Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How can we help you?
Our entire team is passionate about dentistry and providing personalised dentistry for the patients in our community. If you have queries about our practitioners, the services we offer, or your treatment, we welcome you to call or email us for a fast response. Below, you will find common questions from our patients. We are available to answer yours.
Cosmetic Dentistry
When you’re unhappy with your smile, it may interfere with
your overall happiness as well. Our cosmetic dentist in Melbourne is keen to help you achieve the smile you’ve been looking for, and porcelain veneers or dental crowns may be the solution.
Reasons to Consider Veneers
Porcelain veneers at our Kew East dental clinic are thin shells that are bonded to the fronts of your teeth, and they are designed to blend in with your smile and conceal tooth flaws including:
- Discolouration
- Shape issues
- Discrepancies in height
- Small gaps
- Minor cracks
- Gummy smiles
Dental crowns in Melbourne are another way to hide certain tooth flaws. Unlike veneers, however, porcelain crowns are designed to go over your entire prepared tooth and conceal some of the same aesthetic issues. Dental crowns can also help strengthen a tooth that has been weakened following trauma or root infection.
Our cosmetic dentist will assess your smile to make sure veneers or crowns are the right options to help you reach your smile goal. During this assessment, you are encouraged to ask questions and share any concerns that you may have about cosmetic dentistry in Kew East.
Veneers in Melbourne
At General and Cosmetic Dentistry, we are here help you realise your best smile and to help you feel good about your teeth.
If you would like to book a chat with our cosmetic dentist in Melbourne, give us a call.
Crowns and Bridges
Teeth are strong and durable for most daily use. Covered in
protective enamel, teeth can sustain most normal force from chewing. Some conditions, however, put teeth at risk for cracks and damage.
Teeth Grinding
Having a teeth grinding habit puts your smile at risk. Constant force from a teeth grinding habit may eventually compromise the enamel covering teeth and cause a crack or split to occur.
Biting into Hard Substances
Teeth are designed for eating, not for biting into hard objects such as olive stones or ice. Occasionally, biting into something unexpected can lead to a fractured tooth.
Decay (Dental Caries)
Decay compromises the structural integrity of teeth because it softens the enamel surrounding your teeth. When decay involves a significant portion of your natural tooth, it can lead to damage requiring restoration.
Accidents or Sports Injuries
Accidents sometimes happen, and when teeth crack due to an accident or sports injury, we can often restore teeth with dental crowns to protect the structure.
Dental Crowns to Repair Cracked Teeth
Fillings seal the tooth and fill in a cavity after removing decay. A crown provides greater protection by covering the natural tooth structure and holding the tooth together as you chew. We offer crowns in both porcelain fused to metal and full porcelain options. We will be happy to discuss which will best support your smile.
Dental Implants
One of the many benefits of dental implants is that they are easy to care for. Unlike dentures, which wearers need to remove for cleaning—many people envision the dentures in the glass of water at the bedside—you can care for dental implants the same way you do your natural teeth.
When you opt for dental implants in Kew East, VIC to replace one or more missing teeth, our dentist will provide you with instructions for maintaining your oral health. These include:
- Brushing and flossing on the same schedule as with your natural teeth: twice a day for brushing and once a day for flossing (usually at bedtime.
- Avoiding biting into hard lollies or ice, and never using your teeth as tools.
- Visiting your dentist for routine examinations and cleans. Although your dental implants cannot develop tooth decay, you are still vulnerable to gum disease. Only your dentist can tell for sure if you are maintaining good gum health.
If you would like to learn more about dental implants in Kew East, VIC we welcome your call to our dental surgery. Our patients who have opted for dental implants like them so much, they often say their only regret is that they didn’t get them sooner.
A dental implant is a prosthetic tooth replacement designed to mimic natural teeth. Consisting of both an i
mplant post and crown, the final result looks and feels most like a natural tooth compared to other tooth replacement options.
The Dental Implant Process
At General and Cosmetic Dentistry, we use 3-D cone beam technology to identify and plan for surgical placement of the titanium post. Titanium is a biocompatible metal that integrates with natural bone to create a stable, fixed option for tooth replacement.
Once the healing process occurs, we can place a dental implant crown on top of the implant post to fill the gap in your smile and restore normal function. One of the many benefits of dental implants is that patients can enjoy an unrestricted diet once treatment is complete.
Caring for dental implants is convenient as it is like caring for your natural teeth. Good home care is essential, and when combined with regular professional dental exams and cleanings, it can protect your natural smile and prolong the life of your dentistry.
