Many children suck their fingers or thumbs when they are young and this is entirely normal as they will most likely stop this habit between the ages of two to four. However, for some children the habit can continue and parents may feel concerned about the issue. While the deciduous or baby teeth are still present up until the age of seven, the effects of thumb sucking may be reversible.

After this stage, however, problems can occur due to the thumb sucking. Therefore, it’s highly advised to encourage children to stop sucking to prevent any issues. Before you consider leaving thumb suckers to their own devices, here is some information and a tips that you might like to know.

What can thumb and finger sucking do?

Thumb and finger sucking can lead to the teeth of your child being pushed out of alignment. This is commonly known as buck teeth. It can alter their face shape and end up causing an open bite.

Thumb and finger sucking can impede the development of speech and cause what is known as a lisp. This is because the teeth are pushed out of their position and interferes with making correct speech sounds.

How to stop the thumb sucking

As with most children's issues, changing this habit can take time and patience. Rewards can work wonders as also can focusing on positive reinforcement. Offering rewards does not necessarily mean sweet treats as these can also be detrimental to young teeth. Maybe your child has a favourite activity or you could try offering a lot of praise and hugs. Children love praise.

Try not to ‘nag’ your children as this can lead to defensiveness and possibly cause more of the same issue. Instead, use a chart with stickers or stamps for each day your child does not suck his or her thumb. You might like to set a longer period such as a week where if your child does not suck for this time, you can offer a special outing or toy.

Find a happy medium for reminding children not to suck, by placing a band aid at bedtime on the thumb or by using special nail paints available from chemists, which also distracts children from sucking. You could also sit with your children during the times that they may normally suck, such as when watching their favourite television shows, and cuddle them to help allay the need to suck. Offering toys in the car can also help them not to suck.

Professional advice

It is always good to get the advice of a professional in situations like these. Visiting a dentist to discuss your child’s thumb sucking habit and getting their teeth checked will help to alleviate any undue concerns you may have and discuss a good dental check up plan.

For more information on this subject and even a tooth whitening Bundaberg process for you and your family, click here.

While we like to think that society as a whole is not superficial and values attributes such as talent, character and achievements over personal appearance, we all know that in certain situations, that is simply not true. In social and business interactions and also job interviews, first impressions are very important to the eventual outcome. A bad first impression can be overcome, but it takes a lot of extra work and special communication skills to be successful.

First Impressions Do Matter

While creating a favourable first impression is a package deal, that is, clothes to suit the occasion, personal grooming, style, confident approach, strong handshake and solid eye contact, the most lasting of all these components is the smile. The whole package can be present and correct, the initial contact positive and the participants ready to engage in conversation. If, however, the next step is a smile to kick start proceedings, and that smile shows yellow, stained teeth, the rest of the package will fade into the background.

It is amazing the number of people who really haven’t given the state of their teeth a lot of thought. Of course, this is because they aren’t looking at themselves in a mirror continually throughout the day while they are speaking to other people. If they were, they would most likely be quite shocked at their appearance in a range of face-to-face situations. In this scenario, having the smile and teeth the focus for all the wrong reasons is an outcome that is completely preventable, when Michael Frey Dental can easily correct the situation with a simple dental procedure.

Tooth Whitening Best Done by Professionals

This procedure is tooth whitening Bundaberg and while most dentists are trained to perform the procedure, unfortunately, it is readily available through do-it-yourself kits on-line. What people using these kits often do not realise is that not everyone is suitable to undergo a tooth whitening procedure. The general overall health and condition of the teeth and gums should be assessed by a professional to see if some basic safety parameters are present. Things such as gum and tooth sensitivity, whether there are any fillings, crowns or bridges to consider, and the natural colour of the person’s teeth should all be taken into account.

A case in point is the presence in the mouth of fillings, crowns or bridges. A dental professional will tell their patients that, since these do not change colour during tooth whitening, they may need to be removed and reinstated after the whitening is completed. In this way, the new fillings, crowns and bridges can be colour matched to the new, whiter shade of the natural teeth. Ensuring the mouth and gums are healthy prior to the whitening is also essential, as applying the whitening agent to a problem area could cause further damage.

