West Pennant Hills Dental

Few of us have naturally straight teeth. Many people have their teeth straightened by braces during their teens. Others have their teeth fixed by the dentist when they are adults. The results are well worth it.

Straight teeth are both an aesthetic and a practical matter. Certainly a neat set of straight teeth look better. But the dentist will also make sure they function well, with the jaws aligning neatly, and teeth that won’t wear against each other. The teeth will also be easier to clean when they are neatly aligned.

Carlingford Dental Treatments

Invisalign
This is a dental alignment method that performs in a way similar to braces. It is popular with adults who do not want to wear braces.

Invisalign is a series of clear plastic aligners. They fit snugly over the teeth, providing pressure to steadily move them into correct alignment. They will align teeth within one or two years.

Crowns

These replace the outer part of a tooth, while keeping the inner pulp and nerve. Modern crowns look, feel and function like a natural tooth. And they don’t require anything beyond normal brushing and flossing.

Crowns are a great option for a badly damaged or misshaped tooth. They can also help for a single poorly aligned tooth.

Implants

These are like a crown, but they replace the centre of the tooth with a metal post. They are a good option if a tooth is lost or badly damaged. They are also a good option if there is only one tooth that is out of alignment.

Veneers

These replace the front part of a tooth. They can greatly improve the appearance of the tooth, changing the colour and the shape. They can also help slight jaw alignment issues, bringing the teeth of one jaw slightly forward.

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Attractive teeth look great, can improve confidence, and are easier to look after. Talk to us about your teeth.

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Our back molar teeth can be a little difficult to clean. Their upper surface is concave and rough, an area where food debris and bacteria easily gets trapped. Even diligent cleaning often fails to help here because the toothbrush bristles are not fine enough to clean the smaller pit in the teeth. So dentists sometimes prevent this problem by using dental sealants.

West Pennant Hills Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are applied to the upper chewing surface of the back molars. These sealants fill in the tiniest indentations of the tooth while still leaving the upper surface rough enough to chew with . So the molar upper surface is concave, without having tiny crevices to harbor bacteria and food debris.

Dental Sealants protect the back teeth from decay and make brushing easier. Once applied they are inconspicuous and require no maintenance. Sealants are not suitable for other teeth, they only work on the rough chewing surface of molars.

Dental Sealants have been applied to molar teeth for several decades, usually lasting for about 5-10 years before they require reapplication. They are routinely applied to children’s teeth, where they greatly reduce problems with decay.

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Dental sealants protect the chewing surface of the back molar teeth. Talk to the dentist about this extra dental protection.

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Dentists will look after jaw alignment as well as teeth and gums. As all parts of our mouth are part of an interconnected system (as is every part of the body) so poorly aligned jaws can lead to damaged teeth (by constant wear) and damaged gums.

There are several types of jaw problems:

– Overbite – where the top teeth and jaw are too far forward.
– Under-bite – where the bottom jaw is too far forward.
– Cross-bite – where the top and bottom jaws do no align with eachother, the lower jaw being too far to onle side.
– TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint disorders) – where the jaw click on at least one side, sometime with pain.

Occasionally the cross-bite or TMJ can can appear with the over-bite or under-bite.

Fixing Jaw Disorders:

Some minor over-bite and under-bite can be fixed with dental veneers. these are thin coverings over the front teeth. They effectively bring one jaw slightly forward.
Some minor to moderate cross-bite, overbite or under-bite can be fixed with braces, which can realign the jaws to a certain extent.
Major jaw alignment problems may require headgear for correct alignment.
Surgery is necessary for some cases.

TMJ is not uncommon, but it is often mild, and despite concerns it usually does not grow worse overtime. Often it develops if we always habitually chew on the same side of the mouth. chewing on the opposing side for a few month will often relieve the problem. Chewing gum can help here.

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Talk to the dentist if you have any concern over misaligned jaws. Early treatment, especially for children, will prevent more serious problems latter on.

Carlingford Dental Braces

For many of us, Braces are a rite of passage in our teen years. If our teeth are less than straight, as they are with most individuals, the braces can bring everything into a neat alignment. This includes the jaws as well as the teeth. Braces can give us teeth and jaws that look neat and function well.

Occasionally we may need other treatment in combination with the braces. It is not uncommon for a few teeth to be extracted from an overcrowded mouth before the braces are put in.

Types of Braces:

Traditional Braces are made of nickel steel (stainless steel). They consist of metal brackets on the front of each tooth with a wire joining the upper teeth and another wire joining the lower set of teeth. The constant pressure of the wire on the braces will steadily move the individual teeth into place.

