When should I start brushing my child’s teeth?

Children’s teeth should be cleaned as soon as they first erupt from the gum. They should be brushed twice a day buy an adult with water and a soft toothbrush until the age of 17 months.

For children older than 18 months, you should start using toothpaste. Be sure to use a toothpaste that is specially formulated for children. This toothpaste should have a lower amount of fluoride than most adult toothpastes. 

Once your child reaches 3-4 years of age you can start using a larger, pea sized amount of toothpaste.

Is it okay to forget about my missing tooth?

Some people don’t mind having a gap in their mouth, however it is important to be aware of the potential consequences of ignoring a missing tooth for an extended period of time. If you lose a tooth and don’t seek professional advice, it could eventually lead to a number of serious issues, ranging from aesthetic changes through to serious health concerns.

A missing tooth can lead to:

  • A resorbed jaw bone, as a result, gum tissue gradually recedes, exposing the roots. As the bone begins to resorb, your face shape can change.
  • Difficulty chewing and speaking.
  • Neighbouring teeth often drift into the space that has been vacated, causing leaning and crowding.
  • The teeth may tip or rotate, this can affect your bite and can even put strain on your jaw joint, causing you to experience unnecessary pain.
  • Problems with your gums, root decay, and sensitive teeth.
  • Losing a tooth can affect your speech – and your smile.

 

If you have a missing tooth, we can advise you on whether it’s best to fill that space with a denture, a bridge, or an implant, so you can keep your smile looking great and your mouth looking and feeling healthy.

Ash’s Orthodontic Treatment Part 3

Ash’s braces have been on for three months, she has been seeing Dr Charles every 6 weeks to monitor her progress and it is now time for a wire change.

At this appointment the archwire was changed to a thicker, stronger wire that will re position the roots of Ash’s teeth. She also changed the colour of her ligature elastics from black to turquoise.

When your archwire is changed you can expect a little tenderness over the next 24-48 hours as your teeth are starting to move again and there is increased pressure on the teeth from the stronger wire. During this time we recommend going back to a softer diet and taking analgesics as needed.

Watch this space for updates!

What’s a CEREC?

Maybe you have heard the phrase CEREC crown? Maybe not. If you have you might be wondering what the difference is between a traditional crown and a CEREC crown.

If you have a tooth that is deteriorating or a cavity that is too big to fill, you may be given the option of a crown to seal and fix the tooth. Traditional crowns differ to the option of a CEREC crown. This new technology makes it easier for you to get the treatment you need. While traditional crowns still have value, CEREC or same day crown’s are focused on saving you time and stress.

TRADITIONAL CROWNS

Once it was determined that you needed a crown, the dentist would take an impression of the tooth to be sent off to a lab to have the crown made. To protect the tooth, a temporary crown would be placed while the permanent one was being made. This process generally takes 2-3 appointments over 2-3 weeks and requires the patient to spend a large amount of time not only in surgery but numbed using local anaesthesia.

CEREC CROWNS

CEREC crowns or same day sounds are exactly what they sound like, crowns that are completed in one day. Once your tooth is prepared to be fitted for a crown, the dentist uses the CEREC machine to take a digital image of your tooth. The dentist then uses the image and the CEREC machine to create the crown right there in front of you. Rather than dealing with an uncomfortable impression and being numbed up over multiple appointments, a picture is used to create a crown that perfectly fits your tooth on the same day.

Just got braces?

Just got braces?

Here are some foods you should avoid and foods that you can eat easily when you have braces on.

The first time you have your brackets and wire put on will be the most painful. During this time is it a good idea to stick to soft foods such as:

  • Smoothies
  • Eggs
  • Banana’s
  • Yoghurt
  • Soup
  • Mashed potato

Once the pain has subsided you can add some more to your diet:

  • Steamed vegetables
  • Soft fruits (grapes, melons)
  • Non tough meats (ham, chicken)
  • Soft cheese
  • Spaghetti or mac and cheese
  • Soft breads

Some key foods to avoid are:

  • Popcorn
  • Nuts
  • Hard or sticky lollies
  • Corn chips/hard taco shells
  • Pretzels
  • Ice
  • Tough meats (steak)

Leaders Leap

Terrigal Dental is very proud to have participated in the 2017 Leaders Leap! 