Michael Frey Dental is fully qualified to make these assessments and recommend those patients who would benefit from teeth whitening. Most people who have maintained regular oral hygiene through brushing and flossing daily, regularly attended their six monthly check-up visits and have a reasonably healthy lifestyle will be able to have their teeth professionally whitened. Teeth whitening will restore confidence, match your smile to your overall appearance and, best of all, you will look years younger. Contact details are at

When someone loses a couple of teeth, there are a number of measures a dentist may take to replace them. Sometimes this involves a temporary solution and sometimes a more permanent option through surgery. Generally, dentists will opt for  surgical implants as they are the more permanent option.

Why Replace the Teeth Anyway?

It can be difficult to understand the importance of replacing the teeth removed. After all, it’s not as though having a gap in your teeth is actually life-threatening and we are often reluctant to undergo more dental work, especially if we feel it is merely an issue of aesthetics.

The Aesthetics are Important

What many of us do not realise until the teeth are actually gone, is that aesthetics are important. Most people are embarrassed about having lost teeth – there is quite a stigma out there about not looking after your teeth properly. We tend not to smile as much or as fully in an effort to hide the missing teeth and this, in turn, makes people feel that they are not as much fun to be around. Friends tend to start treating us differently and this leads to a loss of self-confidence.

Not Just Aesthetics

Replacing missing teeth is about more than just aesthetics though – each tooth keeps its neighbours in place. If one or more teeth are missing, the remaining teeth may become crooked. This, in turn, may end up weakening the remaining teeth and lead to more dental problems. The teeth directly above or below those teeth that are removed, may also grow too long and this will impact on the bite.

That’s Where Tooth Replacement Comes In

The aesthetic and physical problems can be corrected by professional Bundaberg dentists who will carry out the appropriate treatment. Another potential problem that can only be overcome by surgical means is the shrinkage of the jawbone – the teeth need to be replaced if you hope to prevent the shrinkage of the jawbone.

The job of the jawbone is to anchor the roots of the teeth. Should there be no teeth to anchor, the jawbone shrinks and this alters the shape of the lower half of your face. Your jawbone may also be weakened by shrinkage. Temporary measures will not give any protection against bone loss at all.

It is therefore better, in the long run, to go the surgical route when it comes to replacing teeth. After all, do you want a quick fix or a solution that will last the rest of your life? Click here to find out more about permanent options.

Anyone who has ever been in that blissful moment of eating their favourite food and totally enjoying the flavours and textures, knows the pain of suddenly biting the inside of their mouth or their tongue. Not only does it hurt like crazy, and spoil the enjoyment of the meal, but it can leave a ridged area at the site of the wound that just keeps getting in the way! More biting, more pain. So, what can be done about it?

Enter the field of cosmetic dentistry and Michael Frey Dental. Since opening his dental surgery Bundaberg in February 2008, Michael has been able to provide a variety of complex dental procedures, including cosmetic dentistry, to his patients. Some of these procedures in the past were not available in regional centres, and patients had to travel to the larger cities, incurring unwanted extra costs.

What Can Cosmetic Dentistry Do for a Person?

People undergo cosmetic dentistry for a number of reasons, and usually, vanity is not one of them. The various procedures go a long way to correcting the types of problems that other dental work has not been able to fix. Often, the teeth are causing other health issues, or the alignment of the jaw is creating problems when chewing. A person may have discoloured gums, or their smile is spoilt by rotten, chipped or missing teeth.

While some people would consider having the smile spoilt as vanity, it is a known fact that our appearance is linked strongly to our sense of self-worth. Rightly or wrongly, society values a pleasant visage. Studies have shown that physically attractive people have an advantage when job searching, for example, over their less attractive rivals. This is not fair, but it’s a compelling reason for people with a damaged smile to look for ways to improve it.

Typical Procedures to Improve Appearance

At Michael Frey’s dental clinic, patients can feel confident that any cosmetic dental procedure they select will be the best option for the goals they want. Michael has a value’s based philosophy of not pressuring a patient into a procedure that is too expensive for their circumstances, and not in their best long-term interest. He calls it “thoughtful dental solutions that meet your goals.” Notice that he said - your goals and not his goals.

Crowns are a common procedure that involves placing a synthetic cap on the top of a tooth that may be chipped or partially broken off. The finished result matches the look, feel and function of natural teeth. Veneers are a different procedure where thin layers of a type of laminate are applied to the existing teeth to cover stains or discoloured teeth, in order to correct chipped teeth and close gaps between teeth that otherwise, are healthy and straight.

