FAQs

As much dental work as we do, the most important thing is for you to know the best ways of looking after your teeth in terms of preventing future decay and maintaining the health of your gums to prevent gum disease, which can impact on the overall health and well-being of your whole body.

We recommend any kind of fluoride toothpaste on the Australian market including Colgate, Oral-B, Sensodyne and/or Maclean’s toothpaste.

Nowadays, there are so many products on the market with different uses and benefits that manufacturers promote. Fluoride in toothpaste is the most important element for decay prevention and control.

We recommend that you don’t use mouth-rinse at night, but rather spit only and leave the toothpaste residue to ensure that a layer of fluoride remains over the surfaces of your teeth while you sleep.

We highly recommend daily flossing and also the use of interdental brushes such as Piksters™ for larger gaps to maintain good gum health.

Brushing twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste is also important. We also recommend that you spit and not rinse your toothpaste at night time so that the toothpaste remains in your mouth to continue to protect your teeth from decay. This is a function of the protective fluoride in the toothpaste.

For patients with harder to manage decay problems, we recommend using Neutrafluor 5000, a product from Colgate that has 5 times the fluoride of regular toothpaste.

We recommend seeing the dentist every 6 months for a regular clean and check-up. This is to control plaque and tartar build-up and be reminded of good oral hygiene practices that will ensure you continue to look after your teeth so they stay strong and healthy.

We make this easy for you and your family by providing the regular check-up, scale and clean, polish, fluoride treatments and any X-rays required free of charge provided you are with a health fund provider.

No excuses for not coming every 6 months!

The Australian Dental Association recommends children have their first visit at 12 months of age. The first visit may involve just helping the child ‘warm’ to the environment of the dental treatment room. This includes saying ‘Hello’ to one of our friendly dentists, allowing them to count your child’s teeth and build a positive relationship from the get-go! We recommend children from 3 years of age begin having a gentle clean, polish and fluoride, in order to educate and maintain a lifetime of healthy teeth and oral hygiene.

We like to take X-rays of your teeth every two years as part of the regular check-up at Family Focus Dental. With modern technological advances and the digital film system we are using, the radiation dosage of our X-rays is extremely low and safe. These x-rays help us detect damage and disease not visible during a regular exam.

We make this easy for you and your family by providing the regular check-up, scale and clean, polish, fluoride treatments and any X-rays required free of charge provided you are with a health fund provider and have eligible dental cover.

There are many, many options for replacing missing teeth. The three main options include implants, dentures, and bridge work. We recommend coming in to talk to a dentist to fully explore the options available and most suitable for your situation.

Bad breath can be caused by a number of factors including bacteria and plaque on the tongue. So ensuring your tongue is brushed and cleaned regularly is important. The smell may also be coming from areas deep underneath your gums, which are difficult to clean with regular brushing and flossing.

Other factors may contribute such as stress, diabetes, smoking and pregnancy. We recommend making an appointment to fully explore the possible reasons why you may have bad breath.

Healthy gums are pink, and firm and will not bleed when brushed. Inflamed gums are red, puffy, swollen and will bleed when brushed. Often these areas are also sore. Most people will avoid these areas for fear of causing greater damage, but you actually want to do the opposite. These areas have plaque and bacteria in them causing the inflammation and actually need to be cleaned (usually with your toothbrush is just fine) rather than avoided. This inflammation can continue deep into your gums and may cause a condition known as periodontitis.

If the bleeding persists in any areas of your mouth please let us know and we can help find and treat the problem. However, the last thing you want to do is avoid brushing an area that is bleeding or sore.

External Source

This may just be brown stains picked up from your food or drink.

Most of the time this can be cleaned off easily by either you or at your next dental appointment.

Internal Source

This may be caused by different medications taken at the time of tooth formation such as tetracycline antibiotics.

A tooth may also be discoloured because it has died or has had root canal treatment.

These teeth require crowns or veneers, or composite (white fillings) treatments to be placed over the teeth. Please make an appointment or contact us for more information about these treatments.

A small percentage of patients have teeth that are more prone to extrinsic stains from food and drink and for this, we recommend a relatively new product called Pro-Health toothpaste from Oral-B. This is widely available at supermarkets and also contains a substance that prevents stain formation.

Tap water in Sydney is fluoridated with a very small amount of fluoride. This fluoride does wonder for protecting your teeth as you drink it and as the fluoride is absorbed into your system and released again through your saliva.

Having this fluoride in the body is especially important for kids 2 years. The fluoride enables much stronger adult teeth to be formed. This cannot occur at a later stage in life. Too much fluoride conversely can cause white patches to occur on teeth – a condition called fluorosis.

Parents play a very important role in making visits to the dentist a positive and enjoyable experience. It is very important that when you talk about the dentist that you use positive and child-friendly terms, like; “seeing the tooth fairy’s friend” or “going for a ride in the dental chair”.

Whatever you do, don’t use the dentist as a deterrent! Threats like “if you don’t brush your teeth the dentist will pull them out” are unlikely to change behaviour but will certainly reinforce any fear. Refrain from telling stories about bad dental experiences (even if you’ve had one yourself) or using words like “needle”, “pull”, or “drill” as this will only cause your child to become fearful and scared.

