CONTEST DATE CHANGED AND WILL NOW RUN UNTIL MARCH 1ST, 2012.

The mouth is the gateway of good health and the state of our teeth is connected to our longevity. One of the most commonly reported recurring dreams is the nightmare of the teeth falling out. It’s a survival thing–the ability to chew your food is something that is taken for granted until circumstances (such as cavities or gingivitis–yuck, those words alone are so squirm-worthy!) take a turn for the worse.

But this challenge is not to capture doom and gloom shots of teeth rotting from overindulgence in cigarettes and coffee, or dentures…or hairy tongues. Instead, Lenzr’s Good Dental Habits photo contest is looking to see the diligent, responsible, proactive and protective measures you take to ensure that your chompers remain strong, white and… your own for as long as you live.

Good dental habits aren’t just about brushing and flossing twice a day, although these two practices do play an imperative role in dental health and images of said activities are welcomed in this contest. However, there are plenty of other practices that contribute to a healthy smile. Drinking milk is a good example and so is eating cheese if you’re drinking wine–teeth need calcium. Drinking green tea instead of coffee is better for your teeth, and having an apple in your bag to cleanse your mouth when you’re out of the house and can’t brush after eating is a great example of natural, proactive, oral care. Getting braces to correct an unbalanced bite is another idea. There are likely many good dental habits you’ve been employing that you don’t even know about yet; think about your daily dental habits and you’ll probably be surprised at how well you’re taking care of your teeth. Capture your best preventative dental self-care on camera and you could win a great prize!

Dr. Natalie Archer is a dentist in downtown Toronto

Pursuing excellence and trust in patient-centred dental care, Dr. Natalie Archer, a Toronto dentist located in the downtown area, is the sponsor of this contest. Dr. Archer believes in establishing an ongoing communication with her clients in order to come up with the best plan to achieve maximum oral health.  She is looking forward to seeing your images of personal dental care; as a dentist who places emphasis on patient wellness and, in particular, prevention, she knows better than most that good dental habits begin at home.

The prize for this contest is an Apple iPad 2.

This contest starts Dec. 1st, 2011. Voting begins Voting begins February 15th, 2012, after which the top ten user-ranked photos advance to the Lenzr judges on February 25th. The winning photograph will be announced March 1st, 2012.

Tuesday March 9th 2010 dawned sunny and bright, and was a truly beautiful spring morning, spoiling Toronto with unseasonably warm weather.  This put everyone in a good mood, and it was especially pleasant inside the medical center at 600 Sherbourne St, opposite the subway, on the south west corner of  Bloor and Sherbourne St in the heart of the city.

It was particularly cheery in unit #808, the dental office of Dr Natalie Archer DDS, the Toronto dentist that sponsored the Kids in Action photo contest on Lenzr.

At 1 pm that afternoon, when the sun was at its zenith, the girl that won the photo challenge  entered the office.  The girl is from York University in her last year of sociology studies, but she dreams of being a working professional.   The girl’s name is seattledredge, and she’s a soft spoken, sly and precocious amateur photographer with professional aspirations.  Seattle wears black nail polish, and someday she will be a world famous something – a photo journalist, marketing poet or cereal box designer, she will be famous.  Her image ‘Soccer Stand’ can still be viewed in her profile – the picture won the match with a high score of 116 points,  an amalgam of votes, views and comments.

Seattle took lots of pictures on Tuesday March 9th, and these images can be found here on seattledredge Flickr photostream.

Although the NiteWhite teeth whitening kit was positioned as the grand prize of the challenge, this reward requires a dental office to make custom molds for form fitting trays that are filled with the bleaching agent and left on your teeth overnight. These trays are made from impressions taken of her teeth and mouth.  Dr Archer’s dental technicans used a special pink gel that hardens in about thirty seconds.

Seattle was interested in every detail and the citizen journalist was alive in her – she has a friend writing a story on teeth whitening in an online university publication.  I love the picture above in which Dr Archer is just standing back and taking it all in. Its clear that even though she didn’t expect this, she finds it all very amusing.

The ninth photo contest on Lenzr is called Kids in Action and gives shutterbugs lots of common ground on a wide open playing field.

Anyone with family knows that kids are pretty much always in action, having adventures wherever life takes them. Already there are some really interesting snapshots submitted to the site, and this contest just launched last week.

The prize in this challenge is a premier high quality teeth whitening kit called Nite White, and it’s a bleaching product that’s only available at the dentist’s office because it requires custom molded trays.

Sponsored by Toronto dentist Dr. Natalie Archer D.D.S. the challenge is designed to highlight the obvious connection between kids in action and healthy teeth.  Dr Archer hopes to personally meet and congratulate the winner of the contest. She has passion for photography and kids of her own, and thinks the whole idea is pretty neat.  So if the winner is local, they’ll be invited to stop by the office for a chat and custom fitting for the whitening trays. If the winner is out of province, or not interested in making the trip, then Lenzr will ship the NiteWhite prize with extra toothpaste, mouthwash and tooth floss and toothbrushes – dental supplies for an entire year.

Rosedale Family Dental Office at Sherbourne St and Bloor is literally right across the street from the subway, on the eight floor, in suite 808 of the large medical center with orange awnings at 600 Sherbourne St.
All of the dentists and staff at Rosedale Family Dental are committed to excellence and proud of their dedication to patients.

Just after Rob Campbell sat down in the big chair, and before Dr Archer put any metal things in his mouth, they had a friendly conversation about his dental pain and stains. Its obvious that each patient’s health and comfort is Dr Archer’s primary concern.

Her unique approach emphasizes patient wellness and prevention, and involves the dentist and client mutually agreeing on a program to achieve and maintain optimum oral health.