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Why You Should Be Saving Your Child’s Baby Teeth

Medical research is amazing and from time to time, they may discover something that could easily save a life. New research has recently shown that baby teeth contain stem cells that are almost exactly the same as what is found in cord blood. Why is that important for you to know?

Admittedly, many parents like to hang onto the baby teeth of their child for as long as possible. Scientists are now saying that it may be important to do so for their life!

These stem cells found in cord blood are so valuable to the health of the child that some parents are paying thousands of dollars to have it banked. Those stem cells could come in handy someday because it may actually save the child’s life or another close relative of the child if they were to have a serious illness.

The cord blood is a type of insurance policy, even if it is an expensive policy. It is the lifesaving potential that is in the stem cells which can make a difference.

It has been determined that it is not only cord blood that contains those stem cells, baby teeth contain the same types of cells as well! Contained within those tiny teeth is the power to cure diseases that could be life-threatening. Stem cells can also be used for tissue replacement and for regrowing bones with of the body. Dr. Jesse Witkoff, a pediatric dentist had the following to say:

“We don’t have treatment for certain things today, but that doesn’t mean we won’t have them tomorrow,”

One of the benefits that may come about as a result of saving the stem cells is the cure for type I diabetes. There may also be many other benefits that they provide as well.

Recent medical advances in both stem cell research and baby teeth have made it quite popular to store them long-term. In fact, there are storage facilities cropping up in many parts of the world to save those precious little items.

It may also be possible to purchase kits that allow you to store the baby teeth as they fall out. Preserving them for the future in this way may just save a life.

Please pass this information on to others.

Blog 3

Why children have rotten teeth

Please don’t put your baby to bed with a bottle which is the #1 cause of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay, also known as Early Childhood Caries (ECC). Children who are frequently exposed to sugary liquids—such as milk, breast milk, formula, fruit juice, and other sweet liquids—for long periods of time run a great risk of suffering from Early Childhood Caries. ECC is an infectious disease that can begin as early as the teeth begin to emerge (around 6 months or so), often progresses rapidly, and can cause great pain to the child.

Blog 2

Perfectly straight teeth have become a must have smile accessory for many kids, teens and adults, but there may be more options available than you first thought.

1. Traditional Metal Braces:
These braces have metal brackets (although a lot smaller than they once were) with a metal wire that straightens the teeth.
Pros: Lease expensive and you can also have coloured bands (which kids enjoy.)
Cons: They are the most visible braces.

2. Ceramic Braces
These braces have tooth coloured brackets that blend into the teeth making them less visible.Pros: Less noticeable than the metal braces
Cons: More expensive than the metal braces, and, if you’re not careful the brackets can stain.

3. Lingual Braces
These braces are attached to the inside of the teeth so they are completelyinvisible.
Pros: Invisible from the outside.
Cons: More expensive and can be more uncomfortable when first fitted.
They’re also tricky to clean and can take longer to adjust.

4. Invisalign
This is a series of 18 to 30 custom made mouth guard like plastic alignerswhich are removable and are replaced every 2 weeks.
Pros: Almost invisible and it allows the patient to remove the aligner for eating and cleaning.
Cons: Very expensive, easily lost (particularly if a teenager is using it.) The Invisalign is only available for teens and adults and the results can take longer to achieve.

Chat to Dr Robb for more information on tooth alignment and perfect smile creation.

*Source: Oral B

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For most people the phrase “crowning glory” refers to gorgeous locks of hair, but here at the Dr Robb All Smiles Practice it’s your pearly whites we’d like to chat about.
Sometimes your teeth get damaged and Dr Robb may suggest a crown. So what is a crown?

“It’s a permanent prosthetic cemented to your tooth and it’s used to cap a tooth for strengthening, cosmetic or alignment purposes.”*
One of the amazing things about Dr Robb’s practice is that you can get a 1 day crown, meaning that a process that can take up to a week, leaving you with a gap in your smile takes only a few hours with Dr Robb.

Why? Her fabulous CEREC machine! You can see your new shiny white tooth being created as you wait and the fitting doesn’t take too long either. “We’ve had a number of patients come in, very distressed because a tooth has broken, chipped or discoloured and the thought of not being able to smile for a week is just not an option.” Says Dr Robb. “The CEREC machine is a marvel of modern technology and enables us to fix smiles that much faster.”
So next time you bite into an apple (or a piece of peanut brittle) and your tooth is worse for wear, we’re happy to help with a CEREC tooth that can become your crowning glory!

*Colgate Oral Care Centre.

MOUTH GUARDS

Mouth Guards

PROTECT YOUR SMILE!!!!

FOR Sportsmen AND Women – YES EVEN THE KIDS!

The importance of playing with a custom made mouthguard

Every year during the winter sport season, we see injuries to teeth and peri-oral tissues. Most of these cases are in children not wearing mouthguards or wearing generic/ill-fitting mouthguards. Most to all of these injuries could so easily have been avoided by simply wearing a properly fitting, custom made mouthguard.

