The importance of good oral health for teens

The importance of good oral health for teens

The teenage years (12-17) are a crucial time for a person’s physical and mental development. Most teens understand that and the benefits of having a health-focused attitude towards their changing minds and bodies. Even though adolescence can be a challenging and confusing time for teens, most recognise the importance of good nutrition, exercise and skin health care (i.e. no pimples!). Oral health care is also an important health concern for teens, yet it often gets overlooked. Teens can develop a false sense of security about their oral health – and why shouldn’t they? They’ve grown out their baby teeth, and with a brand new set of strong, healthy adult teeth, they think they can eat anything without any oral health consequences.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Most serious oral health conditions experienced by older adults, such as gum disease, recessed gums and tooth loss, are degenerative oral conditions that start with humble beginnings during adolescence. Consider tooth plaque. Plaque – that fuzzy white stuff that can build up on your teeth – might seem harmless enough. It can be scrapped off with your fingernail. But if you allow plaque to remain on your teeth along the gum line for another 10 to 20 years – especially in hard to reach places – it will slowly penetrate the gum line, and move along your tooth roots into your gums.

By then you have a high risk of experiencing periodontal disease – a serious oral health condition that can lead to tooth loss and other health issues. It’s a gradual process that can take decades. So, if you are a teenager, now is the best time to lay the foundations for an oral health care routine that will ensure you keep all your natural teeth for life. Why is this so important? Short answer – you only get one set of natural teeth – and if you lose them, they don’t grow back. Making a strong lifetime commitment to good oral health care and hygiene in your teenage years, is the best investment you can make to ensure that you keep your natural teeth for life – and reduce future health costs by thousands of dollars Ok! Stay tuned for Part 2 – Essential oral health care tips for teens.

Tips for a healthy and beautiful smile

Tips for a healthy and beautiful smile

Studies have shown that maintaining healthy, natural and radiant teeth not only benefits your self confidence, but your social and professional interactions as well. If you have a good set of clean, bright teeth with no gaps, you are considered more healthy and attractive – on first impressions. However, a lot of people are under the false impression that to achieve pearly perfect whites, a quick teeth whitening treatment is all you need. While getting your teeth whitened is an invaluable and beneficial cosmetic dental treatment, there’s more to achieving healthy, beautiful teeth than getting them bleached. To keep your teeth in excellent condition, you also need to take care of them with healthy oral habits.

You also need to follow a healthy lifestyle – specific to your age and life stage. Taking a holistic approach to your oral health is the best way to keep your smile going, and your teeth strong and healthy for a lifetime. Here are 10 tips for a healthy and beautiful smile for life:

  • Review and improve your brushing and flossing routine. A lot of adults have flawed brushing and flossing techniques which enable plaque and decay to develop in hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. Your dentist can help you identify the weak links in your home oral health care routine.
  • Avoid diet soft drinks (as well as sugary soft drinks). Both beverages are highly acidic and cause tooth erosion. Dark-coloured soft drinks can also stain teeth over time. When drinking soft drinks, try using a straw to prevent the soft drink from coming into contact with your teeth.
  • Stop smoking. Smokers heal slower than non-smokers after gum infections and oral surgery. Smokers are at higher risk of developing periodontal disease.
  • Relax. You may be tensing your jaw and clenching your teeth if you aren’t. This facial action leads to excessive wear on your teeth and possible chipping and cracking. If you grind your teeth while sleeping, a night mouthguard from your dentist can help prevent further damage. However, learning relaxation techniques is the best way to deal with the stresses of life.
  • Don’t over bleach your teeth. Over-bleaching may lead to damage to your tooth surfaces and increased sensitivity. Touch-ups are okay once or twice a year.
  • Eat a healthy, nutritious and well-balanced diet. By giving your body the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that it needs, you can help ensure healthy teeth, bones and gum tissue in your oral cavity. Over-50s need to ensure that their Vitamin D and calcium intake is adequate to prevent bone loss.
  • Get your dental work checked. Fillings, crowns, inlays, onlays, veneers and bridges can wear out over time. If they crack or chip, oral bacteria can infiltrate the spaces, penetrate the inner tooth, and cause decay. Attending regular dental check-up and cleans can ensure that any worn out or damaged dental work is identified early and repaired.
  • Drink more water. Keeping your mouth well hydrated prevents it from drying out. A dry mouth condition increases the risk of plaque and tooth decay/erosion. One in four Australians is affected by a dry mouth. If you have a dry mouth condition, try using a mouth wash specially formulated to manage dry mouth symptoms.
  • 40 year milestone. When you reach 40 get a proper check up for any early signs of a potentially serious health condition. Certain oral health conditions, such as gum disease, may be linked to heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
  • Pregnant mothers, be aware. Pregnant women with elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone may be more susceptible to minor gum infections during pregnancy.
CEREC crowns – one hour, one visit!

