Modern Dentistry, Traditional Care

Top 3 Dental tips for surviving the holidays!

Posted by Dylan Nuttall on 18 April 2019
Top 3 Dental tips for surviving the holidays!
We all love our holiday time, for more reasons than one. Whether it's getting to spend time with your family, or being able to forget about your diet for a few days; we all relish in these few times a year we get to forget about life and focus on the simpler things. However, while it is always great to have these moments we must remember to keep our dental health in mind! Here are a few ways to help you keep your teeth safe these easter holidays!

 

1: Brush and floss daily 

Research tells us that the exposure to acidic food and drinks softens the enamel of your teeth. By brushing twice a day for two minutes, you can help to remove any food particles and dental plaque that may damage your teeth and gums over time. However, while brushing your teeth after food is a good idea, brushing your teeth immediately after can actually increase your chances of enamel, so it is best to wait 30 minutes before brushing. Flossing daily also helps remove any food that is stuck in-between your teeth, as well as plaque. By consistently brushing and flossing daily, you can help to reduce any unwanted visits to the dentist.

2: Avoid Sugary foods / Drink water

It's no surprise that eating sugary foods can erode your teeth. While we know this, we are also aware that, during holiday time especially one revolving around chocolate people may be a little more lenient when it comes to sugary foods/drinks. Rather than avoiding these completely, it is better to be smart about your consumption. In order to reduce the risk of dental erosion, you must drink or rinse with water directly after consuming sugary/acidic substances. This will aid in flushing away any unwanted food or harmful acids from your mouth that could cause harm to your teeth. It is good to get yourself in to the habit of doing this every time you eat or drink not only to keep hydrated, but to keep your dental health in check!

 

3: Visit your dentist twice a year for professional cleaning

Your dentist knows your teeth better than anybody else out there, so it is always important to remember to have them cleaned and examined by him/her twice a year! Coming in for consistent cleans and examinations can help to not only keep your teeth cleaned, but can also reduce the risk of further damage to your teeth. If you are overdue for a preventative care appointment and would like to book an appointment with Brisbane Dental Studio, feel free to contact us on (07) 3862 1702. 

Have a Happy Easter everybody and remember, rinse with water after eating chocolate!

 

Fluoride - Is it safe?

Posted by Dylan Nuttall on 15 April 2019
Fluoride - Is it safe?
If you have paid any attention to the news in recent years, you would have seen the controversy surrounding fluoride and the impact it has on your oral health. If you haven't heard some people are upset about the idea of fluoride being used by dentists and being present in drinking water all across the globe. But why? Fluoride is a naturally occurring substance found in ALL natural water supplies which has been found to reduce tooth decay in people dating as far back as the 1940's. So where does the stipulation of it being harmful come from?  

 

Much like any controversy, the issues usually stem from widespread misinformation. Determining the cause of the misinformation usually leads you to some initial 'study' that sparked the outrage much like what happened with fluoridation. 

 

While most people might realise that these studies are probably fabricated or exaggerated; the more misinformed individuals might take these studies for fact. Before jumping to any conclusions on the internet, it is always important to do your own research, and get more than just one opinion. In the case of fluoride, it has been proven by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia that while extreme amounts of fluoride consumption can affect your health negatively, the levels of fluoride within out drinking water can NOT. 

 

Perhaps the best test sample one must consider is our own city of Brisbane, which has had fluoridated water only since 2008. Prior to this, decay rates were far greater than all other capital cities in Australia. Since fluoridated water was added, Brisbane's decay rate has dropped to 2.5 times lower that of non-fluoridated regions in Queensland, with no noted increase in adverse health conditions. 

 

Fluoride has been proven to reduce decay in people of all ages and the resulting health benefits should be considered one of the greatest global health initiatives of the past 100 years.  If you have any questions pertaining to fluoride, call Brisbane Dental Studio on (07) 3862 1702.

 

Soft Drinks and Teeth: An up-hill battle

Posted by Dr. Hayden Stewart on 17 December 2018
Soft Drinks and Teeth: An up-hill battle

 

We're all lovers of soft drinks, whether we admit it or not. Some people like to indulge in a can every week or so, while some people like to have one every night with dinner. While it's no secret that soft drink is detrimental to your oral health, most people don't realise exactly why it is bad for your health. 

 

A very well-known fact about soft drink is that they have a very high sugar count, with some drinks in Australia having as much as 12.4 grams of sugar per 100ml. With the average recommended adult sugar intake per day sitting at 50g of sugar, this means that 1 can of soft drink (375ml) covers almost an entire days' worth of sugar! However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the average adult can get away with drinking 1 can of soft drink a day. As most food and drinks have additives these days, the average adult can reach the recommended daily sugar intake and even exceed it easily without thinking about it. However, while excessive amounts of sugar are detrimental to your oral health and can lead to tooth decay, it is not the only cause of it.

