Helping locals achieve “excellent dental and oral health”

The fundamentals of maintaining great oral dental and oral health might sound simple.

Brushing for two minutes twice a day, flossing daily, using mouthwash after brushing or visiting your dentist at least once a year are all common answers in quest for excellent oral hygiene.

Education, as Dr Chau Nguyen from East Melbourne’s Diem Dental will explain, is fundamental is keeping on top of your dental health.

“Education is essential. You see it in new Australians where they may not have a grasp on what needs to be done to keep good oral hygiene,” Dr Nguyen said. “Whereas some locals, and certainly my clients, may take it for granted; knowing to floss every day, how to floss, how to brush and some foods to avoid.”

“Our main focus is prevention. Picking things up early and instilling good habits that help prevent potential complications in later life.”

“People underestimate how far a smile takes them. We have seen people’s mood and lives change in a positive way when they have the confidence to speak and smile.”

According to Dr Nguyen, there were a few things locals could do to ensure their dental health was up to scratch.

Firstly, getting your teeth straightened; a service offered at an affordable rate by the team at Diem Dental using Invisalign technology.

Straight teeth give you a greater ability to reach and clean your teeth and avoiding issues like tooth decay or gum disease, while also taking stress off your jaw.

Secondly, your choice of toothbrush matters, your technique matters, flossing matters and so too does the use of mouthwash.

“Certain patients seem to work better with electric toothbrushes, some it doesn’t matter. While there are general rules like brushing for two minutes, flossing every day, brushing the teeth and gums, teeth are very individual and sometimes you need a process that is tailored towards your needs,” Dr Nguyen said.

“The standard brushing technique we recommend is the modified Bass technique. That is what we teach our patients.”

“Although this technique may work for 90 per cent of our patients, oral health is very individualised, and some need additional or different help. That is where we can jump in.”

Frequency of meals is another major contributing factor to poor dental health.

Someone who consistently eats three meals a day, without snacks in between Dr Nguyen explains, will have better oral health than someone who eats five or six times a day, regardless of how healthy their diet may be.

Dr Nguyen also said that health complications associated to oral health extended further than just tooth decay and gum disease; cardiovascular disease and oral cancer could also be linked to poor dental hygiene.

“We want to ensure all of our patients are holding the very best standards for their teeth, but we understand sometimes that isn’t always possible,” Dr Nguyen said.

“It’s good to become familiar with your dentist at an early age, that’s why we encourage p atients of all ages to come into our clinic.”

“We have four dentists in our team; Dr Noor Hassin, our patients have loved her personality and gentle touch; Dr Suet Yen Leong, who is just about to go on maternity leave. She has been a lovely, positive spirit who we will be keen to get back after the birth of her second baby, and Dr Joyce Tam who has been with us over seven years.”

Diem Dental also call on the work of Dr Kehn Yapp who specialises in endodontics or root canals.

“Implants my area of interest and focus. It is great way to replace missing teeth, without needing to cut down adjacent teeth and much better than dentures,” Dr Nguyen said.

“It is more costly, but people understand in the end the worth as they can last anywhere between five and 50 years, if not longer.”

“Implants are becoming more mainstream and less novel and is great for my patients, and the community, to know, if you lose a tooth, it isn’t the end of the world. •

For more information: diem.com.au