Dental implants are especially effective to replace one or more teeth that are missing, often due to injury. It is no longer necessary to smile through closed lips when Michael Frey Dental can correct the problem. The procedure involves securing a titanium fixture into the jawbone which then acts as an anchor for a naturally-appearing tooth or teeth. The end result is undetectable from the rest of the teeth.

The range of cosmetic dental treatments now available is extensive and growing with improving technology and increased knowledge. It is no longer necessary or healthy to accept teeth that are an impediment to becoming the confident, self-assured person you can be. If you live in Bundaberg, contact Michael Frey for a consultation.  The phone number is 4152 8288 or click on www.michaelfreydental.com.au. The end result will brighten your smile.

Teeth whitening has become a very common procedure and is no longer viewed as purely for vanity purposes. Having a dazzling smile is the gateway to self-confidence for a lot of people. With aging, teeth naturally become stained and more yellow and this leads a lot of people to try and hide their teeth when they smile. This automatically makes them less confident.

Even if you took first rate care of your teeth – brushing and flossing twice a day – from when you were little, they will still become yellower with age. It’s a simple fact of life – the enamel loses its whiteness over time. Of course, what we eat, drink and smoke can also hasten this process – teeth can easily become stained. Bleaching teeth is a common way to remove the stains and is a popular tooth whitener.

Another reason people often have their teeth whitened is to look younger – yellowing teeth are very aging. Whiter teeth are also generally viewed as healthier – let’s be honest, if someone has bad teeth, we generally believe that their hygiene is suspect.

Because of advances in this area, and the fact that the procedure has become so much more popular of late, costs are not nearly as expensive as you would think. Sometimes health insurance may even cover it. Costs and insurance coverage vary by procedure and there are a few different options out there.

At Home Bleach Trays

These make use of a whitening solution that is applied daily and works gradually over the course of a few weeks. You will have to wear a tray with bleaching gel in it for part of the day, every day.

Teeth Whitening Strips

These are pretty new on the market and allow you to forego the trays. This is a portable system and suitable for those on the move. It is also a gradual process.

Teeth Whitening Bundaberg at the Dentist’s

For a faster and more convenient procedure, you can simply visit your dentist. Results are generally better and certainly a lot faster and it is the easiest option for you. Generally teeth are whitened using a laser and a bleaching compound and could take about two or three hours. The benefit is that you’ll leave the dentist’s office with teeth that are noticeably whiter.

Having the treatment done professionally at the dentist’s office is advisable if you want to go a few shades lighter. Not only are a lot of home treatments simply not strong enough to effect a huge change in whiteness, overuse can also seriously damage the teeth. The bleaching compound at the dentist’s is stronger but can be customised so that damage to teeth is minimised.

Whichever way you decide to go, one thing you can be sure of is that a whiter and brighter smile is a great way to boost your confidence levels.

Unless you had the good fortune or the good genes to be born beautiful, you are probably like the rest of us when it comes to appraising your appearance. In our society, physical beauty has a value and this is reflected in the astounding salaries paid to movie stars, models, TV personalities and other performers. Unfortunately, we measure our appearance by the same standards, and when we come up short, we look for ways to bridge the difference. A major physical feature that commands attention is our teeth, since a straight, white and complete smile is very attractive.

If you are fortunate enough to live in or around Bundaberg and your teeth need attention, Michael Frey Dental is eager to assist. Not only does Michael have years of experience in the full range of standard dental techniques, he also offers specialist services in cosmetic dentistry. Having a cosmetic dental practice close to home has been a boon for the citizens of Bundaberg, who in the past may have needed to travel to bigger population centres to access these services.

A consultation with Michael about the appearance of your teeth is never a hurried affair. Longer consultation times are the norm for Michael and his staff. They believe that by taking the time to listen to their patients to fully understand their situation, they can help the person make the best decision on their dental health for them as an individual. No treatment is ever forced onto a patient, and costs are discussed up front, rather than handing them a bill after the work has been done.

While conscious of the cost of cosmetic dentistry, Michael Frey Dental also understands the loss of confidence and distress people can experience when they know their smile is spoilt by crooked, discoloured or rotten teeth or by large gaps left by extractions. In consultation with the patient Michael will work out the best cosmetic dentistry options to improve the smile, discuss the spacing of appointments and payment options. The benefits to the patient far outweigh the cost, and people who have held themselves back from work or social opportunities because they were embarrassed by their teeth have been amazed at the difference it has made to their overall quality of life.

