The NobleDentist Blog

Dr Winnie Tang of Carindale Dental has become a participating dentist.

Dr Winnie Tang is located at Metropol Shopping Centre, Cnr Creek & Pine Mountain Roads (Opposite Blockbuster Video), Carindale QLD 4152.

Members wanting to make an appointment can simply click on Dentists Carindale for contact details.

To learn how to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars off dental fees click on dental plan.

Dr Winnie Tang and the team look forward to assisting members of NobleDentist.

This is an article by Jennifer Macey that recently appeared on the ABC News Online.

About 30 per cent of Australians only go to the dentist when they have a serious problem. (ABC News)

The annual visit to the dentist is becoming a luxury for many Australians, with a new report showing about 40 per cent of the population do not go for regular check-ups.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found another 30 per cent say they simply cannot afford it or have trouble accessing a dentist.

The report shows those who avoid going to the dentist are also three times more likely to have untreated tooth decay or gum disease.

The author of the report, John Spencer, is a professor of social and preventive dentistry at the University of Adelaide.

Professor Spencer says about 30 per cent of Australians only go to the dentist when they have a serious problem.

He says this often means they have advanced stages of tooth decay or gum disease.

“These issues of having put off visiting may be because of financial reasons or because of anxiety, learning that they have fairly significant issues that need to be dealt with, finding that they’re not in a comfortable position to actually go ahead with the best treatment options and facing the decision to have teeth extracted which is often a low-cost solution to their problem,” he said.

The figures come as no surprise to Dr Shane Friar, the president of the Australian Dental Association.

“It appears the disadvantaged group of the community – and disadvantage is not just from an economic perspective. It can be location, where rural and remote people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people with disabilities, they are having difficulty accessing dental care,” he said.

Tony McBride, the chairman of the Australian Healthcare Reform Alliance, says Australian children have good dental health thanks to school dental programs.

But he says there is a huge gap in dental care when it comes to the adult population.

“If you are wealthy, if you have got a reasonable income, you can pay for dental care,” he said.

“If you’re very poor you can get public care but have to wait for it.

“There is a massive group in the middle who just can’t afford regular, proper dental treatment in the way they should be getting.”

In next month’s budget the Australian Dental Association is calling on the Government to redirect current funding for public dentistry and target those unable to afford or access oral health care.

Mr McBride says the current funding could be better targeted but says the only long-term solution is a universal scheme such as Medicare for dentistry.

“You don’t need to have a particular income level to go and see a GP. We have a universal scheme,” he said.

“It is about catching health issues early and dealing with them at a local level and we ought to have exactly the same scheme when it comes to dentistry.

“There is no real reason why we should treat the mouth totally differently from the rest of the body.”

This is an article that recently appeared in the ABC News Online.

The Australian Dental Association says more incentives are needed to attract dentists to regional South Australia.

It says some public patients have to wait more than two years to see a dentist and private patients can face a six-month wait.

The federal budget provided funding for new surgeries at Mount Gambier, Berri, Wallaroo and Port Lincoln.

Association president Dr Angela Pierce welcomed the funding, but said more focus was needed on staffing regional SA.

“Things like scholarships for dental graduates or relocation payments like the government has done for general practitioners,” she said.

SA Health said it was putting great effort into attracting dentists to regional areas.

This is an article by Jackie Sinnerton that appeared recently in The Sunday Mail.

TEENS are putting their teeth and health at risk by trialling dangerous DIY teeth-whitening techniques found on the internet.

The growing number of young people especially early teens who have just had braces removed seeking the ultimate smile on the cheap is worrying health professionals.

Two 14-year-old north Brisbane schoolgirls admitted to The Sunday Mail that they had tried the online recipes but weren’t very happy with the results.

“It tasted disgusting and made me want to gag,” one of the girls said. “I prefer to buy the over-the-counter mouthguard whiteners that you get at the shops. They are expensive but everyone uses them, even the boys.”

Australian Dental Association Queensland branch president Dr Brad Wright said: “Sodium bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide are often the ingredients in these mix-it-yourself remedies. Baking powder has been used for years in teeth cleaning because of the lightly abrasive effect and oxygenation but in the hands of children these substances can be dangerous.

“Children who are mixing up quantities of chemicals and applying them for long periods are at risk of eroding tooth enamel, damaging gums and increasing risks of infection.

“Ironically the erosion may expose the yellow-coloured dentin that lies beneath the enamel.

“Sensitive dentine can become exposed and gums can become infected. Bacteria from infected gums can enter the bloodstream. Stomach problems may also occur if any bleaching agent is swallowed.”