CEREC crowns – one hour, one visit!

In the busy 21st century, customer expectations have changed. Our spare time is precious. So we prefer to shop online, make instant payments, and have our purchases delivered straight to our door. Businesses that can promptly deliver quality goods and great customer service – for the best possible price – meet the needs and expectations of today’s customers. The same applies to modern dentistry. Dental patients nowadays want the best solutions for their oral health in minimal time. In order to meet the needs of today’s dental patients, more and more dental clinics are practising same-day dentistry. This is possible because of advances in dental technology which have made same-day dentistry a reality. Now, lengthy dental treatment can be performed in a fraction of the usual time.

CEREC dental technology

CEREC (CEramic REConstruction) is one such innovation. CEREC is a high-tech dental technology system that can design and produce high quality ceramic dental restorations (such as crowns, bridges, inlays and onlays) for patients, onsite at the dental clinic – in minutes.

Traditional crown treatment

Traditional crown treatments usually take a week or longer and involve two visits. The first visit involves taking manual dental impressions of your teeth which are sent away to a dental lab. While your permanent crown is being prepared there, you will need to wear a temporary crown. When you return for your second visit, it is replaced by your new crown, which is tested and cemented into place.

The benefits of CEREC crown treatment:

  • CEREC crown treatments are far quicker and easier (than traditional crown treatments), and only require one visit. They are actually easier to receive than dental filling treatments.
  • CEREC crowns provide amazing results. They are bio-safe, look natural and feel just like your other teeth. CEREC technology makes it possible to customise and create strong durable colour-matched crowns for your teeth.
  • CEREC restorations are less invasive for patients. When your dentist prepares your teeth for a CEREC crown, only the damaged, decayed or defective parts of the affected tooth are removed. More of your natural tooth is retained during a CEREC procedure, unlike traditional crown treatments which require further excavation – which can weaken your remaining natural tooth structure.

How does the CEREC crown treatment system work?

Once your dentist has finished preparing your tooth to receive a crown, a quick 3D scan of your oral cavity is taken with a small pen-shaped intraoral 3D camera, called the CEREC Omnicam. The 3D data captured by the camera is then viewed on a computer screen. You can watch as your dentist designs your crown with the CEREC 3D modelling software. The completed 3D file of your new crown is exported to the in-house CEREC milling machine, which proceeds to carve out your crown from a single ceramic block right before your eyes. It takes about 15 minutes, and you’re free to keep watching – or you can take a break! When ready, your new CEREC crown is permanently bonded to your tooth – and you are good to go!

CEREC tooth restorations are suitable for a number of tooth problems and issues including:

  • Heavily decayed teeth
  • Weakened, fractured or cracked teeth
  • Replacement of old metal or failing restorations

  However, if your other teeth are stained or discoloured, there may be other dental restorative materials that provide more aesthetic options, especially for front tooth restorations. CEREC is a life changer. If you are interested in finding out more about CEREC crowns, contact us on (08) 9310 3367 or book online to schedule a consultation. We are also happy to answer any of your questions over the phone.

Achieving a great smile with veneers, bonding and contouring

Achieving a great smile with veneers, bonding and contouring

Porcelain veneers, bonding and contouring are all cosmetic dental treatment options that are great ways to change the shape, size, colour and position of your teeth. These dental treatment options utilise specialised dental materials and techniques to remedy smile issues permanently. When deciding which treatment option is most suitable to enhance or repair your smile, you have two main considerations. Firstly, you have to consider the extent of the modifications you need to achieve your desired smile. For example, do you need a complete smile makeover, or are you just after a minor repair to a chipped front tooth? Secondly, you need to consider which of these cosmetic treatment options suits your budget. The cost of a full set of porcelain veneers can be far more expensive than a few minor modifications to some of your teeth.

