Tag: dental-health

S-milestones -Dental Health week Kids

Posted on by adminvpdc in children

Dental Health Week is here!

This year, Dental Health Week shines a spotlight on the importance of children’s oral health milestones — and on educating parents and caregivers about how to support their children in reaching every “S-milestone.” See the video here. https://youtu.be/HxIRGci-tmg

Did You Know?

Even in Australia, tooth decay in children is alarmingly common:

  • 1 in 3 children aged 5–6 has decay in their baby teeth
  • 1 in 4 children aged 6–16 has decay in their adult teeth

For many of these children, this means a lifetime of ongoing dental treatment.

There is a common myth that tooth decay in baby teeth is not a big deal because they will eventually fall out. However, losing baby teeth too early can cause problems. It can lead to space loss with the adjacent teeth drifting into the empty space and later to complex orthodontic problems such as crowding.

What Causes Decay?

Tooth decay is mainly caused by sugars in our diet. These sugars feed the bacteria in our mouths, which produce acid as a by-product. Over time, that acid wears away the tooth surface, eventually causing “holes.”

That is why it is crucial to:

  • Eat healthy foods at regular intervals
  • Avoid frequent snacking
  • Clean teeth thoroughly every day

As parents and caregivers, we play a key role in helping kids make smart food choices and keeping their meal and snack times structured.

How to Protect Your Child’s Smile

The best way to care for children’s teeth is to:

  • Brush twice a day – morning and night
  • Use fluoride toothpaste from 18 months of age
  • Clean between the teeth daily (once the teeth start to touch)

Our team is here to support your family with regular check-ups and early detection of dental issues. Let’s work together to build strong, healthy smiles from the very start! You may be eligible for the Medicare Child Dental Benefit Scheme. We bulk bill patients who are eligible. Make an appointment today!

See you in the clinic!  The Victoria Park Dental Care team.

PS:  check out our socials (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) for top tips for teeth, mouth and gums and dental family snaps!  Maybe even the latest video on YouTube. 

teeth do not repair themselves!

Posted on by adminvpdc in dental care

It is mouthguard time!  Footy is back, hockey is back, basketball/netball are ongoing. Winter sports time is here.  We remind all patients of the terrible impact a sporting injury can have on our teeth, jaw and soft tissues.  A knock to the mouth can result in losing teeth as well as significant long-term damage.  Teeth do not repair themselves. Most sports are now no mouthguard, no play; an initiative which we fully support.  Here at Victoria Park Dental Care, we make professional mouthguards for both junior and senior sport. 

Our mouthguards are custom-made here in Adelaide supporting another locally owned and run business, Adelaide Laboratories.  They are comfortable and firm fitting to ensure maximum protection for you or your child.  They come with a case to keep them clean going to and from sport.  (They should never go in your footy socks! Gross!).  Our mouthguards are coloured in the design of your choice and even have your name in them.  We love the choice Michelle made for her custom mouthguard. 😊 

Should you or your child knock a tooth out, we would recommend the following steps:

•          Find the tooth, be careful to only pick it up by the crown or shiny part of the tooth

•          If it is an adult tooth and fairly clean, put the tooth back where it came from (if you can)

•          Gently bite on a tissue to support the replaced tooth and get to the Dentist for assistance

•          If you are unable to put the tooth back in, store it in milk or saliva in a container and get to the Dentist immediately.

It is not only sport that can injure teeth or mouths.  Falls, accidents, crashes etc can also play a part.  A chipped or broken tooth may also need to be assessed quickly.  Call and advise the clinic you have a mouth trauma and we will assess the tooth and decide on the best course of treatment with you.  We are here to support you in any emergency situation.  Call the clinic on 8332 1188 and will we assist you.

May the floss be with you!  As an avid Star Wars fan, May the 4th is one of Michelle’s favourite days of the year.  Expect a Star Wars meme or two on our Facebook page!!

We had a couple of busy months during March and April.  We hope you had fun over Gather Round, Easter and the school holidays.  In clinic news everyone has updated their medical emergency training with CPR and learnt some new exercises from our ergonomics workshop with Thrive Physio Plus.  It is great that the CPR trainer does simulations in our clinic to make it real world. 

