Portrait Dental Blog

Every good dental care routine has at least three steps: floss, brush your teeth and then refresh your breath with minty-clean mouthwash. But, for many people—such as those with sensitive teeth or rare allergies—the store-bought options for mouthwash are slim to none. But that doesn’t mean that you have to skip out on that all-important…

For the most part, dentists are very easy-going people—after all, they’re job is to brighten your smile. With that said, there are some bad oral habits we all have that make our dentists go dental—I mean, mental. Whether it’s forgetting to brush your teeth—or brushing them too hard—there are a million ways you can cause…

Making regular trips to the dentist’s office is the key to a picture-perfect smile. But not all dentists offer the same teeth-whitening, oral health-boosting services to make your smile really shine. And trying to find the right dentist can be as difficult as, well, pulling teeth. Running a Google Maps search for “dentists near me”…

When people say that they want a more radiant smile, they’re usually talking about radiating luminosity—i.e., a bigger, brighter, and whiter grin. But, depending on how good their dental and oral hygiene is, the only thing that some smiles radiate is a noxious odour. Halitosis—the clinical term for bad breath—can dampen the luminosity of any…

Wisdom teeth, or third molars, got their name because when they grow in, your IQ increases by 50 points… per tooth. If that sounds like a myth—or like a bad dad joke—that’s because it is. i.e., it is both a myth and a really bad dad joke. We’re sorry. But it does illustrate our point.…

Whoever said, “A little water never hurt anyone,” clearly never made the trek to the Grand Canyon. That water sliced right through solid rock as if it were hydrogen peroxide through coffee stains on enamel. They also obviously never witnessed the devastation caused by a tsunami. Or a hurricane. Or a surging river… or a…

What do the Loch Ness Monster, unicorns, and banana peel teeth-whitening strips all have in common? You guessed it. They’re all myths. Except for Nessie—she’s out there somewhere. Don’t judge us… we all have to believe in something. When it comes to oral and dental health, however, we’re all about the facts. And for reasons…

The past couple of years have made us all very aware of what we choose to put into our bodies. Whether it’s a small change in diet or an all-out pantry pillaging, what enters our bodies—and, more importantly, what doesn’t—has never been more important. While the increase in health and wellness awareness is definitely a…

There’s nothing quite like the appeal of at-home solutions to our problems. Who wouldn’t attempt to cure their head cold by drinking hot water with lemon and two drops of peppermint oil (or a splash of something stronger) instead of schlepping their weary selves through the cold and snow to the doctor’s office? Or how…

The field of cosmetic dentistry covers a variety of procedures. Although many primarily intend to restore dental health, some also guarantee an enhanced appearance after the treatment. Even though a visit to the dentist will best determine your options, here are some of the cosmetic dental procedures you should consider the next time you look…

A smile can reflect a vast array of emotions beyond happiness. However, there is a surprising number of studies that show people have a knack for seeing the difference between a forced smile and an authentic smile. Despite human’s unconscious benefits when seeing a true smile, more than half of North Americans are self-conscious about…

Bleeding gums is something we can confidently say has been experienced by all our clients. But, despite its frequency, bleeding gums shouldn’t be ignored. Sure, if you injured yourself playing a contact sport, you might be able to brush off the dentist visit, but if your gums bleed every time you brush or floss your…

Even when you are diligent about daily tooth brushing and flossing, your teeth may not be as white and bright as you'd like. This is normal, as teeth can become yellow or dull looking as we age and make individual lifestyle choices. The good news is that professional teeth whitening can bring your smile back…

Winter means spending a lot of your days and hours inside. In doing so, we expose our bodies to manufactured heat from our furnaces and baseboards that often results in dry air. All this leads to the familiar dry lips and dry mouth. While these symptoms of decreased saliva can be helped by just sipping…

Do you have a fear of the dentist? If you do, you are not alone. Approximately 40% of Canadians experience some form of anxiety before or during a visit to the dentist. Some experience a fear that is so debilitating they avoid dental visits and treatment altogether. As you can imagine, this has serious consequences…