New Dentistry' is the theme of Dental Health Week (Aug 5th to 11th). It's an opportunity for the industry to showcase some exciting developments, tempt us to put fear and doubt aside, improve our smile and maybe even our lives. Peta Newbold reports.

American 'soapy' stars led the trend and now there's a global interest in acquiring that film star smile. Amalgam is out; 'invisible' fillings are in. Teeth have to be even, and white.

The perception is that 'white' means healthy. That's not necessarily true but it seems most of us want them anyway.

Bleaching teeth

You can get a 'teeth bleaching kit' from your dentist. It involves a kind of gum shield in which you put some bleach in the form a gel. After wearing it for a few weeks most people say they notice the difference but the results can be unpredictable.

And there's also those over-the-counter bleaching techniques but the Australian Dental Association doesn't recommend them if deep-seated whitening is what you're looking for.

No more crooked teeth.

Dental care took a lesson from furniture design when veneers were invented.

A veneer is a coating of resin and porcelain attached to the teeth to change the colour and shape. It can give a person a whole new look.

Ray is a communications worker from South Australia. He had what he describes as 'a bit of a chip here and there and a bit of staining'. "It didn't look all that flash," he said.

Six veneers later and his self-esteem has been given a enormous boost. "People haven't said much but I can tell by their body language that they like it," said Ray. "And a big broad smile can be pretty infectious."

Less false teeth.

Of course cosmetic procedures don't come cheap and many Australians with pension cards still struggle to afford basic dental care. Even so in the last 20 years more of us have had access to good dental care than ever before.

We need it too because we're keeping our natural teeth longer. For instance in 1994 we had approximately 50 million more of our own teeth than we did in 1989!

Getting better mileage.

Sue Mallard from Belrose in NSW is 39 and her recent visit to the dentist took her back to when she was a teenager. She had an orthodontic brace fitted.

"My dentist told me that if I looked after my teeth I could get at least another 40 years out of them so I got a brace fitted to straighten them and improve my bite."

Braces too have improved in the last few years. Gone is the 'mouth-full of metal' look.

Sue's brace is the same colour as her teeth. When she smiles it's almost invisible.

"It doesn't hurt either like my old brace used to", she said. "The only problem I have is when I eat curry. The elastic bands get stained and it's not a pretty sight."

Diet.

That old saying 'we are what we eat' is as true for our teeth as it is for any other part of the body and dentists are increasingly focussing on diet as an answer to oral health problems rather than simply filling in the cavity.

The key is saliva. It is the body's natural defence against tooth decay.

Everything we eat can affect the balance of the saliva but the substances that do most harm are nicotine, acid and sugar from soft drinks and take-away food, caffeine from coffee, cola and energy drinks, and some medications.

"Almost every time we see someone with tooth decay that really shouldn't be there, we discover that it's related to something that the patient is taking, " said Dr Wilson. "In many cases some simple changes can make all the difference." His advice;

• Avoid frequent take away meals.
• If you do eat them brush teeth afterwards.
• Eat less processed foods.
• Prepare more meals at home.
• Eat more fruit and vegetables.

New technology.

So what's new in your dentist's surgery? The buzzword these days is 'lasers'. A few dentists have them. The trouble is no one's really sure whether they're worth buying.

"They cost around $70,000 for each machine," says Dr Wilson "They're excellent for some forms of gum surgery, and we are starting to use them for treating decay but we still have to get to grips with the technology before lasers become mainstream."

Lasers can desensitise some teeth that are unusually sensitive to cold too, but this doesn't mean they're likely to replace the need for anaesthetic or the 'dreaded drill' either, and that's the straight answer to the 65-million dollar question.

The diamond tipped, air turbine drill effectively took dentistry into the space age. The rev count improved from 15,000 to 300,000 per minute and cut through those old fillings as the saying goes, 'like a knife through butter'.

Dr Wilson says, "It was a crucial development in the 50's and every dentist now has one which means that most are highly skilled operators. I can't see it being replaced in the foreseeable future."

Getting intimate with your teeth.

No, the most significant leap in dental technology in the last decade has probably been the intra oral camera. It's mounted on a pen-like object the dentist holds near the problem area.

The picture quality is excellent and it means that when your dentist tells you have, say a cracked tooth, you can really see it for yourself.

"It gets a great patient approval rating," says Dr Wilson. "It means patients are much better informed and ultimately more satisfied with their treatment."

There's free advice on all dental health care, products and services this week by calling the ADA's Dental Health Week hotline number during office hours on freecall 1800 678 383 or visit dentalhealthweek.com.