At Willow Dental Care, we believe that a healthy smile starts with simple, consistent care. General and preventive dentistry is about caring for your overall oral health building a relationship with a dental team who truly knows you and your needs.
Our approach is gentle, thorough, and always tailored to you. We take the time to explain what we’re doing, what we’re seeing and how you can keep your smile in top shape at home. From your very first appointment, we’ll make sure you feel comfortable, informed and cared for like part of the family.
General dentistry in Norwest, NSW, can involve emergency care, routine care or simple or complex treatment. At Willow Dental Care, we can arrange general dental treatment for your immediate and long-term needs. We will always prioritise relief of pain and stabilising your overall health and wellbeing.
General dentistry uses a variety of procedures to diagnose the problem through assessment and x-rays aimed at restoring the health and function of your teeth, bite, smile and oral health. At Willow Dental Care, we use personalised preventive care and advice to aim for every patient to be in a state of dental wellness. Dental wellness is our vision for patients who avoid the ongoing cycle of fillings and complex treatment and simply need their six-month oral health maintenance.
We invite you to book an appointment with our general dentists in Norwest, NSW.
General and preventive dental care are meant to keep your teeth, gums and mouth healthy before problems have a chance to start. With regular check-ups, cleanings and early intervention, our patients avoid many common dental issues and enjoy a healthy smile for years to come. Here are three key benefits of maintaining your routine care.
Are you worried about coming to the dentist? Dr Shabnam from Willow Dental Care in Norwest, NSW discusses dental anxiety and how the team at Willow Dental Care help put you at ease.
At Willow Dental Care Norwest, we use a fluoride varnish, one of most effective forms of preventive fluoride treatment. The fluoride acts to harden the enamel surfaces of healthy teeth, as well as to reverse any early enamel decay. It helps with tooth sensitivity and to protect exposed root surfaces. It is also a great protective factor during orthodontic treatment when it is often hard for children and teenagers to clean around braces. Your teeth may feel sticky afterwards, which is quite normal. To achieve the most cavity fighting effect from your fluoride treatment, please avoid hard foods, alcohol, brushing or flossing for 4 hours, and avoid eating/drinking/rinsing for 30 minutes.
Not a fan of fluoride? You're not the only one! For this very reason, we have a range of flavoured fluorides available to make the experience more pleasant (including mint, caramel, melon, bubblegum and pina colada). To book an appointment at our Norwest clinic, call us on 02 8610 6697 or book online here.
Tooth wear is the gradual loss of enamel over time.
Because it happens slowly, most people only notice it when the edges of their teeth start to look:
It may also expose dentine and make your teeth sensitive.
Several factors can contribute, including:
Often it's a combination of factors
When enamel wears down it doesn’t naturally grow back.
Early assessment can help identify the cause and protect the teeth from further wear.
Healthy Teeth for Life Dental decay and gum disease are the two main causes of damaged and lost teeth. Both these conditions involve a complex interaction in the oral environment with bacteria. Our Willow Dental Care team partners with you and your loved ones to provide any professional care and advise on your own routines and home care to prevent these diseases.
If you have bleeding gums, this is because your gums are inflamed due to bacterial build-up under your gums or between your teeth. This sign is a warning that your mouth is not as healthy as it should be.
Often, the build-up is hardened 'calculus' or 'tartar' and stuck to your teeth. We recommend booking a visit with Dr Shabnam Vawda or Dr Lyndall Gourlay for an assessment of your gum health and professional cleaning. This will remove the bacterial deposits that cause gum disease and inflammation.
Preventing decay is important for all people. It requires a personalised strategy in both regular dental visits and in-home care. Things to consider are your age, diet and hygiene habits. At Willow Dental Care, we take time to question why our patients might have decay and look for a solution to prevent decay in the future.
Dental health is directly related to your overall wellness and your budget. By seeing the dentist regularly, you can significantly reduce your risk of preventable, costly treatments. Additionally, you help prevent gum disease, which (when left undiagnosed and untreated) is linked to:
Your gums are the supporting structures of your teeth. If the foundations of a house are cracked and rotten, the house will fail. Similarly, healthy gums are needed to keep your teeth for your lifetime. Red, puffy and bleeding gums are signs of inflammation.
One of the important things that we ...
We also consider your habits and hobbies in preventing the risk of damage to your teeth, such as a fracture or a knocked tooth. These injuries can have a significant impact, often requiring ongoing treatment and management. We are keen to help you prevent this from happening to you or your loved ones.
Mouthguards are an important protection for teeth and jaws in contact sports and are mandatory for many sports. The boil-and-bite type mouthguard from the chemist does not provide the same protection as a custom-made mouthguard. A custom-made mouthguard fits the exact shape of your mouth, meaning it fully absorbs the shock of impact on your teeth. It is also more comfortable due to its exact fit, making it easier to leave in place throughout your sporting activity.
At Willow Dental Care, we will keep a close eye on signs of tooth wear and the health of your jaw joints (TMJ). Many patients clench their teeth and grind, causing wear to their teeth or damage to their jaw joint. For many patients, this happens during their sleep and can cause chronic headaches.
We are concerned about these habits and their impact. We explore the possible 'root cause' with you and either provide treatment or, if needed, refer you to the right specialists for a solution that can help change your overall sense of wellbeing. Often, a blocked upper airway, sleep apnoea, or even reflux can be the cause. Occasionally, an oral appliance can be worn to help with snoring or to prevent tooth wear and jaw damage.
At your check-up, you will find that Willow Dental Care dentists will be assessing your face and neck and the soft tissues of your mouth for oral cancer. Please inform your Norwest dentist of ulcers and lumps that don’t heal or go away, or any limitation you have with swallowing or eating. To reduce the risk of oral cancer, we recommend limiting alcohol consumption and quitting smoking. Regular check-ups will allow for early detection to improve the success of treatment.
Need preventive dental care or general dentistry services? We welcome your call to book an appointment.
One of the best ways we can communicate with transparency is to show you what we see in your mouth. At Willow Dental Care, every treatment room has a Mouthwatch intraoral camera. With an intraoral camera, we can show you images of your teeth and gums and save them in your record. We find the visual image that helps you understand your particular dental issues and participate in the decision making about treatment. It also allows us to monitor the stability and maintenance of your oral health over time. These photographs will become an integral part of most of your visits to Norwest.
