One of the lovely things about being a business owner in a small town is the sense of community that we are so fortunate to enjoy!  However, news also spreads rapidly in small towns and some recent news in Dr Hennessy's family may have created potential confusion for her patients.

In April, Dr. Hennessy's husband (Dr. Jeff Hennessy) was appointed Provost and Vice President Academic & Research at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.  This is exciting news for the Hennessy family!

However, patients can be assured that there are NO PLANS for Dr. Erin Hennessy (the dentist and owner of Wolfville Dentistry) to leave Wolfville or sell her dental practice.  She and her son Rory will remain in Wolfville, and her husband will travel to New Brunswick for this appointment, effective July 1st, 2020.  He will surely become intimately familiar with the commute through the Cobequid pass!

Of course with COVID-19 restrictions in play, there are obviously many new considerations for their family.  Like so many things in this "new normal" of COVID-19, family dinners will be enjoyed by FaceTime for the foreseeable future! 

Just got official word that not only is the Easter Bunny considered an essential service, but so is the Tooth Fairy! Good news for all of you at home managing your own extractions....

For anything that Ms. T. Fairy cannot help with, remember that Dr. Hennessy is still available by phone.


Be well everyone, and Happy Easter!

In an effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, all dental offices in Nova Scotia are shut down indefinitely for all dental treatment, including emergency dental care.  There are currently only select EMERGENCY DENTAL CENTRES that are designated to see dental emergencies.

If you have a dental emergency during this closure, please contact Dr. Hennessy on her cell phone at (902) 300-9075 and she will walk you through the emergency protocols, and refer you for emergency treatment as needed.  At this time, she is still able to provide advice about pain management, call in prescriptions, and answer questions about your dental situation. 

If you have an appointment with us in April, please consider it cancelled and we will be in touch with you once the office is open again to reschedule.  Please ignore all reminder texts/emails that you may receive indicating otherwise.

Please be safe, wash your hands, and read a good book. Call a neighbour. Write an email to a friend and tell them you're thinking of them. We need to support one another during this time.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

January 2020 brought with it some changes to our team at Wolfville Dentistry!  We said goodbye to one of our beloved hygienists, Tammie Waite who moved to Iqaluit to fulfill her life-long dream of living in the North.

However, every ending is also a new beginning and we have welcomed a wonderful new
hygienist, Marc Gaudet, RDH to our team. Marc is a born and raised "Blue-noser" and holds a BSc (Biology) and Diploma in Dental Hygiene, both from Dalhousie University.  He has practiced in Labrador and Alberta but thankfully for us, has chosen to return to his Nova Scotian roots to work and raise his family! You can read about Marc's impressive background on "our team" page on our website. 

We look forward to a new year of new adventures and of course we continue to welcome new patients of all ages to our practice!

We are so privileged to provide dental care for many of the core members of L'Arche Homefires in our town of Wolfville. L'Arche is an international organization which was founded in 1964, in France by a Canadian, Jean Vanier (1928 -2019).

Now with over 140 L'Arche communities worldwide, Vanier's vision of creating a world where "people with and without intellectual disabilities can live, work, learn, and grow together" is far-reaching.

L'Arche International has produced a series of short documentary films highlighting the way that the L'Arche vision plays out across the world.

This is one of Dr.Hennessy's favourite films. It will have you laughing and crying (sometimes all at once) and beautifully summarizes that when we support each other to live with dignity, we all reap the rewards! Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtLTpfjVvTk

Most of us now recognize that our mental health affects our physical health.  It is well known that when we are experiencing extreme stress in our lives, our overall health can suffer.  Even with short term stress, research shows that our immune system becomes compromised, and we become more prone to illnesses.

But have you considered how your oral health is specifically affected by your mental health?  Patients often find it strange when we ask them about their stress level, but we do so because we often see the ways that stress is causing changes to their oral health.

This week Dr. Hennessy was featured on Global TV discussing the link between Stress and Oral Health.  You can watch the interview here. 

Each year, the Nova Scotia Dental Association produces an Oral Health Report highlighting an oral health issue of interest to Nova Scotians.  This year's the NSDA has partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association to produce a report entitled "Stress and Oral Health". Have a read to find out more about the connection between your oral health and you mental health.

For the third year, the gang at Wolfville Dentistry gang joined forces with other Annapolis Valley dental professionals for the annual "AVDS (Annapolis Valley Dental Society) Cares" Pro Bono dental event.  This event provides much-needed dental care to people who would otherwise not be able to access the care they need.  Participating clinics coordinate with their local organizations (food banks, shelters, churches, schools etc.) to identify patients in their communities who are in need of dental care. 

With over 50 volunteers (dentists, hygienists, assistants, office staff, and technicians) in 5 locations in the Valley, we offered care to 90 patients.  Patients received a free exam with x'rays in advance of the event to identify what they needed, and then were provided with an appointment to complete their care, and have a cleaning.  Across the 5 locations there were 104 fillings, 39 extractions, 4 root canals, and 90 cleanings done; this represents over $40,000.00 of dental services!  Thanks to all the volunteers, as well as Henry Schein for their support of this wonderful event!

In August 2018, Dr. Hennessy was  inducted into the International College of Dentists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy.  These societies recognize a dentist's work in the profession as well as in their communities at large.  She was thrilled to share these honours with some of her favourite colleagues and mentors from across Nova Scotia, and the country at the Canadian Dental Association conference in Charlottetown, PEI.

We were excited to hear this week that, (ahem...) for the third year in a row , the "Wolfville Dentistry Duck" won "Best Dressed Duck" in the annual Rotary fundraiser event.  Our Duck put on her life preserver, ducky boots, and packed her fishing pole to attend the event this year.

Thanks to our ever-creative Debbie Usher for the execution of yet another brilliant award-winning concept!  You can see last year's tubing costume in last year's post!