Footy season is upon us!

It is that time of the year when we can sit with the family and watch Friday night football or support our team at the “G”.

I hear some of you groan. Just remember that at a local level, all ages will begin participating in football and other winter contact sports.

I’d love to see every player in a CUSTOM FITTED MOUTH GUARD - proven to reduce injury in sport.

Reduce injury in sport; wear a custom-fitted mouthguard

Accidents happen when you least expect it. Our custom-fitted mouthguards significantly reduce the risk of serious mouth injury.

The cost of a custom fitted mouthguards pales into insignificance when compared with the lifetime cost, pain and suffering. Contact sports can result in fractured teeth (often need extraction), or teeth being knocked out.

Our mouthguards will feel comfortable and you will be able to speak and breath properly. If you have braces (orthodontics) we can still make a mouthguard - very important to wear a mouthguard when you have braces because the damage to the inside of your cheeks and lips can be very uncomfortable. Even sports like basketball can result in an elbow or basketball to the face.

Young children and teenagers are at the highest risk. Our aim at RFD is to make mouthguards so wearable that they are worn at training and competition and never taken out and put in their socks, to kick goals, like some AFL footballers do!

For more information about mouthguards and how to deal with mouth injuries, visit Mouthguard Awareness or visit our website, sport dentistry category

Do you have sleep apneoa ?

It is important to distinguish between people who snore and people who snore and have sleep apnoea. Take the sleep questionnaire below for some guidance:

Self Assessment for Sleep Apnoea

• Do you snore loudly?
• Is your snoring a problem for others?
• Do you wake feeling unrefreshed?
• Are you often sleepy during the day? e.g. do you fall asleep at meetings, reading or watching TV?
• Has anyone heard you snort, gasp or hold your breath during sleep?
• Do you suffer from chronic daytime sleepiness?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions you may be suffering from more than just snoring, you may have obstructive sleep apnoea.

Please contact us for a consultation if you are concerned and we will organize a diagnostic sleep study.

Is sugar a sweet poison?

Are you concerned about modern diseases such as:

• Obesity?
• Heart Disease?
• Dental Caries?

Dr Robert Lustig, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of California, division of endocrinology explores the damage caused by sugary foods on our health. For this lecture and other interesting information access Google Search “Robert Lustig” and enter site youtube.com

At Richmond Fine Dentistry we care about the health and wellbeing of our patients and staff alike. That is why we have for your protection Microshield Antimicrobial Hand Gel; we encourage our patients to use this gel for hand hygiene. Next month we will write a feature article on infection control protocols we adopt at Richmond Fine Dentistry

Effects of oral piercing on your dental health

Piercing of the lip (la bret) and tongue has the potential to cause significant damage to your teeth and gums. Tongue piercing and barbells can chip or break teeth. Often the person with the piercing will, out of habit chew on the barbell or play with it without thinking, it is in these situations that damage can happen.

What to do:

• Watch the size and position of barbells in the tongue so teeth will not be damaged.
• Watch the position of la bret piercing to ensure they do not rub against the gum.
• Never sleep with piercing in.
• Best option is to not get oral piercing at all  

Hand Hygene

When undergoing any kind of body piercing procedure, the individual should always ensure that the instruments to be used have been properly sterilised before hand to avoid the risk of acquiring an infectious disease.

Tax relief for dental treatment

Did you know that you claim a 20% tax rebate for any medical, dental, prescriptions, physio etc of your out of pocket expenses after the first $1,500 spent in a financial year.

We are more than happy to give you a print out of what you claimed and what you paid in a financial year. Contact your pharmacy and medicare office for similar information and present to your accountant.

For more information go to the government website or seek counsel from your tax adviser.

Opening Hours

Dental
Mon: 10am – 7pm
Tue: 8am – 5pm
Wed: 8am – 5pm
Thurs: 8am – 5pm
Fri: 8am – 5pm

Dental Hygienist
Mon: 5pm – 7pm
Tue: 8am – 5pm
Wed: 8am – 5pm
Fri: 8am – 5pm

Cancellation Policy
At RFD we require a minimum of 24hrs notice for cancellations. In the event that less than 24hrs notice is given prior to the scheduled appointment time you may be charged a cancellation fee.