The Next Chapter in Our Story

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We are thrilled to announce that Apple Dental has joined the National Dental Care group.

What does this mean for Apple Dental?

We chose to work with National Dental Care because we share the same values. They invest in education and technology. We now have a bigger pool of knowledge to draw from. We now have dedicated meet-ups and digital resources with dentists who are practicing the same techniques across Australia. It’s impossible to quantify how invaluable that kind of knowledge exchange is.

Whilst we will always be dedicated to continually improving results for our own patients in Lane Cove, we at Apple Dental are thrilled to also be able to contribute to raising the bar of the Australian dental industry as a whole. As well as asking questions and sharing techniques, we’re now helping to educate the next generation of practitioners from Melbourne to Darwin to rural locations like Dubbo. With 61 locations, National Dental Care has a far reach and treats thousands of patients. By working together, we can really improve patient care not only here in Lane Cove, but Australia-wide.

Introducing National Dental Care

For those of you who aren’t familiar with National Dental Care, they have 61 practices across Australia and over thousand team members.

National Dental Care dentist Dr Antony Benedetto says “we are so pleased to welcome Apple Dental. Dr Casiglia and his team are the first new practice we had join us in over a year, and part of the reason we approached them was because of Mark’s expertise. The same-day smile makeovers Mark is offering patients are, in all honesty, some of the best application of CEREC technology I have seen. As well as being skilled, he’s happy to share those skills and that means the standard of care he provides his patients in Lane Cove will soon benefit patients across Australia. Learning from each other makes us all better.”

Onwards and Upwards

Dr Casiglia says, “I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your trust over the past 27 years, and I look forward to caring for your smiles for decades to come!

My commitment to you is stronger than ever.”


Figure 1 Dr Antony Benedetto recently traveled from Erina, NSW to Alexandra Hills in Brisbane to train fellow dentists.

 

Spiced carrot and lentil soup

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This simple red lentil soup recipe with lightly spiced curried carrots is easy to make and under 300 calories. A delicious winter recipe for the whole family!

Ingredients

2 tbsp groundnut oil

2 diced onions

500g diced carrots

1 tbsp mild curry powder

4 tbsp red lentils

1.5 litres vegetable stock

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 tbsp coconut yogurt or natural yogurt

A small bunch of coriander, leaves picked

Instructions

Step 1: Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large pan and soften the onions and carrots for 10 minutes. Add the curry powder and fry for 2 minutes before adding the lentils and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the carrots are tender and lentils soft. Season with pepper and a little salt if it needs it.

Step 2: Take off the heat and blend until smooth using a stick blender (or blend in a food processor then pour back into the pan to reheat).

Heat the rest of the oil in a small frying pan then sizzle the cumin seeds until golden and fragrant.

Step 3: Heat the rest of the oil in a small frying pan then sizzle the cumin seeds until golden and fragrant.

Step 4: Top each bowl of soup with a spoonful of yogurt, the cumin seeds and a sprinkle of coriander leaves.

Serves 4, this recipe has been extracted from Olive Magazine

How your diet affects your dental health

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What you eat and drink is important to your dental health, and brushing twice a day isn’t enough to deal with a poor diet. It’s vital to ensure you’re consuming the right foods and absorbing important nutrients to help your oral health stay on track.

If you are unwell or have a chronic condition such as diabetes, maintaining a healthy diet is even more essential. People with diabetes have a lowered resistance to infection and hence, a higher risk of gum disease. When it comes to keeping your teeth healthy, what you eat is just as important as what you avoid. Choose teeth-friendly foods as part of your everyday diet and practice good oral health daily.

What foods help your teeth?

Everyone knows children need plenty of calcium for growing healthy bones and teeth, but it doesn’t stop when you’ve grown up. Calcium helps strengthen and repair damaged enamel, and keeps your teeth healthy. If you don’t like consuming a lot of dairy products, you can get calcium from a variety of plant-based foods or your doctor can advise on calcium supplements.