The most common cosmetic dentistry procedures performed by dentists Bundaberg are crowns, veneers, bonding, whitening and removing old, silver amalgam fillings and replacing them with composite resin which makes them virtually invisible. Crowns are caps that are permanently bonded above the gum line to your own teeth, becoming the new surface. They are used to strengthen teeth and to repair broken or decayed teeth, and once in place, look just like natural teeth. Veneers are different in that they are a thin layer of porcelain-like material that bonds to the front of the tooth to correct discolouration that has not responded to whitening, and to even out chipped teeth or narrow gaps between teeth.

Bonding is a slightly different procedure suitable for chipped, cracked or oddly shaped teeth. A hard resin is applied to the area, then sculpted, hardened and polished to resemble natural tooth enamel. The other most common treatment requested is whitening which involves the use of bleaches to remove staining from food and drink that accumulates over time. Not every person is suitable for whitening treatments as the overall health of the gum itself must be assessed and this should only be done by a dental professional like Michael Frey.

Whichever cosmetic dentistry procedure you decide to undertake to improve your smile, you will be delighted with the end result. It seems a cliché to say that smiles open doors, but in our society the ability to create a favorable first impression can mean the difference between instant success and a long, hard grind. Rightly or wrongly, a dazzling smile is a powerful weapon in establishing credibility, and Michael Frey Dental is the place to go to get one.

Dentists these days generally get a bad rap and for no other reason than the leftover memories and anxieties of previous times when the technology was basic and the pain relief almost non-existent. Nowhere is this more evident than in discussing the procedure known to the lay population as a root canal. Most people really have no idea what is involved other than drilling further than any drill has gone before, and therein is the problem. It’s like anything else that people don’t really understand and have little information about. They fear it for no good reason, and the only way to allay those fears is to explain exactly what a root canal entails.

Inside each tooth is pulp and nerve tissue. The pulp serves a number of very important purposes, one of which is to nourish the tooth structure and keep it hydrated. This makes the tooth more resilient and better able to exert pressure while chewing on hard items without causing the tooth to break. Sometimes the dental pulp itself can become infected especially if the tooth is decaying or cracking. This causes extreme pain and requires the dental pulp to be cleaned out.

The proper name for this procedure is an endodontic therapy, or as it is commonly known, a root canal treatment. The procedure begins with the dentist taking an x-ray to establish the location of the infection. Next, an anaesthetic is administered in just the same way as a normal filling. This numbs the tooth and the surrounding area, allowing the dentist to drill a hole to access the infected pulp inside the tooth. This is then removed and the cavity scraped with small files until it is clean, then it is flushed out with water to remove any remaining source of infection.

The cavity is sealed with a paste and rubber mixture, and a crown placed on the top of the tooth to protect the tooth and restore its shape. The procedure is no more uncomfortable than a normal filling since both are performed using anaesthetic. The other thing to remember is that the nerve tissue is dead which is why the root canal Bundaberg is being done, so there is nothing alive inside the tooth to cause pain. Often, performing this procedure can actually save the tooth from a complete extraction which only becomes necessary when the condition is not caught quickly enough, and there is no alternative but to remove the tooth completely.

The treatment can be expensive, but if the tooth is in a prominent position that is exposed when the patient smiles or laughs, it is a much better alternative than having a large gap. Root canals can save damaged or infected teeth so don’t suffer toothache any longer. Get along to your dentist to see if a root canal can save your tooth.

It’s a long way from Arizona, USA to Nelson, NZ and even further from Nelson to Bundaberg, Queensland, but this is now home for Michael Frey and his wife Monica. Establishing his dental practice in Bundaberg in February 2008 after falling in love with the climate, the beaches and the warmth of the local community, Michael has continued to innovate and provide quality dental services to a growing patient base.

One of the reasons why people feel comfortable at Michael Frey Dental is that Michael has built his practice on values that support the long-term interests of his patients. “Thoughtful dental solutions that meet your goals” is the philosophy behind the services offered, and the continuing growth of the practice is testament to the effectiveness of this approach.