See you in the clinic!  The Victoria Park Dental Care team.

PS:  check out our socials (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) for top tips for teeth, mouth and gums and dental family snaps!  Maybe even the latest video on YouTube. 

Chocolate – is it good for your teeth

Posted on by adminvpdc in dental care

Chocolate – Is it good for your teeth and health?  As much as we would love to say it is good for your teeth, especially at Easter, we have to say it isn’t! 

There are multiple variety of chocolate and chocolate products with varying degrees of sugar, hard additives such as nuts, extra had additives such as praline and sticky additives like toffee and nougat. 

Dark chocolate usually has less sugar and more cocoa solids, than milk or white chocolate but it varies depending on the brand.  Milk chocolate contains cocoa solids and more sugar, while white chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar and milk and is generally the sweetest chocolate.  In a 100gm serving of chocolate you will find the following amount of sugar. 

🍫 Dark Chocolate (70–85% cocoa) → 10–30g of sugar
🍫 Milk Chocolate → 40–50g of sugar
🍫 White Chocolate → 50–60g of sugar

Sugars are food to the decay causing bacteria in your mouth which leads to an acidic environment next to the enamel (often in between the teeth), and then this causes the enamel to leak calcium and phosphates. If this calcium and phosphate are not replaced from the saliva then a hole will develop.  The ions will not be replaced if the acid environment persists through lack of cleaning on all surfaces of the tooth or if the saliva flow is low or not good quality.

On top of this is the sticky insides of some chocolates that tend to linger over surfaces of the teeth.  Thinking of toffees or nougat or cream fillings that make their way into the nooks and crannies of teeth. Sigh!  These often spend time on teeth creating a longer acidic environment that these bacteria love.  And then there is the hard or extra hard additives.  For all our patients, who have fillings or crowns these are the chocolates that will break teeth around fillings or porcelain!  Best treat these with care. Plus, a tip – please don’t put chocolate in the fridge and then try to bite into it.  It will break teeth!

“Everything in moderation” is a wonderful saying and we would love to follow that advice with chocolate of any kind.  The Haigh’s store is on Greenhill Road, Menz Fruchocs are available, Charlesworth Nuts are available too, and we do like to support South Australian business after all!  Dr Stone is a Haigh’s dark chocolate fan.  However, we do need to follow our scope of practice and remind all of the need for good oral hygiene regardless of your own chocolate preferences.  Flossing, interproximal brushes such as piksters, and brushing with a fluoride toothpaste will help strengthen your enamel, reducing the harm done by chocolate.  Regular dental and hygiene visits with regular dental xrays will also help us to fix something small or introduce a new oral care regime to assist you to keep your teeth as long as possible.

We wish you a wonderful Easter break with family and friends.

See you in the clinic!  The Victoria Park Dental Care team.

PS:  check out our socials (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) for top tips for teeth, mouth and gums and dental family snaps!  Maybe even the latest video on YouTube.  Our last team training day on Medical Emergencies in Dental Practice will be up there.

Snoring or trouble with sleep apnoea?

Posted on by adminvpdc in general health

At Victoria Park Dental Care, we believe in helping our patients achieve not only healthy smiles but also a better quality of life. Today, we are shining a spotlight on sleep apnoea, a condition that can disrupt your sleep and negatively impact your overall health.

What is Sleep Apnoea?

Sleep apnoea is a serious sleep disorder where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts throughout the night. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which occurs when the muscles in the back of your throat relax excessively during sleep, causing a temporary blockage in your airway. Current findings have also found that the tissues in the upper airway are also more likely to collapse with aging. 

Common symptoms of sleep apnoea can include:

  • Loud snoring
  • Gasping or choking during sleep
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Morning headaches
  • Feeling unrefreshed upon waking
  • Grinding teeth during sleep

If left untreated, OSA can lead to serious health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

How to Address Sleep Apnoea

If you suspect you may have sleep apnoea, it is important to speak with your local GP. Consider bringing your bedroom partner along if they notice your sleep being noisy or disturbed. Your GP will refer you to a sleep clinic for a sleep study, where your oxygen levels and breathing patterns will be monitored overnight.

