DENTAL OFF

Knowing what to do in this kind of situation can make a difference between saving or losing your tooth. First don't panic and remember that a dental emergency is usually not nearly as sever as a medical emergency. While it may cause extreme pain the dental problem can often be solved with a few visits at the dentist. Therefore, when having any kind of dental emergency it essential to seek treatment at a dental clinic as soon as possible. In the event of an emergency dental Melbourne clinics can provide urgent treatment and give you a reliable advice about your specific dental problem.

At the emergency appointment the dentist will first try to alleviate your toothache and then examine your teeth to evaluate the severity of the damage and provide the right treatment. To provide the best services in the case of an emergency dental Melbourne clinics often have extended opening hours each day and offer urgent appointments during the weekend as well. Besides a broken tooth as the most common dental emergency, let's take a look at some other dental problems that would require an urgent appointment at the dentist.

Swollen face

In most cases swollen cheeks are a sign of a serious dental infection that would require immediate treatment. This could be a bone infection, infected tooth that has lost its initial shape and starts to become loose or a painful and uncomfortable infection of the gums. Due to their position in the oral cavity, wisdom teeth can also cause cheek swelling. When the wisdom tooth starts to grow it can irritate the gums and surrounding teeth and all this often leads to swelling which can be accompanied by cheek redness and soreness.

Bleeding and painful gums

Bleeding from the mouth can be the result of either a acute or chronic dental condition. If your gums bleed when you're flossing or brushing your teeth then you probably have a condition called gingivitis (highly inflamed gums) or some other kind of gum disease. Blood in the saliva, on the other hand, can be a sign of a more serious condition such as an advanced stage of gum disease or oral cancer. Therefore, if you're seeing blood on your toothbrush or saliva don't hesitate and seek immediate dental care.

Missing tooth

Losing one or more teeth can reduce your chewing ability and cause your natural teeth to loosen and become more prone to cavities and other dental infections. That's way it's so important to get dental bridges as soon as possible. They can restore your chewing ability, provide support for your natural teeth and help your maintain your oral health in great condition. A dental bridge considerably reduces the risk of bone loss, which is a common side-effect of missing teeth in the oral cavity, thus helping your maintain the normal structure of your face. Bridges can be divided into three categories: traditional, cantilever and resin bounded. The traditional or standard teeth bridge includes an implant on each side of the gap with a pontic in the middle. The implants are usually made from ceramics or combination of metal and porcelain.

Cantilever bridges best function when used for replacing front missing teeth since when placed at the back of the oral cavity they put too much pressure on the teeth and can ultimately damage them. Resin bonded bridges are often used to fill in gaps between natural teeth. The crowns are usually made from materials such as porcelain, metal or a combination of both. When a resin-bonded bridge is used for replacing a large number of missing teeth it includes a framework made from metal or porcelain that acts as support for multiple plastic implants and gums.

Dental Fillings Also called resin composites, dental fillings are a restorative dental procedure used to treat a tooth damaged by decay, bringing it back to its normal shape and function. During this procedure, a dentist first removes the decayed tooth material, cleans the affected area and then fills the cavity with the resin component. Because the filling closes off the spaces where bacteria can enter, it also helps prevent further decay.

Root Canals A root canal treatment is recommended when there is an injury or a large cavity damage to the tooth's root and it becomes infected or inflamed. The infection or inflammation can have a variety of causes including repeated dental procedures on the tooth, a deep decay, or a chip or a crack in the tooth. In this procedure, the dentist removes the infected or inflamed pulp, cleans and shapes the inside of the root canal, and then fills and seals the tooth. A next visit is then scheduled so the dentist can place a crown on the tooth to restore the tooth to its full function.  

Crowns Also called “caps”, the dental crowns are recommended for people with weаk teeth for reinforcing and strengthening their teeth again. Moreover, dental crowns are also used as a special cosmetic dental care treatment with an aesthetic purpose, to give back teeth their healthy and attractive look.

Bridges The main purpose of applying bridges is to replace missing teeth with artificial teeth. The greatest part about this restorative dental care treatment is that although artificial, the newly added teeth with bridges look and feel almost natural.

Implants Dental implants are another option to treat tooth loss due to an injury, a periodontal disease or some other reason. During the procedure, an artificial tooth root is implanted into the jaw to secure a replacement tooth in place. Dental implants require the same care and  look and feel like your own teeth.

Teeth Whitening This is the easiest and the most effective way to achieve a radiant, flawless smile. It is a plain fact that teeth get stained and discoloured with ageing, and due to certain types of food, beverages, and excessive smoking as well. This is why dental bleaching is used for – to restore the natural tooth colour and to whiten teeth beyond their natural color.

The Best Way for Having Healthy and Natural Looking Teeth Besides being strong and stable, a dental implant has the power to restore your lost tooth so that it looks, feels like your own natural tooth.

Durable Solution Since dental implants are durable and strong, they are the best long-term solution. For example, the traditional, tooth-supported dental bridges can last up to 10 years if taken proper care of them, but at some point, they may need to be replaced. Dental implants, on the other hand, are built to last a lifetime.

Retain the Same Natural Face Shape and Smile A face without teeth will surely lose its shape and will look sad. Replacing the missing teeth with  dental implants will allow you to maintain the natural shape of your face and smile so no one could ever notice that you are missing your natural teeth.

Protect Healthy Bone The empty spaces in your mouth caused by missing teeth can lead to some health issues like the loss and deterioration of some of your jawbone. When there are no teeth, the jawbone deteriorates, losing its strength and firmness, and this can be resolved with dental implants. They are your only solution for preserving and stimulating your natural bone.

