Woollahra Dental

The treatment of chronic pain of the head and neck is a difficult diagnostic puzzle. In an acute injury, the pain is at the site of origin, in a chronic condition however, the brain and body have instigated a variety of compensatory mechanisms that may drastically alter the degree and location of symptoms. Diagnostic postural balance tests are used to prioritise treatment and identify the origin of the presenting systems, which may involve: muscle pain of the head, neck or back; dizziness or vertigo; migraine; pain in the arms, hands or shoulders; sleep deprivation; swallowing difficulty; and many other symptoms. Treatment involves jaw joint stabilisation using removable pivots or splints and mandibular postural appliances to correct any structural injuries. Referral to other medical and allied health practitioners is required if systems persist for treatment of biochemical, physiological, hormonal or respiratory disorders. Following jaw joint stabilisation, pain relief and a full rang...

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction and muscle disorders, often known as TMJ or TMD , can be not only a real physical pain but a psychological pain as well. When the muscles and nerves of the TM joint are injured; inflammation, headaches, blurred vision, jaw tightness, ear pain, ringing in the ear, facial swelling, shoulder/neck stiffness and even depression can occur.  According to the TMJ Association, approximately 12% of the population is affected by TMD.  A research article by The School of Psychology and Life Sciences concluded that, “depression is particularly common among TMD patients” and pain symptoms associated with TMD can be treated with occlusal appliances or dental splint. The TM joint is where the bones of your skull connect to your jaw located just in front of your ear. Injury to the TM joint can occur directly through experiencing physical trauma or occur over time such as: Experiencing excessive stress or anxiety  Teeth grinding/clenching Poor posture Mi...

‘Our “sweet tooth” has been the basis of one of the most long standing controversial topics in the health and food industries. The food industry believes and markets refined sugar to be a food that is harmless and “natural”. Whereas doctors and nutritionists in the health industry have been conducting studies and releasing research that is proving that refined sugar is actually a “poison”! The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines poison as, “A substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism.” In 1957 Dr. William Coda Martin concluded that refined sugar is a poison. He stated, “The refinement process, creates a product our bodies can’t use, because we can’t digest it. It is more of a pharmaceutical drug than it is a nurturing food.” In the early 1900’s the average consumption of sugar per year was 6-9kg. It’s scary to say that now the sugar consumption is closer to our weight in sugar each year as it has been made readily available and put into al...

Sounds surprising, but it is true! Your oral health reflects details of your current overall health. Your oral health also could be a contributing problem to your overall health. This is why Dr Tony Ancell and his team at Woollahra Dental Practice have a holistic view. They look beyond just your teeth and gums to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Did you know that a reduction in salvia flow occurs when you are taking certain medications? Often it is taking antihistamines, diuretics, painkillers or decongestants that are to blame. When we produce less saliva we are not able to protect our teeth from an overgrowth of bacteria. Saliva is a very powerful tool in our oral health system as it neutralizes acids and helps wash food away.  Did you know that what you eat and drink, such as sugar (not just sweets but fruits and breads too) can play a harmful role in the formation of tooth decay? Did you know that by having red or inflamed gums you are putting your overall health at...

 There have been numerous studies and data collected on people who experience acid reflux. The medical term for acid reflux that occurs frequently is called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In a study of sixty million Americans who were diagnosed with GERD, 80% of them reported their symptoms were worse at night, according to WebMD. The College of Gastroenterology is always searching for reasons to discover why there is such a strong correlation between sleep apnoea and acid reflux. Turns out, according to gastroenterologist Ken DeVault, MD of the Mayo Clinic, “with sleep apnoea, people tend to breathe harder because their breathing has stopped, and that could induce reflux to flow into the oesophagus”.1  In other studies by physicians, night-time reflux  was discovered as often being a primary cause of sleep disruption.   If you suffer from both problems, there is good news. There are treatment options that the team at Woollahra Dental Practice can help yo...

There is a cause of permanent and severe loss of tooth structure you need to know about. The culprit: gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) also known as “heart burn” (1). The name alone sounds threating, which it is. Even scarier than the name, is the fact that it is a common condition that occurs when stomach acids travel upward into the esophagus, which leads to acid reflux-induced erosion of your teeth! According to the National Science Foundation, acid in the stomach is extremely low (meaning highly acidic), having a pH level ranging from of 1.0-3.0. The Australian Dental Association states tooth enamel becomes soft and can be easily damaged when the pH level in your mouth drops below 5.5. Our teeth are constantly being exposed to food and beverages with a low pH level (2) that put our enamel at risk of erosion. Every time we enjoy a sports drink, fruit juice, or caffeinated beverage the pH level in our mouth drops dramatically. Ironically, it’s those same beverages that often pr...

Woollahra Dental would like to share a journal from the University of Granada about chronic periodontitis, an inflammatory gum disease, influences prognosis and the severity of heart attacks. The researchers from the University of Granada have demonstrated for the first time that chronic periodontitis, an inflammatory gum disease which provokes gradual teeth loss, is closely related to the severity of acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attack. In a pioneering research, published in the Journal of Dental Research, and titled "Acute myocardial infarct size is related to periodontitis extent and severity," this team has demonstrated that the extent and severity of chronic periodontitis is related to the size of acute myocardial infarction through seric levels of troponin I and myoglobin (biomarkers of myocardial necrosis). This research results in part from the conclusions of Rafael Martín Marfil Álvarez's doctoral dissertation, which was directed by UGR pr...