Dr Andrea Lakatos joined our practice in April 2009 and left in June 2011 (reluctantly) to move to Brisbane. When the opportunity came up to work again at Wyoming Dental Surgery (to cover Dr Jeanne Chong’s maternity leave in May 2014) Andrea jumped at the chance.
2 years later, Andrea and her husband are expecting a little girl and Andrea is looking forward to a break from her professional career and some time with her little one.
How long have you been working as a dentist?
I have been working as a dentist full time since the beginning of 2009.
What are some of the areas of dentistry that you take special interest in?
The areas that really interest me are
- orthodontics (or moving teeth around, usually to make them straight!)
- cosmetic dentistry
- general restorative dentistry.
I have done several courses that have qualified me to use orthodontic appliances such as Invisalign, Clear Braces, Conventional Braces and Inman Aligners. It’s great having a lot of options, because after all, each patient is different and the options allow patients to choose the right solution for them in terms of cost and result desired. Cosmetic dentistry may be as simple as reshaping front teeth or as complex as a full mouth reconstruction with porcelain veneers, but I love this side of dentistry. You can see a person’s self esteem and confidence increase after making these small aesthetic changes, and that is a really fulfilling feeling.
What dental changes can occur during pregnancy?
The most common dental change that can occur is bleeding gums. Pregnant women have an increased blood volume during pregnancy, and this means that any sign of poor oral hygiene will cause your gums to bleed when they otherwise wouldn’t. This usually occurs during brushing and flossing. This does not mean you need to brush or floss less – just the opposite in fact! Removing plaque deposits regularly will reduce your gums bleeding.
Many pregnant women also will vomit during the first trimester. The best piece of advice that I could give you would be to avoid brushing your teeth immediately after purging as your teeth have been softened by the extremely strong acid in your stomach. Rinse out with water or milk and wait at least 60 minutes until brushing your teeth. You can also rinse out with a high fluoride rinse after rinsing with water for added protection.
Do you have any dental advice for pregnant mums or those who might be trying to get pregnant?
My advice would be to get a full check up and clean before trying to fall pregnant. Unfortunately many dentists including myself have seen heavily pregnant women with raging toothaches and that is the last thing you need to think about with all the changes that your body is facing. Dentists will usually prioritise treatment during a full exam, so if there is treatment that is not urgent, you will be told and you can choose to do it after your pregnancy.
What are you looking forward to in the next couple of months?
I’m looking forward to meeting our little girl and letting dentistry take a back seat for a little while. The long journey has helped me to realise that I need to enjoy the simple things, so hopefully more of that too.
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