Christmas & New Years Dental Clinic Opening Times

Festive Season & Emergency Dentist Opening Hours

24th December 2018 - closed
25th December 2018 - closed
26th December 2018 - closed
27th December 2018 - open from 10am to 2pm - Book Online Now
28th December 2018 - open from 10am to 2pm - Book Online Now
29th December 2018 - closed
30th December 2018 - closed
31st December 2018 - closed

1st January 2019 - closed
2nd January 2019 - closed
3rd January 2019 - open from 10am to 2pm - Book Online Now
4th January 2019 - open from 10am to 2pm - Book Online Now
5th January 2019 - closed
6th January 2019 - closed
7th January 2019 - regular opening hours resume - Book Online Now

Or you can book an appointment by calling us on (03) 9459 6300 during business hours

Publisher: Ayush Trivedi

8 lifestyle tips to help teenagers sleep better & crush it

Research suggests that teenagers need at least 9 hours of sleep during the night in order to function the best during the day. It is sometimes hard for them to get this amount of sleep every day due to school hours, after school activities, homework and for some, even work schedules. It is very common for them to be sleep deprived and they try to catch on sleep during the weekend. Even though we often think of sleep schedules being for younger children, it is just as important for teenagers to have a sleep schedule, and good sleep habits. Sleep deprivation has very similar properties to depression, and can lead to many health issues as explained here.

SCREEN TIME

EXERCISE

Regular daily activity (even easy walks) can help with the sleeping schedule. It is only important to avoid exercising 2-3 hours before bedtime because it can disrupt the sleep. It takes the body several hours to cool down and get ready to rest.

CAFFEINE

Limit the caffeine intake, especially in the late afternoon and evenings. Caffeine is a stimulant and will keep you awake. This applies to all the drinks/ food that contain caffeine - coffee, tea, some sodas, chocolate etc.

SLEEPING ENVIRONMENT

Sleeping environment can have a lot of impact on the overall quality of sleep. It is suggested to have teenagers avoid watching TV, be on the computers or phones right before the bedtime. The light from the screens will cause alertness and it will take more time to fall asleep afterwards. Bedroom should be the most comfortable room to relax. Make sure it is dark enough, quiet and cool. These are the best conditions to easily fall asleep. It would be the best to maintain the regular sleep schedule and keeping the distractions to the minimum before the bedtime.

LAVENDER

Lavender helps release melatonin (the sleep hormone). Spray a little bit on your pillow, have it in a humidifier or have it in a bath just before bed,

HOT BATH

A hot bath is relaxing, and allows the body to wind down. Lavender oil or Epsom salts, or magnesium can also help alleviate aches pains and release melatonin (the sleep hormone)

DIM LIGHTS

Bright lights can often release serotonin as it mimics sunlight and can wake you up. Often if you're in the bathroom just before you go to bed, the harsh bathroom lights can affect your ability to go to sleep quickly.

NAPS

Napping is good for rejuvenating after a long day. However, naps should not be longer than 20-30 minutes in the afternoon. Everything longer can disrupt the regular sleep schedule and make it harder to fall asleep at night.

If you feel like your teenage child may need some expert help to improve their sleep, make an appointment with one of our approachable and caring dentists:

Alternatively, book an appointment by calling us on (03) 9459 6300 during business hours

Publisher: Heidelberg Dentist

Have you made your personal dental health and smile plan?

The normal course of a visit to your dentist involves the dentist telling the patient what to do. This has been the way for generations and it works for some people. But does this work for you? Or would you like more control over the future course of your smile and general oral health?

Our dentists at Heidelberg Dentist take pride in getting to know you and helping you achive your goals. We've found the best way to do this is to ask a few simple questions. We encourae all our patients to create a simple, mental plan of what they want their smile and oral health to look like as they progress through life.

Some of the simple questions that can help you craft your own personal dental health plan include:

• Are you happy with how your teeth look right now?
• Are you fussed about keeping your natural teeth?
• Do you have a confident smile, or is there something that might make you more confident about your smile?
• Have your family members had oral health problems that you would like to avoid?
• What are the key things about your oral health that you would like to focus on over the medium to long term?

Answers to these questions will help you and your dentist better understand how we can help you take great care of your long term oral health and smile. A comprehensive pesonal dental plan will also help you minimise the occurance of costly and unforeseen dental emergencies.

