Frequently asked questions.

We all keep our mouths at different levels of ‘clean’. Some patients become quite OCD about brushing and flossing and almost over clean their teeth, yes there is such a thing, and some patients don’t even know where their toothbrush lives. For this reason everyone requires different levels of care from the dental hygienist – based on their overall gum condition. Patients who have great gum health where the gums are firm pink and not inflamed can get away with annual cleans and patients who have poor gum health where the gums are red inflamed swollen and bleeding (Gingivitis) can require up to 3 monthly cleans to keep in good health.

X Rays for dental use are extremely safe and low dosage. Did you know one ‘check up’ dental x ray is the equivalent x ray dosage as eating two bananas ! Yes Bananas have a radioactive isotope……they are still safe to eat, don’t worry! We are surrounded by low levels of background radiation – approximately 10x daily the amount of radiation from one dental x ray. We are not saying have as much radiation as you like – we are saying that dental xrays are relatively low in dosage compared with the things out there you may not have known expose us to radiation. Any x rays taken are taken for a diagnostic reason to ensure you don’t have underlying dental health issues which would be more detrimental to your health than a very low safe dose of radiation. Your dentist will be happy to chat through this further if your still not convinced.

All The Tooth Company sites have ample on site parking.

At Smales Farm parking is free for 30 minutes – treatments longer than this we can provide a parking permit. 

At Eastridge parking is free.

At Britomart – parking is available in the Britomart Parking Building.

A lot of Kiwis tend to wait until something hurts………..however this approach is like being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. Yes pain is an indicator that things are not right however pain is also a sign of nerve or pulp involvement and this is usually when a crack has become very deep or a hole has become very deep – the resulting treatments are often more extreme and expensive. Getting through to a dentist on at least an annual basis is the best thing that you can do. Having regular xrays to pick up early problems between you teeth is also essential to prevent any major issues from cropping up. Any signs like bleeding gums – bad breath – sensitive teeth or just anything that changes is a pretty good reason to get in for a check up.

Fillings are a type of restoration. Basically – if decay has destroyed part of the tooth or you have chipped your tooth we can rebuild the tooth with a filling. These days there a lots of different options and materials we can use. The most common material is composite which is tooth coloured. All of the clever scientists have created composites that mimic the esthetics of natural teeth and is a great option for rebuilding teeth mildly damaged. Any teeth which have had extensive damage sometimes require crowns or veneers – your dentist will assess this at the time. Silver fillings are no longer used widely in dentistry.

Short answer – yes. Flossing is key for two reasons. Good gum health and preventing interproximal caries, a fancy word for decay between your teeth. Holes between your teeth are tricky to pick up on and also require large fillings so flossing is vital to lower your risk. Its like any habit – it is all about sticking to it to get the benefits.

We have a lot of patients wanting to have all their silver fillings removed due to concerns surrounding mercury levels. Research has shown that Silver fillings in situ (In your tooth) release insignificant amounts of mercury, removal actually increases your exposure as we have to essentially have to drill the fillings out and this amalgam dust increases your exposure. The levels are still very low compared to the natural dietary exposure we get. So we don’t recommend removing amalgam fillings to rid you of mercury – however we do agree they are unsightly and they also can cause cracking of the surrounding tooth structure, so its best to have a chat with one of our dentists about options surrounding this.

In the dark ages yes. A bottle of whiskey used to be anesthetic – these days with modern anesthetics dentistry should be pain free ! If its not – change your dentist.

Tooth Brush – we would recommend the Oral B Electric range. Electric versus Manual crops up a lot in our surgerys. Research is relatively inclusive around this topic – someone who knows how to use a manual brush can get very good results….however technique is often lacking for the majority of patients so electric just takes care of the action so we tend to see better oral hygiene. 

Tooth paste – anything fluoridated and avoid whitening toothpastes – they are extremely abrasive. 

This is a frustrating one ! The common causes of holes is – Diet / Oral Hygiene habits / Bacterial strain / Saliva Flow and Quality / Poor Previous dental care

So not one thing – thats why its important to work through what it might be outside of brushing. A check up and a good chat will get to the bottom of it.