Do you fear the dentist?

Do you have a fear of the dentist? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Dr Linc and his gentle and caring team at Harris Dental Boutique help new patients with dental anxiety all the time.

Having a fear of the dentist is nothing to be ashamed of. We understand that there are a number of different things that can contribute to dental fear. Find out how we can help alleviate dental phobia for you and your family with our three main resolutions for patients who suffer from a fear of the dentist.

1.       I’m anxious that the treatment will be painful or uncomfortable

It is not uncommon for people to feel anxious about a dentist causing pain during treatment. Often times this kind of anxiety is not needed. Dr Linc is especially gentle when cleaning, scaling and performing treatments for patients.

Nevertheless, if you feel that you may need to be more relaxed during your treatment appointments, Dr Linc can prescribe an oral conscious sedation medication for anxiety relief. Conscious sedation dentistry with Dr Linc is prescribed in pill form. Once it has come into effect you should feel totally relaxed.

2.       I haven’t been to the dentist in a while and I don’t want to be criticised or judged

At Harris Dental Boutique in Bundaberg, we practice what we like to call ‘Blame-Free Dentistry’. This means that during your visits with Dr Linc we will listen to your concerns without criticising or judging your oral health.

Patients may feel embarrassed because they needed treatment in the past and didn’t book the treatment appointment or they didn’t agree with a recommendation from a previous dentist – there is no need to be.

Listening to your past experiences with dentists and your personal concerns will give us the opportunity to better understand your unique case.

3.       I’m worried that my teeth need a lot of work and I don’t think I can afford it

Dr Linc aims to provide quality dentistry that is good value. He doesn’t necessarily think he is the cheapest dentist or the most expensive. We will never recommend unnecessary treatment nor will we compromise your oral health with less extensive work when more is needed. If you have difficulty with the price we could arrange to spread the treatments or the payments out if necessary.

Do you have a fear of the dentist?

Dr Lincoln Harris and his team are here to help. Have you or someone you know visited Harris Dental Boutique before? Find out what patients have to say about the clinic and leave a review if you have had a previous experience with us that you believe others could benefit from. Every piece of feedback is helpful for the growth and development of our dental practice here in Bargara. Follow the Google+ link here to see patient reviews.

Dr Lincoln Harris – Your local Bargara dentist for anxious patients on the Central Coast and surrounding regions

For more information or to book a consultation, contact Dr Harris at Harris Dental Boutique in Bargara in the Bundaberg region today.

Beware of the Sporting Sins

How your actions on and off the field impact your oral health

It is Dental Health Week and in 2015 the Australian Dental Association is promoting and educating Australians about the effects of gym supplements, sports drinks and not wearing a mouthguard... Beware of the Sporting Sins!

According to the ADA The Seven Sins of Sport are:

• Lust for Taste: Are you increasing your risk of dental decay?
• Sports Gluttony: How many acid attacks are you having?
• Fuelling the Greed: Are you persuaded by marketing?
• Slothful Avoidance: when we your last check up?
• Wrath of Trauma: Do you know your dental first aid?
• Performance Envy: Is dehydration affecting you?
• Supplementing Vanity: What are you really taking?

REPENT YOUR SINS!

Beware of the sporting sins! Have you been wearing your mouthguard at training? Do you drink sports drinks before your game?  If you’re committing a sporting sin, it’s time to repent. Comment or tag a team mate who is committing one of the 7 sporting sins.  Go to our facebook page and comment or tag a team mate who is committing one of the 7 sporting sins.

Attention Sports Clubs and Schools!

To assists clubs and schools delivery the highest level of safety to their members and students the Australian Dental Association in-conjunction with Sports Medicine Australia have created a Mouthguard Policy. The policy is intended to be used by clubs and schools as a template for implementing a strict ‘No Mouthguard, No Play’ policy without exception.

As part of the ADA’s commitment to oral health promotion, the association is offering seven $1,000 grants to sporting clubs and schools in Australia. These grants aim to help sports clubs and schools promote mouthguard awareness and injury prevention. To go in the draw to win a $1000 grant for your club or school, simply follow these two steps;

Step one: Download the ADA and SMA Mouthguard Policy below, fill in the missing fields and implement within your club or school.

