Dental Check-Ups And Cleans In West Perth

It depends on your own risk of decay and gum disease, so no single interval suits everyone. Many people are asked back about every six months. Some do well with longer between visits, and some need to come more often. Your dentist will suggest an interval and explain why.

Several things move your risk up. Sweet food and drinks taken often through the day are a main cause of decay (healthdirect, tooth decay). Smoking raises the risk of gum disease (healthdirect, gum disease). A dry mouth, a history of gum disease and a lot of past fillings can also shorten the gap. A low-risk mouth with good cleaning at home can usually go longer between visits.

At the end of each visit we agree your next review around your own risk, not a fixed calendar. Don’t wait for it if something changes. Bleeding gums, a sensitive or chipped tooth, a swelling or pain are all reasons to call sooner. Fees are explained before treatment, and your health fund can tell you what your policy pays for a check-up and clean. The same plain explanation of costs comes with the rest of our dental services.

• healthdirect (Australian Government). Tooth decay
• healthdirect (Australian Government). Gum disease

Bleeding gums usually mean inflamed gums, most often from plaque left along the gumline, so keep brushing gently rather than brushing less. Cutting back lets more plaque build up, and that usually makes the inflammation worse. Bleeding after brushing is one of the common signs of gum disease, including its early stage.

That early stage is gingivitis. It usually settles once your cleaning improves and you’ve had a professional clean to remove calculus, the hardened plaque that brushing can’t shift (healthdirect, gum disease). Use a soft brush angled at the gumline, with fluoride toothpaste, twice a day, and clean between your teeth once a day with floss or small brushes. Pregnancy hormones can also make gums bleed more easily.

Book a check if the bleeding keeps happening, your gums look red, swollen or tender, they are shrinking back from your teeth, you have a bad taste that lingers, or a tooth feels loose. Those can point to gum disease beyond the early stage, and only an examination can tell which you have. Tell us about your medicines and health conditions, because they can matter.

• healthdirect (Australian Government). Gum disease

We cover what food and drinks do to your teeth, and we stop there. Your dentist will ask how often you snack and sip, whether you have sweet or acidic drinks and whether your mouth feels dry. Nutrition for the rest of your body is a question for your GP or an accredited dietitian.

How often sugar arrives matters as much as how much. Each time, bacteria in plaque make acid that softens enamel, and saliva needs time to repair it, so grazing and sipping through the day leave teeth little rest (healthdirect, tooth decay). The World Health Organization advises keeping free sugars, which include added sugars, honey, syrups and fruit juice, under 10% of daily energy, with extra benefit under 5% (WHO sugars guideline, 2015).

The changes that help are small ones. Have sweet food and drinks with meals rather than between them, make water your drink between meals, and take juice, kombucha and sports drinks with food, followed by water. We don’t sell supplements or run detox programs, and no diet repairs a cavity once decay has broken through the enamel. If a medical condition limits what you can eat, we’ll work around your doctor’s or dietitian’s advice.

• healthdirect (Australian Government). Tooth decay
• World Health Organization. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children (2015)

No. Using fluoride is your choice, and your dentist will respect it. We’d ask you to decide with the evidence in front of you. A Cochrane review found that fluoride toothpaste prevents decay (Walsh et al., 2019), and Australia’s NHMRC endorsed adding fluoride to community water supplies after reviewing the evidence (NHMRC, 2017).

Amount matters, especially for young children, because the right quantity and strength of toothpaste depends on age. Ask us what suits each person in your family. After brushing, spit out the paste instead of rinsing, so the fluoride stays on your teeth a little longer.

If you have doubts, bring them to the visit. We’ll go through your own risk of decay, what the research shows and what the alternatives would mean for how closely your teeth need watching. We don’t tell anyone to avoid fluoride, and we won’t pressure you to use it. Whatever you decide, we’ll keep treating you in the same way.

• Walsh T, et al. Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019. PubMed 30829399
• National Health and Medical Research Council. 2017 Public Statement – Water fluoridation and human health

Yes, in different ways. With diabetes the link runs both ways: diabetes raises the risk of gum disease, and inflamed gums can make blood sugar harder to control. With heart disease the two are associated, which means they often appear in the same people, but research hasn’t shown that gum disease causes heart disease.

For diabetes, a consensus report from the International Diabetes Federation and the European Federation of Periodontology found that treating gum disease may lower blood sugar a little (Sanz et al., 2018). For the heart, a consensus report on periodontitis and cardiovascular disease treats the evidence as an association, not proof of cause (Sanz et al., 2020).

For you, that means keeping up regular gum checks if you have diabetes, and telling us about any change to your treatment. Looking after your gums is worth doing for your teeth and comfort. It isn’t a treatment for diabetes or heart disease, and it doesn’t replace care from your GP. If something sounds medical, we’ll say so and suggest you see your doctor.

• Sanz M, et al. Scientific evidence on the links between periodontal diseases and diabetes: consensus report of the International Diabetes Federation and European Federation of Periodontology. Journal of Clinical Periodontology. 2018. PubMed 29280174
• Sanz M, et al. Periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases: consensus report. Journal of Clinical Periodontology. 2020. PubMed 32011025

A powered toothbrush does a little better than a manual one on average, so it can be worth it, but a soft manual brush used well still does the job. A Cochrane review of powered and manual brushing found a small advantage for powered brushes in clearing plaque and calming gum inflammation (Yaacob et al., 2014).

An average hides a lot of difference between people, and how you brush counts for more than which brush you hold. Angle the bristles towards the gumline, use light pressure, don’t rush, and clean between your teeth once a day. A brush can’t reach the gaps between teeth, whatever its price.

A powered brush may help if arthritis, a weak grip, braces or limited reach make brushing hard, and some have built-in timers. Ask at your check-up. We can watch how you brush and suggest the brush and method that fit your hands and your mouth. We don’t favour a brand, and a dearer brush isn’t better by default.

• Yaacob M, et al. Powered versus manual toothbrushing for oral health. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2014. PubMed 24934383

X-rays show what an examination can’t, such as decay between teeth, under old fillings and around the roots, so we take them when there is a clinical reason, not by default. Your dentist decides from your examination, your history and any recent images you bring.

healthdirect describes the radiation dose from dental X-rays as low (healthdirect, X-rays). That’s a reason not to avoid an image you need. It isn’t a reason to take one you don’t. If your dentist suggests one, you can ask what it’s looking for, what it would change and what it costs, before you say yes.

Bring any recent X-rays you have, from this or another practice, because they can mean fewer new ones. Tell us if you are pregnant or might be, so we can plan around it. If you’d rather not have an X-ray, say so. We’ll explain what we can and can’t assess without one and what that means for your care.

• healthdirect (Australian Government). X-rays