What Is The ADA and Why Is Membership Important?
Why Are So Many Questions Asked About My Medical History and My Health?
Do You Remove Wisdom Teeth?
Why Should I Keep My Dentures Out At Night?
What Is Oral Cancer And Why Do You Look For It?
Why Do You Use A Rubber Dam For Root Canal Treatment?
How Often Should I Have Dental X-Rays (Radiographs)?
What Is Plaque?
What Is Tartar?
Are Dental Diseases Really Preventable?
What Are The Options Available To Replace Missing Teeth?
What Is The ADA and Why Is Membership Important?
ADA stands for the Australian Dental Association, the national association of Australian dentists. The ADA:
- sets the professional standards for dentists
- conducts many continuing education programs and workshops for dentists and their staff, and
- provides expert advice to governments about dental health and policy.
Membership to the association is voluntary, but over 90% of Australian Dentists, including Dr Teo, are members.
The ADA website explains that “This membership implies an obligation for members to practise their profession in accordance with the high standards laid down by the Association.”
You can visit the ADA website by clicking here.
Why Are So Many Questions Asked About My Medical History and My Health?
There is much evidence to show that general and dental health can have a significant impact on each other. Dr Teo would like to know as much as possible about your current state of health, medical history and what medications you are taking. In this way, she can be alerted to situations where certain approaches to dental treatment may need to be modified, or take special precautions to accommodate your medical condition.
Please let Dr. Teo know if you have any medical condition, now or in the past, including:
- A heart condition
- Diabetes
- A stroke
- Cancer, including breast cancer
- Polio
Ladies, if you are pregnant or suspect you could be, please inform Dr Teo at the beginning of your appointment.
All information provided to Dr Teo is considered confidential. Records are stored securely for protection of your privacy.
Do You Remove Wisdom Teeth?
If your wisdom teeth are giving you trouble, Dr Teo will assess them to determine whether they are likely to require removal. This assessment will involve an inspection of your mouth, as well as x-rays to visualise the position of the wisdom teeth in the jaws. She will endeavour to get you as comfortable as possible as soon as she can.
Wisdom teeth cases may be referred to a specialist oral surgeon, but Dr Teo will perform the extractions in her rooms if deemed appropriate.
Why Should I Keep My Dentures Out At Night?
The mouth was never designed to have an appliance in it 24 hours a day, and wearing dentures at night can lead to irritation of the gums and an increased incidence of decay of the remaining teeth. By leaving your dentures out at night, you allow the remaining teeth and gums to recover from a day of being covered up by plastic or metal. Saliva can flow naturally around the mouth, bathing the teeth in calcium-rich saliva fluid, which can help reduce the incidence of dental decay.
Dentures can also last longer if they are removed at night because they are not subjected to wear and tear from night-time teeth grinding.
When you remove your dentures at night, be sure to clean them thoroughly. If you use glasses for reading, you will probably need to wear them to assist you with doing a thorough job of cleaning.
What Is Oral Cancer And Why Do You Look For It?
Oral cancer is any cancer that develops in the mouth. It may be a primary or secondary tumour. At least three Australians are diagnosed with oral cancer every day.
Many oral cancers remain undetected until they are quite large, and as such the survival rate is unfortunately low. Research shows that when oral cancers are detected in their early stages, they can often be treated with great success.
Australian dentists have been trained to screen your mouth for early signs of cancer. This involves a thorough inspection of your mouth and throat, including under your tongue and other difficult-to-see areas.
Dr Teo performs an oral cancer screening at your dental examination. If a suspicious area is found, she will refer you for further diagnosis and management.
To learn more about oral cancer, please visit the ADA’s Website: Oral Cancer Facts.
Why Do You Use A Rubber Dam For Root Canal Treatment?
A rubber dam is a thin sheet of rubber that is used to isolate a tooth during root canal treatment. (You can learn more about root canal treatment here.) It prevents small instruments or medicaments from falling into the mouth during treatment. It also prevents the bacteria in saliva from entering the tooth during treatment.
Having a rubber dam over your tooth just feels like a bit of a stretch. Dr Teo will make it as comfortable as possible. Most patients find that it is easy to get used to and appreciate the protection it offers them during their appointment.
How Often Should I Have Dental X-Rays (Radiographs)?
Dental x-rays provide a critical insight into dental conditions that would otherwise be impossible because they allow the dentist to see things invisible to the naked eye. There are different types of x-ray views used in dentistry for different purposes.
Bitewing x-rays are used for screening the crowns of the teeth and top part of the gums for signs of diseases such as decay and gum disease. This type of x-ray is generally taken routinely, often on a two-yearly basis. However, Dr Teo may request them more often if your decay rate is high, or less often if you have a low risk of decay.
Periapical x-rays are often used to diagnose the cause of tooth pain. These allow the length of the tooth to be seen, from top to tip of the root. This type of x-ray is also used during root canal treatment or prior to an extraction. It can also be helpful in planning complex treatment like dental implants. Periapical x-rays tend to be taken on an as-need basis.
