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We know the importance of having regular check-ups to make sure your teeth are in tip-top shape. However, we also understand that is it probably at the bottom of everyone’s to-do list! Here at Kariong Dental Care, we try to make looking after your teeth as easy and affordable as possible, so we are proud to offer no Gap Dental Check-ups if you are registered with the Health Fund.

We specialize in delivering a gentle and caring dental service to our customers. Above all, we are a family dentist. That’s why we invite you to take advantage of our comprehensive No Gap scheme that includes dental exams, fluoride treatment, scale and cleaning services, and x-rays (including OPG) for you and your children.

What is No Gap Billing?

The health fund offers different levels of cover. For the most part, you are required to have the health fund extras cover to ensure that you can access the treatments you need in full without extra cost.

Gosford Dentist at Kariong Dental Care No Gap Billing offer for check-ups and cleansyou will not be out of pocket no matter your level of cover. This means that your 6-month check-ups remain affordable. Our No Gap Billing policy for check-ups includes a full scale and clean, x-rays, fluoride treatment, and dental exams, so we can help you and your family retain good oral health at no extra cost.

Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS)

Family dental care can quickly become expensive, especially for growing families with children who have complex dental care needs.

Kariong Dental Care wants to do its part to make sure no child is left behind, so we subscribe to the Child Dental Benefits schedule as set out by the Australian Government to support children whose families receive Family Tax Benefit or any other relevant Australian Government payment. The scheme provides funding for dental care for every child who receives this scheme. The fund is usually $1000 for consecutive 2-year periods.

Children aged 2-17 years old qualify for the schedule, they will receive the same high-quality dental work that we would give to our privately funded patients.

Our expert dentists are experienced in providing dental care to children and treat each child who comes to our service with delicate care and attention.

How Do I Register?

Organizing health check-ups for the whole family is complicated enough. Therefore, if you receive government payments you don’t have to do anything. You and your children will be automatically enrolled for the No Gaps Billing and the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.

To make things even simpler you can contact the Department of Human Services and they will let you know if you qualify for the scheme and to what extent. Alternatively, you can check your child’s CDBS eligibility through your Medicare online account. All you will have to do when you arrive is fill out a form.

Kariong Dental Care, on the Central Coast, cares about your oral health and general wellbeing. We are proud to be a No Gaps Billing for check-ups and cleans and a CDBS provider. We are happy to provide your family with full dental check-up cover at no extra cost.  We want to make dental care as affordable as possible and guarantee a perfect smile for every family member. For more information about the Child Dental Benefits Scheme, please visit: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/child-dental-benefits-schedule

For all other dental treatment needs, we offer many interest-free payment plans. Please contact our friendly staff today on (02) 4340 2022 to find out more.

Family dental care can quickly become expensive, especially for growing families with children who have complex dental care needs.

Kariong Dental Care wants to do its part to make sure no child is left behind, so we subscribe to the Child Dental Benefits schedule as set out by the Australian Government to support children whose families receive Family Tax Benefit or any other relevant Australian Government payment. The scheme provides funding for dental care for every child who receives this scheme. The fund is usually $1000 for consecutive 2-year periods.

Children aged 2-17 years old qualify for the schedule, they will receive the same high-quality dental work that we would give to our privately funded patients.

Our Gosford dentist are experienced in providing dental care to children and treat each child who comes to our service with delicate care and attention.

How Do I Register?

Organizing health check-ups for the whole family is complicated enough. Therefore, if you receive government payments you don’t have to do anything. You and your children will be automatically enrolled for the No Gaps Billing and the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.

To make things even simpler you can contact the Department of Human Services and they will let you know if you qualify for the scheme and to what extent. Alternatively, you can check your child’s CDBS eligibility through your Medicare online account. All you will have to do when you arrive is fill out a form.

Kariong Dental Care, on the Central Coast, cares about your oral health and general wellbeing. We are proud to be a No Gaps Billing for check-ups and cleans and a CDBS provider. We are happy to provide your family with full dental check-up cover at no extra cost.  We want to make dental care as affordable as possible and guarantee a perfect smile for every family member. For more information about the Child Dental Benefits Scheme, please visit: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/child-dental-benefits-schedule

For all other dental treatment needs, we offer many interest-free payment plans. Please contact our friendly staff today on (02) 4340 2022 to find out more.

