FAQs

St Marys Dental Care participates in all government schemes.

Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), General Dental Scheme (GDS), Emergency Dental Scheme (EDS), Pensioner Denture Scheme (PDS), and the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Scheme (CDBS).

In order to be approved for any of these schemes you must have a valid Veterans Gold Card, current pension card, or concession card.

This scheme is for children aged between 2 - 17 and their family is receiving Family Tax Benefit A or other government payments.

To find out if you are eligible or have any questions in regard to the Child Dental Benefits Scheme please contact us on (08) 8276 1152.

The main purpose of flossing is to reduce plaque and food debris build-up in between the teeth.

This is very important to keep both your teeth and gums healthy and prevent cavities and some gum problems (eg. gingivitis).

The average life of a toothbrush is 3 months.

This can vary greatly though due to differences in people’s brushing habits.

If you need to replace yours too often, you may not be using the correct brushing technique.

Generally, foods and drinks that are high in sugar and acid are harmful to tooth enamel.

Acidic foods and drinks (soft drinks, citric juices, sports drinks) can cause tooth erosion while the high sugar content is more likely to contribute to tooth decay (cavities).

Tooth sensitivity is quite common and can be caused by a number of factors, including gum recession and exposed tooth roots, tooth decay (cavities) and cracked teeth.

It can also signify the beginning of a problem with the nerve of the tooth. It is important to get this checked out by your dentist if you begin to experience sensitivity.

If you have a chipped tooth it is very important to get this assessed by your dentist.

It may require a filling to replace the lost portion of the tooth, or sometimes the broken piece can be re-attached.

Even if the chip is small, it is important to have the tooth examined to make sure the nerve, root, or bone is not damaged.

There are many causes for bad breath (halitosis), so identifying the true cause is important.

If it is found to come from a dental or gum problem, you may require dental treatment which your dentist will discuss with you, and good oral hygiene is required to help improve it as well.

Generally, dentures can be repaired, which must be assessed by the dentist.

This may require taking a mould of your teeth and gums (impression) and sending your denture away to be fixed.

This usually only takes one day, so you can pick your denture up in the afternoon once it is repaired.

Occasionally you may require new dentures if they are not able to be repaired.

The best thing is to phone your dentist because the crown and tooth underneath will need to be checked carefully.

Sometimes the crown falls off while the tooth underneath is intact, but sometimes the tooth supporting the crown fractures.

This needs to be closely checked by the dentist to work out if the crown can be re-attached to your tooth.

Occasionally you may need to have a new crown made.

Yes, we provide tooth whitening through the take-home individual tray system, called Colgate Visible White.

You will need a full dental checkup prior to tooth whitening, where the dentist can discuss its suitability and possible results with you.

Traditional braces are usually square in shape whereas Fastbraces® is triangular in shape.

Traditional orthodontics typically move the crown of the tooth in the first year and the root of the tooth towards its final position in the second year, thus requiring two years of treatment.

Fastbraces® Technology gently allows for movement of the roots of the teeth towards their position from the onset of treatment, thus completing treatment from 3 months to about a year.

FAST – Treatment time that is measured in months instead of years!

EASY – Retainers for only 15-20 minutes a day

SAFE – Tested by leading Universities in the U.S., Europe, and South America

QUALITY – The original, certified by the Inventor and made in the U.S.

SIMPLE – Almost always Non-Extraction treatment

CLEAN – possibly less decay around brackets due to short treatment duration

Twenty years of history, thousands of consecutively treated patients, and university research have shown that Fastbraces® are not only safe but offer many additional benefits.

Patients oftentimes experience less discomfort and there are no more risks with Fastbraces® than those associated with traditional braces.

Additionally, the fact that the braces are on for less time means that there is possibly less chance of tooth decay due to improper oral hygiene.

The biggest question for a child or adult who may need braces would probably be “how quickly can I get them off?”

There are no miracle shortcuts in orthodontics, but Fastbraces® Technology is different by design.

Fastbraces® makes it possible to measure treatment time in months instead of years.

Some patients see results in just a few weeks!

The old-style braces are generally square in shape and usually move the crown of the tooth in the first year, and the root of the tooth in the second year, which requires two years of treatment time.

The patented triangular bracket in the Fastbraces® Technology gently allows for movement of the crown and the root of the teeth at the same time without any extra risk for the patient and with minimal discomfort.

It’s fast, safe, easy, and affordable!

With the complete alignment of the roots of the teeth, retention is needed every day for only 15 - 20 minutes (“Tooth Shampoo”) Some people like wearing the retainers at night (“Teeth pajamas”). No more retainers for hours during the day for months after treatment.

This is yet another reason why Fastbraces® Technology is changing the way orthodontics is done altogether.