ORTHODONTICS - Interest-Free Payment Plan
ORTHODONTICS - Interest-Free Payment Plan
“Prevention is better than the cure”.
In dental terms the above quote means it is less costly and less painful to adopt a preventative approach to dentistry. Having your teeth examined and cleaned at least every six months can prevent costly and painful problems.
Regular dental exams can:
1. Help to spot and prevent gum disease, which is far easier to avoid than it is to stop. Gum disease is normally typified by a number of characteristics including:
- Teeth becoming loose or wobbly;
- Gums receding giving the appearance of longer teeth;
- Teeth become so loose that they fall out;
- Foul-smelling breath;
- Red, sore, or bleeding gums;
- Build-up of calculus (tartar) around the teeth.
2. Help to spot early decay in teeth and prevent cavities. While no one likes to hear that they have decay or cavities in their teeth, the alternative is worse - NOT finding out until you're in pain and your teeth cannot be saved. Attend for regular dental exams and your teeth will thank you! Avoiding them will inevitably lead to more serious problems and, consequently, more costly remedies.
3. Reduce dental costs by preventing more expensive treatments from having to be done later on.
4. Educate patients in good oral care. Especially for children, a visit to the dentist can show them the right way to care for their teeth. This may inspire them to brush and floss regularly which should, hopefully, set them up with a healthy mouth for life.
5. Help detect non-dental disease. Some diseases and health problems are manifested by symptoms that show up inside your mouth. Regular dental exams provide the best opportunity for the dentist to be able to identify anything unusual.
6. Increase treatment options. Treatment options for dental problems tend to diminish the longer the problem is left untreated. By catching problems early, more and less expensive options will be available to the dentist and the patient. Remember, regular dental examinations are essential in achieving good oral care.
Some people believe that visits to the dentist for babies are less important, or not necessary, because baby teeth will be replaced by permanent teeth. Although the primary teeth do fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth, one of the most important reasons for babies to go the dentist is to teach them proper dental care and to ensure that the habits they learn early will stick with them throughout the rest of their lives. If good dental habits aren’t in place by the time permanent teeth begin appearing (around 6 years), then developing good habits is very much more difficult later on.
Most babies start getting teeth from 6 months. The bottom row central incisors typically appear first, followed by the top row. There are 20 primary teeth which usually erupt according to a ’schedule’ that most infants follow. The second molars are the last primary teeth to erupt between 2 – 3 years of age.
If not properly cared for, an infant’s teeth can begin to decay from the moment they first erupt – infant dental decay is painful and should be avoided. From 6 months old, an adult should clean the baby’s teeth using either a soft infant toothbrush or a very soft washcloth - gently brush or rub the tooth/teeth once a day before bed.
We recommend a first dental visit when your baby turns 2. To keep decay under control, avoid giving your baby sugary drinks, especially at night. During the day, don’t fill your baby’s bottle with sweet drinks to use as a pacifier, and remember that most milk, formula, and fruit drinks contain sugar.
Under supervision, from age 2, your child can start daily brushing using a small amount of fluoride toothpaste.
At meal and snack time, steer clear of sugary drinks, foods and snacks. Teaching your child early on to eat vegetables and healthy snacks will limit tooth decay and is an excellent way to instill good eating habits for the ultimate benefit of the child’s dental and general health.
Many older people have a fear of losing their teeth. The good news is that, no matter what age you are, it is possible to prevent tooth decay and gum disease which will make it possible for you to retain your teeth for life! However, for older people, their teeth can often be more difficult to clean due to sensitivity and gum recession which makes it harder to reach around the necks of the teeth and in between the teeth.
Some of the things you can do:
- Thoroughly remove plaque from your teeth and dentures on a daily basis;
- Use a fluoride toothpaste;
- Avoid food and drinks containing sugar, especially between meals;
- Visit the dentist regularly (preferably 6 monthly).
Edentulous patients often believe they don’t need to visit the dentist because they have no teeth left. This is incorrect - it is vitally important for such patients to receive a regular dental check-up so that their oral health can be examined. Potential diseases like mouth cancer are not selective and are just as likely to affect patients without teeth and are more likely to affect smokers.
Your regular dental visit provides the dentist with the opportunity to inspect many other aspects of your mouth, other than your teeth. In the end, you will have our assurance, and your own peace of mind, that your mouth remains healthy, and there is nothing else at play.
Older patients also need to be aware that the shape of their mouths will change with age – right throughout their lives. For denture wearers this will mean the need to change dentures about every 5 years. Because the changes happen slowly over time, patients often become very skilled at keeping their ill-fitting or broken dentures in place! However, this can often cause pain and discomfort, and be the cause of ulcers in the mouth. On a regular visit, check with your dentist regarding the options for correcting these problems.
