Yes, yellow teeth can become white. There are a few
different methods that can be used to whiten yellow teeth, including
professional teeth whitening treatments at a dentist&#8217;s office and at-home
whitening kits.



Professional teeth whitening treatments at a dentist&#8217;s
office typically use a bleaching agent, such as hydrogen peroxide, to whiten
the teeth. This method can be very effective at removing stains and
discoloration, resulting in a significant improvement in the color of the
teeth. 



The treatment is performed by a trained dental professional,
who will carefully apply the bleaching agent to the teeth and monitor the
process to ensure the best possible results.



At-home teeth whitening kits are also available and can be
an effective way to whiten yellow teeth. These kits typically contain a lower
concentration of bleaching agent than what is used in professional treatments,
so the results may not be as dramatic. 



However, they can still provide a noticeable improvement in
the color of the teeth and can be a convenient and affordable option for those
who want to whiten their teeth at home.It&#8217;s important to keep in mind that not
all yellowing is the same and some yellowing may not respond well to generic
teeth whitening treatments. There are a few reasons why not all teeth may
respond well to teeth whitening treatments.



&#8211; First, the severity of the discoloration or staining can
affect how well the teeth respond to whitening. Teeth with mild discoloration
may whiten easily, while teeth with more severe discoloration may not whiten as
well.



&#8211; Second, the type of staining or discoloration can also
impact the effectiveness of whitening treatments. Some types of staining, such
as those caused by Tea, Coffee or Smoking can impact your teeth whitening
results.



&#8211; Third, the overall health of the teeth can also play a
role in how well they respond to whitening. For example, teeth with a large
buildup of plaque may not take to whitening treatments as effectively as those
with no buildup. It&#8217;s like painting, you&#8217;d remove the old yellow paint from a
door before putting on a fresh white coat right?



Overall, it&#8217;s important to consult with a dentist to
determine the best approach to whitening yellow teeth, as&nbsp; we learnt, not all teeth will respond well to
whitening treatments. 



If you&#8217;re interested in whitening your teeth, we invite you
to book an appointment with us at Central Brisbane Dental. Our trained dental
professionals can evaluate the condition of your teeth and recommend the best
treatment plan to help you achieve a bright, white smile. 



<a href="http://centralbrisbanedental.com.au/contact">Contact us</a> today to schedule your appointment and take the first step towards a happier, healthier smile!

Can Yellow Teeth Become White?

First of all, the team at Central Brisbane Dental just wants to let our past, present and future patients know that with the current Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, safety is our number one priority. In a dental clinic, patient and staff safety has and always will be the number one priority for our business. 



How Covid-19 Affects Dental Appointments



All Australian dentists are governed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Dental Board of Australia and are held to the highest infection control standards so we already do things that limit the spread of disease. 



Our staff practise good hand hygiene by frequently washing hands or using alcohol based hand sanitiser. 



<ul><li>Our staff wear gloves during appointments.</li><li>Our staff wear masks during appointments.</li></ul>



It is safe to see the dentist during this testing time. 



When should you avoid a dentist appointment?



In these times, there are cases where you should avoid coming into our clinic.



If you are showing symptoms of Covid-19, we would request that you contact our office to cancel or reschedule your appointment. Symptoms for Covid-19 include:



<ul><li>Fever</li><li>Breathing difficulties such as breathlessness</li><li>Cough</li><li>Sore throat</li><li>Fatigue or tiredness </li></ul>



If you are presenting symptoms of this nature, we recommend you speak with a doctor by telephone and discuss your options. Do not visit a doctor without speaking to them about your symptoms first as if you are infected with Covid-19 your risk of further spreading the disease is very high. 



In addition, review the following questions:



<ul><li>Have you recently returned from overseas or interstate travel?</li><li>Have you been in contact with someone who is confirmed or suspected of being infected with Covid-19?</li><li>Do you have any other symptoms that would normally be present with a cold or flu?</li><li>Have you been feeling unwell?</li></ul>



If you answered yes to any of the questions above, please contact our office to reschedule your dentist appointment as we do not want to risk exposure to Covid-19 for any of our patients and staff.



More Information about Covid-19 



With help from the Australian Dental Association we have put together some documents that provide more information with regards to Covid-19:



<a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/static/pdf/ADA_Coronavirus_Patient_Sign_A3_FA_updated_6032020.pdf">ADA_Coronavirus_Patient_Sign_A3_FA_updated_6032020.pdf</a>

<a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/static/pdf/ADAFED-COVID-19-Dental-Practice-Exposure-Response-Plan-16-Mar-2020.pdf">ADAFED-COVID-19-Dental-Practice-Exposure-Response-Plan-16-Mar-2020.pdf</a>

<a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/static/pdf/ADAFED-COVID-19-Dental-Practice-Policy-16-Mar-2020.pdf">ADAFED-COVID-19-Dental-Practice-Policy-16-Mar-2020.pdf</a>

<a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/static/pdf/Cough-Etiquette.pdf">Cough-Etiquette.pdf</a>

<a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/static/pdf/Covid-19 Posters.pdf">Covid-19 Posters.pdf</a>

What Coronavirus Means For Your Local Brisbane Dentist

Dental
implants are a last resort treatment option and are recommended only when a
patient is missing teeth, or the tooth cannot be repaired for the long term
with other treatments such as root canal treatment. The question of whether
dental implants are cost-effective is a good one. Dental implants themselves
are not cheap. A single tooth dental implant made of titanium will cost you
$4000. This includes a porcelain crown that is attached to the implant itself
to replace the missing tooth. A patient that is suitable for dental implants
may also be considering other options such as dental bridges or dentures. 



The
alternatives to a dental implant, like dentures or dental bridges, are of
course of a lower immediate cost. The cost per tooth for a dental bridge for
example is $1500. The cost of dentures can vary, depending on the amount of
missing teeth, between $1000 and $2600. So just from these prices how
cost-effective are dental implants as a treatment option?



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture3-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3340" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture3-1.png 939w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture3-1-300x180.png 300w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture3-1-768x461.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 939px) 100vw, 939px" /></figure>



Dentures
and dental bridges are not designed to be permanent solutions for your dental
health. They are effective treatment options, but they will not last forever
and need to be repaired or replaced over time. A dental implant is designed to
be a long term permanent solution. There are costs involved for the maintenance
and replacement of dental bridges and dentures that you do not need to consider
with dental implants. Dental implant crown components may need to be replaced
over time, but provided you maintain good dental health, your dental implant
itself is designed to last a lifetime.



Another
option is to consider going without any treatment and just having missing
teeth. This is not ideal. When you have an empty tooth socket, over time you
risk bone loss in the jaw which can lead to problems for the adjacent teeth.
It’s best to seek some form of treatment for missing teeth. Keeping severely
damaged teeth also creates a higher risk of tooth decay and infections. 



So, if you
need to reduce your immediate costs for the short and medium term, a dental
bridge or set of dentures may be the right choice for you. However the most
cost-effective treatment for irreparably damaged teeth, and missing teeth, is
dental implants. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3341" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture2.png 939w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture2-300x99.png 300w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture2-768x253.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 939px) 100vw, 939px" /></figure>



Other advantages
of dental implants



Missing teeth
can cause your face to appear different, this can be caused by a sunken look
around the areas where the teeth are missing. Dental implants can correct this
by replacing the original tooth.



Dental
implants are built to last and are the most natural way to replace teeth. You
could have your dental implants for the rest of your life provided you take
care of them with good dental hygiene.



A dental
bridge can put strain on neighbouring teeth. This can lead to further dental
issues with them. Dental implants do not put strain on neighbouring teeth.&nbsp; Bridges also are tricky to clean as teeth are
joined together.&nbsp; Implants can be cleaned
like normal teeth. 



Dentures can
also put stain on adjacent teeth and the underlying oral soft tissues. They can
move in the mouth and rub on the supporting structures and cause discomfort. With
dental implants none of these issues arise as they are permanently fixed in
place.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture1-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3342" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture1-1.png 939w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture1-1-300x171.png 300w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture1-1-768x437.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 939px) 100vw, 939px" /></figure>

Are dental implants a cost-effective treatment option?

Invisalign
is a well known brand of clear aligners. Clear aligners are an alternative to
traditional braces and are these days the more chosen approach by patients who
want to straighten their teeth. The biggest difference between aligners and
braces are that braces are a very visible form of treatment, versus aligners
which are almost unnoticeable. Being thin plastic trays, aligners are more
comfortable than the brackets and wires of traditional braces.&nbsp; Because they can be removed, aligners also
allow easier eating and cleaning of the teeth.



But how do
Invisalign and other clear aligner brands actually straighten your teeth and
what is the procedure for a patient receiving clear aligners? The entire
aligner process can be broken down into six steps:



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/dental-implant-consultation.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3335" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/dental-implant-consultation.jpg 400w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/dental-implant-consultation-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure></div>



Step 1 –
Initial Consultation



At Central
Brisbane Dental, we provide the initial consultation for patients at no charge.
Patients who wish to be evaluated for teeth straightening can book this free
consultation at a time that suits. During this 30 minute consultation, one of
our dentists will evaluate your mouth, specifically looking at your teeth
crowding and spacing, the bite of your teeth, and determine if clear aligners
are an appropriate orthodontic treatment for your case.



The dentist
will discuss with you your options in detail, provide information sheets and
case studies and treatment plans and quotes.&nbsp;
The price for clear aligners will be between $2599 and $6000 and the
variation will come down to the complexity of the case and the number of
aligners required. At Central Brisbane Dental, we allow payment arrangements to
be made so that you do not need to pay the full amount in one payment. An
example payment arrangement is 50% upfront, with the remaining balance paid in
four installments over the course of your treatment.



During this
consultation you will be provided with a referral form to get big orthodontic x-rays
for further assessment of your case if you decide to proceed. While some
dentists will charge patients for these x-rays, we prefer to refer you to a
specific x-ray clinic, (we have one just a few of minutes’ walk from our
practice,) which will allow you to be bulk billed for these x-rays under
Medicare with no out-of-pocket charge if you have a Medicare card.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/dental-x-rays.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3336" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/dental-x-rays.png 400w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/dental-x-rays-300x164.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure></div>



Step 2 –
Photos and Impression Taking



Once you
have decided that aligners are the right option for your straightening, we need
to collect more records of your mouth for analysis.



This appointment
usually takes around 1 hour. 



Your
dentist will perform the following;



<ul><li>Take
impressions of your upper and lower teeth and gums</li><li>Take
photos of your facial profile from the front and from the sides</li><li>Take
photos of your teeth and how you bite</li><li>Analyze
the x-rays you had taken at the x-ray clinic</li><li>Assess
the impressions, x-rays, and photographic records</li><li>Develop
your treatment plan alongside the specialist team from the aligner company that
makes your customized aligners</li></ul>



Step 3 –
Discuss Treatment



Your
treatment plan is created by the dentist and the specialist team from the
aligner company creating the aligners. Once the treatment plan is finalized you
can come in and discuss it with your dentist. You also have the chance to make
amendments to the plan if you so desire. The appointment will take
approximately 30 minutes.



Treatment
plans are comprehensive, they reveal the number of aligners you will use, and
go into detail with regards to the straightening process.



Step 4 –
Beginning Aligner Treatment



When your
aligners are ready, you can come in for a 30 minute appointment and your dentist
will assist you with insertion of the aligners. Using aligners is quite
straight forward, but inserting your first set with a dentist allows you to ask
any questions you have and ensure that you are using them correctly.



Your
dentist will also provide you with advice on how to use your aligners, how to
maintain your regular dental hygiene while using aligners, as well as general
tips such as keeping the aligners in your mouth for at least 22 hours per day.



Following
the instructions is very important as deviations can lead to complications
which extend the amount of time treatment may be required.



Step 5 –
Reviews



During the
course of your aligner treatment you can schedule regular 15 to 30 minute
appointments with your dentist where they can review the progress of your
aligners and pick up on any deviation from the treatment plan. At Central
Brisbane Dental we do not charge extra for any of these appointments. You can
come in for as many as you want, though usually they are scheduled every four
to six weeks.



Step 6 –
Using Retainers



Congratulations,
you now have straight teeth and a great smile. To ensure that your result is
maintained, the dentist who will provide you with your retainers which need to
be worn every night.



Retainers
need to be worn to keep the teeth in their corrected positions. You can discuss
your retainer maintenance with your dentist and ask any other questions you may
have.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/unnamed.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3337" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/unnamed.jpg 500w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/unnamed-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure></div>

How does Invisalign straighten your teeth?

One of the
most common questions from patients is whether they should opt for traditional
braces or Invisalign to straighten their teeth. In the past, traditional braces
would have been the more chosen approach, but the technology of “invisible”
aligners has come a long way and, in most cases, clear aligners such as Invisalign
are actually better for patient treatment.



What makes
Invisalign or other clear aligns better then braces? The most obvious advantage
is in the aesthetics. Traditional braces are a set of metal brackets that are
placed on the patient’s teeth with an adhesive, and connected together by wire.
It is easy to see when someone has braces in their mouth, and treatment
typically lasts between 12 and 18 months. Clear aligners are referred to as
“invisible braces” due to their unnoticeable appearance in a patient’s mouth.
Clear aligners are a plastic transparent device worn over the teeth similar to
a mouthguard but much thinner. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3328" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture1.png 938w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture1-300x220.png 300w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture1-768x563.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 938px) 100vw, 938px" /></figure>



How much
do clear aligners cost?



The cost of
clear aligners is also often better than the cost of traditional braces. In the
most complex case that can be treated with aligners, the cost will usually be
somewhere around $6000. If a patient only needs tooth alignment on certain
teeth the cost can be much lower. At Central Brisbane Dental we provide clear
aligners starting from $2599. You can come in for a free consultation to
determine your suitability and cost for your teeth straightening. Traditional
braces will generally have a higher initial cost as treatment options for
traditional braces usually start from $5000, but can get more expensive and
require specialist orthodontic treatment which can become costly.



Do I
have to use Invisalign?



At Central
Brisbane Dental, we actually prefer to use a brand of aligners called
ClearPath. We’ve found that ClearPath aligners are superior to other aligners
for a few reasons. Most importantly, ClearPath has a patented grip technology
that means we don’t need to glue any notches to the teeth in order to aid in
the straightening process. This leads to a less invasive solution for patients
and an even further “invisible” looking aligner treatment. ClearPath aligners also
allow us to treat complex cases, however your specific treatment will need to
be discussed with one of our dentists.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3329" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture3.png 940w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture3-300x183.png 300w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Picture3-768x467.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px" /></figure>



Frequently
Asked Questions about Clear Aligners



How
quickly do teeth move with clear aligners?



Your teeth
will begin to move right away as soon as you start wearing your aligners. Every
two weeks you will use a new set of aligners which will continue to gently move
your teeth over the course of your treatment. Depending on the complexity of
your case, you could have straight teeth in as little as 6 months. 



Do I
have to wear my aligners 22 hours a day?



It is
important that you use the aligners as directed. Aligners should be worn even
during sleep. It is ok to take aligners out during meal times and this accounts
for the two hour window you have in each day. Wearing your aligners might feel
a little strange at first, however this feeling should go away after a short
period of time. Each time you start a new set of aligners you may experience a
feeling of noticing the aligners but each time this should pass. If you feel
that you are in pain or discomfort in anyway, you should consult your dentist.



Do
aligners change your face?



Any
orthodontic procedure will have some impact on the shape of the face. This of
course depends on many factors such as the complexity of the straightening
process. When your teeth are misaligned and crooked, this is actually also
altering the shape of your face. Straightening your teeth will allow your face
to rest in its more natural position so you will likely notice some changes to
the shape, particularly around the mouth, but this should be for the better.

Should you get braces or Invisalign to straighten your teeth?

Well Christmas is almost upon us again. We thought we would help out with the Christmas shopping by preparing a list of age appropriate gifts that encourage good dental health. I’ve been out to the shops a couple of times already this December looking for the latest fads that kids will be looking for. To be honest, there is not a lot of fresh ideas at this time of year.
Some of the usual suspects like different slime and goo products, unicorn themed toys, fur real friends are out there. I saw a lot of robots and lego packages as well as a few random collectible toys that sit on the wrists or fingers for the kids. If you have gaming consoles, Nintendo has done well with their end of year gaming releases, Pokemon Let’s Go is probably the biggest item at the moment. So yeah, my advice is sit your kids down with some catalogues or on some store websites and get them to point out different things they have their eye on. I like to give our girls a budget and let them try to calculate what they can get with that money.
Now for the dental themed ideas. I’ve tried to find a few different items for different age groups here.
<a href="https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/pretend-dentist-kit-for-kids-mx0195175/">https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/pretend-dentist-kit-for-kids-mx0195175/</a>
Kogan has this little plastic dentist kit available on their store, priced at just $13.64. In my experience kids up to 5 or 6 have the most fun with these kinds of toys. Pretending to have jobs or prepare meals in the kitchen. I recently bought a cat tower from Kogan with AfterPay for $99.95. The delivery on that item was a day or two later then it estimated online. However I also bought a new tv for the girls loungeroom and I was contacted by Kogan via text to confirm a December 20 drop off time which I thought was great service. With the cat tower as well, it was a lot cheaper then many options online and impressive quality. If you haven’t used Kogan before I do recommend them so far. This item has estimated 1-2 day shipping at the moment.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2861" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BARGAINSGALORE-NEW-KIDS-12PC-FAMILY-DENTIST-PLAY-SET-FUN-ROLE-PLAY-PRETEND-GIFT-TOY-ACTIVITY-B07H7NJLN3-500x500-product_popup.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BARGAINSGALORE-NEW-KIDS-12PC-FAMILY-DENTIST-PLAY-SET-FUN-ROLE-PLAY-PRETEND-GIFT-TOY-ACTIVITY-B07H7NJLN3-500x500-product_popup.jpg 500w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BARGAINSGALORE-NEW-KIDS-12PC-FAMILY-DENTIST-PLAY-SET-FUN-ROLE-PLAY-PRETEND-GIFT-TOY-ACTIVITY-B07H7NJLN3-500x500-product_popup-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BARGAINSGALORE-NEW-KIDS-12PC-FAMILY-DENTIST-PLAY-SET-FUN-ROLE-PLAY-PRETEND-GIFT-TOY-ACTIVITY-B07H7NJLN3-500x500-product_popup-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BARGAINSGALORE-NEW-KIDS-12PC-FAMILY-DENTIST-PLAY-SET-FUN-ROLE-PLAY-PRETEND-GIFT-TOY-ACTIVITY-B07H7NJLN3-500x500-product_popup-125x125.jpg 125w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />
<a href="https://www.sylvanian-families.com.au/sylvanian-families-country-dentist-set">https://www.sylvanian-families.com.au/sylvanian-families-country-dentist-set</a>
I haven’t purchased from these guys before however the girls grandparents had a lot of these toys which they passed onto the girls. Again, this is more for the younger ones but these toys are good quality. This package is just $24.50. Be careful with the pictures though it does not include a lot of the furniture like the reception tables and the building being used. Those are a separate purchase which is explained on the website.
<a href="https://www.u-buy.com.au/catalog/product/view/id/938924">https://www.u-buy.com.au/catalog/product/view/id/938924</a>
I had some trouble locating this toy from an Australian store, we don’t always get the full range of items over here. This one is a Barbie dentist, it looks good. This website is offering it for $96 but it comes with warnings about the shipping time. Might be worth trying to find this one elsewhere or giving it a miss. I included it because it’s a great looking gift.
<a href="https://www.madaboutscience.com.au/shop/oral-hygiene-model.html">https://www.madaboutscience.com.au/shop/oral-hygiene-model.html</a>
For the older kids this is a dental hygiene model. Something a bit different. Maybe you have kids that are interested in becoming a dentist, maybe you have kids that are pretty interested in Biology, or maybe you just want to give your teenagers a hint.
And finally, here is a shameless plug for any adults you may be shopping for. Central Brisbane Dental has Teeth Whitening deals where you can get a professional whitening service for just $550.
Stay safe over the Christmas and New Year period!

Dentist Themed Christmas Toys for 2018

The Nintendo Switch has been doing a great job of reinvigorating games and characters that were at their peak two decades ago. One of the first launch titles, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild, was one of the best, and definitely the biggest, Zelda titles to launch. Super Mario Odyssey was another great title that came out a few months later. But what I remember the most about the old Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 were all the random party style games that had more focus on multiplayer with family and friends.
The upcoming Super Smash Bros game is one of these classic multiplayer games reinvented for the Switch, and the one most people are probably looking forward too, but Nintendo has already released a couple of great options in the meantime. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is one such title.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ctBxIiCLFHI" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
I must admit, I have no idea who the Rabbids are or where they came from. I did look into it on Google and apparently they have their own game world and adventures. I’m not sure who came up with the idea to mix the two worlds together but this was the first time Nintendo allowed a company other then themselves to work with the Mario characters. The end result is a great looking game with familiarity in the form of the Mario team but with the twist of adding some crazy weapons and a bit of strategy to the action.
In Mario rules you start at the first world and progress through more challenging levels until you reach your next destination. This game works the same, slowly building up the players skill level to handle more complex scenarios while always keeping you visually invested by changing the scenery regularly. The characters in the game are a lot of fun to play with and children will be easily entertained by what’s happening in the game.
It never becomes overly difficult and that is another thing that makes it fun. Rather then being challenging to complete, the challenge might be in competing for the highest scores or just working together with friends and family to complete the levels and unlock all the characters and weapon available.
Having been out for a little while now you can probably pick this game up for around $50 new, and less second hand. Nintendo Switch games second hand are pretty safe as they are running on cartridges instead of discs so worrying about scratches is a non issue.

Our Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Review

The eagerly awaited NBA season is here!  The most intriguing thing for basketball this season has to be the Los Angeles Lakers and how they will perform with their star recruit, LeBron James.
The LA Lakers started their season playing the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland.  LeBron made a statement with his first points as a Laker with a thunderous fast-break dunk.  He proved that at age 33, he is still the best basketball player in the world.  As a 15 year veteran, he still played 37 minutes and stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.  He showed no signs of slowing down despite his age and years of basketball that should have taken its toll on his body.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2852" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/lebron.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="433" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/lebron.jpg 770w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/lebron-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/lebron-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px" />
This was all accomplished while playing a very different style of basketball we are used to from LeBron.  There was much less LeBron bringing the ball up most possessions and surveying his options, before driving and finishing with a powerful jam or kicking out to a shooter for a three.  They played fast and old LeBron kept up.  LeBron handled the ball much less, allowing playmakers, like Rajon Rondo, to actually play their position.  He was more a finisher and rebounder and less a playmaker than we’ve ever seen him before.  In spite of this, LeBron played well in his debut for the Lakers.
The LA Lakers as a team, however, needs much work.  They kept up with the Blazers for three quarters, but were clearly outplayed in the final quarter, leading to a 128-119 loss.  There were a lot of errors on defence.  Much of this can be put down to a lack of time together as players.  LeBron dished out many assists which were wasted by his teammates being in the wrong position or simply missing their shots.  A couple of behind the back passes, which usually would be on LeBron’s highlight reel, went to nobody and out of bounds.  Their shooting from the three point line was abysmal, making only 23 percent.  Much has been said about the Laker’s lack of shooters and this pretty much confirmed it.
It’s only the first game of a very long season.  The team should get better as they play more together.  If not, LeBron may not be as patient as he says he will be.  The Lakers have resisted in a big trade so far and opted to keep their young core of potential stars intact.  However, this could all change as the season unrolls.

