Preventative Dental Care in Canberra City
Preventative dentistry is the part of our work that happens before anything hurts. It covers the routine examination, cleaning and monitoring that let us see what is changing in your mouth over time, and it is the reason many problems get picked up while they are still small and straightforward to treat.
Our dentists at Hobart Place Dental have looked after Canberra City patients from 1 Hobart Place since 1965, and a good share of our appointments are ordinary check-ups for people we have seen for years.
The check-up appointment
The routine appointment — an examination of your teeth, gums and soft tissues, X-rays where they are needed, and a scale and clean — is the foundation of everything else on this page. We will tell you what we found, including anything we are simply keeping an eye on, and you will get a cost estimate before any treatment goes ahead.
Our dental check-ups page goes through it properly: what the examination covers, when X-rays are worth taking and when they are not, how we work out how often you should come in, and how health fund and Medicare claiming works.
Between visits, brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, cleaning between your teeth, and limiting how often you have sugary food and drink all help keep your teeth and gums in good order.
Come in sooner, without waiting for a scheduled appointment, if you notice tooth pain or sensitivity, bleeding or swollen gums, a chipped or broken tooth, a lost filling, a bad taste or persistent bad breath, or an ulcer or patch in your mouth that has not healed within two weeks.
What is worth knowing
An examination shows what is detectable on the day. Some conditions are not visible until they progress, and X-rays are a snapshot rather than a guarantee. Cleaning can leave gums tender for a day or two, and where gum disease has already caused recession, teeth may feel more sensitive afterwards or look slightly longer as inflammation settles. None of this is a reason to avoid a check-up, but it is worth knowing before you sit down.
Our preventative services
Dental check-ups and cleans — the periodic examination, X-rays where indicated, and a scale and clean, with the interval between visits set for your own level of risk rather than a default.
Periodontal health — assessment and ongoing management of gum disease, which is common, rarely sore in its early stages, and the reason a good share of adult teeth are eventually lost.
Fissure sealants — sealing the deep grooves on the biting surfaces of back teeth, where a toothbrush bristle cannot reach. Most often done for children soon after the adult molars come through.
Teeth grinding — occlusal splints for bruxism and jaw joint pain. Grinding often happens during sleep, so the first sign is usually worn or chipped teeth, or waking with a tight jaw.
Mouthguards — custom-fitted guards for contact sport, made to a mould of your own teeth rather than boiled to shape at home.
