Dental floss should be used morning and night, after brushing and before using your mouth rinse.

Johnson & Johnson Waxed Dental Floss is one of the best value-for-money dental flosses.  The most economical is a 200m reel.  It is available from our Practice, pharmacies and supermarkets. 

Colgate Total is a teflon based tape which is very resistant to fraying, and therefore easy to use.  Although it is about twice the cost of J & J Waxed Floss, it is invaluable to people who have problems with floss catching and breaking.  It is available from our Practice, pharmacies and supermarkets.

Oral B Superfloss is a specially designed floss for cleaning under bridgework.  Superfloss has one stiffened end to feed under the bridge.  The stiffened end joins a foam section which is used to floss away plaque and food particles from under the bridge, and massage the gum. It should be used twice daily (the same as ordinary floss).  Oral B Superfloss is packaged in boxes of 50 strands.  Because it is a specialised product, pharmacies often do not stock it.  It is always available for purchase at our Reception.

Avoid tooth loss – Use dental floss

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We recommend you use any soft-bristled toothbrush which has even length bristles.  Straight handle or right-angled handle is
a matter of personal preference.

If the brush is too large, it will not reach the more difficult-to-brush areas.  As a guide, a Size 35 brush is suited to most adult mouths.

End-tufted brushes have a tiny head which enables you to reach particularly difficult spots, or to clean in and around braces.

The recommended size selection for the Oral B range of toothbrushes, for example, is:

The Oral B range also includes right-angled handle and end-tufted brushes. 

Your toothbrush needs replacing when the bristles begin to splay or become “shaggy”.

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Just like your natural teeth, dentures need regular cleaning after meals. Clean dentures over a hand basin half filled with water. This way, if the dentures are dropped during cleaning, the water will cushion their fall avoiding chipping or breakage against a porcelain basin.

There are two recommended alternatives for cleaning your dentures. Choose the one which better suits your needs:

Method 1

Brush all surfaces thoroughly using bath or liquid soap and a denture brush. After cleaning rinse the denture well under running water. Also rinse your mouth before re-inserting your denture/s. Use either water or an antiseptic mouth rinse.

To remove stains or scale build-up, soak your denture/s in Caldent once or twice a week depending on the severity of the stain or build-up. Special “denture baths” are available for this purpose.

Method 2

Some people prefer to brush their dentures with a denture cream. Again, use a denture brush. These creams clean well, but just like toothpastes, they are mildly abrasive and will produce gradual wear of the denture/s. If staining occurs that cannot be removed by the denture cream, soak the denture in Caldent as described above.

It is normal for the fit of your dentures to change over the years, due to natural shrinkage of the gum. Loose dentures can be corrected by having your dentist re-line them form time to time. (Every 3-5 years is normal.) It is likely they will need replacement every 7-10 years.)

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• To protect your teeth and gums, always wear a mouthguard while engaging in sport.
• To make insertion of the mouthguard easier, rinse it under running water before placing in the mouth.
• To store your mouthguard after sport, rinse again, dry, and keep in a ventilated mouthguard case to prevent mildew.
• To clean, brush the mouthguard with your tothbrush and soap. (They are very flexible so can be bent out to clean throughly in the grooves). Rinse, dry, and replace in its ventilated case. 
• Remember …… don’t leave a mouthguard in the hot sun (including in a sports bag in the sun, on a car dash-board or elsewhere in a hot car) as the heat tends to distort them. Distortion, of course, will adversely afect the fit. 

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1. Use and Maintenance of your Mouthguard
2. Maintaining Dentures
3. Toothbrushes
4. Dental Floss

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Dental amalgam contains toxic mercury!!!

The effects of mercury on the human body from dental amalgam are still hotly debated in Australia. More information can be obtained at the ASOMAT Website (Australian Society of Oral Medicine and Toxocology) at:

www.asomat.com

Gympie Family Dental can advise on replacement options for old Amalgam fillings.

Old mercury amalgam fillings have been removed and replaced by natural-looking resin fillings.

Reasons not to use Amalgam for dental use:

• Dental amalgam is unsightly and blackens over time
• Dental amalgam expands and contracts with hot and cold, often contributing to painful fractures in the remaining tooth structure
• The National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia recommended that “exposure to mercury should be minimized where an alternative restorative is available ……. particularly in ……. children, pregnant women and [persons suffering from] kidney disease”
• In Australia, at least, there are stringent laws governing the safe disposal of mercury/amalgam – so why do they still allow Australian dentists to place it in the human mouth?
• The single greatest source of mercury exposure for the general population is Dental Amalgam.

