Dental Education

As seen on ABC's hit "EXTREME MAKOVER"

A bright sparkling smile can make a big difference for everyone. Take the first step to feeling good, looking great and making a memorable impression every time you smile! You owe it to yourself! Zoom3! Advanced Power will rejuvenate and brighten your smile!

A beautiful white smile is the ultimate increase in self- confidence! Tooth whitening is a well established procedure in cosmetic dentistry and is a popular and conservative method of removing stains and whitening teeth.

The whitening process is most effective on discoloured teeth such as yellow / brown teeth, tea, coffee, red wine stains. Darker stains, such as those caused by antibiotics, are more difficult to whiten and often may not show results at all. The degree of whiteness will vary from patient to patient, depending on the structure of the teeth.

Some patients may experience some sensitivity, tingling sensations, which is similar to the feeling you get when you bite into a cold ice-cream. This usually diminishes during the course of the treatment but is always dissipate.

Teeth whitening at home or in the chair has no influence on the enamel where rate. Carbamide Peroxide does not damage the surface of existing fillings. However remember that, fillings, crowns and or veneers do not bleach.

All whitening treatments at Dental359 begin with a professional cleaning session. The tooth whitening treatment works best when the teeth have been professionally cleaned.

Dental 359 utilises two effective ways of Tooth Whitening:

1. Chairside Zoom3! Advanced Power Whitening:

This in office treatment is safe, effective and fast, very fast. In less than 1 hour you teeth will become dramatically whiter. Patients on average can achieve 5 up to 10 shades lighter than their original tooth colour. Zoom3! Chairside whitening is ideal for anyone looking for immediate results.

We begin with a professional clean and impressions for custom-made tooth whitening trays. Then the procedure is simple. It begins with a short preparation to cover your lips and gums, leaving only your teeth exposed. The clinician then applies the proprietary Zoom3! Whitening gel, which was designed to be used with a specially designed light.

The Zoom3! Light and gel work together to gently penetrate your teeth, breaking up stains and discolouration.

As a gift from us to you, at the end of your visit you are given a complimentary take home whitening maintenance package! This includes custom made tooth whitening trays and a take home whitening package.

Soon after brushing, a thin sticky layer forms over the surface of your teeth which contains bacteria, this is referred to as plaque. When you eat anything containing sugar, the bacteria in plaque uses it as energy and produces acid which can soften and dissolve the enamel which cover your teeth. This is how a cavity is formed. Because the enamel doesn't contain any nerves, you won't realize that it is happening.

Only when a cavity is in the advanced stages will you feel pain. This pain will occur when you eat or drink anything particularly hot, cold, sugary or acidic. Saliva helps to wash away and neutralize this acid. It also contains the minerals that replace loss from enamel.

The quality and amount of saliva is therefore very important in dental health. This can be checked during your visit at Dental 359.

The most important part of dental care is down to you. Brushing your teeth every time you eat or twice daily insures for healthier teeth and gums. And if you dread the dentist's chair then the best treatment is prevention.

Plaque is a major cause of cavities. It is a transparent layer of bacteria that coat the teeth. Brushing your teeth will remove the plaque build up. You can also floss once a day to insure that all plaque is removed, even where the brush cannot reach. Brushing stimulates the gums too, which keep the gums healthy and prevent gum disease.

Always make sure that your toothpaste contains fluoride. This is the most common ingredient in toothpaste and it prevents cavities.

Tartar is plaque but in a hardened form. One in ten people find that tartar accumulates on their teeth. Using anti-tartar toothpastes can target this problem as well as spending a little extra time brushing in front of the saliva glands.

If you have sensitive teeth, talk to your dentist about the best way to overcome this problem, It may be as simple as changing your toothpaste to a special, sensitive toothpaste.

