Click through and read some articles written by Dr. Peter Bertossa.
Are Some Foods Good For Your Teeth?
09-Jul-2016
We’ve all been told what not to eat and drink by our dentists. In particular we are told to minimise our exposure to sugar and acidic foods. I would certainly agree that having regard to the things we should minimise in our diet is still definitely the safer ground when it comes to the health of your teeth, however scientific evidence has arisen to the bene..
Better Materials, Better Results
09-Jul-2016
When we offer crowns at Dental on Metro, clients often conjure memories of previous crown experiences or crowns they’ve seen in friends or strangers. Traditional dental crowns were like handmade jewellery. The final result was a combination of (usually) a precious metal like gold, with a fusion of feldspathic porcelain baked on in a furnace. To see these made ..
Grinding Your Teeth?
09-Jul-2016
The truth is everyone does it, it is only a question of degree. Worse still, it is generally beyond our control because for most of us it happens during rapid eye movement sleep. This is a lighter and less relaxing phase of sleep during which we dream and our brain undertakes emotional resolution. It is not necessarily bad stress that makes us grind. Planning a good h..
My Remote Work
09-Jul-2016
My most adventurous year in dentistry was 1996 which I spent in the remote Torres Strait. My job was with Queensland health. The Torres Strait (above the tip of Far North Queensland) consists of about 80 islands, 14 of which are inhabited with a combined population of about 4,500 people. ‘Base camp’ for us was Thursday Island or T.I. as we referred to it. M..
Nursing and Infant dental decay
09-Jul-2016
Teeth generally begin to erupt at around 6-8 months of age and once teeth are present the potential for dental decay arises. Saliva in the mouth is natures protection against tooth decay however saliva flow slows down drastically at night (during sleep). Intuitively therefore night time feeding increases the risk of tooth decay – after teeth are present. That..
Root Canal Treat or Extract?
09-Jul-2016
The poor souls who have been in this dreadful predicament will tell you that having to make this high pressure on-the-spot decision, often while still in pain, sleep deprived and intoxicated on pain killers, is a dilemma. We are generally poorly informed as members of the public. We think back to what our parents and friends told us about root canal treatment ‘it..
Smoking....
09-Jul-2016
Sorry smokers, this had to come up in one of my articles. It wouldn’t be an epiphany for smokers that smoking is ‘bad for your teeth’. But what goes on? Two gum conditions are commonly recognised by dentists; Gingivitis and Periodontitis. Gingivitis simply translates into inflammation of the gums (the soft tissue around your teeth). Signs of this a..
The Cambodian Smile
09-Jul-2016
Having just returned from Cambodia I can say that the warmth of the Cambodian smile is something that will never leave me. This is especially so given how close to the surface Cambodia’s genocide still is and how pervasive was the social impact during the Pol Pot era (1974-1979). The Cambodian smile suffered in more ways than one during this period. Like many ot..
Value At The Dentist
09-Jul-2016
As the South Australian Economy falls on harder times, we are all seeking opportunities to make prudent savings in our budgets. A bill at some Dentists can be a knockout punch, especially when the event was unexpected such as a broken tooth or an ache developing. As in every industry the client who searches, saves and without having to compromise the quality of care..
Why you should bring kids for checkups!
09-Jul-2016
It is encouraging in our practice to see the migration of kids in for school holiday’s dental check-ups. I write this month’s article about a common kids scenario, that can be avoided with regular check-ups. Imagine … as general rule, a lot swings at the dentist for children upon the necessity of having an anaesthetic injection (needle) for treat..
Get to Know your teeth!
24-May-2015
It’s a good time in dentistry to have a detailed knowledge of your teeth and the treatment options available to you. There have been some truly ground breaking changes in Dentistry in recent times. Consider the following. The availability of implant treatment to replace missing front and back teeth. The transformation in root canal treatment us..
Kids Teeff …. !
24-May-2015
There’s no more satisfying part to my job than associating families in the local area, and it is a high honour to become someone’s ‘family dentist’. As a father myself to a now busy 4 ½ year old boy I have an idea of the challenges, especially when it comes to his teeth (trust me, it doesn’t count that I’m a dentist). I&r..
More on Digital Dentistry
24-May-2015
I could write column after column about what is possible with CAD-CAM dentistry. This is now the new normal and will be the future of the way we fix teeth. To provide an example of a service that is available now at Dental on Metro, if you didn’t like particular aspects of your the shape, size or position or colour of your front teeth, our clinicians are ab..
Printing Teeth? CAD - CAM Dentistry
05-Nov-2014
Yes. And this will be available at Dental on Metro from 2015. From 2015 Dental on Metro will be equipped CAD CAM driven 3D printing and milling of dental restorations. Your teeth can be milled in clinic (at the chair-side while you wait) or if necessary emailed to the lab! The capacity now exists for software to incorporate a 3D skull scan with 3D scans taken in the..
