Preventative Dentistry - Decay Management Programs

At Smile Artistry™ emphasis is placed on “TOTAL” dental care, and to do so we take a comprehensive look at all aspects of a patient's dental needs. Our specifically designed Decay Management Programs can be individually created for patients who suffer from a high decay rate, indicated when new areas of decay exist in more than a few places in your mouth.

Dental Decay is Preventable!
Our Decay Management Program investigates all of the contributing factors associated with dental decay. A consultation with our Dental Hygienists will identify which factors are contributing to causing decay, and recommendations and modifications to the cause can be made. This will prevent further dental decay developing, meaning less fillings in the future.

The areas we examine include:

• Diet
• Oral hygiene
• Saliva
• Levels of Decay forming Bacteria 
• Stress levels
• Fluoride exposure
• Hobbies/interests impacting on dental health
• Medication and Medical Conditions

In this day and age, our diets contain high levels of sugars. It is these sugars that feed plaque bacteria in our mouths that then create acids that cause dental decay or holes in our teeth. When we consume sugars, there is a lasting pH change for a period of up to two hours after we eat or drink if we haven't cleaned our teeth. Depending on how our saliva functions it may take longer or shorter than two hours for the pH to neutralise to above 5.5. It is largely the number of sugar hits per day that leads to large amounts of dental decay, and two different diets are compared below:

The first diagram shows that of someone who eats three meals per day at 6am, 11:30am and 6pm in the evening. It is for over an hour after each meal that the acidity in their mouth is decreased and once below 5.5 pH demineralisation (decay can occur). This person is exposed to three hours of demineralisation per day.

In comparison, someone who snacks constantly during the day on sugar containing drink of food is shown in the diagram below. This person consumed sugar at 6am, 8am, 11am, 2pm, and 5pm. The hours of demineralisation or decay is more like seven hours per day.

During our Decay Management Program we take these principles into account and can educate on why there is decay in your mouth and not someone else's.

For your Decay Management Appointment please note:
It is recommended that the saliva and bacteria tests be carried out in the morning. We advise you not to eat, drink or brush your teeth prior to the appointment. This is important as any foods (including chewing gum) or drink may alter the results. If however your appointment is scheduled later during the day, please restrain from eating, drinking and brushing your teeth at least three hours before your appointment.

Back to Preventative Dentistry
Back to home page