LeBron James and the LA Lakers May Be In For A Long NBA Season

The Vodafone Gold Coast 600 was back on the weekend from the 19 to 21 October 2018.  The annual event brought Supercars motor racing to the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit on the Gold Coast again.  The main event was awesome, but there was much to do and see this year on top of it.
There was interesting viewing in the support categories.  The East Coast Bullbars SuperUtes Series showed off dual-cab, turbo diesel utes.  The Aussie Racing Cars Series displayed small size cars with powerful engines going at 200kph.  The Kumho Tyre Australian V8 Touring Car Series provided a chance to see genuine ex-V8 Supercars.  It was good to see the new model Porsche 911 GT3 in the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup.
The Pit Lane Walk allowed a behind the scenes look at teams and drivers preparing for the race from the pit.  There was also an opportunity to tour the Hot Wheels and Hi-Torque Performance Factory where all the Hot Wheels toys are made.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2849" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1516d76af1b7a13b782856cf2183e370.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1516d76af1b7a13b782856cf2183e370.jpg 1024w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1516d76af1b7a13b782856cf2183e370-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1516d76af1b7a13b782856cf2183e370-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
There were also some amazing stunt shows.  Matt Mingay’s notorious Hot Wheels Stunt Team performed spectacular and highly dangerous motorbike stunts.  The Showtime Freestyle Moto X Team thrilled with their aerial stunts.  The Flair Freestyle Trial Riders Show showcased trial motorcycles and bicycles being pushed to their limits.  The Royal Australian Air Force EA-18G Growler flew over the starting grid, performing incredible acrobatics at low levels.  Water powered jetpack, board and bikes were also on display along the waterways.
The Broadwater Sounds Concert featured the ARIA award winning Sheppard followed by international rock acts, +Live+ and Foreigner.  There was also a Late Night Pitstop Party at Cocktails Nightclub in Surfers Paradise for those wanting to stay up late.
When there’s racing, there’s also beautiful grid girls.  The 2018 Miss Supercars Race Team National Final was a chance to see some beautiful girls compete for the title of Miss Supercars.

2018 Gold Coast 600

The Hudsons Circus has been in Springfield since the 17th of September and there are 3 more shows left over the weekend. Those of you looking to do something a bit different with the family this weekend should definitely check it out. The act itself is full of entertainment, with shows including trained animals, aerial acrobatics and even a globe of death motorcycle stunt that will thrill all ages. It’s a great balance of entertaining guests of all ages at all times.
My favourite performances were the many aerial acrobatic acts. There was a good handful of these acts that showcased the skill of the performers doing extraordinary stunts in the air. The finale of the show was the flying trapeze which even included a blindfolded leap and catch. There were many great stunts performed and I don’t want to spoil them all for those who are able to attend, however some of the performances included rare talents. One particular act had a performer attempting to shoot a target with a bow and arrow using only her feet, she is one of just two people in Australia who have successfully performed the feat.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2845" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/hudsoncircus.gif" alt="" width="550" height="733" />
Taking children is obviously recommended, they will enjoy the show more then you, the circus clown is highly entertaining and very good at engaging with the children on their level. He doesn’t just have fun with the kids though, in a couple of acts he involves adult members of the audience so the kids can have a laugh at the parents doing silly things. The animals involved in the show are also very impressive. The ability for them to learn their routines is mind boggling, and you will be surprised at how well trained and clever these animals are.
You can view information about the show on the Hudson website here;
<a href="http://www.hudsonscircus.com.au/">http://www.hudsonscircus.com.au/</a>
There are 3 shows left to attend over the weekend. I recommend that you purchase ring side seats in the red zone for the best value for money. You will be right up close to the action and there are many acts where members of the audience are selected to get involved. All of the chosen participants I saw were in ringside seats. You also get the best views and I guarantee that if you sit ringside you will be involved in the show in at least some way.

Hudsons Circus in Springfield for 2018

So we’re now in the last week of school holidays for Queensland and this weekend might be a good time to checkout the annual Movie World event, Fright Night. Fright Nights are an after dark event that runs throughout the month of October every year at Movie World. The park is opened later till 10pm and allows visitors to experience some of the famous thrill rides during the dark hours of the night. As well as the rides there are special event features such as mazes, scare zones, unique shows and other horror themed activities.
Movie World recommends that children are not under the age of 14 if they do attend, as well as all children be accompanied by an adult. Tickets can be purchased online here;
<a href="https://frightnights.com.au/tickets-and-upgrades">https://frightnights.com.au/tickets-and-upgrades</a>
It’s important to note that Fright Night officially begins at 4.30pm, if you are only interested in attending the Fright Night activities and you purchase entry to the park just for Fright Night you will have restricted access to the park. You can read more about this on the FAQs page of the Movie World website.
<a href="https://frightnights.com.au/event-info/faq">https://frightnights.com.au/event-info/faq</a>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2840" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/bsh2-frightnights-web.jpeg" alt="" width="800" height="530" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/bsh2-frightnights-web.jpeg 800w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/bsh2-frightnights-web-300x199.jpeg 300w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/bsh2-frightnights-web-768x509.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />
If you’re looking for value for money and you can make it to the Gold Coast at least a couple of times over the next four weeks then you may be more interested in purchasing a season pass to Fright Night which is currently listed at $90. This will grant you unlimited entry during the Fright Night event calendar. Entry to Fright Night for a single evening is currently listed at $45.
Some rides and all the mazes do have fast track passes available for purchase. There are exclusive events such as 3 themed panic rooms for which you can purchase your entry separately. Your teenagers may want to attend this with friends, and dressing up is allowed for those that are interested. There are some rules on any costumes that are worn. Guests faces must be visible at all times for safety, so no masks and only light make up is allowed.
Fright Night itself only runs from 4.30pm till 10pm. If you would like to spend the whole day at Movie World you will need to purchase entry to the park as well as to Fright Night. If you are looking for value for money, we again recommend purchasing an annual pass as just a couple of trips to the theme parks throughout the year will bring substantial savings to your wallet.

Movie World Fright Nights Are Back For 2018

One of the highlights of the year for Brisbane is coming up this weekend. On Saturday, September 29, Riverfire will once again be happening to wrap up this years Brisbane Festival. We’ve already talked about our top picks for things to do during the Brisbane Festival and we hope you’ve been able to get the kids down to some of the fun family activities.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2835" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SunsuperRiverfireBrisbaneFestival_20180816_wide.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SunsuperRiverfireBrisbaneFestival_20180816_wide.jpg 720w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SunsuperRiverfireBrisbaneFestival_20180816_wide-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />
If you haven’t made it yet this year you should check out the following link to see what other family friendly activities will be available for you if you do make the trip in for the fireworks tomorrow.
<a href="https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/family">https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/family</a>
Those of you who are interested in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) aerial displays, here is a timetable for the events tomorrow.
2:45 pm &#8211; C 17A Globemaster flypast
4:10 pm &#8211; Roulettes Aerobatic Display
5:30 pm &#8211; EA-18G Growler flypast
7:04 pm &#8211; EA-18G Growler flypast
7:05 pm &#8211; Fireworks display commences
According to the organisers of the Brisbane Festival these are the best vantage points for the show;
Victoria Bridge, South Bank, Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Captain Burke Park, City Riverwalk, including Riverside Centre and Eagle Street Pier.
According to the organisers there will be food and drinks for sale at many of these sights. If you would like more information about how to attend Riverfire we have a link to the event right here.
<a href="https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/whats-on/sunsuper-riverfire-2018">https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/whats-on/sunsuper-riverfire-2018</a>
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How To Attend The 2018 Brisbane Riverfire

Roblox is one of the latest crazes in gaming entertainment that is capturing the attention of children. Two other games come to mind when considering whether Roblox as a suitable gaming option for your child. Fortnite and Minecraft. Both Fortnite and Minecraft are fun games that kids can play together, and that you will no doubt hear about their friends playing as well. Minecraft is a world building sandbox style game where construction of worlds on your own, and with other players, is a core part of the game. Fortnite is an action shooting game where players are pit against each other to become the last surviving player. However both these games also come with risks that exist for Roblox as well.
Like Minecraft, Roblox is more about world building. This allows your kids to be creative. They are able to build their own game environments for themselves or others to take part in. They are able to create custom clothing, accessories, and skills, and even their own adventures. In this way Roblox is a little more advanced then Minecraft. The two main issues that should bring parental monitoring are the social aspect of Roblox and the ability to make in game purchases.
Both Fortnite and Minecraft also have a social chat aspect in their games which, for children, is really not a necessary part of the gaming experience. As an adult I have played games of Fortnite and been put into chat groups with children as young as 8 or 9 years old. It’s not something that I’m comfortable with, and as a parent it’s not something I’m comfortable with my children being apart of. I have a rule in my house which I apply to all these types of games. You are not to engage in social chat activities with anyone in a video game. With Roblox you are able to prevent your children from being put in a situation where someone you don’t know is talking to your child.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2832" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/is-roblox-good-for-creativity.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/is-roblox-good-for-creativity.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/is-roblox-good-for-creativity-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
<a href="https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/206224956-Chatting-and-Playing-with-Friends">https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/206224956-Chatting-and-Playing-with-Friends</a>
If you explore the content on the Roblox website you will find all the options for disabling the social chat aspect of the game from your child’s device. With any game that allows online multiplayer it is a good idea to check what settings you are able to control. As parents we are always trying to protect our children in the world while allowing them to take part in the same activities as their friends.
As for in game purchases, handle that however you prefer. On my children’s iPads I don’t allow them to make purchases without being able to pass pin codes that I set up. I ask my children to do certain chores during the week and take certain responsibilities. I might have one of the girls stack the dishwasher a couple of times a week, and ask them to clean up their rooms when they finish playing with things. When they do these things for me I might reward them with $5. I encourage them to think about things that cost more than $5 and ask them how they might save up for those things. If they choose to use their money to make an in app purchase I’ll allow it. For me it’s the same as them saving up to buy a new toy. I do talk about the value of items for both short term and long term but I’m happy for them to make their own choices about the money they earn. Not too long ago our school engaged in a fundraising activity where money raised could be exchanged for gifts.
As for Roblox, it’s a great game for getting your kids playing together nicely and getting them thinking about how to make stuff. The characters are similar in look to Lego characters and I think that draws them in a lot more. My two eldest girls often played completely random apps on their iPads, but now I see and hear them sitting down together exploring different worlds in Roblox and working together to win games and improve their characters. While I do have to monitor how long they spend on Roblox overall I do think that they are getting a lot of benefits out of the game.

Is Roblox Good For My Child’s Creativity Or Putting Them At Risk?

So many offerings at the Brisbane Festival!  From music and dance to theatre, opera and cabaret, there is a lot to choose from.  Here are our picks from the Brisbane Festival:
Séance
Become locked up together with a group of people in pitch black darkness in a 40 foot shipping container.  Experience what is happening inside the container with the thrill of using your other senses apart from sight.  What you think may be happening may not be happening at all.  How will you cope and what will you do when you are bombarded with suggestive material?  Experience Séance to find out.  Not for the faint-hearted.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2828" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/our-picks-from-the-brisbane-festival.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/our-picks-from-the-brisbane-festival.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/our-picks-from-the-brisbane-festival-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Life – The Show
A mix of circus, cabaret and comedy, Life – The Show promises to be another awesome offering from the Courier-Mail Spiegeltent.  It is brought to us from the same people involved with Limbo Unhinged and Blanc de Blanc.  Cirque du Soleil’s Goos Meeuwsen, Violent Femmes’ Blaise Garza, and Limbo’s Mick Stuart and Hilton Denis star in this adventure.  It is billed as a celebration of life and what it means to be a human being in a fun and outrageous fashion.  It also comes with a warning.  Full frontal nudity, drug references, attempted pyrokinesis and other adult themes are strong throughout the show.  Purchase tickets only if you are not easily offended.
California Crooners Club
California Crooners Club is highlighted by Australian actor, Hugh Sheridan.  He’s starred in popular Australian TV shows House Husbands and Packed to the Rafters and won 4 Silver Logies.  However, he can also sing.  Sheridan is joined by singers Emile Welman and Johnny Manuel to bring us elegant tunes with swagger and style.  They won Pick of the Fringe and Critics Circle Award at the Adelaide Fringe Festival.  They were last present at the Brisbane Festival in 2016 when they introduced themselves to us.  They return in 2018 having established themselves as bonafide smash hit.

Our Picks from the Brisbane Festival

The Brisbane Festival is here again for another year.  There’s plenty to see and do, but not all of it is suitable for young children.  Of course, Sunsuper Riverfire celebrating the end of Brisbane Festival is a must for older children and adults.  As usual there will be a massive all-day concert, cumulating in a spectacular fireworks display.  The theme of the soundtrack this year is sci-fi and superheroes which sounds fun.  However, little children just can’t last the day and stay up late for the fireworks.  Here are our picks for the best activities for young children at the Brisbane Festival this year:
#CelebateBrisbane River of Light
The #CelebrateBrisbane River of Light is a spectacular show of lasers and lights over the top of giant spirals and dynamic jets of water.  This would be amazing by itself, but on top of that the technology is used to tell the traditional Aboriginal story of how the Brisbane River came about.  Come to the free show to experience how the Brisbane River was created by the dreaming serpent to become the life blood of Brisbane.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2825" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/brisbane-festival-river-of-light.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/brisbane-festival-river-of-light.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/brisbane-festival-river-of-light-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
House of Mirrors 
Located at the Brisbane Treasury Arcadia, the House of Mirrors is your classic maze of mirrors.  A myriad of mirrors are carefully arranged to provide optical illusion with precise geometry.   It will challenge your physically and psychologically as you make your way through.  Some people are delighted.  Some people are amazed.  Some people are frightened.
BrainBuzz Live
BrainBuzz is a new educational children’s show on Channel Nine.  It is produced in Brisbane.  It teaches children about science by answering all those scientific questions that they always wonder about.  This free show located in the Brisbane City Hall Main Auditorium will let children get up close and personal with the hosts and characters from the show.  They promise excitement, experiments and maybe even some explosions.

Best Activities for Young Children at the Brisbane Festival

The Gold Coast Show is more or less the Gold Coast’s version of Brisbane’s Ekka.  Gold Coast residents get a public holiday to go to the show, similar to Brisbane&#8217;s People&#8217;s Day show holiday.  There are games, rides, showbags, animals and food similar to the Ekka, but at a much lesser scale.  However, unlike the Ekka, the Gold Coast Show has free entry.  That&#8217;s awesome considering it costs $35 for an adult ticket and $20 for a child ticket to enter the Ekka.
Sideshow Alley was of course smaller at the Gold Coast Show than the Ekka.  However, there were still plenty of games and rides to please all ages.  Most of the shooting, throwing and fishing games were present at the same cost per game as the Ekka.  There were a lot of rides for young children, but many of the big rides from the Ekka were missing.
Showbags were more disappointing.  There was only a small tent for showbags shared with other stalls.  The line up was so bad you couldn&#8217;t even walk closer to see what was in the showbags.  From what we could see, there wasn&#8217;t many different showbags to choose from and they looked like the same ones from the Ekka.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2817" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/gold-coast-show.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/gold-coast-show.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/gold-coast-show-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Food was even worse.  We thought we would have lunch early before 12pm to beat the line up.  However, many items at 3 different stalls were already sold out.  There were no shakes available at the shakes and dessert caravan, which was a quarter of their menu.   The soft serve stall shut their serving counter at around 12.30pm after running out of ice cream.  No pork or beef skewers were left from the BBQ skewers stall and we had to wait 30 minutes for our order of chicken skewers, mixed grill skewers and loaded fries.  Some customers got fed up waiting for their food and asked for a refund.
More organization regarding the showbags and food would have been nice.  Luckily, the games and rides made up for them.  You can&#8217;t complain about the free entry.  Overall, still a fun day out.

Gold Coast Show

Video games get a bad rap.  They stop kids going outdoors to play.  Kids sit all day staring at screens so they become fat due to a lack of exercise.  The flashing lights at close range are bad for the eyes.  They are the reason more kids need glasses.  Kids sit in front of a screen by themselves and become anti-social.  They don&#8217;t develop the normal social skills through interaction with other kids in person.  These are all the negative things associated with video games.
What if video games were used for exercise?  You can&#8217;t sit to play the game.  You have to stand and move about in order to complete the levels, win prizes and unlock new content.  When playing these video games, kids would be keeping active, not just sitting in front of a screen.  There are many of these type of games now available.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2818" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/are-video-games-bad-for-kids.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/are-video-games-bad-for-kids.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/are-video-games-bad-for-kids-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
What if video games encouraged you to rest your eyes?  Looking at anything for a long time can be bad for your eyes.  Being out in the bright sunlight can make your eyes sore if you are not wearing sunglasses.  Doing an assignment on the computer for a few hours can be draining on your eyes.  At least video games have an inbuilt warning and ask you to rest your eyes after playing for a certain amount of time.
What if video games encouraged social interaction?  There are many offline games that allow you to play together with a second player on a second controller.  Many online games allow you to play with and against other people.  This interaction is not just on the screen either.  Many games encourage the use of headsets with microphones and talking to each other while playing.
Video games are not as bad for kids as they have been made out to be.  These days video games are part of kids&#8217; lives.  As long as playing is in moderation, there should be nothing wrong with it.

Are Video Games Bad For Kids?

It was raining so we didn&#8217;t feel like going out in the wet as we originally planned.  We wanted to eat at home, but were too lazy to cook and we didn&#8217;t have a lot in the fridge to cook any way.  We decided to try one of the many takeaway food delivery options.  When you search Google for takeaway food delivery options, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Foodora top the list.  We hadn&#8217;t heard much about Foodora so decided to cross it off the list.  Uber is well known, but more as a ridesharing taxi alternative.   The ads for Deliveroo are everywhere so it seemed like a safe choice so we gave it a go.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2812" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/deliveroo-drivers.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/deliveroo-drivers.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/deliveroo-drivers-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
The takeaway food choices on Deliveroo were impressive.  A total of 38 options were available for my location from your typical burger joint to cafes to proper restaurants.  Most said the food would arrive in 20 to 30 minutes from ordering.  Ordering was easy.  Select the restaurant and then the items you want from their menu.  Pay with a credit card and wait for your delivery which can be tracked until it arrives.  The website will tell you if the restaurant has accepted your order, when they are preparing the food and when the delivery is on its way.  If there are any issues, there is online support via live chat.
The delivery person followed our instructions and used the intercom when they arrived with our food.  The food came within 30 minutes as promised.  Everything was packed neatly into containers inside a brown paper bag with no spillage.  The food was still hot and delicious.  Our experience with Deliveroo was a good one.  We will definitely be using it again when we don&#8217;t want to cook and want takeaway but don&#8217;t want to go get it ourselves.

Deliveroo Delivers

The slogan for McDonald&#8217;s is I&#8217;m lovin&#8217; it.  To be honest, most of us have a soft spot for their fast food at one time or other.  We know it is so bad for us, but it tastes oh so good every now and then.  However, are we really loving their latest marketing campaign?
Macca’s just maybe pushing their food a little too hard.  Not satisfied serving most of their items after 10:30am, select products are now available all day and all night.  You can now have a Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets and French Fries for brekkie.  Who really feels like any of these things for breakfast when they wake up in the morning?  However, we are now told that it is never too early.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2808" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/mcdonalds-breakfastburgers.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/mcdonalds-breakfastburgers.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/mcdonalds-breakfastburgers-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
The main issue is McDonald’s encouraging their unhealthy items more and more and more.  First it was All Day Breakfast where you can get the whole day many items normally served at breakfast time only.  I myself don&#8217;t mind a Sausage and Egg McMuffin and hash brown for lunch instead of the standard burger and fries every now and then.  However, let&#8217;s not encourage unhealthy eating all day and all night.
Breakfast is often claimed as the most important meal of the day.  A good breakfast helps kick start your day.  I typically have cereal with milk and some fruit.  I encourage my son to do the same.  Let&#8217;s not promote burgers, fries snd chicken nuggets for breakfast.  Shame on McDonald&#8217;s for giving it a crack.  Promoting unhealthy food all day and all night is the other problem.  McDonald&#8217;s message is you can have our burgers, fries and chicken nuggets for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  This is not the right message to be sending out.  I definitely don&#8217;t want my son to be thinking that this is the norm.

McDonald’s – I’m Lovin’ It

My 4 year old son may not be old enough to see Avengers: Infinity War.  That doesn&#8217;t stop all the big toy companies from making toys based on the movie targeted directly at him.  There&#8217;s the usual action figures and dress-up costumes with masks and plastic weapons of The Avengers.  One toy got both our attentions – Nerf Assembler Gear.
Nerf Assembler Gear is pretty loosely based on Avengers: Infinity War.  Apart from having gear for 5 different superheroes from the movie, there is basically no other connection.  There is one gear pack for Ironman, Spiderman, Hulk, Captain America and Star-Lord.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2804" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/nerf-assembler-gear-review-2.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/nerf-assembler-gear-review-2.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/nerf-assembler-gear-review-2-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Each gear pack is basically a Nerf gun that comes in different pieces.  The design and colour of the pieces are specific for the superhero.  Ironman has a repulsor beam and mainly maroon pieces.  Spiderman has a spider web piece and dark blue pieces.  Hulk has a large green fist and other green pieces.  Captain America has a shield and red and blue pieces.  Star-Lord has a quad blaster and orange pieces.
You can put these pieces together in a few different ways due to different connections on each piece.  Some connections are end-to-end to make the gun longer.  Other pieces can slide into slots on the top, bottom and sides.  So each gear pack can make several styles of Nerf Gun depending on how you arrange the pieces.
What is even better still is that you can combine pieces from different gear packs together to form even more different weapons.  A Captain America shield can have Spiderman’s spider web shooting out of it.  Hulk’s massive green fist can be holding Star-Lord&#8217;s quad blaster which can be shooting out Ironman&#8217;s repulsor beam.  The combinations are limitless.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2805" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/nerf-assembler-gear-review.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/nerf-assembler-gear-review.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/nerf-assembler-gear-review-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
This is my son&#8217;s favourite toy at the moment.  He likes building what he calls the ultimate weapon by attaching all the pieces he has into one big Nerf gun.  Although still Nerf guns, we prefer these ones to the standard guns that simply shoot foam darts.  At least these ones also encourage creativity and reinforce building concepts.

Nerf Assembler Gear Review

With a 4 year old son, it is difficult to see all the biggest movies at the cinemas.  Most blockbusters are rated M and aren&#8217;t suitable for him to see.  Even if the rating was suitable, he wouldn&#8217;t last the 2 hours most movies are these days at the cinema sitting still without causing a scene.  It is therefore more often than not that we wait for the DVD or Blu-Ray release of the movie and watch it in the comfort of our own home.
We rated the first Avengers movie one of best action comedies ever made.  The memory of Loki being punished by The Hulk still brings back chuckles.  With high expectations after the first movie, the second Avengers movie just felt like a big letdown.  A bit too serious maybe?  So we readjusted our expectation level for Avengers: Infinity War.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2801" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/avengers-infinity-war-review.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/avengers-infinity-war-review.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/avengers-infinity-war-review-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Luckily, it didn&#8217;t disappoint.  Non-stop action with special effects galore as different groups of superheroes from all of Marvel&#8217;s other movies combine to take on the evil Thanos.  The to and fro dialogue between firstly Star-Lord of the Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor, and then Star-Lord and Ironman is comedic genius.
The only real issue with Avengers: Infinity War is that you a built towards a final conclusion, but the conclusion never comes.  I guess that&#8217;s how you sell movie tickets to Avengers: Infinity War 2.  It wasn&#8217;t a problem for us as we have seen all the other Marvel superhero movies.  However, for those who haven&#8217;t kept up with the other superhero outings, some things in this movie may also seem to not make sense.
Nonetheless, a thoroughly enjoyable movie.  So much so that we would watch it again just to get all the finer details that you miss the first viewing.  Bring on Avengers: Infinity War 2!
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Avengers: Infinity War Review

Best Food at the Ekka
The Ekka is famous for the iconic strawberry sundae and the foot long dagwood dog.  However, you should save some room for other tasty treats and there are quite a lot of them.  Here are our recommendations from this year&#8217;s selections:
Woodfire BBQ
Sideshow Alley is known as the place for thrilling rides and testing your skill at  various games to see if you can win a big prize.  However, there are also food stalls to replenish your energy littered throughout Sideshow Alley.  Woodfire BBQ draws you in with their delicious barbeque aromas.  The tender baby back pork ribs and hot buttered corn are our recommendations.  Just make sure you get them freshly cooked or they aren&#8217;t as good when they have dried out.
Hoy Pinoy
As we walked towards the food stalls of Gourmet Plaza, we couldn&#8217;t help but be drawn towards the delicious smell and smoke coming from Hoy Pinoy&#8217;s open air grill.  It’s Filipino street food at it&#8217;s best.  Go for the giant tender chicken or pork belly skewers.  You will be impressed by the taste as well as the size of their skewers.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2797" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/best-food-at-the-ekka.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/best-food-at-the-ekka.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/best-food-at-the-ekka-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Puffle
A puffle is both a main meal and a dessert all in one.  The outside is a classic Hong Kong street food called an eggette, which is basically an egg waffle with circular instead of square shapes.  Instead of eating it au naturel or with ice cream, this stall fills their eggettes with Korean spicy fried chicken or sweet bulgogi beef.  We think the sweet bulgogi beef goes perfectly with the fluffy egg waffle.
Tornado Potato
The name of this treat is impressive by itself, but having one of the longest line-ups in the Woolworths Food Pavilion confirms it&#8217;s place as the ideal snack.  You get a whole potato sliced thin and spun round and round on a stick so you get one mega long, ultra thin slice on a skewer.  Watching the attendant do this was cool in itself.  Deep fry and add chicken salt and you get the best way to get a potato ever imagined.
Jucy Juice
Wash all the food down with fresh juice served inside the fruit at Jucy Juice inside the Woolworths Food Pavilion.  Everyone will be jealous of you as you sip away at your pineapple juice served in the pineapple or the watermelon juice served in a mini watermelon.