Top tips on brushing:

• Gently brush your teeth, holding your brush at a 45 degree angle against your gum line. Use gentle circular strokes, starting from where the tooth meets the gum. Careful not to brush too hard as this could cause receding gums, and over time tooth sensitivity, or even tooth loss.
• Using a sweeping motion, gently brush your tongue in a downward motion to remove the decay- causing bacteria. Not forgetting the roof of your mouth.
• A lot of people do not brush for the suggested 2-3 minutes each day. Use an egg timer, or play a favourite song to get used to brushing for the suggested time.
• Brush with a soft round bristle toothbrush
• Replace your toothbrush every three to four months
• The correct brushing motion is more like massaging along the gum line rather than vigorous brushing

Other dental care steps, which can help maintain your natural teeth for life, include;

• Use toothpaste with added fluoride
• In order to stop plaque from forming between teeth, you should floss your teeth daily
• Floss against the end-side of the tooth and scale the floss up-and-down several times
• Stock dental floss in your purse, at your office desk and in your car for use when needed

Your tongue is a major source of plaque and bad breath. Brush your tongue gently with your toothbrush twice daily (when you brush your teeth)

• Attend periodontal check-ups
• Have oral cancer screenings
• Avoid tobacco products
• Avoid excessive alcohol use
• Maintain a healthy diet

Speak to our friendly and informative team now! There are a few techniques that can be used by our cosmetic dentists to help you achieve that whiter, brighter smile. This may include tooth whitening toothpastes, home teeth whitening kits, in-office teeth whitening, bonding or porcelain veneers.

We look at each patient on a case-by-case basis so the best thing to do is arrange to setup an appointment with our friendly dental staff

In general, we all agree that soft drinks taste good. What many people do not realise is the dangerous toll this takes on your teeth. Sugar found in soft drinks react with the natural bacteria in your mouth and forms acid. This acid erodes your tooth enamel over time which causes dental cavities.

What is even more alarming is the fact that soft drinks EVEN THE SUGAR_FREE KIND contain additional acids that also erode your teeth's enamel.

We recommend drinking soft drinks in moderation, using a straw when you do drink them or better still - DRINK WATER

But you CAN fix them fast, with a comfortable Smile Make Over!

As a dentist, I see people every day who are ashamed of their teeth. Like the patient I talked to recently who burst into tears when she told me how her little grand daughter climbed into her lap and asked “Why are your teeth all yucky and brown?”

It broke her heart that the little girl thought her mouth was ugly – and it made her realise that grown-ups noticed her stained teeth too. They just weren’t as open and honest as children are.

Isn’t it time to stop being embarrassed by your teeth?

Half of all people surveyed say they’d love to have a better, more attractive smile. They are people just like you, and

Just like you they’d like to have:

• Brighter, whiter teeth with no stains or discolouration
• Straighter teeth with no gaps and no crowding
• Teeth that aren’t too big or too small
• Healthy looking teeth with no chips or cracks

In other words you’d like the brilliant healthy smile you’ve dreamed of, and now you have it in weeks!

Don’t Kid Yourself

You can have your hair styled at the best salon, wear designer clothes and expensive jewellery. But if your teeth are stained, crowded and unattractive THAT’S what people will remember!

If you didn’t know about all the spectacular things cosmetic dentistry can do I am not surprised. The past decade has seen an explosion in comfortable, highly effective techniques. But many dentists still choose to focus on things like silver fillings, and wisdom teeth. I can’t imagine why. For me, doing smile make overs is a lot more satisfying because it lets me actually change peoples’ lives.

When I finish, my patients not only give me beautiful healthy smiles, they shake my hand and lots of them even hug me. When is the last time you felt like hugging the dentist who took out your tooth?

Techniques so advanced they take years off your smile!

Today’s cosmetic dentistry techniques can do more than you ever imagined:

• Tooth whitening is one of the simplest and least expensive techniques and it can give you a brilliant smile you’ll be proud of!
• Looking for quick results? Dental bonding can produce amazing improvements by fixing chips, cracks and flaws in teeth. It can even fill gaps and reshape unsightly teeth. Best of all, you’ll see results in just one visit.
• Porcelain veneers are the top line in cosmetic dentistry. The technique you see on television make over shows and the procedure stars and models choose. These custom made shells fit over teeth to whiten, straighten and reshape. They are more expensive than some other procedures but the results are simply gorgeous!
• New techniques let you replace worn mercury silver fillings with natural looking longer lasting alternatives, replace whole teeth and reshape unsightly gums. The choice is yours!

