News Archives - Riverside Dental Spa - Central Coast Dentists

All the news from Riverside Dental Spa – the Central Coast’s favourite dental practice.

Adolescent Oral Health

June 27, 2019/in News /by Riverside Dental Spa

PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR: Brushing only once a day or not at all

POTENTIAL RISKS: Development of cavities and/or gum diseases

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: Brushing once a day is okay in most cases, although, if only brushing once a day it is most important to brush in the evenings after dinner. Creating a reminder on the phone may help prompt brushing for forgetful teens. Rewards systems can work well for some adolescents.

PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR: Not cleaning in between the teeth

POTENTIAL RISK: Development of cavities and/or gum diseases

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: Try flossettes as they have handles for easier access and a quicker overall flossing experience. Pick two days of the week and make sure you floss all of your teeth on those two days every week.

PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR: High sugar diet (food, drinks, medicines)

POTENTIAL RISKS: Increase in demineralised enamel leading to cavities

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: Choose healthy snacks (such as yoghurt, cheese, fruit, nuts, berries, vegetable sticks) over sugary snacks (lollies, chocolate, museli bars, biscuits). Avoid soft drinks, energy drinks, cordial, flavoured beverages, and consume mostly water throughout the day.

PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR: Smoking / Vaping

POTENTIAL RISKS: Development of oral pathology, cancers and/or increased risk and severity of gum diseases

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: Create an environment where adolescents feel comfortable talking to an adult about the potential risks associated with smoking (this doesn’t have to be a parent, it can be an aunt, uncle, or family friend). Never make teens feel bad for smoking, instead, discuss the risks, encourage them to stop and refer them to a pharmacy, GP, or the Quitline to assist with cessation strategies.

PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR: Alcohol

POTENTIAL RISKS: Erosion of tooth structure due to vomiting, reflux and/or pH of alcoholic beverages. Trauma due to knocks, falls, or aggressive behaviour. Increases in cavities due to high sugar content and low pH of alcoholic beverages

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: Consume drinking alcohol in moderation and encourage consumption of water in between standard drinks.

PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR: Recreational drug use

POTENTIAL RISKS: Broken teeth due to clenching, grinding of teeth, or aggressive behaviour. Increases in cavities and/or gum diseases due to decreased salivary function.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: Create an environment where adolescents feel comfortable talking to an adult about the potential risks associated with recreational drug use (this doesn’t have to be a parent, it can be an aunt, uncle or family friend). You may wish to refer to a GP or area health service for education and/or management of drug use/addiction.

PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR: Sexual activity

POSTENTIAL RISKS: Contraction of Herpes Simplex Virus – HSV (cold sores) and/or Human Papilloma Virus – HPV

SOLUTION: HPV is a leading cause of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers; both HSV and HPV are spread through skin to skin contact. Encourage the use of contraception for sexually active adolescents, as well as utilising sexual health check up services for STI tests and education purposes. You may wish to refer to a GP, youth health centre, FPA health clinic (formerly Family Planning NSW), sexual health clinic, women’s health centre or Aboriginal sexual health service

What to do if a tooth is knocked out

October 3, 2018/in News /by Riverside Dental Spa

Sometimes things happen… whether its a ball to the head, a knee to the mouth, or tripping over your own shoelaces. Would you know what to do if a tooth is knocked out??

Firstly it is important to understand the difference between exfoliation and avulsion.
Exfoliation is when the tooth is lost due to natural circumstances – the most common cause of exfoliation is loss of a baby tooth due to the impending eruption of the permanent successor.
Avulsion is when the tooth exfoliates forcibly due to unnatural circumstances, such as a knock to the face.

In cases of exfoliation:

– PRIMARY TEETH: Children lose their primary teeth from the ages of about 6-12 years of age; you can usually tell if it is a baby tooth by the size (quite small), colour (very white), and if the tooth was ready to exfoliate there will be no or very little of the remaining roots attached. You may also notice a new permanent tooth already erupting through the gum, or see/feel a bulge where that new tooth is sitting close to the surface of the gum.

