Dear Valued Patients,

As the Easter season approaches, we want to take a moment to wish you and your loved ones a joyful and relaxing holiday break. We hope this special time brings you moments of happiness, togetherness, and renewal.

At Wheelers Hill Dental, we understand that dental health plays a vital role in your overall well-being. As you indulge in the delightful treats and festive meals associated with Easter, we would like to remind you of the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene. Remember to brush and floss regularly, and if you have any concerns or need assistance, our dedicated team is always here to support you.

We also want to express our gratitude for choosing us as your dental care provider. Your trust and loyalty inspire us to continually strive for excellence in delivering personalised and compassionate dental care. It is our privilege to serve you and your family, and we look forward to continuing this partnership for many more years to come.

During the holiday break, our clinic will be operating on a modified schedule.

Closed on Friday 29 March 2024 to Monday 1 April 2024.

We reopen on 2 April 2024.

Once again, we wish you a happy Easter filled with joy, laughter, and cherished moments. May this holiday season bring you renewed hope, happiness, and a sense of rejuvenation.

Warm regards,

Dr. T. S. Saw

Wheelers Hill Dental

Thank you so much for the delicious Curry Puffs Sue. They are sublime. Lunch is served! From everyone at Wheelers Hill Dental.

Dear Valued Patients,

As Chinese New Year approaches, I wanted to reach out to you and extend my warmest wishes. Chinese New Year is not only a time to celebrate the beginning of a new lunar year but also a time to embrace the rich cultural heritage that I hold dear.

In 2024, we will welcome the Year of the Dragon, a symbol of energy, power, and good fortune. It is believed to bring success, prosperity, and new opportunities. My wife, Janet, is also a Dragon, and together, we are excited to share in the celebrations with our patients and community.

I am honored to serve a diverse range of patients and believe that Chinese New Year is an opportunity to celebrate multiculturalism and unity. Living in Australia allows me to freely celebrate my ancestral traditions. It is a testament to the inclusivity and acceptance that Australia stands for.

May the Year of the Dragon bring you good health, prosperity, and happiness. I am grateful for your trust and support, which allows Wheelers Hill Dental to thrive and serve our community. We are committed to providing you with the highest level of dental care.

Wishing you a very happy Chinese New Year as we welcome the Year of the Dragon in 2024. May this festive season bring you closer to your dreams and aspirations.

Warm regards,

Dr T. S. Saw OAM
Wheelers Hill Dental

Dear Valued Patients,

As Wheelers Hill Dental proudly celebrates over 40 years of service to our community, I extend heartfelt New Year wishes to each of you. Your enduring support has been the bedrock of our practice.

What truly warms my heart is not only witnessing the loyalty of our initial patients but now, caring for multiple generations within the same families—a testament to the enduring connections we've forged over the years.

I'm profoundly grateful for the trust you've placed in Wheelers Hill Dental for over four decades. Your loyalty has been the driving force behind our journey, and we remain committed to upholding the highest standards of care for generations to come.

Here's to another year of shared smiles, robust health, and the continued privilege of serving multiple generations in our community.

Thank you for being an integral part of our legacy that spans more than 40 remarkable years.

Let’s all have an amazing 2024!

Warm regards,

Dr. T. S. Saw OAM

Wheelers Hill Dental

Dear Valued Patients of Wheelers Hill Dental,

As the holiday season approaches, we would like to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing support and trust over the past 40 years. Your loyalty has been the foundation of our success, and we are truly grateful to have you as part of our dental family.

Christmas is a time of joy, love, and togetherness, and we want to extend our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones. May this festive season bring you moments of laughter, happiness, and cherished memories that will last a lifetime.

As we bid farewell to this year, we also want to wish you a prosperous and healthy New Year. May 2024 be filled with new opportunities, exciting adventures, and continued well-being for you and your family.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you to prioritise your dental health during the holiday season. Remember to maintain your oral hygiene routines and be mindful of the sugary treats.

Once again, we want to express our sincerest appreciation for your support and trust. It has been our privilege to serve you over the years, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with exceptional dental care in the future.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

Warmest regards,

Dr. Saw and the Wheelers Hill Dental Team

Wheelers Hill Dental

Thank you so much for the black pepper beef with rice, stir fried vegetables and bok choi Livio Benedos.

Kind regards,

T. S. Saw and Janet

Wheelers Hill Dental.