Step two: The ADA would love to see a photo of your team/club showing off their new ‘No Mouthguard, No Play’ rules! Be as creative as you want, and then either email the ADA at adainc@ada.org.au or reference #dentalhealthweek on Twitter for your chance to win.

This competition opens July 1 2015 and closes August 30 2015

We wish all entrants the best of luck!

For full terms and conditions click here.

See more at source: ADA Sports Oral Health Promotion

When something is wrong in your mouth

It can take a bit of the enjoyment out of life. Sure, dental issues aren’t serious like heart problems. But even if they don’t make you sick, they can be quite disabling.

Don’t be embarrassed! While you might be terribly embarrassed and emotional about your teeth, we won’t judge you on the state they are in. If you think about it, our job is to help those whose teeth are in trouble. Not those whose teeth are perfectly healthy!

If you are on a budget, make sure you have some idea what it is. We work with all budgets and it’s common to stage treatment so that it can fit a person’s budget without compromising the quality. In other cases, we can organise a payment plan to help budget your treatment.

Knocked your front tooth?

A lot of people lose a tooth from getting knocked at sport as a kid, or in an accident. Even years later, they are sometimes putting up with a tooth that is missing, or wearing a partial denture that is uncomfortable and not looking great ten years later.

Nowadays, there are many ways to replace a missing or damaged front tooth, including porcelain bridges or implants. Both of these are fixed in the mouth like your original teeth.

Think your teeth are hopeless?

Occasionally people are embarrassed to come see us because they think their teeth are too hopeless to fix. Often we find that their teeth are a lot less serious than they thought, and repairing them is not too difficult. However, if their teeth really are beyond help, we take great pride in helping people transition from natural teeth to artificial ones with as much dignity and comfort as possible.

In some cases, it’s possible to remove the existing teeth, and place implants and solid replacement teeth in the same appointment so you never wear a loose denture!

Are your dentures loose and rubbing?

While some people cope well with dentures, others just never really cope with them. We see a lot of people who are gaggers and really have a hard time coping with the bulk of a denture in their mouth. Or who worry that the denture is rubbing on their natural teeth causing the gum to shrink away, or decay to start.

In some cases, implants can help stabilise your denture so it’s more stable and solid. In others, your denture can be completely replaced with implants supporting solid, fixed teeth.

If you have something that’s annoying you about your mouth, come and see us and we’ll advise what options are available to help you. If you are scared and anxious about dentists (let’s face it, probably half the population is) we take extra time and care, and sometimes use tablets to sedate people a little

Dr Lincoln Harris BDSc (hons)

If you would like a one on one consultation with Dr Harris give his office a call on 07 41590660 to make an appointment.

Individual results may vary. Surgical and invasive procedures carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

Snoring! Does it affect your child’s grades at school?

Unhealthy or blocked airways are starting to be increasing linked to a range of dental and other developmental problems.

In the old days, tonsils and adenoids were routinely removed to avoid infection.  With modern antibiotics,
very few people have their adenoids or tonsils removed unless they have very severe occurrence of infection.  This has possibly lead to too few tonsils being removed.

Now we are beginning to understand that blocked airways have much greater affects than previously thought.

To be precise, snoring itself isn’t such a problem.  Of much greater concern is sleep apnoea in a child.  Sleep apnoea is frequent blockages of the airway that breathing for more than 10 seconds during sleep.  Basically, your brain isn’t getting enough oxygen while you sleep.

While sleep apnoea in adults has clear guidelines, in kids it’s a bit trickier to diagnose.

However, the number of things it may affect is startling.

Signs of sleep apnoea in a child. 

While snoring may be a sign of sleep apnoea, other signs include;

1. Pauses in breathing while asleep.
2. Dark patches under eyes.
3. Bedwetting.
4. Strange sleeping positions (tummy down, knees tucked under, head to side, bum in the air)
5. Snoring.
6. Hyperactivity.
7. Behavioural problems.
8. Stunted growth.
9. Disruptive behaviour in school.

                Strange Sleeping Position

From a dental point of view, having blocked airways causes children to breath through their mouth.  Since teeth position is the result of the cheeks, lips and tongue pushing on teeth, holding your mouth open all the time does strange things to the position of the teeth.   It can cause the front teeth to go “bucky”, the jaws to become too narrow, and may even cause severe crookedness in some cases.  The facial bones can develop differently affecting the appearance of the face.