Dental Implants in Melbourne
To learn if you are a good candidate for dental implants, we welcome you to contact our Kew East dental clinic and schedule a consultation with our dental surgeon, Dr Baker Hamdi. We look forward to helping you regain a smile that gives you confidence in your appearance and allows you to eat the foods you love.
Patients of our Kew East, VIC dental clinic who have had
dental implants often report the following advantages:
- Dental implants look and feel very much like the natural tooth. Since dental implants are surgically placed into the jawbone, they become integrated into the body. Once the implant heals—usually over a period of several months, depending on the patient—and is topped with a natural-looking dental crown, people can barely tell the difference between the implant and their natural tooth.
- Unlike with dentures and bridges, there are no eating restrictions with dental implants. Because dental implants are stable, chewing is easy—and no foods are off-limits.
- The stability of dental implants means speaking is natural—unlike with dentures, which can slide out of please, even with denture adhesive.
- Caring for dental implants is easy. Treat them as you would your natural teeth, brushing at least twice a day and flossing once. Although the implants themselves cannot develop decay, it’s still crucial that you protect the health of your gums around the implants. Be sure to visit your dentist twice each year for check-ups and cleans.
If you’d like to learn more about dental implants at our Kew East, VIC dental clinic, we invite you to give us a call on (03) 9859 1187 or (03) 9859 2749.
General Dentistry
Why Fluoride?
Modern diets have changed the way we need to care for our teeth in order to keep them healthy.
Sugary snacks and processed, starchy food consumption have increased dramatically in the last six decades. Sugar, starch, and acid create a detrimental environment for the enamel that protects teeth. Bacteria feed on sugars – found in sweets, pastries, bagels, crisps, crackers, cereals, and bread. Once bacteria begin to reproduce, they emit an acidic by-product that softens enamel. Once bacteria reach the inside dentin of a tooth, they can cause rapid decay and deterioration.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that strengthens enamel and re-mineralises teeth. Regular fluoride varnish treatments add an extra layer of protection to teeth and help prevent dental decay.
Who Need Fluoride Treatment?
Many children benefit from regular fluoride treatments, but it can be useful for adults, as well – particularly for patients with deep grooves in their teeth or who suffer from gum recession.
If you experience tooth sensitivity regularly or after whitening your teeth, fluoride treatments can reduce sensitivity and make whitening your teeth or eating cold foods more comfortable.
If you would like to find out if you might benefit from regular fluoride treatment, we welcome you to ask at your next appointment or give us a call.
Many dental conditions are identified by our practitioners through a regular dental exam and a visual inspection of your teeth. A visual inspection only tells part of the story when it comes to your oral health. To see the full picture, make an accurate diagnosis, and recommend available treatment options, we need to identify underlying conditions beneath the surface of your enamel and gums.
What do X-Rays Do?
Digital dental x-rays allow us to identify decay, infection, bone loss, growth patterns, and cysts or tumours that put your oral health at risk. Without x-rays, a dental condition may go undetected for months or years and eventually lead to tooth loss.
We recommend regular dental x-rays so that we can identify any oral conditions in their earliest stages at a time when they are often easier and more affordable to treat. Since we use digital dental x-rays, radiation exposure is minimal and safer for you.
Which X-Rays Are For You?
We may also recommend advanced x-rays to plan for surgery such as dental implant placement or extractions as well as when planning orthodontic treatment. If you have questions about the necessity or safety of dental x-rays, we welcome you to ring our dental clinic and we can discuss your options.
Orthodontics for Adults and Children
With today’s modern orthodontics, a mouth full of metal is
not needed to straighten your teeth. This is good news for many adults who decide that they no longer want to live with misaligned or crooked teeth.
How Does Invisalgn Work?
Invisalign clear braces work by quickly but gently moving your teeth into the desired position with clear plastic aligners. In general, Invisalign invisible braces are a cosmetic treatment for straightening teeth that do not need a major position shift with a bite. Most people achieve the results they desire in just about 12 to 18 months, so this is a quicker option for obtaining straighter teeth than traditional orthodontics from our Kew East dental clinic. Patients must commit to wearing the plastic aligners for at least 22 hours each day if they want to reach their smile goals.
Invisalign uses gentle force to move the teeth into alignment. There is little risk of root damage or other issues because treatment is gentle, with extractions seldom being necessary.
As with most orthodontic treatment, you will need to wear a retainer afterward to ensure the continued success of your new smile.
Talk to your Kew East dental surgery about orthodontics, including Invisalign invisible braces, to find out which option might be best for your situation.