Patient Education
We believe prevention is the best cure and accordingly educate
and motivate our patients in the importance of maintaining a
preventive attitude towards their dental health.
Brushing and Flossing
One of the most important ways of maintaining a healthy smile is
through correct cleaning techniques at home. The aim of effective
and regular cleaning at home is to remove plaque from all the tooth
surfaces. Once plaque hardens and turns into calculus (tartar) it
causes bleeding of the gums, which is the first sign of an
unhealthy mouth.
Daily cleaning should involve both brushing and flossing. We
recommend brushing twice daily (morning and last thing at night)
with either a soft bristled manual toothbrush or an electric
toothbrush. Correct brushing reaches and cleans 3 out of 5 surfaces
of each tooth. Daily flossing is essential to clean in between
teeth, in order to reach the other 2 surfaces of each tooth that
the toothbrush is unable to clean.
When you have your teeth professionally cleaned at our practice,
our Dental Hygienist will discuss with you the proper techniques to
brush and floss correctly and more effectively, ensuring your teeth
are kept healthy for life.
Gum Disease
The early stage of gum disease is known as gingivitis meaning
inflammation of the gums. Plaque is a yellow sticky film of food
debris and bacteria that gathers on the surfaces of teeth, causing
inflammation and irritation, resulting in redness and bleeding of
the gums. If plaque is left on the tooth surfaces and not removed
through effective daily brushing and flossing, it calcifies
(hardens) by the minerals in our saliva. Hard plaque is known as
calculus (tartar) and once it forms, it is unable to be removed
through home cleaning, needing professional removal with special
instruments.
If calculus is left on the tooth surface, overtime it will
gradually start to destroy the gums and bone supporting your teeth.
This loss of bone is known as periodontitis and is an advanced form
of gum disease. Periodontitis is often not painful and a lot of
destruction is occurring underneath the gums, where people are
often not aware of its destructive nature.
If regular treatment and maintenance is neglected, the risk is
that the gum disease gets worse, ultimately resulting in tooth
mobility and tooth loss as there is no longer enough bone to
support the teeth.
Smoking and Oral Health
Smoking can have major effects on not just the colour of your
teeth, but on the health of your gums and other oral tissues
including your tongue, palate and throat. Smoking of cigarettes,
pipes or cigars, can contribute to often unseen and serious
conditions like: gum disease, leukoplakia and oral cancer. The risk
of developing a smoking-related oral condition is dependent on the
amount of smoking that occurs.
Gum Disease is much more frequent in smokers than
non-smokers, and most smokers can have gum disease and not have any
obvious symptoms. As smoking reduces the amount of oxygen available
in the oral tissues and hence effects the healing ability of the
oral cavity, smokers are more prone to severe gum disease
infections, resulting in a higher risk of tooth lose.
Leukoplakia refers to white patches found on various
oral tissues including the tongue or palate and may be
precancerous. Though leukoplakia is the most common lesion found in
adult mouths, it is much more frequent in smokers. If leuokplakia
is found in the mouth, a referral to a oral medicine specialist for
further testing is required.
Oral cancer is linked to both alcohol and tobacco
usage, either singularly or in combination. Many early signs of
oral cancer remain completely painless and symptom free and are
usually only diagnosed during a comprehensive examination. Early
detection is crucial and can significantly increase the chance of
successful treatment.
Diabetes and Oral Health
Adults with type I or II diabetes and inadequate blood sugar
control are more prone to getting Gum Disease and consequently
losing teeth due to this gum infection. Diabetes lowers your body's
ability to fight the bacteria that cause gum disease, hence making
gum disease more prevalent in diabetics. In order to reduce the
risks of getting diabetic gum disease, it is crucial to strictly
monitor and control blood glucose levels.
If gum disease in a diabetic patient is undetected by a dentist
or left untreated by a dental hygienist, it can cause an infection
that destroys the jaw bones which stabilize your teeth creating
problems of: tooth mobility (looseness), halitosis (bad breath) and
bleeding gums.
It is important for us to work together with our patients to
prevent gum disease from occurring or at least in minimising tissue
destruction, by attending regular preventive care appointments,
specifically tailored to your needs.