Thank you so much for the lovely orchids Kate. It is always a pleasure to see you.

With kindest regards,

T. S. Saw

Thank you so much for making the ‘Quiet Critter’ for us holding a toothbrush Oberon and Sylvia. It was very thoughtful of you guys and heartfelt. From everyone at Wheelers Hill Dental.

As reported in Science Daily and the Australian Dental Association’s website, Teeth create a permanent record of different kinds of life experiences says associate professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Erin C. Dunn.

Exposure to sources of physical stress, such as disease and malnutrition, has the propensity to affect the formation of dental enamel and result in pronounced growth lines within teeth, known as stress lines, which are not unlike the rings in a tree that mark its age. Just as the thickness of tree grow rings can vary based on the climate surrounding the tree as it forms, tooth growth lines can also vary based on the environment and experiences a child has in utero and shortly thereafter, the time when teeth are forming, says Dunn. Thicker stress lines may indicate more stressful life conditions it is believed. 

Neonatal line (NNL), a hypothesis developed by Dunn, has the potential to serve as an indicator of whether an infant’s mother experienced high elevated levels of psychological stress during pregnancy. 

Children of mothers who experienced anxiety and depression at 32 weeks of pregnancy had a greater likelihood than other children to have thicker NNLs. Conversely, children of mothers who received substantial social support shortly after pregnancy had thinner NNLs.

Dunn believes with further research the NNL and other tooth growth marks could be used in the future to identify children who have been exposed to early life adversity, “Then we can connect those kids to interventions… so we can prevent the onset of mental health disorders, and do that as early on in the lifespan as we possibly can.” 

Dunn’s research is nothing short of ground breaking.

Dr T. S. Saw OAM

Wheelers Hill Dental

Talitha you are one in a million!

Wouldn't it be great to trade broccoli for ice cream?

It is not wishful thinking for some. 

Due to a genetic variation amid a very small minority of Greenlanders, eating sugar is healthy, according to a study conducted by the University of Copenhagen. 

"Adult Greenlanders with the genetic variation have lower BMI, weight, fat percentage, cholesterol levels and are generally significantly healthier. They have less belly fat and might find it easier to get a six pack. It is amazing and surprising that a genetic variation has such a profoundly beneficial effect," according to Professor Anders Albrechtsen.

Carriers of this genetic variation have a sucrase-isomaltase deficiency. That is, they do not absorb sugar in the bloodstream the way most of us do. Sugar goes directly to their intestine.

“Here, gut bacteria convert the sugar into a short-chain fatty acid called acetate, which in previous studies has been shown to reduce appetite, increase metabolism and boost the immune system. That is the most likely mechanism happening here,” says Professor Albrechtsen.

It is believed that this widespread genetic variation amid Greenlanders may be due to an ancient and unique diet which includes very little sugar and large quantities of fat from fish, whales and reindeer. 

Anyone for some ice cream?

Dr T. S. Saw OAM

Wheelers Hill Dental

According to the president of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Dental Association, Dr Jeremy Sternson, the number of Australians grinding their teeth has increased significantly over the last two years as a result of pandemic stress.

“Normally in a year you may see a handful of these patients but we were seeing three or four of these a day…”

Dr Emily Pow, a Victorian Dental Association Councillor also noticed a correlation between pandemic stress and teeth grinding.

“A classic example is a mother who is also a teacher who was homeschooling… She came in and she had had very little dental work in the past. She’s split her tooth clean in half and it had to be removed.”

Dr Pow is of the view that jaw pain, headaches and muscle tension are all related and she has been issuing more night guards during the pandemic than prior.

I myself have also noticed an increase in teeth grinding as a result of pandemic stress so there most certainly seems to be a connection.

Dr T. S. Saw OAM
Wheelers Hill Dental

In a media release by the Australian Dental Association (ADA), The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has clarified the dosage intervals for AstraZeneca, recommending that in an outbreak setting, such as the current Delta strain we are currently facing, that an interval of 4 to 8 weeks is preferred. 

ATAGI is advising that anyone who has previously received an AstraZeneca vaccine more than four weeks ago contact their vaccine provider to expedite the administration of their second dose.

In the light of current constrained supplies of the Pfizer vaccine, ATAGI recommends that those over 60 who do not have immediate access to the Pfizer vaccine should consider the benefits and risks of earlier protection through the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

Dr T. S. Saw OAM

Wheelers Hill Dental

According to the Australian Dental Association (ADA), health insurers currently individually boycott service providers unwilling to accept “take it or leave it” contracts from health insurance companies.

