Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants and your Dental Resolutions in 2020

It’s New Year again – when we come up with resolutions for next year.

And, usually, Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants would probably have a blog post, giving you a list of dental resolutions that you should follow.

But this year, we’re going to do something a little different and let you in on our resolutions for 2020.

We resolve to give you and your family and friends the best possible dental treatment available. And we have some specific mini resolutions to support that.

First, we resolve to follow the dental code written by the Dental Board of Australia, which says, in part:

Practitioners must make the care of patients or clients their first concern and to practise safely and effectively. Maintaining a high level of professional competence and conduct is essential for proper care.

The code contains important standards for practitioner behaviour concerning:

• providing excellent care, including shared decision-making
• maintaining professional performance
• working with other practitioners
• working with patients or clients
• minimising risk
• working within the healthcare system
• professional behaviour and ethical conduct
• ensuring practitioner health

We also resolve to follow the small print!

• Patient-dentist relationships should be based on trust, openness, and frank and effective communication. This communication enables dental practitioners to form partnerships with their patients and clients. A key element of the practitioner-patient/client relationship is effective communication, in all forms, including in-person, electronic, and written.
• Making healthcare decisions should be a joint responsibility of the dentist and patient (or clients, or representatives).
• We must receive informed consent before performing and care on our patients or clients. Additional responsibilities are associated with caring for children and young people, and we are happy to take these responsibilities on.
• Practitioners have legal and ethical obligations to protect the privacy of people requiring and receiving care. Clients and patients have the right to privacy. Dental practitioners and their staff must hold all patient information in strict confidence unless legal or public interest considerations supersede the need for privacy.
• Good practice also understands the non-medical needs of our clients, taking into account their cultural needs and desires in the search for ideal health outcomes. Some patients have additional physical, emotional, and psychological requirements, and we must modify our approach in accordance with them.
• Good practice means understanding and applying risk minimisation and management.
• Maintaining and developing our skills and knowledge, as well as professional behaviour, are central aspects of good practice.

And we have some resolutions for you, as well!

Of course, we have a few, short, suggested resolutions for you!

Brush and floss regularly. But you knew this was the first thing we were going to say!

See us regularly. Regular check-ups are a vital party of maintaining your dental health, and they are a resolution you can keep. So, schedule your regular dental checkups at Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants for the year!

Eat and drink properly. Avoid sugars, acids, and carbohydrates, to make your dental health resolution stick.

Drinking water as you snack, and rinsing after eating, make it more difficult for food to stick to teeth and supports the production of tooth-defending saliva.

Buy new toothbrushes four times a year. Toothbrushes have a lifespan of three months, and the New Year is a good time to get a new brush.

This helps keep your teeth clean through the start of the year, and by Easter, it will be time to get another one.

Quit all tobacco products. Tobacco is terrible for you, as everyone knows, but it is also bad for your teeth, causing use tooth discolouration, tooth decay, tooth loss, receding gums, gum disease, and even throat, lung and oral cancers.

Cut back on alcohol and coffee. Alcohol harms your teeth in many ways. Alcohol can cause dehydration, which leads to decreased saliva, which in turn leads to enamel-damaging bacteria and tooth decay.

Also, alcoholic beverages often come with a heavy dose of sugar, which feeds dangerous oral bacteria.

Alcoholic drinks, particularly those with deep colours, are known to stain teeth. This is also true of non-alcoholic drinks such as tea and coffee.

This is another reason to brush thoroughly and rinsing your mouth with water after drinking can also help.

Chew sugarless gum. Chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help fight tooth decay.

Look for gum that contains ingredients that aid in saliva production and help prevent plaque build-up and tooth decay. Just remember, the gum MUST be sugar-free, or the benefit is lost.

Smiles in Hoppers Crossing!

At Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants, we believe everyone deserves high-quality dentistry, and we are here to help you achieve this.

Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants is a multi-surgery practice caring for the oral health needs of our local communities.

At Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants, our focus remains on providing patients with exceptional General, Orthodontic, and Implant dentistry.

We have a particular interest in implants, orthodontics, and smile rejuvenation via veneers, crowns, and bridges while also dealing with unexpected dental emergencies we all dread.

Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants serves local communities in Tarneit, Truganina, Werribee, Werribee South, Williams Landing, Wyndham Vale, Laverton, Laverton North, Altona, Altona Meadows, Altona North, Point Cook, Seabrook, Sanctuary Lakes and Alamanda.

To learn more, call us on (03) 9749 1178 or request your appointment online.

We are located at 483 Sayers Road in Hoppers Crossing.