General Dental
For all your general family dental needs, our Sunshine Coast dentists can help you maintain your entire family's oral health.
A tooth, despite its tough external appearance that may appear to resemble a human bone, is actually a hollow, living part of the body.
The structure of the tooth includes a hollow centre referred to as the pulp chamber. Inside this part of the tooth, blood vessels,
nerves and pulp exist, providing oxygen and nutrients to the tooth. Unfortunately, if tooth decay (caries) exists, an inflammation or
infection may form inside the tooth and which can be extremely painful needing treatment. The dentist will decide on the best type of
treatment and this may be Root canal treatment, to relieve the pain.
Unfortunately, despite their name being ‘permanent teeth’, sometimes they just aren’t permanent. There are many reasons a tooth may
need to be removed, including tooth decay, dental infection, orthodontic reasons and trauma. We will always discuss the options
available with you before any treatment is commenced. If an extraction is the best course of treatment, the dentist will fully
explain how this process is done, so that you understand. Our experienced dentist will apply a topical numbing gel first and then
local anaesthetic, to ensure the procedures is as pain free as possible.
Sedation dentistry is all about relaxing during your visit to us. There are many reasons why you may opt for sedation dentistry, including
a general fear of dental procedures, complex dental treatments requiring sedation, or even if you just have a strong gag reflex.
You are not alone in feeling anxious about visiting the dentist. We want everyone to be comfortable, feel relaxed and have a pleasant
experience with us. Therefore, please feel free to discuss with us today the options available, which will best be suited to your particular needs.
When people think about orthodontics, their first thought is almost always that it involves visible ceramic or metal braces and is only
to straightening your teeth. Whilst straightening teeth is one of the results, the benefits are far broader. This may include improving
airways and breathing, functionality, easier to clean teeth, better protection against TMJ disorders and more. Additionally, invisible
braces and invisible aligners, such as Invisalign and Clear Corrrect now exist, with removal options available for eating and brushing your teeth.
Our dentists can discuss all of these options with you, to help you achieve that beautiful smile and straight teeth you have always dreamed of.
Obstructive sleep apnoea is a very common condition, with some research suggesting one in four men over the age of 30 have some
form of obstructive sleep apnoea. Usually this is also accompanied by snoring and occurs when the soft tissue in the throat and
airways relax, thus collapsing and closing which obstructs the airway. This can be a serious medical disorder in some patients
and seeking a doctor's opinion is recommended. However, options do exist to help, including 'continuous positive airway pressure'
devices or more simply ‘mandibular advancement splints’, or mouthguards to reposition your jaw during sleep.
Whilst you may think that your teeth at the top and bottom touch each other when your mouth is shut, this is not actually the case.
Your teeth are meant to be floating freely and slightly separated, as frequent contact can wear down the tooth’s enamel. For most people,
they won’t be aware that they clench or grind their teeth (bruxism), as this mostly will occur during their sleep. However, our dentists
and oral health therapist can detect this during routine examinations. If you are aware you grind your teeth, possibly even through the day,
a professionally made dental mouth guard is sometimes all that is needed.
The temporomandibular joint, also referred to as TMJ, is the joint that connects your jawbone to your skull. Sometimes, this
joint may be causing you pain or discomfort. This may arise from various causes, including injury to the joint or jaw or the
muscles in your head and neck, possibly from a heavy blow or whiplash in for example, a car accident. Clenching or grinding
of your teeth, also known as bruxism, may also lead to pain in the joint. If you experience any discomfort, our dentists
can help relieve this through a range of medications, therapies or in severe cases a surgical procedure may be required.
Whatever sport you're into from rugby, boxing, hockey and even surfing, a custom professional grade dental mouthguard
is the best protection for your teeth, lips and jaw. Dental injuries in sport can range from cuts to lips and gums to chipped,
broken or even knocked out teeth. If you have braces, this protection is invaluable. Unfortunately, accidents do happen,
so come see us to get a custom made mouthguard fitted and that is considered to be the best protection for your mouth during sport.
Wisdom teeth are usually the last of your permanent teeth to arrive, often during your later teenage years or early adulthood.
Whilst their arrival unfortunately may not bring with them a burst of intellect, their arrival can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort.
As they are the last to come through (errupt), there may no longer be room in the mouth to allow them to properly emerge. This may
mean that one, or all of your wisdom teeth may need to be removed to prevent further oral health complications.
Do you dread eating cold or hot food? What about certain sweets or acidic food? If you experience discomfort when eating or sharp pains,
you may be suffering from some form of tooth sensitivity. Usually this is due to the loss of the enamel layer on the tooth, or through
recession of the gums at the root of the tooth, exposing the dentine. Our dentists and hygienist can help alleviate this sensitivity
pain and assess the cause with you, to help prevent repeat occurrences, or administer other treatment that may be needed.
Everyone has undoubtably had to at some point in their life been in a situation where they had to, as
the saying goes, “git one’s teeth”. From a dental perspective this action is almost always fine for
your jaw and teeth, however, if it develops into a persistent pattern it may start to negatively
affect your oral health. Whilst we might not be able to fix the stresses in your life, we can help
protect your teeth from this grinding.