Gold and Titanium Braces

Some individuals are allergic to nickel, so they cannot use traditional stainless steel braces (which have a small amount of nickel in them). In these cases, the patient may use titanium braces or gold braces.

Lingual Braces

These are like traditional braces but they are fitted to the back of teeth, so they are far less noticeable. The disadvantage is that they are initially even more awkward than other types of braces, making speech unclear.

Self litigating Braces

these are a variation where the wire and tooth bracket is not attached with elastics. They work a little faster than traditional braces.

Braces will always be awkward, and literally painful, at first. But they are worthwhile in the long term. We spend about two years with braces, but a lifetime with improved teeth.

Braces will correct:

• Any spaces between teeth.
• Alignment of individual teeth.
• Teeth that are too high in the mouth.
• Slight to moderate over-bite and under-bite.
• They can also widen the smile a little but expanding the arch of the upper palette
• Once the teeth are straightened they tend to be easier to clean.

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Many Teenagers and some adults will benefit from braces, having neat functional teeth for the rest of their life. Talk to the dentist/orthodontist if you feel you or your child needs braces.

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Our gums and jawbones are part of our dental health, and their upkeep is taken seriously by dentists. If we suffer a gum infection then our teeth will suffer too. This is something to avoid.

There are several levels of gum disease, but the are divided into two main types – Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease (periodontitis).

Gingivitis
This is a milder form of bacterial infection, though it is serious enough and has the potential to get very serious. Our gums can get infected if we neglect to brush and floss. And of course this negligence tends to badly compromise our teeth as well. The gums infected with gingivitis will be discoloured (dark red or pale pink) and tend to be sore and prone to bleeding.

Gingivitis can be reversed with regular brushing, flossing and use of mouthwash, though the infection will persist for a month or two. Anti-bacterial mouthwash will greatly help fight the infection.

Left untreated the gingivitis will probably grow worse, and turn to periodontitis.

Periodontal Disease (Periodontitis)

Periodontitis is a severe gum infection. It included both the bacteria of gingivitis and and additional, more persistent bacterial strain. It is difficult to treat and will soon lead to the loss of bone and teeth.

Periodontitis will not cure itself, and cannot be cured by brushing, flossing and regular mouthwash. it must be treated by the dentist, often by referral to a specialist called a periodontist.

Periodontal disease requires antibiotics, prescription mouthwash and sometimes dental surgery because of lost bone. The sooner it is treated the less severe the damage.

Other concerns:

The bacteria involved in gum disease has been linked to other health problems such as old age dementia and heart disease. It it believed that gum infections in middle age greatly raises the likelihood of these problems latter in life.

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Regular Dental checkups will catch problems before they become too serious. Have any concerns, including gum discolouration and bleeding, checked by the dentist.

Carlingford Dentist Advice

Easter, along with Christmas, is one of the few times in the year where we are allowed to overindulge a little. But we should still bear in mind the effect this might have on our teeth.

As Easter treats are more often about chocolate rather than just sugar, so the situation is not too bad. Chocolate is far less damaging that sugary boiled confectionery and other junk food. In fact, many of the ingredients of chocolate are actually healthy. It is only the sugar content that leads to tooth decay. If we eat dark chocolate with little or no sugar then we are not really risking our teeth.

Avoiding Dental Problems at Easter

• Stick with chocolate, which is less harmful than hard candy, marshmallows, caramels or jellybeans. Dark chocolate with minimal sugar is best.
• Avoid grazing. It is better to eat chocolate in one sitting and then give our mouth a rest than it is to keep casually eating. Even if we eat the same amount over the course of a day as we would in one sitting it is better to eat the chocolate all at once. We need time for the saliva to neutralize the acids in our mouth.
• It would be beneficial to eat an apple or stick of celery after chocolate, but understandably most people do not wish to do this. Try sugar free gum instead.
• Drink water after eating chocolate, to keep the mouth a little cleaner, and to neutralize the acidity of the mouth.
• Wait 30 minutes after eating before brushing your teeth. Many substances, especially sugar or acidic foods, will soften tooth enamel. If we brush while he enamel is soft we will damage our teeth.
• Keep an eye on how children eat, and make sure they brush.

Carlingford Dental Advice

With a few basic precautions we can indulge ourselves a little and still have healthy teeth and gums.