Introduction

Are you missing a tooth? or do you have a damaged tooth? If you do, you may want to consider taking a visiting your nearest dentist.

For anyone with a need for dental crowns or bridges, you can visit Kariong Dental Care today especially if you are residing in the Gosford region of Australia. This post will give you an insight into what dental crowns and bridges are and what to expect from your dentist.

What exactly are Dental Crowns and Bridges?

Dental crowns and tooth Bridges are both permanent prosthetic dental care devices. They are permanent because they are not like dentures that are removable in nature. 

Dental crowns and tooth Bridges are actually cemented either on a preexisting tooth/teeth or on tooth root implants. Once crowns and bridges are done, they cannot be removed except by a qualified dentist.

So how does the dental crowns actually work?

As mentioned before, dental crowns basically cap or cover a damaged tooth in its entirety to improve both the aesthetics and functions of the tooth/teeth. 

With the crown the tooth regains its original shape, appearance, alignment, and usefulness. Apart from having a crown placed over a damaged tooth, it can equally be fitted on tooth root implants. 

Crowns are usually made from either ceramic or porcelain and a qualified dentist like those in Kariong Dental Care can ensure that the colour of your natural teeth and the colour of the crowns fitted are a perfect match. 

While ceramic and porcelain are the most commonly used materials for crowns, they are by no means the only materials that can be used. It is possible to have crowns made from acrylic, metal alloys, and even pure gold fitted to implants or damaged tooth/teeth.

The truth is, metal alloys are more durable than your regular porcelain and because of their strength these alloys are best suited for damaged back teeth or implants.

However, a crown made from a combination of porcelain and a metal alloy is also a preferred option as it showcases the best of both worlds, it is attractive as well as as strong.

Why do you need a Crown fitted?

You may need a crown fitted for the following reasons; 

• You can fit a crown to cover up a dental implant.

• A crown can be fitted if you want to have a bridge attached.

• Where you have undergone a treatment for the root canal of your tooth or teeth, you can cap the tooth or teeth with crowns.

• Crowns are needed if you have weak teeth and you want to protect them from chipping or fracturing.

• Crowns are needed to restore tooth or teeth that have fractured.

• If the filling in your tooth/teeth is large and needs to be replaced, but what remains of the tooth/teeth itself is not much, you can have crowns fitted.

• If your tooth or teeth is not well aligned or shaped, you can have dental crowns done.

• You can also go for crowns if you want to cap a discoloured tooth.

What are Bridges?

If you have a gap or gaps in your dentition caused by a missing tooth or teeth, it is recommended that you have bridges done.

As the name implies, a bridge helps to fill in or bridge the gap between your natural teeth. With gaps in your dentition, the teeth remaining may shift or even rotate into the gap or gaps created by the missing tooth/teeth. This can eventually lead to a temporomandibular joint disorders or TMJ, gum disease, and also a bad bite.

Bridges will be cemented either to Implants or your natural teeth closest to the gap or gaps. The bridge replaces the missing tooth or teeth. First, abutments are fitted which will help to firmly hold the bridges. Next, the pontic which is the prosthetic replacement tooth is then fitted to the crowns which cap the abutments. Just like crowns, bridges are also made from a host of materials.

 Gosford Dentists at Kariong Dental Care will advise you on which bridge material is best suited for use. What is considered is the tooth location, the function of the tooth or teeth, and its overall appearance. 

A paediatric dentist is a well trained dental professional who is committed to ensuring that infants, toddlers, preteens, and teenagers have excellent oral health.

Paediatric dentists care for the health of the mouth, gums, and teeth of children. It is expected that to qualify as a paediatric dentist a person would have completed dental school which takes a minimum of four years to conclude. In addition to this, the person would also be expected to have spent a couple of years as a resident trainee dentist.

It is expected that during their time as a resident trainee they would have received sufficient training in paediatric dentistry. Their focus would have also been on meeting the dental needs of children with special needs along with providing infants, toddlers, preteens, and teenagers with the best possible dental care available.

