The mouth is essentially the key pathway to the rest of your body. Thus, what we eat, and drink is important not only to your dental health but to your general health. Often, we associate dentistry with just the mouth and nothing else. However, it is all connected. The mouth can be one of the first places where we will see or feel something is not right somewhere else in the body, like that of the digestive system.
Here at Adelaide Dental Centre and Personal Dental Care we want to take the time to make sure we are not only looking at just one part of you. But you as an entire person. We are here to give you the best evidence based professional advice and recommendations to suit you.
We strongly believe that prevention is better than trying to treat the disease that has already taken hold and done damage. That is why we believe in the importance of regular dental visits. By having your regular dental visit, we can help you maintain healthy teeth and gums. Plus address any problems you may be having and provide treatment before it becomes worse. Our goal is to help you prevent tooth decay and gum disease. However, we do know that these two disease still exist worldwide and there is no cure for them yet. Thus, our aim is to provide you with a holistic approach to dental care.
A regular or routine visit every 3, 4 or 6 months may include:
- Examining your soft tissues (gums, cheeks, lips, tongue, floor of the mouth, salivary glands)
- Examining your hard tissues (tooth decay, tooth wear, broken or loose filling, crown, bridges, implants, jaw joint)
- Examining and prosthesis (dentures, partial plates, night guards, mouth guards, sports guards, orthodontic retainers, orthodontic wires, other dental appliances)
- Checking for oral cancer or other pathology in and around the mouth, lips, chin, jaw and neck
- Addressing your chief concern(s) and creating a dental treatment plan if required
- Taking a set of radiographs (x-ray images) called bitewings (taken at your initial visit as a base line then every 2 years to check for any changes where we cannot see clinically)
- Discussing your oral hygiene habits and giving relevant oral hygiene advice
- Brushing (manual or electric toothbrush)
- Flossing or another interproximal device
- Mouth rinse
- Toothpaste
- Medicated dental products
- Additional cleaning tools
- Giving dietary advice relevant to your oral health
- Acidic foods and beverages causing dental erosion
- Sugary foods and beverages causing dental caries
- Linking your oral health and to your general health
- Updating and discussing your medical history if required (medical conditions, medications, allergies)
- Any associations with problems in the mouth
- Cleaning the teeth (removing food, plaque, calculus, staining)
- Prophylaxis
- Ultrasonic scaler
- Hand scalers
- Applying a topical remineralisation agent (high concentration fluoride)
- Gel
- Foam
- Varnish
Please feel free to ask us any questions that you may have, even that if they might not be directly dentally related. These could include something about medical conditions, medications, allergies, diets, sports, stress, anxiety and so on. We are here to keep you informed to the best of our abilities so you can take care of your smile inside and out.