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Professional athletes have poor dental health, certainly worst than expected, despite frequent cleaning and a healthy lifestyle. Many athletes were concerned about this situation, and wished to improve their dental, health, fearing it would have a negative impact on their sporting performance.

Given their diligent brushing and cleaning we would expect athletes to have impeccable dental health. Especially with their dedication to anything that affects their sporting performance. These individuals don’t smoke or eat junk food to any degree. But there are aspects of the sports lifestyle that compromise dental health.

Athletes, especially over the last generation, have tended to use sports drinks, energy bars, and energy gels. These contain more sugar that is generally acknowledged. And this high sugar content, which stays on the teeth for the duration of the training and and sports events, is steadily damaging teeth and gums. Athletes training most days of the week may be exposing their teeth to sugar for several hours per day. brushing afterwards is not enough to prevent the damage that is already done by all this sugar exposure.

Even without the sugary drinks athletes were compromising their dental health if they had a dry mouth. A dry mouth, often the result of constant running or sporting exertion, leads to increased bad bacteria that cause tooth decays, gum disease,and bad breath. Ironically, the sports drinks were meant to prevent the occurrence of dry mouth. but the ended up replacing one dental problem with another.

Swimmers obviously didn’t have problems with a dry mouth, but the situation was just as bad for their teeth because of the exposure to chlorinated water in swimming pools.

Using water instead of sports drinks would go a long way to preventing most of these dental problems in athletes. This would keep us hydrated, and keep the mouth moist and clean.

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Talk to your dentist about the best way to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Prevention is better than cure.

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Of course a great smile should come from a sincere place. But it helps to have the teeth that make a smile work.

There is no one factor that makes a great smile. But a few contributing factors include:

Teeth Colour – When all tend to prefer white teeth, but this is compromised of the teeth are stained. or naturally not white. Thin enamel will show the dentin inside the teeth, giving an off yellow colour.

Whitening treatments can fix many discoloured teeth. Veneers can fix thin enamel,

Gum to Tooth Ratio – Some of us show some gum when we smile. Other show only the teeth. A little gum in the smile suits some people, But too much makes the teeth look small, or just oddly proportioned.

A few people have used botox to alter their face muscles, to show less gum when they smile.

Gum Colour – Your gums have to have a proper healthy colour, which complements the tooth colour. Gum disease will affect both the amount of gums showing and the colour of your gums.

Maxillary Gum Line – This is the line where your upper teeth and your gums meet. It should have a relatively straight appearance that curves evenly around each tooth. If this is uneven it can make even straight teeth look crooked. Gum contouring can help you achieve a neat maxillary gum line.

Curve – There should be a neat curve formed between the maxillary gum line and the line along the edge of your teeth (incisal edge). This line should curve slightly upward  and narrow toward the back.

Incisal Edge – This is simply the line across  the bottom of the top teeth that extends to the back molars. This line should be even and curve slightly upwards, with no teeth too high or low.

 Buccal Corridor – Simply the small space between the teeth and the edge of the mouth. If there is no space then the teeth look too big, or they look crowded. Too much space give the impression that there are teeth missing.

Spacing – Well spaced teeth will almost touch, just enough to show a line between the individual teeth. Crowded teeth and gaps between teeth can be corrected with orthodontics.

Overbite – Our upper teeth should extend slightly over the lower teeth. This partly a social convention; a few centuries ago the ideal teeth would meet exactly.

If the top teeth extend too much forward, or if the bottom teeth extend beyond the top this will probably need treatment.

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There maybe no perfect smile, but orthodontics and dental work can bring the various elements of a smile together, giving a pleasing result.

Dentist Carlingford 

Our bodies are integrated systems. Anything that effects the health of one part of our body may well affect other parts of our body. It is known that the bacteria in our gut will effect our dental health, a well as our mental health and general sense of well being.

Our bodies have a mixture of good and bad bacteria. The good bacteria are essential for the digestion of food. By increasing the good bacteria we help decrease the bad bacteria, which keeps us in better health with less dental problems.

Tooth decay is caused by bad bacteria acting of sugars in our diet. We can greatly reduce this decay by removing as much sugar as possible, and by reducing the bad bacteria as much as possible. We can increase the good bacteria by improving our diet and adding probiotics.

Probiotic rich foods and probiotic supplements increase good bacteria. We recommend foods like Yogurt, Kefir, Kimchi, Saurkraut, and fremented foods to increase good bacteria.

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By looking after our diet we can prevent many health problems. Adding healthy bacteria with probiotics can mean feeling far better, and greatly reducing tooth decay and gum infections.