Best Food at the Ekka

Besides the strawberry sundae and the foot long dagwood dog, the Ekka showbag is the most iconic part of the Royal Queensland Show. When I was a kid, I fondly remember begging mum every year to buy a special edition of the Sunday Mail that was only available a few weeks before the Ekka started just to get the included Ekka showbag guide. We didn&#8217;t usually buy newspapers and this was the only way to have a sneak peek at what showbags were available that year. I’m sure they sold a lot of newspapers due to the included showbag guide back in the day. Times have certainly changed as the showbag guide is now free and easily accessible on the Ekka&#8217;s website.
The Showbag Pavilion is now a temporary big white tent instead of having its own building. The original building is now housing fine art and agriculture. The size of the space inside the tent is quite large, but there is a lot of empty space inside with less stands dedicated to selling showbags. Some Sideshow Alley gaming stalls have found their way inside the Showbag Pavilion, as well as a coffee van and area with table and chairs.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2794" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/the-ekka-showbag-difference.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/the-ekka-showbag-difference.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/the-ekka-showbag-difference-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
I&#8217;ve also noticed that there were a lot more showbags when I was a kid compared to now. As I walk along the aisles separating the stands, there are alot of repeat stands selling the same showbags. There were also a lot more licensed showbags back in the day. It seemed like every big movie or cartoon had their own showbag with licensed goods actually from the movie or cartoon. I still have Arnie&#8217;s sunnies from the Terminator 2 showbag and a glow in the dark Phantom ring from the Phantom showbag. Most of the toy showbags today are generic army, police or ninja themed with cheap plastic toys with no direct associations with any movie or cartoon. When licensed items were included, they seemed to be very similar between showbags. Most licensed showbags seemed to contain a licensed small plastic backpack.
The cost is also $20 to $30 a showbag for many of the toy showbags, which is very expensive. I feel that we should be able to buy many of the included items from Kmart, Target or Big W at a lower price. There were a few cheap $5 licensed toy showbags, which were a steal. However, there seemed to be very little stock of them, indicating they may be cheap as they were left over from previous years.

The Ekka Showbag Difference

What does a dentist use himself to clean his own teeth at home? What items are found in a dentist&#8217;s bathroom that he uses every day to clean his teeth? What things are found in his teeth cleaning kit when he goes away on holidays? Patients want to know if dentists do what they preach. Are the oral hygiene items they recommend me use the same as the ones they use themselves?
At Central Brisbane Dental, we give a free oral hygiene pack to every patient after their checkup and clean appointment. Inside the pack are things we recommend they use with simple oral hygiene instructions on how to brush and floss properly. There is an extra soft Colgate or Oral B toothbrush as we recommend very soft bristles to avoid damaging the teeth and gums during cleaning. Most patients receive a general toothpaste such as Colgate Total or Oral B Gum Care and Enamel Restore. For those with sensitive teeth, we provide either Sensodyne Repair and Protect or Colgate Sensitive instead of a general toothpaste to help reduce sensations. A small Colgate or Oral B floss is also included.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1835" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/dr-vincent-wan-and-dr-allen-wan.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/dr-vincent-wan-and-dr-allen-wan.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/dr-vincent-wan-and-dr-allen-wan-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
These items are provided to the patient to encourage good oral hygiene practices. We can use them as props to discuss their recommended oral hygiene routine. There&#8217;s also less excuses if you have the appropriate tools we recommend you use provided to you.
These are the same oral hygiene items I use myself. When I go away on holidays, I actually take two of these oral hygiene packs with me &#8211; one for myself and one for my wife. At home, we use an Oral B Genius rechargeable electric toothbrush instead of a manual toothbrush as I like the oscillating cleaning action of the powered toothbrush. A <a id="aGoBack"></a>manual toothbrush is still fine to use so I use one when I am away on holidays when I don&#8217;t want to take the electric one. We still use an extra soft toothbrush head called a Sensitive Clean brush head.

Teeth Cleaning At Home – What A Dentist Uses

When it comes to straightening teeth with clear aligners, most patients think of Invisalign. This is more because of great marketing of their brand, rather than because it is the only product out there. In fact, there are now numerous options available to straighten teeth using clear aligners. At Central Brisbane Dental, we chose to use ClearPath clear aligners as we believe they are superior than Invisalign ones.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1871" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/aligner-orthdontics-drill-sergeant-toothy.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/aligner-orthdontics-drill-sergeant-toothy.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/aligner-orthdontics-drill-sergeant-toothy-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Here&#8217;s 3 reasons why we believe ClearPath is better than Invisalign:
1. Your Aligners
Invisalign aligners were designed by a patient who was having orthodontic treatment. He believed there must be a better way to straighten teeth instead of using the brackets and wires he was wearing at the time. Invisalign aligners was his solution. However, he didn&#8217;t have any dental background or experience so spent most of his money on marketing his product rather than making the best product available. Instead, ClearPath took that initial Invisalign idea and perfected the product with input from dentists and specialist orthodontists rather than focusing their efforts on marketing. We believe the ClearPath aligner is the best available today.
2. Your Teeth
Invisalign makes the dentist glue little shapes of composite resin filling material to your teeth to help their aligners grip and move your teeth. These bits of filling material make your teeth feel lumpy, are harder to clean and don&#8217;t look so good up close. They can also come away from your teeth during treatment and need to be replaced. It would be better for your teeth if these weren&#8217;t needed. ClearPath has developed a smarter aligner where there is a patented microscopic crisscross pattern on the fitting surface that grips your teeth and moves them without the need for the shapes of filling material. With ClearPath, you don&#8217;t have to worry about extra bits of filling material on your teeth.
3. Your Cost
Relying on their well known brand name, Invisalign can obviously charge more expensive prices. ClearPath orthodontic treatment is less costly. ClearPath&#8217;s aligner packages are less expensive. Invisalign usually charges per number of aligners. The more aligners you need, the larger the bill. So in cases where you need a lot of aligners, the bill can be quite large. ClearPath has unlimited aligner packages where you pay the same low price no matter how many aligners you need after that. If something doesn&#8217;t go as planned and you need more aligners during the course of your treatment, these are in most cases included free of extra charge. If you need more aligners at the end of your proposed treatment to do a little more straightening, these are always included free of extra charge. With ClearPath, you also get 2 sets of removable retainers included free of charge to be worn after aligner treatment is finished to hold your teeth in the corrected positions.

Invisalign vs ClearPath

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has just released a healthcare advertising checklist.  Amongst the usual responsible advertising guidelines, there&#8217;s a kind reminder about testimonials and reviews.  Any patient testimonials, stories, recommendations or reviews about clinical care are prohibited in all forms of advertising.  There can be no mention of the presenting symptoms, treatment carried out or the outcome of the treatment.  There can be nothing mentioning or even alluding to the clinical competency of the health practitioner.
The contradicting aspect about this is that the health practitioner is responsible only for advertising that we can control.  This means any form of advertising from print to media, in-house or outsourced to a third party.  It also includes online sites such as the practice website, as well as social media pages like our Facebook page.  We are told to delete all testimonials and reviews and turn off the review function in the settings if this is possible.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2784" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/dental-patient-reviews.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/dental-patient-reviews.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/dental-patient-reviews-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
However, there are numerous online sites with absolutely no association with us that do the same things that AHPRA don&#8217;t want health practitioners doing.  These sites display patient testimonials and ask for patient reviews.  They deliberately ask the community to comment on their experience with us, on our clinical care.  They ask them to give us a star rating, usually out of a maximum five stars.
It seems the rule stopping health practitioners from using testimonials and reviews is a little redundant.  If testimonials and reviews are widely available from a range of other sources, does it really matter if these are on a health practitioner&#8217;s advertising?  The testimonials and reviews on a health practitioner&#8217;s advertising will always be positive and full of self praise you may say.  No one in their right mind will talk badly about themselves when trying to market their practice.  However, potential patients doing their research will no doubt look for testimonials and reviews from independent third parties.  Debatable or not, we will just have to abide by the guidelines set by AHPRA.
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Dental Patient Reviews

Our receptionist often gets asked whether we bulk bill.&nbsp; Unfortunately, bulk billing does not exist for dentists in Australia.&nbsp; Bulk billing only applies to doctors in private practice and not dentists.



So what is bulk billing and how does it work?&nbsp; Basically, it is having Medicare pay for your healthcare.&nbsp; Medicare will pay for consultations and treatments at the doctor.&nbsp; The doctor submits a claim to get paid by Medicare and the patient doesn’t have to pay themselves.&nbsp; Before the digital age which has allowed on the spot claiming for each case, the doctor used to wait till they accumulated a bulk amount of these claims before billing Medicare.&nbsp; Hence, the term bulk billing was coined.



Unfortunately, this process for doctors does not apply to dentists in private practice.&nbsp; To see a dentist in Australia, you have to pay for it yourself.&nbsp; You can join a health fund with dental cover and they can help pay your bill, but you have to pay the health fund a membership fee.&nbsp; So joining a health fund may or may not be worthwhile depending on how much you pay for it and how much you can claim back.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/bulk-billing-dentist-brisbane.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2781" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/bulk-billing-dentist-brisbane.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/bulk-billing-dentist-brisbane-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></figure></div>



If you have a healthcare card, you may be eligible for certain dental treatments at a public dental hospital.&nbsp; There are lengthy waiting lists for general dental treatments.&nbsp; If you have an emergency such as a toothache, you must go to the dental hospital early in the morning and line up to get a number.&nbsp; If you are lucky enough to get a number, you will be seen that day.&nbsp; If not, you may have to go back the next day.



There are two special government schemes where Medicare will pay for dental treatment at a private dentist.  If you are a veteran, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) will issue you a card which usually allows you all dental treatments.  The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) allows eligible children up to a $1000 to use on dental treatment over a two year period.  However, not all treatments are covered. <a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/themes/centralbrisbanedental2019/assets/pdf/Promotion-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf">View Terms and Conditions.</a>

Bulk Billing Dentist Brisbane

As with most things in life, dental health requires continual review and maintenance.  Just because you were dentally fit and healthy six months ago, does not necessarily mean you are now.  Just because you have no problems with your teeth and gums at this present time, does not mean they will stay this way in the future.  Continual review and maintenance is the only way to ensure optimum dental health.
Our lives our constantly changing.  What we do for work may change.  We may get a promotion or be made redundant.  We may change jobs altogether.  Our relationships may change.  We may end a relationship.  We may start a new one.  What we do in our spare time may change.  We may begin a new hobby.  We may take up a new sport.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2778" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/review-and-maintenance.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/review-and-maintenance.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/review-and-maintenance-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
All these things may affect our bodies, including our mouths.  We may be more or less busy and have more or less time to look after ourselves properly.  Our attitude towards certain things may change and we may spend more or less time doing certain things.  There may be a direct impact on our bodies including our mouths from choosing to do or not do certain things or doing certain things differently.
Regular continual review ensures we know what state our mouths are at this present time.  If the current state is less than optimal, then some treatment can be done quickly to correct it before it gets much worse.  If the current state is healthy, then nothing may need to be done besides some maintenance teeth and gum cleaning.  That is why it is recommended to get a checkup and clean done at the dentist every six months.  This continual review and maintenance routine ensures optimum dental health for the long term whatever changes occur in your life that may affect your body.

Review and Maintenance

The process of straightening your teeth with ClearPath aligners is very simple for the patient.&nbsp; Let us discuss this process:



Free Consult



Come in for a 30 minute free consult and let us tell you if you are appropriate for ClearPath aligners. <a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/themes/centralbrisbanedental2019/assets/pdf/Promotion-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf">View Terms and Conditions.</a> We will discuss thoroughly with you about the treatment, including what&#8217;s involved for your specific case and the treatment cost.  You will also receive information on other treatment options so you can best decide which treatment suits your situation.



Getting Dentally Healthy



If you haven&#8217;t had a checkup and clean within the past 6 months, you will need to have this done.&nbsp; Orthodontic treatment can only start on healthy teeth and gums.&nbsp; Any tooth decay or gum disease needs to be treated first or teeth straightening won&#8217;t give a good result.



Taking Records



When you are dentally healthy, exam notes, x-rays, photos and impressions of your teeth can be taken and sent to ClearPath for analysis.&nbsp; ClearPath&#8217;s specialist orthodontists will provide a treatment plan for your case with projected before and after images.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/straighten-your-teeth-with-clearpath.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2773" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/straighten-your-teeth-with-clearpath.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/straighten-your-teeth-with-clearpath-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></figure></div>



Discussion of Treatment Plan



We will discuss your ClearPath treatment plan in detail.&nbsp; We have a chance to request changes if desired.&nbsp; Once this plan is accepted and the orthodontic consent form completed, your ClearPath aligners will be made.



Aligner Treatment



You will need to wear the ClearPath aligners as directed 22 hours per day, only taking them out to eat and clean your teeth.&nbsp; You will wear each set for 2 weeks before moving onto the next set.&nbsp; We will see you for reviews of aligner fit and teeth movement every 2 to 6 weeks as needed.&nbsp; If there is not enough space for your teeth to straighten, a small amount of enamel, usually 0.30 – 0.35mm, may need to removed from a few teeth to create space before certain aligners.&nbsp; This small amount of enamel removal does not cause any issues for the teeth as there are many more millimetres of enamel left.&nbsp; It avoids the need for tooth extraction to create space.



Retainers



After completing all aligners, records of your mouth will be sent to ClearPath for analysis and retainers made.&nbsp; You will have straight teeth, but will need to wear retainers at night time to keep them straight.&nbsp; If you don&#8217;t, there is a risk that your teeth will try and move back towards their original crooked position.

Straighten Your Teeth With ClearPath

Patients with bad teeth often proclaim that they want all their teeth removed and have dentures made.  These patients think they will have no dental problems any more after this because they will no longer have any of their own teeth.  Little do they know that it is not as simple as that.
It is true that without teeth, they will be spared from teeth specific problems such as tooth decay.  Cavities can&#8217;t form where there is no tooth structure no matter how poor the oral hygiene is.  However, dentures and the oral soft tissues on which they sit still need to be cleaned thoroughly to avoid taste and smell issues.  Infections can still occur in the underlying soft tissues if the are not cleaned well.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1938" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/toothy-being-extracted.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/toothy-being-extracted.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/toothy-being-extracted-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Dentures themselves can also introduce new problems.  They can take time to get used to as they are quite different to your own teeth.  Dentures can rub on their supporting soft tissues and cause soreness.  Denture teeth can still break and wear just as our own teeth can.  Dentures need to be taken out at night to give the supporting tissues time to rest and recover.
With dentures, you still need to have regular 6 monthly checkups with the dentist.  Your dentures and supporting soft tissues need to be checked and cleaned.  The gums and bone on which your dentures sit can shrink and resorb over time.  If this happens, your dentures may become loose and need to be relined.  If there is a lot of change in the supporting gum and bone, new dentures need to be made.
Having all your teeth removed and replaced by dentures is sometimes necessary and the only viable option if the natural teeth are in very poor condition.  However, if your own teeth can be saved, then they should be.  Your own teeth are always much better than artificial replacements.  There are still dental problems when you don&#8217;t have any teeth and a set of dentures.
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Extractions and Dentures

We understand that many patients are anxious about coming to see the dentist.  Some patients are even fearful of dental treatment.  At Central Brisbane Dental, we pay attention to some of the little things to make anxious or fearful patients feel more at ease.
Communication
Many patients are anxious because they fear the unknown.  They don&#8217;t know what will happen at their dental appointment and fear it will be uncomfortable or they will feel pain.  We take the time to understand a patient&#8217;s concerns and explain everything before we carry it out so there are no surprises.
Distraction
One of the best methods to relieve anxiety and fear is to make the patient think about something else, distract them.  Our dental practice is littered with pop culture references to make it less like a dental practice.  From 3D Star Wars displays on the walls of the waiting room to the collectable movie, TV show and cartoon  figurines on the shelves and windowsills, Central Brisbane Dental looks nothing like your typical dental practice.  We also have a projector in each surgery showing a DVD on the ceiling during treatment.  Reading the subtitles and following the DVD requires concentration and takes your mind off what is happening in your mouth.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1868" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/relaxed-toothy-sedation-and-anxiety.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/relaxed-toothy-sedation-and-anxiety.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/relaxed-toothy-sedation-and-anxiety-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Sedation
Some patients are extremely anxious or fearful and require a little something extra.  We can prescribe Valium for these patients to take before their appointment to make them feel more at ease.  The newest form of happy gas, the Penthrox inhaler, is also available.  Penthrox is controlled by the patient who can breathe in more or less of the gas as they need.  There is no worry about consuming too much as you can just breathe back out the excess.  It is commonly used before giving local anaesthetic or for extraction of teeth, particularly wisdom teeth removal.

Are You Anxious About Your Next Visit To The Dentist?

Quick Straight Teeth fast braces in most cases straightens front teeth in as few as 5 appointments over 4 months.



30 Minute Free Consult



You are given the opportunity for one of our accredited dentists to have a look at your teeth and see if Quick Straight Teeth is suitable for you.&nbsp; We will discuss the options for your case and treatment costs using Quick Straight Teeth as well as any other options.



<a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/themes/centralbrisbanedental2019/assets/pdf/Promotion-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf">View Terms and Conditions.</a>



1 Hour Record Taking



We comprehensively analyse your whole mouth with a full examination, x-rays, photos and impressions to form study models.&nbsp; Some special orthodontic x-rays (OPG, Lat Ceph) need to be done at a x-ray clinic and you will be given a referral for these.&nbsp; To reduce your treatment expense, Quick Straight Teeth specialist orthodontists help treatment plan your case and we the general dentists carry out your treatment with their guidance.



1.5 Hour Insertion



Clear ceramic brackets are bonded to your teeth.&nbsp; A special wire coated in white is attached to the brackets with small elastics.&nbsp; Your teeth move according to the shape and elasticity of the special wire.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/quick-straight-teeth-procedure.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2764" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/quick-straight-teeth-procedure.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/quick-straight-teeth-procedure-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></figure></div>



1 Hour Reviews



There may be one or several of these review appointments depending on the complexity of your case.&nbsp; The movement of your teeth are checked.&nbsp; The elastics and special wire are removed and replaced with new elastics and a new wire to continue tooth movement.&nbsp; If your teeth straightening has finished, impressions can be taken to make retainers to hold your teeth straight.



1 Hour Retainer Insertion



The elastics, wire and brackets are removed and the cement cleaned away.&nbsp; A retainer wire is bonded to the back of the front teeth to hold the teeth in position.&nbsp; A removable retainer is supplied for wearing at night time to protect your teeth from moving when sleeping.&nbsp; You can now smile with straight front teeth.

Quick Straight Teeth Procedure

Not all dental implants are made the same.  Dental implants are precision titanium tooth root replacements and need to be designed and manufactured with the utmost care for long term success.  At Central Brisbane Dental, after thorough researching of all the brands available, we choose ADIN dental implants.
ADIN dental implants have been available since 1992.  ADIN is today an international leader in implant design and manufacturing of dental implants and their associated components and equipment.  The company works closely with dentists and dental specialists in private practice, public hospitals and dental schools in leading universities.  They consistently produce high quality, innovative, technologically-advanced dental implant products at a reasonable price.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2760" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/what-are-adin-implants.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/what-are-adin-implants.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/what-are-adin-implants-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
ADIN prescribes strictly to what they call a “balance of excellence”.  There are many high quality dental implants available on the market.  However, most of these come with a very expensive price tag.  ADIN’s philosophy has been to provide a high quality dental implant at a very reasonable price.  With their dental implants today, they have undoubtedly succeeded in balancing excellence in product with product affordability.  They are still continuing their research every day.  An accurate but well-priced intraoral scanner for implant planning and implant restoration is their latest effort.
An overly complex dental implant system can make an otherwise straight forward procedure a very stressful one.  With some systems, there may be a long list of steps, components and equipment.  ADIN removes the complexity from implant dentistry, with simplified steps, components and equipment.  Dentists and dental specialists alike find their system easy to use.  This can only lead to less risk of complications and higher long term success with use of the ADIN dental implant system.  Like their motto, the ADIN dental implant system and the dental implants themselves truly “leave limits behind”.  There are many factors that determine dental implant success.  With this system, every case has a great chance at success in terms of the implant, components and equipment.

What Are ADIN Implants?

There&#8217;s a toothpaste available that is great at preventing tooth decay.  It is anti-bacterial and makes teeth stronger and more resistant to breaking down.  It’s made by leading oral hygiene product brand, Colgate.  However, you&#8217;ve probably never heard of it.  It’s called Neutrafluor 5000 Plus.
The name Neutrafluor 5000 Plus is a strange one.  It sounds like a machine or robot name.  It&#8217;s not all that enticing coming from a marketing point of view.  However, it&#8217;s not meant for marketing.  You cannot find this product on the shelves at your local supermarket or variety store.  It is sold at pharmacies or directly from your dentist only.  It is also more expensive that regular toothpaste.  In fact, it should only be used after assessment and recommendation by your dentist.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2743" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/do-i-need-a-high-flouride-toothpaste.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/do-i-need-a-high-flouride-toothpaste.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/do-i-need-a-high-flouride-toothpaste-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
The name Neutrafluor 5000 Plus is more for the dentist rather than the patient.  It tells the dentist exactly what is in the product.  Neutrafluor stands for neutral fluoride as opposed to acidulated fluoride.  Fluoride is proven in research to make teeth stronger and more resistant to decay, as well as being anti-bacterial.  Acid roughens tooth structure for the fluoride to absorb better into it.  However, too much acid can wear away the enamel and permanently damage it.  So for products used at home away from your dentist&#8217;s direct supervision, a neutral product is much safer than an acidulated one.
The 5000 means 5000 parts per million fluoride or approximately 5 times the amount of fluoride in regular toothpaste.  This higher amount of fluoride is what makes this toothpaste extra good at protecting at risk tooth structure.  However, this higher amount of fluoride also means the toothpaste cannot be used in young children and needs to be recommended by your dentist for your specific needs.  Too much fluoride like too much of anything else can make you sick.  The Plus part of the name is for the other ingredients that make this product into a toothpaste.  These control flavour, consistency, foaming and cleaning properties of the toothpaste.
If you are at higher risk of tooth decay, your dentist may recommend you use Colgate Neutrafluor 5000 Plus toothpaste instead of regular toothpaste.  It may reduce your need for fillings and other dental work.

