Blog Coburg Dental Group

In a post COVID-19 pandemic world, it will become even more important to have a regular family dentist. The concept of having a family dentist Glenroy may seem like something that some people don’t have time for anymore. But with people spending more time at home with work and family time, a family dentist Glenroy brings with it some unique advantages that benefit your overall health.

Family Dentistry Is About Your Dental Health – Past, Present and Future

1. A History Of Your Dental Health

Family dentistry Glenroy at Coburg Dental Group is important because it provides continuity and maintains accurate records. When you’ve been seeing your dentist for a period of time, they will have a record of your dental health. This includes your medical history including any allergies, sensitivities, medications, special needs, or requirements and any special instructions from your medical practitioner which may influence your general health. This type of history is important for a number of reasons. Your dentist will know, for example, when to schedule your next check-up, the need to monitor any teeth with potential issues such as cracks, leaky fillings or other irregularities, along with a measurement of the progress of any gingival recession (receding gums). Using this important information, your dentist will have full details to be able to formulate a treatment plan for any dental condition which you may have.

2. Developing A Personal And Trusting Relationship

Personal relationships with any health practitioner are about trust, and trust allows open, frank and respectful communication between the dentist and the patient. Family dentistry at Coburg Dental Group means that over time you’ll develop a relationship of trust with your dentist. There is nothing better than knowing that you and your family feel comfortable at each dental appointment and that they are in trustworthy hands and seeing the same dentist and staff members at each visit. Communication is much easier with someone you trust. You’ll feel able to talk about concerns or fears. For children, getting to know their dentist or oral health therapist puts them at ease and makes dental visits easier. As well, if you’re interested in exploring treatments such as orthodontics or smile enhancement , you can be confident that your dentist will have excellent recommendations for you.

3. Knowledge Of Your Teeth, Gums, General Mouth Condition, And What To Look For

When you see the same dentist such as family dentist Glenroy, they know where and how to look out for any changes in your teeth, gums, and surrounding tissues over time. For example, any sudden discolouration or suspicious lesion will be readily apparent to your dentist and, if necessary, they can perform biopsy or refer you to a specialist for further examination. As a part of your health team, dentists can often detect health conditions first. For example, when cancer in the mouth is identified by a family dentist, treatment is initiated more quickly. As you probably know, early detection is important for increased treatment success.

4. Awareness of Any Health Problems

Here are just a few examples of why having a regular family dentist is good for your overall health, and not just your teeth and oral health. A common example is prosthetic joint replacements and heart stents. If you have had a body part replaced, such as a hip joint, knee joint, shoulder, heart valve, or a heart stent placed, your medical surgeon may advise you to take antibiotics before dental cleanings and some other invasive procedures. Your dentist will consult with your surgeon to determine the best course of treatment for you. It is for the protection of the prosthetic surgery site from an infection that your surgeon may make this recommendation, particularly in the early stages after your surgery. It’s really important that you tell your dentist if you fall into this category. Once they are informed, they will have this information on record, consult with your surgeon and medical practitioner and will know how long you are required to take the preventative antibiotic.

Another example is high blood pressure, which is increasingly prevalent today. If you have high blood pressure or are on blood pressure medication, be sure to let your dentist know. There are many reasons for this. For example, some blood pressure tablets can lead to a dry mouth, which can create a greater risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

Individuals with high blood pressure can also be adversely affected by some local anaesthetics. And have an adverse reaction. Some of these drugs can cause blood vessels to constrict temporarily, and if this is the case for you, your dentist will need to limit your exposure to these anaesthetics to prevent health emergencies or complications.
As you can see, having a regular family dentist who practices the general principles of family dentistry means that these serious health concerns will be documented, the correct protocols will be followed when you visit for your next appointment.

5. Proactive Family Dentistry – it’s all about prevention

Having the same dentist will allow them to be proactive and keep a close eye to monitor your oral health. This may help you prevent a dental problem from arising in the first place, or stop it from becoming a serious concern in the future. At Coburg Dental Group, we are very thorough with our check-ups and we always look for underlying problems. This means that we can treat them quickly before the damage becomes serious or permanent. This is also why we insist on having a check-up at every hygienist appointment.

6. Making Family Dentistry Work For Your Family

Coburg Dental Group can provide state of the art dental treatment for your whole family. This means that you save valuable time and money because you do not need to arrange different appointments on different days and our treatment will last longer. Your family dentistry appointments for the whole family can be scheduled together in one morning, afternoon, or evening, to fit in with your busy life.

7. Experience Is So Important

All of our staff at Coburg Dental Group have many years of experience. On going training of all of our staff is part of our general commitment of excellence for our patients. Our modern, state of the art facilities complement the high level of treatment which our patients expect to receive.

8. Your Family Dentist Can Direct Bill

If you have health insurance (private extras cover), you can simply present your membership card and we will claim your rebate on the spot through our HICAPS system at each visit. Any co-payment is made at the same time. This will save you a lot of time and bother.

9. Payment Plans

We have options for paying off your dental treatment including Afterpay and Gem Visa which means you can pay off your treatment interest free. (Terms and conditions apply and these are available from the credit provider)

Coburg Dental Group is a well established family dental practice with strong relationships with clients who have been coming to our practice for many years. We are also ready to take new patients and emergency patients to provide them with the same level of trusting care that our regular patients have received for years.  To make an appointment call (03) 9386 1805