FAQ’s

Regular dental visits are important in keeping your teeth and gums healthy. Seeing a dentist every six months (or as recommended by your dental professional) allows for

1. Early diagnosis and treatment of tooth decay: new tooth decay can occur at any time of your life (even if you’ve never had a cavity before) and you may not notice any pain or symptoms until the disease is advanced. You may not notice until you develop a toothache due to an infection reaching the nerve of the tooth leading to you needing root canal treatment or an extraction. Leaving decay until it is very advanced can cost you a lot more money and lead to poorer oral health outcomes.
2. Prevention of gum disease: over time, minerals in our saliva can cause the soft flurry plaque to harden and form tartar (calculus). This can only be removed by dentists using our special vibrating scaler. The presence of tartar promotes gum inflammation and can lead to gum recession causing sensitive teeth and bone loss leading to wiggly teeth and ultimately tooth loss. This process is called periodontitis or gum disease.
3. Oral cancer screening: every dental visit is accompanied with a soft tissue examination of the oral cavity for any abnormalities. Early detection of oral cancer is directly related to survival rates at 5 years after diagnosis. Oral cancer can be silent and go unnoticed until it is too late. Dentists spend all day looking inside mouths and are the best person to identify if something looks abnormal or not.

Flossing is important to clean in between your teeth where your toothbrush cannot reach. This will decrease your chances of developing cavities between the teeth. It also helps to reduce gum inflammation in between your teeth which could otherwise lead to gum disease and irreversible bone loss.

Have a little fun!  If your enthusiastic about your oral hygiene, generally your children will follow suit. Having a fun colorful toothbrush with your child’s favourite character can help. Electric toothbrushes can also help make a child more enthusiastic about brushing.  Playing a song or video while the child is brushing can help to ensure they are brushing for the recommended 2 minutes. Try looking for “Toothbrushing songs” on Youtube! We recommended for parents to supervise or assist with brushing a child’s teeth until about the age where they can tie their own shoes to ensure they don’t miss any areas.

Fluoride is a natural mineral found in water and some foods. This mineral helps aid in the defense of tooth decay by strengthening the enamel.  Fluoride can also help reverse early signs of tooth decay through remineralisation of softened enamel before a cavity forms.

Mouthwash helps with freshening your breath and reduce gum inflammation.  Best results occur when you use them with regular brushing and flossing.  It is not a substitute for brushing and flossing as it does not remove the plaque.  The dentist can recommend the best type for you.

Dental xrays are necessary to look for dental diseases where the dentist can’t see such as under the gums and in between the teeth.  It will show any tooth decay, infection and any bone loss that has occurred. The standard recommended time that dental xrays should be updated is at least every two years. Your dental professional will advise you if you need some any sooner. Without recent xrays, a dentist cannot perform a complete comprehensive examination.

The amount of radiation used in dental xrays is very small. The amount of radiation that is involved with taking a standard dental xrays is about the same as the radiation exposure from a one-way flight from Melbourne to Sydney.  At Peninsula Dental Care, we use modern digital xrays which use even less radiation than analogue film xrays. We also provide a lead apron to every patient that requires an xray. We aim to only take xrays when necessary. Providing us with a duplicate of dental xrays you’ve had in the past may help to reduce the amount of xrays you need.

If you require a dental xray while you are pregnant, the risk to your baby is negligible as the radiation dose is very low, the beam is focused on a small part of your jaw and directed away from your womb and you will be covered with a lead apron. Naturally, we understand most expectant mothers are still reluctant for any radiation exposure. We will only advise dental xrays if they are necessary for your treatment, especially in cases of dental emergencies. Having regular dental visits with recent xrays will reduce your chances of requiring dental xrays during your pregnancy as well as reduce your risk for a dental emergency.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages.  When used right the manual toothbrush works great however an electric toothbrush is easier to use and automatically cleans when you move the head from tooth to tooth.  This can often make for more thorough clean.

We do offer payment plans.  The process is easy and straightforward.  We make an appointment for a consultation with our Dentist or Prosthetist.  They then make up a plan suitable for your needs and we and apply for it together online.  The online process takes about 15 minutes.

Great news! Peninsula Dental Care accepts all health funds. We can process your claim automatically through HICAPS on the day, meaning you will only need to cover the gap payment. We are not a preferred provider for a particular health fund.

As the amount covered for your treatment will vary depending on which health fund you are with and the level of cover you have, you will need to contact your health fund to find out how much you will be covered for. We can provided you a list of dental item codes required for your treatment so you can find out this information from your health insurance provider.