Do I Need A High Fluoride Toothpaste?

Dental implants can be used to replace missing teeth.&nbsp; They can also be used to replace teeth that need to be extracted.&nbsp; In fact, dental implants can be used to replace a single tooth, multiple teeth or even all the teeth when teeth are missing or need to be extracted.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/dental-implant-options.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2740" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/dental-implant-options.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/dental-implant-options-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></figure></div>



1. Replacing A Single Tooth



When a single tooth is missing or needs to be extracted, a dental implant can be placed in the jaw bone in that spot.&nbsp; A crown can then be attached to the dental implant to replace that single tooth.



2. Replacing Multiple Teeth



You may have more than one missing tooth or more than one tooth that needs to be extracted.&nbsp; Many single dental implants can be placed in the jaw bone at these different positions.&nbsp; All of these implants can then have crowns attached to them to replace the teeth.



If you have 3 missing teeth or teeth that need to be extracted in a row, dental implants can be placed to support a bridge.&nbsp; One implant at each end of the long space can be used to attach a 3 tooth bridge.&nbsp; Several dental implant supported bridges can be used if there are several large spaces in the mouth.



3. Replacing All The Teeth



If all the upper or lower teeth are missing or need to be extracted, dental implants can be used to replace all the teeth.&nbsp; 14 single implants and crowns can get pretty expensive and require a lot of surgery.&nbsp; Even several 3 tooth bridges is still a lot of money and a lot of surgery.&nbsp; There is an option called All on 4 where only 4 dental implants are required to hold a full arch bridge to replace all the teeth in the upper or lower parts of the mouth.&nbsp; For even less expense and surgery, dental implants can also be used to hold in a full denture.&nbsp; This is usually done if a full denture by itself is a bit loose.

Dental Implant Options

Don&#8217;t think that dental implants are not natural teeth so are not subject to dental problems.  A dental implant itself is artificial, but the jaw bone and gum tissue surrounding the implant is natural living tissue.  There are dental problems that will affect the artificial dental implant and problems that will affect the natural tissues.
Problems with the Dental Implant:
All the artificial components associated with a dental implant can wear and tear and may need to be replaced.  Crowns, bridges and dentures that attach to dental implants may need to be repaired or remade over time. Small internal screws that are used to attach crowns, bridges and dentures may need to be replaced if they break.  A dental implant itself tends to stay locked to the jaw bone once it is firmly attached after surgery to place it.  However, there are a small number of cases of dental implants that don&#8217;t integrate well with the jaw bone or the surgery site becomes infected.  These dental implants need to be removed and a new one placed after the jaw bone is cleaned and healing occurs.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-2736 size-full" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/what-is-peri-implantitis.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/what-is-peri-implantitis.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/what-is-peri-implantitis-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Problems with the Surrounding Natural Tissue:
You still need to clean a dental implant as you would a natural tooth.  If the implant and its surrounding tissues are not cleaned properly, you can get a gum disease called peri-implantitis.  Like with normal gum disease affecting the gum and jaw bone that surround natural teeth, the gum and jaw bone surrounding an implant can become inflammed and break down in peri-implantitis.  Severe cases of peri-implantitis can result in failure of the implant similar to loss of the tooth in severe cases of normal gum disease.
Dental implants and the crowns, bridges and dentures that attach to them need to be brushed and flossed.  You need to see the dentist every 6 months to have your dental implants and their crowns, bridges and dentures checked and professionally cleaned.

What Is Peri Implantitis?

Is your mouth notoriously difficult to get numb?  Does the dentist have to give you double the amount of local anaesthetic to get you fully numb?  Even then, have you thought that you may still be feeling something in your tooth even though your lips and tongue feel numb and fat?
It is not all in your head.  Some patients’ mouths are simply not easy to numb up.  There are 3 main reasons for this:
<ol>
<li>Complex Anatomy</li>
</ol>
Some patients have complex anatomy which makes it difficult for local anaesthetic to reach your nerves.  To numb up the teeth in the lower jaw, local anaesthetic must enter a small in the jaw bone next to the inside of your cheek.  If that small hole is particularly obscured by thick muscle, fatty tissue or mucosa, then you may not get much local anaesthetic numbing up your nerves.  If the hole is angled towards the back of the mouth, again not much local anaesthetic may get to the nerves.  There is usually one big nerve trunk, however some patients may have more than one nerve or multiple branches of the one nerve in the area where we are trying to numb.  One nerve or one nerve branch may be numbed, but other nerves or nerves branches may still provide sensation.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2728" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/will-it-hurt-when-i-go-to-the-dentist.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/will-it-hurt-when-i-go-to-the-dentist.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/will-it-hurt-when-i-go-to-the-dentist-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
<ol start="2">
<li>Not Enough Anaesthetic</li>
</ol>
If not enough local anaesthetic can reach the nerves, then you may not have very profound numbness.  If this is the case, then another dose of the same type of local anaesthetic should provide profound numbness.  If you have profound numbness, you should feel numbness in the teeth, gums and surrounding soft tissues such as the cheek, lips and tongue and have little control over these tissues.
<ol start="3">
<li>Anaesthetic is Too Weak</li>
</ol>
If an extra dose still doesn&#8217;t give you profound numbness, then a different local anaesthetic may used.  Local anaesthetics work differently.  Two different types may provide much better numbness than a double dose of the same one.  Some local anaesthetics are extra heavy duty.  These may be used in difficult to numb cases, but they do take much longer to wear off.

Why Do I Take A Long Time To Numb Up At The Dentist?

A tooth extraction isn’t the nicest procedure at the best of times.  However, it is usually a necessary procedure to get rid of pain, infection or both.  A dry socket after the extraction just makes the bad situation even worse.
After a tooth is removed, a blood clot forms overt the hole where the tooth used to be.  The blood clot protects the exposed underlying tissue and guides tissue healing.  A dry socket occurs when a proper blood clot does not form or more commonly, is dislodged after it is formed.  The jaw bone that was housing the tooth roots is left exposed and this is very painful.
Normally after tooth removal, most of the pain and swelling subside within 2 to 3 days.  If this does not occur, but rather the symptoms increase, there is a possibility you have a dry socket.  The pain is usually quite severe and may radiate from the tooth socket to the eye, ear, temple and neck on the same side as the tooth removal.  There may be a bad taste and smell from the area.  It may be hard for the average patient to tell, but there will be no blood clot, lack of tissue healing and visible bone exposed when the site is examined.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2725" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Dry-Socket.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="258" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Dry-Socket.jpg 600w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Dry-Socket-300x129.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />
You will need to go back to the dentist to have the socket cleaned and healing started again with the formation of a new blood clot.  The dentist will flush the socket to remove any irritants and debris.  The socket is packed with a medication which kills infection and helps with pain and tissue healing.  More pain medication and antibiotics may be prescribed.  Home care for the socket such as rinsing it with water salt water and a soft diet need to be continued.
Dry sockets tend to occur more in patients who smoke and drink alcohol after getting the extraction.  Not following the dentist’s after care instructions, especially lack of proper socket cleaning, gives you higher risk of a dry socket.  General poor oral hygiene and untreated gum disease and tooth decay in nearby areas of the mouth are also risk factors.  Interestingly, being on oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy gives higher likelihood to dry sockets as well as they affect tissue healing.

Do I Have Dry Socket?

Do you know what is staining your teeth?  Coloured foods and drinks obviously can discolour your teeth.  However, it is not as simple as that.  There may be sticky, acidic and dehydrating compounds at play as well.  Let&#8217;s have a look at all 4 of these things and their effect on teeth staining:
<ol>
<li>Coloured Foods and Drinks</li>
</ol>
The heavily pigmented compounds in foods and drinks are called chromogens.  Chromogens stain tooth structure with their coloured pigments.  Beetroot, berries, curry, soy sauce, red wine, tea and coffee are classic examples of foods and drinks that contain a lot of chromogens and can stain teeth.
<ol start="2">
<li>Sticky Foods and Drinks</li>
</ol>
Some foods and drinks also contain tannins which are plant compounds.  Tannins make it easier for chromogens to stick to tooth structure.  So foods and drinks with both strong chromogens and a lot of tannins tend to cause more staining of your teeth.  The reason why berries, red wine and tea are great at staining teeth is because they contain both chromogens and a lot of tannins.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2721" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/how-to-avoid-teeth-stains.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/how-to-avoid-teeth-stains.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/how-to-avoid-teeth-stains-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
<ol start="3">
<li>Acidic Foods and Drinks</li>
</ol>
Foods and drinks that are acidic soften and roughen tooth structure so chromogens more readily attach to it.  Chromogens embedded into the outer layers of eroded tooth are also more difficult to clean off so the colours stay on your teeth for longer.  Wine is particularly acidic.  Red wine having more chromogens stains teeth itself, while white wine erodes tooth structure, allowing chromogens from other foods and drinks to cause staining.
<ol start="4">
<li>Dehydrating Foods and Drinks</li>
</ol>
Foods and drinks that contain dehydrating compounds such as caffeine will dry your mouth.  When your mouth is dry, chromogens are not diluted by saliva and the surfaces of your teeth are exposed to more intense colours.  The lack of saliva also means the chromogens are not washed away from your teeth so colours stay on your teeth longer.  The reason why tea and coffee are particularly good at staining teeth is due to a combination of their chromogens and dehydrating effect.

How To Avoid Teeth Stains

Replacing a single missing tooth with a dental implant and crown involves diagnosis and thorough treatment planning, a surgical phase and prosthetic phase of treatment.
Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
Before a patient can get a dental implant and crown, they must be thoroughly assessed for suitability.  The patient must be medically and dentally fit and healthy.  Medical conditions and medications may affect proper healing of the jawbone around a dental implant.  Tooth decay and gum disease need to be treated first to limit risk of infection after implant surgery.  The patient must maintain good oral hygiene before and after the implant for success.
Besides a thorough dental examination, impressions of the teeth to form study models, photos and x-rays are analyzed.  In most cases a special 3D scan of your mouth called a Cone Beam CT is required for comprehensive planning of where the implant will go.  As this is a special scan, you will need to go to a nearby x-ray clinic for this.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2360" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/successful-dental-implants.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/successful-dental-implants.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/successful-dental-implants-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Surgical Phase
Under local anaesthetic and sedation, the sterile dental implant is inserted into the jawbone.  The gum tissue is firstly opened to reveal the underlying jawbone.  A small precision hole is prepared in the jawbone and the dental implant gently threaded into the prepared hole.  A cover is screwed into the implant to protect it and the gum tissue stitched over or around the cover.
After letting the implant integrate with the jawbone for approximately 3 months, healing of the bone and stability of the dental implant in the bone can be checked.  Sometimes a second surgery is needed to uncover the implant if the gum tissue had to be stitched over the top of the implant.  This second surgery is not needed if the gum tissue was able to be stitched around the implant and its protective cover.  If the bone has healed and the implant has integrated with the jawbone and is stable, the restorative phase can commence.
Restorative Phase
The restorative phase is usually done without the need for local anaesthetic or sedation as everything has healed.  Impressions of the dental implant and the surrounding teeth and gums are taken to form models.  On these models, the dental implant crown is made.  At a second appointment, the crown is attached to the dental implant via a special connector.  The crown replaces the original missing tooth.

Dental Implant Procedure

Some people have high risk of tooth decay.  Their tooth structure is more prone to breaking down and forming cavities than the average person.  They can get cavities easily even though they may brush and floss twice daily and go to the dentist every 6 months for a checkup and teeth cleaning.  They may have 1 of 3 problems or a combination of all 3:
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2616" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/do-i-have-high-risk-tooth-decay.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/do-i-have-high-risk-tooth-decay.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/do-i-have-high-risk-tooth-decay-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
<ol>
<li>Weak Enamel 
Some people are born with thinner or more porous enamel.  There are even conditions where some people are born with little or no enamel at all.Some people damage their enamel significantly after being born with healthy teeth.  They may have suffered an accident which damaged their teeth.  They may have a medical condition or taken medications that damaged their teeth.  Some people may not have looked after their teeth very well for a long period of time and their enamel has been damaged irreversibly.Enamel is the strongest part of the tooth.  Without good enamel, your teeth may be more prone to breaking down and forming cavities.</li>
<li>Low Saliva 
Saliva is very important for protecting our teeth.  It is anti-microbial and washes away food and debris.  It puts mineral back on the teeth to strengthen and repair.  It also buffers acids to limit erosion of tooth structure.Reduced saliva can occur due to salivary gland issues, aging, medical conditions and medications.  With low saliva, the teeth lose their natural protection system and can break down faster and be at risk of decay.</li>
<li>Acidic Mouth 
Some people have a more acidic oral environment than others.  This may be due to saliva issues or reflux from the digestive tract.  Reflux may commonly be due to pregnancy, medical conditions and medications.An acidic oral environment dissolves tooth structure and prevents tooth structure repair.  It allows bacteria that cause decay to thrive so there is high risk of tooth decay.</li>
</ol>

Do I Have High Risk Of Tooth Decay?

Take-home teeth whitening kits from the dentist are much different than those you can buy from the supermarket or pharmacy.  You may choose supermarket or pharmacy products for their lower prices, but you are not getting the same whitening product as you are from the dentist.  In fact, the only thing that is the same is that you use the product at home.  Here is why take-home whitening kits from the dentist are better than a supermarket or pharmacy alternative:
Higher Strength of the Whitening Gel
All teeth whitening products contain some sort of peroxide as the main ingredient to bleach the teeth.  The main difference is the concentration of peroxide allowed in the product.  Obviously, the higher the concentration, the more effective the product is at whitening your teeth.  By law, only teeth whitening products given to you by a dentist can have the highest concentration of peroxide.  A dentist will examine your teeth and make sure a high concentration product is appropriate for your teeth.  Supermarket and pharmacy products have to be low concentration so there is less risk of adverse reactions from using the product.  However, it also makes the product much less effective.  You have to use a whitening product from the dentist to get the whitest result.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-2622 size-full" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/whats-the-difference-between-what-you-get-at-the-dentist-versus-the-shops.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/whats-the-difference-between-what-you-get-at-the-dentist-versus-the-shops.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/whats-the-difference-between-what-you-get-at-the-dentist-versus-the-shops-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Professional Guidance
Take-home teeth whitening at the dentist is often termed professionally-guided take-home teeth whitening.  This is because the dentist examines your teeth before recommending the whitening option to you.  Pros and cons of the whitening option are discussed including risks for your teeth.  If any dental treatment is required before whitening it can diagnosed, discussed and completed prior to starting the whitening.  For example, a filling may be required due to tooth decay.  If the whitening gel got into the unfilled decay area, it would be very painful.  A dentist would not recommend you start teeth whitening until the filling was completed.
Custom-made Whitening Trays
For safety and the most effective whitening result, the trays in which you place the gel are very important.  A dentist will take accurate impressions of your mouth and make whitening trays specific to you and your teeth.  This ensures the best possible fit and comfort when wearing the trays and little risk of getting the gel in the wrong place.  The trays are trimmed to your gumline so there is little risk of irritating your gums or whitening the gums by mistake.  Supermarket and pharmacies kits use pre-made generic trays or self-made boil and bite trays where you heat up a generic one and bite into it before letting it set.  These are bulky, comfortable to wear and don&#8217;t provide the accuracy for safe and effective whitening.  When using these, patients tend to complain of teeth sensitivity and gum irritation due to the poorer fit of the trays and the whitening gel spreading to areas that shouldn&#8217;t be whitened like the gums.

What’s The Difference Between Take-Home Teeth Whitening Kits At The Dentist Versus The Shops?

Exam to Check Suitability
Your dentist will check your teeth and discuss with you an information sheet detailing in-chair teeth whitening.  Your suitability for the procedure and any risks will be discussed.  Some people cannot receive teeth whitening, because they may be allergic to the whitening gel, sensitive to the special whitening light or have teeth that just won&#8217;t whiten very well.  Dental restorations such as fillings, veneers and crowns don&#8217;t change colour with teeth whitening and may need to be replaced after whitening.  If you have any dental problems such as tooth decay or gum disease, you will need these treated first before any teeth whitening.  For best results, professional teeth cleaning to remove any deposits on the teeth is recommended.
Protection of Soft Tissues
Only the teeth should be whitened.  A retractor is placed in the mouth to keep the lips, cheeks and tongue away from the whitening gel.  Barriers are placed over the retractor to shield the skin surrounding the mouth.  A soft barrier is applied over the gums and set to avoid the gums becoming irritated.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2609" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/so-what-actually-happens-during-an-appointment-for-zoom-in-chair-teeth-whitening.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/so-what-actually-happens-during-an-appointment-for-zoom-in-chair-teeth-whitening.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/so-what-actually-happens-during-an-appointment-for-zoom-in-chair-teeth-whitening-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Teeth Whitening
High concentration teeth whitening gel is placed over the teeth and activated by the special Zoom light for 15 minutes.  Up to 3 x 15 minute rounds of teeth whitening can be done.  Each round the whitening gel penetrates deeper into the tooth to remove colour and whiten the teeth.  If you get any sensitivity, you can opt to finish the teeth whitening procedure early.
Maintenance
For the first 24 hours, the whitening gel can still be working in your teeth.  For best results, it is best to avoid coloured food and drink for this time.  To maintain your whitening result as long as possible, you will need to brush twice a day, floss at least once a day and have your teeth cleaned at dentist every 6 months.  You may opt to have in-chair teeth whitening done again every couple of years as your teeth slowly colourise again with food and drink.  Some people use take-home whitening gel in custom made trays every 6 months or so to top up their whitening result.
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So what actually happens during an appointment for Zoom in-chair teeth whitening?

What actually happens during an appointment for a dental filling?
Numbing Up
Not every tooth that requires a filling needs to be numbed.  If the problematic part of the tooth is very small or a long distance away from the middle of the tooth where the nerve is, then there is no need for local anaesthetic.  In these cases you won&#8217;t feel anything at all besides a few vibrations when your tooth is prepared for a filling.
If you do require local anaesthetic, we will spend a couple of minutes rubbing some numbing paste on your gum where it will go.  The paste numbs the superficial gum a little before the actual injection is given to provide full anaesthesia.  We will wait a few minutes as well as test the area to make sure you are fully numb before we proceed with the preparation of the tooth for the filling.
Preparing The Tooth
If the tooth has decay or some damaged tooth structure that cannot be kept, it must be removed before placing a filling.  The tooth is then usually chemically cleaned and roughened with a special tooth conditioner which allows the filling to better stick to the tooth.
Placing The Filling
These days we use tooth coloured filling material called composite resin and glass ionomer cement or a combination.  A special band may be placed between the tooth that needs the filling and the tooth next to it.  This helps shape the filling and prevents two teeth being glued together so that flossing is still possible.  Filling material is then placed into the prepared tooth, usually in layers if the size of the filling is going to be large.
The material is either set hard or the setting accelerated with a special bright blue light.   Usually you will wear dark glasses to shield your eyes from the blue light.  The dental assistant may cover the area with an orange coloured paddle as well as you cannot see the bright blue through the orange.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2604" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/dental-fillings-appointment-procedure.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/dental-fillings-appointment-procedure.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/dental-fillings-appointment-procedure-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Polishing The Filling
Your dentist will shape the filling and trim it to match how you bite together.  You may be asked to bite and grind your teeth on some blue marking paper which helps the dentist check whether the filling is fine in the bite or not.  The filling can then be polished.
Being artificial substitutes, fillings will always feel a little different to tooth structure, but you should get used it a new filling within a few days.  You won&#8217;t be able to eat or drink for 2 hours.  This gives the filling more setting time as some parts may be self-setting and requires more time to get to maximum hardness.  This also gives time for the numbness to wear off if you had local anaesthetic.  You don&#8217;t want to accidentally bite or burn your lip, cheek or tongue or choke on some food.

Dental Fillings Appointment Procedure

Do you wear a retainer, mouthguard, occlusal splint or denture?  Does it look the worse for wear?  It may be discoloured, covered in a film or have white spots on it.  It may even have a taste and smell bad.  Usually these things are caused by a buildup of the same calculus that forms on your teeth.
It is best to bring your appliance to the dentist to have it checked and cleaned properly.  There are also brand name denture cleaning agents that can be used on all oral appliances but make sure you follow their specific instructions.  There are 2 home remedies you can try but please be careful otherwise you may damage your appliance:
Baking Soda
Baking soda can usually be found in most people’s kitchens as it is used as a leavening agent when baking.  It is a good disinfectant but is not as harsh and toxic like most household cleaners.  It is commonly used as an all purpose cleaning agent at home.  It works well against oral bacteria and neutralising acid which can damage oral appliances.
Mix baking soda with water to form a thick paste.  This paste on a soft toothbrush can be used to scrub the oral appliance.  Make sure you rinse off the appliance thoroughly after you do this as you do not want a lot of baking soda in your mouth after putting it back in place.
<div id="attachment_2599" style="width: 560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2599" class="size-full wp-image-2599" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/how-to-clean-an-oral-appliance-baking-soda.png" alt="Baking soda in a jar and spoon with a glass of water" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/how-to-clean-an-oral-appliance-baking-soda.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/how-to-clean-an-oral-appliance-baking-soda-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />Baking soda is often used as a non toxic disinfectant, as well as for baking.</div>
&nbsp;
White Vinegar
White vinegar is very acidic so can remove surface buildup.  It also gently disinfects and can remove foul tastes and smells from the oral appliance.  However, vinegar itself has quite a strong smell so make sure you have a large area of open space where you use it on the appliance.
Mix an amount of white vinegar with the same amount of warm water to dilute it.  Soak your oral appliance in the mixture for 20 minutes.  A soft toothbrush can be used to scrub the appliance and then rinse thoroughly with cold water.
<div id="attachment_2600" style="width: 560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2600" class="size-full wp-image-2600" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/how-to-clean-an-oral-appliance-white-vinegar.png" alt="Bottle of white vinegar" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/how-to-clean-an-oral-appliance-white-vinegar.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/how-to-clean-an-oral-appliance-white-vinegar-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />Step 1. Plug up your nose, the smell of vinegar is strong. Step 2. Soak your oral appliance for 20 minutes in a white vinegar mixture.</div>
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Baking soda in a jar and spoon with a glass of water

How to Clean an Oral Appliance

When you want something for your teeth, be it a denture or a dental grill, the best place to go to is the dentist.  We have knowledge about your teeth and gums to ensure your custom dental grill looks great, fits well and won&#8217;t damage your teeth and gums.
<img class="wp-image-2388 size-full aligncenter" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dental-grill.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dental-grill.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dental-grill-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Here&#8217;s what is needed in 4 easy steps:
<ol>
<li>Get Your Teeth and Gums Ready 
For your custom dental grill to fit well, we need to make sure the teeth and gums where the grill will fit are healthy.  This starts with a comprehensive checkup and clean.  The checkup picks up any tooth decay, gum disease or any other issues with the teeth and gums.  These need to treated first or your custom dental grill can damage your teeth and gums.  Cleaning is important to ensure the surfaces that the custom dental grill touch are accurately represented in the impressions on which the custom dental grill is made.  This makes sure we get the best and most comfortable fit.</li>
</ol>
<ol start="2">
<li>Take Impressions of the Mouth 
Once the teeth and gums are healthy and clean, impressions of the tissues can be taken to form models of your mouth.  These models are used to make your custom dental grill.</li>
</ol>
<ol start="3">
<li>Design Your Custom Dental Grill 
You can provide your own design or we can help you pick the right one for you.  Your dentist and the dental technician who will make your custom dental grill will give you appropriate advice on what works well.  We can basically do anything you want as long as it can fit your mouth and won&#8217;t damage your teeth and gums.</li>
</ol>
<ol start="4">
<li>Fit Your Custom Dental Grill 
Once your design has been made into your dental grill, it needs to be tried in place to ensure a comfortable fit.  Once you are happy with your custom dental grill, you can wear out of the practice.</li>
</ol>

Custom Dental Grills

The precise cause of migraines has been puzzling for the medical profession.  It is believed that there is some connection with how the brain stem and the trigeminal nerve interact.  Neurotransmitters such as serotonin may play a role.  An increase in the number of certain oral bacteria in some people is now thought to make them more prone to getting migraines.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-2232 size-full" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/dental-problems-can-trigger-migraines.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/dental-problems-can-trigger-migraines.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/dental-problems-can-trigger-migraines-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

A migraine is in simple terms a very severe headache.  Besides the throbbing pain in the head, it may be associated with seeing flashes of light and being very sensitive to light and sound.  Some people feel very nauseous and want to vomit.  Others get tingling sensations in the arms and legs.  Migraines can last for a long time, even hours and days.
It is known that certain things can trigger a migraine.  Common triggers are stress, physical exertion, hormone changes and even the weather.  Certain foods are also reported triggers for migraines.  Wine, processed meat, green leafy vegetables and chocolate have all been reported.  These foods all contain high levels of nitrate.
The link between oral bacteria and migraines is believed to be due to this nitrate.  The increased numbers of oral bacteria in people who suffer from migraines are all bacteria that can process nitrate.  It is believed the nitrate in food we eat is broken down by these oral bacteria to form nitrite.  Nitrite is then converted to nitric oxide.  The nitric oxide is thought to cause the migraines.  Nitric oxide is used to treat patients with chest pain and heart failure as it helps reduce high blood pressure and improves blood circulation.  Severe headaches, similar to migraines, is a common reported side effect in patients who take this drug.
More research is needed into this association between oral bacteria and migraines.  This is another good reason to properly brush and floss our teeth and visit the dentist every 6 months.  Keeping the bacteria in our mouths under control may prevent us getting migraines.

