Luke on MAFS 2026 was rejected by his “bride” Mel because of his chewing gum habit at their “wedding ceremony”. Perhaps that wasn’t the most appropriate use of gum, but does it mean that it’s all bad? Should Power Dental’s patients reject chewing gum?

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/38473094/mafs-australia-groom-spits-gum-altar-gives-to-sister/

There are a number of benefits to chewing gum:

Chewing gum Increases saliva flow which

• Washes away food ...

Who invented the e-cigarette and why?

Chinese pharmacist and inventor Hon Lik is credited with inventing the modern electronic cigarette (vape) in 2003. He developed it as a safer, less harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes, aiming to quit smoking after his father died of lung cancer.

But, is it any safer?

At Power Dental Practice, we have our doubts.  

According to the American Lung ...

Pregnancy is an exciting time filled with many changes—both for your body and your daily routine. Make sure you let your dental practitioner know that you are pregnant when you attend Power Dental Practice.  While most expectant mothers focus on medical check-ups, dental care is also very important during pregnancy. Hormonal changes can affect your gums and teeth, making regular ...

Tooth grinding (or Bruxism) is when you clench or grind your teeth against each other. Tooth grinding can take place during the day, but more often at night while we are sleeping.  According to a large study in the Journal of Medicine from 2024, about 43% of people grind their teeth, so it’s something we see regularly at Power Dental ...

Does Medicare cover Dentistry?

The only dental treatment that Medicare covers is for children under 18 in these circumstances:

• The child must be aged between 0 and 17 years for at least one day in the calendar year.
• They must be eligible for Medicare.
• The child, or their parent/carer/guardian, must receive an eligible Australian Government payment (like Family Tax Benefit Part A) at least ...

Thumb sucking is one of the most common habits among young children — it provides comfort, helps babies feel secure, and even aids them in falling asleep. Most infants and toddlers engage in some form of thumb or finger sucking, and in the early years, it’s usually harmless.  But if it continues too long it can affect your child’s dental ...

Many people come into Power Dental Practice every year quite concerned about hard lumps in their mouths. It is good to check these things out.  As a rule, if the surface is not ulcerated it is more likely to be a normal part of your anatomy.  However, it is a good idea to ask your dental practitioner at your regular ...

Snoring is a problem for many people, especially as we get older. As we age our muscle tone reduces in our throats , making everything a bit “floppier”.  Also, we put on weight as we get older which put pressure on our airways.  The 2 main ways of addressing this are:

1. Use a C-PAP machine which blows air into our ...

Halitosis, commonly known as bad breath, can affect people of all ages. A lot of our patients at Power Dental Practice  come in and ask if we have a cure for their bad breath. While it can be temporary and caused by something as simple as food,a pattern of bad breath  needs to be addressed, if only for social reasons!

The ...

Dental fissure sealants and dental fillings are both used in modern dentistry, but the fissure sealant is used more to prevent disease, while the filling is used to restore a damaged tooth after it is decayed or broken.

Fissure sealants are a preventive treatment mainly used on the chewing surfaces of molars and premolars. The molars, in particular, often have deep ...

After we straighten people’s teeth at Power Dental Practice with either braces or orthodontic aligners the teeth will want to go back to where they originally were - we call this orthodontic relapse. Here is a typical photo:

After treatment is complete, we issue our patients with 2 sorts of retainers: removable retainers (plate-style) and fixed ...

Oral removable appliances—such as retainers, dentures, night guards, snoring devices, and clear aligners—play a crucial role in maintaining dental health, orthodontic results, and bite protection. At Power Dental Practice we believe that keeping these appliances clean is essential to prevent oral infections, bad breath, plaque and tartar buildup, and damage to the appliance itself.

All dentures should be left out at ...

There are many types of toothpastes available. Which one is the best for each of us depends on the individual. At Power Dental Practice we will be able to give you a personal recommendation. Here are the main types:

1. Regular adult fluoride toothpaste

This is what we all are used to: it contains fluoride - 1,000 parts per million (ppm) is ...

Gagging is the body's way of protecting us from choking. It's that feeling we get when something's "going down the wrong way" and we cough and splutter to get it back out of our mouth.   If we didn't have a gag reflex some of our food would go into our airway and down into our lungs, causing blockages and infections. ...

What is a Cone Beam CT?

A Cone Beam CT (CBCT)  is a specialized x-ray machine that helps us get a 3-Dimensional (3D) image of the teeth or jaws.   We can see hard and soft tissues in a CBCT.

