Services

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Bleaching/Tooth Whitening:

It is important to make an appointment for us to thoroughly check your teeth and take your medical history to make sure that bleaching your teeth is a viable option for you. There are two types of bleachings, home bleaching and in office bleaching. Please contact our rooms for a consultation appointment.

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The implant emulates the shape of the root and is usually made of Titanium and other materials that are well suited to the human body. The implant is surgically placed into the jaw by a Maxillo- Facial Surgeon . Over time the implant incorporates into the bone (osseo-integrates) to become a strong root/base for a crown. Implants have been used for decades now by patients of all ages. They can produce a single tooth, several teeth or support partial or full dentures.

The first step is to make sure the patient has enough bone for the implant to osseo-integrate. If there is not sufficient bone then a bone graft will have to be made and the bone harvested from a part in the body. The implant is then surgically placed under sedation or general anaesthetic (depending on the case). The gum is then places over the implant.

Once the implant and bone have bonded together, which usually takes about 6 months, we may attach an extension called an abutment to the implant. In some cases the implant and abutment are a single unit and are placed at the initial surgery. Once the implant has healed, the implant and abutment act as a foundation for a new replacent tooth.

Together with our dental laboratory, we will make a custom- fitting crown for the impant, which will match in shape and colour to your natural teeth. The crown is then attatched to the implant post.

Inside the tooth, under the white enamel and a hard layer called dentine is a soft tissue called the pulp. The pulp contains blood vessels, nerves and connective tissues. When the pulp becomes inflamed or infected then a Root Canal treatment will be necessary.

Inflammation can be caused by a variety of factors: deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth, faulty crowns, cracks, and chips in the tooth or trauma to the tooth. If pulp inflammation is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess.

During the Root Canal Treatment, we will anaesthetise the tooth and place a small rubbery-like protective sheet around the tooth called a Rubber dam, this serves to isolate the tooth and prevents saliva from getting into the tooth. The infected nerve/s are then removed and the inside of the tooth is carefully cleaned and disinfected. The now empty nerve canals are then shaped, filled and sealed with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha. The tooth is then filled with a sedative temporary filling or a permanent filling. This is a comfortable procedure.

Remember that saving a tooth with a Root canal Treatment is a much better alternative to extracting the tooth, for one it is much more cost effective than having to replace the missing tooth.

Root Canal Treated teeth are more brittle due to a limited blood supply and are therefore more susceptible to breaking. For this reason it is advisable to place a crown on the tooth.

Composite resin material: (white filling) is the main restorative material used for fillings. Composite fillings can be used on anterior and posterior teeth. This material is durable, strong and has various shades to match your own natural teeth.

Amalgam fillings or metal fillings are less commonly used, but despite their controversy on the health side, they are still very strong and durable.If you are concerned about having metal/amalgam fillings in your mouth and would like them replaced with composite ones, please contact our rooms for a consultation appointment.

Fillings or cavities can vary in depth, size and location of the decay, fracture or crack in the tooth. Remember that saving your own tooth is always first prize. Rest assured that we will do our utmost to save your own tooth at all times.

Your smile is important and if you are concerned that your smile is compromised by discoloured teeth, worn teeth or misaligned teeth, please come and see us so we can advise you on the best option to cover those teeth which concern you.

Composite resin veneers do not involve a laboratory and the filling material is bonded as a very thin layer onto the front of the tooth, we can choose a colour composite which will hide the dull and stained colour of your existing tooth. No tooth structure is ‘shaved’ in this procedure, only a very small layer or composite is placed over the front of the tooth.

A porcelain veneer is another option, we need to take impressions and the laboratory will make up thin porcelain covering which will be cemented onto the tooth. Only a minute layer of tooth will be shaved off the front of the tooth to accommodate and cement the veneer.

The word Orthodontics comes from the Greek work ‘Orthos”, meaning straight or perfect and ‘Dontos’ meaning teeth.There are various needs for orthodontics; ‘Malocclusion’ meaning bad or incorrect bite, this can be due to an injury of the teeth or facial bones or even thumb sucking. Thumb sucking is notorious for causing possible malocclusion of teeth. Malocclusion of teeth may affect eating, speech and oral hygiene.

The first step is to do a full assessment of the teeth, mouth and facial bones. The assessment will determine the type of treatment necessary. There are fixed appliances and removable appliances. Each type of appliance has a specific function, from keeping spaces for a permanent tooth when the milk tooth had to be extracted (space maintainer) to removable appliances used to prevent thumb sucking.

Braces and connecting wires are fixes appliances which move the teeth by applying tension to specific teeth and ultimately changing their position.

