Eugene Torchia
Eugene is our Senior Dental Prosthetist and has over 30 years experience in the profession running clinics in both Sydney and Ballina. Eugene has an Advanced Diploma of Dental Prosthetics which complements his extensive experience and skills meaning he can also work with your local dentist in the provision of implant retained over-dentures.
Lesley Astill-Torchia
With her wide range of customer service and administrative skills from working at senior levels for many years in the health profession, all your queries and booking needs will be professionally handled with a friendly smile. We also work closely with two local experienced dental technicians who ensure that our laboratory runs efficiently using all the latest techniques and materials.
Our Facilities
We operate our clinic from a ground level suite which has excellent wheelchair access as well as a private carpark at the front with disabled parking space.
Our clinic is conveniently situated at the Ballina Boulevard in the centre of the Ballina CBD close to the Woolworths supermarket, banks, cafes, bakeries and other specialty shops.
We have a comfortable air conditioned waiting area and modern consulting room and as our laboratory meets all Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (Department of Health) requirements you can be assured of quality.
Our Commitment To You
Our number one priority is providing all our clients with a high quality, individualised service with a focus on collaboration and long term follow up. We take care to listen to our patient’s concerns and desired outcomes when having a denture made so that the final result is functionally and aesthetically what they had hoped for.
All our products are manufactured onsite so we are involved in every step of the process and can adapt to patient’s expectations throughout. Being an onsite laboratory as well as a prosthetist clinic also enables us to offer same day repairs, relines and additions as required.
Finally, as Dentures Direct Ballina will always discuss costs before commencement of a procedure you will know what the treatment fees will be and can plan accordingly. The clinic accepts NSW Health dental vouchers, is in partnership with DVA, can process all private health fund rebates on the spot with the HiCaps terminal and offers interest free payment plans through Denticare.
Why Should We Care About Being ‘Toothless’?
So many reasons! Being edentulous has a significant negative impact on quality of life because teeth play a vital role in facial appearance, speech, eating ability and overall health.
Smiling not only is an expression of joy or laughter and a way of communicating but it appears that whether your smile is genuine or not, it can act on your body and mind in a variety of positive ways, offering benefits for your health, your mood, and even the moods of people around you. Few people feel comfortable enough to give a big gummy grin regardless of the circumstances. This inevitably decreases social confidence and self-esteem and often leads to people avoiding social situations due to embarrassment.
Natural teeth support the cheeks and lips so without them the facial skin sags and droops.
Teeth contribute a lot to the mechanics of speech and word formation and difficulties with making conversation adds to social isolation and lack of confidence.
We often forget that our teeth and mouth are the first part of the digestive tract and that chewing and saliva start the process of breaking down our food. Teeth enable us to do this to a great variety of different foods. Having no teeth can severely limit what food can be eaten with big implications for health and nutrition.
Tooth loss is generally seen as being part of aging so younger patients with tooth loss are sometimes seen as more “at fault” for their condition. People may unfairly assume that a younger person who has lost teeth: lives in poverty, leads a particularly unhealthy/unhygienic lifestyle, abuses drugs or gets involved in fights. These unconscious biases against missing teeth can detrimentally impact patients’ lives.
So, in summary……………. having teeth matters!