HEALTH FUNDS

The amount of rebate that you get from your health fund is dependent on the level of cover of your health insurance policy.   Funds vary in installments and rebates.  It is worth shopping for the best deals.   Most health funds will rebate two cleans and examinations per year.

 

MEDICARE

The only medicare coverage is in the public hospitals.  Children up to age 16 are treated for free in dental hospitals. A full mouth x-rays called an OPG can be taken at x-ray centres with a dental referral and will be bulk billed by most x-ray centres.   But there is no rebate or coverage from the government for private dental treatment.

 

WHEN SHOULD YOU VISIT THE DENTIST

If you wait for pain to visit the dentist then it is likely that the pain may be an infection of the nerve inside the tooth or a gum abscess.  Both will be expensive and time consuming to fix.  Therefore it is adviseable to visit the dentist for regular scarping of the teeth and checks twice yearly before major (expensive) dental restoration is needed.

 

WHEN SHOULD CHILDREN VISIT THE DENTIST

Familiarity is the major concern for pre school children unless they have a diet with a high consumption of sugar.  Take the smaller children with you when you visit the dentist to relieve any anxiety that may arise.  It is important when children speak about dentists at school then bring them to a dentist to re-enforce the positve aspects of a dental checkup.

 

BRUSHING THE TEETH

So many misconceptions exists with the size, shape, contour and hardness of toothbrushes and the right toothpaste to use. The tooth brush should be soft and changed often.   Clean the brushes between use with soap and water or a solution that can be bought from the supplier that can actually keep the toothbrush free from bacteria. If the tooth brush is electric it should have an automatic switch off.  If the electric brush is used too vigorously  it can damage the gum attachment or damage the enamel of teeth.  Ask your dentist for a demonstation of exactly how to use the manual or electric brush.

Flossing or brushing the spaces between teeth is mandatory to stop gum disease. The toothpaste is secondary as unless the area is sufficiently cleaned manually of food debris and bacteria the toothpaste has little effect.

 

WHAT IS AN INTERPROXIMAL BRUSH

It is a toothbrush for in-between the teeth. It stimulates the blood flow to the area and aids healing of the gums damaged and irritated by foods and bacteria. The interproximal brush is mandatory for fresh breath and freedom from dental disease.

 

DIET AND TEETH

The diet is the most important factor in the health of teeth. If your diet is high in sugar, all types of sugar, breads and cakes, soft drinks and processed foods then this is the major factor in the breakdown of teeth and gums. Dental disease is totally preventable with the right diet and maintenance procedures.

 

WHAT IS GUM DISEASE

This is the breakdown of the structures of bone and gums that hold teeth in the mouth. Gum disease is mostly pain free and so undetectable unless examined by a dentist. It is important to have x-rays taken regularly and maintenance cleaning appointments at the dentist to prevent gum disease.

 

WHAT IS DENTAL DECAY or TOOTH DECAY

This is when the structure of the tooth is broken down. Loss of calcium from the tooth leaves the outside of the tooth suseptible to attack by acids in foods (mainly sugar). This regular breakdown of the tooth structure leaves a hole in the tooth which cannot be repaired naturally. The dentist will clean out the decay and fill the hole. If the hole is not filled it will slowly degrade until there is a tooth ache.

 

WHAT IS A TOOTH ACHE

The tooth can ache from the dental decay going so far into the tooth that it reaches the nerve which is at the centre of the tooth. If this happens there is pain to hot and cold, pain to pressure when eating and can be excruciating. If not attended to it may result in a swollen face. It is mandatory that attention is gained from the dentist. If the pain is coming from the gum it is usually a dull ache and a swelling around the tooth. All pain resulting from the mouth should be investigated as soon as possible so that it does not progress to unbearable as it is uncomfortable for the patient to treat.

 

WHAT IS ROOT CANAL THERAPY

When the dental decay progresses to the nerve and an infection begins of the nerve then the choice is to either have the nerve removed or have the tooth extracted. If the choice is to take the nerve out and retain the tooth. Firstly for this to happen the nerve is taken out on the first appointment and then subsequent appointments made for the channels (canals) down inside the root of the tooth to be filed, shaped and filled with a radioopaque material such as a natural rubber called gutter percha. This treatment is called a Root Canal Therapy.

