Question is:
– Are you brushing the correct way without missing important areas like the gum line?

– How long do you brush for? 30 seconds? 1 min?

– Do you floss between your teeth where the toothbrush can’t reach? Does your floss go below the gum line to clean the root surface?

It might be worth thinking back who taught us how to brush our teeth, mum? dad? Or we self-taught ourselves when we were kiddies and continued that old habit till the present day?

Many people clean one area really well but miss out certain areas, and as a result still have plaque accumulation which over time becomes calcified calculus/tartar, resulting in cavities and gum disease.

Plaque is the main preventable cause of teeth cavity (holes in the teeth) and gum disease. Fight plaque to improve your oral health and general well-being as it has been proven in studies to be related to heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, adverse pregnancy outcomes and more.

In conclusion,
Plaque causes:

1. Bad breath

2. Cavities (holes in teeth)

3. Bleeding gums

4. Gum disease

What Is Plaque?
Plaque is the sticky, soft, slimy, smelly film of bacteria, that forms on our teeth 24/7 on the enamel, along the gum line, and even under the gum line around the root of the teeth.
Plaque contains bacteria that cause cavities (holes in the teeth) and gum disease.

We can remove soft plaque by brushing correctly, cleaning all the surfaces of our teeth, and flossing in between the teeth and under the gum line where the toothbrush cannot reach.

What Is Calculus (tartar)?
Calculus is hardened (fossilised) plague. It is made from bacteria cemented together with calcium phosphate salts from saliva.
It binds strongly onto the teeth like cement, creating a rough surface on the teeth, which is the ideal medium for more plaque and calculus formation.

We cannot remove calculus using our toothbrush or floss, the hygienist has special instruments to scrape them off, so the tooth surface is nice and smooth again.

Gentle, Professional Cleaning
Teeth cleaning is not an easy job. Over the years, we have learned that there are two kinds of “bad” providers (dentist/hygienist):

1) One who is very thorough and attempts to remove as much plaque/calculus as possible, but is very heavy handed, or “rough”. The patient gets a good cleaning result but is very sore in the process and afraid to go back for another clean.

2) One who is very superficial, only cleaning obvious areas where the patient can see (at the front), and feel with their tongue. Areas under the gum line and around the back molars, where the patient cannot see or feel, are left untouched. The patient feels comfortable during the treatment but is unaware that not all the dirt are removed, and can potentially still have gum problems.

We are very blessed to have two hygienists, Cristina and Olga, who is neither of the above. They have the reputation of being very thorough and light-handed at the same time. Which is a rare combination? We always see patients coming out smiling, happy and satisfied with their visit.

For some, who have gum disease and need deep cleaning with numbing and their visit might be a little unpleasant due to the nature of the treatment. However, they keep coming back regularly because they can see the improvement to their gums, the difference after their gum becomes healthy again.

What does Scale & Polish mean?

Teeth scaling is done using both the ultrasonic scaler and hand scaler.

Ultrasonic Scaler

The ultrasonic scaler vibrates at a high frequency (20,000-45,000 times per second) to vibrate plaque and calculus off the teeth.

The high pitchy sound we hear with the vibration kills the bacteria that causes gum disease.

The scaler tip gets very hot when it is vibrating at this speed, thus water continuesly cools it down so the tips are not hot when it touches the teeth.

This is why there’s so much water in your mouth when the hygienist is scaling your teeth!

Hand Scaler

There are odd places and angles where the ultrasonic scaler tip cannot reach.

The hand scaler, which comes in different size and shapes, and good tools to target specific areas above and below the gum line.

Polishing

Like waxing a car after it is is well cleaned, polishing comes after teeth scaling.

A special prophy paste is used to smooth the tooth surface. The purpose of polishing is to make it difficult for plaque to accumulate on the tooth surface area.

What is Gingivitis?
Gingivitis is caused by the accumulation of plaque and calculus on the teeth. The bacteria in the plaque and calculus causes the gum to be inflamed, as a result the gums become red, swollen and bleed easily. Gingivitis is usually painless, therefore many people are unaware they have this disease and leave it untreated. As gingivitis is the early stage of gum disease, it can be treated with regular scaling/deep cleaning and the gums can become healthy again.

Is Gingivitis contagious?

Yes! The bacteria that causes gingivitis is in a person’s saliva. Just like the bacteria that causes teeth cavities, it can be passed from one person to another through:

Kissing (in Australia kindergarten teachers are legally not allowed to kiss the children)

Sharing silverware (elderly family members with gum disease may pass the bad bacteria to their grandchild/children by food sharing or sharing utensils)

Sharing cups (teenagers like to share drinks, a quick sip between friends is enough to pass the bad bacteria around.)

Sharing food/drink (food sharing is prevented at schools not just due to food allergy risks, but also to prevent transmitting bad bacteria from mouth to mouth)

What is Periodontitis (or Gum Disease)?
Periodontitis is a more advance stage of gum disease. It is a bacterial infection of the gum. As gum infection is often painless, the infection is commonly not detected by the person and left untreated for years and even decades.

This ongoing infection causes the supporting bone and tissue around the teeth to deteriorate, causing “pockets” around the teeth. The body’s immune system fights the bacteria and it’s toxin, in the process it breaks down the BONE and TISSUE that holds the teeth in place.

