Issue #10 Winter 2013

Winter Wonders
The last three months have been very exciting for the SmileBright Team. We have seen our family grow with Dr Young Jae Kim joining the team as our new dentist, giving us the capacity to see more patients sooner and reducing waiting periods. Emily has also joined the SmileBright team as our new Front Office Coordinator, working alongside Stacey, our Front Office Manager. The entire team also attended a continuing education course during May which brought with it a lot of new exciting ideas for the practice moving forward. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for photos from our adventure. each month the votes will be tallied and your Team Member of the Month will be announced on our Facebook page - Have your say now!

SMALLER FOOTPRINTS
Not only are we extremely passionate about our local community, we are also conscious about the impact we, as a practice, have on the environment. Although, at this stage, we are unable to completely rid the practice of paper we are working towards significantly reducing the amount of paper we use. All patient forms will now be completed on iPads and transported directly to our patient recording system.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Silent gratitude is not much use to anyone. GB Stern Have you had an outstanding experience and service during a visit to us? We certainly hope so! We strive to provide every patient with the highest level of professionalism and service. Now we are giving you the chance to acknowledge a specific staff member for their efforts. You can vote by either completing a ballot form when you visit us, or on our Facebook page poll, for the Team Member of the Month. At the end of KEEP SMILING BECAUSE LIFE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING AND THERES SO MUCH TO S MILE ABOUT!

BACK TO THE FUTURE

As the world moves forward faster into the age of technology, we are progressing right along with it. The practice now has Wi-Fi that you are able to access during your visit with us, and in the coming weeks new iPads will be available for you to use as well. For Smart Phone users we are now also offering calendar appointment reminders. If your Smart Phone is connected to your email, we are able to send you an email with your appointment details, you click the link and it will automatically add it to your calendar. If you would like to take advantage of this convenient appointment reminder option please speak with Stacey or Emily at Front Office to organize this for you.

Missing In Action
As Dental Practitioners, it is our role to help you keep all of your natural teeth by restorative treatment and preventive measures. Ideally having a perfect occlusal alignment (where the upper and lower molars connect evenly) and a restorative-free mouth is what we strive to achieve, however, other factors in the modern world hinder the health of our mouths. If a permanent tooth had decay, a dentist can restore the tooth, but once a permanent tooth is lost, and no treatment is done with the space, then there are a lot of problems that can occur.

symptoms such as sensitivity to hot and cold can occur. Not only will the sensitivity become problematic, but also as the furcation area (the area of a multirooted tooth where the root divides) will be exposed which can then lead to more bacteria invasion and likely cause localised periodontal disease, which can also end in further tooth loss.

STATISTICAL PROPHECY
A study survey performed by the Australian Government has found that almost half of the 12 year old children in the school dental service had decayed adult teeth. The average number of DMFT (decayed, missing or filled teeth) was 1.1. This statistic made alarm bells ring for us, and shines a spotlight on the importance teaching children good oral hygiene practices from the beginning, as well as healthy lifestyle choices which will also affect their teeth. While prevention is always better than a cure, if it comes to extraction being your only option left, ensure you discuss the long term effects of the remaining teeth with your dentist to ensure one missing tooth doesnt damage the ones left behind.

EXPECTATIONS REVEALED
Imagine a book shelf full of books; if you take one or more books out, the ones left behind begin to collapse into the space. This is the same for your teeth, if a tooth/teeth are extracted, over time the surrounding teeth will begin to move into the gap left behind causing the mouth occlusion (how teeth touch each other) to be misaligned. In the situation where multiple posterior (molar) teeth are missing, excessive chewing force will be exerted on the front teeth, which can result in the front teeth chipping and cracking as well as moving forward and outward. Unfavourable movement of the front teeth will have an obvious affect on ones smile and subsequently their confidence. As well as the adjacent teeth tilting to fill the gap left behind, the opposing teeth will also over-erupt, as there is no longer an opposing tooth to create resistance against over eruption. As the over eruption continues, the tooth becomes unstable and as more of the tooths root structure is exposed

GETTING TO KNOW US
He is new to the SmileBright family but already is a vital member of our team. Lets get to know our new dentist, Dr Young Jae Kim, or Jae, as we call him. Born in: Seoul, South Korea Grew up in: I moved to Australia in 2003 when I was 15 and finished high school at Sheldon College. I then went on to study dentistry at UQ. Favourite Food: I love all kinds of food! My favourite would be sushi and sashimi. Food Dislike: I am a grown man I eat everything! Favourite Movie: The Hangover Hobbies/Interests: Fishing, skiing and snowboarding. Pets: I had a brown poodle when I was a child, I would love to get a Siberian husky one day. Something Interesting: I am planning to visit Korea next year.

Extra pressure causing in tooth movement and over eruption of opposing teeth is a result of missing teeth

Sunnybank Hills Shopping Town, Sunnybank Hills Qld 4109 Phone 3272 8833 | Email info@smilebrightdental.com.au

www.smilebrightdental.com.au