Teeth whitening came under scrutiny last week when a routine teeth-whitening procedure at an Adelaide beauty salon left a woman bruised, blistered and unable to brush her teeth for a month.

The case prompted warnings from dental authorities about untrained retailers offering cheap procedures to lure customers.

Dr Roger Gomez of Dr Roger Gomez Dental Surgery has recently become a participating dentist.

Dr Roger Gomez is located at Shop 6, Civic Plaza,  43 Ware Street, Fairfield,  New South Wales.

Members wanting to make an appointment can simply click on Dentist Fairfield for contact details.

To learn how to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars off dental fees click on dental plan.

Dr Roger Gomez and the team look forward to assisting members of NobleDentist.

Surrounding suburbs include Fairfield Heights, Prairiewood, Fairfield West, Bossley Park, Wetherill Park, Smithford, Guildford West, Woodpark, Merrylands West, Yennora, Guildford, Old Guildford, Fairfield East, Carramar, Villawood, Wakeley, St Johns Park, Canley Vale, Canley Heights, Lansvale, Cabramatta, Greenfield Park, Edensor Park, Abbotsbury, Cecil Hills, Bonnyrigg Heights and Bonnyrigg.

Dr Ivan Young of B. S. Dental Services has recently become a participating dentist.

Dr Ivan Young is located at 67 Kembla Street, Wollongong, New South Wales.

Members wanting to make an appointment can simply click on Dentist Wollongong for contact details.

To learn how to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars off dental fees click on dental plan.

Dr Ivan Young and the team look forward to assisting members of NobleDentist.

Surrounding suburbs include Fairy Meadow, Mt Ousley, Keiraville, Mt Pleasant, Mt Keira, North Wollongong, Gwynneville, West Wollongong, Coniston, Mangerton, Mt St Thomas, Fig Tree, Mt Kembla, Cordeaux Heights, Farmborough Heights, Unanderra, Spring Hill, Berkeley, Cringila, Port Kembla, Warrawong, Lake Heights, Primbee, Windang, Brownsville, Kanahooka, Koonawarra, Dapto, Yallah, Haywards Bay, Penrose, Cleveland, Horsley, Wongawilli, Albion Park Rail, Oak Flats, Marshall Mount, Calderwood, Tullimbar, Yellow Rock, Albion Park, Croom, Flinders, Balarang, Blackbutt, Barrack Heights, Mt Warrigal, Warilla, Lake Illawarra, Barrack Point, Shellharbour, Shell Cove, Kemblawarra, Towradgi, Fernhill, Balgownie, Mt Keira, Tarrawanna, East Corrimal, Bellambi, Corrimal, Russell Vale, Woonona, Woonona Heights, Buli, Thirroul, Cataract, Austinmer, Coledale, Wombarra, Scarborough, Madden Plains, Clifton, Coalcliff, Stanwell Park, Darkes Forest, Stanwell Tops, Otford, Lilyvale and Helensburgh.

This is an article by Jim Campbell that recently appeared in The Toowoomba Chronicle – Australia.

FLUORIDE won’t flow into Toowoomba’s bulk water supply until the end of March.

Toowoomba Regional Council deputy mayor Paul Antonio said the initial January deadline was not going to be met because the council had been “held-up with a number of things totally beyond our control”.

“We have gone to a lot of trouble to make sure we’ve got it dead right,” Cr Antonio said.

“Our management people have been in constant discussions with the State Government.”

Cr Antonio said the TRC was open to a $120,000 fine if it could not introduce fluoride to the Toowoomba supply by March 31.

“But I would suggest that the government would be pretty bloody minded to implement that fine.

“We’re pretty comfortable with the fact that we’ve done the best for the people of Toowoomba.”

The Queensland branch of the Australian Dental Association (ADA) issued a statement yesterday attempting to quell Queensland residents’ concerns about the introduction of fluoride.

“It is not a new concept and it is not untested. Fluoridation immediately acts to strengthen the outer surface of teeth in people of all ages,” the ADA said.

This is an article by Kate Sikora and Neil Keene that recently appeared in The Daily Telegraph – Australia.

TODDLERS as young as 18 months are being forced to undergo thousands of dollars worth of dental work as tooth decay reaches ``epidemic’’ proportions in NSW.

Dental experts said yesterday parents were spending up to $5000 on crowns for children whose teeth are deteriorating before they even hit preschool.

Australian Dental Association Oral Health Committee chairwoman Dr Philippa Sawyer said almost half of Australian children under four suffered untreated tooth decay.