We recommend that all older patients visit with us on a regular basis so we can plan to avoid the problems outlined above.
Cleaning your teeth regularly and properly is one of the most important steps in preventing tooth decay.
- Clean your teeth after breakfast and before bed - at the very least;
- Use a soft toothbrush;
- Always use a fluoride toothpaste;
- For children, use a fluoride toothpaste for kids or just a pea sized amount of regular fluoride toothpaste;
- Use dental floss to clean in between the teeth;
- Brushing the tongue and using a mouthwash can also help to freshen the breath;
- Use interdental brushes where there are gaps between teeth.
Brushing your teeth should take at least two minutes to complete.
Use short, gentle, circular strokes, and pay particular attention to the gumline, the hard-to-reach back teeth, and the areas around fillings, crowns, or other restorations.
Concentrate on thoroughly cleaning each area of your teeth. A suggested sequence for cleaning:
1. Outer surfaces of your upper teeth followed by the lower teeth;
2. Then the inner surfaces of your upper teeth followed by the lower teeth;
3. Finally, clean the occlusal (chewing) surfaces of all teeth.
Did you know that water fluoridation and the application of topical fluoride have played a significant role in improving oral health and in preventing tooth decay? That’s why fluoride is added to many toothpastes and why fluoride treatment has become a routine part of dental cleanings.
How can fluoride help prevent tooth decay? It does so in two ways:
- First, fluoride helps to strengthen enamel. The enamel is the translucent material that covers your teeth. By having stronger enamel, there is a reduction in the effects of demineralisation (the loss of minerals caused by acids in the bacteria that is produced by plaque). Demineralisation can have the effect of weakening a tooth’s enamel over time and making it more susceptible to decay. As the enamel decays, the tooth can become more prone to cavities.
- Second, fluoride benefits the teeth during the remineralisation process. Remineralisation is the body’s natural way of replenishing the minerals that have been lost via the demineralisation process. Each time you drink milk, for example, a portion of the minerals contained in milk go to the teeth to assist with remineralisation. Fluoride works in the same way - it helps enamel to replenish its supply of fluoride and, in the process, it has the added benefit of slowing down plaque’s ability to produce damaging acids.
Early studies have shown that water fluoridation can reduce the amount of cavities children get in their baby teeth by as much as 60% and in adult teeth by up to 35%. Later studies show this to be an effective means of reducing dental decay by 20%-40% in patients. The real benefit for patients in the study group is that they have been able to retain their teeth for longer – the study goes on to advise that “Dental costs for these individuals are likely to have been reduced and many hours of need-less pain and suffering due to untreated dental decay have been avoided.” (American Dental Association, (2005). “Fluoridation Facts”. www.ada.org).
Your dentist can provide topical fluoride treatment on teeth for both children and adults alike. The treatment involves the careful application of a concentrated fluoride directly to the surface of the teeth. This has proven to be a very effective treatment in preventing the advancement of tooth decay and is highly recommended for all patients especially children.
This treatment is particularly important for the many patients who only use tank or bottled water which generally have no Fluoride content.
We are here to make your experience with the dentist a pleasant one. Below is some information and tips that nervous patients might find helpful.
Information:
- Our practice is set in a lovely heritage building. This, together with our décor, helps to make the environment feel more comfortable and less clinical;
- We have experienced and friendly staff who will make you feel welcome during your visit;
- We use topical anaesthetic (gel applied using a cotton swab) to numb the gums before administering any injectable anaesthetic;
- We use a technique for injecting anaesthetic which is slow and smooth and causes the least discomfort to the patient;
- Our dentists always check with the patient to ensure they are effectively numb before proceeding with treatment. We also do a brief test drilling and then stop to ensure the patient cannot feel anything;
- For patients with severe anxiety or those requiring extensive dental surgery, we recommend Intravenous (IV) Sedation where the patient is under the influence of a sedative drug during treatment;
Our IV Sedation clinic is well established, having been operating since February 2009;
Our Sedation dentist is Dental Board registered and has many years of experience, so our patients are in very capable hands;
- We try to keep our dental surgery at a comfortable room temperature at all times which helps to make the patient feel relaxed. Background music playing in our surgery also helps the situation.
Tips (that will help minimise your anxiety during your visit with the dentist):
- Do tell us of your concerns or worries when you book your appointment. That way we are aware and can ensure your treatment is customised to meet your needs;
- Do wear loose and comfortable clothing;
- Avoid crossing your legs during treatment;
- Avoid caffeine before treatment as this will help to make you feel less anxious;
- Do schedule your appointment for a time when you are not in a hurry and, therefore, can relax more;
- Only eat a light meal before coming in for treatment, and try to avoid sugars which can tend to make you feel less relaxed.
