are distracted and excited. Halloween face masks may impede their ability to see and hear traffic. Never rely on traffic signals alone – use your eyes and ears to make sure it’s safe to cross.
3. Stay on the sidewalk or path when walking from house to house and if there is no sidewalk, walk beside the road, facing traffic so drivers can see you. From a very young age, children can be taught that roads are for cars and sidewalks are for kids. If your community has no sidewalks, walking beside the road at night can be very dangerous – adult accompaniment, reflective clothing or tape on the clothes and flashlights are a must, regardless of the child’s age.
4. Maybe you should consider face paint instead of mask. You may need a little extra time to get ready, but masks can be a visual impairment. Bright colors will make your child more visible so, be sure to incorporate those into the costume or face paint. If the clothes need to be dark, add some reflector tape at various points around the back and sides of the costume.
5. Set rules around candy consumption: Do not eat while you’re out trick or treating. First, it’s difficult to inspect the candy properly in the dark and also, you don’t need your children hyped up on sugar on a night that has already got them excited!

The preceding is a small overview for health and safety while having fun. If you want a more complete tip sheet see Caring for Kids, or the Red Cross and Health-Canada.

Halloween is a great time to spend with the kids and to enjoy the treats. Be safe and happy trick or treating!

ISDAM Congress Glasgow 2019August 22 and 23^rd the ISDAM had its first formal congress in Glasgow Scotland. Not only was it truly informative and covered a broad spectrum of current management techniques, but also those being developing for the future.

I had the pleasure and distinction of being one of the presenters at the Congress – my areas of concern were lasers in dentistry and hypnosis.

On Saturday I supervised a hands-on laser workshop for 14 delegates of mixed dental backgrounds i.e. dental specialists, dentists, therapists, hygienists and assistants. The aim was to help those with an existing laser to use it better and for those who would like one to understand its value in practice. Lasers are ideal instruments for the dentally fearful, anxious, and phobic.  It is wonderful for those that fear needles and drills and for those with complex medical concerns that may make the use of anesthetic and other medications a concern.

At the congress interesting facts were also gleaned, for instance cannabidiol (the non-high causing chemical component of cannabis) is classified as a food or nutritional product and as such unregulated in the UK. Research is showing that it has many medical applications. Time and research will tell how broad an application it will have. As all things, it is not a miracle cure for everything, but used in a well considered manner, it may have many good uses as the primary treatment or as an adjunct in a care plan.

Also present at the congress were representatives of the web site Dental Fear Central. The page is based in the UK which seems to have a higher percentage of resources for dental fear, anxiety and phobia. This however does not imply that they have more phobics than anywhere else; rather they seem to have created the most lay person resources. These sites are particularly good for the do-it-yourself-er as they are resource rich.

If you need more information for yourself or someone else, check out ISDAM, Dental Fear Central or contact us.

Remember Oral Wellness, Whole Health!

Recently I had the privilege of speaking at the Hypnosis: New Generation conference in Budapest. We took some extra time and went to Vienna for a few days. Unfortunately one of our party became seriously ill requiring medical attention. This is when the challenges of travel in a foreign country become daunting.

Healthcare here at home is increasingly technology dependent from diagnostics to on-line accessible health records. There are certain downsides to this, but the upsides are equal to or outweigh them. For dinosaurs and Luddites like me, the value will become apparent.

Thankfully we are in the digital age. Not only is my smart phone well equipped with apps, but my laptop was also at hand.  Our Viennese residence had WiFi as one of its features enabling us to find a service that guided us to an English speaking physician. The Austrian system, not unlike our own, has the general physician act as the gate keeper. Once a preliminary differential diagnosis (the most likely possible problems leading to the apparent symptoms) was determined, he called the most appropriate hospital emergency room (Kankenhaus der Barmherzigen Brüder) to arrange follow up imaging and care, and gave us documents in German to speed the process. The staff at the hospital had knowledge of English from the rudimentary to superb making communication possible at a stressful time.