For example, a major health insurer recently wrote to all dentists in Australia indicating that the mere provision of a service to a person who had purchased its insurance product is an acceptance of contractual terms and if it’s terms are not accepted the practice will be ‘de-recognised’ and the particular insurer will not pay any claim by the patient.

According to the ADA’s submission to the ACCC this authorisation would have the effect of significantly impacting many of the individually owned dental practices if a buying group of large health insurers were to pose the same conditions as is currently being applied by this particular health insurer.

Furthermore, the authorisation to include the ability for the provision of services under existing government schemes which are open to both public and private dental services may result in small businesses being completely locked out and service delivery restricted for patients.

The ADA believes that such practices result in incremental changes that over time have a detrimental impact on patient choice.

This extends the reach of insurers in relation to clinical matters and audit powers to seek to claw back from the small business funds properly earned through the provision of a legitimate service to a patient. In other words, a dentist and a patient agree on a course of treatment and then a health insurance company later decides that they have concluded with no genuine right of appeal and without discussion with the patient. 

The submission further states that there is already a marked imbalance of market power between health insurers and small community-based health practices. Extending the ability to collectively use (or misuse) this very significant imbalance of market power is unconscionable insists the ADA.

For the full submission please click on the following link:

https://www.ada.org.au/News-Media/News-and-Release/Submissions/ACCC-response-08022021/ADA-response-to-ACCC.aspx

Dr T. S. Saw OAM

Wheelers Hill Dental

Oberon and Sylvia

So excited to visit the dentist for their check ups.

ADA:

Aged Care Commissioners recommend key ADA recommendations in report

The Royal Aged Care Commissioners have included a number of key Australian Dental Association (ADA) recommendations for dramatically overhauling the delivery of oral health care in their final report released by the government yesterday.

It’s now incumbent on the Morrison administration to act on these vital reforms to overhaul the delivery of dental services to older Australians.

The government outlined a five year road map to fix the broken aged care system, starting with an extra $425m for the beleaguered sector, and more funds to be announced during the May budget. It’s not yet known how much of this will be spent on dental services.

Key to the report is that the Commissioners have recommended to the government the adoption of the ADA’s recommendation to adopt the Seniors Dental Benefits Schedule (SDBS) to help make dentistry affordable to all older Australians.

The report said: 'Older people can be freed from much of this pain through the new Senior Dental Benefits Scheme that we recommend. The scheme will fund dental services for people who live in residential care and older people who live in the community and receive the age pension or have a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. It will be limited to treatment required to maintain functional dentition and will be an important health prevention intervention.'

"It's great news that the Aged Care Commissioners have recognised the validity and worth of a number of our recommendations in their final report to the government - including adopting the SDBS," said Federal ADA President Dr Mark Hutton.

"If the government acts on this report, it will mean funding dental care for older Australians as well as some fundamental systems can finally be put into place to ensure better dental care for those in residential and home care."

The report highlighted that oral health remained low down on the list of priorities for aged care homes: 'We heard consistently that oral and dental health care needs of people living in residential aged care are not treated as priorities. Daily oral health care is often not undertaken and access to oral and dental health practitioners is limited. Much of what we heard about the failures in oral and dental health care focused on lack of staff time and inadequate training, as well as a lack of access to oral and dental health professionals, but there can be no excuse for failing to brush older people’s teeth and clean their dentures daily.'

Further oral health recommendations from the report include:

- for the Certificate III qualification to include the delivery of quality oral care as one of its core competencies, another of the ADA’s recommendations,

- immediate funding for better education and training to improve the quality of care delivered, *that residential aged care should include allied health care including oral health practitioners,

- an urgent review of the Aged Care Quality Standards so these standards include ‘best practice oral care’, with details on how these can be achieved, and

- ensuring there are sufficient numbers of workers to carry out proper daily oral care, another of our recommendations. However it remains to be seen if the recommendation will ensure a sufficient number of nursing staff and personal care workers.

Dr Hutton said the ADA was particularly pleased with the recommendation relating to improving the Certificate III qualification as "there’s an urgent need to improve oral health care knowledge and skills of the existing workforce."

He added: "The ADA has been campaigning for years to get the oral health of seniors in aged care to be put in the spoltight.