Dental Care for Children 

Typically, baby teeth will be seen in infants within 6 months of their birth. When a child gets to the age of between 6 and 7 years, they begin to lose their baby teeth. The baby teeth are then replaced with a set of permanent, secondary teeth. 

Dental care at an early stage in a child’s life is important. A paediatric dentist will ensure that the risk of oral disease and tooth decay in children is reduced to the barest minimum.

In children oral disease and tooth decay can be very painful and leave long lasting psychological scars. As a matter of fact, the highly infectious oral disease known as dental caries is believed to be five times more prevalent in preteens than an asthmatic condition. Also, dental caries, is believed to be seven times more prevalent in children than a common hay fever.

Types of Paediatric Dental Treatment

Paediatric dentists are well trained in the following;

Performing Oral examinations on Infants

Paediatric dentists are trained to carry out comprehensive oral health check ups on infants. They are trained to look for and detect caries in both the mother and infant. They assess the risk of possible caries to the infant. 

Preventive Dental Care

They also carry out preventive dental care which include oral cleaning as well as fluoride based treatment. Paediatric dentists also recommend proper diet and nutrition for a perfect oral health in children.

Counseling on Habits

A Paediatric dentist also helps with counseling mothers on how to get their children to quit  certain habits that are deemed detrimental to their oral health. Such habits include; thumb sucking, teeth grinding, and nail biting. 

Orthodontic Care

Orthodontics is a term used to describe a condition where a person’s bite angles are NOT normal. Paediatric dentists will assess the child and recommend the right treatment to help straighten out the child’s teeth.

Cavity repair and the detection of other ailments

Apart from repairing cavities, Paediatric dentists also help in diagnosing a myriad of oral conditions in children. Some symptoms of more serious health conditions manifest themselves in oral conditions. Ailments such as hay fever, asthma, congenital heart defects, and diabetes can be detected early through an assessment of a child’s oral health by a paediatric dentist.

Paediatric dentists also help in managing gum disease in children as well as treating conditions such as mucoceles, short frenulae, pediatric periodontal disease, and mouth ulcers. Dental injuries like teeth that have been knocked out, displaced, or fractured would also be cared for by a qualified paediatric dentist.

If you are located in Gosford and you need a paediatric dentist, you can visit Kariong Dental Care on the Central Coast today.

During the treatment of cavities by your dental professional, that portion of your tooth that is decayed will first be removed. Next, the dentist will fill out the decayed area of your tooth using a specialised filling material (more on this a bit later).

Your dental professional may also make use of fillings in repairing broken, chipped or cracked portions of your teeth. Fillings can also be used in repairing worn down teeth, as a result of misuse and bad habits like tooth grinding and nail-biting.

How is Tooth Filling Done?

In carrying out a tooth filling procedure your dentist would first of all place you on a local anesthetic. This will help to keep the surrounding region around the targeted tooth numb and make the procedure a painless one. 

The next step after applying local anesthetic is to have the decayed portion removed. This is done using any of; laser, a hand-held air abrasion, or a specialised drill Instrument. 

Whatever instrument is used to take out the decayed portion of the tooth rests entirely on the discretion of the dentist carrying out the procedure.

A test or probe of the decayed portion is conducted by the dentist as a way of checking to see if every part of the decayed area has been successfully removed. 

If all the decayed portions of the tooth are removed, the gap created is then prepared for the filling. Preparation of the area involves cleaning out the cavity of both debris and bacteria.

Note that in a situation where the tooth decay occurs close to the root, a liner may be placed by the dentist in order to keep the nerve safe and well protected. The liner used may be made from a number of materials, such as; composite resin or glass ionomer. Once the dentist puts the filling in the tooth, he/she will finish off by polishing it. 

Types of Tooth Filling

There are quite a number of tooth fillings available today. Some of these materials include;

• Porcelain,
• Composite resin (this consists of glass and plastic materials),
• Silver amalgam (comprises of mercury, tin, silver, copper, and zinc), and
• Gold.

The type of filling that would be used vary from case to case and all depends on the following;

• the degree of severity of the tooth decay,
• the location of the tooth decay,
• the cost of the tooth filling material, 
• the insurance coverage of the patient, and the discretion of the dentist.