Dental Problems Can Trigger Migraines

If you feel a sharp sensation when you have something cold to eat or drink, you may be suffering from tooth sensitivity.  Tooth sensitivity is usually caused by exposing the inner part of the tooth.  Enamel is the outer layer of tooth structure and is very strong.  The next layer in, dentine, is more porous and allows a direct passageway to the nerves of a tooth.  When the nerves of the tooth are irritated, you get a sharp, sensitive sensation.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2234" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/causes-of-senstive-teeth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/causes-of-senstive-teeth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/causes-of-senstive-teeth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

There are many reasons for this exposed dentine.  Let&#8217;s look at a few common ones:
Gum Recession
Our gums normally cover the roots of our teeth and the jaw bone housing the roots.  When our gums recede, the root surface is exposed and may be sensitive.  Our gums may recede due to trauma or bacterial damage.  Overzealous toothbrushing and flossing is a common example of trauma.  Gum and bone covering our teeth breaking down due to gum disease is an example of bacterial damage.
Tooth Wear
Over time our teeth will wear down.  As the enamel becomes thin and the underlying dentine is exposed, sensitivity may occur.  If you clench or grind your teeth, this tooth wear may happen earlier.  Teeth grinders not only wear away the chewing surfaces of their teeth.  They also break down the necks of their teeth next to the gumline.  This is called abfraction and results in indents at the necks of teeth due to the rocking action of the tooth against the bone when you grind your teeth.  Crack lines can also form in worn teeth that can be sensitive to cold and on being bitten on.
Tooth Decay
An opening in the tooth due to tooth decay may result in sensitivity.  Generally, the larger the cavity, the greater the symptoms.  In deep cavities, the nerves may already be irritated and the large hole provides a direct passageway to the nerves.  A filling that is becoming loose may also cause sensitivity as it no longer seals the tooth properly.

Causes of Sensitive Teeth

Jaw exercises can help with jaw joint and muscle pain.  There are 2 main groups of exercises.  Stretching exercises can provide pain relief when you are in discomfort.  Strengthening exercises can lessen the likelihood of pain occurring.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2236" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/exercises-for-jaw-pain.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/exercises-for-jaw-pain.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/exercises-for-jaw-pain-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Stretching Exercises
Stretching exercises help when your jaw joints and muscles are already sore.  They are used to reduce tension and provide relief from pain.  Do the exercises by holding each of the following positions for 5 to 10 seconds:
<ol>
<li>Open your mouth as wide as you can while placing the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.</li>
<li>Move your lower jaw forwards as far as you can while placing the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.</li>
<li>Move your lower jaw backwards as far as you can while placing the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.</li>
<li>Open your mouth slowly as wide as you can with the tongue resting as normal. After holding for 5 to 10 seconds, move your lower jaw backwards and forwards 5 to 10 times.</li>
<li>Move your lower jaw to the left with the tongue resting as normal.</li>
<li>Move your lower jaw to the right with the tongue resting as normal.</li>
<li>Place a clean finger between your front teeth and slide your lower jaw forward while still touching the finger gently.</li>
</ol>
Strengthening Exercises
Strengthening exercises should be done when you are not having any jaw joint and muscle pain.  They make it less likely for you to get pain by making the muscles stronger.  They will cause more pain if they are done when you are already symptomatic.  The exercises make the muscles work against resistance.  Like with any muscle in your body, the training will make the jaw muscles stronger.  Try these 2 exercises:
<ol>
<li>Open your mouth while pushing with your thumb under your chin as resistance.</li>
<li>Close your mouth while pushing with your index finger just under the lower lip as resistance.</li>
</ol>
Remember to come and see us at Central Brisbane Dental if you have persistent or reoccurring jaw joint and muscle pain.  These jaw exercises are only meant for temporary relief.

Exercises for Jaw Pain

Jaw joint and muscle pain are usually caused by overuse.  Your jaw joints and muscles may feel tired or sore after a long day.  You may be clenching and grinding your teeth at night and wake up in the morning with the symptoms.  This may happen more when you are stressed out.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2239" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/jaw-joint-and-muscle-pain.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/jaw-joint-and-muscle-pain.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/jaw-joint-and-muscle-pain-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

The only permanent way to stop this pain is to stop the overuse of the jaw joints and muscles.  As we can never stop using our mouths, this is a very difficult thing to achieve.  Here are a few ways to manage the discomfort:
Occlusal Splint
You may be clenching and grinding your teeth.  Many people do this and don&#8217;t even realise it.  It usually occurs at night during sleep.  It happens more when we are stressed.  Clenching and grinding can damage our jaw joints, muscles and teeth.  Wearing a special mouthguard called an occlusal splint will help prevent damage.  These are specially made at the dentist from moulds of your teeth after analysing your damage.  Some occlusal splints will train your jaw to stop clenching and grinding by getting your jaw muscles to remember a certain jaw position.  Ask our dentists at Central Brisbane Dental whether an occlusal splint is appropriate for you.
Pain Killers
As the jaw joints and muscles are inflammed, anti-inflammatory drugs are the better pain killers.  Drugs containing ibuprofen are particularly good.  They however only provide temporary relief and there is a limit on how much you can take.
Ice and Heat
Place an ice pack wrapped in a towel on the jaw joints and muscles for 15 minutes.  Then place a heat pack on the same area for another 15 minutes.  Keep alternating between ice and heat packs.  The ice limits inflammation and may numb the area.  The heat reduces stiffness and enhances circulation and healing.
Jaw Exercises
There are stretching exercises to loosen stiff jaw joints and muscles when they are very inflammed.  There are strengthening exercises to do between flare-ups.  These make your jaw joints and muscles less easily become tender when they are overused.  These should not be done when your jaw is sore as they will make the pain worse.  In some cases, your dentist may referral you to a physiotherapist who is trained in dealing with jaw joint and muscle problems.  They can professionally loosen the jaw joints and muscles for you if needed.
Managing Stress
A lot of the time we overuse our jaw joints and muscles when we are stressed.  We clench and grind out teeth when we are stressed.  Trying to relax is the key but this is often easier said than done.

Jaw Joint and Muscle Pain

Want to know just how good or bad your brushing and flossing is?  I mean without going to the dentist in the comfort of your own home.  Well you can use plaque disclosing tablets.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2241" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/plaque-disclosing-tablets.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/plaque-disclosing-tablets.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/plaque-disclosing-tablets-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Plaque is the stuff you are trying to clean away from your teeth and gums.  It is basically soft, sticky deposits of bacteria, food debris and saliva.  If you don&#8217;t brush and floss effectively, it can harden.  The hardened plaque is called calculus and only teeth cleaning at the dentist will remove it.  Plaque and calculus can cause tooth decay, gum disease and other infections.  Your job is to effectively remove all plaque before it hardens and causes these problems.
Plaque disclosing tablets can show you how well you are removing plaque.  Brush and floss as well as you normally do.  Chew a plaque disclosing tablet and allow it to mix with the saliva in your mouth.  Swish the resultant liquid all over your mouth especially all over your teeth.  Spit it out after 30 seconds.  Your whole mouth will be coloured, usually red or blue.  Where you have left plaque behind will be a darker colour.
This will tell you where you need to work on cleaning better.  The most common areas that will stain dark red or blue are in between the teeth, at the gumline and at the last teeth in the mouth.  Areas in between the teeth mean you need to work on your flossing.  Areas at the gumline mean you need to angle your brush towards the gumline better.  Areas at the back of the mouth mean you need to try and reach the back teeth more.
There are also plaque disclosing solutions, wipes and floss.  There work in a similar way to the tablets.  Just remember your mouth may be coloured red or blue for a little while after you use these products.  It may be awkward having to explain to your partner, friends or colleagues why your teeth, gums and tongue are bright red or blue.

Plaque Disclosing Tablets

Want to use a mouthwash but don&#8217;t like the chemicals in a commercial brand?  You can make your own mouthwash at home with natural ingredients.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2243" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/how-to-make-your-own-mouthwash.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/how-to-make-your-own-mouthwash.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/how-to-make-your-own-mouthwash-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Remember brushing and flossing are still the most important parts of effective oral hygiene.  Rinsing with a mouthwash can only do so much as it cannot very effectively get between the teeth and under the gum-line.  Always discuss with your dentist before trying one of these mouthwashes as it may not be right for you.
For all the following mouthwashes, swirl the liquid in the mouth for at least 1 minute.  You should not swallow the liquid after rinsing as it contains food debris and microbes so you will need to spit it out.  You can repeat this up to 3 times a day.
Salt Water Rinse
Salt water can help draw out infection and is more gentle than commercial mouthwash.  It can help tissue healing and help relieve gum inflammation.
Boil water and let it cool down until it is warm.  Mix in ¾ teaspoon of salt.
Tea Tree Oil Mouthwash
Tea tree oil can reduce gum inflammation, particularly gum bleeding.
Add 3 drops of tea tree oil to warm water to dilute it.
Tea tree oil can interact with some medications so please discuss with your doctor who prescribes you your medication before trying this.
Lemongrass Oil Mouthwash
Lemongrass oil can reduce plaque and gum inflammation.
Add 2 to 3 drops of lemongrass oil to water to dilute it.
Aloe Vera Mouthwash
Aloe vera can help provide relief for inflammed gums.
Aloe vera juice can be used without dilution as long as it is quite pure.
Guava Leaf Mouthwash
Guava leaf is both an anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory.
Boil water and add 6 crushed guava leaves to a cup of it.  Let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes and cool.  Mix in a small amount of salt to the warm liquid before using.
Sage Mouthwash
Sage is effective at reducing oral bacteria.
Boil water, add 1 tablespoon of dried sage or 2 tablespoons of fresh sage and simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain away the sage and let the liquid cool before using.

How to Make Your Own Mouthwash

Cleaning your teeth could be the difference between developing cancer or not.  Having gum disease has been linked to developing certain cancers.  Something as simple as brushing and flossing not only prevents cavities and gum problems but could reduce your risk of cancer.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2245" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/gum-disease-linked-cancers.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/gum-disease-linked-cancers.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/gum-disease-linked-cancers-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

There is a strong association between gum disease and pancreatic cancer.  The link has been established with the more serious form of gum disease, periodontitis.  Although there is no link with the less serious form of gum disease, gingivitis, untreated gingivitis can lead to periodontitis.
Research from Havard found men with gum disease had an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to men who never had gum disease in their lives.  They found that men with recent tooth loss had the greatest risk of pancreatic cancer but found no link between tooth decay and pancreatic cancer.
Researchers found that people with gum disease have high levels of carcinogenic compounds called nitrosamines in their mouths.  They think these nitrosamines may interact with the digestive chemicals in the digestive tract to create a favourable environment for cancer formation in the pancreas.
It is not understood well whether gum disease bacteria is a cause of pancreatic cancer or whether pancreatic cancer results in gum disease.  All that we know is there is a significant link between gum disease and pancreatic cancer.
The research also found an increased risk of lung, kidney and white blood cell cancers in men with gum disease.  More research needs to be done to find further information.
Separate research on women also found an increased risk of developing any cancer if they had a history of gum disease.  Oesophageal, lung, gallbladder, breast and skin cancers had the greatest association with gum disease in women.
Oesophageal cancer was the most frequently reported in women.  It is thought that due to the closeness of the oesophagus to the mouth, gum disease pathogens may easily travel between both sites and help cause cancer formation.

Gum Disease Linked to Some Cancers

It has been said many times that heart disease is the biggest killer in western society.  With our poor diets rich in fatty foods and reluctance to exercise, no wonder our blood vessels become clogged.  There are of course other factors and poor oral hygiene has been highlighted as one of the important ones.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2247" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/poor-oral-hygiene-increases-risk-heart-disease.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/poor-oral-hygiene-increases-risk-heart-disease.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/poor-oral-hygiene-increases-risk-heart-disease-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

There is a well established association between poor oral hygiene and heart disease.  Research from the UK in 2008 found that people with bleeding gums due to poor oral hygiene had a higher risk of developing heart disease.  They found that poor oral hygiene caused bleeding gums.  The bleeding gum tissue allowed a pathway for oral bacteria to enter the bloodstream.  They found that once the bacteria was in the bloodstream, they stuck to platelets.  Platelets help us clot when a blood vessel is cut and we bleed, but forming clots inside an intact blood vessel can interrupt the flow of blood for no good reason.  If the blood vessel involved brings blood to the heart then blood flow to the heart may be interrupted and a heart attack triggered.
So why doesn&#8217;t the immune cells in our bloodstream destroy the oral bacteria?  Research has shown that the reason the oral bacteria stick to platelets is to shield themselves from immune cells in the bloodstream.  The oral bacteria completely surround themselves with platelets allowing them to escape from detection by immune cells.  It is this platelet shield that also protects these oral bacteria from antibiotics.
Having good oral hygiene lowers the risk of heart disease.  Good oral hygiene minimises the number of oral bacteria available to enter the bloodstream.  Good oral hygiene also prevents getting bleeding gums and avoids giving the oral bacteria an entrance into the bloodstream.  It they don&#8217;t enter the bloodstream then there is no risk of them sticking to platelets and causing clotting and blocked blood vessels.

Poor Oral Hygiene Increases Risk of Heart Disease

Gum disease is now linked to Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.  With many associations between oral health and general health, there is no better reason to clean your teeth and gums.  Why not lower your risk of developing Alzheimer&#8217;s disease by making sure you don&#8217;t have gum disease.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2249" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/gum-disease-linked-to-alzheimers-disease.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/gum-disease-linked-to-alzheimers-disease.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/gum-disease-linked-to-alzheimers-disease-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Alzheimer&#8217;s disease is often thought of as the condition where you cannot remember anything including your loved ones.  Confusion and memory loss are the most common symptoms, but there is an overall decline in cognitive function.  There may be behavioural changes such as wandering around lost, difficulty with self care and feeling irritated and moody.  Psychological problems such as hallucinations, paranoia and depression are also common.
Gum disease is damage of the gums and underlying jaw bone by bacteria.  Damaging bacteria is found in plaque – a soft complex micro society of bacteria and their products that sticks to your teeth and under the gumline.  If plaque is not cleaned away it is hardened as mineral is incorporated into it from your saliva, forming tartar or calculus.  Calculus is very hard to clean away.  If plaque and calculus is not cleaned away, it can breakdown the gums and underlying bone, causing irreversible loss of both tissues.  This may result in pain, swelling, tooth loss and a difficulty eating.
Danish research has found that 70 year old patients with gum disease perform worse in cognitive function tests than those without gum disease.  This was not a study on Alzheimer&#8217;s disease but it did show a significant correlation between gum disease and the main symptoms of Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.
Another study directly compared the brain tissue of patients with and without Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.  Certain gum disease bacteria was found in the brain tissue of people with Alzheimer&#8217;s Disease but not in the brain tissue of those without the disease.  The also found in follow up research that these gum disease bacteria have the capability to move from the mouth to the brain by travelling along nerves which connect the teeth and the brain, as well as via the bloodstream.
More research needs to be done on the topic but there is already enough reason to try and avoid gum disease as it is itself very damaging.  Any further risk of medical problems such as Alzheimer&#8217;s disease should emphasize the issue even more.

Gum Disease Linked To Alzheimer’s Disease

It is well known that vitamins are needed for our bodies to perform certain functions well.  Our teeth are no different to the rest of the body.  Certain vitamins are essential for healthy teeth and gums.  Let&#8217;s have a look at a few important ones:
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2251" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/vitamins-for-good-teeth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/vitamins-for-good-teeth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/vitamins-for-good-teeth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is needed for our salivary glands to function optimally.  Salivary glands produce saliva.  Saliva is important for being antimicrobial, buffering acid, adding mineral onto teeth and washing away food debris.  When we have low saliva or our saliva quality is poor, our mouths are more at risk of tooth decay, tooth wear and gum disease.
Eat more eggs, dairy, carrots and dark or yellow vegetables for your natural source of vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for strong bones and strong teeth.  It is needed to activate the cells in teeth called odontoblasts that are in charge of producing tooth mineral.  Odontoblasts can repair the inside of your teeth when it is mildly damaged.  Without this ability, teeth may not survive as long in the mouth when they are damaged by physical forces or bacteria.
Mushrooms and fatty fish are great sources of vitamin D as are some dairy products.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E helps regulate the environment in which our teeth live.  It is a power anti-oxidant and helps keep nasty bacteria, viruses and fungi in check.  It is also essential for tissue healing especially repairing soft tissues in the mouth such as the gums, lips, cheeks and tongue.
Nuts, spinach and broccoli are great sources of vitamin E.
Vitamin K2
Calcium is an important building block for your teeth.  However, calcium does not work alone and other factors are needed to form healthy tooth structure.  Vitamin K2 is one of its partners.  Vitamin K2 directs calcium to your teeth instead of to the kidneys or bloodstream.  Without vitamin K2, it would not matter how much calcium you consume as it would never reach your teeth to be useful.
Eat soft cheeses, butter, eggs and salami for your source of vitamin K2.

Vitamins That Are Good For Your Teeth

Most people comfortably breathe through their nose.  Some people find it necessary or easier to breath with their mouth.  However, the mouth is not meant for breathing.  As mouth breathing is not the body&#8217;s most natural way to receive oxygen, there may be some negative dental consequences.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2252" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/mouth-breathing-problems.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/mouth-breathing-problems.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/mouth-breathing-problems-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Someone who mouth breathes will often have their mouth always in a slightly or very open state.  Always posturing the lower jaw in these positions to get more air can be traumatic to the jaw.  Poor jaw position can lead to jaw and jaw joint pain.
You may develop an irregular bite which may need correcting with orthodontic treatment, such as orthodontic aligners.  You may clench or grind your teeth together because your jaw is not in its most natural position and need an occlusal splint to protect the teeth, jaw joints and muscles from damage.  There is a higher risk of snoring and sleep apnoea and the need for a mandibular advancement splint to help open the airway.
Always having the mouth open will dry out the mouth.  Having little saliva can lead to a higher risk of dental problems such as tooth decay, gum disease and other oral infections.  Saliva is anti-bacterial, buffers acid and replaces mineral in the teeth so having a dry mouth causes loss of these protective mechanisms.  Having a dry mouth can also lead to bad breath and changes in taste.
There are cases that develop speech issues from the open mouth position.  The most common problem is a lisp when trying to pronounce “s” sounds.  “S” sounds are often slurred so they sound like “th” sounds.  Some people develop a hoarse voice due to the dryness of the throat and find it more difficult to talk clearly.  You may find it more difficult to swallow due to the dryness as well.

The Problem with Mouth Breathing

Besides the gums, the mouth has other soft tissues such as the lips, cheeks and tongue.  These soft tissues can become sore for a variety of reasons.  Let&#8217;s look at 4 common ones:
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2255" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/oral-soft-tissue-soreness.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/oral-soft-tissue-soreness.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/oral-soft-tissue-soreness-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Physical Trauma
We all have accidentally bitten our lip, cheek or tongue.  A knock to the mouth such as during the playing of sport can commonly cause cuts, abrasions and bruising to the lips and cheeks.  Clamping the mouth shut due to the impact of the knock can also cause biting of the tongue.  Wearing a custom sports mouthguard made by a dentist not only shields the teeth, but also offers some protection to the oral soft tissues.  Traumatised areas generally heal by themselves, but deep cuts may need to be sutured closed by a doctor.
Mouth Ulcers
We have most likely all had a mouth ulcer before too.  Mouth ulcers or canker sores are small white spots with a red border which can be sore to touch.  They usually occur on the insides of the lips and cheeks as well as underneath the tongue.  They generally occur when our immune system is overworked when we are sick or stressed.  They are also associated with hormonal changes in women and after eating spicy or acidic things.  Mouth ulcers should subside by themselves within 2 weeks.  If they don&#8217;t or keep coming back in the same spot, you should get them checked by a dentist or doctor as they may not be simple mouth ulcers.
Cold Sores
Cold sores are blisters around the lips that leak fluid and crust over.  They are caused by the herpes simplex virus.  They are highly contagious and spread via skin to skin contact.  They will go away by themselves but will come back as the virus lies dormant in a carrier&#8217;s body.  When the immune system is weak and the dormant virus cannot be controlled, cold sores will form.  Anti-viral medication may help reduce the duration of cold sores.
Oral Thrush
Painful yellow or white patches on the tongue and insides of the cheeks may be oral thrush.  The patches can usually be scrapped off.  Oral thrush is an infection caused by the fungus, Candida.  It tends to occur when the body&#8217;s immune system is compromised and the fungus, which normally lives in the mouth, overgrows.  Oral thrush is typically treated with a course of anti-fungal medication.

Oral Soft Tissue Soreness

Wisdom tooth pain can be very intense.  It may be a constant ache or only when you touch the area.  It may last for a few days and subside by itself and then come back again with a vengeance and repeat.  You may not be able to use or even open your mouth very well.  There could be a bad taste and smell from the area.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2257" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/home-remedies-painful-wisdom-tooth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/home-remedies-painful-wisdom-tooth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/home-remedies-painful-wisdom-tooth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

The best thing to do is to see the dentist to properly assess and treat the problem.  However, there are a few home remedies that can help a painful wisdom tooth as a short term measure until you can see a dentist:
<ol>
<li>Pain Medication</li>
</ol>
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen will reduce pain and swelling.  This can be combined with codeine for stronger pain relief.  Talk to your pharmacy about which brands are available and how to correctly take the medication.  There are dosage limits which should not be exceeded and pain medication should not be taken for an extended period of time.
<ol start="2">
<li>Numbing Agent</li>
</ol>
Benzocaine based numbing gels and creams are available over-the-counter.  Applied to the tooth and gum, this can lessen the discomfort but generally is not strong enough to provide full relief.  You need to be careful with numbed soft tissues as you can easily bite your lip or cheek or hurt your gums if they are numb.
<ol start="3">
<li>Mouthwash </li>
</ol>
Rinsing with an antimicrobial mouthwash will help reduce bacteria and keep the area cleaner.  This can provide relief if there is an infection around the gums of the wisdom teeth.  Mouthwash does sting and burn with its intensity so keep it to 2-3 times per day.  Remember you need to hold it in your mouth and gargle for 1 minute for it to work best.  You can also rinse with warm salt water.  Salt water is more gentle than mouthwash so you can do this as many times as you like.  It will help clean and draw out infection.
<ol start="4">
<li>Ice Pack</li>
</ol>
If your gum or cheek is swollen, placing an ice pack wrapped in a towel on the side of the face can help reduce inflammation.  Reducing inflammation may help limit swelling and pain and the cold may provide some numbing effect.  It is best to give the area a break from the ice pack regularly so keep placing the ice pack on and off say 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off and repeat.
<ol start="5">
<li>Oil of Cloves</li>
</ol>
Placing oil of cloves on the tooth and gum can provide pain relief and numb the area a little as it contains eugenol.  It is also antibacterial.  However, it does have an unpleasant taste and can make you sick if you swallow a lot of it.
<ol start="6">
<li>Onions and Teabags</li>
</ol>
If you have nothing else available but what is at home in the kitchen, you can try onions or teabags.  Chewing chopped up onion gently on the side of the mouth with the problem can reduce pain, swelling and bacteria, but is quite unpleasant in taste.  Placing a cold used teabag over the troublesome wisdom tooth can release tannins to the area which reduces inflammation and is antibacterial.