Beyond this, sleep apnoea seems to cause children to grind their teeth with the result that their teeth wear out much faster than they should (this may continue into adulthood).

Even though it’s not yet certain, there is also some backing that sleep apnoea might cause lower IQ, be involved in some cases of ADHD and increase risks of heart disease.

While there are a range of causes of sleep apnoea in children (and even infants as young as 18 months) including obesity, the most common seems to be enlarged tonsils and adenoids.

                   Enlarged Tonsils

How should it be treated?

Treatment should depend on the cause.  For cases of obesity, obviously diet management and exercise are key.

For cases due to large tonsils, the treatment may vary depending on the severity.  In most cases, a referral to an ENT surgeon will be necessary and removal of the tonsils may be carried out.

In some cases, a CPAP machine (thing that blows air into your nose or mouth while you sleep) will work.  In others, an oral appliance made by your dentist will hold that jaw forward.

Like many developmental issues in kids, early diagnosis is the key.  If you have concerns, talk to your dentist or ask for a referral to your local ENT surgeon.

Dr Lincoln Harris DBSc (hons)
Harris Dental Boutique

If you would like a one on one consultation with Dr Harris please call his office on 07 41590660.

Whiter teeth – should you bleach, or get veneers?

So many people want whiter teeth!  Partly this is because everyone we see in the media and on TV either has super white teeth, or they have been photoshopped.  To be fair to TV people, studio lights make teeth that aren’t white look quite bad, so it’s no wonder they like them gleaming.

However, it’s also because we associate whiter teeth with healthier teeth.  The things that cause teeth to be stained are cavities, wear, trauma, fillings, and ageing to name a few.

So if you want whiter teeth, should you go with veneers or bleaching/whitening?

There are two things to consider with stains;

1.  Location of stain.
2. Type of stain.

Surface stains are the easiest to bleach off.  This includes food and beverage stains.

As we age, our teeth darken from changes to the inner layer of the tooth called the dentine.  This can be also bleached, or made to appear whiter by making the outer layer of enamel look very white.  However, if our gums have shrunk leaving some of the root exposed, this is very difficult to bleach as generally we will get sensitive root surfaces.

         

Stains that are deep inside the tooth, such as when our tooth has been hit in an accident, or after root canal therapy, can be very difficult to bleach and often relapse, going dark again.   

 
Stains that come from edible things are possible to bleach.  Stains that come from metals, such as amalgam fillings, are not possible to bleach.

      So in general, if you teeth are healthy, without too many fillings, and you are happy with the appearance generally, and just want them a bit whiter, then bleaching is better.

If you have lots of stained fillings, grey stains from amalgams, grey teeth from root canal therapy,  or receded gums, then placing veneers is probably better.

That other thing to consider is the shape, wear, rotation and other appearance related parts of the tooth.  If for instance, a tooth is very worn, or slightly crooked, then whitening will not correct these other factors and restoring the teeth’s original shape with veneers might be better.

Patients with severely rotated or crooked teeth are very unsuitable for veneers.  The amount of tooth you need to cut away to make a severely crooked tooth straight is terribly bad for the tooth and it’s far better to do some form of orthodontics first.

Budget wise, bleaching is far cheaper than veneers.

A final thing to consider is how much upkeep you want.  Bleaching requires constant touch-ups which you can do at home.  The colour of veneers is very stable, but in patients with very heavy grinding habits, chipping of the veneers can occur.

So in closing

Do bleaching if:

1.        You are generally happy with the shape, position and overall appearance of the teeth.

2.       You don’t mind touching up occasionally.

3.       Aren’t wanting a particular shade to be achieved.

4.       Don’t’ want much done to your teeth.

Do veneers if:

1.       You want to correct wear, chipping, shortening, shape or minor crookedness of the teeth.

2.       You have multiple stained fillings, old amalgam stains, root canals, or other things that won’t stain.

3.       You don’t want to be constantly touching up the colour.

Dr Lincoln Harris BDSc (hons)
Harris Dental Boutique 

If you would like a one on one consultation with Dr Harris please call his office on 07 41590660.