A healthy diet should also include plenty of vegetables and fruit, with complex carbohydrates such as grain breads to give you energy for longer. Instead of snacking on sweet treats, try cutting up raw crunchy vegetables which are both delicious and nutritious. Fatty fish, like salmon, are also great for your teeth as they are sources of vitamin D. Always be wary of too much takeaway with sweet, sticky sauces and dressings.

Try to limit your treats

It’s ok to enjoy a treat once in a while but remember, everything in moderation. Those sweet snacks you grab from the supermarket or café are not just giving you a boost, they’re also revitalising the bacteria in your mouth and decaying your teeth. Keep in mind that certain kinds of sweets can do more damage than others. Chewy sweets spend more time sticking to the surface of your teeth which means they give your teeth a longer “sugar bath”.

If you eat sugary treats, try to do so after a main meal when you brush your teeth, instead of several times a day. Try packing your lunch for work or school and adding in some healthy nibbles like raw vegetables, nuts, cheese and crackers. Your teeth will thank you, and so will your wallet.

What food and drink stain your teeth?

If you’re noticing your teeth looking a little more yellow than usual, it might be your daily coffee or tea habit. Or possibly those glasses of red wine with dinner! All those beverages are well known “teeth stainers” so it’s important to limit your intake and rinse your mouth out with water after drinking them.

There are also certain foods that can discolour your teeth such as red pasta sauce, curry powder, balsamic vinegar, coloured sweets / candies and berries. If you can’t give up the coffee habit or cut back on these foods, then you can always speak to your Apple Dental practitioner about teeth whitening for a natural brighter looking smile.

How to brush up on your teeth cleaning

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If you’ve never really given your oral hygiene habits much thought, it might be time to learn how to clean your teeth effectively and thoroughly. If you’ve had dental treatments such as bridges, crowns and implants, it’s even more important to be sure you’re maintaining your oral health.

How to clean your teeth properly

You learned to brush your teeth when you were a child, but did you know you need to brush for at least two minutes, twice a day? And that it’s supposed to be after you’ve finished breakfast in the morning, not before you put your makeup on and pick up a coffee and muffin to eat at your desk?

If you’re too rushed in the morning, take a dental kit to work with you and clean your teeth after your morning coffee / tea and snack. If you’re too tired late at night to pay attention, brush straight after dinner and skip the late-night snacks.

If you have Invisalign, you need to clean your teeth and aligners straight after having any food or drink, except for plain water.

The importance of flossing

Did you know that nearly half the surface area of your teeth is between them? That’s why it’s so important to make sure you floss twice a day as it cleans where your toothbrush can’t. If you have a tendency to forget, floss before you brush your teeth. And remember, flossing is also great for fresh breath as it gets rid of any nasty bits of food hidden away in between your teeth.

If you have a bridge or braces, you may need to use tiny dental brushes as well to get around those difficult areas. Your Apple Dental hygienist will show you what you need and discuss the best options for you.

Should I be using mouthwash?

Not everyone needs mouthwash, and it’s certainly not a substitute for cleaning your teeth or fixing bad breath. Mouthwash can do a whole range of things from making your breath smell fresh for a little while to special therapeutic mouthwashes that help with certain oral conditions. If you have halitosis (bad breath), you need to check with your dentist as you may have an underlying dental issue or need a better oral hygiene routine.

Saliva is your mouth’s natural mouthwash that protects your teeth and gums. When you aren’t producing enough saliva, your teeth can start to be attacked by acids contained in food and bacteria. If you have dry mouth issues, which can happen with certain medications, make sure you keep hydrated and speak to your dentist about available treatments.

Finally, make sure you see your Apple Dental practitioner every six months for a checkup and clean.

What to do if you’re afraid of the dentist

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Many people are embarrassed to admit they’re afraid of going to the dentist. They think they’re the only ones who are scared and end up suffering for too long when something goes wrong with their teeth. Some fears start in early childhood but they can also be passed on by parents who had bad dental experiences themselves.