 

WHAT IS A CROWN

A crown is a covering around the entire surface of a tooth. It is advisable after root canal therapy to encase the tooth by a crown to prevent fracture of the tooth. After a root canal therapy treatment has been performed then the tooth becomes brittle and weakened, therefore a crown will prolong the longevity of the tooth. This is also the case when the tooth is badly broken down by decay or trauma as a crown will protect the tooth and prevent further damage to it.

 

WHAT IS A VENEER

This is a thin fingernail thickness porcelain covering for the frontal surface of the teeth only. A minimal amount of tooth structure is removed with the dental drill, just sufficient enough to fit the veneer on without the join between the veneer and the tooth showing. A crown covers the entire tooth but a veneer only covers the frontal part of the tooth. It covers stains, teeth that are cracked or chipped or align teeth that are in the wrong position.

 

WHAT IS COSMETIC DENTISTRY

This style of dentistry is any treatment which improves the look (or aesthetic aspect) of the teeth. The services available are bleaching for the front teeth. Reconstruction of the teeth with crowns or veneers or orthodontic treatment to change the position of the teeth. All of this is considered to be cosmetic dentistry.

 

ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT

This refers to the movement of teeth when they are crowded or in the wrong positions. The problem could be skeletal ie the jaw bones are not big enough to accommodate the teeth and therefore a plate has to be worn in order to expand the jaw bones. If the treatement for expanding the jaw bones is not started early enough and the growth of the child's skeletal bones has been finalised then surgery may be necessary in order to change the structure of the face. This has to be assessed by an orthodontist.

 

BRACES

This is small brakets glued to each tooth with a wire inserted into these brackets in order to move teeth around the dental arch. There has to be enough space for all the teeth to fit into the dental arch. If there is not enough space then an orthodontic appliance is used to expand the jaws, surgery is also used to expand the jaws or teeth are removed to fit in the dental arch. This has to be assessed by a dentist or orthodontist. Should your child wear braces? This is the preference of the parent, also a financial concern. An assessment is necessary so that any functional problems with the malposition of the teeth can be rectified before any permanent damage is done to either the jaw bones or the teeth.

 

TEMPRO MANDIBULAR JOINT DISORDERS (TMJ syndromes)

The position of the lower jaw in relation to the skull ie upper jaw, is important and is dependent on the position of the teeth in the jaw bones. If there is malposition of the teeth then the resulting bite could displace the way the lower jaw aligns with the upper jaw and cause problems to the jaw joint. This has to be assessed by a dentist/orthodontist as it could cause headaches/neck ache and other symptoms.

 

AMALGAM FILLINGS

There is much controversy about the metal/mercury fillings. The scientific community has assessed that the mercury in the fillings is no more dangerous than if you are to eat fish on a regular basis. Removing large amalgam restorations could result in damage to the nerve in a tooth and a need for extensive dental reconstruction. Have your fillings assessed by a dentist. Most modern surgeries today do not use amalgam restorations and use the new modern composite resin fillings.

 

TYPES OF FILLINGS/RESTORATIONS

Amalgams - rarely used today

Composite resins - recommended for smaller restorations and in the anterior teeth. They can be used in the back teeth to fill in until a crown can be constructed if the destruction of the tooth is too large for a composite filling to repair.

Porcelain inlays/onlays - These are usually for large restorations where the destruction of the tooth is extensive. There is a process called Cerec which is a machine in the dental surgery. A Cerec computer can measure the tooth and the diameter of the preparation and the machine will then construct an inlay/only porcelain restoration while the patient is in the chair. It is about the same cost as if the dentist does the preparation, takes the impression and sends the mould to the technician to prepare in the dental laboratory. It is a merely a measure of convenience.

Gold restorations - are still used today where the bite warrants the use of a strong metal restoration. The preparation is completed and a mould taken and sent to the dental technician.

Glass ionomer restorations - contain fluoride and used mainly for children's primary teeth. Similar to the composite resin restorations but not as strong.

 

COST OF RESTORATIONS

Varies with dentists but if the restoration is porcelain or gold then laboratory expences escalate the cost up to ten fold.