We now offer Access My Super to help you with the early release of superannuation to cover the cost of a variety of dental treatments including orthodontics, implants, crowns, braces and many more.

Can I Access my Super for my Dental Treatment?

Yes, you can access your super for dental treatments. Access My Super can help you or any of your dependants to access your super to fund all your dental treatments.

Cover your Dental Treatment Costs

Access My Super can help you access your super to cover the cost of dental treatments including braces, crowns, general dental, implants, orthodontics and periodontics.

Supportive and Professional Staff

Access My Super's friendly team takes care of the application and lodgement process for you, allowing you to focus on your brand-new smile. Their staff are trained professionals and will not be asking any personal questions other than to understand your financial situation to help you access your superannuation.

Next steps

All you need is a quote from us and then follow up with Access My Super to get the application started.

Check our Payment FAQs for more general info about payment options.

Contact us to arrange a quote or for more information about Access My Super

Check out the Access My Super dental funding web page https://accessmysuper.com.au/dental-funding/.

So, youre out of lockdown and it feels great. You're back doing all the things you've been missing.

But as you get back to the freedom and busyness of life, have you spared a thought for your teeth? In fact, can you even remember the last time you saw the dentist?

Unfortunately, lockdown has not been good for mouths, and the statistics coming out of the Australian Dental Association aren't optimistic.

Here's why you need to book an appointment with your local dentist as soon as you can.

Why Lockdown Has Been Bad for Teeth

An increase in stress, a change in routine, a tendency to comfort eat - these classic lockdown characteristics all spell bad news for dental health.

Dentists are seeing increased stress and anxiety in patients' teeth thanks to COVID-19 lockdowns, presenting as cracked teeth, tooth sensitivity and pain due to clenching and grinding.

Unstructured days combined with the pressure of homeschooling means that flossing and brushing became somewhat of an afterthought, and data shows people in lockdown brushed their teeth less frequently than usual. Hygiene in general has gone downhill, but with masks covering your smile, there's less incentive to get your teeth professionally cleaned and checked.

When it comes to food, frequent snacking, poor diet and food choices, and higher sugar consumption have lead to tooth decay or gum disease.

Why You Should Come and See Us Now

The good news is that many short-term issues like tooth decay and gum disease can be treated if they're caught early.

The bad news is that, if left untreated, dental diseases that could have been prevented could impact your overall health.

The truth is, considering the pandemic started in early 2020, you probably haven't been to the dentist in 2 years, so you're well overdue!

It's important to get yearly check-ups, and attend more frequent appointments if you're having issues.

And don't forget to bring the kids in for a checkup too! The whole family will benefit from a pre-Christmas clean.

What We're Doing To Protect You in Clinic

Rest assured, our infection control practices are, and always have been, impeccable. And we know what you've been through this year - you can count on us to provide you with a comfortable, positive experience.

So before you launch back into those exciting non-essentials, come and get an essential dental checkup at Padstow Dental Centre.

We are here for you!! Rest assured we will be operating as per usual with all the appropriate COVID-safe measures in place, until we are advised otherwise.

We are considered an essential reason for you leaving your home.

If you have an appointment coming up, please:

• Wear a mask
• Advise us if you are unwell
• Call us on 02 9773 4775 if you have been in a hotspot area, so that we can reschedule your appointment.

Stay safe. Stay well. 

Dr Bill Kalis and the Padstow Dental Centre team.

Wisdom Teeth are an important milestone in your dental development. Everyone has their own perfections or imperfections when it comes to their wisdom teeth and in fact, the majority of the population have wisdom teeth removed. Having your wisdom teeth removed can be a scary and daunting task. It is however, important that you do not ignore them as it can have serious implications that will effect not only your dental health, but health as a whole. 

There are a couple implications that can arise from ignoring your wisdom teeth and not having them removed. These include:

• Wisdom teeth may become impacted and never break through your gums as a result of lack of room in your mouth when they come in.
• Wisdom teeth may break through gums partially, causing a flap of gum tissue to grow over them. Food can get trapped under the flap and cause your gums to become red, swollen, and painful. These can cause infection.
• One or more of the wisdom teeth may come in at the wrong angle
• Impacted teeth can cause infection and damage to your other teeth.
• A fluid sac may form around an impacted tooth, and the sac may grow into a cyst. This could cause lasting damage to your nearby teeth, jaw, and bones.

Dry socket is the term of a possible dental complication following a tooth extraction. The ‘socket’ refers to the space or hole left in the bone where the tooth has been removed. When the socket becomes ‘dry’, it means that the clot which naturally forms in this space has been lost or not formed correctly. If the blood clot has been lost or has not formed correctly there is nothing present in this space to protect the exposed bone and nerves in the jaw. This is why a dry socket often causes so much pain.  

Symptoms of Dry Socket

• Severe pain within a few days following a tooth extraction
• Pain extending from the jaw up towards the eye and temple region on the same side as the extraction
• Bad breath and a bad taste in the mouth
• Fever
• Visible bone or an empty socket/space where the tooth has been extracted

While you should expect some pain after an extraction, extreme prolonged pain that increases as time passes is something to be concerned about and if this occurs you should contact your dentist immediately.

Risks of Getting a Dry Socket

Not everyone who has an extraction will get a dry socket, some factors which increase the risk of someone getting a dry socket are;

• A history of dry socket from previous extractions
• Poor oral hygiene
• Smoking and alcohol consumption
• Oral contraceptives
• Infection or bacteria in the gums or around the extraction area

There are a few preventable measures which can be taken to reduce the risks of a dry socket, these include;

• Following post-operative instructions from your Dentist
• Avoiding smoking and alcohol for at least 48 hours
• Avoiding drinking through a straw or rinsing/spitting vigorously
• Keeping up good oral hygiene

What Do I Do if I Get a Dry Socket?

