Dental Health Tracking Tips from Your Doncaster East Dentist

In the first complete week of each August, the Australian Dental Association and all of Australia recognise Dental Health Week.

This year, that week is from the 5th to 11th. The week is dedicated to topics that might help Australians improve their dental health, and of course, DonEast Dental fully supports that goal.

In previous years the themes have been as broad as ‘oral health’, and as specific as women’s oral health, oral hygiene and diet, and oral hygiene and sport.

This year, the topic is another general one – How’s Your Oral Health Tracking?

This question asks two things; first, how is your oral health doing in a broad sense, and second, how well are you keeping track of it?

After all, it is easy to believe we are doing well at oral hygiene, but how do we know if we are?

And given that we live in busy times, this is a great topic.

Most of us carry a wide range of responsibilities, tasks, hobbies, jobs, etc., that keep us busy enough to put oral hygiene and dental care off, sometimes.

But did you know it could be those with the least busy schedules who have the hardest time keeping their dental care ‘on track’?

Children need to be introduced to the idea of oral hygiene, and how to practice it. Dental Health Week is a great way to introduce your children to oral hygiene.

Search the web to see if any events are being held in your neighbourhood.

Or take advantage of the ADA’s Dental Health Week website and download colourful, printable posters aimed at giving information for children.

Poster topics include general dental health for children and two posters focusing on the dangers of sugary and acidic drinks, which young people are often too fond of.

The online information also contains helpful tips for parents with young children, including:

1. Begin oral hygiene by brushing your child’s gums, even before they have teeth.
2. Spit out toothpaste when done rinsing, and don’t rinse the mouth with water.
3. Limit toothpaste. A ‘pea-sized’ amount is all you need.
4. Make brushing into entertainment! Play a song, use a smartphone app, or play a video to remind kids to brush for two minutes.
5. Visit DonEast Dental Before age one, or as soon as the first tooth erupts.
6. Use positive reinforcement when visiting the dentist.



Your goal is to ensure that your children develop good dental habits as they develop the ability to.

By demonstrating planning and tracking, you show your children good model behaviour and increase the chances they will practice good oral hygiene.

Keep track of progress on a calendar or with stars. When your children reach predetermined goals, reward them.

Aging slows down our immune systems and our responses to physical problems.

Consequently, as we age bacteria, decay, infections, cavities, etc. become more likely to develop into serious issues.

This is why staying on track, in both senses, is so important for seniors.

Here are a few issues that begin to affect us as we age:

Dry mouth reduces saliva production. Saliva is part of our mouth’s first lines of defence – it washes away food particles while controlling bacteria and fighting tooth decay.

A drier mouth can be part of the aging process, and it is made worse because many medications prescribed for older people have saliva inhibition as a side effect.

Gum disease becomes more likely, and it has been linked to heart disease. Increased oral bacteria has been linked to an increased risk of pneumonia and diabetes.

Regular hygiene becomes more difficult as manual dexterity decreases. Loss of insurance and reduced mobility/transportation can also reduce access to crucial dental visits.

Oral cancer rates rise with age, making regular dental check-ups, which can catch it early, even more critical. This is also true for seniors who have no teeth remaining.

Memory issues become more likely. Memory problems make it more challenging to keep track of oral hygiene. Responsibility for tracking may fall to a close family member or carer.

Dental Health Week is an excellent opportunity for you to take stock of your children and elder loved ones (and yourself!) to be sure that dental health is on track and being tracked.

And if you have any questions or doubts, DonEast Dental is happy to help you “get on track”!

DonEast Dental treats our patients like family – we treat you just as we would like to be treated.

We provide the highest quality, caring dentistry in the Doncaster region, with an extensive range of services including preventative dentistry, restorative dentistry, and cosmetic dentistry options.

Even better, our services are offered during extended evening and weekend hours.

We are conveniently located on Doncaster Rd. near its intersection with Blackburn Rd.

Doncaster East dentist also serving local communities in Templestowe, Balwyn North, Doncaster, Doncaster Heights, Donvale, Mont Albert North, Box Hill, Box Hill North, Kerrimuir, Blackburn North, Forest Hill, Nunawading and Brentford Square.

General Check-up, Scale and Clean, X-rays and Fluoride treatment (with any health insurance)

We accept Medicare Bulk Bill for eligible children

To book an appointment, call us on (03) 9842 1475 or visit us at 1062 Doncaster Road in Doncaster East.

Tags: oral hygiene