FAQs

At Beecroft Dental Centre, Dr Berne has extensive experience tending to the oral health of children with special needs.

We can provide I.V. sedation, which is a technique that we have found makes patients who have special needs such as autism spectrum disorders, down syndrome or muscular dystrophy more comfortable during treatment.

Early intervention orthodontics can dramatically minimise or eliminate the need for extensive orthodontic treatment during adolescence.

By monitoring the growth and development of your child’s smile and jaw from an early age, we can help your child avoid extensive orthodontic work and even oral surgery later in life.

Chronic migraines, a clicking and popping jaw and facial pain are all symptoms of TMJ dysfunction.

If you are suffering from these symptoms it may be best to visit our practice located in Beecroft to discover if you are suffering from TMD. At Beecroft Dental Centre we can utilise oral appliance therapy, or in severe cases oral surgery to reduce or eliminate your symptoms.

Snoring is primarily caused by the soft tissues at the back of the throat collapsing during sleep.

Snoring can also be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnoea, which is a serious and potentially life threatening sleep disorder. At our dental practice located in Beecroft, we can treat both snoring and sleep apnoea with non-invasive oral appliance therapy.

Ozone treatment is used to remove decay causing bacteria from your mouth

This treatment is incredibly safe and neutralises acid within the mouth to promote the remineralisation of your natural teeth. This remineralisation helps to strengthen tooth enamel and repair small amounts of decay.

By maintaining a proper at home oral care routine, and visiting our practice every six months for a check-up, you can actively prevent the development of cavities.

Ozone treatment is also beneficial to reducing your risk of the development of cavities as it removes decay causing bacteria from the mouth and neutralises destructive acid present in the mouth.

Dental implants mimic the feel, form and function of natural teeth better than any other restorative treatment today.

Acting as a permanent replacement to your natural tooth root, dental implants are accepted by your jawbone as part of your biological make-up over a period of months. This forms a permanently solid foundation for prosthetic tooth replacements such as crowns.

Gum disease is a multifaceted problem. It can range from gingivitis to the more chronic problem of periodontitis. Gum disease is caused by infection that affects the deeper tissue of the bone, the root surface and the ligament that connects the tooth to the bone.

If a tooth is sensitive to hot and cold or if it hurts when you chew then you may require a filling. If found early a filling is a simple and straightforward process. The infected tooth is removed and the white composite filling is used to fill the gap and protect your tooth.

At Beecroft Dental Centre we offer a number of sedation options. One option is I.V. sedation which our principle dentist Dr Berne has been using I.V. sedation for over 40 years.

The advantage of a dental implant treatment over a bridge or denture is that dental implant treatment replaces the whole tooth. This is beneficial because it provides stimulation to the jaw and the implant crown replaces the gap.

There are a number of benefits to dental implants, such as:

1. Helping to maintain jawbone stimulation—tooth loss causes jawbone degradation.
2. Preventing teeth on either side of the gap from migrating—this can help to prevent a misaligned bite.
3. Looking and feeling like a natural tooth.
4. Saving your natural teeth – No teeth are shaved down or ‘prepared’ for a dental implant treatment.

It is recommended that you visit Beecroft Dental Centre every six months for a deep scale and clean. With regular check-ups we can assess your oral health and ensure you don’t have any dental caries (decay). It also allows us to help you prevent gum disease.

A professional clean removes plaque and tartar which brushing and flossing cannot. If this is not done it can lead to gingivitis—and this, if left untreated, can lead to periodontitis which is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.

Whether you can have dental implants or not depends on your oral health and jawbone density. If there is insufficient jawbone Dr Berne can perform a bone graft prior to implant treatment. It is ideal that you visit your dentist as soon after you’ve lost your tooth as possible. The longer you leave it the worse your jawbone can get.

The best time to bring their child to the dentist is when their first tooth erupts. This will allow us to ascertain how your child’s teeth are developing.

You should start brushing their teeth as soon as their first tooth appears. When they only have one tooth you only need to use the tiniest amount of toothpaste. However, even before your child’s first tooth appears you can look after their oral health by wiping their gums with a damp cloth.

If your wisdom teeth are hurting, we recommend you come in for an appointment. We can take x-rays to determine what is going on. If necessary, Dr Berne is qualified to remove your wisdom teeth.

No. A very small percentage of people don’t have wisdom teeth. For others only one or two wisdom teeth erupt, and some people’s wisdom teeth come through without any complications. However, for 80% of people wisdom teeth are very painful when they erupt and do need to be removed.

At Beecroft Dental Centre we do not use amalgam fillings. There is still debate circulating around whether or not amalgam fillings are okay. Some dentists say they are and others point to the potential health risks. At Beecroft Dental Centre we use composite fillings, a tooth-coloured material that does not require any healthy tooth structure to be removed.

Our principle dentist Dr Berne has over 27 years’ experience performing oral surgery. This makes him an ideal choice for patients who need oral surgery from an experienced dental professional.

If you are experiencing toothache, visit Beecroft Dental Centre today. There are a number of reasons why your tooth may be aching. If it is because of decay, it may only require a filling. If, however it is severe you may require root canal therapy. On the other hand your teeth may be hurting because of a problem with your temporomandibular joint, in which case Dr Berne can prescribe the best treatment for you.