An OPG (orthopantomograph) is a large x-ray film which shows the entire mouth including details of the teeth, gums, jaws and sinuses. This may be recommended as a screening tool during a young person’s growth, to help determine the presence and positions of adult teeth developing within the jaws, as well as the presence or absence of wisdom teeth.
An OPG may be taken if a jaw fracture is suspected. It may also be able to detect tumours and cysts in the jaw bone.
What Is Plaque?
Dental Plaque is the name given to the layer of bacteria that forms in your mouth and accumulates in stagnant areas, such as in between your teeth and at your gum line. It is generally sticky and colourless, but can be removed by thorough brushing and flossing. Everyone forms dental plaque on their teeth, and it starts to reappear shortly after you’ve finished brushing.
If the bacteria in plaque are exposed to sugar, they start to produce acid. This acid is able to dissolve tooth enamel and cause tooth decay. It also irritates the gum to cause gum disease (gingivitis).
What Is Tartar?
If dental plaque is allowed to stagnate for several days, it can start to harden, gradually growing into a hard, cement-like layer around the necks and roots of the tooth, which traps plaque bacteria and food debris within its porous surface as it thickens.
This hardened layer of plaque is called tartar or calculus. If left untreated, the tartar can cause loss (resorption) of the bone supporting the teeth: this is called periodontal disease or periodontitis. If this periodontal bone loss continues untreated, it may result in increasing mobility of the teeth and ultimately loss of teeth. Treatment of tartar involves removing it by a professional scale and clean.
Are Dental Diseases Really Preventable?
While there is some evidence to show that the progress of Gum Disease (Periodontal Disease) can be influenced by hereditary factors, dental decay and gum disease are preventable. But it does take some effort.
The most important things to do are to remove dental plaque from your teeth and gums regularly, and to minimise the frequency of your dietary sugar intake (and it’s a good idea to reduce the frequency of acidic foods and beverages too).
When plaque bacteria consume sugars from the diet, they produce an acidic waste product which can dissolve enamel. Eventually, a hole (frequently referred to as a cavity, dental caries or dental decay) develops. Removing plaque thoroughly from the teeth at least once a day helps to reduce the effects of this acid-damage. “Thorough removal” usually requires the use of floss and/or interdental brushes (for larger gaps between teeth), because normal toothbrushes cannot reach between the teeth or under the gums adequately, and this is where plaque can accumulate and cause the most problems.
Sugar and acidic foods and beverages can be very damaging to teeth, by encouraging the growth of plaque and dissolving away the protective enamel layer of teeth. By reducing the frequency with which you consume these foods, it is possible to reduce your chances of developing decay, erosion and gingivitis (the earliest stage of gum disease).
Fluoride toothpaste can be very beneficial to the teeth because fluoride makes the enamel more resistant to decay.
Some dental injuries can be prevented as well:
- Crowns can protect weakened teeth from breaking
- Occlusal splints (nightguards) can protect your teeth from the harmful effects of bruxism
- Sports mouthguards can prevent or minimise damage to the teeth, jaws and brain in the event of a blow to the mouth.
What Are The Options Available To Replace Missing Teeth?
If one or more teeth are missing, there are several options available to replace them.
Dentures
Dentures are removable dental appliances which can be used to replace one or many teeth in the top and/or bottom jaws. They may be held in place by metal clasps, or in the case of full dentures, rely on the suction created by the palate and muscles of the lips, cheeks and tongue to be held in place.
Dentures allow for easy cleaning of the remaining teeth and gums because they can be removed entirely from the mouth. Some people don’t like the idea of having removable teeth; others can find the appliance difficult to tolerate. However, many people cope very well with dentures; they are comfortable and able to eat and talk normally.
Bridges
Dental bridges are fixed dental appliances, which means that they cannot be readily removed from the mouth. A bridge will most commonly replace a single tooth, relying on crowns on the two adjacent teeth to hold the artificial tooth in place. Sometimes, longer span bridges are made, replacing more than one tooth.
Many people prefer a bridge to a denture, because it is the size of a tooth and does not cover the gums or the roof of the mouth.
A conventional dental bridge can be considered to be a more invasive option than a denture or an implant. This is because the two teeth on either side must be trimmed to fit the crowns. If the teeth on either side have never had a filling, or they only have small fillings, a bridge may not be the ideal option. Dr Teo will assess the state of your teeth and gums, discuss your options and make recommendation(s) that are most suitable to your dental condition(s). In some cases, where the dynamics of forces are favourable, a conservative Maryland (bonded) bridge may be a viable alternative.
Learn more about dental bridges.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are fixed dental appliances which are attached directly to the jaw bone. The implant emerges from the gum, very much like a natural tooth. Because it does not rely on nearby teeth for support, it is a good choice to replace a tooth when nearby teeth have no or only small fillings.
Dental implants are placed in a surgical procedure and usually require weeks of healing before a second minor surgery exposes the top of the implant in preparation for the crown to be made.
Implants are generally as easy as natural teeth to keep clean.
Learn more about dental implants.
