East Building 3 Oracle Boulevarde,
Broadbeach, Gold Coast 4218

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If the crown fits, wear it.
You have broken a tooth, a tooth is sore to bite on or maybe you don’t like the look of that dark or misshapen tooth, so you make an appointment with the dentist to have it fixed. The dentists recommend a crown is best for you. (And no it’s not one you wear on the top of your head even though you are pretty special).
So what is a crown? A crown is a fixed prosthetic device that is cemented over the prepared tooth. It is not removable & it covers the entire tooth. A dental crowns is often the best way to save a tooth & strengthen it. It can be constructed out of gold, porcelain or a mixture of non – precious metals & porcelain.
Now, why did the dentist tell you that you need a crown, why can’t your tooth just be filled, it’s been filled before? Crowns are commonly used for replacing large fillings where there is not enough tooth remaining for a filling to work effectively. They are also used to protect a weak tooth from potential fracture. Every time you fill a tooth that has broken, fractured or decayed, you have to remove a little more tooth structure. This makes the tooth more vulnerable & the filling material that is used to fill your tooth is nowhere near as strong as your natural tooth structure or a crown.
In the image below you can see a big amalgam filling that has a fracture in it. (See the red arrow is). To repair this you would have to remove the existing filling & crack & then replace it with a composite resin material. You can see how big the old filling is, so once you have prepared the tooth it may be even bigger & there may not be enough tooth structure remaining. The composite resin (white filling material) that is used is nowhere near as strong as your own tooth, so with natural wear & tear & chewing this filling has the possibility of fracturing again. This is one of the reasons a crown may be recommended. The crown will cover the whole tooth, protecting it.
Another reason a crown may be suggested is for cosmetic reasons. It can cover discoloured or poorly shaped teeth & make them so much more aesthetically pleasing. See below a wonderful before & after of a patient of ours. Having this done has made a huge difference to her confidence.
Lastly, crowns are used to cover & strengthen a tooth that has had a Root canal treatment. You may have had a Root Canal. This happens when the nerve in the tooth dies. This treatment can take quite a few appointments & is not cheap but necessary if you want to save your tooth, otherwise the tooth will need extracting.
Once a root canal has been completed, a crown is then usually recommended to restore the tooth. This is important in order to long-term seal the root canal off from the mouth to prevent re-infection & potential failure. A crown put over the root-treated tooth will also protect it from breaking apart & let’s face it; if you have gone to all that trouble to have a root canal then it is best to protect it.
So then, what is involved in getting a crown? Having a crown is not a painful treatment. The tooth to be crowned is drilled down, or a core built up. An impression is taken & sent off to a dental lab where the crown is constructed. During this time a temporary crown will be worn. The dentist will then cement the permanent crown at your next visit.
A crown should last for many years. As with natural teeth, it depends on good oral hygiene & regular check- ups & the forces you apply to your teeth.
Now you know all about dental crowns, if the crown fits…….. Wear it.
Related Tag: Dentist Gold Coast
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People spend approximately 1/3 of their lives sleeping. Sleep allows our bodies to rest and repair. Memory and brain function, our immune system and systemic health are directly dependent on our sleep. Many of us do not sleep as long or as well as we should.
Night time grinding or clenching (bruxism), snoring and sleep apnoea all affect the quantity and quality of our sleep. Fortunately, there are a range of oral appliances (that can be made by a trained dentist) that are very effective in reducing the impact of these conditions.
Sleep Bruxism is characterised by grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep. There is increasing evidence to suggest a relationship between bruxism and sleep disordered breathing (snoring and sleep apnoea) it is possible to both snore and grind your teeth during your sleep. It is estimated that the forces that can be applied to your teeth during sleep can be 3-10x stronger than when you clench while awake.
There is no one particular cause for bruxism; numerous factors can contribute to the problem:
– Stress or anxiety
– Trauma
– Genetics
– sleep disordered breathing
– Medications
– Drugs -alcohol, smoking, caffeine, illicit drugs.
Bruxism can result in:
– accelerated tooth wear that affects the appearance and function of your teeth
– Sensitivity of your teeth due to loss of enamel and excessive pressure
– Sensitivity of your teeth after fillings and crowns are placed
– increased risk of cracked tooth syndrome and broken fillings and crowns
– Headaches and facial muscle pain
– Pain and clicking in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
– ringing in the ears
– Poor sleep.
Sleep Disordered Breathing includes snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). Snoring is a sign of partial obstruction of the airway by the soft tissues such as the tongue, soft palate, uvula and tonsils. While most of us snore at some time, intensive snoring on a permanent basis significantly disrupts sleep and can be a sign of the more serious condition of OSA.
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea occurs when the soft tissues completely obstruct airflow, preventing oxygen from reaching the lungs. When oxygen in the blood falls below a certain level your sleep is interrupted and you will arouse or wake up trying to breathe, sometimes choking or gasping for air.
Signs of OSA include:
– Daytime sleepiness
– snoring
– waking during the night possibly gasping for breath or coughing
– Morning headaches
– Trouble concentrating
– Mood changes e.g. irritability, anxiety
– increased blood pressure/hypertension
– decreased sex drive
– Weight gain
– Heartburn or GORD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disorder).
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is often used as an initial screening assessment. Here is the link: https://www.sleepservices.com.au/images/stories/pdf/ess_dl.pdf
Diagnosis of OSA is made by your medical doctor based on the results of a Sleep Study. Treatment for OSA is dependent on the severity of the condition but in many cases the recommended treatment is construction of an oral appliance that helps to maintain the airway open during sleep.
The anatomy of your jaws and soft tissues and the wear patterns of your teeth can be a strong indicator for these conditions and as such, a trained dentist may be the first person to notice the signs and symptoms of bruxism and sleep disordered breathing.