Merits and Demerits of Silver & Gold Dental Filling Materials

Gold Fillings:

Gold fillings are highly durable and can actually last for between a decade and 15 years. In addition, gold fillings DO NOT corrode and they have very good strength. This type of filling can withstand the force generated during biting and chewing. Also, some patients actually prefer gold fillings because it looks cool. 

The major drawback to gold filling is its cost, it is pretty expensive and may cost as much as ten times the cost of other fillings like a silver amalgam filling. You may also need to visit the dentist office a couple of times before the filling can be fitted.

Another drawback with gold filling is “galvanic shock”. This is a sharp pain that a patient feels when the filling is placed besides a silver amalgam filling.

Silver Amalgam Fillings:

Just like gold fillings, silver amalgam fillings also last for about 15 years. It is strong and can equally withstand chewing and biting forces. In terms of cost, silver amalgam costs less than composite resin fillings.

However, if you are looking for a filling that will match the natural colour of your teeth, silver amalgam is NOT for you. Silver Amalgam also has the tendency to cause the other portions of the tooth to develop a greyish colour. Before you use silver amalgam fillings, make sure that you are not allergic to the mercury which is present in the amalgam.

There are instances when infection gets into the tooth itself and needs to be removed. In such situations it is always advisable to pay your dentist a visit for proper evaluation of the problem.

If you need to have an infection in your tooth removed, then the procedure for doing so is called Root Canal Therapy, otherwise known as Endodontic Therapy. 

At Kariong Dental Care on the Central Coast, we have professional dentists with years of experience in dealing with patients in need of Endodontic Therapy. The whole purpose of this procedure is as follows;

• To save a tooth from further damage and possible extraction.

• To stop the spread of the infection.

• To protect the infected tooth and prevent any future infection.

The therapy is done right within the root canal or the pulp of the infected tooth. During the procedure, infected nerves within the root canal are removed. 

Patients are more than likely to feel varying degrees of pain and discomfort BEFORE the treatment due to the infection. There is a general misconception that this procedure is a painful one, but in reality it is NOT. If carried out by an experienced dentist, the treatment should be painless.

Root Canal Therapy is NOT as expensive as a tooth extraction followed up by replacing the tooth with a bridge or crown for example.

How is Endodontic Therapy Conducted?

There are three basic steps taken to ensure the success of this dental treatment. Typically, this dental procedure can be completed in one treatment session. However, in some cases additional sessions may be needed, but on average not more than three sessions in total will be needed. Additional sessions are usually needed when…

• curved canals exist,
• there are pretty large infections involved, and
• multiple canals need treatment.

Below are the three basic steps carried out by a professional dentist during an Endodontic procedure.

#1: Root Canal Cleaning: 

The first step in Endodontic Therapy involves the thorough cleaning of the root canal. This is where the dentist will as much as possible remove everything within the pulp of the infected tooth. 

The patient is first placed on a local anesthetic, then the dentist will create a tiny hole on the surface of the infected tooth. Next, using small files, the dentist will remove both infected and dead pulp tissue. 

#2: Root Canal Filling:

Using irrigation solutions and the small files, your dentist will shape, decontaminate, and clean out the hollow portion of the tooth. All this is done before the filling of the tooth or teeth as the case may be. The tooth will then be filled with the use of a rubberised material.

Afterwards, a self-adhesive cement is used to completely seal off the canals. Note that after an Endodontic Therapy, the previously infected tooth is effectively dead as the infected nerve tissue is removed. So you would not be in any discomfort or feel any sort of pain in the tooth ever again. But most importantly, the infection is taken care of.

#3: A Filling or Crown is Added:

Once the Root Canal Therapy is concluded, the tooth in question is now fragile and susceptible. When the pulp of a tooth is removed, that tooth gets nourishment directly from that ligament which attaches it to the jaw bone. While the nourishment obtained through this means is sufficient, with time that tooth becomes even more fragile. 

In order to give the tooth some added protection, a filling or crown would need to be added. Note that before a filling or crown is added, you should avoid biting or chewing food with the affected tooth. But after a filling or crown is added, you can then bite or chew food as you would normally do.