Woollahra Dental

Heidi Dawson Tuesday, November 18, 2014 Woollahra Dental would like to share some information published by the Heidi Dawson  to provide her top five exercises that everyone should be doing. The aim of these exercises is to address common muscular issues that so often lead to muscle imbalances, poor posture and subsequent pain or injury. Few of us perform exercises regularly with the aim of preventing pain or injury. In fact, few of us perform any exercises regularly with injuries in mind — even ones we have previously been prescribed to help rehabilitate an old injury. Once the pain has gone, the exercises often stop. As the old saying goes, "prevention is the best medicine," and this is definitely true when it comes to the training and development of our bodies. There are so many injuries I see on a daily basis that stem from the same few causes — causes that can so easily be addressed in just a few minutes a day, before they become a problem or cause a problem somewhere els...

New research shows vulnerable patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) who received enhanced oral care from a dentist were at significantly less risk for developing a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), like ventilator-associated pneumonia, during their stay. The study was published in the November issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). "Bacteria causing healthcare-associated infections often start in the oral cavity," said Fernando Bellissimo-Rodrigues, MD, lead author of the study. "This study suggests that having a dentist provide weekly care as part the ICU team may improve outcomes for vulnerable patients in this setting." Brazilian researchers utilized an observer-blind randomized clinical trial design to analyze data from 254 adult patients who stayed in a general ICU for at least 48 hours. Patients were randomized to receive enhanced dental care provided by a dent...

Woollahra Dental would like to share some information published by the AACP written by  GAURAV KRISHNAMURTHY  to provide information a device ( FDA Approved) for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders  . TMJ Health (Farmington Hills, MI) has received FDA clearance for the TMJ NextGeneration Device to alleviate temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) pain. TMJD affects the jaw joint, surrounding muscles, and nerves, leading to chronic pain and poor quality of life. According to the NIH, more than 35 million Americans suffer from TMJD, which includes symptoms such as pain in the face, jaw or neck, jaw muscle stiffness, and sharp pain around the ears. TMJD has conventionally been treated with bite splints to reduce the amount of grinding of the teeth that causes the sharp pain. These splints cannot be worn while eating, are known to affect speech, and cause long term damage to the joints. The TMJ NextGeneration device treats the TM joint pain in the ear canal, which happens to be...

Sleep apnoea is a potential health risk for many Australians. It is a common disorder in which the airways constrict during sleep, leading to repeated stops and starts in breathing. The tell-tale signs include chronic loud snoring, with periodic gasps and choking and, for many people, daytime drowsiness. Studies suggest that those pauses in breathing due to this condition cause stress in the nervous system, elevate blood pressure and cause inflammation in the arteries. A new American study by Dr Richard Schwab is the first study to show an association between tongue fat and sleep apnoea. The study found that the levels of fat deposits are increased in the tongues of obese patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea. Study of 90 obese adults with sleep apnoea and 90 obese adults without the disorder found that the participants with sleep apnoea had significantly larger tongues, tongue fat and percentage of tongue fat than those without sleep apnoea. Following this study, the Ameri...

Woollahra Dental would like to share some information developed by the ADA to provide information on dental erosion. Dental erosion is the loss of tooth structure due to exposure to acids. This occurs when teeth are exposed to acids such as those found in some beverages, in vomit and through some illegal drugs. These acids can gradually erode enamel from teeth and lead to the loss of the tooth’s natural shape, or premature exposure of the dentine, which is the internal part of a tooth. Tooth erosion can result in tooth sensitivity – especially when the tooth is exposed to hot and cold temperatures. Acidic drinks like fruit juices, sports, soft and caffeinated drinks can exacerbate the dental erosion process. Other causes of dental erosion can be vomiting, excessive consumption of alcohol and the use of some illegal drugs. Acidic Drinks: Most people are aware that high sugar soft drinks contribute to tooth decay. What is not so well known is that these drinks, along with fruit juices an...

Woollahra Dental would like to share some interesting information from the 'Stanford Children's Health Organisation'  for parents wanting to know more about when their child's teeth will come in. While every child is different, the primary teeth begin to come in between the ages of six and 12 months. Most of the primary teeth (baby teeth) will have erupted by 33 months. Girls tend to have their teeth come in before boys. The following are general guidelines for the eruption of the baby teeth: Below, we have provided average ages of eruption and shedding. The first tooth to erupt is usually a middle, front tooth on the lower jaw, known as the central incisor. This is followed by the second central incisor on the lower jaw. Next, the four upper incisors usually come in. The above is followed by the first four molars, and the remaining bottom two lateral incisors. Lateral incisors are beside (lateral to) the central incisors. Next, the four first molars come in. Then the c...

Woollahra Dental would like to share some information developed by the ADA to provide information on how oral piercings affect your oral health and teeth. It’s important to know the facts about tongue and lip piercings so that people can make informed decisions about oral piercings. In the best case scenario, soreness and swelling will be the only symptoms experienced following the piercing procedure, however damaged teeth, excessive bleeding and infection can occur, in rare cases. Tongue piercing involves a needle being inserted through the midline of the tongue to place a stud, hoop or a barbell in the tongue, and is usually done without anaesthetic. After piercing, common symptoms include swelling and pain. Possible side effects following tongue piercing: Slight bleeding can be expected. There is a risk that blood vessels can be severed in the process of piercing the tongue, which can cause the excessive bleeding. While swelling of the tongue is expected after piercing, in severe ca...