However, not everyone is lucky enough to keep their teeth all the way to the moment when they start to fall off by themselves in the old age. Grown ups do fall, fight, and experience all kinds of 'accidents' which result in a missing tooth in a rather unpleasant place. In the front! How do you cope with a missing tooth when you have to get up, get dressed and all ready to sparkle in front of a room full of suited people waiting for you to blow their minds with your knowledge but with the appearance as well? Will you keep your mouth closed all the time? Or maybe try not to smile? Bad decision; very bad decision.

The smart way would be to find the solution for the problem ASAP; you're not a child, and a missing tooth is rather embarrassing. There are three options you could choose from, so see which one would be most bearable and least expensive, for that matter.

Dental implants Explained in the simplest way, dental implants are artificial teeth. They have the same elements as a natural tooth: the root and a crown, with the main difference that these parts are made of solid material and are not part of the body but get implanted in gums. The smile you get with implants dental professionals suggest for you, would look rather gorgeous, especially of they match your  other teeth. Also, with implants dental health is on a lot higher level, because they're a lot easier to maintain and aren't that prone to diseases and bad conditions as natural teeth.

Dentures Another option to replace a missing tooth are dentures. Dentures are removable parts and can be full or partial, depending on the piece of the tooth that needs replacing ( yes, for those cases when you fall so bad only part of your tooth gets broken). Now, traditional dentures would need the support from surrounding teeth, but with new technologies dentures can be used as permanent solutions for replacing teeth.

What are, in fact, porcelain veneers?

Porcelain veneers are a thin (around 1mm wide) semi-translucent strips that are bonded to your teeth permanently. Dental veneers are the safest option we have today and are the best aesthetic alternative that can help a lot of dental conditions to the front teeth, like:

Broken or chipped teeth

Diastemas (spaces between teeth)

Crooked teeth

Stained or washed out fillings

Permanently stained or discoloured teeth that is impossible to be bleached

Nowadays, dentistry has improved a lot, so you can choose between different shapes and shades in order to obtain your perfect and custom designed natural looking smile.

Advantages of Wearing Porcelain Veneers

As one of the best aesthetic solution, porcelain veneers can offer you a lot of advantages when it comes to saving and keeping your teeth good looking. Porcelain veneers have the power to completely transform your smile, in fact, they are the ideal way to change the shape and colour of your teeth, as well as to correct too close spaces and rotated teeth.

When talking about the aesthetic appeal, the benefits of turning to porcelain veneers are numerous, here are some of them.

Long-lasting solution – One of the greatest benefit of veneers is that they can last as approximately 10 -15 years.

Strong and durable – Even though thin, porcelain veneers are made from a strong and durable material that can withstand any type of food.

Natural-looking results – Since you can choose between different shapes and colours, porcelain veneers can perfectly match your natural tooth colour.

Quick and simple procedure – The best thing about porcelain veneers is that you can have them within two visits.

Stain-resistant – When compared to natural teeth, porcelain veneers are resistant to staining which means that you can have brilliant pearly whites in your mouth even when drinking coffee or tea.

No recovery – No recovery period is needed once the veneers are placed on your teeth, You can literally leave your dentist office and carry on with your normal everyday activities.

Tooth decay is caused when bacteria in our mouth eat the sugars we consume. When we eat food that contains large amounts of sugar, it provides bacteria on our teeth the energy they need to multiply and begin to make acids that can damage the enamel of our teeth.

Xylitol is a natural sweet substance extracted from the fibrous parts of plants. It does not dissolve like sugar and can help maintain the pH level in the mouth neutral. In addition, Xylitol also prevents bacteria from sticking to the teeth, which is how it protects our teeth from tooth decay. Dental benefits of xylitol include:

Less Bacteria

The bacteria present in our mouths is unable to digest xylitol. That means they cannot grow and the number of acid-producing bacteria may fall as much as 90%.  So less bacteria mean less acid which means healthier teeth! Consuming xylitol and using a xylitol mouth rinse after you've brushed your teeth will prevent bacteria to stick on the surface of your teeth and as a result, the amount of plaque decreases.  

To help stop tooth decay, dentists usually recommend 6 grams of xylitol per day. Xylitol mouth rinse products usually have about .75 grams of xylitol per serving. One rinse in the morning and another at night account for almost 25% of the amount necessary for your cavity-fighting daily dose.

Repairs Damaged Enamel

Studies have shown that xylitol can also help repair damaged enamel. As you may know, saliva in itself protects the mouth and teeth. When it is stimulated it has all the components necessary to repair early cavities. If you take sugar only few times a day, the saliva can do the job itself. But since most of us consume sugar several times a day, the mouth's own defensive tool is not enough.

Communicative – The good dentist knows how to communicate with the patients. He/she is also a good listener and has verbal and non-verbal skill that can make you feel less stressed and more comfortable.

Eager To Learn – A good dentist never stops learning about dental medicine. Such professionals are always on the look to acquire and implement the newest and best practices into their dental clinic.

Has Friendly Approach – The atmosphere in the dental clinic of the successful dentist is welcoming and relaxed. His/her behavior with the patients is friendly and helpful. This ensures that you won't feel uncomfortable or rushed.

Informative -  The job of the dentist is not only to provide the patients the necessary dental services. The successful dentist educates the patients about the proper dental care and gives all the important information about the suggested treatments.

Employs A Gentle Touch – A good dentist is the one that will do anything in his power to minimize the patient's pain and discomfort. Performing the procedures with a gentle touch indicates that the dentist shows his respect towards the sensitivity of the patient.