If you would like to see a friendly and caring team of dental experts in a relaxed environment, call us on (03) 9459 6300 or book an appointment online for a great dental treatment experience:

Publisher: Heidelberg Dentist

8 Tips To Make The Most Out Of Your Dentist Visit

Image Source: Best Dentist News

At Heidelberg Dentist we strive to make our patients comfortable for their dental visit. We understand that many people have a fear of coming in, and we want to help address that. Dental fear for some can lead to avoiding the dentist and concerns which were initially reversible lead to pain and costly and extensive treatment.

1. Let us know if you are anxious. If you have a dental fear, whether it’s from a bad past experience, or just a fear of pain or the unknown, let us know so we can help you. Whether it’s coming in early and having some green tea while you chat to our friendly front office staff, or spending more time in the initial consult to help address the fear. We are here to help!

2. Maintain your normal routine. Many people go into overdrive when they know their dental appointment is coming up. This often leads to aggressive brushing and flossing which can aggravate gums and weaken the enamel of your teeth.

3. Be prepared. If you are on a lot of medications, please bring a list with you. Sometimes medications which you think are irrelevant actually can impact your oral health or dental treatments that can be offered to you. If you have a lot of concerns, or want to discuss cosmetic options then come with a list of questions so you feel everything is answered and nothing is missed.

4. Share your history. If you are switching dental clinics, it’s great to have a copy of your records and Z-rays so the dentist can help diagnose current problems and understand your oral health.

5. Be honest. If you haven’t been brushing or flossing regularly (or just don’t know how), or are drinking or eating more sugar than you say- just be honest. We won’t judge and it will help us in diagnosing the problem and coming up with a tailor made solution.

6. Ask questions. If you aren’t sure about a procedure being recommended, or want to see photos, read articles, or take home more information, just ask! We are happy to provide as much information in the way that you would like it to help ease any fear.

7. If music relaxes you, or if you have a certain TV show or movie you would like to run, just let us know before and we can have it playing on our screen and speaker to help you feel comfortable. Also, if the temperature is uncomfortable for you then let us know and we can provide a blanket or extra fan.

8. Schedule regular visits. As weird as it sounds, if you are afraid of the dentist then you should be seeing us regularly. Frequent visits allow for any changes to be detected, and solutions to concerns or changes to your routine to be made very early which in turn prevents costly and extensive treatment, as well as tooth pain.

If you would like to see a friendly and caring team of dental experts in a relaxed environment, call us on (03) 9459 6300 or book an appointment online for the best dental treatment experience:

Publisher: Heidelberg Dentist

Top 5 Proven Home Remedies To Treat Sensitive Teeth

Tooth sensitivity can be a real pain (pun intended). From stopping you from having ice-cream when its hot, to the cold wind stirring up the pain when you walk outside in winter.

Tooth sensitivity can happen to you due to a variety of reasons such as cavities, gum disease, weak enamel, improper brushing action and grinding your teeth. If you are suffering from sensitivity it is best to see your dentist to rule out any cavities or disease.

Call us on (03) 9459 6300 or make an appointment online to get a proven treatment for sensitive teeth from one of our gentle dentists.

However, if you want to try some home-based treatments for sensitive teeth, our list of the top 5 home remedies includes:

Sensitive Teeth Remedy 1. Listen to your body

Awareness of grinding or clenching your teeth. Whether it’s while you are playing sport or at the gym, driving, working or just thinking, lots of people tend to take out their stress on their teeth which in turn puts too much force on them and can cause sensitivity.

Check out our guide to easy exercises to help relieve muscle pain from teeth grinding.

Alternatively, you may need to consider a night-guard for grinding or clenching at night. Night guards are essentially a mouthguard that you can wear at night to protect your teeth from the stresses that your jaw and TMJ dysfunctions can put them under.

Call us on (03) 9459 6300 or make an appointment online to see if a night-guard will help you protect your teeth and relieve the sensitivity in your teeth.

Sensitive Teeth Remedy 2. Look at your toothbrush

Swap your toothbrush for one that is rated "soft" or even "extra soft".

Over brushing or an improper action can lead to scrubbing your teeth too hard and therefore sensitivity. Be gentle to your teeth and use a soft bristle toothbrush, a circular motion instead of a scrubbing action

Sensitive Teeth Remedy 3. Watch what you eat and drink

In short: avoid acidic foods.

