An abscess is the painful end result of a cavitated tooth. Decay starts at the surface of the tooth and progresses into the deeper tissues. As soon as the outer tissue (Enamel) of the tooth is breached, the nerve starts to response by inflammation. If not treated, the decay progresses deeper, as it get closer to the nerve, the inflammation becomes stronger. Eventually, even sometimes without the decay reaching the nerve, the nerve will degenerate and this is the beginning of forming an abscess under the tooth.
You can reduce your chances of developing an abscess by:

• Not leaving a cavity untreated
• Regular visits to the dentist
• Not using your teeth to on hard food or objects
• Keeping dental drilling to a minimum

– The first visit: usually involves the diagnosis for the condition, and choosing the procedure as the treatment of choice for the tooth.
This is determined by:
– presenting symptoms.
–  Clinical examination, revealing a cavity. The size and position within a tooth can give an indication of nerve involvement.
– X-rays, showing decay going deep within a tooth.
Once the consent for treatment has been submitted. The dentist will numb the tooth. Drill the cavity, aiming to:
1- Get rid of all the decay first. It is the source of infection and we need to eliminate it.
2- expose the nerve roof.
3- drilling through the roof to expose the entire nerve system.
Once the nerve system has been exposed. the second step involves negotiating the canals that go into the roots of the teeth. The purpose is:
– Locate all the nerves and canals.
– Debride all the nerves and extirpate them, to eliminate pain.
– Debride canals to remove the infected tissues inside.
This is achieved using files. whether hand held or machine-driven files.
– Then a dressing is placed within the top part fo the nerve system and sealed using a temporary filling.
– second visit:
– The aim is to get a straight access into the last part of the root canals.
– sequential files are used within the canal to enlarge it and debride it further.
– a disinfectant is used to irrigate within the canal to kill the germs
– once that is done, the canals are dried.
– a canal filling (rubber called Gutta Percha) is introduced into the canal after being dipped in a sealer and may be softened by heat.
once this visit is concluded some discomfort might linger for a week or two.
– Third visit
– One or two posts are required to go into the canals. These canals are drilled, and a post is cemented.
– the definite filling is packed to close the access.
– The best restoration after the root canal is a crown which needs more visits and a different procedure.

Making the most of your health fund membership is advisable. One way of doing that is claiming your benefits towards your dental treatment.
Health funds pay towards your dental treatment in different amounts depending on your cover type and the health fund.

What we recommend to do to make the most of your health fund:
1- Inquire with your health fund about dental check up and clean. Most health funds pay towards these treatments twice a year. Make sure this is the case and don’t miss out on your 6 monthly check and clean, you are already paying for it. However there might be a small gap to pay, especially if x-rays are needed.
2- When you need a treatment, we provide you with a plan that includes item number(s) for the required procedure(s). Talk to your health fund and give them the item numbers needed. This way, you will have a clear idea about what to expect.
3- using HICAPS system makes it easier for you to claim your benefit on spot. To use it, we swipe your membership card on the eftpos machine. This way, we claim your benefit for you, and you only have to pay the gap. No need to talk to your health fund.

Once referred to as erosion and corrosion. These refer to the damage that happens to your tooth by a chemical substance or by mechanical damage.
Tooth structure can be damaged by other means than tooth decay and caries.


Causes:
1- Acids:
Internal:
i- Gastro-intestinal reflux
ii- Sleep Aponea
iii- Chronic morning sickness
iv- Bulimia Nervosa
External acids:
i- Acidic food, like citrus fruits and acidic drinks, like juice wine, soft drinks, cordials.
ii- Acidic vitamin c supplements, like Vitamin C
iii- Certain medications, like Asthma Puffers.
iv- Sports drinks, gels, and bars. These have high sugar content and are acidic, if consumed during exercise things can get worse as the sports person tends to clinch on the weakened Enamel. In combination with the dehydrated state the person gets during exercise meaning reduced saliva production.
these acid sources keep your mouth in an acidic state resulting in dissolving the tooth substance.
2- Forcefull tooth brushing. and wrong techniques that rub off the Enamel
3- Bad habits, like biting nails, pins, and pens
4- Clinching teeth, whether subconsciously during sleep or when stressed.
5- Vomiting, like during pregnancy.
The saliva has a limited ability to protect against erosion by:
– forming a protective layer over the teeth, acts like a barrier against the acidic effect.
– Diluting acids in the mouth.
However the ability of saliva is limited and can get overwhelmed by excessive exposure to acids.
Symptoms of tooth erosion:
– Sensitivity to hot, cold or sweet.
– Rough edges on your teeth from chipping and cracking.
– Noticing that teeth are getting “yellow”.
– Change in lustre of the surface of teeth.
– Dents (also known as cupping) may appear, particularly in areas where biting and chewing occur.

– sip your soft drink by a straw instead of gulping it and squishing it in your mouth.
– use soft – medium tooth brush and brush gentle.
– don’t place any foreign objects in your mouth.
– by mindful of any clinching.
– drinks lots of water. Especially during exercise.
– use Xylitol gum after meals, and soft drinks.


If you notice any or all of these symptoms, contact us to help you protect your teeth and preventing further tooth enamel erosion. If not dealt with it can lead to sever tooth loss exposing the nerve and requiring extensive and expensive intervention.

It is an inconvenience to have a crown fall off. While probably won’t be a painful experience, but these things have a tendency to happen in the worst place at the worst time. Your crown came off, why?
Crowns stay on your tooth by two means:
1- mechanical: the design of tooth preparation takes into consideration the retention of the crown.
2- Use of cement. There are many types of cements that basically “glue” the crown to the tooth. Sometimes using a weaker cement can be a bliss, so if your crown falls off, don’t wonder, why didn’t we use a stronger cement.

1- tooth decay: a crowned tooth is not immune against decay. If not looked after properly, the margin of the tooth can get decayed. once the tooth under the crown is decaying, the cement loses its bonding strength and the crown falls off.
2- Sticky food. The bonding of the glue on your crown is challenged with stick food like lollies and candy. It will not necessarily happen immediately but every time you chew a sticky candy on that crown, you break the cement slightly, until it comes off all together.
3- Damaged crown: Albeit hard, the crown can get chipped and break. a broken crown might lose retention and come off.
4- Habits: Like grinding your teeth, whether consciously or while sleeping. Putting more stress on the crown, can break the glue bond and crown comes off. Also chewing on pencils, pins,..etc, can have the same effect.
5- Small teeth. sometimes teeth are bulbous and short to start with. When we trim them to make space for the crown, they get even shorter. This makes them less retentive to the crown.
6- Cement breakdown. If the margin of the crown leaks, the cement might desolve with time under the crown.
7- Poor fit: the most important thing in crown retention is proper fit and preparation. If that is defective the crown will fall off sooner or later.

– there is a small chance that the crown will be useful, nevertheless, do keep it and bring it along.
– try to avoid hot food, because your tooth might still be vital, and hot material might trigger inflammation of the nerve
– stick to soft diet. The tooth is probably made up of filling material, and will be very week.
– don’t be tempted to glue the crown back by yourself, only use toothpaste or denture adhesive to do so.
– If the tooth is sensitive, rinse with salt water after each meal.
– Call us as soon as possible.