Community Events
Passion Family Dental North Lakes is Proud to Sponsor the
North Lakes Eels AFL Football Club
Contributing to our local community is important to Passion Family Dental North Lakes.
What better way to show our commitment to the community than to sponsor the local football club?
This year Eels celebrate their 10th birthday, so 2020 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the club.
We are so glad that we get to share in the celebrations.
On Saturday 8 February we had the pleasure of attending the Eels Sign On Day and spoke to many of the players and their families.
The club is very supportive encouraging of the young players with a great sense of fun and family.
We look forward to seeing the players enjoy their sport throughout the season.
We thank management for inviting us to sponsor the Eels, we are proud and privileged to be a part of this great club.
North Lakes Market Zone Colour Frenzy and Markets
Dr Sam and Alison had an amazing and very colourful time at the North Lakes Market Zone Colour Frenzy Fun Run on Sunday.
With lots of local artists and stall holders adding to the excitement of the day, this was a great way to kick start the monthly community markets.
This event made us so proud to be a part of the North Lakes community. Seeing everyone out having such a good time and sharing their musical talents, selling their incredible craft items and enjoying all the delicious foods available, created a very happy atmosphere.
It was also lovely to run into a number of our patients also out enjoying the fun.
The next market day will be held on Sunday 26 May from 8:00am until 2:00pm. This one won’t include all the colour of the Fun Run but we are sure that residents of North Lakes, Mango Hill, Kallangur and the surrounding areas will enjoy the stalls, entertainment and of course the food.
Information Stand at the Costco North Lakes Business Fair
Dr Sam, Alison and Melody took part in the biannual Costco Business Fair. Local businesses were given the opportunity to set up stalls and do demonstrations for the busy shoppers; in return businesses donated funds to the Mater Little Miracles. Passion Family Dental North Lakes are proud to support this amazing hospital that helps care for premature babies and their families.
On the day Dr Sam offered free dental consultations and was kept busy chatting with families about their oral health concerns. It was lovely to see so many families and be able to answer their questions.
We had numerous parents concerned about possible crowding issues with their little ones. Dr Sam was able to provide professional advice on the best time for them to speak to a dentist about orthodontics and tooth eruption timelines.
Several people stopped and chatted with us about particular issues they were experiencing and told us that they had been putting off going to the dentist because they were worried about what treatment they needed. Dr Sam spoke with them about their concerns and was able to reassure them about the various treatments.
This is why we are finding these free community consultation events so worthwhile. Often, we find that people’s imagination goes into overdrive when it comes to visiting the dentist, so a few reassuring words is what is needed to help them overcome their fears.
Of course, the highlight of the day was the visit from the Tooth Fairy! Seeing the sparkle in the children’s eyes when they spotted her was very special.
The little ones lined up for her to do their face painting or have their photo taken with her. Dr Sam worked his magic and also gave the children special glove balloons that they all absolutely loved.
Keep a look out for our next free community consultation event and drop in and say ‘hi’ to the team.
It is rewarding for us to know that we are helping the families of North Lakes, Mango Hill, Kallangur, Griffin, Rothwell, Deception Bay and the surrounding communities in this way. Reaching out and helping our friends and neighbours is an integral part of who we are.
CUA Free Dental Consultation Community Event
On Saturday 23 March Dr Sam partnered with Credit Union Australia North Lakes to hold a free community day at the local CUA branch in the Westfield Shopping Centre.
Residents were given the opportunity to come in and have a chat with a dentist in a relaxed environment, cost and obligation free.
We spoke with many families with young children whose parents were concerned about crowding issues, baby teeth decay and even thumb sucking.
Dr Sam was able to give them advice on taking care of their children’s mouths and demonstrate how to bush their teeth correctly.
A number of parents asked about Medicare’s Children’s Dental Benefits Schedule and we were able to explain how the scheme is assisting young children aged between two and seventeen years of age. Mums and dads were happy to find that their children were eligible to receive the full $1,095 in dental funding.
One very nervous resident from Mango Hill came in to discuss a broken tooth that was giving her some trouble, being nervous she had been putting off going to the dentist for some time. Dr Sam was able to explain to her that the tooth was easily restorable and reassured her that the appointment that she had been avoiding was going to be simple.
The lady was so relieved to know that it was going to be straightforward to fix her tooth that she booked her appointment with Dr Sam straight away.
Sometimes all patients need is a little reassurance. Your imagination is your worst enemy when it comes to going to the dentist!
The obvious highlight of the event was the fact that we had the Tooth Fairy join us. The children loved meeting her and especially loved that she painted pretty sparkly teeth on their cheeks and hands.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Credit Union Australia at North Lakes for opening their branch to us in this manner. Also a massive thank you to the lovely staff who assisted us on the day, their contribution certainly helped the event become the great success that it was.
Our Free Dental Consultation Community Event was an amazing success and we hope that we helped the many people who stopped and chatted with us. We are already working on organising our next free consultation event with CUA, so keep an eye on the Events page on our website or on Facebook to see when it is. We hope then continue hosting these events throughout the year, so that we are able to assist the residents of North Lakes, Mango Hill, Kallangur, Griffin, the Redcliffe Peninsula and Deception Bay and surrounds, to become more aware of the importance of good oral health.
Studio Pilates 30 Day Challenge
On Sunday 17 March Dr Sam and Allison went to Studio Pilates North Lakes 30 Day Challenge Congratulatory Celebrations, to present the Dedication Award.
This award went to the person that attended every class for the full length of the challenge.
As one of the major sponsors for this challenge, Passion Family Dental North Lakes presented the winner a voucher to receive a free exam, clean and teeth whitening treatment.