In the lead up to the first dental visit, you could ‘play dentist’ at home and count your child’s teeth and explain that the dentist takes care of your teeth. Try not to go into too much detail; the dental team is well-trained to be able to talk with children. They will explain who they are and what they are trying to do at a level your child can understand and relate to. If you are nervous or anxious about the visit this can rub off on your child, so it’s best to stay positive and let the professionals do what they do best (Source: ADA Factsheet).

As a guide, your baby is likely to sprout their first teeth around six months old. Sometimes teeth can come through as early as four months and as late as ten, so there is no need for alarm if teething starts a little early or a little late. If you’re worried, it is always a good idea to see a dentist to make sure everything is as it should be. By age three all twenty baby teeth should have come through, and by around age six, your child will likely start losing them to make way for their adult (secondary) teeth (Source: ADA Factsheet).

t’s one thing to make flossing a part of your dental health care routine, quite another to do it properly. Your dentist will be able to instruct you on the correct flossing technique which should involve the following basic steps:

1. Wind approximately 45 cm of floss around your middle fingers and grip it tightly between your thumbs and index fingers.

2. Keeping the thumb and index close together, gently guide the floss between the teeth, taking care not to cut or damage your gums with abrupt movement.

3. With about 45cm wound around your middle fingers and thumb, use a gentle up-and-down motion that goes down one side of the tooth, just under the little collar of gum and then back up the other side (think of it as an on-the-side “c”).

(Source: ADA Factsheet).

Baby (Primary) Teeth

Babies and toddlers who have just started crawling or walking are prone to hurting themselves. Bumps, knocks and spills are all a part of growing up, but long-lasting damage can occur if your child’s teeth are injured and left untreated. Knowing how to administer dental first aid could save a child from long-lasting damage.

Step 1: If a child knocks out a baby tooth do not attempt to put it back in.

Step 2: Seek an immediate dental examination, because dentists are best qualified to assess the damage and recommend the correct course of action. Take the knocked out tooth with you, so your dentist can ensure that the entire tooth has been knocked out and not just a part of the tooth. If you are unsure whether the tooth is an adult tooth or a ‘baby’ tooth, store it in milk or saliva (as described below) and visit your dentist ASAP.

Step 3: Attend regular dental check-ups so your dentist can monitor how the adult teeth are developing.

Adult (Secondary) Teeth

If you or someone you know has a tooth (or teeth) knocked out it’s important to remain calm and act quickly.

Step 1: Locate the tooth as quickly as possible and pick it up by the crown. Handle with care – avoid touching the ‘root’ of the tooth!

Step 2: If dirty, rinse the tooth with some milk, or if milk is not available rinse using tap water but only for a second or two. Do not scrub or soak the tooth.

Step 3: Insert the tooth back into its previous position in the mouth, making sure it is the right way around and in the right place. Compare it to the surrounding teeth to make sure you’ve got it right. Once it’s in, gently bite down on a clean piece of soft cloth or tissue to help keep the tooth in place.

If it is ‘wobbly’, then folding a small piece of aluminium foil over the area can help keep the tooth in place, or if you have your mouthguard on hand, put it back into your mouth to stabilise the traumatised tooth.

If you can’t get the tooth back in, don’t force it. Keep the tooth moist at all times by storing it in a small container with a small amount (enough to cover the whole tooth) of milk or saliva.

Do not place the tooth in water. Do not wrap the tooth in tissue or cloth as this will dry out the tooth.

Step 4: See a dentist IMMEDIATELY, ideally within 30 minutes. The sooner the tooth is replaced, the greater the likelihood it will survive. Many dental practices or dental hospitals are open for emergencies and often have after-hours care and contact details on their website or answering machines.

(Source: ADA Factsheet)

Brushing your teeth too hard will not make them cleaner, but it may wear away the protective enamel layer and make them sensitive, so when you brush remember to brush gently and with a ‘soft’ toothbrush.

Gum disease can cause your gums to recede, exposing the root surfaces which can trigger sensitivity.

Grinding or clenching your teeth can wear away your tooth enamel and usually occurs at night while you are asleep.

Erosion of the tooth enamel by acidic drinks and foods, or stomach acid from reflux or vomiting. Pregnancy, eating disorders and conditions such as Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease can increase your risk of erosion, so you should take extra care with your teeth in these situations.

Chipped, broken, or decayed teeth can cause the nerve in the tooth to become irritated and sensitive.

Recent dental work such as restorations, crowns, fillings and even a routine scale and clean may result in sensitive teeth. Your dentist will normally advise if the treatment you are undertaking may cause sensitivity and will suggest a range of available options to minimise discomfort.

(Source: ADA Factsheet)

Anyone who plays a sport or undertakes an activity where collision or contact to the face is a legitimate risk should wear a mouthguard. Sports such as rugby union and league, AFL, hockey and boxing are ‘no brainers’ because intentional collision and contact are a part of the game. However, it is sports where an accidental collision occurs that are often responsible for dental trauma, such as cricket, basketball, netball, touch football, and soccer. These sports are considered ‘non-contact’ and yet they also carry the risk of accidental collision and contribute to the thousands of adults and children who are treated for dental trauma each year. You are at just as much risk during training as you are during the game!

(Source: ADA Factsheet)