All of this searching, phone calls and directions took place on- line with a mobile phone and the laptop computer. Not only did this capability allow us to translate web pages into English, but it gave explanations of ‘how to’ in an alien health care system. Navigation was also enhanced by the Google Maps allowing us to easily find locations.

When travelling, I highly recommend that  you minimally carry a smart phone;  a tablet or a laptop gives you more capabilities along with the phone.  If nothing else, scout out the health care system before leaving for your trip. Never leave the country without good travel insurance, and consider belonging to groups like IAMAT (International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers) for assistance when necessary.

Also, never forget your toothbrush and floss! Floss has many uses beyond keeping your pearly whites gleaming.

Remember Oral Wellness, Whole Health!

Recently, I returned from the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis in San Antonio where I had the pleasure of presenting to a multidisciplinary group. Most folks have one of several possible responses to clinical hypnosis – disbelief, skepticism, bemusement (as in they had an experience in Vegas or a frat party) or curiosity. Most are unaware of its full potential and scope of applications across many fields.

Hypnosis or more correctly self-hypnosis (as clinicians consider all hypnosis to be self-hypnosis) is a life skill that can make the vicissitudes of daily life manageable. There are uses in medicine, dentistry, mental health, human potentials development, education and entertainment.  The applications for daily living, once mastered, are limited only by one’s imagination.

So what is hypnosis?

Dr. Peter Sacco defines it as,” tunnel vision for greater awareness”. My view is that it is a shift in mind set from the usual allowing change to take place. Other more complicated definitions exist, but there is not enough space to discuss them.  Hypnosis is a natural process that we experience several times a day  whether we are aware of it or not. Being aware and consciously using it opens up a world of possibilities. When all is said, hypnosis is the ultimate in self-control!

This link connects to a video of Dr. Elisabeth Marie Faymonville, an anesthetist, who has pioneered hypnosedation, which is a combination of hypnosis and local anesthetics for surgery. The results speak for themselves. Easy to use, less complications, faster recovery and cost effective to use which are all concerns in today’s health care environments regardless of where you are in the world.

I’m interested, how do I learn?

Many health care practitioners offer hypnosis as part of their care. Generally an organic web search with local search parameters will generate a list for you to investigate. If you are unsuccessful, look for clinical associations e.g. the Canadian Society of Clinical Hypnosis –Ontario Division, or the American Association of Clinical Hypnosis. They have lists of clinicians that are taking patients or clients and the services they offer.

If this does not result in finding an appropriate clinician, then ask your health care providers. You may have noted that I emphasize clinicians and health care providers for a simple reason- if one does not treat something without hypnosis, one should not treat it with hypnosis.

Should you still not be successful with your search, see our web site for information. We also offer an affordable stress management program utilizing self-hypnosis for bruxers, that is, grinders and clenchers because stress has a negative impact on our overall health including gum disease.

Self –hypnosis a life skill worth learning!

It should be no surprise that February is Pet Dental Health Month. After all, it has the Groundhog prognosticating about seasons and climate.

Groundhogs hibernate and likely have morning breath when they stick their heads out of their dens looking for shadows and such.

Does your pet’s breathe smell badly? Is your pet chewing slowly; do you see blood on their toys, or maybe they have lost some teeth? They could be symptoms of serious dental and general health problems. Remember that pets are prone to the same diseases we are – so like us, diseases in the mouth cause or make diseases of the body worse.

Good dental hygiene at home and preventative dental care at your vet can help keep your pet healthy, and save you money in the long run.

Some thoughts:

Brush your pet’s teeth

Ok. If you find flossing your own teeth a challenge, this may be akin to bronco busting at the rodeo, especially with a cat. But with patience, practice and some treats, it could become a bonding experience with your pet. Ask your vet how to do this.

Dental toys, treats and food

Dental toys, treats and food may not be effective as tooth brushing, but it will help in maintaining your pet’s teeth and gums healthy.

Regular Veterinarian visits

Just as you should be having regular dental visits, your pet needs scheduled dental cleaning at your vet’s office. Keeping regular veterinary appointments will ensure your pet’s health.

Dental health for your pets, like you and your family, should be a daily ritual.

Remember Oral Wellness, Whole Health!