The Leader’s Leap is not only about conquering a fear of heights but also raising money for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. The Central Coast community has often relied on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter in times of need, to help those that require urgent medical care.

Our very own Dr Charles abseiled down the 7 storey Crowne Plaza building in Terrigal on Friday 14th of July to raise the much-needed funds that support this worthy cause.

All the fearless leaders placed their lives in the hands of others, as countless do with the helicopter crew members, managing to raise over $46,000! Thank you to everyone who donated and helped to raise money for this wonderful cause! 

Ash’s Orthodontic Treatment Part 2

After careful study and planning, it was time for my braces to go on! How exciting 🙂

My teeth were thoroughly cleaned and then Dr Charles bonded my braces on. There are plenty of elastic colours to choose from, I chose clear elastics but I might go for some colours next time! It takes a bit of time to get everything on but after that everything is fairly smooth sailing. Over the next week my teeth were a bit sore and I had to have soft food but I expected that. I am looking forward to seeing my teeth straighten on this exciting journey.

Watch this space for more updates!

Ash’s Orthodontic Treatment

Terrigal Dental’s receptionist Ash has recently begun her orthodontic treatment and we will be sharing with you her experience through blogs and Facebook to give you an inside view on the process of braces and what it involves!

WHY ASH CHOSE BRACES

First we would like to share with you why Ash decided to get braces. When Ash was growing up her teeth came through fairly straight, but as she got older and her wisdom teeth started to erupt they put pressure on her upper and lower front teeth causing them to start crowding and rotating. Even though she had her wisdom teeth removed the damage was done and over the years those lower front teeth slowly became more and more crowded making them difficult to clean and floss. Her upper front teeth also continued to rotate changing the look of her smile.

When she started working here at Terrigal Dental Ash became more self conscious of her changing teeth and decided to have a chat with Dr Charles about using orthodontic treatment to straighten them.

ASH’S FIRST APPOINTMENT

During her first appointment, Ash and Dr Charles discussed the issues with her teeth and the different options for going ahead with treatment. After deciding on a plan of action Ash had photos and mouth moulds taken, then was sent of for x-rays.

 

If you would like to ask Dr Charles any questions about braces and orthodontic treatment feel free to send us an email at info@terrigaldental.com.

We look forward to sharing the rest of Ash’s story with you over the coming months.

P r e v e n t i o n! Is better than a cure!

Here at Terrigal Dental we are all about Prevention! Attending regular visits to the dentist prevents toothaches and wallet aches. Lets put it into perspective, lets say you skip your 6 monthly check up and by the time you get around to coming back it has been 2 or 3 years since your last visit and you come in with a nasty toothache which can then result in paying upwards of $5000 to save that tooth. With regular preventative check-ups potential problems can be detected early and treated straight away. This approach represents the best value for money and prevention is better than a cure.

It doesn’t take very long for plaque and calculus to develop into decay, gum disease and other oral health problems. People must be aware that daily at home brushing is not sufficient enough to maintain adequate oral hygiene. It must be supplemented by professional cleaning at the dentist. Regular check ups are also essential for early warning signs that you may be unaware of including: Tooth decay, changes in the gums, underlying problems, damage or breakdown of previous dental work.

At Terrigal Dental we take a pro-active approach to address all potential problems before they have a chance to develop into serious conditions.

SPIT… Don’t rinse!

DID YOU KNOW … DENTISTS RECOMMEND ADULTS TO SPIT TOOTHPASTE OUT AFTER BRUSHING BUT AVOID RINSING WITH WATER AFTER WARD??
By spitting toothpaste out then not rinsing with water it ensures that the fluoride found in the majority of toothpastes will remain on the teeth and continue to be effective.

 

spit