It is important to have regular dental check-ups as we can pick up problems early in your mouth before they get any worse. The sooner we can intervene in treating decayed teeth or gum issues, the better the long-term prognosis and health benefits will be. We not only examine the teeth, but also your tongue, oral tissues and look for any signs of cancer. We usually take X-rays to see any potential problems that may occur or to determine the severity of the problem. It is difficult to see in-between teeth and under fillings and that is another reason for taking dental X-rays.

Teeth cleanings often involve the use of an ultrasonic scaler to remove any plaque, stains and hard calculus build-up on the teeth surfaces. The quick vibration and jet of water that the scaler produces may feel sensitive to some people. But with regular dental cleanings and the use of fluoride or special toothpastes this sensitivity may ease. After the scaling procedure we usually polish the teeth to remove any other stains and provide fluoride treatment. No matter how well you keep your teeth clean, they do also need to be professionally cleaned as toothbrushing alone does not remove calculus. We usually recommend having a dental cleaning every 6 months to maintain healthy gums and teeth.

Dental extractions can be performed by a general dentist or a specialist maxillo-facial surgeon. Usually, if teeth are badly decayed, infected, loose, or painful it may need to be extracted. Sometimes, we can perform root canal treatment to save a tooth. Local anaesthetic is used to numb the area before the tooth/teeth are extracted. X-rays are usually taken of any tooth to be extracted to determine how easy or difficult the extraction procedure could be. If it is a straight forward extraction then we would consider it as a simple extraction. Sometimes, teeth are fused to the bone or have curved roots and this may complicate the extraction procedure. In this case, we usually perform a surgical extraction using drills to remove the tooth.

To know of possible complications that can happen before a dental extraction, please click here.

To know about after-care instructions following a dental extraction, please click here.

Dental fillings are done to fill holes or cavities within a tooth. Fillings may be composite (white fillings), porcelain (inlays/onlays) or amalgam (metal fillings). These days we try not to use amalgam fillings and make the change to composite fillings. Fillings can fall out at any time and may also change colour. The life of a filling usually depends on how big the filling is, which part of the tooth it is placed, the type of diet you eat, etc. Sometimes, cavities are not too deep, and in this case we may not need any local anaesthetic before placing a filling. It is always good to have regular dental check-ups to make sure all your fillings are intact, otherwise cavities may form a site of decay and be a potential problem down the line.

Root canal treatment is a branch of dentistry called Endodontics. It involves drilling into the tooth to remove the infected pulp that contains the nerve of the tooth. Sometimes a tooth forms an abscess and it may keep expanding within the tooth, unless the abscess is drained or cleaned out. This can be very painful. People often have misconceptions that root canal treatment is very painful, but there are techniques to help ease the pain of this process. People may choose to either save the tooth with root canal treatment or extract the tooth. Root canal treatment is a very technique sensitive procedure and may take a few appointments.

Crowns and bridges are fixed dental prosthesis that are stuck to existing teeth in the mouth. Crowns are commonly called ‘caps’, and covers the entire tooth. If a tooth is badly broken down or needs a change of shape or colour then we often crown the tooth. If a tooth/teeth are missing, we can construct a dental bridge that links up all individual tooth units together. Crowns and bridges are much stronger than fillings and has good aesthetics since we can perfectly design your smile. If you would like to know how to take care of you crown and bridge prosthesis then click here.

Dentures are commonly called ‘plates’ or false teeth. Dentures can replace all missing teeth (called full dentures) or some teeth that have been extracted (called partial dentures). It can help you smile, chew and speak better. Dentures picks up the tissues in the face and can give you a more natural facial appearance. It also can improve your confidence knowing that you have a full set of teeth. There are different types of dentures like chrome dentures, acrylic dentures, cosmetic dentures, digital dentures, etc. After a consultation with us, we can determine which is the appropriate type of denture that will fit you the best. For instructions on how to take care of your denture, click here.

There are many reasons why teeth can become stained or discoloured. Some people have always had discoloured teeth from the time they could remember, whereas others have picked up habits that cause staining like smoking, drinking too much coffee, eating certain types of food, etc. Certain types of medications can also cause teeth staining. Firstly, It is important to assess the cause of the teeth discolouration. There are various techniques that we can advise on the best solution to whiten your teeth.

As technology and medical treatment improves, Australians are now living longer than ever before. Our elderly have special needs and this is also evident with their dental requirements. We aim to provide gentle, high quality dental services to nursing homes and aged care facilities. Access to the dental services is hard for the aged and there is a lot of planning involved before any dental treatment is even considered. Our latest portable dental technology brings the service to them. The elderly usually have complex medical histories that will need to be appropriately managed. Usually after an initial consultation, we can advise on the best possible options and costs involved.