Orthodontics is necessary to treat many conditions, such as:

• Protrusion of the front teeth,
• crowding of teeth,
• impacted teeth,
• asymmetrical teeth,
• over-bites, open-bites,under-bites,cross-bites and
• spacing.

Please feel free to make a consultation appointment with us if you have any concerns. Remember that adults can have orthodontics too!

Crowns

When a tooth is compromised due to extensive decay, is fractured or root canal treated, it is advisable to crown it. The crown is made of porcelain and metal, it is strong and durable. We will prepare the compromised tooth, take dental impressions to make moulds and the dental laboratory will make the crown, which we will cement onto the tooth. Depending on the tooth structure available, you may need a post crown, which is made sometimes with a root canal treated tooth and there is very little tooth structure remaining.

Clinical crown lengthening is another procedure available for cases where there is little tooth structure to work with. Please do not hesitate to discuss your options with us. Bridges are also made of porcelain and metal. Colours of crowns can be made to match the other natural teeth in the mouth. The crowns are then cemented onto the existing tooth structure. The type of crown that you may need will depend on the restorative work needed.

Bridges

Bridges are false teeth that are made to ‘bridge’ the gap created by one or more missing teeth. Crowns on either side of the bridge will hold the false teeth or pontics. Like crowns, bridges are also cemented in.

• Full dentures: These dentures can be either ‘Conventional’ or ‘immediate’.
  Conventional dentures are made after the teeth have been extracted and the gum tissue has healed, this is usually around 10 weeks after extractions.
• Immediate dentures: These are made in advance and can be positioned as soon as the teeth have been removed. These dentures will need a fair amount of adjusting as the bones and gums will shrink over time, especially during the healing period. Immediate dentures, ideally be a temporary solution.
• Partial dentures: These dentures can be made of full acrylic base and teeth or of a chrome cobalt metal base and acrylic teeth. They are removable and and can hold one or more missing teeth. A precision partial denture has clasps which hold onto your own existing teeth.

Both full and partial dentures can also be made to clip onto implants, which will then make the dentures more secure and tight in the mouth.

Although teeth are designed to last a lifetime, there are many reasons why people lose teeth, from trauma to the mouth, badly decayed teeth, infection, smoking, periodontal disease, overcrowding of teeth and poor oral hygiene.

Prior to the extraction, we will take a thorough medical history, please make sure you inform us of any health problems you may have as this is vital to the type of care you will need. We will take an Xray to determine the exact position of the roots and we will anaesthetize the tooth.

Extractions can be very straight forward or you may need the tooth to be surgically extracted. Surgical extractions are performed when the tooth is badly decayed and has a strong possibility of breaking during the extraction process, the tooth is impacted or there may only be a root remaining.

Please contact our rooms if any pain rises post extraction.

1. Continue to bite on the mouth pack you have been given for 20 minutes after the extraction. DO NOT lie down within four hours following the extraction.
2. DO NOT interfere with the socket or sockets with your fingers or tongue, this will disturb the blood clot and encourage infection.
3. DO NOT rinse your mouth at all today. Any blood in the mouth should be spat out or swallowed, not rinsed away. The commonest cause of excessive bleeding and later infection is rinsing the mouth too soon. This does not prevent you from eating and drinking gently.
4. Very little bleeding should occur if you follow the instructions above. However if bleeding persists, bite on the affected site with a CLEAN, tightly rolled handkerchief or gauze swab for 20 minutes. DO NOT lie down whilst the bleeding persists. If bleeding continues please contact our rooms for advice.
5. To REDUCE after-pain take two paracetamol (eg: Panado) tablets two hours after leaving the surgery or before if pain occurs earlier than this. Repeat every 2-6 hours if needed. Pain which becomes worse or commences between 3-7 days after the extraction indicates that infection is occuring and you should contact the rooms for advice.
6. On rising tomorrow morning you should rinse your mouth with WARM salt water (one teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water). Repeat this after EACH meal for 2 or 3 days.

We trust you will have a speedy recovery. If any stitches were required please return for their removal in 7 days.

This type of restoration is warranted when an entire cusp of a tooth has broken or fractured from decay, the inlay is then cemented into the cavity and over the missing cusp of tooth. An inlay is strong and is conservative enough when placing a crown may not be entirely necessary.

Prevention is paramount for children. Educating children and parents on good oral hygiene instruction, uses of fluoride, correct brushing, flossing and eating a well balanced diet. Understanding basic principles such as not letting your young child fall asleep drinking milk, juice and tea in their bottles, this only needs to extensive decay of the anterior teeth which may result in premature extraction of teeth. This will in turn lead to a myriad of problems, such as speech problems and crowding of other permanent teeth.
Paedodontics also means looking at the child’s mouth and teeth and assessing what possible problems the child may have later in life due to malocclusion or incorrect teeth positions.