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Can I get more than one filling done at a time?
Yes.
The normal experience of most patients is that their fillings
are done one at a time. However, this can be daunting
if you have a lot of fillings that need replacing. Treatment
can take up a lot of your time and get very tiring. We
have a lot of experience in doing multiple fillings at
once and have systems in place that allow us to achieve
the same quality result, or even better in some cases,
doing multiple instead of individual fillings. Our patients
appreciate the time they save and the fewer number of
anaesthetics they need.
How do I tell if my child needs braces?
If your child has grown past their jaw development stage
(around 13-14 years old) the need for braces will be obvious
as they will not have a pleasing smile with a nice arrangement
of teeth. The challenge is to recognise growth problems
early. That way, we can intervene while the child is still
growing. We get a much better result and in some instances
we can even avoid the need for braces if we see children
early enough.
When should I start flossing/ how often to floss?
Flossing should start as soon as possible, anytime after
two years old. We advise parents to supervise and help
their children with flossing. The parents themselves may
need to do the flossing for the child until the age of
6-7 years old. Flossing should be done once a day at a
minimum, preferably twice.
Why do I need 6 monthly checkups?
Regular maintenance is very important. Apart from the
customary scale and clean there are a lot of other things
that we do at your six monthly check up. These include:
- oral cancer screen of all soft tissues
including lips, face and neck
- jaw joint check for instability, clicks
or pain
- breathing check to screen for
snoring, sleep apnoea
- lymph gland check
- muscle spasm check
- tooth wear check
- tooth decay check
- gum disease and health of supporting
bone check
- adequacy of current cleaning routine check
We monitor and record all of these points every time
we see you. This allows us to detect and correct problems
early.
Can I hurt my gums when flossing?
Yes, it is possible to damage the gum tissues with an
incorrect flossing technique. Furthermore, if flossing
is done incorrectly, it won't be effective in keeping the
gum and supporting bone healthy. It is very important that
you have good, clear instruction and practical feedback
on your flossing technique. Every person needs to floss
slightly differently according to the situation in their
mouth. This is why whenever we see you, we spend the time
to make sure your current flossing is effective and modify
your technique if required.
My gums bleed when I brush my teeth. What does this
mean?
Constant bleeding of the gums is usually an indication
that some form of infection is present in the gum tissues.
If it does not clear up completely within a few days it
is very important to have the gums assessed to determine
the reason for the infection and resolve it. Long term
gum bleeding should
never be tolerated as the infection will almost
always affect the underlying bone that supports your teeth.
Gum infection can also affect the rest of your body in
various ways:
- infection and abscesses in other areas
- suppression of the
immune system (very important in chronic fatigue
or immune compromised patients)
- increased risk of stroke or heart attack from infected
clots formed by gum infection bacteria
It is also very
important to consider the reverse situation, that there
may be an underlying systemic condition
that is affecting the gums. Many a time, undiagnosed
conditions
will affect the gum first. There is a huge range
of these conditions from minor things such as vitamin deficiency
to undiagnosed
diabetes to leukemia or Aids.
Does pregnancy effect my mouth in anyway?
During
pregnancy there are a lot of changes in your mouth. It
is important that women who have trouble with morning sickness
to keep up with their oral hygiene routine even though
brushing and flossing may cause gagging and the smell
or taste of toothpaste may be objectionable.
There are ways of dealing with these problems, as it is
important to maintain your mouth in a healthy state. It
is also important for your
cleaning
routine to be effective as the change in your hormone
levels may exacerbate any existing gum infection.
If oral hygiene is allowed to lapse to the point where
decay or gum infections get established, treatment
can sometimes
be difficult or impossible as the administration
of medication at this time may pose a danger to the baby.
A check up
early in your pregnancy with subsequent regular
reviews is thoroughly recommended.
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