General Dentistry
During most visits to Sydney Laser Dental Care, your treatment does not have to involve cosmetic treatment, but simply dependable, high quality general dentistry.
That’s why your first appointment with us is always the most important, allowing you to get to know our team and become familiar with our practice. And before your treatment begins, we will fully discuss your goals and needs with you, clearly explaining the procedures that you may require.
Periodontal Disease
If your gums bleed easily when you brush and floss, or if they are red and swollen, this may be a sign of periodontal disease, which attacks the gums and bone that support your teeth and is the most common cause of tooth loss in Australian adults.
Periodontal disease is caused by plaque, a sticky film of food debris, bacteria, and saliva. If plaque is not removed by brushing and flossing, turns into calculus or tartar. When plaque and calculus are not removed, they begin to destroy the gums and bone.
As well as being the number one cause of tooth loss, studies show a link between periodontal disease and other diseases such as stroke, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and increased risk during pregnancy.
Four out of five people have periodontal disease and don’t know it, because the disease is usually painless in the early stages. That’s why regular dental checkups with Sydney Laser Dental Care are so crucial to your ongoing oral health.
Diagnosis
Periodontal disease is diagnosed by your dentist or dental hygienist during a periodontal examination, part of your regular dental check-up. We will gently measure the depth of the pockets between your tooth and gums, to determine whether periodontal disease is present.
Based on these pocket depths, amount of bleeding, inflammation, tooth mobility and other data, we will make a diagnosis that will fall into one of the following categories:
Gingivitis
Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal disease. Plaque and its toxin by-products irritate the gums, making them tender, inflamed, and likely to bleed.
Periodontitis
As calculus and plaque continue to build up, the gums begin to recede from the teeth. Deeper pockets form between the gums and teeth and become filled with bacteria and pus. The gums become very irritated, inflamed, and bleed easily. Slight to moderate bone loss may be present.
Advanced Periodontitis
The teeth lose more support as the gums, bone, and periodontal ligament continue to be destroyed. Unless treated, the affected teeth will become very loose and may be lost. Generalized moderate to severe bone loss may be present.
Treatment
Your dentist and dental hygienist will evaluate for periodontal disease and recommend the appropriate treatment, depending upon the type and severity of the disease.
If the disease is caught in the early stages of gingivitis, and no damage has been done, one to two regular cleanings will be recommended. You will also be given instructions on improving your daily oral hygiene habits and having regular dental cleanings.
If the disease has progressed to more advanced stages, we will recommend a special periodontal cleaning called scaling and root planing (deep cleaning). In this procedure, tartar, plaque, and toxins are removed from above and below the gum line (scaling) and rough spots on root surfaces are made smooth (planing). This procedure helps gum tissue to heal and pockets to shrink. Medications, special medicated mouth rinses, and an electric tooth brush may be recommended to help control infection and healing.
If the pockets do not heal after scaling and root planing, periodontal surgery may be needed to reduce pocket depths, making teeth easier to clean. Your dentist may also recommend that you see a Periodontist, a specialist of the gums and supporting bone.
Maintenance
Once your periodontal treatment has been completed, your dentist and dental hygienist will recommend that you have regular maintenance cleanings, usually four times a year. At these cleaning appointments, the pocket depths will be carefully checked to ensure that they are healthy. Plaque and calculus that is difficult for you to remove on a daily basis will be removed from above and below the gum line.
It only takes twenty four hours for plaque that is not removed from your teeth to turn into calculus (tartar). Daily home cleaning helps control plaque and tartar formation, but those hard to reach areas will always need special attention.
Good oral hygiene practices and periodontal cleanings are essential in maintaining dental health and keeping periodontal disease under control.
Root Canal Therapy
In spite of what you may have heard root canal therapy is not necessarily a painful procedure, in fact feeling similar to having a filling replaced. It is, however, essential in situations where the tooth has been seriously damaged.
If a tooth is painful, it is possible that the pulp is exposed, perhaps as a result of decay or injury, such as a fractured tooth. Pulp that is exposed to bacteria in your mouth can become infected, in which case root canal therapy can help by removing the infected pulp, cleaning and disinfecting the root canal, and filling it to minimise the possibility of re-infection.
The final step involves placing a crown over the tooth to secure the treatment and give a natural appearance. There may be some tenderness for a day after your therapy, which can be treated with over-the-counter pain relief.
Root Canal Therapy can save a tooth that otherwise would die and have to be removed. Root canal treatment is highly successful and usually lasts a lifetime, although on occasion, a tooth will have to be retreated due to new infections.
Dental Exams and Cleaning
At Sydney Laser Dental Care, we believe in addressing potential dental problems in their infancy, before they become more serious. Many of the most common dental problems, such as tooth decay, periodontal disease, tooth sensitivity, oral cancer, bad breath, can be minimised with a good preventive program that includes regular checkups and an efficient at-home cleaning routine, including both brushing and flossing.