WARNING: A custom fitted mouth guard is not the same as the one you can find in the shops and here is why…

Store bought mouth guards provide little if any protection because they are generic and your mouth is unique. They fit loosely and often get displaced on impact. Players also may find them too big and uncomfortable often hurting them, causing them to remove it during the duration of the game or practice.
Store-bought mouthguards have on rare occasions also been displaced and lodged in the players airway when rendered unconscious.

A custom made mouthguard have been shown to have to have the following 5 protective benefits:

Protects against concussion
Protects against jaw joint injuries
Protects teeth against impact
Protects against soft tissue injury
Protects against neck and jaw injury

Except for these benefits, custom made mouthguards are also much more comfortable than generic mouthguards, causing less discomfort, allowing players to focus on the game.

Permanent teeth aren’t cheap to repair or replace, and an injury may result in hours spent in the dental chair. Avoid injuries during contact sports such as rugby, hockey, wrestling, etc.

Wear a custom made mouthguard and protect your smile.

Video gallery

Store bought/boil and bite mouthgaurds provide little to no protection, because they are generic and your mouth is unique. Custom made mouthgaurds are made according to exact measurements of your mouth. Except for being much more comfortable, they provide maximum protection not only for your teeth, but also have many other protective advantages according to research. Watch this short 20second video, with Huttenpark's 1st Rugby team and find out how a custom made mouthgaurd protects MUCH MORE than just your smile!!! #huttenparkrugby #wearcustommademouthgaurds #protectyoursmile
Posted by Dr Larika Robb on Monday, May 9, 2016

Watch our 67second video, handing out 67 toothbrushes, in 67 minutes throughout town to celebrate Mandeladay! Follow us on our journey through town! #drlarikarobb #visitthedentist #goodcleanfun #mandeladay #madibaday #67minutes #67toothbrushes #brushbash #2016 #67secondvideo #thatsawrap
Posted by Dr Larika Robb on Tuesday, July 19, 2016

PULPOTOMY

A pulpotomy is the removal of a portion of the pulp, including the diseased aspect, with the intent of maintaining the vitality of the remaining pulpal tissue by means of a therapeutic dressing. A healthy tooth has a space inside it called the “pulp space” which is filled with soft tissues – nerves, blood vessels, and pink connective tissue. If a tooth gets a large cavity, the bacteria in the decay can damage the pulp, which is often what causes toothache. Primary (Baby) teeth in children have relatively large pulp/nerve spaces and a cavity does not have to get very large before it reaches the nerve. When the soft tissue in the pulp chamber is infected (has bacteria in it) or affected (is inflamed), it must be removed by the dentist under local anaesthetic.

If the soft tissue in the canals is still healthy enough, a special medicated filling can be put into the chamber in an attempt to keep the remaining pulp (in the canals) alive. The process of removing the pulp from the chamber is the actual “pulpotomy”.

Afterwards the tooth is restored with a regular filling and can still act as a functional placeholder until the permanent successor erupts.

FISSURE SEALANTS

Fissure Sealants

Talk to us about using sealants in your school age child! Sealants can protect your children’s back teeth, so that they may never need to have a filling! They are a protective plastic coating, which are applied to the chewing surfaces of teeth at risk of decay.

The chewing surfaces of back teeth have small grooves or fissures which often extend right down into the tooth itself. However well the teeth are brushed, these fissures are very difficult to clean thoroughly. Bacteria and food particles stick to them and eventually cause decay. Fissure sealants completely seal off these grooves, preventing any food particles or bacteria from getting in. They do not affect the normal chewing function of teeth.

Before

After

Sealants can be applied to the 1st and 2nd permanent molars to help protect the grooves and pits of these teeth that can be hard to clean and are prone to developing cavities, and appropriate premolars as soon as possible after they erupt (usually after 6 years of age).

THE PROCEDURE

First the fissure is checked for decay. Then the process simply involves cleaning the tooth surface, preparing it with a special solution, and then applying the coating. No injections or drilling are needed, and the entire process is pain free.

When should it be done?

The first permanent back molars are usually sealed between 6 and 7 years of age. If required, the rest of the molars are usually sealed as soon as they appear which can be any time between 11 and 14 years.

Do the teeth need special care afterwards?

No special care is needed, but the back teeth still need to be brushed regularly with a good toothbrush, preferably using fluoride toothpaste. It’s also important to keep going to the dentist for regular check-ups and cleanings.

Before

After

FILLINGS ON PRIMARY / MILK TEETH

Extraction of primary / milk teeth

Extracting primary/milk teeth for a child is not very difficult, but should only be considered as a last resort. Many parents feel that their kid’s teeth should be taken out instead of being saved, but primary teeth have an important role to play, and removing them prematurely can cause a lot of problems.