What do we use it for at Power Dental?

We use CBCT when we need to see what structures are present and how much ...

At Power Dental Practice we have been successfully placing Dental Implants since 1997.  Over the past 25 , or so, years things have changed in terms of technology available to us, but the principles have stayed the same. We place dental implants where there used to be teeth and place a replacement for those missing teeth to give you back ...

At Power Dental Practice, we recognise that a visit to the dentist can be daunting for some. Understanding this concern, we have been offering sedation dentistry for over 30 years. It is a compassionate approach that can ease dental anxiety, providing a more relaxed and comfortable experience.

Understanding Sedation Dentistry

Sedation dentistry employs medication to help patients relax during dental procedures. It's ...

At Power Dental we try to keep up with as many technological advancements as we can.  The most recent of these is our Intra-Oral Scanner, which we started to employ in 2023.

What is an Intra-Oral scanner?

It is a device a lot like a video camera which takes 3 Dimensional (3D) images of your mouth to get an impression.  It ...

You may have been thinking about improving your smile  but the thought of traditional braces has made you hesitate, clear aligners could be the solution you've been searching for. At Power Dental Practice, we're committed to providing advanced and patient-friendly orthodontic options like clear aligners, which are becoming a preferred choice for adults and teens across Australia.   We have been ...

While dental implants have been around for many years (the first successful ones were placed in 1965 in Sweden),  few improvements in the way they have been positioned until more recently.  Previously we would take x-rays of the area we wanted to put implants into and take impressions to make models to see how may would fit and what location.  ...

Snoring is very common, but did you realise that your dentist may be able to help you treat it?

A lot of people snore. It’s a common complaint and I get asked about it on a regular basis. There are oral appliances you can get that can reduce, or eliminate snoring for many people. But step one is actually ...

If you want to get your teeth whitened, your dentist is the best option—because he or she understands your teeth.

Teeth whitening is a very popular treatment at our clinic and many other dental practices—and we are aware that it is sometimes advertised in non-dental businesses as well. But if you are considering getting your teeth whitened, there are several really ...

In December, 2014 Dr Power travelled to California to learn the in and outs of gum rejuvenation.  Dr Chao in Los Angeles has been performing this revolutionary technique on patients with remarkable success since 2010.

Up to 50% of adults have some gum recession and in many cases it is quite unsightly and ...

What are your options for tooth replacement?

Whether you lost a tooth some time ago or you’ve recently knocked one out in a sporting accident, there are four main options for filling the gap.

Dentures

The first option is a denture. A denture is a removable plate that can be made of either plastic, metal or flexible rubbery plastic. The good ...

Sleep dentistry is targeted towards a person who is either generally fearful, or is undergoing a complex procedure. The most common—over half the cases we do here at Power Dental—are for people undergoing extraction of their wisdom teeth, which we’re doing every couple of weeks.

There are two versions of sleep dentistry. The most common one is intravenous sedation performed in ...

Caring for the oral health of nursing home residents is an important part of what we do at Power Dental. Onsite treatment.

Oral health care and education in nursing homes is very important to me, and I’ve always had an affinity for it. My own Mum was in a nursing home, so I see what is happening. Elderly patients are frequently ...

Caring for the oral health of nursing home residents is an important part of what we do at Power Dental. It starts with education.

Oral health care and education in nursing homes is very important to me, and I’ve always had an affinity for it. My own Mum was in a nursing home, so I see what is happening. Elderly patients ...

In December, 2014 Dr Power travelled to California to learn the in and outs of gum rejuvenation.  While there he took time out to visit a state of the art Dental Implant Factory where we source most of the implants used in our practice.

The Implant Direct facility in Thousand Oaks on Los Angeles’ northern outskirts in California has been recently ...

Many people want to be in a health fund, or are already.  We are often asked which is the best health insurance fund from a dentist’s point of view.  It is a difficult question to give a simple answer to because everybody’s circumstances are a little different. 

However, we can say for sure that rebates have not kept up with inflation.  ...

The term ‘cosmetic dentistry’ covers a wide range of procedures, all of which are available at Power Dental.

Cosmetic dentistry covers a variety of procedures and treatments. Usually when a patient comes in for a cosmetic dentistry consultation, the first thing to establish is what they’re trying to achieve.

Whitening

The majority of people I see would be happy to have whiter teeth. ...