Tooronga Family Dentistry in Glen Iris

Archives for July 2018

Gum disease prevention

It is an alarming fact that 3 out of every 4 adults will be affected by gum disease at some point in their lives and that adults over 35 may lose more teeth to gum disease than cavities. With such odds it doesn’t mean that your oral health is simply up to a roll of the dice. Gum disease can be prevented and treated when required. The best treatment though is prevention through daily oral hygiene and regularly scheduled cleaning and exam appointments.

Dr. Kaufman can provide these as well as professional scaling and root planning to remove the plaque and calculus below the gum line.  Smooth root surfaces will allow the gums to heal and prevent further progression of the gum disease. Once the gums have healed, regular twice daily brushing and flossing with twice yearly maintenance visits will keep the gums in a good condition.

Aside from proper regular care, there are a number of other factors that contribute to the periodontal disease severity:

any reduction in one or more of these factors will have a significant contribution to the prevention of gum disease.

If you do develop gum disease, Dr. Kaufman offers a variety of non-surgical treatments for gum disease. These include antibiotic treatments, reshaping of biting surfaces and laser assisted scaling, and root planing. If you suffer from gum disease or you need more information please  ask Dr. Kaufman or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

Why wear a mouth guard while playing sport?

Each year, thousands of adults and children are treated for dental injuries that could have been prevented or minimised by simply wearing a mouthguard. The Australian Dental Association strongly recommends the use of a mouthguard in any sport or activity where collision or contact is likely, during both games and training. Often injuries in sports or activities that occur, are those we didn’t even consider to be a danger. It’s always best to ‘play it safe’ and wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth.

Who Needs a Mouthguard?

Anyone who plays a sport or undertakes an activity where collision or contact to the face is a risk should wear a mouthguard. Sports such as rugby union and league, AFL, hockey and boxing are ‘no brainers’ because intentional collision, are part of the game.
However, it is sports where accidental collision occurs that are often responsible for dental trauma, such as cricket, basketball, netball, touch football, and soccer. These sports are considered ‘non-contact’ and yet they also carry a risk of accidental collision.
It does not matter if you are just during training or you are during a game, the risk is always there.

The consequences of an injury to the face.

Dental trauma from sporting injury can include damage to the tooth nerve, fractured, cracked or knocked-out teeth, a broken jaw, damage to the tongue and cut lips. Unfortunately, a single event of dental trauma can lead to a lifelong need for dental treatment in order to maintain the strength and health of the damaged tooth or teeth. Some treatments do not last forever so a damaged tooth will often need attention more than once. Prevention is always better than the cure, so play it safe and wear a mouthguard.

The best protection.

The Australian Dental Association recommends a custom-fitted mouthguard for all those who participate in contact sports or sports with high risk of dental injury. A custom-fitted mouthguard that has been designed by Tooronga Family Dantistry makes breathing and speaking a lot easier when wearing your mouthguard. You are overall a lot more comfortable than the ‘boil-and-bite’ counterparts. These are the mouthguard that you can purchase from a chemist or sports store that offer less protection as they are ill-fitted and loose in the mouth, which can be dangerous during impact or they may come out altogether.
It is important to stay safe when playing sports, don’t let an injury take away the fum from the game.

How does your diet impact your oral health?

Everything you eat and drink, can have a major effect on the health of your teeth and gums, particularly whether you develop tooth decay, a diet related disease which is caused when the sugars in the food and drinks you eat are taken up by bacteria; these in turn produce the acids that can attack the outer layer of tooth enamel. To ensure that your diet doesn’t negatively affect your teeth, there’s a few key things to keep in mind:

Drink lots of water

It’s calorie free, there are no ingredient labels to stress over, and it’s almost free! Even better, tap water in most areas of Australia contains fluoride, one of the easiest and most beneficial ways to help prevent tooth decay. Bottled water on the other hand, is usually filtered and does not have the fluoride in it. If you choose water over anything else, and regularly sip it throughout the day, you’re going a long way to making real difference to the health of your teeth.

Limit snacking between meals

A key component in helping to prevent decay is saliva which helps your teeth recover from these attacks by neutralising the acids. Its good work, however, can be undone if you snack frequently between meals, which means your teeth don’t get a break from the acid attacks that occur when you eat.  Also, limit sugary treats to meal times, rather than between meals.

Watch what you eat

It is not just the obvious sweet foods and drinks such as lollies and soft drinks that can cause decay. Frequent snacking on foods with hidden sugars like biscuits, crackers, cereals, chips and even dried fruit can cause acid attacks on your tooth enamel.

Gum anyone?

Chewing sugar-free gum (and that’s the crucial qualifier, it must be sugar-free!) may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you’re thinking about good dietary habits that benefit your teeth. But studies have shown that chewing sugar-free gum for 20 minutes after eating can prompt your mouth to produce more saliva, which helps neutralise decay-causing acid attacks.

How much time do I need to brush my teeth?

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give much thought to how you brush your teeth, beyond squirting on some toothpaste and scrubbing back and forth. But as your dentist will tell you, how you brush your teeth matters a great deal, with how often you brush, how long you brush, the kind of technique and the toothbrush you use are all major influences on the effectiveness of your brushing.
To gain the maximum benefit from brushing, you should brush for at least two minutes morning and night, using a soft-bristled toothbrush with a small head and a flexible neck. The advantage of these toothbrushes is that they remove the plaque and debris from your teeth without damaging your teeth and gums. Many times though when there are crowns, bridges or teeth with gum disease 2 minutes will not be enough and you will need to use interdental brushes too.

It’s all in the technique

You should clean your teeth systematically, starting at the back of your mouth with the toothbrush bristles at the gum line on a 45° angle, brushing gently in a circular motion. If you scrub too hard from side to side, you can run the risk of causing your gums to recede, as well as damaging the tooth enamel. You should take care to brush carefully along the inner, outer and chewing surfaces, making sure you tip the toothbrush so you can reach the inner front areas of the teeth, which are often missed.

And yes, while it may seem strange at first to brush your tongue, doing so actually reduces the bacteria in your mouth and helps your breath stay fresh. All you need to do is push the bristles on the tongue and scrape gently forward.
When you have finished brushing, try to spit out the toothpaste and don’t rinse with water. Leaving some toothpaste on your teeth is a really great way to give your teeth some extra ongoing protection.

Tools of the trade

It had been shown that using a powered toothbrush is more effective than using manual ones. They can be programmed to run for two minutes, making keeping to the correct length of brushing time easy. If you’re not sure which type of brush will work for you or your family, check with Dr. Kaufman or our team at Tooronga Family Dentistry.

General tips

Tempting as it is to think that pressing harder on your teeth equals a better clean, the fact is that too much pressure can damage your gums and tooth enamel. If the bristles are wearing out on your toothbrushes well before the three-month mark, you’re pressing too hard and you should ask your us to show you a less damaging technique. It’s also a good idea to replace your brush, whether manual or powered, when either the bristles start to spread apart, or every three months, whichever comes first.