Baby teeth are only temporary. But they are important – so please look after them.
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Your teeth started to grow even before you were born.
Labor has promised A$8 billion in new health expenditure, while the Coalition has focused on the difference new pharmaceuticals can make to individual Australians.
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Labor and the Coalition’s health policies and campaign strategy couldn’t be more different this election.
Forgoing dental care causes more pain and costly treatments down the longer term.
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All Australians should have access to subsidised dental care, not just pensioners and children.
When did you last visit the dentist?
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Unlike health care for the rest of our body, dental care mostly comes out of our own pocket – and it’s not cheap. Many Australians go without and their health suffers.
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Cheap, over-the-counter tooth-whitening kits could end up costing you a pretty penny.
Time to brush up.
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You may think you know everything about keeping your teeth healthy, but what you don’t know might surprise you…
Up to 14% of toddlers have “hypomineralised second primary molars” (HSPM), where the enamel (outer layer) of the second baby molars doesn’t develop properly.
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Despite good oral hygiene, some children have weak teeth that are more prone to decay.
The key is starting early. From the first tooth.
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If toothbrushing is forced form a young age, kids can become resistant to dental care practices. Make it fun.
Cereal portions this big are not good for children.
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The marketing of breakfast cereals may be confusing consumers with a mix of true and inflated claims.
If you’re experiencing pain while your wisdom teeth are erupting, you should see your dentist.
Dr Partha Sarathi Sahana Flickr
Wisdom teeth can be a pain. Here’s when you should have them removed.
Most of the time you won’t be able to tell if a puppy or kitten’s tooth falls out. Often they fall out in food, or the animal might even swallow them.
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Puppies and kittens are born without teeth, but by around two months of age they have a full set of baby teeth.
More than one-third of five- and six-year-olds have decay in their ‘baby'teeth.
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Even those who regularly clean their teeth typically don’t brush for the recommended two minutes.
Early dental visits are essential to help parents keep their children’s teeth and gums healthy.
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The latest poll on children’s oral health shows many parents have misconceptions about how to prevent tooth decay in their children and don’t know of the free dental services available.
Teeth fossils with evidence of dental lesions from Australopithecus africanus .
Ian Towle
Prehistoric humans and their predecessors may have had a very different diet but their teeth suffered in similar ways to ours.
No, you can’t blame (most) tooth decay on your parents. But for crooked teeth, the story’s a little more complicated.
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Can you blame bad teeth on your genes? Here’s why the answer is not as simple as you might think.
Adding fluoride to tap water to prevent tooth decay is one of our greatest public health achievements. Yet, myths persist about whether it’s safe and works.
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Myths that fluoridated water isn’t natural, safe, doesn’t work and shouldn’t be used to make up infant formula persist. Here’s what the evidence says.
The edges of your lost tooth are sharp because when the root of the baby tooth is being eaten away, it tends to start from the middle of the root. That leaves a sharp edge behind when the tooth breaks off.
Flickr/Stephanie Young
Nicholas, aged 6, was watching TV one day when his tooth fell out. He noticed that the bottom edge of the tooth was very spiky. Now he wants to know why.
Sugary gummie vitamins are no substitute for a healthy diet.
It is our view vitamin “gummies” that contain food acids, and have a high sugar content, are not medicines consumers need and their sale should be prohibited on public health grounds.
Families who are around at mealtimes can check their relatives are swallowing food properly and alert nursing home staff if there’s a problem.
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Poor oral health in our nursing homes can lead to many complications, including choking to death. Here’s how family and staff can help advocate for better care.
Upper teeth of a Neanderthal who lived about 40,000 years ago.
Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg
Anthropologists gather clues about how our ancient ancestors lived from their teeth. What will future anthropologists make of us based on the fossilized pearly whites we’ll leave behind?