Dentistry at University Downs

HAPPY FAMILY DAY! We want to know how you’re celebrating your day off so comment below to tell us. #familyday #longweekend #dayoff

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! In honor of this heartfelt day, comment with your favorite romantic comedy below! #valentinesday #vday #romanticcomedy

TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH, we want to spotlight one of the early pioneers of African Americans in dentistry: Dr. George Franklin Grant, born in Oswego, New York in 1846 to parents who were former slaves. As a teenager, George worked as a lab assistant to local dentist Dr. Albert Smith, who encouraged him to pursue a career in dentistry. At age 22, George was one of the first six African Americans accepted into the Harvard University School of Dental Medicine. After g...raduating in 1870, Dr. Grant went on to become the first black Harvard faculty member when he took a position in the Department of Mechanical Dentistry. He specialized in cleft palate and speech therapy, and he gained international recognition for inventing a prosthetic insert that enabled patients with cleft palates to speak and eat normally. Dr. Grant was a founding member and president of the Harvard Odontological Society. He was also elected President of the Harvard Dental Association in 1881. Perhaps his most unusual accomplishment, though, was the invention of the golf tee! #blackhistorymonth #blackvoices #oralhealth

IT'S NATIONAL PIZZA DAY, so we hope you are having a slice day! #nationalpizzaday #pizza #pun

MAKE GOOD DENTAL HYGIENE a habit while kids are young! We want to remind you that it’s so important for kids to start practicing good dental habits early. #childrensdentalhealth #healthysmile #oralhealth

OUT OF THESE two autumn all-stars, which pie would you choose? #fall #fallvibes #pie

IN EUROPE DURING the Middle Ages, the same person was in charge of both. They were called barber-surgeons, and they performed the kinds of medical procedures that trained physicians wouldn’t, including setting broken bones, lancing infections, applying poultices, and even pulling teeth. Back then, there was no such thing as a regular dental check-up, so people mostly only went to the barber-surgeon for help with a dental problem when they were experiencing a bad enough toot...hache that they were ready to have the problem tooth pulled. Despite the lack of preventative dentistry, one particularly skilled barber-surgeon, Ambroise Paré (considered the father of modern surgery) made significant advancements in dentistry in the 1500s. He improved techniques for tooth extraction, developed a procedure for helping an impacted tooth erupt, and he even invented dental implants! Possibly his most famous patient was a princess with a missing front tooth, which he successfully replaced. Paré’s accomplishments paved the way for many more in the centuries that followed. Today, we know much more about what causes cavities and how to prevent them, and where we have access to separate categories of specialists who can focus on straightening crooked teeth or saving teeth with root canal therapy or treating pediatric patients, just to name a few. Still, it’s interesting to look at how far the field of dentistry has come!

ON REMEMBRANCE DAY we honor those who’ve risked or given their lives in the military. Thank you. #remembranceday #canada #thankyou

PREGNANCY GINGIVITIS HAS SYMPTOMS like swelling and tenderness of the gums. It can be detected and treated by a dentist, so if you are pregnant and think you might be experiencing this, give us a call so we can help! #pregnancy #pregnancygingivitis #dentalhealth

NOVEMBER IS MEN'S HEALTH AWARENESS Month and in honor, will you be growing your mo‘ this year? Comment below and let us know! #movember #menshealthawareness #growyourmo