Advances in technology are constantly offering new techniques and treatments to dental patients, but the large distances between treatment centers in Queensland often meant that people would have to travel to Brisbane for certain treatments. Recognizing this, Michael Frey determined it was time to bring these new technologies to a regional area such as Bundaberg. He is able to offer, for example, microscopic dentistry, air abrasion and digital photography and digital x-rays which allow patients to see their problems so they can understand the solutions being offered.

“It was always a hassle to get my children to the dentist, but I kept their six monthly check-ups happening despite their protests. When Hamish developed a small spot of decay, Michael used the air abrasion device instead of the drill to repair the hole. There was no noise or vibration, and no need for an injection. It was all over before he knew it. Imagine having this in Bundaberg!” said Shelly M.

Apart from the usual treatments that would be expected to be available at any dentists Bundaberg dental surgery, Michael Frey Dental can also offer endodontic (root canal) treatment using the Global surgical microscope. This piece of equipment offers a level of magnification that allows the dentist to see every canal, thus offering the patient the newest technology available. Whitening teeth is another procedure available which has become increasingly popular, and can offer quite dramatic results for the right patient.

Crowns, bridges, cosmetic dentistry and gold restorations are all available at this dentist Bundaberg, but another problem that plagues many people is also offered a solution. Teeth grinding while sleeping has many causes, including anxiety, which often take a long time to treat. In the meantime, the grinding continues, eroding the surface of the teeth and causing permanent damage. Michael can prevent this by working with the patient to create custom-made night guards worn during sleep to protect the surface of the teeth. Mouth guards to prevent sports injuries are also available.

“Both my young blokes play rugby league. A great game but it can be rough. The missus insisted on mouth guards. The boys kicked up a bit, but it paid off because the oldest one got an accidental knee right in the mouth that would have knocked out his front teeth for sure. Can’t thank Michael enough for getting the perfect fit,” said Craig S.

New patients find the convenience of being able to download both the medical history form and the patient information form from the website a big plus. It allows them to present for their first appointment with everything already completed so they can go straight into the surgery for their treatment. This is a simple innovation but is symptomatic of the way Michael runs his practice. From an easy web-based solution to more complex solutions that involve the latest in technology and techniques, Michael Frey Dental has raised the bar for dental services in Bundaberg.

Don’t become too alarmed if your dentist informs you that you suffer from bruxism. It is the medical term for grinding one’s teeth, which usually occurs while sleeping. On the other hand, you shouldn’t be too complacent if you are one of the many thousands of people who suffer from this nocturnal habit. Many people don’t even realise that they grind their teeth. However, those who do may wake up with bad headaches, jawbone pain or earache. At the same time, teeth grinding can result in chipped or broken tooth enamel or even loose teeth.

Teeth grinding may not sound too serious. Nevertheless, if it is not corrected it can cause extreme problems that are not only costly to correct but it could also be a symptom of other underlying disorders. Although dentists Bundaberg can assist by suggesting a tooth guard that protects your teeth whilst asleep, it does not get to the root of the cause.

Several factors are known to contribute to bruxism. These include mental stress that arises from anxiety, anger or fear, amongst other stress-related emotions. Medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease are also said to be the cause of teeth grinding. In fact, any disease that involves the loss of motor skills can bring on night grinding.

When stress is the main cause of teeth grinding it can set off a pattern of events—stress—grinding, then more stress because of the grinding teeth. This is why it is important to analyse the cause of the original stress. For instance, restrained anger can disrupt a normal sleeping routine, which, in turn, might bring on the grinding of teeth. Furthermore, an illness that threatens a person’s movement and cognitive abilities, such as Huntington’s disease, can also induce bruxism.

This dental problem is also known to affect children. Young children whose teeth are at the growing stage are susceptible to grinding their teeth whilst sleeping. This is caused through itchy sensations to which their bodies react by grinding. Eventually, most children do grow out of this disorder once their teeth are fully grown and their teeth structure becomes normal. If you are concerned, dentists advise that you make an appointment with a dental practitioner who will advise whether any steps should be taken to help prevent this disorder.

If teeth grinding becomes excessive, your dentist might want to know whether or not you have been prescribed any medication for anxiety or bipolar-related disorders. Although it has not been fully proved, there appears to be a relationship between these drugs and nocturnal grinding.

Even if you don’t grind your teeth, it is wise to see a dentist at least once a year or earlier. This will ensure that your smile reveals your healthy teeth and gums.