Contrary to many advertisements, it is difficult to obtain perfectly white teeth. Natural, healthy teeth have extremely subtle yellow, brown or grey tones. Shine a flashlight behind your front teeth and look in the mirror to see for yourself.

Pure white teeth are like purple hair – they appear synthetic and distracting! However, light tooth shades are extremely attractive. What marketers refer to as “teeth whitening” should more accurately be called “teeth lightening.”

Tooth shade varies between people and even between teeth from the same person. Generally, permanent teeth are darker than primary teeth, and they have a yellow or grey tint to them. This colouration depends upon the natural shade of the outer layer of tooth structure (enamel) and the tooth layer under the enamel dentin). It also depends upon the thickness and translucency of the enamel.

Dentin can be very yellow. If the enamel layer is thin and/or very translucent, the yellow dentin will show through the enamel. These factors help explain why some teeth respond better to bleaching treatments than others.

Brilliant Smile = Confidence!

Art has been described as “the accomplice of love” and science the creative application of natural law. In tandem, these energies can be combined to produce a masterpiece.

A dazzling smile can ignite a room, projecting an image of self assurance and high personal esteem. It glows with embers of delight from an explosive source of pride. That magnificent smile is no longer a fantasy. Now it can be yours!

Recent advances in techniques and materials offer modern practitioners of Aesthetic Dentistry many alternatives in the creation of brilliant smiles, bursting with energy and radiating enthusiasm. We have not yet discovered the magic wand, but we are getting closer. There are many exciting options.

Since no single approach serves the needs of every patient, careful evaluation of alternative or combined approaches is essential to a pleasing and lasting result.

Our teeth not only serve to chew the foods we eat, but they dramatically affect the way we look and feel about ourselves. Teeth help to keep us healthy by allowing us to eat and chew the foods we enjoy. Teeth help us to look younger. Our teeth, gums and bone support the facial structures and keep them from sagging and caving in. Without teeth to support our facial tissues, we would appear much older.

Teeth help build our self esteem and confidence, by giving us an attractive and youthful smile.

Investing in your teeth is an investment in your health.

Aren’t you worth it?

A healthy mouth means fresh breath! Bad breath can affect those nearest and dearest to us. It can place strain on relationships as well as being socially embarrassing.

The main culprit behind bad breath is bacteria! Our mouths contain millions and millions of bacteria, which can quite easily get out of control. Plaque, tartar, gum disease, tooth decay, dentures and your tongue are all places where bacteria can thrive. Breath Fresheners and mouthwash are only temporary camouflages to bad breath (usually keeping you fresh for just a few hours).

To resolve your bad breath, we recommend the following steps; " Determine the cause of your bad breath If your bad breath is caused by tartar, gum disease or tooth decay - these can only be remedied by a dentist. " Attend regular dental check-ups Regular scale and cleans will help keep your breath fresh. " Brush your tongue. Approximately 50% of oral bacteria can be eliminated through brushing your tongue daily with a soft toothbrush.

There are also very sinister bacteria that emit a very undesirable odour that we associate with ‘ killer breath’. Some of us have that bacteria living in our mouths and amongst our teeth. These specific bacteria need a special mouthwash to get rid of them.

If you wear dentures you will need to thoroughly clean them daily. Use a cleaning product specifically designed for dentures. " Breathe through your nose. People who breathe through their mouth are more likely to have bad breath, due to a dry mouth. If you are concerned about your own breath, contact us today and arrange a consultation, and if you need it, we can provide you with a special mouthwash that will help get rid of that smell.

We will be able to isolate and fix the cause of your bad breath, helping you recapture your confidence and dental health.