Preventive Dentistry
Fissure Seal
Fluoride Treatment
Mouth Guard
Preventative dentistry includes the use of fissure seals, mouth guards and fluoride treatment.
Participating in sport and physical activity is important for children to remain healthy. But, the dental injuries and accidents that may occur as a result of contact sport can be devastating. We treat children who have had sport related dental accidents including knocked out teeth.
The purpose of a mouth guard is to absorb some of the impact on the teeth, jaw and the face. wearing a custom made mouthguard while playing sport can minimise and avoid injury.
There are many options and types of mouthguards. Custom made mouth guards are the best option. Custom made mouthguards are made to fit your child’s mouth. These offer much better protection than over-the counter or generic mouthguards. The over-the-counter mouthguards are cheap but won’t fit well and will be loose. Your teeth wont be as well protected using these mouthguards.
Our local Cohuna lab technician makes custom-made mouth guards . If you wear braces and you play sports, we can make a special mouthguard to protect our teeth and braces.
We recommend wearing mouth guards when playing any contact sport. We make hockey mouth guards, football mouth guards, basketball mouth guards and mouth guards for many other sports.
We use our local Cohuna lab to make all our mouthguards in your preferred colour. Even your favourite football club colours.
Fissure seals are a preventative treatment. Teeth contain natural groves known as ‘pits’ or ‘fissures’. Most cavities and dental decay occur in grooves of the back teeth. These groves are difficult to clean as your toothbrush can’t reach them to remove plaque. The build-up of plaque will lead to cavities in the teeth.
To prevent cavities from forming, filling material is added to the grooves of back teeth. This is called a fissure seal. The tooth sealant can be either a tooth coloured or pink coloured filling material. The sealant contains fluoride for added tooth protection.
The tooth sealant will make the chewing surfaces smooth, and easier to clean. This prevents plaque and bacteria build up and creates a protective barrier. The barrier will prevent holes developing in the tooth.
Even if your child is a good brusher, he or she may get holes in their teeth. The dentist will clean the grooves and place the filling material on the grooves.
Fluoride is a safe and natural mineral compound. Fluoride makes children’s teeth and adults’ teeth strong. Fluoride binds with the tooth enamel and makes the enamel surface hard. This minimises the mineral loss from the enamel surface due to acid attack.
The Australian and Victorian government endorse drinking fluoridated water. The Victorian government fluoridates the vast majority of community water supplies. Both internationally and in Australia, many reputable scientific studies endorse water fluoridation. Scientific evidence does not link drinking fluoridated water with adverse health effects.
Fluoride helps protect against developing holes in the teeth. Drinking fluoridated water and brushing with fluoride toothpaste helps protect teeth against decay. If you use non fluoride toothpaste you will be more susceptible to developing holes in the teeth. Our dentist may recommend a fluoride supplement if you or your family drink non-fluoridated rain water or tank water.
Although fluoride is beneficial, too much can cause tooth defects and teeth stains. The stains are called fluorosis. If your teeth are stained or discoloured, please visit one of our dentists. They will be able to discuss the options to remove or cover the stains. Options include placing dental porcelain crowns or porcelain veneers on the tooth.
If you or your child have a lot of cavities, we may recommend using high fluoride concentrated toothpaste. Please visit us to discuss the available fluoride options.