– PERMANENT TEETH: If a permanent tooth is lost and there has been no trauma involved, you may wish to seek advice from your dental professional as there may be more complicated underlying issues present.

In cases of trauma and/or avulsion:

– PRIMARY TEETH: If a primary tooth suffers avulsion, never re-implant the tooth due to risk of damage to the underlying permanent tooth. You may wish to keep the tooth and make an emergency appointment with your dental professional to check that the tooth has come out in one piece and if there is any remaining tooth fragments left in the bone.

– PERMANENT TEETH: For permanent teeth that exfoliate before their time due to a knock or trauma, there are a few steps to follow:

Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown (avoid touching the root/s).
If you feel confident replanting (re-inserting) the tooth you may do so, BUT make sure you place the tooth in the correct position / the right way around because once it is back in it isn’t coming out again for hopefully a very long time!
If the tooth has debris on it, clean the tooth under cool running water (max 10 seconds) prior to replantation.
If you do not feel confident replanting the tooth yourself, either place the tooth into a cup or glad bag of milk, or if milk is unavailable, you can place the tooth inside the patients mouth between the lower teeth and the cheek BUT DO NOT SWALLOW IT!
Make an emergency appointment with your dental professional or closest dental clinic for assessment, replantation, and splinting/stabilisation where appropriate.
NOTE: For the best long-term prognosis, the tooth should be replanted immediately, or no later than 1-2 hours after avulsion.

Once a tooth has avulsed and been replanted, there is a significant risk the nerve inside the tooth will not survive the trauma, and it may require further treatment later down the track; this could take days, months, years, or even decades. Regular dental appointments, diagnostic tests, and radiographs (x-rays) will be performed for ongoing assessment of the vitality of the tooth.

If you have any questions or concerns about exfoliation or avulsion, you are more than welcome to call Riverside Dental Spa on 4323-4323 to discuss these with our friendly team!

Teeth Whitening with Activated Charcoal

August 29, 2018/in News /by Riverside Dental Spa

Charcoal toothpastes and powders are a recent innovation to the dental product market. Marketing campaigns flooding social media such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube claim that brushing with activated charcoal whitens teeth and improves the health of the teeth and gums.

So how does it work?

In the early 1900’s the World Health Organisation (WHO) listed activated charcoal as an essential medicine for treating poisoning and overdoses. When taken, the activated charcoal allows the drugs and toxins to bind to it, helping to safely rid the body of unwanted substances. To date there have been no scientific studies to confirm that activated charcoal is effective in whitening teeth or improving the health of the teeth or the gums.

Some wellness gurus advocate the activated charcoal toothpastes essentially help rid the mouth of bacteria and toxins the same way it helps the gut – binding to the toxins and expelling them. However, due to the abrasiveness of charcoal products the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.

Abrasive products can certainly help lift extrinsic (surface) staining from things such as tea, coffee, red wine and tobacco, making the teeth appear whiter.

Excess abrasion to the teeth can cause gingival recession , enamel loss and dentine exposure, all of which lead to heightened sensitivity to hot and cold and increased risk of tooth decay.

How does this happen?

Enamel is essentially the hard protective, white layer of the teeth. It protects the inner, softer layers from hot and cold stimulus and well as being a strong barrier against decay causing bacteria.

With any abrasive products loss of enamel leads to the darkening or yellowing of the teeth – this is the second layer of the tooth, the dentine being exposed. Thus counteracting any “ whitening” from the charcoal toothpaste.

Exposed dentine also increases tooth sensitivity and is at higher risk of dental decay due to its soft composition, decay is likely to spread at a higher rate.

It is important to understand enamel has no regenerative components, once it is gone, its gone. The only way to improve the discolouration or damage is by having a dentist place a restoration. (Filling/ crown/ veneer)

Further , the charcoal products can have a negative aesthetic effect by staining or lodging in the margins of existing restorations/fillings/ veneers making the margin appear dark and stained. Any charcoal lodging below the gums can cause inflammation and trauma. This can be not only be unsightly, but also difficult to remove or polish away.