Two Front Teeth for Christmas?
05-Nov-2014
All I want for Christmas is …. Don't get into teeth trouble at Christmas! If only Santa really could bring us our two front teeth for Christmas (or maybe two back ones if required). It’s lovely to begin to wind down at this time of the year, and we all pause for thought about how fortunate we are in such a peaceful and beautiful country and al..
Teeth and Ageing ....
26-Aug-2014
Getting old in the tooth? What should we be thinking about our teeth as we age? The baby boomer generation encountered an epidemic of tooth decay in their younger years. Fortunately at the time, thinking around dental treatment had changed and many baby boomers kept all or most of their teeth, albeit with quite a few large dental fillings. Remember, eating may be one of..
Knocked one out? The do's and don'ts
08-Jul-2014
At an update course I attended recently, footage was shown of NBA players spitting out fully dislocated teeth in the heat of competitive basketball. This doesn’t really set the best example for the do’s and don’ts following a sporting injury to teeth! I guess the assumption that goes with that behaviour is that teeth can easily be artificially replace..
Travelling - teeth considerations ..
08-Jul-2014
It hasn’t taken me long to start thinking of my next holiday, having only returned from Cuba and Mexico recently. I enjoy exchanging travel stories with my clients. But it’s surprising how often I hear of dental problems stowing away on people’s holidays. In some parts of the world this can create a difficult predicament. So here are a few teeth travel..
Finding a new Dentist?
14-May-2014
Meeting with a new Dentist involves a leap of faith. Most of us want a Dentist who is gentle, trustworthy, and modern and who offers a range of services. It could be that we’ve moved into a new area or our old dentist has retired. It might just be dissatisfaction with the practice that you’re attending. Such is the trepidation that some of my patients have waite..
Is your child eligible for Dentistry on Medicare?
19-Feb-2014
Here we all go again in 2014. Here’s the news! Child Dental Benefits Schedule Dentistry is now on Medicare for Kids 2-17 years of age who meet certain eligibility criteria. Families will be advised by Centrelink of their eligibility. The main eligibility criteria are receipt of Family Tax Benefit A and some other government benefits**. The good news is ..
HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST?
06-Nov-2013
A very common question at the Dentist. Patients request this information when evaluating how worthwhile a treatment is given the cost, time and potential pain involved. But it’s a difficult question to answer given that the longevity of dental treatment is affected by so many local factors, for example, the size and position of a restoration, the strength of so..
Bad Breath? What Causes it?
23-Jul-2013
Bad Breath, what causes it? Bad breath is a common reason for presentation at the dentist. It may have been mentioned sensitively by a partner or best friend. Surprisingly in genuine cases of bad breath, the effected person is often unaware of the magnitude of the problem due to ‘acclimatisation’ to their own odour … This is an embarrassing prob..
Sensitive Teeth?
10-Jul-2013
This is a common complaint. What does it mean? Dentists take a lot of interest when a client says they have sensitive teeth. Sensitive teeth can be the first sign of a problem with a tooth. A Dentist can discern whether the sensitivity is 'common' sensitivity or if there is an underlying problem such as a cavity .... Importantly, if there is an underlying proble..
Should I Get Dental Extra's Cover
14-Apr-2013
Should I get Dental Extra's Cover? It is hard to know where to start with Dental Extra's cover. The value that people get out of Dental Extra's cover varies highly from individual to individual and from health fund to health fund. The principal differences between health funds are whether or not you are rewarded by the health fund (with higher rebates and someti..
Whitening: Does it Work?
13-Apr-2013
Teeth are still predominantly whitened using peroxide based treatments. That's right the same way that hair was once (or still is?) bleached. In keeping with the modern era the choices are mind-boggling and a bit confusing. This is a quick how-too on making decisions regarding whitening. Step 1: Take my word for it: visit a dental professional. Why?..
Composite fillings or Amalgam!
11-Apr-2013
We have all been exposed to a great deal of controversy regarding the Amalgam debate. A common presenting complaint at the dentist concerns the patients desire to remove existing amalgam (grey) fillings to have them replaced with a suitable tooth coloured substitute. Common concerns from clients regarding amalgam relate to their mercury content and/or their unsightly ..
To Fluoride or not to Fluoride?
11-Apr-2013
This question has raised some controversy during its history. Not many people know that Fluoride's effects on teeth were originally discovered following research between 1909 and 1933 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In particular what sparked the research was an unusual brown mottling of the enamel noticed on the teeth of residents and native residents born and raised on the..