Contact your dentist as soon as possible and schedule an appointment. Your dentist may treat the dry socket by clearing out any food or particles present, placing medicated dressings or antiseptics in the wound, providing you with antiseptic gels and rinses or prescribing anti-biotics.

Over one-third of pre-schoolers have never seen a dentist and most parents believe children don't need to see one before they're three years old. Yet one-quarter of Australian children have tooth decay that requires filling by early primary school. One in 10 require an extraction. 

Concerned at the alarming rise of toddlers with dental cavities, Padstow dentist Bill Kalis and his team are using Dental Health Week (August 5-11) to launch a pilot aimed at improving the oral health of young children in the area and beyond. Dr Kalis is planning to start the crusade at the Rise and Shine Kindergarten group, marking his 25th year as a dentist, after seeing scores of children at his surgery suffering the effects of sugary drinks. 

"I'm hoping the visit will dispel children's fears about visiting the dentist and teach them about caring for their teeth, including brushing, flossing and diet," Dr Kalis said. "I'm also planning to run an information night for parents because so many with young children seem not to be aware of the harmful effects of sugar, which is in so much of what we eat today. 

"I just see so many children needing treatment and want to reduce the potentially avoidable hospitalisations.” I plan to screen children at the childcare centre and then return for follow up support and education; the message is that going to the dentist is a safe and fun experience." Dr Kalis said parents needed to become more aware about the dental health of their families.

 

"No one is immune, however. Even my son Steven, 7, has had a couple of cavities which caught us off guard despite our vigilance. It's just the amount of sugar in food these days and the inevitable kids' parties and spoiling by grandparents." For parents requiring more info about good dental health advice, visit www.adansw.com.au, www.padstowdentalcentre.com.au or www.protectingtinyteeth.com.au. 

Swelling and Bruising

Some swelling and bruising is normal after surgery. Generally swelling takes about three days to reach its peak, after which it will slowly discolour with time and subside over about ten to fourteen days. Bruising can vary from some minor facial bruising to more extensive bruising that may extend to the lower eye lids or down the neck.

Ice packs will help in the first 24 hours. Sleeping with your head elevated will also help.

Bleeding

Occasionally some oozing may occur from third molar and extraction sites, which can be controlled with the use of pressure packs. We will provide you with mouth packs to take home, which should be placed over the wounds and pressure applied by biting firmly on the packs. Rest quietly with your head elevated.

Wound Care and Hygiene

It is essential that you maintain exceptional oral hygiene using a combination of Savacol mouthwash, in addition to your regular tooth brushing. You should begin your mouthwashes and tooth brushing the day after surgery, aim to use at least 5-6 mouthwashes per day. While gentle tooth brushing around the wounds may cause minor bleeding, it is still vitally important to remove food debris and plaque from the area

Diet

You will need to maintain a diet of very soft food for at least the first three days after your surgery, eating foods of a “scrambled egg” consistency. Please note that is very important that you avoid hot foods within 24 hours of your surgery. You should be able to revert to your normal diet around 5-7 days after your operation.

Smoking & Alcohol

Smoking and alcohol can negatively affect the outcome of any surgical procedure, causing conditions such as inflammation of intraoral wounds and delayed healing. For these reasons, we strongly advise you to avoid smoking altogether for at least two weeks and alcohol for at least 3-5 days after your intraoral surgical procedure.

At Padstow Dental Centre, providing our patients with a smooth procedure, good experience and comfortable recovery is very important to us when it comes to the often daunting prospect of having complex wisdom teeth removed. The first week after wisdom teeth removal surgery is generally when you can anticipate to experience the most discomfort but following the steps below will go a long way toward smoothing the path and getting things back to normal. 

On the Day

Before the procedure you will be given a combination of IV sedation followed by local anaesthetic. This will alleviate any anxiety as well as any potential discomfort. The sedation also works to limit any memory of the actual procedure afterwards. You will feel you like you have woken from a deep sleep.

Depending on the complexity of the teeth being removed, you will likely feel some discomfort and possibly experience some mild to moderate swelling in the region(s). There may also be slight bleeding, oozing or redness in your saliva but we will ensure you are given the correct aftercare at the time and will check on you frequently during the recovery period where you are kept under observation. No significant pain will be felt in the first 3-4 hours as the local anaesthetic will still be active. You will be provided with mouth packs as well as a prescription for analgesics and antibiotics to continue at home upon discharge. Often we will arrange this ahead of the day when your booking is made so you don't have to worry about running around to pharmacies post procedure. You will need a responsible friend or family member under who's care we can discharge you to ensure you get home safely.

Our dentists will run you through some instructions to follow at home to speed up your recovery time and these will be provided in writing too.

Here are some quick points on the Do's and Dont's:

1. Avoid strenuous exercise
2. Do not spit
3. Do not drink from a straw
4. Do not smoke or consume alcohol
5. Do not agitate with your tongue or toothpick.
6. Take medication as instructed

At Home

Issues to Bring up with your Dentist

Happy Friday everyone.....we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has booked in for their preventative care visits!

If you would like to have your teeth professionally cleaned and looking beautiful for Christmas, and don't have a booking we have allocated extra days in our schedule to assist so please call ASAP if you would like one of these precious appointments! You may even like to start to whiten your teeth just in time for the holiday season.

We have been busy - working hard on putting together our brand new Website. We hope you like it!