Turns out that dental anxieties are amazingly common with around one in six Australians dreading the dentist’s chair and avoiding regular checkups. But here’s the thing – dental treatments are so much better than they were even a decade or two ago and your Apple Dental dentist has seen and heard it all. Not only that, they have all kinds of techniques these days to make you feel more relaxed while your teeth are being treated. So don’t let your dental problems multiply just because you’re feeling nervous, it’s nothing to be ashamed of and your dentist can help you.

Our dentists know how to help

Many Apple Dental practitioners agree that one of their greatest satisfactions is being able to make someone who was seriously anxious, feel comfortable and relaxed in the dental chair. It’s extremely important that individuals get the dental treatment they need before it becomes too big of an issue. If you maintain regular checkups with a dentist, smaller complications can avoid becoming bigger ones which need more serious or invasive treatment.

What treatments are available to help with dental anxiety?

There are a range of ways that Apple Dental dentists help dental phobic patients to feel more relaxed and comfortable in the chair. For people with mild anxieties, happy gas can be the answer. The gas is inhaled through a small nose piece and produces a feeling of deep relaxation. There is also the option of oral sedation, a pill that you take before your appointment.

For more severe anxieties and people requiring a long or complex procedure, IV sedation (sleep dentistry or twilight dentistry) is useful. While you’re conscious during the treatment, it puts you into a sleep-like state where you’ll remember very little afterwards. Recovery is also a lot faster than general anaesthetic.

Don’t delay your appointment any longer, call 02 9420 5050 or book online today to visit a dentist who can accommodate your needs.

The Secret To Straight Teeth Without Anyone Knowing

Straight Teeth

Getting straight teeth as an adult is possible, but it’s not something most adults want to face. The idea of walking into a corporate business meeting or first date while wearing braces is an embarrassing one. So does this mean you have to choose between being embarrassed about braces or being embarrassed by crooked teeth? Not anymore. Everyone should have the smile that they dream of and not having braces as a child or a teenager doesn’t mean you can’t straighten them now in a more discreet way. How can you get straight teeth without the pain, discomfort and the eyesore of permanent adult braces? You’ll be happy to know that you can get straight teeth without anyone even knowing that you’re undergoing treatment with Invisalign®.

Gradual But Effective

Invisalign® is an extremely effective way of straightening teeth, and its use of state-of-the-art SmartTrack® material means that you’ll enjoy results faster than with traditional aligner treatments. You’ll kick things off with a 3D oral inspection, where your dentist will scan your mouth to create a digital model of it. It will show your dentist the best possible course to take to your new and improved smile, which you can approve to allow the treatment to proceed. On approval, your doctor will have your aligners made.

It’s worth noting that while Invisalign® produces results faster, it still requires time and patience. The treatment requires you to go through various courses – each slightly different from the one before. The goal is to create gradual change, with each session bringing you closer to the smile that you’ve always envisioned yourself having.

It Fits Into Your Lifestyle – Not The Other Way Around

Not being able to eat your favourite foods, brush your teeth or talk without a lisp is something that puts many people off having their teeth straightened or wearing an aligner. When you’re using the Invisalign®, it fits into your lifestyle and not the other way around. Maintaining good oral hygiene is as simple as removing the aligner when you need to brush your teeth, and you won’t have to worry about it staining or discolouring your teeth either.

Having dinner with friends soon or attending a work conference? You’ll still be able to do everyday activities like eating and drinking without any limitations. All you need to do is remove the aligner before you begin and put it back on afterwards.

Tailored Care And A Great Experience

At Apple Dental, we offer Invisalign® treatments, giving adults in Sydney a chance to smile with confidence. If you’re ready to change the way you feel about your teeth, contact us today.

5 Tips To Keep Your Breath Fresh All Day Long

Health

There’s nothing worse than chatting to someone with bad breath. Not only does it make for an uncomfortable encounter, but you quickly begin to question your own oral hygiene. Does your breath also smell? Would you even notice? Perhaps you should keep your distance from everyone? How do you politely ask the person to stop talking because you can’t stand the smell any longer? While we can’t help you broach that awkward conversation, we can give you a few tips to keep your own breath fresh, so you never have to worry about scaring people away.

