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Dental Education in Eltham

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About Your Teeth

At Eltham Dental Clinic, we want to ensure that your teeth are well taken care of at all times. We understand that knowledge is just as important to your oral health as daily dental care and regular check-ups, and have compiled a list of useful information for you to take on your oral-health journey.

Oral Hygiene

Proper oral hygiene is the best preventative care available. It does not eliminate cavities but it greatly diminishes the risk and helps any problems that do occur to be less severe.

Oral care includes keeping both the teeth and gums clean and healthy with regular and thorough brushing and flossing, as well as regular professional check-ups and cleanings. A good, healthy mouth means that teeth are clean and free of any food particles, gums are pink, not red, and do not hurt or start bleeding when brushed or flossed and chronic bad breath is not a problem.

How do you maintain good oral hygiene? Brush your teeth thoroughly twice a day and floss daily. Eat a balanced diet, limiting snacks and sugar intake. Use fluoride toothpaste, and visit Eltham Dental Clinic regularly.

Bad Breath

Millions of people around the world embarrassingly suffer from bad breath, but the good news is that with proper dental care, bad breath can be virtually eliminated. Below are the two main sources of bad breath:
  • The foods we eat 
  • Bacteria in our mouth 
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How to Fight Bad Breath

  • Stay away from foods known to cause bad breath
  • Brush and floss your teeth regularly
  • Remove bacteria from your tongue with a tongue cleaner
  • Hydrate — drink water regularly to maintain saliva flow
  • Visit Eltham Dental Clinic every six months for a check and clean
  • Thoroughly clean your dentures daily
  • Chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva

Gum Disease

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is a bacterial infection of the gums and surrounding bone caused by dental plaque. If this plaque is left alone and allowed to grow on the patient’s teeth, an inflammation of the gums called gingivitis will occur. Recent studies have shown that an estimated four out of five people are affected by gum disease.

Some symptoms of gum disease include swollen, tender and bleeding gums. If you or a loved one is experiencing sore or painful gums, it’s important to visit a trusted dental provider as soon as possible to determine the cause. If ignored and left untreated, gum disease can cause serious loss of teeth and bone within your mouth, leading to other health issues.

Luckily, the progression of gum disease can be reduced or stopped easily and quickly by the professionals at Eltham Dental Clinic by gently removing the built up plaque and tartar. Though this procedure is very involved and uses the latest in ultrasonic technology, it requires very little interruption to your everyday activities, allowing you to quickly get back to your day-to-day life.

Further Symptoms of Gum Disease

It’s important to recognise the symptoms of gum disease in order to quickly stop the progression and save yourself from extreme discomfort and expense. These symptoms can include the following:
  • Red or inflamed gums
  • Bleeding of the gums while brushing and flossing
  • Loose or separating teeth
  • Receding gums
  • Pus
At Eltham Dental Clinic we take each case of gum disease seriously. If you have any concerns or need further advice on gum disease, please call or make an appointment today with our caring and friendly staff today.
young boy flossing his teeth

Dental Flossing

Many people ask if flossing really works in preventing cavities. While it may not be the main factor, it certainly helps. Bacteria loves food particles left in your mouth and, if left there, it can cause cavities. Flossing removes those food particles and actually breaks up plaque and makes it less likely to cause problems

How Do I Floss?

The usual recommendation for flossing is once per day, but we know that every patient is different and may need another flossing technique or regimen. Be sure to talk to your dentist about your needs and concerns. We are happy to look at ways to make it easier for you, such as flosspics or piksters.

Cleaning Children’s Teeth

Just because your child’s baby teeth will fall out, doesn’t mean oral health isn’t just as important as when you are an adult. We recommended that children visit the dentist every six months for teeth cleaning to remove any plaque or calculus. This is extremely important, as children are known for not brushing or incorrectly brushing their teeth. Our dentists will also treat the teeth with fluoride to strengthen them and make them more resistant to tooth decay.

Does this sound familiar?

‘Go to the bathroom and clean your teeth please.’
'No! I don't want to!'
Wouldn't it be great if we could make this activity a fun part of life? How can we do this? Maybe your child needs to control his environment. Consider giving your child a sense of control by letting them select their own toothpaste and toothbrush. Hopefully, this will relieve some stress when trying to get them to brush their teeth.

Other Ideas

Brush your teeth with your child so he/she can see how to clean their own teeth properly and motivating them to copy you.
  • Can your child see themselves in the mirror? Utilise the use of a stool or step to make reaching the basin easier.
  • Consider buying an electric toothbrush to make the activity even more fun.

Baby Teeth Matter

Fissure Sealants

The surface of our molars have very fine grooves(fissures) and pits that are too small for toothbrush bristles to reach and are difficult to keep clean. Dentists have developed a technique of sealing these grooves and protecting your teeth from cavities.

A fissure sealant is a tooth-coloured or white resin that can be applied to the top or chewing surface of back teeth. This prevents food and bacteria getting caught in these hard to clean areas, thus reducing the possibility of decay.

How are Fissure Sealants Applied?

The tooth is thoroughly cleaned and dried and then treated with a gel that helps the sealant bond to the tooth, the tooth is washed and dried again before the sealant liquid is applied. A blue light is then used to set the sealant.

Ask one of our dentists here at Eltham Dental Clinic whether fissure sealants would be good for your teeth.
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Visit Eltham Dental Clinic 

If you want more information, have a question or want to schedule an appointment with our team, please feel free to give us a call. We look forward to helping your oral health be the best it can be.
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