Welcome Dr Amos Wong to the team!

ODC-AJWWe would like to take this opportunity to welcome Dr Amos Wong to the team at Underwood Dental Care.

Dr Amos graduated from the University of Queensland with Honours in Dental Science. He grew up and spent the earlier days of his childhood in Malaysia, and later migrated to Australia with his family in 2008. Currently, Dr Amos works at the University of Queensland Dental School as a Supervising Dentist, and has been awarded a Associate Lecturer title.
Dr Amos enjoys taking care of his patients’ health through dentistry, which he views as a privilege. He particularly enjoys preventive, restorative and the surgical aspects of modern dentistry. He is committed to providing the best dental care to all his patients, treating each one of them with respect and care.
Outside of dentistry, Dr Amos is involved in a Christian youth group in Sherwood and enjoys free time playing sports and fishing. 2015 was a bad fishing year him, but he is optimistic about 2016! Do ask him to show you a picture of him with his a massive flat head!
With more after hour appointments now available, be sure to book the kids in these school holidays for their routine dental examinations!

The end of the year is here…use it or lose it!

christmas teeth

This year has definitely flown by.

We only have a bit over a month before the year ends, and if you’re a bit like me, you’re probably busy fighting through the shopping center crowds on the weekends in the mad christmas rush! You are probably also getting christmas parties organised, and attending school graduations, that the last thing you are worried about are the health of your teeth!

BUT… did you know that as we make plans to welcome in the yew year on December 31st, there is another thing that we will also be saying good bye to as the year ends; our private health entitlements for the year.

With most people paying upwards of $60 per month for private health insurance, doesn’t it make sense that we get some value from it by utilizing the benefits of your cover? As with most health insurance policies, the two most common and widely used benefits on extras covers are dental and optical.

All health funds are different, but generally they will allow for a checkup and clean every 6 months, and then have a yearly limit for general and major dental, which is “topped up” at the end of the year (some health funds work on a financial year).  The reason I say “topped up”, is that it DOES NOT roll over and accumulate, it just tops the limit back up.  If the limit is $1000 for major dental for example, and you don’t use any one year, you still only have $1000 next year, it does not add up to give you $2000.

Although you are probably caught up in the busiest period of the year, spare a moment to give your teeth a thorough check up and clean for your peace of mind. The last thing you need is for a sore tooth to play up and ruin the festive season.

BUT should a problem occur while you’re feasting on that pork crackling on Christmas dinner, we will be open in between the public holidays to ensure you are looked after!

Mon 21 Dec- 8am-7pm

Tues 22 Dec- 8am-5pm

Wed 23 Dec- 8am-5pm

Thur 24 Dec- 8am-1pm

Fri 25 Dec- Closed

Sat 26 Dec- Closed

Mon 28 Dec- 8am-1pm

Tues 29 Dec- 8am-1pm

Wed 30 Dec- 8am-1pm

Thur 31 Dec- 8am – 1pm

Fri 1 Jan- Closed

Commence normal trading hours from 4th January 2016.

 

Have a very blessed and a merry Christmas and a happy new year from the team at Underwood Dental Care!

 

Online Bookings now available!

 

As our lives get busier, even the simplest things like picking up the phone to make a call has become a thing of the past…

Making reservations at a restaurant, booking your tyre to be changed, or booking your hair appointment can be done online with a few clicks of your mouse.

We hear you! Underwood Dental Care is now offering ONLINE BOOKINGS.

Clicking here will link you straight to our easy-to-use online booking page.

screenshot

Of course, our friendly staff are still available to take your call for those who like a little bit people contact 🙂

Hope to see you all soon!

“…Winter is coming…” (or already here…)

It’s getting well into winter time now and as we rug up in our extra blankets at night, we might also be suffering from cold and flu.

During winter, many patients come to see me complaining of toothache, usually following a recent bout of cold and flu. This sudden spike of “toothache” can often be caused by a sinus infection.

A common symptom of a sinus infection is that patient’s feel a toothache in the upper region of their mouth when they walk or move around (especially during exercise).

They may have also had a history of a recent cold or flu. Often a dental X-ray will also show the sinus as ‘cloudy’, but the tooth remain perfectly healthy.

sinuses on dental xray
Sinuses on dental x-ray

Our sinuses are basically a network of hollow chambers in our skull that let air through, before it gets to our lungs, so it can be warmed and humidified.

Usually, our body has a mechanism that keeps our sinuses clean, but in some instances, bacteria can infect the area causing toothache-like symptoms.

This is because our upper teeth are linked very closely with the maxillary sinus. Often, the roots of the upper molars line the floor of sinus. When the sinuses become ‘full’, it can sometimes irritate the tooth root.

Sinus infections may be treated by a variety of different ways including humidifiers, nasal sprays, antibiotics, or decongestants. However, toothaches could point to something serious so it is best to make sure nothing serious is present by consulting with a dentist first.

If in doubt seek dental advice to determine what is causing your discomfort.

Teeth whitening NOT harmful to teeth!

Thnking about teeth whitening? But afriad it’s harmful to your teeth? An interesting fact to start.  A recent study said that enamel samples treated with orange juice for 20 minutes over 5 cycles (to simulate daily exposure over 5 days) had a 64% decrease in micro-hardness versus no statistically significant changes in samples treated with 6% hydrogen peroxide (a component of many whitening packages). (Source: Ren Y et al, Effects of Tooth Whitening and Orange Juice on Surface Properties of Dental Enamel, Journal of Dentistry, June 2009, Vol  37, No 6, pg 424-431)

What does this mean for me?

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