5 Most Frequent Dental Procedures in Australia

Dental health is a pivotal part of our overall well-being, and most of us are aware of it. Yet, many people only visit the dentist when they’re already in pain or something else has gone seriously wrong. And even though the Australian government is making an effort to increase people’s awareness of this important issue, the problem is still far from solved. In case you’ve experienced aching or you’re unsettled about your dental health for any other reason, you’ll want your dentist to find the problem and fix it as efficiently as possible. If you’re wondering what you can expect when this happens, take a look at some of the most common dental procedures in Australia.

Fillings and Repairs

When you get a toothache and set up a dentist appointment, you’ll most likely find out that the pain was caused by a dental cavity. These occur because of poor dental hygiene or a diet loaded with sugary foods that mix with your saliva. The go-to solutions for dental cavity are repairs and tooth fillings. These procedures are considered simple by most dentists, unless your teeth are positioned irregularly and it’s hard for them to reach the cavity. The fillings are meant to restore your teeth fully, which means both their shape and function. Your dentist will first remove the part of your teeth that’s been damaged by decay, after which they’ll apply the filling, which will seal any existing pathways for various bacteria in your teeth and prevent any further decay.

Teeth Cleaning and Whitening

Certain bad habits, such as smoking and drinking wine, coffee or sodas excessively, tend to cause your teeth to stain or change their color. When you face this problem, it’s likely your dentist will recommend that you get your teeth professionally cleaned and whitened. This procedure is designed to remove various built-up debris from your teeth surface. Sometimes they’ll even remove plaque and hard calculus from your teeth, which is a good way to prevent possible gum disease development. Australians are also quite self-conscious when it comes to their teeth, as they spend a lot of their time outdoors and with others, so this procedure can boost their self-esteem significantly. Your dentist will tell you the cause of your discoloration or staining and they’ll either give you an adequate at-home whitening solution, or they’ll treat you at their office.

Dental Implants

Losing one or more of your teeth for any reason can take its toll on anybody. Not only does it become difficult to chew food, but there’s also the matter of aesthetics, which Australians can sometimes get insecure about. In this case, aside from a good dentist, you’ll also need to find a reliable full-service dental lab in Australia, with professional staff and the latest restorative solutions for you. That’s the best way to be sure you’ll get a top-quality bridge or a dental implant to replace the tooth or teeth you’re missing. Dental bridges typically consist of a crown on either side of the tooth you’ve lost and they support the false tooth, while inserting dental implants is a somewhat more complicated procedure, but with a more permanent result, so make sure you put your trust in the right hands when opting for either of the two.

Tooth Extraction

Whether due to genetics or different external factors, it’s not a rare occurrence for Australians to get a tooth removed, and sometimes even more than one. Some of the causes are untreated tooth decay, gum disease or overcrowded teeth. Similarly, dentists sometimes decide to take out wisdom teeth, when they find it to be potentially problematic for your oral health. This is a straightforward procedure and a safe one, but one that your dental professional will resort to only if they don’t see another way to save your natural tooth. To avoid this, it’s essential that you see your dentist on a regular basis, so that they identify any problem before it becomes untreatable.

Root Canal

Another recurrent dental procedure Australians undergo is the root canal. When drinking and eating anything hot or cold causes you pain, or when merely chewing hurts, there’s a high chance that your tooth pulp is infected. In such a case, you can either opt for tooth extraction or root canal, with root canal being the better option, as it’s an opportunity to preserve one of your natural teeth. You’ll probably have to get a dental X-ray to determine whether there’s a bacterial infection in the pulp of your tooth, after which your dentist will clean and seal the canals in the tooth root. They’ll also remove the dead tooth pulp and finish the job with dental filling. The procedure itself is quite delicate, as the dentist has to be extra careful not to damage any of the blood vessels or nerves surrounding these canals. Fortunately, all of this is generally done under local anesthesia, so it’s basically a painless procedure.

Aside from brushing your teeth several times a day and flossing regularly, it’s also crucial that you make appointments with your dentist twice a year, so that you know you’ve done everything you can to maintain your dental health.