Soft drinks, acidic foods can wear away the enamel and therefore expose the inner dentine or the root surface which can cause a lot of sensitivity. Avoiding acidic foods, or drinking through a straw can help against tooth erosion and keep the teeth strong.

Sensitive Teeth Remedy 4. Take care of the gaps between your teeth...

...by flossing. Flossing helps clean in-between the teeth and keep plaque away from the gums, this helps reduce gum disease. With long term gum disease, the gum recedes and the root surface of the tooth is exposed which is not covered by enamel and can cause sensitivity.

Be careful of bush lawyers telling you that you may have cavities in your teeth that are causing your teeth sensitivity. While cavities can cause many problems, your tooth sensitivity is likely the result of a different dental issue.

Sensitive Teeth Remedy 5. Try using a sensitive toothpaste

Don't worry, your toothpaste wont mind.

If all the other causes of sensitivity have been ruled out by your dentist, the use of a sensitive toothpaste as well as a soft toothbrush can help against sensitivity.

Sensodyne and Colgate Pro-Relief toothpaste are the most obvious and commonly used sensitive toothpastes that you can look for on your supermarket shelves. There are other options and you should try the various options from the different brands to see if any of them work for you.

Sensitive Teeth Remedy 6. Visit a gentle dentist

If you have tried all of these remedies and more, but your sensitive teeth are still bothering you our gentle dentists can help. There are a few proven treatment options to relieve you of your sensitive teeth.

Your treatment options range from tooth mousses to fillings or even a root canal in some progressed situations.

The other advantage of visiting a dentist to treat your sensitive teeth over any home remedy, is that a dentist can actually treat the underlying problem.

You see, if your roof is leaking and you paint over the water stains in your ceiling, you might hide the problem - but it will come back over and over. Home remedies might just have the same effect, whereas seeing a dentist will help you understand where the leak is and how to fix it with a more permanent solution.

Call us on (03) 9459 6300 or book an appointment online to get proven treatments for your sensitive teeth from our caring and gentle dentists.

Publisher: Heidelberg Dentist

3 Handy Exercises & Stretches To Get You Fit While Brushing

We all make plenty of excuses about why we can never quite do justice to our gym memberships. If you prefer to keep making such excuses then stop reading now.
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Congratulations for choosing to keep reading! Check out these 3 handy exercise and stretching tips that you can do while brushing your teeth. That's right, not only do we have a team of great dentists, we're also pretty adept at helping you get fit and save time!

Calf Raises

Standing flat footed, start by lifting your heels until you are on your tip-toes. 

Slowly return your heels to the floor and repeat. You should feel the stretch in your calves. 

Oblique Stretches

Slowly lean as far to one side as possible while keeping your back straight. It helps to "reach" for your ankle with your free hand.

Hold the stretched position for 3-5 seconds, then return to your upright starting position. Repeat even on both sides.

Lunges

While alternating legs, put one foot forward until your foot is under your knee at a 90 degree angle.

Hold this for a few seconds, then return to your upright starting position. Swap legs & repeat.


As you get good at these stretches and your body gets used to the new routine, you can increase the complexity and resistance by adding a light weight to your free hand.

If you realise you need to see a dentist while you brushing & stretching, call us on (03) 9459 6300 or book an appointment online for the best dental treatment experience:

Publisher: Heidelberg Dentist

5 Reasons Why You Should Have A Family Dentist

Many of us don't realise that a good family dentist is just as important for your family's health and wellbeing as a good family General Practitioner or doctor. Here are the top 5 reasons you should consider when selecting your family dentist:

1. Caring For Every Member of Your Family: every good family dentist should be able to assess, advise on and treat the dental health of your entire family - from babies and children, to elderly grandparents. A good family dentist possesses an array of general dentistry skills which are required to care for all-round dental health of your family.


2. Greater Comfort Levels with Your Dentist: let's be honest, not everyone likes going to a dentist. Ths is why people seek the advice of family and friends when selecting their dentist. We know that if you are comfortable and satisfied with your dentist, then your children, spouse and extended family members are more likely to also feel at ease with that dentist. Increased comfort with your dentist is key to the entire family scheduling and attending regular dental appointments, which will minimise the chances of unforeseen and expensive dental emergencies.