Our View on Charcoal Toothpastes and Whitening Products:

While brushing with an activated charcoal tooth paste may feel fresh and clean, it is important to consider the long term effects and damage you may be causing to your teeth and always consult with your dental professional prior to using.

Charcoal products have been shown to lift surface staining providing a superficial , temporary result. However there is no formal evidence to suggest any actual whitening or further dental health benefits. Long term use is not recommended due to the abrasive nature of the product. As dental professionals we will always recommend products that are backed with research due to the fact it has been tried and tested for safety, the health of the mouth and possible side effects.

For whitening the products we recommend will contain either carbide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide. Low percentage peroxide products can be purchased over the counter but higher strength professional whitening products should always be applied for administered by a dental professional.

Hydrogen and carbamide peroxides work by penetrating the enamel and breaking molecular bonds, charcoal products only remove surface stains through abrasion. So while activated charcoal has been approved by the FDA, as with any abrasive products it is best used with caution. Always consult with your dental professional when considering using alternative dental products.

References:
1: The Pharmaceutical Journal , Charcoal Toothpastes : What we know so far

https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/opinion/correspondence/charcoal-toothpastes-what-we-know-so-far/20203167.article

2: Academy of General Dentistry: Activated Charcoal as a Whitening Dentrifice

https://www.omicsonline.org/proceedings/activated-charcoal-as-a-whitening-dentifrice-37325.html

3: Dentistry IQ: Black Toothpaste and White Toothpaste, When Opposites Collide

https://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2017/03/black-toothpaste-and-white-teeth-when-opposites-collide.html

4: Clifton M. Carey, BA, MS, PhD, Professor, Tooth Whitening: what we now know https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4058574/

5: Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Surface Changes of enamel after brushing with charcoal toothpaste

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/884/1/012002/pdf

Jaw Joint Disorder Treatments

June 5, 2018/in News /by Riverside Dental Spa

The jaw joints, otherwise known as the temporomandibular joints (TMJs) are the most complex joints in the human body. They are acted on by the bodies strongest and most dense muscles and whilst chewing are subject to enormous forces in a multitude of different directions. It is perhaps a little surprizing then that most of the problems associated with these joints have nothing to do with eating.

Most frequently these problems emerge as a result of clenching or grinding the teeth. This can result from stress, head injuries, sleep apnoea, certain prescription medications (most notably a sub type of antidepressant medication, known a SSRIs – like Prozac, Zoloft, cyprimil, Lexapro etc, but also appetite suppressants like duromine, and stimulants like dexaphetamine) and also illicit drugs like ice, speed and ecstasy.

The pain associated with disorders of the TMJ can be intense, unrelenting and like most pain in the head and neck region, can refer to other parts of the head and face, making diagnosis at times quite tricky. Headaches are often associated with either the joints themselves or the muscles that act on them. In addition, in the immediate vicinity of the joints in the human skull, is the machinery for balance (middle ear) and hearing (outer ear), so it is not uncommon to have dizziness or tinnitus (ringing in the ear) associated with jaw dysfunction.

As a general rule, treatments for jaw joint problems can be pretty hit and miss. A long-time staple of dental treatment for jaw joint problems is a device known as an occlusal splint, which is effectively a wedge of plastic that keeps the jaws separated at night (usually). It is ultra-effective at protecting the teeth from damage, but nowhere near as predictable in relieving the jaw pain.

The unpredictability of the occlusal splint in treating the TMJ comes down to a number of factors. The anatomy of the individual is one. Given the enormous variety in shape of the human jaw, it’s not all that surprising that a one design fits all approach won’t necessarily work.

One feature common to almost all of the causes of TMJ disorders, is the excess tension in the chewing muscles. Tension in these muscles pushes the lower jaw into the joint, effectively squashing the disk and cartilage, and causing inflammation and pain.

Strategic use of our products can relieve the tension in these muscles, take pressure off the joints and allow them heal, no matter what the cause.

31st May: No Tobacco Day

May 30, 2018/in News /by Riverside Dental Spa

Smoking and the effects on your dental health:

No tobacco day is the perfect opportunity to start minimising the amount you smoke and ultimately quit smoking!

