FAQs

Here are some questions our patients often ask us during their appointments
at Family Focus Dental Wentworthville. For further tips and advice, make sure
to book an appointment for a thorough consultation about how to best
optimise your oral health.

  • As much dental work as we do, the most important thing is for you to know the best ways of looking after your teeth in terms of preventing future decay and maintaining the health of your gums to prevent gum disease, which can impact on the overall health and well-being of your whole body.

  • We recommend any kind of fluoride toothpaste on the Australian market including Colgate, Oral-B, Sensodyne and /or Maclean’s toothpaste.

    Nowdays, there are so many products on the market with different uses and benefits that manufacturers promote. Fluoride in layer of fluoride remains over the surfaces of your teeth while you sleep.

  • We highly recommend daily flossing and also the use of interdental brushes such as Piksters™ for larger gaps to maintain good gum health.

    Brushing twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste is also important. We also recommend that you spit and not rinse your toothpaste at night time so that the toothpaste remains in your mouth to continue to protect your teeth from decay. This is a function of the protective fluoride in the toothpaste.

    For patients with harder to manage decay problems, we recommend using Neutrafluor 5000, a product from Colgate that has 5 times the fluoride of regular toothpaste.

  • We recommend seeing the dentist every 6 months for a regular clean and check-up. This is to control plaque and tartar build-up and be reminded of good oral hygiene practices that will ensure you continue to look after your teeth so they stay strong and healty.

    We make this easy for you and your family by provided you are with a health fund provider.

    No excuses for not coming every 6 months!

  • The Australian Dental Association recommends children have their first visit at 12 months of age. The first visit may involve just helping the child ‘warm’ to the environment of the dental treatment room. This includes saying ‘Hello’ to one of our friendly dentists, allowing them to count your child’s teeth and build a positive relationship from the get-go!

    We recommend children from 3 years of age begin having a gentle clean, polish and fluoride, in order to educate and maintain a lifetime of healthy teeth and oral hygiene.

  • We like to take X-rays of your teeth every two years as part of the regular check-up at Family Focus Dental. With modern technological advances and the digital film system we are using, the radiation dosage of our X-rays is extremely low and safe.
    These X-rays help us detect damage and disease not visible during a regular exam.

    We make this easy for you and your family by providing the regular check-up, scale and clean, polish, fluoride treatments and any X-rays required free of charge provided you are with a health fund provider and have eligible dental cover.

  • There are many, many options for replacing missing teeth. The three main options include implants, dentures, and bridge work.
    We recommend coming in to talk to a dentist to fully explore the options available and most suitable for your situation.

  • Bad breath can be caused by a number of factors including bacteria and plaque on the tongue. So ensuring your tongue is brushed and cleaned regularly is important. The smell may also be coming from areas deep underneath your gums, which are difficult to clean with regular brushing and flossing.

    Other factors may contribute such as stress, diabetes, smoking and pregnancy. We recommend making an appointment to fully explore the possible reasons why you may have bad breath.

  • Healthy gums are pink, and firm and will not bleed when brushed. Inflamed gums are red, puffy, swollen and will bleed when brushed. Often these areas are also sore. Most people will avoid these areas for fear of causing greater damage, but you actually want to do the opposite. These areas have plaque and bacteria in them causing the inflammation and actually need to be cleaned (usually with your toothbrush is just fine) rather than avoided. This inflammation can continue deep into your gums and may cause a condition known as periodontitis.

    If the bleeding persists in any areas of your mouth please let us know and we can help find and treat the problem. However, the last thing you want to do is avoid brushing an area that is bleeding or sore.