  1. Floss Regularly

Despite playing a crucial role in maintaining your oral health, regular flossing is commonly overlooked. While twice daily brushing will clean the surface of your teeth, flossing removes trapped food particles that become lodged between the teeth. Trapped debris feeds the bacteria in your mouth, leading to bacterial overgrowth and nasty odours. To avoid embarrassment, we recommend flossing every time you brush your teeth.

  1. Brush Your Tongue

Oral bacteria like to colonise the surface of your tongue. Brushing your tongue thoroughly with every teeth clean ensures you are keeping bacterial numbers low, reducing the likelihood of bad breath from bacterial overgrowth.

  1. Use Mouth Wash

If you’re suspicious of bad breath but not in a position to brush and floss your teeth, mouth wash is an excellent solution. Mouth wash provides an all-over clean of the inside of your cheeks, gums, under your tongue and other crevices your toothbrush can’t reach. Use mouth wash both as part of your regular tooth brushing routine, and on-the-go in between meals.

  1. Take A Probiotic

If you’re maintaining a great teeth cleaning regime but feel your breath is still questionable, the odours could be coming from your stomach. Taking a probiotic tablet will aid in the digestion of food in your stomach, ensuring the food is broken down quickly and doesn’t linger for long enough to cause bad breath.

There are many ways that you can keep bad breath at bay during the day. If you find that the above measures aren’t helping, we invite you to make an appointment with the friendly team at Apple Dental to discuss if there are any underlying dental or oral health issues that could be to blame.

Why It’s Important To Brush Your Teeth Twice A Day

Brush Your Teeth

The market is filled with dozens of dental products aimed at freshening our mouths, including sprays, gums, mouthwashes and drops. With so many on the go products to use, is it really necessary to brush ourteeth more than once a day? The answer is a resounding yes. No matter your age, brushing your teeth at least twice a day is crucial. There are plenty of benefits for doing so. Here are five of them.

It Gets Rid Of Bacteria

Our mouths are constantly filled with bacteria and germs that are growing and spreading. Brushing your teeth twice a day will ensure that this bad bacteria is destroyed or removed. If you brush your teeth in the morning and go the entire day without brushing again, the build-up of bacteria will start damaging the enamel of your tooth and weaken their gums and roots, allowing decaying to occur. The presence of this bad bacteria also contributes to foul breath.

It Reduces Saliva

We produce more saliva when we’re awake than when we sleep. Why is this important? Because saliva helps build up a barrier against plaque and bacteria and prevents cavities from occurring. Therefore, brushing your teeth in the evening or just before you go to sleep assists with reducing bacteria and saliva when we’re sleeping. This reduces terrible breath in the morning by decreasing the acids that build-up while you’re asleep.

It Protects Your Gums

Brushing your teeth just once isn’t enough to maintain a happy mouth. The reality is that the less you brush your teeth, the more damage you expose your gums too. Plaque, bacteria and tartar are detrimental to the health of your gums and can cause infections and bleeding.

It Improves Your Overall Health

Our medical knowledge has dramatically increased over the years and dentists, and general medical practitioners now know that there are plenty of diseases directly related to poor oral health. Poor oral health can lead to heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. It’s also been linked to preterm labour and low birth weight in pregnant women.

Hopefully, you’ll now understand just how important brushing twice daily is. This, in combination with annual dental check-ups, will ensure that you keep smiling and enjoy healthy teeth.

Related Tag: Dentist Lane Cove

Seven Surprising Oral Health Myths Busted

Health Myths Busted

Isn’t it odd that even though we know that walking under a ladder or stepping on a crack won’t cause us harm, we go out of our way to avoid doing these things? Myths are powerful influences on our behaviour – even when we know better! As dentists we’ve found that people often neglect certain aspects of their oral health due to certain ‘facts’ which are untrue. Here are the most common oral health myths we’ve encountered, debunked!