3. Consistent & Accurate Diagnoses & Treatment: a good family dentist maintains accurate records of every patient visit. This enables the dentist to quickly and correctly diagnose, prevent and / or treat the dental issues of their patients. For this to happen, it is important that you and your family members regularly schedule and attend your dentist appointments.


4. Convenient Location Close to Home: location is a very important factor when choosing your family dentist. Google searches are often the first port of call and references from family and friends can also help. Having the same family dentist also allows family members to schedule appointments together, cutting down unnecessary travel and waiting times.


5. Better, More Personalised Care: As your dentists understands you and your family, they will also be able to better anticipate and help with your specific concerns, questions and quirks! 

At Heidelberg Dentist, our team prides itself on being the only dental clinic in the area that focuses on family dentistry. This is why most of our new patients come from referrals from their family and friends who are already our patients.

Why not pop in in for a quick visit of our family-friendly dental clinic. We're located at 34 Rosanna Road, Heidelberg, opposite Warringal shopping centre.

You can also call us on (03) 9459 6300 or book an appointment online for a dental treatment experience your whole family will appreciate:

Publisher: Heidelberg Dentist

Which toothbrush & toothpaste should I use?

Despite all the attempts by toothbrush manufacturers to tell us otherwise, this issue really comes down to personal preference. As long as the bristles are soft, a battery operated, manual or electric toothbrush is fine

What is important, however, is the technique used to clean your pearly whites. Ensure that a circular motion is used to brush teeth, instead of a scrubbing action, gums, tongue and cheeks are important to clean as well. Using the back of the toothbrush to scrub your tongue can make a real difference to your dental health, because human tongues are rich in bad bacteria.

Certain dental conditions can necessitate the use of a toothbrush with a specific size, shape or hardness. These individual nuances are best determined in consultation with your dentist.

What about toothpaste?

Most toothpastes are quite similar. For children under 6 a kids' toothpaste is fine to use, and after this age a normal adult toothpaste will be just fine. However, you should be careful in believing the claims of many well-known toothpaste brand. Do you research, check the ingredients listed on the pack and make an informed decision about the toothpaste you want your family to use.

One thing is for certain: contrary to the opinions of a vocal minority, it is important to ensure that every toothpaste tube used by you and your family contains fluoride. Fluoride is very helpful in building strong and durable teeth, when used every day from a young age.

Next time you come in to see our caring and friendly dentists, ask us for samples of a brand that is different to what you use and something that may be more suited to your needs. You can book an appointment by calling us on (03) 9459 6300 or by booking an appointment online now:

Publisher: Heidelberg Dentist

Baby teeth will fall out, so should my kids take care of them?

Yes! Dental health in deciduous teeth preempts what is to come in their adult teeth. This why getting into good habits early and eliminating any decay will make for better health.

Decay in baby teeth should be fixed - especially if those teeth are still going to be there for a few years.  Most decay can be restored without anesthetic and is a simple procedure that children react positively to.

However, once the decay has extended to the pulp of the tooth, that’s when it can be really painful for children and a more difficult procedure is required, along with the potential use of anesthetics. This can sometimes be frightening for the child which can lead to a fear of dentists and further neglect of their teeth and general oral health.

We advise parents of all our little patients with baby teeth to instill good oral health habits in their children from a young age. This helps keep the little tackers happy and their parents free of unnecessary headaches.

If you want to keep your child's teeth in the best possible condition, call us on (03) 9459 6300 or book an appointment online for a great dental treatment experience:

Publisher: Heidelberg Dentist

When is the right time to start taking my child to the dentist?

A good time to start bringing children to the dentist is when they are around 3 years old.  All their baby teeth are present by around 24-30 months and this is an ideal time to get used to the dental chair.

It's a good idea to vanquish any fears your child may have about visiting a dentist. So we advise parents to be positive, and if you have any fears of their own, to try not make them obvious as children absorb such sentiments easily.

The first visit is usually just a ride in the chair and a quick count of the teeth.  Even if you just bring your children to your own appointments, it helps take the fear out of the process and they'll be sure to get a reward from us that they can show off during the "show-and-tell" session at their school,  kindergarten or play school.


Call us on (03) 9459 6300 or book an appointment online for a dental treatment experience your child will really appreciate:

Publisher: Heidelberg Dentist