"The fact is Australians are living longer - often well into their eighties - and keeping their teeth for longer too. But with a longer life span comes more complex oral health needs. Rates of gum disease and dental decay are highest in the over 65s, for example.

"Coupled with this are long waiting lists in the public dental system, poor value for money for private health insurance cover for dental work, and almost non-existent provision of oral care for those in aged care - a perfect storm for rotten dental health for older Australians.

"So the ADA is delighted the Commissioners have agreed with a number of our key recommendations and we’re urging the Government to implement the various schemes and processes to make these a reality. Failure to act on the report would be tantamount to the government saying it doesn’t care about older Australians.

"Ongoing assessments and access to oral health treatment would be improved for residents which will benefit their general health and nutritional status, while aged care providers, carers and families would have access to a range of available practitioners to provide these services.

"With coordinated thinking between agencies, provders and dental practitioners, the dental needs of our seniors in aged care means they can be assessed before going into care and receive ongoing treatment and care whilst in aged care or on a Level 3 or 4 Home Care Package through care by the same dentist and through enhanced training in oral health for care workers.”

For more information, please contact the ADA.

Dr T. S. Saw OAM

Wheelers Hill Dental

According to Dental Health Services Victoria oral cancer is on the rise in Victoria.

Further: Oral cancer (including oropharyngeal cancer) is a significant cause of disease burden in Victoria, with an average of 14 new diagnoses and five deaths a week. Oral cancer is often diagnosed late, resulting in a relative five-year survival rate of just 66%.

Who is most at risk?

Oral cancer is the 9th most common cancer in Victorian men and the 16th in Victorian women. Tobacco and alcohol consumption cause three in four cases of oral cancer; and over 70% of oropharyngeal cancers are linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Incidence is higher in people over 45, especially men, and disadvantaged groups, who are more likely to smoke or drink and have poorer access to dental care. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have higher rates of oral cancer...

Early detection saves lives

Opportunistic screening is the best way to detect oral cancer early. Oral cancer screening by an oral health professional takes only a short time and is an integral element of routine care. Every patient should be screened regularly, not just those at higher risk. “With earlier diagnosis, a person’s treatment and prognosis can be enormously improved,” says Michael McCullough, Professor of Oral Medicine at the University of Melbourne."

Oral cancer is frequently discovered in the tongue, lips, cheeks and floor of the mouth and is mostly caused by smoking. Look out for white patches in the mouth, sores and ulcers that do not heal within 2 weeks, a lump or thickening in the cheek, red or white patches in the mouth, difficultly chewing or swallowing, difficulty moving the tongue or jaw, numbness in any part of the mouth and swelling of the jaw making dentures uncomfortable recommends the DHSV.

Alcohol consumption and excessive sun exposure to the lips are also factors.

The DHSV further recommends that eating well to improve your general health, and reduce the risk of oral cancers, frequent brushing and flossing of teeth and drinking plenty of fluoridated tap water decreases the risk of oral cancer. 

General oral hygiene is an especially important consideration which should not be ignored.

Dr T. S. Saw OAM

Wheelers Hill Dental

Dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Victorian dental practices are a permitted workplace. It is important not to delay dental care during the pandemic. Going to the dentist for check-ups every six–12 months helps to prevent dental problems or find them early. If you notice any signs of a dental problem, visit your dentist to avoid any problems becoming worse.

Visiting the dentist

It is safe to attend dental appointments, as dental practices have strict infection control procedures in place, and other measures to protect patients and staff, including COVIDSafe Plans. Dental practices may ask patients if they are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been somewhere that may have exposed them to COVID-19 before dental appointments.

If you have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 and are required to quarantine, or you are experiencing cold and flu symptoms, please delay your dental appointment and get tested for COVID-19. You must stay at home and isolate until you receive your test result. For further information, visit the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website or call the Victorian coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.

Note: This information was updated 1 October. As COVID-19 infection rates and restrictions change, so too may the restrictions around dental treatment. Check back before your dental appointment or phone your dentist to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.

Caring for your teeth

For tips and advice about taking care of your oral health, view our fact sheets. We have a range of fact sheets freely available to download with vital information about caring for your teeth, including two new 'COVID-19 pandemic: Getting your dental health back on track' fact sheets. Download Part 1 | Download Part 2

Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch

See you soon!

Dr T. S. Saw OAM

Wheelers Hill Dental