Home Remedies For A Painful Wisdom Tooth

Wisdom teeth are literally a real pain.  They can cause discomfort and swelling of the gum and cheek.  You may feel pressure on adjacent teeth from the wisdom teeth pushing on them.  They can get infected and cause abscesses with a bad taste and smell.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2259" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/wisdom-tooth-pain.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/wisdom-tooth-pain.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/wisdom-tooth-pain-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to come though into the mouth. They usually do so between the ages of 17 and 21.  There may not be enough room for them to fit in place so they can cause more trouble than other teeth.  It is thought that our jaws have become smaller over time as we have not needed to use them as much for eating with modern processed foods.  Wisdom teeth that would have been more useful for chewing unprocessed foods are now less needed.
Just the process of the wisdom teeth trying to erupt can cause pain as the teeth break through the gums.  If there is not enough room for them to fully come out into the mouth, they can get stuck or impacted.  Wisdom teeth which are impacted can continue to try and erupt and damage the adjacent teeth, jaw bone and surrounding soft tissue, such as the gums and cheek.  They are harder to clean which can lead to infections such as abscesses.  Infections can cause a bad taste and smell from the mouth.  Worse, they can lead to severe pain and swelling of the gums and cheeks.  You may not be able to open your mouth very wide because of this.
Painful wisdom teeth usually need to be removed.  Sometimes infections can be drained from the swollen gum tissue and antibiotics prescribed.  However, the infection will come back time and time again as the problematic wisdom tooth is still in place.  The best thing is to see a dentist to get your wisdom teeth properly assessed before they become a big problem.  We can determine if they will cause problems and need to be removed or they pose little risk and can be left in place.

Wisdom Tooth Pain

Do you have a gap between your two upper front teeth?&nbsp; How do you feel about having the gap?&nbsp; It is not that uncommon to have a gap between your upper two front teeth. &nbsp;Many patients accept it or even see it as one of the distinguishing characteristics of their smile.&nbsp; It is also quite common for patients to seek help from the dentist to close the gap.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/gap-upper-front-teeth.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2261" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/gap-upper-front-teeth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/gap-upper-front-teeth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></figure>







A gap between your two upper front teeth may be a genetic trait.&nbsp; Your genes may determine that those are the positions where your front teeth should be in the jaw bone.&nbsp; You may have too much space in the jaw bone for all your teeth to fit closely together.&nbsp; The size of your teeth may be too small for the size of your jaw bone, resulting in spaces between the teeth.&nbsp; You may have a large frenum between your two upper front teeth.&nbsp; This piece of soft tissue may prevent your front teeth from touching each other.



There are also other reasons for a gap between your upper front teeth.&nbsp; Trauma to the area such as a knock to the mouth may cause the teeth to loosen, causing a gap.&nbsp; Bad habits such as thumb sucking can cause the splaying out of the upper front teeth due to the pressure from the thumb and the sucking action.



Whatever the cause, there are ways to close a space between your two upper front teeth.&nbsp; A common method is orthodontics.&nbsp; Placing brackets and wires on the teeth can move teeth together and make them straighter.&nbsp; If you only want this front space corrected, you may be suitable for Quick Straight Teeth.&nbsp; With Quick Straight Teeth, only your front teeth are corrected, resulting in faster and less expensive orthodontic treatment.&nbsp; ClearPath aligners can also be used to do the same orthodontic treatment if you want a more inconspicuous option.&nbsp; Aligners are sets of thin clear plastic trays worn over the teeth 22 hours per day.&nbsp; Gaps can be closed and teeth straightened by changing sets every two weeks until they are all complete.



If you don&#8217;t want orthodontic treatment, you can place plastic filling material or porcelain on the teeth to hide the gap.&nbsp; This is commonly known as dental veneers. Composite resin plastic filling material can be bonded and set in place, closing the space straight away.&nbsp; Porcelain is stronger and aesthetically superior but requires two appointments.&nbsp; One appointment is to prepare the teeth, take impressions and place temporary veneers.&nbsp; The second appointment is to cement in the permanent veneers after they have been made by the dental technician.



Come and see one of our dentists for a 30 minute free cosmetic consultation about the gap between your front teeth today. <a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/themes/centralbrisbanedental2019/assets/pdf/Promotion-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf">View Terms and Conditions.</a>

Gap Between the Upper Front Teeth

There is a snack that has found itself becoming increasingly popular these past few years.  It has long been around, a staple at the cinema or at home in front of the TV.  It has, however, had a rebranding.  No longer simply a junk food full of sugar, salt, oil and fat, it is now a healthier alternative to packet chips and lollies.  Its name is popcorn.
<img class="size-full wp-image-2265 aligncenter" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/dangers-of-popcorn.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/dangers-of-popcorn.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/dangers-of-popcorn-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

You have probably seen different brands and their version of packet popcorn at the local supermarket.  Hard to believe, but popcorn is now supposedly a healthier choice.  I guess it&#8217;s better for you depending on what you compare it to.  It is stocked right next to the packet chips with all their salt and saturated fat.  It is made from corn and corn is a heathy vegetable.  However, the same bad argument can be made for chips and potatoes. Unfortunately, packet popcorn is just not that good for you.
Worse, packet popcorn is bad for your teeth.  Hard kernels that haven&#8217;t popped are a leading cause of broken teeth.  Sometimes the kernel doesn&#8217;t fully break a tooth, but causes a crack which can be sore to bite on and sensitive to cold.  I have seen many patients need fillings, and even root canal treatments and crowns due to popcorn.
Popcorn is also a nightmare to clean away from your teeth and gums.  As you bite into popcorn, it breaks up in tiny pieces which easily trap in the grooves of your teeth and between your teeth.  These tiny pieces are notoriously difficult to get out even with thorough brushing and flossing.  Popcorn husks can also find their way under the gumline and cause gum soreness and swelling.
Don&#8217;t let popcorn fool you.  It is not as healthy as they may lead you to believe.  It is definitely a risk for your teeth and gums.

Dangers of Popcorn

It is well known that garlic, onions, canned tuna and alcohol are bad for your breath.  Are there any foods or drinks that are good for your breath?  Let&#8217;s have a look at the good and the bad foods and drinks for your breath:
<img class="alignnone wp-image-2263 size-full" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/good-bad-foods-breath.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/good-bad-foods-breath.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/good-bad-foods-breath-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

The Bad:
Garlic, Onions and Spices
The smelly compounds in garlic, onions and a lot of spices are particularly potent as they linger in the mouth and are absorbed into the bloodstream as well.  You not only get bad breath due to having them contact your oral tissues, but a secondary smelly effect through the pores of your skin and when you exhale via the lungs too.
Fish
Fish, most notably canned tuna, has that distinctive odour.  Seafood naturally produces a sour smell as it oxidises, with the process of storing it in a tin can multiplying the effect.
Coffee and Alcohol
Coffee and alcohol create an environment in which odour-causing bacteria thrive.  They also dehydrate you and cause dry mouth, which also can cause bad breath.
The Good:
Water
Water is neutral and odourless.  It is good for your body and your breath.  Drinking plenty of water flushes the mouth of bacteria and foods that can cause bad breath.  It also increases saliva which is antibacterial, buffers acid and dilutes the mouth of odour-causing bacteria and food.
Yoghurt
Bad oral bacteria break down dietary proteins and produce sulphur, which causes bad breath.  Yoghurt contains probiotic good bacteria which helps keep the balance between good and bad bacteria.  Eating yoghurt helps reduce the oral levels of odour-causing sulphur.
Fruits and Vegetables
Many fruit and vegetables are rich in vitamin C.  Vitamin C produces an environment that odour-causing environment cannot survive.  Eating them raw also helps cleanse the mouth as they are crunchy and abrasive which helps remove food particles and bacteria.

Good and Bad Foods For Your Breath

Are you embarrassed about your breath?  Do you wake up in the morning with a bad taste and odour from your mouth?  Has a partner told you that you have bad breath?
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2267" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/bad-breath.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/bad-breath.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/bad-breath-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Bad breath, or its more scientific name halitosis, is caused by bacteria in the mouth.  These bacteria break down proteins left on the oral tissues and release sulphur into the mouth.  This sulphur is very volatile and has a bad odour, causing the bad breath.
Absent or ineffective oral hygiene is a common cause.  Make sure you brush twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste and a soft toothbrush, and floss at least once a day.  This will remove bacteria and food debris containing protein that the bacteria use to produce sulphur.  Rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash for one minute after brushing and flossing may also help reduce bacteria and freshen the breath.
The most common spots in the mouth where these sulphur-producing bacteria are left are near the back of the throat and on the tongue.  Make sure you reach to the back of the mouth and brush your tongue as well after your teeth.  Using your toothbrush, brush from the back of the tongue to the front in a swift single stroke.
Having little saliva and a dry mouth can allow sulphur-producing bacteria to thrive and produce more sulphur.  The reason you may wake up with morning breath is because your mouth may produce little saliva when you sleep.  Low saliva may also be caused by medical conditions, medications, stress and a lot of alcohol consumption.
Smoking does not only produce a bad smell itself, but also produces an environment in the mouth that sulphur-producing bacteria love and thrive in.  Quitting smoking is a good thing for your breath as well as your general and oral health.
Discharge into the mouth such as acid reflux from the stomach or a post-nasal drip from sinusitis may also produce a taste and odour in the mouth themselves or by giving a great environment for sulphur-producing bacteria to multiply.  Active bacterial infections such as tooth decay, gum disease and dental abscesses of course will do so as well.

Bad Breath?

Have you needed to go to the emergency department of your local hospital?  Have you been so seriously unwell or in an accident that you needed to be taken there by an ambulance after calling 000?
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2271" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/toothaches-hospital-emergency-department.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/toothaches-hospital-emergency-department.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/toothaches-hospital-emergency-department-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Hospital emergency departments are always busy, dealing with sometimes life threatening situations such as heart attacks, strokes and injuries from serious accidents.  When we have a serious problem that cannot be dealt with by any other means, going to the hospital emergency department is the best thing to do.
More and more there are so called largely avoidable incidents that have filled our hospital emergency departments.  These so called largely avoidable incidents are unlike heart attacks, strokes and serious accidents in that they are usually much more easily preventable.  A key example are toothaches and dental abscesses that are mostly preventable by good oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist.
We don&#8217;t want to be over filling our hospital emergency departments and over working their staff with patients with toothaches and dental abscesses when they should be saving patients with relatively more serious conditions.
If you have a toothache or dental abscess, see the dentist as soon as you can.  The longer you leave it, the more serious the problem can become.
Some toothaches can be treated by a simple filling if it is addressed timely before the problem affects the nerve of the tooth.  If the nerve of the tooth is compromised, you may need a root canal treatment or extraction.  If the nerve is left untreated, you may develop a dental abscess.  As this abscess becomes bigger, you may get spread of the infection to your face and develop a large swollen cheek.  Worse, the infection may spread to the floor of the mouth and block your airway, or to your eye and cause blindness.
This is when most cases find themselves going to the hospital emergency department, but as you&#8217;ve read, you should have gone to the dentist way before this point in time.

Toothaches and the Hospital Emergency Department

It is the age of computers and robots. Tasks that are very complex for human beings can be easily and quickly done by computers. Jobs that are dangerous for human beings can be handled by a robot counterpart. They say artificial intelligence is better as it avoids mistakes made by human error.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/robot-dentists.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2269" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/robot-dentists.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/robot-dentists-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></figure>







A robot has just successfully performed dental implant surgery on a patient in China. Could this be the beginning of more cases and dental procedures to be done this way?



Dental implant surgery is a complex invasive procedure. It involves placement of a titanium screw into the jaw bone where a tooth is already missing or needs to be removed. After two to three months of bone healing around the screw and it is very solid in the jaw bone, a crown can be placed on the implant to replace a tooth.



There are significant risks with dental implant surgery. There are nerves in the jaw bone that if damaged can cause either extreme pain or loss of sensation. There are sinuses in the cheek areas which need to be kept intact for proper breathing and avoid infections. There is only so much width and height of bone to work in. A few millimetres here or there may determine success or failure.



It is estimated that one in twenty dental implant cases may fail for some reason of other. A lot of this may be put down to human error. If a robot is programmed to do this procedure, the theory is that the success rate should be significantly improved.



With a perfectly programmed robot, there should be no hand and wrist muscle fatigue with using our fine motor skills in handling the dental implant instruments in the tight, confined space which is the human mouth. There should be no issues with eyesight and seeing what we are doing. Robots do not need to rest or feel the stress of performing the procedure.

Robot Dentists

A tooth may be sensitive to cold, hot or sweet things when the inner dentine layer of the tooth is exposed.  Unlike the harder outer enamel layer of the tooth, the dentine layer is quite porous.  When this layer is exposed to cold, hot or sweet things, the nerve of the tooth is irritated and you get that sensitive feeling.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2273" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/4-reasons-tooth-sensitive.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/4-reasons-tooth-sensitive.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/4-reasons-tooth-sensitive-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Let&#8217;s look at 4 common reasons for this exposed dentine and the resultant sensitivity:
<ol>
<li>Tooth Decay</li>
</ol>
When bacteria use the sugar left on your teeth after eating and ineffective cleaning, they produce acid.  This acid eats into your tooth and damages the enamel layer, exposing the dentine layer.  Cold, hot and sweet things on the damaged tooth may then cause sensitivity.
<ol start="2">
<li>Cracked Tooth</li>
</ol>
A tooth that takes a lot of force, be it biting very hard things, clenching and grinding or a physical knock to the jaw, can become cracked.  A crackline through the enamel to the dentine is a direct pathway for cold, hot and sweet things to irritate the nerve of the tooth.
<ol start="3">
<li>Gum Recession</li>
</ol>
The gums normally cover the dentine around the necks of the teeth.  If the gums recede due to gum disease or physical trauma such as hard toothbrushing, the dentine usually covered by the gum is exposed.  Exposed tooth structure where the gums have receded is now sensitive to cold, hot and sweet things.
<ol start="4">
<li>Tooth Wear</li>
</ol>
Like with all parts of the body, wear and tear catches up with our teeth.  The enamel layer becomes more worn down over time and the underlying dentine is exposed.  The teeth can become increasingly sensitive to cold, hot and sweet things.
Sensitive Toothpastes?
Sensitive toothpastes may help sensitive teeth by blocking the porosities in the exposed dentine.  The problem is that the blocking ingredients leech back out over time so you have to continually use the sensitive toothpaste to have that anti-sensitivity effect.  It&#8217;s best to see the dentist to diagnose and treat the cause.

4 Reasons Your Tooth May Be Sensitive

<a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/healthy-mouth.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2275" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/10-ways-healthy-mouth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/10-ways-healthy-mouth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/10-ways-healthy-mouth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></a>
10 Ways To A Healthy Mouth

<ol>
<li>Brush your teeth morning and night with a soft toothbrush, fluoridated toothpaste and a gentle technique. This keeps your teeth clean without damaging them and the surrounding gum tissue, and the fluoride strengthens and repairs tooth structure.</li>
<li>Floss your teeth once a day using string floss and a gentle technique. This cleans the hard to reach areas between the teeth to prevent tooth decay and damage to the gums.</li>
<li>Rinse your mouth vigorously for one minute with an antibacterial mouthwash that contains fluoride after brushing and flossing. Although it doesn&#8217;t do as much as the companies that make it claim, it does help reduce gum inflammation and adds protective fluoride to your teeth.</li>
<li>Chew sugar free chewing gum after lunch for a few minutes to cleanse the mouth of food particles and stimulate saliva flow. Remember chewing gum for too long can have the reverse effect and dry the mouth, as well as damage the teeth and jaw as the gum becomes very hard.</li>
<li>Drink plenty of water to keep your saliva flowing to wash away food particles, buffer damaging acids from the diet and repair tooth structure mineral loss. Water is the healthiest drink for your mouth so select water before other drinks or drink some water as well when you drink other drinks.</li>
<li>Reduce consumption of sugary and acidic foods and drinks. Sugar and acid allow bacteria to cause tooth decay and gum disease, while acid by itself can directly wear your teeth and gums.</li>
<li>Reduce consumption of tea and coffee. Tea and coffee will badly stain your teeth and they dehydrate you, minimising the protective effect of saliva.</li>
<li>Reduce consumption of alcohol. Alcohol delays tissue healing including the hard and soft tissue in your mouth, and it is associated with cancer, including oral cancers.</li>
<li>Stop smoking. Smoking is associated with gum disease and cancer, especially oral cancer.</li>
<li>Reduce your stress or find an effective way to manage it. Stress is the leading cause of damage to the teeth, jaw muscles and jaw joints through clenching and grinding of the teeth.  Stress also negatively effects your immune system and makes you more prone to oral infections.</li>
</ol>

10 Ways To A Healthy Mouth

There has been reports in the news recently of dental practices using dental equipment bought from ebay to save money.  Rest assured.  Central Brisbane Dental only buys and uses dental equipment from large, reputable dental companies with a local office in Brisbane.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2277" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/no-dental-knockoffs.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/no-dental-knockoffs.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/no-dental-knockoffs-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Using large, reputable companies gives us and our patients piece of mind that the dental equipment, instruments and materials we use meet Australian standards.  They are safe, quality products meant to be used for dentistry and nothing else.
There is the worry that when you buy lower cost equipment from ebay that it is a cheap knockoff.  Does it perform like the official piece of equipment and is it safe to use?
Take the curing lights we use to set white filling material after we have placed it in a cavity to fill it.  Cheap knockoff curing lights may not produce the correct intensity of blue wavelength light to properly set the filling material.  This could result in a filling that breaks down more quickly than it&#8217;s supposed to.  The filling could fall out on eating or trap food underneath it and cause the surrounding tooth to decay.
It’s a similar issue with knockoff teeth whitening lamps.  If a whitening lamp does not produce a certain intensity of blue wavelength light, it does not properly accelerate the whitening effect of the teeth whitening gel.  The result is less than maximum teeth whitening.  If the whitening lamp is too intense or produces a lot of heat, you may get a lot of sensitivity or even damage the teeth, gums and lips.
At Central Brisbane Dental, our curing lights come from the same companies that make dental filling material.  There is no question that they will properly set our fillings.  Our teeth whitening lamp comes directly from the company that supplies our teeth whitening kits, Philips Zoom, the most popular and famous teeth whitening system in Australia.  There is no question that we provide safe and effective teeth whitening.

No Dental Knockoffs

Everyone buys things online these days.  Everything is available unlike the limited choices and quantities at your average shop at the local shopping centre.  You can get what you want delivered straight to your door too.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2279" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/beware-fake-dental-products.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/beware-fake-dental-products.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/beware-fake-dental-products-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
Would you buy everything online?  I know I buy clothes and toys online.  How about food and medications?  Would you buy these online?

The danger of buying things online is that what you get may be not what you wanted.  You can&#8217;t pick up the item in your hands and inspect it closely with your eyes like at the local shop.  You are usually limited to a brief description of the item and maybe a few photos.
The real danger is with items you put in your body not just on your body.  You might be upset if a shirt you ordered online was not the colour you thought the photo showed.  However, you may become very sick from some online vitamins you swallowed which were actually a fake and poisonous.
This has been a problem for the dental field as well.  Patients may buy electric toothbrushes, toothpastes and whitening gels online for example.  They may think they are getting a quality product, but in reality a dud.  There have been cases of rechargeable electric toothbrushes overheating due to battery issues, with a risk of burning the hand or mouth.  You may not detect a problem with a fake toothpaste, but unregulated whitening products have caused irreversible damage to the teeth and gums instead of whitening.
There are currently very few regulations regarding what can be sold on the internet.  However, this may be about to change regarding therapeutic goods sold online.  Hopefully, proposals to amend the Therapeutic Goods Act will proceed and offer some reassurance to consumers when they buy health products online.

Beware of Fake Dental Products

Although gum recession is only a loss of a little bit of gum tissue, it can be a very big problem.  Many patients are concerned because it is aesthetically displeasing.  Gum recession can make the teeth look longer and older than they actually are.  Without the protection of the gums, the neck of the tooth where the gum has receded may look yellower or even be indented.  Many patients complain of sensitivity to cold, hot and sweet things around teeth that have gum recession.  They may need to use sensitive toothpastes or get fillings to cover and protect the areas.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2281" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/3-reasons-gum-recession.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/3-reasons-gum-recession.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/3-reasons-gum-recession-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

There are many reasons for gum recession.  Let&#8217;s discuss 3 common ones:
<ol>
<li>Gum Disease</li>
</ol>
When bacteria damage the superficial part of the gums, they swell, bleed and become very red.  With professional cleaning at the dentist and good oral hygiene at home, this damage can reverse and the gums heal.  When the damage goes deeper, gum tissue and the bone covered by it are destroyed.  This damage is irreversible, resulting in visible gum recession and bone loss around the teeth.  Make sure you maintain healthy gums with 6 monthly visits to the dentist for checking and cleaning.
<ol start="2">
<li>Incorrect Oral Hygiene</li>
</ol>
Incorrect oral hygiene techniques can lead to physical trauma of gum tissue.  Commonly, gum recession is caused by being too aggressive with the toothbrush.  Prolonged hard horizontal scrubbing can cause striations on the teeth and gum recession.  Use a soft toothbrush and a gentle circular technique to lessen the risk of damage.
<ol start="3">
<li>Teeth Grinding</li>
</ol>
Teeth clenching and grinding commonly occurs unknowingly during sleep, usually due to stress.  When you grind your teeth side to side against each other, you rock the teeth in their sockets.  This can damage the necks of the teeth where the gum joins with the tooth.  Tooth structure abfraction and gum recession results.  This is similar damage to a fence post where it meets the ground when you rock the fence post side to side.  See your dentist about teeth grinding as you may need a protective night guard called an occlusal splint.

