​Thinking about bleaching your teeth but want more information? At Courtney Dental we use the Philips Zoom in chair whitening procedure which provides amazing results. If you have existing crowns, veneers fillings or artificial teeth it’s important to remember that they WILL NOT change colour.

​Did you know at Courtney Dental all our dental providers have studied and trained at Universities within Australia? And that we only use Australian owned companies and laboratories for all our dental related needs. 

​Here at Courtney Dental we participate in The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) which provides basic dental services to children aged between 2 and 17 years. The CDBS lets you claim up to $1000 towards dental treatment. It’s aimed at families who are already receiving other benefits, such as Family Tax Benefit A payments.

At Courtney Dental we really need to work on practicing what we preach because we are well known to enjoy a treat or 2. 
Dental plaque is a sticky invisible film containing thousands of bacteria which grows on teeth in areas we miss when brushing and flossing.

Tooth decay is caused by acid in that dental plaque. Plaque acid attacks the teeth every single time we eat food containing sugar. If you eat 3 meals a day your teeth will suffer 3 acid attacks. For every time you snack in between meals the number of acid attacks increase. This is why dental health professionals recommend keeping snacks to a minimum, especially the sugary snacks. 

Not only does increased frequency of sugary snacks increase your risk of tooth decay, the stickiness of sugary snacks also increases the risk. 

Sugary food that sticks to the teeth takes longer to clear from the mouth, increasing the length of time the acid attacks occurs for. 

Tips for healthy eating and drinking
 - Avoid giving your child any sweet drinks (Fruit juice, soft drinks, cordial) in baby bottles or feeder cups. Baby bottles should be used for expressed breast milk, infant formula or water.
 - Encourage your child to drink from a cup aged 6-12 months
 - Avoid putting your child to sleep with a bottle or feeder cup
 - Limit your child's sugar intake to meal times
 - Provide healthy snacks between meals (Fruit and vegetables, cheese, low sugar yogurt, bread) and limit snacks to twice a day
 - If your child needs regular medication ask your doctor or pharmacist about sugar free alternatives

Tooth sensitivity is short sharp pain arising from exposed root in response to brushing, dietary acids or change in temperature. 

Exposed root surfaces occur in both healthy and unhealthy mouths. If you have an overenthusiastic brushing style it is possible to push the gums away from the teeth and expose the root surface. On the other hand, not brushing your gums well and leaving bacteria behind may lead to gum disease which can cause the gums to recede. 

The first line of treatment for sensitive teeth is using a desensitizing toothpaste (Examples are Sensodyne® and Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief™, though there are others) or desensitizing products such as Tooth Mousse® at home as part of your daily routine. If those options aren't offering any relief we can offer other procedures in- chair. 

It is important to brush twice a day with a soft brush making sure the gum margin is thoroughly cleaned but avoiding over vigorous brushing. 

Reducing the frequency of acidic foods and drinks can also help. Using a straw when consuming acidic drinks also helps move the acid away from the teeth. 

Rinsing your mouth with water and waiting 30 minutes following eating and drinking can also help sensitivity.

Some acidic food which can increase tooth sensitivity include 
 - Citrus fruits and juices
 - Apple cidar vinegar
 - Carbonated drinks
 - Wine
 - Sports and energy drinks

​If you have any other questions please ask at your next appointment. 

Over the weekend our Dental Hygienist Nicole attended a continuing education course in Townsville, one of the lectures was presented by a representative from GC Tooth Mousse and Tooth Mousse Plus (The plus has added flouride). She learnt some valuable information, which has been passed onto the team to assist in treating and advising our patients here at Courtney Dental. 

​At Courtney dental we try to work hard so we can play hard. Well mostly we work hard, when we aren’t in the kitchen eating. Our wonderful Lian recently won a trip to Paris and dragged her long suffering husband along with her for a whirlwind trip lasting 10 nights, just long enough to realise that driving in a different country is enough to lead to divorce. Whilst they have returned safely (And still happily married) they had to face the music to their children, because they went to Disneyland without them and had a fabulous time. They also attended a cooking class, learning to cook duck and  apple tarte tartin. We are still waiting for her to continue her practice and bring us some snacks.  We missed Lian whilst she was away, Krista was very grateful when she returned to have her sidekick back. 

If your a regular patient and come to visit us often you may wonder why we ask you to update your medical information every 6 months.  we know this process is tedious, so lets explain why we do this. Dentists have an obligation to keep and update dental records in accordance with the guidelines of the Dental Board of Australia. We cannot release any diagnosis or office visit information without your consent.  

Your health conditions can change at any time, you may change type or dosage of medication or stop taking some medication completely. You may have an operation, significant illness, or accident. Things change, which is why we require the medical information to be updated every 6 months to keep our records up to date and the dentist aware of your specific medical situation. 

We have news! We love being part of the community and helping local families improve their oral health. It is important to share the message that staying active, eating a healthy balanced diet and taking care of your oral health can have such a positive impact on your life.  

Life at Courtney Dental works some that like a beehive, and we would know with 2 resident beekeepers - Dave and Ruth. Ruth is more of an expert than Dave having kept bees for a few years now with Dave only just started his hive last year. Keeping bees is not all about the sweet rewards of honey (Which we acknowledge is not so healthy for our teeth), or the nasty stings.