“If that many children had some other sort of disease, and remember that tooth decay is a disease, then it would be called an epidemic,” she said.

Dr Sawyer cited a recent Australian study which found 48 per cent of children suffered from untreated tooth decay, but only 10 per cent had seen a dentist.

ADA president Dr Neil Hewsen said the spread of sugary, acidic drinks and snacks aimed at children was largely to blame.

“Over the last 20 years or so the decay rate among children has been dropping but now we’ve had this blip upwards,” he said.

A NSW Health spokeswoman said decay could begin before a child’s first birthday.

“The issue is largely related to early feeding patterns and often the prolonged and extensive use of nursing bottles containing sugary drinks,” she said.

Dr Hewsen said the situation had become so dire that shock advertising campaigns like those about smoking and skin cancer were needed to hammer the message home.

“We try to get through these prevention messages and for some people it works but for a lot of people it doesn’t,” he said.

NSW Health figures show by age five almost 40 per cent of children have untreated decay, while more than 30 per cent aged five to eight do not visit a dentist regularly.

Children start losing their first set of teeth from about the age of six, but Dr Hewsen said those baby teeth were critically important for long-term dental health.

Children who live in communities without fluoride in their tap water, Aboriginal children and children from lower socio-economic areas are much more likely to show early signs of decay, according to NSW Health.

“But 80 per cent of the decay is in 20 per cent of the children,” Dr Sawyer said.

Newcastle mum Alison Lewis said she had learnt about the issue after a dental hygienist visited her daughter Stella’s preschool.

“She came home telling us all how to brush our teeth properly,” Ms Lewis said.

A recent dental check confirmed that Stella, 4, was clear of any signs of decay.

“Fifty per cent of children don’t have tooth decay, so it’s totally achievable for the other half not to either,” Dr Sawyer said.

This article by Daniel Bateman recently appeared in The Cairns Post – Australia.

FLUORIDE is officially flowing through the Cairns region’s water supply.

Cairns Regional Council started adding fluoride to the region’s water supply last night as part of a test of equipment before the chemical is permanently added from December 31.

The chemical, which Queensland Health says will strengthen residents’ teeth against the effects of tooth decay, was added to the Tunnel Hill Water Treatment Plant, near Copperlode Dam.

Acting Infrastructure and Planning Minister Rachel Nolan said the council had successfully completed pre-operational testing of newly- installed dosing equipment at the treatment plant.

“It’s no secret that Queenslanders have the highest level of tooth decay in the country,” Ms Nolan said.

“The introduction of fluoride into our drinking water supply is a crucial step forward in addressing this problem with Cairns the latest region to come online.”

Cr Linda Cooper, who has been critical of the move, said there was no concrete evidence areas were better off with fluoridated water.

“I would much prefer to see the State Government spending their money on things like fluoride tablets that the public may choose to ingest if they so wish to do so,” Cr Cooper said.

“This is taking away absolute choice from people and it’s mass medicating, which no government should have the right to do.”

The Australian Dental Association of Queensland yesterday issued a statement claiming fears about fluoride being added to water supplies were unfounded.

ADAQ chief executive officer Paul Andrews said most of Australia, including Townsville, and every capital except Brisbane had fluoridated water for more than 30 years.

“Contrary to what many people opposed to fluoridation might imply, we are yet to see people living in Townsville, New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory suffering from bone cancer, fluorosis, birth abnormalities or any other effects,” Mr Andrews said.

“Water fluoridation is one of the most important ways of preventing dental caries and has worldwide support of peak public health and dental authorities.”

This is an article that recently appeared in The Toowoomba Chronicle – Australia.

FLUORIDE won’t flow into Toowoomba’s bulk water supply until the end of March.

Toowoomba Regional Council Deputy Mayor Paul Antonio said the initial January deadline was not going to be met because council had been “held-up with a number of things totally beyond our control”.

“We have gone to a lot of trouble to make sure we’ve got it dead right,” Cr Antonio said.

“Our management people have been in constant discussion with the State Government.”

Cr Antonio said the TRC was open to a $120,000 fine if it could not introduce fluoride to the Toowoomba supply by March 31.

“But I would suggest that the government would be pretty bloody-minded to implement that fine.

“We’re pretty comfortable with the fact that we’ve done the best for the people of Toowoomba.”

The Australian Dental Association Queensland issued a statement yesterday attempting to quell Queensland residents’ concerns about the introduction of fluoride.

“It is not a new concept and it is not untested.

“Fluoridation immediately acts to strengthen the outer surface of teeth in people of all ages,” the statement said.