Here at Oracle Dental we have Dr Jacki Obst who has a keen interest in Bruxism & Sleep Apnoea.
If you have any questions regarding this please call to organise an appointment with her. 07 55317259.
Related Tag: Gold Coast Dentist | Dental Crowns Gold Coast
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Just like the rest of your body, your teeth, gums and mouth are affected by hormonal changes during pregnancy. You will usually notice changes in the health of your gums around the two month mark.
At that point, your gums may bleed easily when you brush or floss, a sign of gum disease commonly known as “pregnancy gingivitis”. Though it is often temporary, as are many other oral health issues during pregnancy, it can seriously weaken the tissues that hold your teeth in place and you shouldn’t ignore it. It usually only affects you if you’ve previously had some gum inflammation and generally if you’ve kept up a regular routine of brushing, flossing and dental visits before pregnancy, it shouldn’t affect you.
You may also develop what are called “pregnancy tumours” (officially pyogenic granulomas), which are red lumpy lesions that appear along the gum line and between the teeth. Don’t worry – they’re quite harmless, and usually go away once you’ve had your baby.
Unusual food cravings are a fact of life for many women during pregnancy. If your cravings take a turn towards the sweet end of things, try to limit the sugary snacks and instead, choose healthier options such as fresh fruit with natural or Greek yoghurt.
Morning sickness can also affect your teeth as the acid in the vomit has an erosive effect on them. You might be tempted to brush your teeth immediately but brushing within an hour of vomiting can cause more damage to your teeth by stripping away the enamel. Instead of brushing, try rinsing your mouth with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda mixed into 1 cup of warm water, chew sugar-free gum or try eating an acid-neutralising food such as milk or hard cheese.
You might also be affected by dry mouth (xerostomia), which reduces the amount of saliva you produce, which is problem since it plays a big role in keeping the bacteria that cause tooth decay in check. Gingivostomatitis is another condition that can affect some women – it’s hard to miss, marked by shiny, pale to deep red gums that bleed easily. If you’re diagnosed with either condition, the good news is that they can be easily managed by your dentist.
The effect these hormonal changes have on your oral health during pregnancy means your dentist should join your GP and your obstetrician on your list of health professionals whom you consult regularly. You need to make regular visits to your dentist in the lead-up to, during and after your pregnancy a priority.
Related Tags: Family Dentist Gold Coast | Gold Coast Dentist | Teeth Veneers Gold Coast
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You don’t need us to tell you that there’s a lot going on in your body during puberty. But one thing you may not have given a lot of thought to is what happens to your mouth when your body starts producing all those extra sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone. This sends a lot more blood than normal to your gums, increasing their sensitivity to plaque, and causing them to become more easily irritated by food particles. It’s a condition you’ll hear referred to as puberty gingivitis and it’s hard to miss, leaving you with red, swollen gums that bleed more easily than usual.
If you take good care of your teeth and gums by brushing twice a day and flossing once daily, you probably won’t develop this form of gingivitis. But it can crop up if some plaque or gingivitis was present in your mouth at the onset of puberty.
The good news is that puberty gingivitis can be easily treated with brushing and flossing, and regular professional cleanings by a dentist. If you end up with a more severe case, you might need to have two or more professional cleanings in a year to keep on top of things. This is why it’s important that you keep seeing your dentist on a regular basis.
We get that eating healthy foods is probably not your first choice when you’re with your friends, but eating well goes a long way to keeping your teeth and gums healthy.
If you’ve got braces, you need to make sure you’re spending extra time to properly brush your teeth. This means taking out the removable parts of your braces such as elastics and bands, carefully cleaning around the wires and pins and brushing all the areas of your teeth. If you have any questions about the right technique you should use, you just need to ask your dentist.
Related Tag: Family Dentist Gold Coast | Broadbeach Dentist
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The way in which periods may affect your teeth and gums are quite varied.
You could find that about three to four days out from the start of your period that you experience increased soreness in your mouth, with your gums swelling and becoming more prone to bleeding. This is caused by increased amounts of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone in your body and an accompanying build-up of plaque.
Or you could develop a temporary form of gingivitis, which is characterised by redness and swelling of the gums and sores that appear on your tongue and inside cheeks. Fortunately, it usually disappears once your period starts.
On the other hand, you may find you experience little to no ill-effects at all.
However your mouth reacts to your period, the best advice is to keep brushing and flossing as normal. If you experience increased sensitivity or soreness, and are tempted to pull back from your usual oral health routine as a result, see your dentist who can suggest the best way to handle brushing and flossing during these hormonal fluctuations.
While you can undergo dental treatments at any time, there is an emerging school of thought that says certain dental treatments are best carried out at particular times of your period. For instance, the increased gum puffiness and inflammation of your gums means that a professional cleaning by your dentist will be most comfortable about a week after your period ends. Similarly, you might find that the days right after your period is the least sensitive time for you to get a filling or have a tooth extracted.
If you’re on oral contraceptives (“the pill”), which contain progesterone, you may find that the increased levels of the hormone in your body trigger the same kind of gingivitis often seen in pregnant women. Known as “pregnancy gingivitis”, it’s marked by swelling and redness, caused by increased blood flow to the gums. It will be pronounced in the first few months after you go on “the pill” and if it worsens, it’s a good idea to look at an alternative. Always make sure you tell your dentist when you’re using contraceptives.
Related Tags: Teeth Straightening Gold Coast | Gold Coast Dentist | Teeth Veneers Gold Coast
Phone: 07 55317259
Fax: 07 55921271
Email: info@oracledental.com.au
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Tuesday 8am – 4pm
Wednesday 8am – 5pm
Thursday 8am – 4pm
Friday 8am – 4pm