(03) 9349 2591Preventative
Dental Care
A HEALTHY SMILE NEEDS REGULAR PREVENTATIVE CARE
General Dental Care – Adults and Children
We provide a comprehensive range of dental treatments for both adults and children to help you keep your smile healthy and functioning. Our caring professional staff undertake comprehensive dental examinations and preventative maintenance services.
For those that require some reparative treatment, our dental team provide a full range of options from tooth coloured fillings, root canal treatment, dental implants, periodontal treatment, crowns and bridges: from the simplest filling to the more complex complete oral rehabilitation, we can look after you. And we are fully supported by a fabulous team of dental specialists to ensure your dental care meets your needs.
Preventative Dental Hygiene Maintenance
Our aim is to ensure that your smile is healthy and you are able to keep it that way…
This requires a team approach with both management and advice from us as the dental professionals and most of the daily care by you. Our dentists and dental hygienists will provide you with the highest level of care: our highly trained professionals will customize your dental treatment, provide you with patient education and an individualized preventative care and maintenance program. Obtaining the best oral health is a team effort: your role and commitment is critical to success, after all, you only see us for a few days each year, the other 360 plus days you’re in the driver’s seat for your dental care.
KEEPING your smile healthy …
* Use a soft-bristle brush and brush twice a day. Remember to change your brush/brush-head regularly to ensure it remains effective. This applies to both manual and electric toothbrushes.
* Use a fluoride tooth-paste
* Clean between your teeth with floss once a day. For some patients, for example with bridges or large spaces between the teeth, flossing may not be the most effective for these sites. Interdental aids such as brushes, and floss-sticks should be used instead of, or in conjunction with floss – your hygienist will advise you on what are the best tools to use for your individual situation.
* Have regular check-ups and cleanings. Remember to follow any specific advice the dentist or dental hygienist gives you.
* Have a healthy diet comprising predominantly whole un-processed foods
* Don’t smoke!
* If you play sport, ensure you wear a professionally fitted sports mouth-guard
What to expect at your hygiene appointment
The dentist or dental hygienist will review your progress and assess your dental health. Each dental hygiene appointment includes…
- A general health evaluation
- Examination of the teeth and gums and oral soft tissues
- Cleaning and polishing of the teeth both above and below gum-level
- Application of materials to prevent tooth decay
- Low-dose digital x-rays may be taken for diagnostic purposes
- Instruction on correct brushing and flossing techniques and personalised advice on appropriate oral hygiene products to assist with optimal home care
- Treatment recommendations for any oral conditions such as dry mouth or bad breath
- Development of an individualised oral hygiene program with recommended 3, 4, 6 or 12 monthly visits, future treatment needs and referral for specific specialist treatment if required.
A word about smoking
Tobacco adversely impacts your health and is implicated in diseases of the mouth such as gum disease and oral cancer. In addition, the combination of smoking and alcohol consumption have been shown to put you at even greater risk of developing oral cancer. 5-10 % of all cancers detected in Australia are oral cancers and oral cancer is responsible for 2% of deaths from cancer in Australia. Gum disease is often masked in smokers and is a leading cause of tooth loss, sensitive teeth and bad breath. Smoking causes delayed healing, and can restrict the success of treatment options for periodontal disease including dental implants or by increasing the risk for failure. More superficially, but not insignificantly, smoking stains teeth, causes bad breath and decreases your sense of both taste and smell.
Home Care Hints
Brushing
Manual brush: use a soft toothbrush at the gum line where the teeth meet the gums. Brush in small circular motions on 1-2 teeth at a time. Angle the brush at a 45-degree angle to allow the bristles to gently clean under gums. Brush top and bottom teeth, cheek-side, lip-side and in close to the tongue. Brush the chewing surfaces of all upper and lower molars. Brush the top of the tongue to remove bacteria.
Electric toothbrushes: brush a small area at a time. Start at the back of the lower front teeth and brush top and bottom teeth, cheek-side, lip-side and in close to the tongue. Brush the chewing surfaces of all upper and lower molars. Turn the brush off and brush the top of the tongue to remove bacteria. Correctly brushing is important to your dental health and also helps you to avoid the necessity for teeth repair and to prevent future dental problems.
Flossing
Tear off about 30cm in length of dental floss, ribbon or tape. Wind the ends around the index fingers. Keep about 5cm between the index fingers. Try to keep only 1-2 cm tight enough to slide between teeth, by using your thumbs to tighten the floss for the upper jaw and middle fingers for the lower jaw – if you have a long piece of floss between the index fingers it will be difficult to manoeuvre and control. Slide using a “sawing” motion between teeth. You will feel the floss slip between the tight part of the teeth (contact point), then gently slide it down following the contour of each tooth. Do not force the floss straight down or up, since it will hit the gums and be sore or cut the gum! Slide up and down each tooth to clean off plaque and food debris. Continue to floss all teeth. To reach your back teeth, it helps to close your mouth half-way which will relax the cheek muscles and allow you better access.
Diet for optimal dental health
Maintain a balanced diet made up of foods from the five major food groups, ideally these foods should be wholefoods and the less processed these are, the better – not only for your dental health, but for your general health as well.
Hidden sugars and other additives can impact adversely on your dental health Avoid nibbling on snack foods throughout the day and avoid any sticky foods and drinks that have either a high sugar content or acidity or both (this includes ‘diet’ soft drinks).