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. (https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/basics/threats-to-dental-health/what-you-need-to-know-about-smoking-and-oral-health-0814 )
People who smoke generally have a much higher rate of gum disease , complications after having teeth extracted and developing oral cancers.
The risk of tobacco related dental disease depends on how long you have smoked and the amount of cigarettes smoked daily however there are no healthy levels of exposure , even second hand smoke.

There are numerous benefits of stopping smoking not only for your dental health, but your overall health and wellbeing.

Dental Disease/ Complications Caused by Tobacco:

1: Oral Cancer :

Oral cancer is cancer of the mouth , including tongue, cheek , palate , floor of the mouth and lips. – Around 80% of oral cancer patients use tobacco.

Oral cancers are particularly dangerous due to the fact they are often not diagnosed until the later stages when it has metastasized to other parts of the body. Thus making it much more difficult to treat.
Symptoms include:

Swellings, thickness, lumps on lips, gums, tongue / other area of the mouth that to not go away.
White/ red patches in the mouth.
Unexplained bleeding.
Persistent sores on the face, neck, or mouth that bleed easily and do not heal.
Difficulty chewing, swallowing , speaking or moving the jaw.

2: Periodontal Disease:

Periodontal (gum) disease is disease that effects, the gums, ligaments and bone supporting the teeth. Build up of plaque and bacteria creates an immune response that causes inflammation of the gums and attacks the bone and supporting structures.
As gum diseases progresses more bone is lost from around the teeth ultimately causing them to become loose.

People who smoke less than 10 cigarettes daily are two times more likely to develop gum disease. This increases to four to five times more likely in heavier smokers.

Smokers are also at high risk of developing acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis, also known as trench mouth- a painful gum condition which looks, smells and tastes terrible.

Smokers are also much less responsive to treatment of gum disease due to the bodies decreased ability to repair itself, encouragingly once people cease smoking the positive response to treatment increases.

Symptoms include:

Red , swollen, bleeding gums
Pain or tenderness of the gums
Discharge/ pus coming from the gums
Loose gums that fall away from the teeth
Bad breath/ bad taste
Loose teeth
Spaces opening up between teeth

3: Bad Breath/ Halitosis

With the increased incidence of gum disease also comes increased incidence of bad breath (halitosis).

Often smokers are not aware of the smell caused by excess tobacco. This will usually subside and improve once smoking has ceased.

4: Stained Teeth

The nicotine in tobacco will quickly cause the teeth to darken or go yellow, this will occur whether you smoke or chew tobacco. While staining is not detrimental to the health of the teeth it can often be difficult to remove as the tar settles into the small cracks and grooves of the teeth.

5: Black Hairy Tongue

Black hairy tongue is a harmless oral condition that gives the tongue a dark furry appearance. Although being harmless black hairy tongue can be quite unsightly.

Hairy tongue occurs from a build up of dead skin cells on the surface of the tongue that contains papillae (taste buds). Tobacco is one of the main contributing factors .

usually black hairy tongue can be resolved by eliminating the contributing factors as well as good dental hygiene.

Dental Care for Smokers:

If you are a smoker there are a few important things to remember when looking after your oral health;

Try to stop smoking ; this is the number one biggest factor in improving the health of your mouth, teeth and gums. Your doctor or Quitline are available for help and support.
If stopping completely is too hard; At the very least try to reduce the amount you are smoking daily.
Thoroughly brushing with fluoridated tooth paste twice a day. Do not use an abrasive (Smokers) toothpaste as it will damage the gums and roots of your teeth.
Use dental floss or interdental brushes to clean in between your teeth.
Visit your Dentist/ Hygienist regularly for preventive dental care.
Drink plenty of water.
Limit alcohol intake.

Where To Get Help on Your Journey to Quitting:

Your Doctor
Dentist or Healthcare professional
Australian Dental Association Tel. (03) 8825 4600
QUITLINE: Tel. 13 7848 (13 QUIT)

Adolescent Oral Health

What to do if a tooth is knocked out

Teeth Whitening with Activated Charcoal

Jaw Joint Disorder Treatments

31st May: No Tobacco Day

Dental Services

Dental Services

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