Primary teeth encourage the normal development of jaw bones and muscles, and ensure that there is space for the permanent teeth to grow into. They also help guide those teeth into position. The healthier your child’s baby teeth are, the stronger their permanent teeth will be!

Fortunately, when necessary, a child tooth extraction is usually a simple procedure. Kids require much less local anaesthetic than adults and usually have very little to no discomfort during their procedures. They often are more excited about the “Tooth Fairy/Tandmuis” coming and don’t worry about possible dental pain. Let us make your life as “Tooth Fairy / Tandmuis” more magical … Have a look at our Tooth Fairy Helper Kits

Fillings on primary / milk teeth

Saving a milk tooth is always preferred to extracting it, since these teeth act s placeholders for their permanent successors. Fillings on primary teeth can be done using white or silver fillings. If the decay progress all the way to the pulp/nerve of the tooth, a filling may be placed after first performing a pulpotomy on the tooth involved.

CHECK-UPS AND CLEANINGS

Dental check-up’s

It is generally recommended that kids see a dentist for the first time by their first birthday, and thereafter for twice-yearly dental check-ups. This way they get introduced to proper dental care habits from a very young age and tend not to be as fearful as when they are introduced at a later stage. It also ensures that cavities are picked up at an early stage, often needing minimal intervention, and in many cases might not even need injections to work on if still contained in the nerve-free enamel. This combined with proper dental hygiene care at home and diet, are the keys to ensuring pearly whites throughout childhood.

Dental cleanings

Except for being a good oral hygiene practice, regular 6 monthly dental cleanings, is a good way of introducing a child to the sound and feel of the dentist working inside their mouths in a fun way, by ‘tickling their teeth clean’, leaving them with a positive experience.

Implants

Dental Implants

Who can get an implant?

Implant procedure

Cleaning implants

Dental Implants

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants may be an option for people who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason. Dental Implants can be used to replace a single tooth and then restoring it with a crown or to replace several teeth and then restore it with an implant-supported bridge. You can also replace all of your teeth with an implant-supported full bridge or full denture.

WHO CAN GET AN IMPLANT?

If you have lost a tooth or several teeth, you are a candidate for implants. The ideal candidate for a dental implant is in good general and oral health. Adequate bone in your jaw is needed to support the implant, and the best candidates have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal disease.

THE PROCEDURE

This procedure is a team effort between you, your dentist and your maxillo-facial surgeon. Your surgeon and dentist will consult with you to determine where and how your implant should be placed. Depending on your specific condition and the type of implant chosen, the team will create a treatment plan tailored to meet your needs.

The implant procedure can be summarised as:

1. Determining the need for implant and referral to Maxillo-facial Surgeon.

During your appointment with us, we may realise your need for dental implants. At this time, we may refer you to a reputable Maxillo-facial Surgeon, that has extensive experience in Implantology, for the surgical part of the procedure – which is placing the implant into the jaw. All implant cases are done with a multidisciplinary approach, ensuring the best possible outcome for the patient.

2. Initial appointment with the Maxillo-facial Surgeon

The Maxillo-facial surgeon will take several x-rays, study models and sometimes a cone beam 3D scan of your jaw to determine the health of the bone and underlying tissues.

3. Implant placement:

The implant is inserted under local anaesthesia, conscious sedation or in theatre. A Tempory restoration or a temporary partial denture, may be used in the front of your mouth to ensure a natural looking smile.

4. Healing:

The healing phase can/may last up to 3 months, depending on your specific situation.

5. Crown placement:

After the healing is complete and the surgeon is satisfied that the implant has integrated sufficiently with the bone, the implant is exposed to the oral cavity by the maxillo-facial surgeon, and you are referred back to us to do the restorative part of your implant; in other words,the crown, bridge or denture is going to carry.

Back with us, we will take the necessary impressions and measurements for the crown/bridge or denture, which is then manufactured by the dental laboratory.

6. Aftercare:

Implants require special care afterwards, and regular cleanings. Cleaning visits should be scheduled every 6 months.

CLEANING IMPLANTS

Several types of cleaning aids are used to clean dental implants, and your dentist will also provide you with special instructions. The implants need special care, as the metal surface can easily be scratched which allows the surface to harbour harmful bacteria that could cause inflammation of the tissues around the implant.

It is very important to have a professional cleaning done at least every 6 months.

Any natural teeth you have must be cleaned thoroughly with a toothbrush with tapered bristles to reach under the gum line. In-between-teeth-cleaning should be accomplished with either interdental brushes or special dental floss/superfloss.

Soft picks are ideal for implants, as they have soft, rubber tips and will not scratch implants. Metal objects such as pipe cleaners, safety pins, hard brushes, or paper clips may permanently scratch the dental implant, which then allows the implant to harbour bacteria and may cause infection of the tissues surrounding the implant. Please also stay away from toothpicks! They spell bad news in ANY mouth!

If the implant prosthesis is removable, it will also need to be cleaned daily with a soft toothbrush.