Sensitivity can be caused by a number of things. Most often the enamel ( the outside part of the tooth), which covers the living part in the tooth is either worn down, cracked or exposed which can lead to sensitivity. However it can also be caused by tooth decay, fractured teeth, abscesses, missing fillings, receding gums and lack of regular periodontal care (cleaning). Although this list may seem scary, the good news is that often we find that there is a single cause of the sensitivity and a simple solution.
Gum disease is not painful, that’s why most people are shocked to discover they have gum disease but have had absolutely no pain. The other thing of concern is that decay can progress quite deeply into a tooth without any of the usual warning signs i.e. pain and sensitivity. Even if you have had no gum disease or hardly any fillings in the past and were a regular dental visitor, things can still change. Most people after 18 leave home, either go flatting, travelling, go to university, start working full time, get a mortgage, have kids and their diets and life style changes. Even if you still brush your teeth twice a day and the occasional flossing session, these changes can still lead to decay and gum disease. And you won’t feel any pain. That’s why we really recommend having a checkup as soon as possible so we can catch things early, when the problems are small. This will not only spare you discomfort and pain in the future but money as well. A simple filling is far less costly than a root canal, implant, crown or extraction.
The problem with wisdom teeth is often there is not enough room in the jaw for them to come through correctly and they often get stuck leading to decay, gum infection and inflammation that can spread to the rest of the jaw and in serious cases can lead to airway obstruction. If you can’t feel them and you have had no pain or problems that is usually a good sign, but they may be stuck deeper and could create problems later on. At our clinic we have the latest jaw digital xray and this can give us a clear view of where your wisdom tooth is sitting. We do these xrays routinely on all our new patient exams. Based on this and our clinical findings we can assess whether you will need to have your wisdom teeth extracted and we can discuss all your options regarding this at your appointment. Remember we’ve have had our wisdom teeth taken out too, so we know from first hand experience what its like to have them taken out
We usually can tell whether your child will needs braces by the time all their baby teeth have come out. But it is best to have an orthodontic (braces) assessment done at the same time as the checkup by the time they are 9 years old. Not only can we spot any abnormal oral development but if early treatment is necessary this is usually the time to do it. We work closely with a great specialist orthodontic team and if needed can make a referral.
We get asked this a lot and often along with that, are baby teeth important ? Baby teeth are very important not only for eating, speaking and appearance but they set the stage for healthy adult teeth in the future. If a baby tooth is lost early, this can result in crowding and problems in adult teeth later on. Therefore, it is recommended that your child should see a dentist after their first tooth has come through which is usually at around their first birthday. This is a standard recommendation in Australia and overseas and yes, this sounds early but it gives us an opportunity to have a look around the mouth and make sure that normal oral development is occurring. It also allows us to give you some advice on prevention and discuss any questions you may have including teething, feeding practices, grinding, dummy use and injuries to baby teeth.
This is another very common question. The great news is that dentistry has come a long way in terms of anesthetics, injection techniques, materials and equipment. Dentistry has never been this good. And with the different sedation options that we can offer, treatments can be carried out in either single or multiple appointments. The best thing to do is to come in for an exam. We will take some xrays, have a good look around your mouth and make a plan with you regarding the treatment and any sedation that you may require. We strongly believe in progressive dental care, which means that we are not going to slap (brain is not working, I know, couldn’t think of another word ) you with a very big and costly treatment plan, but we will work with you on firstly the most critical issues and then move onto stabilising everything in your mouth. From there we can achieve an aesthetic, stable result whether that is dentures, implants, crowns, bridges, fillings or a combination of these.
Sometimes, dental pain only occurs in response to eating certain kinds of food, when you eat or drink something cold, or when you brush your teeth. This sort of pain is usually a signal that something requires attention and, if ignored, the issue can deteriorate and the outcome can be much more painful and require urgent treatment. Any pain you experience in your mouth should be examined by a dental professional as soon as you can get into a clinic and treatment may be simple and straightforward – which is much better than if it is ignored and allowed to deteriorate.