3 Reasons for Gum Recession

Tooth decay leads to tooth structure destruction and cavities in the teeth.  Cavities cause the teeth to be sensitive to cold, hot and sweet things, which may need fillings.  Very large cavities may compromise the nerve of a tooth and cause toothache, which may need root canal treatment or extraction of the tooth.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2283" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/4-strategies-to-prevent-tooth-decay.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/4-strategies-to-prevent-tooth-decay.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/4-strategies-to-prevent-tooth-decay-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

The best way to manage tooth decay is to prevent it from occurring.  Let&#8217;s discuss 4 strategies to prevent tooth decay:
<ol>
<li>Use Fluoride</li>
</ol>
Fluoride is scientifically proven to prevent tooth decay.  It makes enamel harder and more resistant to breaking down.  It can repair early tooth structure damage and is antibacterial. For the most benefit, brush twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste and get professional fluoride after teeth cleaning with the dentist every 6 months.
<ol start="2">
<li>Get Fissure Sealants</li>
</ol>
The fissures or grooves in the chewing surfaces of teeth can trap food and bacteria.  If they are quite deep, the bristles of your toothbrush won&#8217;t be able to clean them fully, leading to tooth decay.  Fissure sealants cover these fissures with a protective filling material to protect them and make cleaning them easier.
<ol start="3">
<li>Improve Saliva</li>
</ol>
Saliva is our body&#8217;s natural protective response against problems in the mouth, including tooth decay.  Saliva is antibacterial, buffers damaging acid and repairs the mineral in tooth structure.  Without good saliva, the risk of tooth decay increases.  Drink plenty of water so your mouth is not dry and limit dehydrating drinks such as tea and coffee.  You can stimulate saliva by chewing sugar-free gum.
<ol start="4">
<li>Improve Your Diet</li>
</ol>
We all have heard how sugar and acid rot our teeth.  By limiting our intake of sugar and acid, we not only decrease our risk of tooth decay but many general health issues as well.  Remember to have a look at the labels on food and drinks at the nutritional information before buying and consuming.  Pick healthier choices!

4 Strategies to Prevent Tooth Decay

Is mouthwash actually dynamite for your teeth?  Does is really destroy all the bacteria in the mouth that causes tooth decay and gum disease?
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2285" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/mouthwash-dynamite-for-teeth-or-breath-freshener.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/mouthwash-dynamite-for-teeth-or-breath-freshener.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/mouthwash-dynamite-for-teeth-or-breath-freshener-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

In short, of course not.  If you think about, how can something you simply rinse with and spit out be so powerful?  It doesn&#8217;t make sense.  If it did, anyone using a mouthwash should have healthy teeth and gums.  In reality, many mouthwash users have poor oral health.
However, mouthwash is definitely more than just a breath freshener.  It is true mouthwash does kill bacteria that causes tooth decay and gum disease.  The main issue is that mouthwash just isn&#8217;t able to reach all the nooks and crannies in the mouth for it to destroy all bacteria.  It cannot get easily between teeth or under the gumline.
People don&#8217;t hold it in the mouth for long enough for it to work even on easy to reach areas.  Most people just rinse for a few seconds and spit it back out.  Some even rinse with water after the mouthwash.  Mouthwash needs to be rinsed vigourously around the mouth for at least 1 minute to give it time to destroy bacteria.  Rinsing with water simply dilutes its effectiveness straight away.
You also have to brush and floss effectively before using mouthwash.  Plaque and food debris on the teeth and gums make it difficult for the mouthwash to work.  Think of it as the mouthwash disinfecting the already clean teeth surfaces.
So should you use a mouthwash?  If you brush twice daily, floss once a day and see the dentist every 6 months, you may not need to use one.  You are already doing enough to remove bacteria that causes tooth decay and gum disease.  However, if you struggle with dental problems, then brushing, flossing and rinsing with a mouthwash twice a day may help the teeth and gums become healthier.  Ask your dentist whether a mouthwash may be beneficial for your mouth.

Mouthwash – Dynamite For Your Teeth or Breath Freshener?

There’s always the joke that we don&#8217;t want socks and jocks as presents.  For myself, I have been eying some of the Lego Batman construction sets or maybe another PS4 game.  Since we had our little boy, Jasper, we try and give presents that we can all enjoy together as a family.  He loves all things Batman, building Lego together and playing games, be it board games or PS4 games.  However, above any wrapped gift, there&#8217;s nothing more I want this Father&#8217;s Day than for us to continue to spend quality time together.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2287" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/awesome-dad.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/awesome-dad.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/awesome-dad-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Even with the busyness of running 2 dental practices, we always do something together as a family every weekend.  Little children grow up so quickly.  I don&#8217;t want to be the father who missed my child&#8217;s important milestones and regretted it later in life.  Or worse still, have a son who holds a grudge against me for not being there for him when he was little.
In my mind, the greatest obstacle to spending quality family time together is health.  You may have the desire to do something, but you may not be able to physically do it due to poor health.  Am I fit enough to keep up with an active boy, who is always full of energy?  Will I huff and puff and be too fatigued to chase after him at the park?
As a dentist, our expertise is in oral health.  However, oral health and general health go hand in hand.  What you eat and drink directly affects not only your teeth and gums, but your whole body.  We have a responsibility to promote general health as well as oral health.
My goal this Father&#8217;s Day is to maintain a balanced diet and exercise routine to be fit and healthy.  I want to be an awesome Dad!  What&#8217;s your goal?

Are You An Awesome Dad?

Do you suffer from gum recession and bone loss around your teeth?  Are the spaces between your teeth too big to be effectively cleaned by floss?
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2289" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/large-spaces-between-teeth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/large-spaces-between-teeth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/large-spaces-between-teeth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

If you have periodontal disease, bacteria destroy the gum and bone around the teeth.  This destruction is irreversible as the lost gum and bone doesn&#8217;t grow back.  This results in large spaces between the teeth.
These spaces between the teeth are harder to keep clean.  Brushing, flossing and rinsing with a mouthwash just doesn&#8217;t always effectively clean such large spaces between the teeth.
At the supermarket oral hygiene section, you may have seen small brushes that look like mini Christmas trees on a handle.  Some people describe them as looking like a small piece of pipe cleaner that is used for art and craft.  These are interdental brushes – small brushes for cleaning between teeth.  They come in a variety of sizes and handles to suit the size and position of the spaces in the mouth.
After brushing and flossing, interdental brushes can be used to further clean the spaces between teeth that brushing and flossing cannot clean well.  They can be coated in toothpaste or mouthwash.  You can dip an interdental brush in mouthwash before inserting into each space to not only physically brush the space, but chemically disinfect it as well.
Patients often ask whether inserting an interdental brush between the teeth can damage the gum.  There is no need to worry if interdental brushes are used correctly in a gentle fashion, there is no major risk of gum damage.  Interdental brushes often consist of a thin metal rod carrying soft bristles.  The metal rod is usually coated in plastic so the metal rod cannot easily traumatize the gums.
Interdental brushes are meant to be reused till they don&#8217;t look so good and then replaced.  Hence, they are often packaged into packs of several brushes.  As long as this is followed, there is no major risk of them breaking between the teeth.  Even if they do break, they usually can be easily removed with tweezers.

Large Spaces Between Your Teeth?

When we talk about flossing, most patients say they know how to do it, they just don&#8217;t do it.  However, when we start demonstrating how to floss properly, they are surprised that their idea of flossing is totally different to that recommended by a dentist.  Even those who floss every day may not be doing it most effectively.
<img class="alignnone wp-image-2292 size-full" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/are-you-flossing-properly.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/are-you-flossing-properly.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/are-you-flossing-properly-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

There is more to effective flossing than just passing floss up and down between the teeth.  Most patients think floss just needs to get between the teeth where they contact.  However, this is only one part of flossing effectively.
Brushing with a toothbrush and toothpaste can only clean the biting surfaces and sides of the teeth next to the cheek and lips, and tongue and palate.  Flossing is used to clean the remaining surfaces.  So after passing through where the teeth contact, we need to wrap the floss around the side of the tooth behind the contact and jiggle gently up and down, and do the same with the tooth in front of the contact.  This technique cleans the whole space between the teeth, not just the contact points between the teeth.
I prefer to pull the floss out the side rather than pulling it through the contact again.  This avoids trapping food debris that has been loosened back between the contact of the teeth.  Pulling the floss out from between the teeth pulls any food debris out with it which you can spit or rinse out easily.
Remember to be gentle when you floss to avoid hurting the gums.  Never use floss like a saw, moving aggressively backwards and forwards, as this will only cut the gums.
Wrap a 20 to 30 centimetre length of floss between the index fingers till the fingers are quite close together.  If the fingers are close together, the floss can be better controlled.  Pinch the floss with the thumbs and index fingers to control it between the teeth.  A middle finger can be used to keep the floss taunt when flossing back molar areas, where it is hard to keep the index fingers and thumbs very close together.

Are You Flossing Properly?

Effective toothbrushing is easier said than done.  So how do we make sure we are brushing our teeth effectively?
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2291" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/brushing-teeth-properly.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/brushing-teeth-properly.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/brushing-teeth-properly-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

First of all let&#8217;s make sure we have the appropriate tools for the job.  Make sure you are using a toothbrush with very soft bristles, a small head, flexible neck and comfortable handle.  Make sure you are using a toothpaste that contains mild detergents and fluoride.  The brand and cost of the toothbrush and toothpaste doesn&#8217;t matter as long as these requirements are satisfied.
The next thing is making sure we are using these tools effectively.  Make sure you are gentle with the toothbrush.  If you are brushing twice a day, food debris and plaque will come away very easily with gentle brushing.  You do not need to scrub your teeth like you are scrubbing off something hard and crusted over on your kitchen bench.  If you have hard calculus on your teeth, you will not be able to remove this by brushing.  Leave the hard work to your dentist and their ultrasonic instrument at your 6 monthly check-up and clean appointment.  Only your dentist can remove hard calculus.
Avoid brushing aggressively, especially with a hard scrubbing action, unless you are brushing the biting surfaces of your teeth.  When brushing the sides of the your teeth, angle your toothbrush at 45 degrees towards your gumline and brush in a circular motion.  This helps flick food debris and plaque away from the gumline.  It is also more gentle to your gums than horizontal or vertical strokes as you only touch the gums once every 360 degrees and the circular motion is less forceful.
Make sure you are brushing for 2 minutes so you give enough attention to every tooth surface.  Don’t forget to brush your tongue with one stroke from the back to the front after your teeth.  Your tongue can trap food particles and plaque too.  It is now recommended to not rinse your mouth with water after brushing to leave protective fluoride from toothpaste over the teeth longer.
You should brush your teeth twice a day.  You should brush after you eat not before so you can clean food particles away as well as plaque.  You should also brush before you floss.  Think of brushing as the bulk of the cleaning and flossing as doing the fine detail.

Are You Brushing Your Teeth Properly?

Is your toothbrush past its expiry date?  If the bristles are all flared out or you’ve been using it for 3 months or more, it’s time to get a new one.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2295" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/time-for-new-toothbrush.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/time-for-new-toothbrush.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/time-for-new-toothbrush-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Time to get a new toothbrush?  So what properties should a good toothbrush have?
A good toothbrush should have very soft bristles so you don&#8217;t damage your teeth and gums when you brush.  Of course, you shouldn&#8217;t be pressing very hard against your teeth and gums with it, and definitely not scrubbing.  Even if you forget, a toothbrush with very soft bristles rather than medium or hard ones shouldn&#8217;t do any damage.
A good toothbrush should have a small head so you can reach the back teeth more easily.  The back molars are areas in the mouth that are more prone to tooth decay and gum disease.  We cannot easily see where we are cleaning to make sure we are doing a good job.  A lack of space next to the cheek and tongue the further back in the mouth we go makes reaching there even harder.
A good toothbrush should have a flexible neck.  Along the same lines of thinking as with very soft bristles, a flexible neck limits us from pressing the toothbrush too hard against the teeth and gums.  The harder you press, the more the neck of the brush flexes away from the surface you are pressing on.  A flexible neck also helps somewhat reaching a back molar area like with the small head design.  Gentle flexing of the toothbrush neck may help you reach the backs and sides of the last molars.
A good toothbrush should have a comfortable handle.  If we are going to brush our teeth with it for 2 minutes at a time at least 2 times per day, we better like holding onto it.  A comfortable handle also helps our brushing technique as we can more easily manoeuvre the brush around our mouth.
These same properties apply to any toothbrush, whether manual or electric.  Good oral hygiene can be done with either.  It all depends on how you are using them.

Time For A New Toothbrush?

With Dental Health Week 2017 challenging us to clean our teeth anywhere, anytime, just how do we actually do this?  Most of us have morning and night time under control so it is mainly during the day which is the major problem.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2297" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/teeth-cleaning-anywhere-anytime.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/teeth-cleaning-anywhere-anytime.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/teeth-cleaning-anywhere-anytime-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

It is not unrealistic to carry a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with us everywhere we go.  The contents of woman&#8217;s handbag is known for having all incidents covered, so why not oral hygiene?  There are very compact oral hygiene kits available much like the fold out toothbrush that used to be given out on long haul flights.  Even males without a bag could stash this in a pocket, but bags for both males and females are very common accessory items these days so this may not even be an issue.  Leaving an oral hygiene pack at work is also very common now, with many of my patients telling me that they do this.
Excusing yourself to go to the bathroom to clean your teeth should not be viewed of as an over-the-top thing.  Many people care enough to check their teeth after eating for something that may be stuck and embarrass them when they talk or smile.  Cleaning the teeth is just a simple extension of checking the teeth for something stuck and makes sure there us definitely nothing on the teeth and gums that may give you that awkward look from someone.
Brushing your teeth during the day may not even be necessary if you already do it morning and night.  Most modern fluoridated toothpastes claim to give you 12 hour protection against oral bacteria.   Having plenty of water to dilute acidic and teeth-staining food and drink after lunch will help.  Chewing sugar-free gum for a few minutes after eating and drinking will not only freshen the breath, but also help remove food particles and stimulate saliva to protect the teeth from acid and bacteria.

Teeth Cleaning – Anywhere, Anytime

The topic of promotion for Dental Health Week 2017 was oral health for busy lives – anywhere, anytime.  In our jam-packed daily lives where we have little time for anything, how realistic is it for us to find time to at least brush our teeth twice a day, floss once a day, and have a check-up and clean at the dentist every 6 months?
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2300" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/too-busy-for-a-healthy-mouth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/too-busy-for-a-healthy-mouth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/too-busy-for-a-healthy-mouth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Like for everything that is important in society today, the reality is that we make time for what is crucial to us.  We make time to put clothes on before we go out of our homes, lest we be arrested for indecency.  Why can&#8217;t we spare a few minutes a day to clean our teeth?  Some of us spend a lot longer than that getting ready to go out, lest we show ourselves in public in an unkempt fashion.  We may do our hair and put on makeup, but how about maintaining our smile?  This surely is more important than putting on foundation and lipstick or styling our beard?  These things may hide our mouths, but poor oral hygiene may be telling by the appearance of the teeth and gums and our breath.
It generally is a lot easier for us to do something if it becomes part of our routine, a habit that we just do daily without thinking about it.  If we make brushing our teeth twice a day and flossing once a day part of our daily routine, once we have done this every day for 6 months, it becomes automatic.  If we don&#8217;t do it, it doesn&#8217;t feel right.  The same applies to going to the dentist every 6 months for a check-up and teeth cleaning.  If we have been doing this religiously for years, we feel guilty for it being just 8 months instead of 6 months since our last appointment.

Too Busy For A Healthy Mouth?

Tying a piece of string to a tooth and the other end to a doorknob and then slamming the door shut is a method of removing a problematic tooth often portrayed in cartoons or comedies.  This is obviously not recommended, doesn’t work and we laugh when we see it on TV.  To my surprise, some patients actually consider this method as a serious way of removing a tooth rather than seeking professional advice from the dentist.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2301" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/would-you-pull-out-your-own-tooth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/would-you-pull-out-your-own-tooth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/would-you-pull-out-your-own-tooth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Another surprise is that some patients are willing to put home improvement or gardening pliers to their own teeth in an effort to remove a painful tooth rather than going to the dentist.  Not only are you at risk of breaking the tooth and leaving a part of it stuck in your jaw bone, non-sterile home instruments put you at risk of serious infections.
When a dentist removes a tooth, we also don&#8217;t use brute force.  There is a lot more to removing the tooth, with various techniques to counter the number, size and angulation of the roots of the tooth which may lock into the jaw bone.  The dentist also uses local anaesthetic to numb the area first, which is something that the average household does not have access to.
If you have a painful tooth, please have it assessed and treated by a dentist.  Not as much as in major hospitals, but we do see a few cases in private practice of self treatment gone wrong.  You are spending more time and money correcting a botched tooth removal professionally if you attempt it yourself.  We have not begun to describe the pain and golf ball sized swellings that patients present with when we see them to remove the rest of the tooth they broke properly, or the amount of pus that must be drained due to the extensiveness of their infection.

Would You Pull Out Your Own Tooth?

A story I wrote for my little boy, Jasper, to help him understand
the importance of looking after your teeth:
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2305" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/story-of-the-boy-with-bad-teeth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/story-of-the-boy-with-bad-teeth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/story-of-the-boy-with-bad-teeth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
A boy had bad teeth
And was sorry to smile
Between those bad teeth
Food got stuck for a while

When salad he ate
Or pork, chicken or beef
The thing he would hate
Were bits in his front teeth
The things he would drink
Would cause orange staining
Drinking he would think
Was a thing for refraining
The boy with bad teeth
Kept his mouth shut
Lips covered his teeth
Like doors on a hut
Lest it be shown
What an awful smile
Lest it be known
His teeth were so vile
Then one bright day
The boy got thinking
Let&#8217;s stop this, okay
This feeling of sinking
That fine sunny day
To the delight of his mum
The sorry boy did say
I have been so dumb
From that day on
After every meal
Laziness gone
He cleaned with zeal
Every tooth he brushed
Between each he flossed
He rinsed and flushed
Not the surface just glossed
The boy with bad teeth
No longer was that
He now had great teeth
He could smile and chat
He no longer had fears
To open wide his mouth
Showed all teeth without tears
When his jaw dropped south

The Boy With Bad Teeth

Recently, I had a patient come in for her 6 monthly checkup and clean appointment who had developed quite a significant stain on her teeth which she never has had before.  After going through the typical diet, medicine and lifestyle related reasons and getting no closer to the source of her stain, we discussed any other recent changes that may be the culprit.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2306" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/is-your-toothpaste-wrecking-your-teeth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/is-your-toothpaste-wrecking-your-teeth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/is-your-toothpaste-wrecking-your-teeth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

To my surprise, she said the only thing that she had changed over the past 6 months was her toothpaste.  She had switched to a tea tree oil based toothpaste because she claimed it is natural and good for you and was told to do so by a friend who told her that regular toothpaste has many bad chemicals in it and shouldn’t be used.  Surely this new healthy toothpaste could not be the cause of her staining.  After convincing the patient to switch back to a regular toothpaste, the stain did not return and we confirmed it was in fact the supposedly healthy toothpaste that had caused her staining.
Regular toothpaste has been researched thoroughly and proven to be safe and good for your teeth.  The 2 main ingredients in regular toothpaste are detergent and fluoride.  These are supposedly the bad chemicals in regular toothpaste. However, without these, toothpaste has no real effect and if you want to use a toothpaste without these, you might as well not use one at all.
Mild detergent is necessary to thoroughly remove food and plaque from the surfaces of the teeth, while fluoride is antibacterial and repairs and strengthens tooth structure.  If you use a toothpaste without these ingredients then you may not be cleaning your teeth properly and like our patient with the tea tree oil toothpaste, have an unexpected stain covering all your teeth from doing so.  Worse still, you may be putting yourself at risk of tooth decay and other oral infections.

Is Your Toothpaste Wrecking Your Teeth?

Are we getting so lazy these days that we can&#8217;t even hold a toothbrush and brush our own teeth?  Are we so short of time that we can&#8217;t even spare a couple of minutes morning and night to clean our teeth?  That is what the latest oral hygiene invention claims.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2309" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/automated-teeth-cleaning.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/automated-teeth-cleaning.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/automated-teeth-cleaning-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

The newest in homecare for the mouth is an automated teeth cleaning device.  Basically, it is a set of soft mouthguards that are inserted into the mouth to which a battery unit attaches.  Turn it on and it claims to clean all your teeth in just 10 seconds.  You can also attach a different set of soft mouthguards so another user can share the same battery unit.
Does it actually work?  At the moment it is awaiting group funding on Kickstarter, so it cannot be tested until it actually goes into production.  It is already quite popular on the site with numerous pledges to help finance the project, so you can at least say in theory it should be a success.  Why you say?  I guess the concept speaks to all of us looking for an easier and faster way to do even the simplest but quite tedious of everyday things, such as cleaning our teeth.
From a dentist&#8217;s point of view, this automated teeth cleaning device, like any new oral hygiene product, is not a bad thing as long as it actually does clean the teeth properly.  However, there have been many oral hygiene products claiming this and that but in reality, does not out-perform brushing with a regular toothbrush and toothpaste.  Remember there is also more to proper oral hygiene than just brushing, so even if this product does work well to replace brushing, you will still need to floss and rinse with a mouthwash in addition to using this device.

Automated Teeth Cleaning

We have all heard about how bad sugar is for your teeth and how it causes tooth decay.  Did you know acid is just as bad if not worse for your teeth than sugar?
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2312" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/are-you-drinking-acid.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/are-you-drinking-acid.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/are-you-drinking-acid-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Acid directly wears away tooth enamel through erosion of the tooth surface.  The softened tooth enamel is then more prone to breakdown by frictional forces during eating and cleaning the teeth.  Bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease flourish in an acidic environment, and tooth structure dissolves so our saliva’s protective ability to repair and remineralise tooth structure cannot occur effectively, while damage may be accelerated.
Patients who suffer from acid reflux are particularly prone to tooth damage.  Acidic drinks, however, is the most common risk.  Unhealthy choices like soft drinks, energy drinks, beer and wine are all acidic.  Even supposedly healthy fruit juices are particularly acidic, with citrus ones being the most.  Lemon, lime or orange flavoured drinks also become more acidic due to their addition.  So stay away from lemon tea and avoid adding lemon or lime to flavour your water.  Caffeinated drinks like tea or coffee may not be acidic themselves, but they have a dehydrating  effect and make your teeth more prone to damage by limiting their protection by your saliva.
To combat the damaging effects of acidic drinks, have as much water as you have an acidic drink.  The water helps neutralise the acid and boosts your saliva and allows it to help buffer acid and repair dissolving enamel.  Better still, drink all acidic drinks through a straw to bypass your teeth so they don&#8217;t come into contact with the acid.  It is noted that sometimes only females are given straws with their drinks at some restaurants.  Don&#8217;t let embarrassment stop you from asking the waiter or waitress for a straw.  Whether we are male or female, our teeth are prone to damage by acid and their protection is more important.

Are You Drinking Acid?

Have you seen someone smile and noticed they had a dark upper front tooth?  It doesn&#8217;t always mean they don&#8217;t brush their teeth so their upper front tooth is badly decayed.  Commonly, the dark coloured upper front tooth is due to a previous knock to the tooth which has caused it to die.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2311" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dark-side-of-a-white-tooth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dark-side-of-a-white-tooth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dark-side-of-a-white-tooth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

When a tooth is badly traumatised, the nerve inside the tooth cannot heal and it can break down.  When this happens the normally live, red, healthy internal tissue becomes dead, dark, necrotic tissue, which makes the tooth look dark when we look at it.
A nerve of a tooth can die due to a variety of traumatic events.  Because the upper front teeth a very easily accessed for cleaning and we can easily see how well we have done this, tooth decay and gum disease are less common reasons for the tooth to die.  Again due to it&#8217;s forward position in the mouth, the upper front teeth are commonly knocked or damaged by a physical force in some way or other.
Not everyone’s dead upper front tooth is dark in colour.  The standard treatment for a dead nerve is root canal treatment, which cleans away the internal dead tissue.  Sometimes, simply doing this will make the tooth look lighter in colour.  Other times, the tooth remains dark after root canal treatment as the inside of the tooth has been stained by the necrotic tissue breaking down or by bacteria that may have infected the dead tissue.  Doing internal tooth whitening after the root canal treatment can solve the colour issue in most instances.  A crown which covers the tooth for strength and prevents reinfection of the root canal treatment will usually hide any dark colour that remains.  Modern upper front tooth porcelain crowns are highly aesthetic and may not look much different to a normal healthy tooth.

