Dental Advice

If you knock out a tooth – try not to panic. If a tooth is knocked out, try to find the tooth and handle the tooth by the crown only. The crown is the white part of the tooth we see when we smile.

If the tooth is dirty, rinse the tooth with milk or have the patient wash the tooth clean with their saliva. Don’t rinse the tooth with water, or scrape off the dirt. Only touch the tooth by the crown, not the root.

If you can, put the tooth back into the gum as quickly as possible. This gives the tooth best chance of survival. If you don’t feel confident to put the tooth back in the gum, keep the tooth moist by storing in milk or is plastic wrap with some of the patient’s saliva.

You will need to see your dentist as quickly as possible for immediate treatment.

If you have knocked out a “piece” of tooth, not the entire tooth, it is best you also call your dentist for advice immediately. Try to find the piece and keep the tooth in milk.

Bleeding gums is a sign of gum disease. The bacteria in your mouth builds up on the teeth causing inflammation and bleeding of the gums. If untreated, gum disease causes toxins to enter your bloodstream increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia and problems during pregnancy including premature birth. Over time, gum disease toxins eat away the bone around your teeth making the teeth loose and causing bad breath. This will increase the chance your teeth need to be removed. If you have bleeding gums our dentists will complete a thorough assessment of your gums and will most often recommend a clean to remove the bacteria buildup on your teeth.

Wearing a mouthguard whilst playing sport, such as football, basketball, soccor and netball, is very important.
A custom made mouthguard from our dentists is made from an impression of your teeth. It is designed to fit the exact shape of your teeth and jaws making them far more comfortable than any other mouthguard available. A custom made mouthguard is much more effective at absorbing and spreading the impact from any injuries to the face than over the counter mouthguards.
A custom made mouthguard can protect your teeth from being chipped or knocked out. However they also significantly reduce the risk of broken jaws, concussion and a lifetime of costly dental treatment. We recommend the use of a mouthguard whilst training and whilst playing any contact sport or any sport where accidental contact is possible eg netball.

Tooth aches are often a sign that a tooth has a serious problem. When a tooth first starts to niggle – such as pain on cold, hot or biting – this is often the first warning sign. You should have the tooth reviewed by our dentists immediately. We will investigate the teeth for decay, cracks, gum disease, root fractures, abscesses, broken fillings and also investigate for other causes such as sinus issues. If you develop a severe tooth ache you need to see your dentist as soon as possible. We offer an after hours service for our regular patients before 10pm. Call our team to discuss the best pain relief available. For some relief you can try sleeping with your head up, with a heat pack over the aching area. For some tooth aches, which are sensitive to heat, a cool pack may be more effective. Unfortunately the only fix is to see your dentist.

The most important way to prevent tooth decay is brushing your teeth morning and night, every day, with a fluoride toothpaste. You should brush after breakfast and before you go to bed for 2-3 minutes and floss 1x day. After the evening brush you must have nothing to eat or drink apart from PLAIN water.

You should also look at reducing the amount of sweet foods and drinks you eat, especially sticky sweets which stay on the teeth longer. After eating you can help clean away food particles by rinsing your mouth with water, eating some cheese, chewing sugar free gum or adding a 3rd brush per day after lunch

We are often asked by patients if they should see a dentist or doctor if they have a swollen face. Facial swelling from a tooth is not always painful but can very quickly become a life threatening issue if not treated. Antibiotics may not always help the swelling if the tooth infection is not treated at the same time. It is important to see a dentist urgently if you have a swollen face. We can prescribe antibiotics and also treat the cause of the swelling so it does not become life threatening. We provide and after hours emergency service for our patients.

Sports drinks are high in sugar and are also very acidic. Drinks which are acidic such as sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit juices can cause decay and can also cause erosion. Erosion occurs when the acids in a food or drink wash away the protective outer layer of the tooth, called enamel. As the enamel washes away, the teeth become thinner leading to significant problems such as sensitive and chipped teeth. The teeth can become very worn and short affecting your smile. Sports drinks are a major cause of erosion and decay. They also contain more sugar than the daily recommended amount from the World Health Organisation (WHO). We recommend plain water and plain milk are best for your teeth. To replenish lost minerals during sport – there is nothing better than an apple and a water which provides everything the body needs. If you consume a lot of sports drinks you should have your teeth checked by your dentist for any damage.

Chipped and broken teeth can be a sign of a bigger problem, including decay. Chips in teeth weaken the protective outer shell of the teeth – called enamel – allowing bacteria to invade the tooth. This bacteria will cause decay which leads to a hole in the tooth. Decay may not be painful when it first starts. As the decay eats away the inside of the tooth the hole gets bigger and causes inflammation of the nerve of the tooth. This is when the tooth begins to ache. Once pain starts, damage has already been done to the nerve and tooth. By the time you see a dentist in pain there can be so much damage to the nerve that we cannot save the tooth

We recommend that you see a dentist as soon as possible if your notice a chip or hole in your tooth well before you get any pain. A regular 6mth checkup will find decay whilst it is small – well before it gets painful.

As we grow older we produce less saliva and dry mouth can be a common issue. Dry mouth can be related to medications that you take or several syndromes which can cause the salivary glands to stop producing saliva. Dry mouth can be very uncomfortable causing the gums to tear and sting and can make eating some foods, like dry biscuits, difficult.

Dry mouth greatly increases your risk of tooth decay and causes sensitivity of your teeth. Regular dental checkups are very important and there are many different things we can try if you have a dry mouth to reduce the symptoms and reduce your risk of decay.

Pain when biting on a tooth can be a sign of an abscess or a crack in a tooth. Cracked teeth are often a result of clenching or grinding your teeth but can also be caused by biting on ice, using teeth to open bottle or chewing hard foods and lollies. Large silver fillings increase the chance of cracks in the tooth surrounding the filling.

Cracked teeth are painful to chew on and can become infected if not fixed. Often a CEREC one visit crown or traditional crown is recommended to protect the remaining tooth. It is important if your grind your teeth to consider wearing a grinding mouthguard. If you experiencing pain when eating you need to see your dentist to fix the cause and prevent the loss of your teeth.