Treatment Options for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

There are two main treatments for managing sleep apnoea:

  1. CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) – This is the most common treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnoea. A CPAP machine uses a mask that delivers a continuous flow of air to keep your airway open as you sleep.
  2. Mandibular Advancement Splints – For mild to moderate sleep apnoea or for those who cannot tolerate a CPAP machine, a bimaxillary advancement splint is an effective alternative. This custom-fitted device helps reposition the lower jaw slightly forward, which keeps the airway open and prevents it from collapsing during sleep. They are also a great option for those who travel a lot.

At our sister practice of Adelaide City Dental Care, we offer a range of Somnomed devices as part of our commitment to providing high-quality solutions for sleep apnoea. Somnomed is a leader in the development of mandibular advancement splints, offering a comfortable, non-invasive way to manage sleep apnoea without the need for bulky equipment like CPAP machines. We can custom-fit a Somnomed device to your unique mouth and jaw structure, ensuring it is comfortable and effective.

Schedule a Consultation Today! If you think you may be suffering from sleep apnoea, snoring, or related symptoms, we encourage you to schedule a consultation with our team at Adelaide City Dental Care. We will help you explore the best treatment options, including the Somnomed device, to improve your sleep quality and overall health.

See you in the clinic!  The Victoria Park Dental Care team.

PS:  check out our socials (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) for top tips for teeth, mouth and gums and dental family snaps!  Maybe even the latest video on YouTube. 

pregnancy and Oral health

Posted on by adminvpdc in Pregnancy

It is fitting this month to talk about pregnancy and oral health especially with the safe arrival of a baby boy for Tina born in January 2025.  He is so cute!  Tina will be on maternity leave until November 2025.  Here is the link to a great podcast on pregnancy and oral health https://teeth.org.au/watch-your-mouth-podcast/oral-health-and-pregnancy

Pregnancy and your gums:

With the pregnancy hormones, needing to eat multiple small meals, and feeling unwell and/or tired your gums can be more sensitive and less resilient to plaque build up and gum disease.  It is very easy to feel that you don’t want to brush and floss, however this can lead to more issues down the track.  It is more important than usual to keep with the oral hygiene routine of brushing and flossing morning and night.

Pregnancy and your teeth:

If you are unfortunate to be physically sick or have reflux during pregnancy then the acid attack on your teeth can be damaging to the enamel surface and root surfaces of your teeth.  After you have been unwell you can rinse your mouth with water, but don’t brush your teeth for at least 30mins to allow for your mouth to return to a more neutral level and the enamel to harden.  Frequent small meals and snacking will keep your mouth in an acid environment as well so the same habit applies.  You can also put some toothpaste on your finger and rub around your teeth after vomiting or reflux or use an alcohol-free fluoride mouthwash.

Pregnancy and your dental appointments:

We know you now have so many extra appointments with your doctor, obstetric care, blood tests, scans etc!  We would love to still see you too, and your teeth and gums would benefit from checkups too!  As your gums can be extra irritated a lovely hygiene clean will help to reduce the bleeding and the possibility of bone loss from gum disease.  Depending on how irritated your gums are we may need to see you a couple of times during your pregnancy. We can also check your teeth for signs of acid wear or the beginnings of decay.  It is safe to take xrays if required due to the minimal radiation from our digital xrays and a lead shield.  However, in a well-maintained mouth we often wait until after baby is born if it is not urgent.  If we need to do dental treatment such as fillings then we often schedule these during the middle trimester more for your comfort than any other reason.  It is safe to attend at any time, but the first trimester you are often feeling unwell and the third trimester it is often hard to lay flat.  It is safe to have local anaesthetic for treatment during pregnancy as well. During treatment we are likely to offer you a pillow for the left side of your body to prevent baby from pressing on the major blood vessel return to your heart while you lie flat to make you more comfortable. We may also suggest some adjunct oral health care products such as tooth mousse or some mouthwashes during your pregnancy.

See you in the clinic!  The Victoria Park Dental Care team.

PS:  check out our socials (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) for top tips for teeth, mouth and gums and dental family snaps!  Maybe even the latest video on YouTube.