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March 9th, 2013
Orthodontics is the area of dentistry that aims to improve the position, appearance and function of crooked or abnormally arranged teeth. This involves wearing appliances on the teeth which, over time, move the teeth into the desired position. Some appliances are fixed and only able to be removed by a dentist (sometimes called ‘braces’) some are able to be removed by the patient (eg. Invisalign).
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February 23rd, 2013
You may have read recently in the press about a 25 year old man in Australia who has been fitted with dentures due to the fact that he drank so much soda that he lost all his teeth. According to the reports, the man refused to drink water and instead was drinking 6-8 litres of sugary coke per day. Although his dentist had warned him about the risks, he still refused to change his habits and ended up with such severe dental decay that it gave him blood poisoning. Ultimately he had all of his teeth removed and dentures fitted.
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February 9th, 2013
Crowns, Bridges & Veneers
When talking with patients about crowns, caps, post-crowns, bridges and veneers I find that there can sometimes be some confusion. In this article I want to explain the differences between them and when that particular course of treatment might be suitable.
Veneers
A veneer is a thin porcelain cover designed to go on the outside surface of a tooth. Veneers are only used on front teeth and are generally used for cosmetic purposes, for example to restore chipped or broken teeth, or to change the colour, size or shape of teeth.
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January 26th, 2013
Bad Breath
There are several reasons why you might experience bad breath, or halitosis, with the most common cause being poor oral hygiene. When teeth are not brushed and flossed regularly or well enough, food debris will remain in the mouth and plaque will accumulate which leads to calculus build up. Calculus is the hard, chalk-like material that cannot be removed by brushing alone. When this is allowed to build up, it can lead to gum disease and one of the symptoms of gum disease is bad breath.
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January 12th, 2013
With the start of January and the making of New Year’s resolutions it is a good time to have a think about our dental health and whether our current practices are ideal in ensuring that our teeth and gums are staying in great shape. Do we need to resolve that we won’t give our children candy just before going to bed? Or maybe promise that we will floss more?