As a result, teeth becomes loose (moving, wobbly), and eventually needs to be extracted, or falls out by themselves.

The bacteria that causes gum disease can leave the mouth and may cause other health problems due to inflammation:

Heart Disease/ One theory is that gum disease can cause bacteria to enter the bloodstream where they attach to the fatty deposits in the heart blood vessels.

Heart Attacks/ This condition can cause blood clots and may lead to heart attacks. Read more…

Gum Disease & Heart Disease https://www.perio.org/consumer/heart_disease

Stroke Bleeding Gums Heart Disease http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/conditions/heart-disease/article/heart-disease-and-gum-disease

Plaque and blood clots https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326113436.htm

Diabetes and Diabetic patients are more likely to develop periodontal disease, which in turn can increase blood sugar and diabetic complications its control Read more… Diabetes and

Periodontal Disease https://www.perio.org/consumer/diabetes.htm

Other Systemic Osteoporosis, Respiratory Disease Read more… Gum Disease and Other Systemic Diseases https://www.perio.org/consumer/other-systemic-diseases

Oral Health Instructions/Advice
Most common advice given:

MISSED SPOTS As hygienist cleans the teeth, they may notice areas that are more clean or dirty than others. This is due to our brushing habits, where we may focus on certain areas but left out other areas.

BRUSHING TOO HARD Some believe the harder we brush, the cleaner our teeth. Brushing hard will strip away gum that will not grow back, making our teeth sensitive to cold air, cold food and drinks.

USING HARD TOOTHBRUSH No one should use medium or hard toothbrush, they will strip away gums permanently. Look for “soft” / “extra soft” toothbrush or brush refill heads for your electrical toothbrush.

NOT FLOSSING? Many people can’t be bothered flossing. Imagine our mouth is a meat/vege blender, and after blending each meal, bits and pieces are stuck between the blades and container, at aprox. 36 degrees.

What will happen? They’ll rot going stinky smelly. Same thing in the mouth.

Recent Press Release from AAP 2-Aug-16 Statement from AAP on Flossing Efficacy https://www.perio.org/consumer/AAP-recommends-flossing

9-Aug-16 Gum Disease Experts: Floss or Risk Losing Your Teeth https://www.perio.org/consumer/AAP-recommends-flossing-as-essential

Does Whitening Work?
Definitely. Everyone can have white teeth, but depending on one’s starting point, some people need more applications than others to achieve a good result. Very discoloured teeth may need more than one whitening session to lighten the teeth.
Exceptions are people with Tetracycline stains (caused by taking Tetracycline antibiotics at childhood). These teeth will not lighten like normal teeth and is very hard to whiten. Yellow teeth are generally easier to whiten compared to grey teeth. Young teeth whiten a lot quicker than older teeth. Whitening only works on natural teeth, not fillings or porcelain crowns/veneers.

It lightens the enamel and not the dentine. Therefore, people who have gum recession, the browny roots exposed along the gum line cannot be whitened, only the enamel that covers the crown of the tooth can be lightened.

Whitening is no magic, having one session done and expecting the teeth to become as white as the models in magazines or poster is unrealistic (many have veneers/crowns coloured perfectly). However, if one continues to whiten their teeth a few days every 4-6 months (with a touch-up kit), super white teeth are achievable.

How long will it last?
If you bleach your white shirt and wear it every day, what happens to the white shirt?
Similarly, after whitening, the colour of our food and drink will cause our teeth to discolour again.

Depending on one’s diet, people who drink red wine, coffee and tea will discolour their teeth quicker than others.

A few days of touch up whitening usually will lighten the teeth again, so most people do not need to go through the full session again.

Is Whitening safe?
YES, The whitening gel is designed to go in the mouth and is safe if ingested during the whitening session.
NO, It is not safe for people who have cavities (hole in teeth) or inflamed gums (due to gingivitis or gum disease) The whitening gel may kill a tooth if there is a tooth cavity. It may also hurt unhealthy gums.

* Whitening is NOT RECOMMENDED for pregnant mothers and breastfeeding mothers.

We strongly recommend you have our teeth checked and gum cleaned before doing the whitening. This will make sure there are no cavities in the mouth, and also no dirt (plaque/calculus) creating a barrier to prevent the whitening gel from bleaching the teeth.

1) Zoom! In-Surgery Instant Whitening
Instant Results
2.5 Hours Appointment

The whitening procedure is repeated 3-4 times for best result

A special light is clincked onto a mouth piece to activate the gel for fast result

A good option for people who want fast results due to time constrain (attending a wedding or photo shoot), or people who know they will never wear the trays at home.

2) Pola CP 35% Customised Tray Whitening Kit
– Offers 20 days of Take-Home Whitening 15 mins per day

– Includes 10 syringes of whitening gel for 20 days of whitening

– Customised upper and lower whitening trays

– Appointment needed with our hygienist to take a mould of your mouth

– Your moulds are then sent to the lab for Your trays to be Customised

– Ready in a week’s time for collection

– Instructions will be provided when you collect Your whitening kit

– Your trays are permanent trays and can be reused for many years, you just need to purchase whitening gel refills

– If teeth are white enough before finishing 20 days of whitening, the left over whitening gel can be used in 6 months for touch up