At Gympie Family Dental, we believe that there is NO safe form of mercury in living tissue.

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We have convenient off-street parking for patients at the rear of the Practice (Entry off Reef Street).

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People today are far more aware of issues of oral health, function and appearance of their teeth. By our early 40′s, teeth are commonly showing signs of age wear, and often have been extensively filled. Fillings and fractures substantially weaken natural tooth structure. There are short-term restorative solutions but these do not enhance the strength of the tooth – in fact, compromise it. For a long-term, strong and aesthetically pleasing solution, crowning is the answer.

To make a crown, all the old filling material is removed from the tooth. The remaining tooth is shaped in a specific way right down to the gumline. A mould is then taken of this tooth preparation. Using this mould, a new tooth that is beautifully matched to your other natural teeth, is fabricated in the dental laboratory. To allow time for a highly skilled technician to create this dental work-of-art, a temporary crown is placed in the mouth until you return for the final visit to fix the permanent crown.

Commonly, by the time a tooth needs crowning, other teeth may also be deteriorating and wearing, contributing to generalized breakdown. Gimmicky computer-carved fillings may help to restore the single tooth, but not the surrounding deterioration and wear. The prosthodontist’s specialist training is in stable, long-term, dental solutions. This is why he favours the strength and precision of impression made crowns, and the laboratory’s ability to finely contour, colour-match and characterize the new crown to your other teeth.

Bridges

If a tooth is missing, but you still have a tooth either side of its space, crowns can be made for its adjacent teeth with an artificial bridging tooth attached to fill the gap. This is called a bridge. The bridge is permanently cemented into place, has no framework in the roof of the mouth, is long-term and exceptionally strong, and creates optimal aesthetics. The process for making a bridge is similar to that for a crown.

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One of the most exciting advances in modern dentistry is the great success of the dental implant. Implants can be used when natural teeth and roots are lost due to trauma or decay.

First a hole is made in the bone where your tooth was removed and a small metal implant is inserted. The implant has grooves, channels, or holes like swiss cheese. These deliberate design features allow your bone to grow through, in and around the implant, integrating it into your anatomy. Quite literally, you grow into it! This piece of the implant acts as a bolt for the second phase of the implant placement. Once this lower bolt part is securely integrated into the bone, the top part is permanently screwed onto the implant. That completes the implant process, and your new “tooth” is now ready for a crown.

The process for a single tooth implant works equally well for multiple teeth, even a whole mouth to replace dentures. Implants restore the ability to chew like natural teeth – for a lifetime. Multiple implants are placed in the same manner as a single implant.

When replacing a denture, it is well worth considering an implant-retained bridge. Usually, 5 or 6 are placed, a gold bar is fabricated which is screwed onto the bolts. Teeth are added to the gold bar and now you have the ability to chew as though you had your own natural teeth back again.

Whether replacing a single missing tooth, several teeth, or securing a bridge or denture, implants are truly one of the miracles of modern dentistry, and the treatment of choice for many patients.

For detailed information on implants, visit the manufacturer’s website at

Nobel Biocare or ITI Straumann

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MICRO DENTISTRY – AIR ABRASION

What is MicroDentistry?

This is the philosophy and practice of detecting and treating decay as early as possible, of removing as little tooth structure as possible, and of making the smallest possible restorations that are aesthetically pleasing and long lasting. No needles, no drill, no numb mouth!!!

What is Air Abrasion ?

Air abrasion (a technique of MicroDentistry) is a fine, gentle spray of an air-and-powder mix that removes decay. So fine and accurate, in fact, that it allows the dentist to target only the decay, leaving healthy tooth structure intact. Compared to cavities prepared using the conventional dental drill, this means the smallest possible fillings and stronger restored teeth.

Once air abrasion removes decay, how is the cavity filled?

This is the beautiful part – literally! The dentist fills the cavity with a tooth-coloured, non-mercury filling, making the entire tooth strong, long-lasting and resistant to decay.

Does Air Abrasion Hurt?

Almost never! By controlling the speed and intensity of the powder and air, your air abrasion dentist can make the procedure virtually painless.

Is it suitable for all decay?

Unfortunately….no. Deep decay still requires more conventional treatment. Air abrasion is best for early decay and for sealing the pits and fissures on the biting surfaces of teeth. Before sealing, pits and fissures are tested for decay using the DIAGNOdent laser. Early decay is tooth rot, so why wait for it to spread or for cavities to get bigger before treating them.

Cavities were cleaned using Air Abrasion, then restored with flowable resin.

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