Family Dentistry

At Avenue Dental on the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane we offer quality dental services for the whole family from young children, teens and adults, to grandparents and great grandparents.

To offer quality dentistry for the whole family we need to understand the different risk factors that affect people of different ages. Obviously, the dental needs of a 7 year old differ profoundly from those of a 70 year old.

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Children, Years 0 – 11

It is important for young children to establish healthy eating habits and good brushing and flossing habits to set them up for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

Parents should clean their child’s teeth with a soft toothbrush up until the age of around 7 or 8 but it is important to monitor their cleaning after this age.  It is ideal for children to brush twice a day with a fluoride containing toothpaste and to floss at least once a day.

A healthy diet for your teeth means limiting high sugar containing foods, such as lollies, cordials (really anything that is sweet), and limiting acidic foods such as softdrinks.  Ideally a child should attend the dentist by 1 year or age or within 6 months of the first tooth growing in the mouth.

Teenagers, Years 2 – 17

A number of lifestyle issues may impact teenagers’ teeth including smoking, drinking alcohol, sports drinks, lip and tongue piercings, and stress.

Smoking increases the chances and severity of gum disease. Most people who smoke in their adult years start the habit when they are teenagers.

Drinking alcohol often starts during teenage years.  Alcohol dehydrates people reducing salivary flow which is the body’s natural defence against tooth decay.  Often alcohol is mixed with softdrinks which are acidic and contain large amounts of sugar – both increase the likelihood of tooth decay.

Many teenagers play sports and often rehydrate with sports drinks such as Powerade.  These drinks may be good at rehydration but contain sugar and are acidic which promote tooth decay.

Teenagers may get tongue or lip piercings, which are usually metal.  Hard metal can crack or wear teeth or traumatise the gums causing irreversible damage.  Stress during the high school years can cause teenagers to start grinding their teeth.  This can cause jaw muscle pain and wear of teeth and teeth sensitivity.

Finally, the teenage years are the most common time when people have orthodontics completed.  These produce a beautiful smile, but it is important to maintain ideal oral hygiene while braces are in place as it is harder to clean teeth that have braces on them.

Younger Adults, Years 18 – 30

For younger adults, most of the same risk factors that affect teenagers are also relevant. Often people of this age reduce drinking and partying, start improving their health and many consider having children.

Additional dental risk factors for this age group are wisdom teeth and pregnancy.  Wisdom teeth usually grow into the mouth around ages 18-21.  Many people do not have enough room for them to grow into the correct position, often resulting in pain, swelling and infection.  Removal of wisdom teeth is a very common practice for people in this age group.  Pregnancy may cause problems for pregnant ladies’ teeth and gums.  Pregnancy hormones cause more bleeding and inflammation of gums so pregnant ladies may get much more rapid progression of gum disease during this time.  Additionally, morning sickness and pregnancy cravings create an ideal environment for the bacteria that cause tooth decay to flourish, often resulting in a large increase in tooth decay during this period.

Adults, Years 31 – 64

The major risk factors for adults include gum disease, decay, failure of existing dental restorations, and loss of teeth.

Gum disease is caused by bacteria and is a cumulative disease over time.  So unfortunately, as we age our risk for gum disease increases.  While we usually look after ourselves well at this life stage in terms of a healthy diet and brushing and flossing consistently, we are still at risk of tooth decay.  The area where existing fillings bond to your teeth is at higher risk of tooth decay.  Also, any medications, such as for blood pressure, cholesterol, depression and many others, cause a reduction in salivary flow which is your natural defence against tooth decay.

By this stage of most people’s lives they have received numerous dental restorations. Nothing lasts for ever and that includes dental restorations.  So during this phase of life, many people need to have old fillings and crowns replaced to keep teeth healthy and strong.

Finally, some people in this age group loose teeth.  When teeth are lost it results in more force on the remaining teeth making them more likely to fracture and break. As well, the remaining teeth are more likely to drift and move into the space making it more likely to get decay and problems with the remaining teeth. Dental implants provide a long-lasting solution.

Older Adults, Years 65+

For older adults, most of the same issues apply as for Adults, but become more frequent. Some additional problems that may affect this age group are dentures and old amalgam fillings.

When teeth were lost they were traditionally replaced with dentures.  Unfortunately, dentures contribute to greater amounts of decay and gum disease around the remaining teeth.  Dentures are also not as comfortable as natural teeth.  They have significantly smaller biting forces than natural teeth and move around, rub and can make eating and speaking difficult.  Dental implants are a newer alternative to dentures that can restore function and appearance close to the levels of natural teeth.

Many people in this age group received a mouthful of old amalgam fillings before they left school.  Amalgam fillings often last very well, but have sufficient problems so Avenue Dental will not use them.  The amalgam fillings contribute to cracking of teeth, release mercury with potential health impacts and don’t look as healthy as white fillings.

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