It is also important to determine whether or not you are a suitable candidate for veneer, bonding or contour treatment. Your teeth need to be healthy and free of cavities and/or periodontal (gum) disease – before undergoing any cosmetic dental procedures. Your Leeming dentist can discuss your dental issues, and recommend a cosmetic dental treatment plan that can best improve and transform your smile. Here is a quick overview of porcelain veneers, bonding and contouring:

  • Porcelain veneers are very thin, custom-shaped pieces of porcelain that are permanently bonded to the front of your teeth, and wrapped over their edges. They are ideal for complete smile makeovers which involve using up to ten veneers for each row of teeth. Veneers are great if you need to increase the size of your teeth, which makes them useful for replacing worn tooth edges and closing gaps. They can be used to straighten your teeth, and resurface discoloured teeth completely with your preferred shade of white – in order to create a naturally beautiful smile. 
  • Bonding involves the use of a tooth-coloured composite material. It is applied to your teeth, cured and then shaped to blend in with the surrounding tooth surfaces. Bonding adds material to your teeth which makes the technique suitable for filling in chips, gaps, imperfections or cavities, as well as levelling rough or uneven surfaces. Teeth whitening is often recommended before bonding, so that the colour of the new bond can be matched with your whitened teeth. If you whiten your teeth after bonding, you may have to replace the bonding in order to colour-match the new shade. 
  • Contouring is a reductive tooth-shaping dental technique. This means that natural tooth material is removed from your teeth. You are a suitable candidate for contouring if any of your teeth have a slightly uneven appearance. Your Leeming dentist reshapes your teeth by sanding and shaving away parts of your tooth enamel until the desired shape is achieved. Contouring is often used along with bonding so that the correct balance of give and take is maintained in order to achieve a beautiful natural smile.

For further information about the dental issues, techniques and costs involved with veneers, bonding and contouring, we recommend that you come in for a proper cosmetic dental consultation. To make a booking, call our friendly team at Leeming Dental on (08) 9310 3367 or book online.

Interdental brushes more effective than flossing

Interdental brushes more effective than flossing

The latest interdental brushes have proved to be far more effective at cleaning the interdental spaces between your teeth than flossing – according to new research by Prof. Denis Bourgeois and his research team at the University of Lyon, France. Until recently, interdental brushes were only recommended for cleaning large interdental spaces – while dental floss was more suitable for very small spaces. In fact, dental floss and toothpicks have been the only tools available for most people to clean these spaces. Not anymore.

With the development of interdental brushes that can now access spaces with a width of 0.6 mm, these revamped oral health tools are set to render flossing obsolete. Prof. Bourgeois says, “Dental floss used to be the common tool for narrow spaces. However, dental floss is no longer preferred, as its use is not supported by conclusive scientific evidence. For interdental brushes, we have scientific evidence. Interdental brushes have now become the best tool for cleaning interdental spaces.” Even the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recently removed their recommendation to floss your teeth daily from their Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

And a recent dental report questioned the effectiveness of flossing since there is no actual conclusive clinical evidence to prove it. New generation interdental brushes, on the other hand, were clinically proven in the French study to remove 16 billion bacteria on average from each interdental site (between teeth) alone. So why are the latest interdental brushes so effective? Because they can reach critical areas of bacterial contamination on your tooth surfaces that flossing cannot.

Dental floss is still recommended for use on teeth with one root (incisors and canines), but not for your other teeth with two or three roots (molars). These teeth have hard-to-reach surfaces (within interdental spaces) that aren’t necessarily flat nor curved – often they are irregular. For example, a molar tooth with a concave surface cannot be cleaned thoroughly with dental floss because the floss completely misses the depression. Whereas an interdental brush can access all the nooks and cranies of your molars by completely filling the interdental spaces between them with hundreds of super fine bristles – thus removing almost all plaque.

It’s easy to determine the type of interdental brush that you’ll need. Your dentist simply measures the spaces between your teeth with a special probe after which they can advise you on the correct sized brush to use. The French researchers used the interdental brushes of the Swiss oral health care brand CURAPOX. They also noted that the test patients in the study responded positively to using these brushes. Source: “Access to Interdental Brushing in Periodontal Healthy Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.” PLoS ONE 11(6): e0158252. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158252