The Dark Side of a White Tooth

If you could protect yourself and your family, you would jump at it wouldn&#8217;t you?  Anyone in their right mind would immediately answer yes to this question.  However, this is the very question that is asked when it comes to immunisation for preventable diseases and I&#8217;m afraid the statistics show that many of us are not only not jumping to do so, but have not considered it at all.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2316" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/a-small-prick-for-mankind.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/a-small-prick-for-mankind.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/a-small-prick-for-mankind-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

I am not talking about the compulsory childhood vaccinations that start from birth.  I am talking about adults and the elective vaccinations that are available for a range of preventable diseases.  Because these immunisations are not mandatory they are often forgotten.  As a healthcare professional, this topic is close to heart as I am in an industry that is more at risk of coming into contact with transmittable diseases.
Take Hepatitis B for example.  Hepatitis B is an extremely serious liver condition which can be fatal.  Contracting the Hepatitis B virus will damage your liver with the long term consequences of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure without appropriate diagnosis and management.  Hepatitis B is entirely preventable by vaccination so why wouldn’t you want to be vaccinated for it?
For those working in the dental profession, it is recommended that we are immunised for not only Hepatitis B but also measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, whooping cough, and even the common annual flu.  We deal with bodily fluids such as saliva and blood that may contain infectious diseases on a daily basis and simple vaccination protects ourselves and our family from these diseases.
Limiting the transfer of transmittable diseases is an important issue that each one of us, not only those in higher risk industries, should seriously consider.  Immunisation is a simple yet key component of this.

A Small Prick For Mankind

What did you order the last time you went out for dinner at a restaurant?  How healthy was it?  We have all read and heard appraisals about how great tasting but unhealthy the food is from a restaurant.  But have you read and heard how does a restaurant meal rate from a dental perspective?  Let&#8217;s have a look at a typical restaurant meal in regards to the impact on your teeth.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2315" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/food-for-thought.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/food-for-thought.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/food-for-thought-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

When I go out to a family restaurant, my typical meal is usually steak, chicken or fish with a salad or vegetables on the side as well a serving of potato, most often than not in the form of chips.  The main ingredients of the meal aren&#8217;t a major issue for your teeth unless the food is so tough or incorporates small, hidden bones that you&#8217;re likely to fatigue your jaw, hurt your gums or break a tooth.  The real dangers to your teeth are the sauces and dressings that are typically made of a large quantity of sugar or extremely acidic or worse, a bit of both.  Staple condiments such as tomato sauce and barbeque sauce are full of sugar, while supposedly heathier dressings like vinegarettes are highly acidic.  Tooth decay causing bacteria thrive in an acidic environment and love breaking down sugar to damage teeth with their acidic byproducts.  Acid from food also directly erodes tooth structure.
This is not to say that you cannot enjoy a nice restaurant meal.  Diluting the sugar and acid attack by drinking plenty of water will help neutralise their effect.  As well, excellent brushing and flossing after the meal usually gets rid of the sugar and acid before any major damage occurs.  Just remember to wait 30 minutes after your meal before you do this to avoid damaging the superficial surfaces of your teeth that may have been softened by the acid.

Food For Thought

How often do you wash your hands?  Transfer of germs from the hands is one of the most common pathways to pass on disease.  Our hands touch many things that may not be clean and if we touch someone or something else afterwards, the germs on our hands can be transmitted to that person or item.  Good hand hygiene limits this transmission of germs.  You can wash your hands with soap and water or if your hands are not visibly soiled, you can use an alcohol-based handrub to disinfect your hands.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2320" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/do-you-wash-your-hands-enough.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/do-you-wash-your-hands-enough.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/do-you-wash-your-hands-enough-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

In the healthcare setting, hand hygiene is of the utmost importance.  Hand Hygiene Australia, together with the World Health Organization, have developed 5 moments for hand hygiene in the healthcare setting:
<ol>
<li>We clean our hands before touching the patient and their immediate surroundings to limit the passing of germs from our hands to the patient.</li>
</ol>
<ol start="2">
<li>We clean our hands immediately before doing treatment on the patient to limit the passing of germs from our hands to the patient during treatment.</li>
</ol>
<ol start="3">
<li>We clean our hands immediately after doing treatment on the patient to limit the passing of germs from the patient to ourselves and our surroundings via our hands.</li>
</ol>
<ol start="4">
<li>We clean our hands after touching the patient and their immediate surroundings to limit the passing of germs from the patient to ourselves and our surroundings via our hands.</li>
</ol>
<ol start="5">
<li>We clean our hands after touching any items in the patient’s immediate surroundings to limit the passing of germs from the patient to ourselves and our surroundings via our hands.</li>
</ol>

Do You Wash Your Hands Enough?

Do you fully understand the dangers of dental tourism?  I hear it from patients all the time.  “If it costs this much for dental treatment in Australia, I might as well go to Thailand and get all my teeth done for a fraction of the cost there and have a holiday at the same time!”.  Many patients are only having a whinge about the cost of dental treatment in Australia and are not seriously considering going overseas for their dental care at all.  However, there are some patients that actually consider dental tourism as something they realistically want to do.  I actually can’t believe the number of people who want to go overseas for cheap dental treatment without understanding the dangers of dental tourism.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2319" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dangers-of-dental-tourism.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dangers-of-dental-tourism.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dangers-of-dental-tourism-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

The first thing that many people don’t realise is how tough the healthcare standards are in Australia compared to over countries.  In Australia, dentists need to study at university and pass their training on actual patients before graduating from their bachelor degrees.  They need to be registered as a dentist and meet fitness to practise, continuing education, infection control, and currency of practise conditions.  Dentists and the places they work in, be it private practices or dental hospitals, are highly regulated so the dental treatment provided in Australia is safe.  The same stringent regulation cannot be said of dentistry in many other countries, so there is some safety risk.
A very real danger of dental tourism, is that it may end up not being that cheap after all.  It may be more expensive for you if something goes wrong.  If something goes wrong, you will either have to meet the costs of going back overseas for more treatment or pay to see another dentist in Australia for corrective dental treatment.
Even if the overseas dentist and clinic are great and your treatment seems to have gone well, there can be longer term consequences.  You may be having too much dental treatment done in too little time.  Many dental treatments such as root canal treatments, implant surgery, and veneers and crowns are complex treatments that need multiple appointments and healing time.  The longer you stay overseas the more expensive it gets, so many people try and pack everything into a limited amount of time, but this may not be the best thing for your body as it needs longer to heal.  You may not realise there is a problem until after full healing when you are back in Australia.
Do you fully understand the dangers of dental tourism?  If you are considering going overseas for dental treatment, please think carefully about it, do your research and know the risks that you are taking.

Dangers of Dental Tourism

Can you say “I love going to the dentist!”?  One of my very young patients wrote that on the colouring-in sheet we gave her to complete while she was waiting for her mum who was getting a check-up and clean.  She showed it to me proudly and said “I love coming in and seeing you!”.  It made me feel fantastic and I wished all patients were like this.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2325" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/love-going-to-the-dentist.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/love-going-to-the-dentist.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/love-going-to-the-dentist-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

She comes to see me every 6 months for a check-up and clean when her mum is due for hers.  She wants to go first, opens wide straight away and shows me her teeth without hesitation.  She likes to tell me about what’s going on in her mouth, like which tooth is becoming wobbly, and enjoys learning about her teeth and which ones are erupting next.  When we discuss oral hygiene, she pays attention and follows my instructions.  She doesn’t mind getting her teeth cleaned and even tells me the fluoride gel doesn’t taste too bad.  I get a big smile and a big thank you at the end with a “see you in 6 months!”.
It might be surprising, but there actually are a lot of people out there, just like my young patient, that can say “I love going to the dentist!”.  If you look after your teeth and gums with good oral hygiene and come see us every 6 months for a check-up and clean, you most likely won’t have any major dental problems.  The 6 monthly appointments are quick and easy as there is little calculus to clean off and there is no need for any fillings or other dental treatment.  Many patients who start on the 6 monthly maintenance routine after only coming in for dental emergencies comment “that was an easy visit!”.

A dental tip for everyone from my young patient who says “I love going to the dentist!”: “Make brushing your teeth funner by going to the dentist!”.  When I asked her if she meant, “Make going to the dentist more fun by brushing your teeth!”.  She said it works both ways.  Very true!

I Love Going to the Dentist!

There has been discussion about placing health warnings on sugary snacks in an effort to limit their consumption.  Much the same as the graphic pictures detailing the health risks associated with tobacco on cigarette packs, it has been proposed that a similar warning might deter people from buying and consuming sugary snacks.  It has been claimed that eating sugary snacks may be just as lethal to our health as smoking, so similar tactics should apply to both in reducing their existence.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2323" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/health-warnings-sugary-snacks.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/health-warnings-sugary-snacks.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/health-warnings-sugary-snacks-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Sugar consumption especially from sugary snacks such as chocolate, lollies and biscuits is at an all-time high.  There has been well documented concerns particularly for young children.  Tooth decay, weight gain and obesity, and developing type 2 diabetes are very real problems from a high level of sugar consumption.  The mentality is that seeing a graphic image of a rotten tooth with a dental abscess or a foot with gangrene due to diabetes together with health warnings on sugary snacks will turn people off the items.
Just how effective would health warnings on sugary snacks be?  It is the same question as how effective would a tax on sugary items be that we discussed in a previous blog article.  We can put graphic health warnings on sugary snacks and tax sugary items all we like, but they will still be bought and consumed nonetheless just like there will always be people who smoke no matter what.  We all already know that eating too much sugar is a bad thing for our health, just like we all already know that smoking is bad for our health.  The reality is that just because it is bad for us, doesn’t mean we won’t do it.
I personally think it is personal choice.  If you know that something is bad for you, it is up to you not consume it.  If you consume it and develop a health problem because of it, you cannot blame anyone but yourself.

Health Warnings on Sugary Snacks

Digital dental x-rays are a useful tool for diagnosing problems in the mouth we cannot see with the naked eye.  No matter how good the eyesight of your dentist or how much magnification we use, there are simply areas that cannot be seen with normal eyesight.  Unless we have x-ray vision like Superman, we cannot see between the teeth, underneath the gums and in the jaw bone, and dental problems in these areas may be left undetected until it is too late.  Digital dental x-rays give the dentist x-ray vision to see otherwise hidden areas to properly diagnose problems and treat them in a timely manner.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2327" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/digital-dental-x-rays.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/digital-dental-x-rays.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/digital-dental-x-rays-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Everyone is worried about the radiation that x-rays are associated with.  However, digital dental x-rays produce very little radiation.  Unlike large head and chest x-rays, digital dental x-rays are only very small and they are not taken of an area of the body which is very susceptible to radiation damage like the brain and lungs.  The digital dental x-ray system we use at Central Brisbane Dental only exposes your mouth to 0.10 seconds of radiation when an x-ray is taken.  This is the same amount of radiation you receive from using your smart phone for a little while.  That’s right – the radiation you get from digital dental x-rays is the same radiation you get from your smart phone or your TV or from flying on a plane.
Nonetheless, at Central Brisbane Dental, we will only take x-rays of your mouth when absolutely necessary and with your permission.  As required by Radiation Health, we have a radiation safety plan and a radiation safety officer to ensure we take x-rays in the safest manner possible.  Our x-ray machines are tested every 3 years by accredited assessors and the rooms in which x-rays are taken are checked every 5 years as required by radiation law.

Digital Dental X-Rays

There is such a thing as painless fillings.  Continuing our recent theme of making your dental visit not only a pleasant experience but a wonderful one, let us discuss how we can make the dental procedure you require, an easy one.  There are some dental procedures that scare many patients and getting fillings in their teeth is one that is at the top of many patients’ lists.  Many patients are extremely fearful of the needle that is needed to numb the teeth, or the sounds and vibrations of the dental drill.  However, fillings can be done these days without the need for a needle or a lot of drilling, hence the term, painless fillings.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2328" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/painless-fillings.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/painless-fillings.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/painless-fillings-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Patients associate getting fillings with how it used to be done.  Previously for fillings to hold into the tooth, a large hole is needed to be prepared.  The tooth had to be numbed so you wouldn’t feel the preparation of the large hole.  The filling took a long time so you would remember all the drilling sounds and vibrations, and needing to keep your mouth open for some time.
With the improvement of dental techniques and filling materials, we can literally provide painless fillings.  Modern dentistry means we only need to remove the most damaged part of the tooth as we can repair the underlying partially damaged part with a therapeutic filling material.  The newer filling materials are strong and adhesive and hold well to your tooth even if the hole is small.  This means that in most cases, only a small hole needs to be prepared.  Because the preparation is small and very far away from the nerve of the tooth, you won’t feel the preparation and you don’t need a needle to numb the tooth up.  The filling can be done very quickly with very little drilling so you won’t need to keep your mouth open for very long.
Don’t worry if you think you need a filling.  If you actually need a filling, you can get painless fillings at Central Brisbane Dental.  Call 3221 8816 today to make your appointment.

Painless Fillings

Do you have dreams about teeth?  As a dentist, I thought it is only our profession that dreams about teeth as this is our work and what we see and deal with on a daily basis.  Naturally, it makes sense that you dream about what is going on in your life.  However, in society in general, it is apparently very common for us to dream about our teeth.  Unlike my own dreams of cases I’ve been doing at work, most people have dreams about their teeth falling out or breaking and crumbling.  Let’s have a look at what these dreams apparently mean:
<a href="http://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/dreamer-man-illustration_23-2147496195.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2333" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/dreams-about-teeth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/dreams-about-teeth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/dreams-about-teeth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></a>

Dreams About Teeth Falling Out
When you have dreams about teeth falling out, it apparently symbolizes you have let something slip out of your mouth that you shouldn’t have when you were awake.  Maybe you didn’t think before you said something and this could be hurtful towards someone else.  Maybe you lied about something or divulged too much information when you should have kept it to yourself.  There could be a sense of guilt.  Your subconscious may be telling you to be more careful about what comes out of your mouth.
Dreams About Teeth Breaking or Crumbling
When you have dreams about teeth breaking or crumbling, it apparently reflects an insecurity in your life.  Just like your teeth breaking and crumbling, you may be fearing that your life may be falling apart and you feel that you have little or no control over it.  The breaking and crumbling teeth could be a symbol for anything happening in your life in which you feel powerless or vulnerable.  This could be a fear of physical aging especially its effect on health and appearance, with the teeth breaking and crumbling a negative sign of the aging process.  You may be constantly stressed about this so you worry about it night and day, even subconsciously.

Dreams About Teeth

Central Brisbane Dental is not your typical dentist.  So many patients are scared to death of seeing the dentist for a variety of reasons.  The clinical setting, the procedure that needs to be done, the instruments that are required and the dental team themselves may evoke different fears in certain patients.  At Central Brisbane Dental, we’ve tried to address all these areas in an effort to make your visit with us not only more pleasant, but hopefully a wonderful experience.  In this blog article, let us start with why Central Brisbane Dental is not your typical dentist by telling you how we go to lengths to put you into the ideal environment for dental care.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2331" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/central-brisbane-dental-not-your-typical-dentist.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/central-brisbane-dental-not-your-typical-dentist.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/central-brisbane-dental-not-your-typical-dentist-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

The Perfect Environment For Dental Care
Many patients are immediately scared when they enter a surgery-type setting.  The sterile room with the white walls and the disinfectant smell evokes a fear of what is going to happen in that room, perhaps due to what has been depicted on TV shows or in movies.  Central Brisbane Dental tries to remove that association by creating an environment which is different to the typical surgery.  From the 3D Star Wars displays in the reception area to the collectible figurines throughout the practice to the family photos posed with superheroes, each piece is meant to make the practice less surgery-like and make you say, “this is a cool place!”.
In each treatment room, we also have a screen on the ceiling onto which a projector plays a DVD.  You can enjoy something from our vast collection or bring in your own favourite disc.  Scientific research tells us that watching the screen and reading subtitles during treatment is not only fantastic entertainment but great for visual distraction, keeping your mind away from the treatment that you are receiving.
When patients come into the practice, they often positively comment on how Central Brisbane Dental is not your typical dentist or dental practice.  Whether the patient is extremely anxious about dental treatment or not, their feedback is always positive regarding the practice displays and DVDs.  They confirm that the environment we’ve tried to create is not your normal surgery-type setting but a cool setting that takes their mind away from dental treatment.  Come check it out for yourself today!

Central Brisbane Dental – Not Your Typical Dentist

Are you looking for affordable invisible braces in the Brisbane CBD?&nbsp; Like you, many people are.&nbsp; Invisible braces are the most common type of orthodontics we get asked about and most patients have the preconception that they must be very expensive.&nbsp; However, this is not true any more as the technology needed to make invisible braces has become cheaper and widely available with many major brands besides Invisalign now in existence.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="http://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/AO-crooked-teeth.png"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/affordable-invisible-braces-brisbane-cbd.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2337" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/affordable-invisible-braces-brisbane-cbd.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/affordable-invisible-braces-brisbane-cbd-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></a></figure>







All the major brands such as Invisalign, ClearCorrect and ClearPath, basically do the same thing.&nbsp; They make your teeth straighter by having you wear a series of thin, clear plastic aligners over your teeth.&nbsp; By wearing each set at least 22 hours per day for 2 weeks until all sets are completed, your teeth will move into the corrected position little by little every 2 weeks.&nbsp; There is no need for the ugly, uncomfortable metal brackets or wires that come to mind when traditional braces are mentioned, giving aligners the name invisible braces.&nbsp; In fact, they are virtually invisible when worn due to their thin, clear plastic design.



Central Brisbane Dental uses ClearPath aligners as we believe they are not only effective, but the most affordable invisible braces in the Brisbane CBD.&nbsp; The special design of the aligner material allows ClearPath aligners to better grip onto your teeth and move them.&nbsp; This allows ClearPath aligners to effectively move your teeth without the need to glue bits of plastic filling material onto your teeth to aid the aligners grip your teeth unlike other brands.&nbsp; The bits of filling material can irritate your gums and tongue, make cleaning harder, and attract more staining and discolouration, detracting from their claim of invisibility.&nbsp; Competitive brands also charge per number of aligners needed.&nbsp; Your package may include 7 or 14 aligners, but if you need more aligners after these, you will be required to pay an additional cost.&nbsp; ClearPath packages offer an unlimited number of aligners so you will not pay anything extra no matter how many aligners you need.



We have a promotion at the moment where you receive unlimited ClearPath aligners for top and bottom teeth for only $5999 (normally $8000-9000).  If you are interested in ClearPath aligners for top or bottom teeth only, an unlimited aligners single arch ClearPath package is only $3999 (normally $5000-6000).  Ask us about affordable invisible braces in the Brisbane CBD!  Call Central Brisbane Dental on 3221 8816 today to book your free 30 minute ClearPath consultation! <a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/themes/centralbrisbanedental2019/assets/pdf/Promotion-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf">View Terms and Conditions.</a>

Affordable Invisible Braces in the Brisbane CBD

Did you know there is such a thing as affordable teeth whitening in the Brisbane CBD?&nbsp; And by affordable teeth whitening, I am not talking about home use teeth whitening strips, toothpastes or controversial fads like charcoal.&nbsp; I am not talking about cheap teeth whitening done in the beauty salon by someone who doesn’t know a thing about teeth, or in a small cubicle in the middle of a shopping centre for all to see with little or no privacy at all.&nbsp; I am talking about in chair teeth whitening carried out for you by a dentist in a dental practice using the most well-known brand of whitening agent available, Zoom.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/affordable-teeth-whitening-brisbane-cbd.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2336" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/affordable-teeth-whitening-brisbane-cbd.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/affordable-teeth-whitening-brisbane-cbd-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></figure>







Many people think Brisbane CBD and it must be more expensive than in the suburbs.&nbsp; However this is no longer true as it was 20 years ago.&nbsp; Everything you can get in the suburbs is now available in the Brisbane CBD.&nbsp; Years ago, there were no big grocery stores in the Brisbane CBD, only small more expensive corner stores.&nbsp; Now, we have two Coles and a Woolworths right in the city.&nbsp; Similarly for many things, it is now more affordable in the Brisbane CBD than in the suburbs as there are much more of the same thing located in the one area, leading to more competitive prices.



There is such a thing as affordable teeth whitening in the Brisbane CBD.  Central Brisbane Dental is a boutique dental practice located in the heart of the Brisbane CBD at 289 Queen Street on the ground floor of the Manor Apartments.  We offer affordable in chair teeth whitening using the famous Zoom system, carried out for you by a dentist in the privacy of our dental practice, not a dental assistant as is done by some other practices.  It is the safest and most effective way to whiten your teeth that is available at the moment.  The recommended retail price of Zoom in chair whitening is $990.  Our teeth whitening promotion allows you to have this done for only $550.  Give us a call on 3221 8816 to book your appointment today. <a href="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/themes/centralbrisbanedental2019/assets/pdf/Promotion-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf">View Terms and Conditions.</a>

Affordable Teeth Whitening in the Brisbane CBD

Do you have oral white patches on your gums, tongue or lining of your mouth?  Are the white patches thick and plaque-like?  Do you smoke?  If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you should see a dentist or doctor to have your mouth assessed.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2342" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/oral-white-patches.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/oral-white-patches.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/oral-white-patches-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Some oral white patches in the mouth are completely harmless and resolve by themselves without any treatment.  However, some white patches may be what is termed leukoplakia.  Leukoplakia can be associated with oral cancer so any white patches in the mouth that don’t go away should be checked by a dentist or doctor to make sure.
Leukoplakia is defined as an oral white lesion that is not related to any other non-serious condition by the World Health Organization (WHO).  Besides their typical raised white appearance, patches of leukoplakia may also be grey or transparent.  Usually there is a clear margin around the patch and the patch may also appear to have cracking.  The patches can be uncomfortable but are also commonly painless.  They typically occur on the gums, sides of the cheeks, floor of the mouth and on the tongue.  There may be an association with activities with irritate the tissues of the mouth, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
If leukoplakia is suspected at an examination with your dentist or doctor, you may be referred to a specialist oral pathologist for further assessment.  Besides a thorough clinical examination and medical history assessment, a biopsy of the oral white patches may be performed.
Sometimes cessation of irritating behaviours such as smoking and good oral hygiene may be all that is needed for the oral white patches to disappear.  Other times, they may need to be surgically removed.  Leukoplakia can reoccur so frequent follow-up reviews are required even after resolution of the oral white patches.
Please come and see one of our friendly dentists at Central Brisbane Dental for assessment if you have an oral white patch that does not go away by itself within 2 weeks.

Oral White Patches

Did you know that drug abuse destroys your mouth?  We all know recreational drug use has many negative consequences.  The classic image is of a person with blood shot eyes and bleeding nose, who is shaking and highly irritable or agitated.  However, it may not be known that drug abuse has significant consequences on your oral health as well.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2340" src="https://www.centralbrisbanedental.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/drug-abuse-destroys-mouth.png" alt="" width="550" height="380" srcset="https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/drug-abuse-destroys-mouth.png 550w, https://cbd.reactdiv.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/drug-abuse-destroys-mouth-300x207.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />

Drug abuse destroys your mouth by direct physiological pathways.  Drug users often have dry mouth which makes your teeth more prone to breakdown as there is no saliva to fight bacteria, buffer acid and place mineral to repair the teeth.  There is often an increased urge to snack, usually on unhealthy sugary foods, which leads to tooth decay and gum disease.  Direct application of drugs such as cocaine to the teeth and gums can cause damage by chemical erosion.  Drug users also tend to clench and grind their teeth, causing them to be worn down and chipped.
Troublesome lifestyle factors of drug users also result in accelerated destruction of the teeth and gums.  Drug users often have a poor diet high in sugar and may even suffer from malnutrition.  They generally don’t look after themselves very well and this extends to the mouth, with poor oral hygiene and seldom visits to the dentist.
Even when they do visit the dentist, dental care can be very difficult.  Besides the fact that many may still be drug affected when they are in the chair, it is typically very challenging to numb the mouths of drug users as they are tolerant to anaesthetics and painkillers.
As well as general medical and lifestyle consequences, drug use destroys your mouth.  Talk to one of our friendly dentists at Central Brisbane Dental if you need more information about drug abuse and its effect on your oral health.

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