Regular preventive care can help reduce the risk of major dental work, which is why we recommend you visit us regularly for an examination. This helps us identify and treat minor problems before they become major ones.
We recommend visiting us every six months to have your teeth cleaned and checked, to ensure the very best oral health.
Digital X-rays
Dental x-rays are a vital diagnostic tool, giving us valuable information not visible with the naked eye. X-rays allow us to safely and accurately detect hidden dental abnormalities and complete an accurate treatment plan for your individual situation.
Our digital x-ray machine emits only 10% of the radiation of conventional x-rays, for absolute safety for our patients. Its electronic sensors capture and store a digital image on a computer, allowing for instant viewing and enlargement to help the dentist and dental hygienist detect problems more easily.
Fluoride Treatment
Fluoride is a beneficial natural element for children’s developing teeth, and for maintaining the health of adult teeth. Found naturally in water, the atmosphere and many foods, when absorbed into bones and tooth enamel, fluoride makes them stronger and more resistant to fractures and decay.
Although most people receive fluoride from food and water, sometimes it is not enough to help prevent decay. In a process called remineralisation, fluoride treatment can help repair damage caused by dental decay, to make sure your teeth stay strong, white and healthy.
Fluoride works in two ways:
Topical fluoride
Strengthens teeth once they have erupted, seeping into the outer surface of the tooth enamel and making it more resistant to decay. Topical fluoride is applied with dental products such as toothpaste, mouth rinses, and gels. Dentists and dental hygienists generally recommend that children have a professional application of fluoride twice a year.
Systemic fluoride
Strengthens the teeth that have erupted, as well as those that are developing under the gums. Systemic fluoride is gained from most foods and our water supplies, or as a supplement in drop or gel form prescribed by your dentist or physician. Generally, fluoride drops are recommended for infants and tablets for children up through the teen years.
Sealants
The chewing surfaces of baby and adult molars are covered with hundreds of tiny pits and fissures. Food and bacteria often become trapped in these natural imperfections, and more than 75% of dental decay begins in these deep grooves. Brushing and fluoride are not effective protection, as they’re unable to fully reach into the pits and fissures.
Fissure sealants fill in these vulnerable areas, making the tooth smooth and easier to clean by creating a protective barrier against plaque and bacteria build-up. Applied as a liquid by your dentist, the sealant flows into the teeth to fill the fissures, setting hard like plastic after only a few minutes.
Completely pain-free and non-invasive, fissure sealants require no drilling or anaesthetic, and take just five minutes per tooth to apply. Sealants can protect teeth from decay for many years, but need to be checked for wear and chipping at your regular dental visits.
Wisdom Teeth Extractions
Your wisdom teeth may become a problem for you as they grow and develop in each corner of your mouth, if they do not have enough room to erupt, or if infection is a constant occurrence. In such cases, we will often recommend extraction as the best solution.
Some wisdom teeth can be simply removed under local anaesthesia, while impacted, or trapped, teeth will often require a minor surgical procedure. An examination with Sydney Laser Dental Care will determine the best option for your personal circumstance.
Fillings
Improvements in dental health have meant that today, the need for fillings generally is on the decline. Thorough, regular cleaning of your teeth, together with regular dental check-ups and a healthy diet can help to eliminate dental decay and avoid the need for fillings.
When you do require fillings at Sydney Laser Dental Care we only provide natural, biocompatible tooth coloured fillings. Called composite resins, these materials are placed into the cleaned cavity, they look like natural teeth, are able to be used immediately and highly durable.
Replacing your old amalgam fillings with new state of the art tooth coloured fillings.
Old amalgam (mercury) fillings not only look unsightly but can often leak. There is ever increasing evidence to show that these old amalgam fillings may be leeching into our bodies and maybe harmful for us. Numerous countries around the world have either banned or restricted the use of amalgams in the population.
At Sydney Laser Dental Care we have long ago made the decision to be an amalgam free practice. We adhere to strict protocols in the safe removal of old amalgam fillings. By placing a barrier on the tooth with the amalgam filling we can safely capture and remove all the amalgam/mercury without risk of contamination. Being amalgam free we not only serve our patients better, it is also better for the environment.
So when you are tired of seeing your old silver and black fillings and want a better solution our team can suggest the safe removal of these old amalgam (mercury) fillings and replacing them with new tooth coloured fillings, safely and with better treatment outcomes.
Pyrmont
Sylvania Waters
Illawong
Pyrmont
Illawong
Sylvania Waters
Find Us On Map
Find a clinic near you
Call Us
Book Online
Find Us On Map
Call Us
Book Online