Participants worked hard over these 30 days, transforming and reshaping their entire body. Toning muscles, boosting metabolism, flattening abs and strengthening their mental and physical stamina. One amazing lady lost nearly 10kg during this challenge. Talking with those that took part, all highly recommend others to jump on board the next challenge.
Congratulations to Chris for winning this hard-earned award and also to Melissa for winning the Greatest Transformation Award. Talking with those who attended, it certainly sounds like they all really enjoyed taking part in the challenge and they all highly recommended it to anyone considering doing the next one.
Dr Sam was proud to sponsor this challenge as he encourages everyone to not only look after their oral health but also their overall health. Being a resident of North Lakes, Dr Sam genuinely cares about the health and wellbeing of his neighbours and thanks Cia and her team at Studio Pilates for including us in this challenge.
Visit to Kids Capers Childcare Mango Hill
Dr Sam was invited to talk with the gorgeous children at Kids Capers Childcare Mango Hill. It was a real treat for us to show the thirty or so kindy kids how to brush their teeth and how to eat healthy.
It is so important for children to learn at an early age how to look after their teeth. We hope that by going out into the community, and talking with both children and adults, that we can not only improve their oral health we can help break down the barriers that stop us going to the dentist.
So many people put off going to the dentist because they are nervous or don’t understand the importance of regular exam and cleans. By chatting with children as we did at Kindy Capers, we hope to start them on the road of a lifelong appreciation, confidence and even eagerness when it comes to visiting their dentist.
We showed these children, aged three to five years, how to brush their teeth using little circles and how to floss (yes, even children need to floss!).
The children know that you only need a little bit of toothpaste, about the size of a pea, and not the entire tube or the size of a car!
They now understand that they need their mums and dads to help them with their brushing so hopefully brushing time will be a lot easier for their parents. Mr Sparkles, our friendly dragon, was a great help in this lesson and a number of them had fun practicing cleaning his teeth.
We all had fun deciding if different foods and drinks are good or bad for our teeth. The kids were a lot of fun telling us about what they like to eat, and also what their parents like. They know that if they do have something on the ‘bad for your teeth’ list then they need to brush or have a drink of water to help get the bugs off their teeth. Nobody wants to have dragon breath like Mr Sparkes sometimes gets if he forgets to brush!
There may be a few aspiring young dentists in this group of children because they all loved wearing masks and gloves like a dentist.
It was hard work trying to put gloves onto that many small hands though! Seeing the expressions on their faces made the effort more than worthwhile.
We truly hope these kids enjoyed our visit and that they learned from it. Our plan is to continue going out into the community and showing everyone that dentists are fun, and that dentists are someone who can help them and guide them to good oral health and beautiful smiles.
If you know a childcare centre or other community group that would like us to visit, please give us a call on (07) 3465 1199 as we would love the chance to share our passion with as many people as possible.
Dr Sam really enjoys reaching out to the community in this way. Being a local resident himself, his goal is to talk with as many residents of Mango Hill and the surrounding areas as possible, helping locals become more aware of the importance of good oral health.
Playgroup Visits
You are never too young to learn the importance of good oral health and Dr Sam, Alison and Melody enjoyed showing the mums and dads at the Embrace Life Playgroups how to look after their babies and toddlers’ teeth.
Visiting the playgroups at Mango Hill and Kippa Ring, we were able to talk to the parents about how to care for their children’s teeth, right from the moment they are born, and answer any questions they have.
There is so much information available for parents on the internet, and we encourage parents to make the most of this information, but there is nothing like seeing and hearing it straight from a professional.
We explained to the mums and dads that before their little ones even get teeth, they need to be helping them learn to take care of their oral health.
By rubbing their gums with a cloth or baby cleaning mitten before teeth erupt, will help the baby become used to someone cleaning their mouth (in a similar way to having a baby wear a headband to get used to wearing a hat).
We spoke to the parents about teething and tooth eruption, and about the habit’s children form such as thumb sucking and dummies. A number of mums were concerned about finger sucking and Dr Sam explained that most children naturally stop this habit by the age of four so usually it is not something to be overly concerned about.
The problems arise when the adult teeth come through as finger sucking can cause the teeth to become misaligned. It is important for parents to understand why their child sucks on their fingers or a dummy, it is usually simply for comfort. Some natural tricks to try to change this habit is to offer them a reward or mark their progress on a chart, or to simply distract them.
Many of the parents we spoke to were also interested in learning how to help fight against tooth decay. Baby teeth a lot softer than adult teeth so are more prone to decay. If a baby tooth needs to be removed before it is due to fall out naturally, then the adult teeth may erupt in the wrong position.
This makes caring for your babies’ teeth more important than many realize. Making sure you brush your child’s teeth a couple of times a day and yes, even flossing them, is a good place to start. Parents need to also make sure they have a healthy diet and limit the amount of food grazing that their children do.
It was lovely to see the parents so keen to learn how to care for their babies’ teeth; we hope we made the task a little less daunting for them. Dr Sam enjoys sharing his knowledge with others and we hope that by going out into the community and talking to parents and caregivers that his passion for oral health is passed on.
If you have any questions regarding caring for your baby or child’s teeth please give us a call on (07) 3465 1199 and we will do all we can to help you. Or if you would like us to give a talk at your group or organisation please don’t hesitate to ask.
Dr Sam plans on reaching out to residents of local areas such as Mango Hill, Kallangur, Rothwell, Deception Bay and Kippa Ring, to increase the awareness of good oral health.
It is through his eagerness to share his knowledge, and in this type of community involvement that Dr Sam establishes Passion Family Dental North Lakes as a leader of oral care in our community.