 

Many people fall into the trap of believing that substituting soft drinks with their sugar-free alternatives will help them reduce tooth decay. However, experts argue against this popular theory, stating that diet soft drinks cause the same amount of oral damage as regular soft drinks. But why? Carbonation.

 

Unlike sugar, the carbonation in soft drinks is already acidic before it even makes contact with your mouth. Acidity levels in food and drinks are calculated on the basis of the pH system. The higher the pH, the less acidic the substance. While the sugars in soft drinks cause tooth decay within your mouth, the acids within soft drinks affect your teeth differently. a substance with a pH of 7 is not acidic, while substances with a pH of 5.5 or less will cause your enamel to erode. As seen in the chart below, surprisingly, many every-day substances have a pH level of less than 5.5 and thus, will cause erosion upon contact with your teeth. 

 

 

While the best solution is to not consume these drinks, we are all human and like to indulge every now and again. Therefore, the best solution for this is to drink in moderation: Believe it or not, drinking soft drinks through a straw allows the acid to bypass the teeth and cause less erosion. It is also best to drink water after drinking highly sugary / acidic drinks and to wait an hour before brushing your teeth after consumption so as to reduce enamel erosion. If you have any further questions feel free to contact us and arrange a complimentary smile assessment at Brisbane Dental Studio!

 

Invisalign: Your new smile design

Posted by Dr. Hayden Stewart on 25 September 2018
Invisalign: Your new smile design

 

Have you ever wanted straighter teeth but didn't like the idea of having braces?

You wouldn't be the only person discouraged by the thought of having brackets and wires attached to your teeth for months, even years at a time. But what if there was an alternative treatment that allowed for straighter teeth while maintaining an almost clear mouth? Invisalign has become one of the most intuitive designs in the dental and orthodontic field in recent years, with up to 4 million patients having undergone treatment. 

 

Why have straight teeth?

Straighter teeth don't just improve your smile, but they allow for an overall improvement in your dental health. What exactly does it improve? Straight teeth lead to a reduced risk of gum-related diseases, plaque retention and tooth decay. Not only that, but properly aligned teeth are easier to brush, floss, and can even result in less strain being placed on the supporting jaw bones. It's safe to say that having straight teeth can be quite beneficial to you, not just from an aesthetic point of view but also from a dental point of view.

 

So what exactly Is Invisalign?

Invisalign is a clear alternative to braces developed by dentists and orthodontists alike. By using a series of custom-made retainer-like aligners, the patient will undergo gradual and gentle teeth transformation over a period of time. But don't be fooled, while the Invisalign treatment may be perceived as being able to treat only minor cases, they have also been proven to be effective in medium and severe cases. They can be used for a wide variety of conditions, such as: Crowding, Spacing, Overbite, Underbite, and more. 

But what about price? Contrary to popular belief, most cases of Invisalign reflect that of the cost of conventional, ceramic braces. However, unlike traditional braces, Invisalign aligners are produced with a virtually invisible solution; meaning you can wear them every day and most people won't even notice. Not only this, but the aligners don't stay in your mouth at all times. While treatment does require you have them applied for 20 22 hours a day, you are able to remove them to eat the foods you like! 

In summary: Invisalign is a clear, more convenient alternative to ceramic braces that is used to treat a variety of tooth-related conditions. You can eat what foods you like, when you like and nobody will even notice you are wearing them!

Not convinced already? Find out more about Invisalign in-house at Brisbane Dental Studio to see if this treatment is right for you!

Posted in:Invisalign  

Whiter teeth for a healthier mouth

Posted on 15 March 2018
Whiter teeth for a healthier mouth

It is perhaps the most common question asked by our patients, "I want to whiten my smile, but is it safe for my teeth?"

The good news is that both in-house and take home whitening systems are not only completely safe when used as directed, there is overwhelming evidence that the use of whitening peroxides actually create a healthier mouth.

Time for the science stuff. The active ingredients used in our whitening treatments is hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide (which breaks down in the mouth to hydrogen peroxide). In combination with heat, oxygen and light, the peroxide acts upon stained organic deposits that are responsible for many tooth stains, and oxidises them into a whiter colour.

However hydrogen peroxide also has a known antibacterial effect, having been used as an environmentally safe alternative to chlorine based bleaches. Studies show that tooth bleaching also effectively kills bacteria in the mouth, and helps to reduce gingivitis and bad breath. It is also reported that formation of plaque and tooth decay is significantly reduced.

Patients are often concerned about enamel loss from tooth whitening. Fortunately the whitening gels used are usually more pH neutral, having a much lower acidic effect than many acidic foods.

While some care is needed to follow your dentist's instructions, tooth whitening is a safe and predictable treatment with very few side effects.

Find out more about Zoom Teeth Whitening at Brisbane Dental Studio.

Posted in:Teeth Whitening  
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Top 3 Dental tips for surviving the holidays!

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We all love our holiday time, for more reasons than one. Whether it's getting to spend time with your family, or being able to forget about you...

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