Ever suffered from a strange metallic or sour taste in your mouth early in pregnancy, even when you’re not eating?

It’s just an unusual condition called dysgeusia and sometimes it affects your sense of smell as well.

There are a variety of reasons our taste buds are affected including high hormonal levels, especially of oestrogen, and water retention in cells.

Although dysgeusia is not well understood, it’s usually temporary so this too shall pass.

Have you heard the tale that your teeth will become soft during pregnancy because the baby steals calcium from your teeth?

Not true. The calcium is not lost from your teeth. It’s the calcium that you consume that affects the growth of your baby.

But if enough calcium isn’t consumed then the baby will take calcium from the mother’s bones.

It’s best to have a balanced diet with adequate calcium and take supplements if recommended by your doctor.

It’s recommended that both you and your partner visit the dentist prior to conception to ensure good oral health.

Not only does it mean a safer, healthier pregnancy, it safeguards the dental health of your newborn.

Gum disease and tooth decay are the most prevalent infectious diseases in the mouth.

The disease-causing bacteria can be passed from parent to child through saliva transmission.

See us for your an assessment, treatment and disease prevention advice.

Ineffective oral hygiene and periodontal (gum) disease are not the only causes of bad breath.

Snoring dries the mouth at night which helps bacteria to grow including the nasty ones.

Dentures that are not routinely cleaned and disinfected will harbour heaps of smelly germs.

Post-nasal drip can cover the back of the tongue and high consumption of meat can produce foul gases as by-products.

If you’re concerned about bad breath, have a word with us!

When it comes to your smile, we'd like yours to be as big as possible. But here is a tip for all of you fishos out there.

Do you use your teeth to tighten knots in fishing line? It’s a great way to damage a tooth especially if it’s already got tiny, hairline cracks.

Teeth aren’t meant to be used to unscrew bottle caps, rip open plastic packages or chew ice cubes for that matter.

Instead of using your teeth as tools, just keep pliers and scissors handy and you’ll avoid dental disasters.

Home fitness machines, gym workouts and protein drinks can turn you into a lean, mean fighting machine.

However protein drinks containing sugar are a source of tooth decay. In fact some drinks contain more sugar that protein!

To protect your smile, consume protein drinks all in one go at mealtimes then rinse and clean your teeth.

Strong may be the new sexy but who can resist a beautiful, healthy smile.

Whether you’re off to the races or to a job interview, a nice smile can make you look and feel more confident.

Here are 5 more things you should know about teeth whitening:
• The new whitening solutions not only whiten, they deliver fluoride to protect the teeth
• Having scale, plaque and surface stains removed first helps the solution to soak in evenly
• It’s best to avoid staining drinks & foods after whitening
• If you don’t overfill the home whitening trays with solution, the gums aren’t irritated
• Keeping the home whitening solution in the fridge will extend its shelf life

There are many reasons we need to protect kids’ teeth from tooth decay with wise diet choices, strict cleaning routines and regular dental visits.

• Discomfort from tooth decay can affect a child’s health, sleep patterns and behaviour.

• Removing unhealthy baby teeth early can cause space problems for adult teeth, resulting in crooked teeth.

• Fixing the decayed teeth of an anxious child may require general anaesthetic – a serious matter.

• Creating good habits early is one of the best investments a parent can make.

There are lots of theories on the subject. Some think that deep bites and retruded lower jaws are the culprits.

Others say that kids grind to equalise pressure in their ears due to blockages from enlarged adenoids.

Then there are those who point the finger at toothaches, earaches and teething pain.

But the bottom line is that grinding can damage the teeth and cause discomfort for your child.

Talk to us if you have any concerns.

Pacifiers can be a source of comfort for crying infants.

However, if sucked for too long or too hard, pacifiers can lead to orthodontic problems such as an open bite.

It’s a situation where there’s an obvious gap between the front teeth when the back teeth are closed together.

The good news is that tooth-friendly pacifiers like the Dentistar Pacifier work in a similar way to breastfeeding.

Available in many colours, they offer natural development for kids’ teeth.