          1. Have A baby, Lose A Tooth

Pregnancy’s hormonal changes make tooth decay, infections and gum disease more prevalent. However, this doesn’t mean that you’ll lose a tooth. Maintaining good oral health, a healthy diet and attending regular dental appointments will reduce dental issues during your pregnancy

          2. Sweets Are The Only Cause of Tooth Decay

Excess processed sugar increases tooth decay as when its broken down, it feeds the bacteria in your mouth, increasing damaging plaque and acids. The misconception here lies in what contains sugar. Starchy, high carbohydrate foods can be just as damaging to teeth as candy.

         3. White Teeth Are Healthy

White teeth look amazing when you’re smiling right? It definitely looks good, but this doesn’t mean it’s healthy. There might still be cavities and other oral risks you’re exposed to, so regular visits to your dentist are important regardless of the colour of your teeth.

         4. Hard Brushes Are Better For Brushing Your Teeth

Hard bristles can do more harm than good. Soft brushes are great for children and people with sensitive gums, and hard brushing can cause bleeding and discomforts when done incorrectly.

        5. Fluoridated Water is a Government Conspiracy and is Not Good For You

Fluoride in drinking has significantly reduced tooth decay. The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council has researched this myth extensively and found it to be false.

       6. Sugar Free Drinks Are Better For Your Teeth

Diet drinks still encourage the production of acids that over time can wear down tooth enamel increase their sensitivity and cause cavities and tooth loss. What’s healthier? Drinking water.

      7. Teeth Whitening Damages Your Teeth

With so many advancements in whitening techniques and general oral care, a whitening procedure from a professional dentist is highly unlikely to damage your teeth.

Instead of following what your mates say or what you’ve heard, rather do your research. Or better yet, get in touch with Apple Dental for an oral consultation. We’re happy to debunk any myths you’ve come across.

How Seasonal Allergies Can Affect Your Oral Health

Seasonal Allergies

Did you know that seasonal changes can impact your oral health? Many allergy sufferers experience tooth, throat and mouth discomfort while experiencing sinus issues and hay fever. Here’s how seasonal allergies can impact oral health and what you can do about it.

Bad Breath and Sore Throat – Bad breath can be related to untreated nasal congestion, which can lead to a sore throat developing and its resultant bacteria creating a foul mouth odour. Postnasal drip causes this and because you can’t clean your throat, it’s difficult to get rid of.

Dry Mouth – A stuffy nose means encourages mouth breathing, which dries out your mouth. It’s also caused by a reaction to certain antihistamines that relieve nasal congestion and sneezing. Saliva protects teeth from decay by washing away bacteria and food particles which is why a dry mouth is more prone to cavities and tooth decay.

Toothaches – Painful teeth may be an allergy symptom. Sinus pain is caused by pollen and dust impacting one’s immune system. This causes mucus to build up in your sinuses where they become congested, pressurising your teeth and nerves and causing sensitivity and toothaches.

So how can you prevent the above form occurring?

  • Stay hydrated: Drinking lots of water keeps your mouth hydrated. This counteracts a dry mouth as it washes away the buildup of mucus.
  • Gargle with salt water: Salt draws mucus out of the sinuses. Gargle with a solution consisting of a teaspoon of salt dissolved in a glass of water to reduce and flush away accumulated bacteria, relieving throat pains and reducing bad breath and plaque.
  • Treat your teeth: Regular brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice a day is important to maintain good oral health and also reduce the effects of dry mouth.
  • Treat your allergies: Avoiding anything that causes or triggers your allergies. Treat them with prescriptions after consulting with your doctor, ensuring it has no side effects.
  • Talk to a dentist: Probably the most effective and useful step is talking to a dentist. At Apple dental, our professional dentists can identify root causes of your oral problems. Whether its allergy-related or not, we’ll figure it out and provide the ideal treatment.

Get in touch with us for a consultation if you’re experiencing any dental issues today.