Treatments
Bridges
Bruxism (Clenching / Grinding)
Children’s Dentistry
Cosmetic
Crowns
Emergency Dental Treatment
Endodontics (Root Canal Treatment)
Examination, Scale and Clean
Fluoride
Fissure Sealants
Gum Disease
Implants
Mouthguards
Oral Surgery (Extractions)
Pregnancy Dental Care
Radiological Examinations
Restorations
Whitening (Bleaching)
Veneers (Bonded Facings)
Bridges
A bridge is an appliance permanently fixed in the mouth to replace missing teeth. It uses remaining teeth to support the new artificial tooth or teeth.
A bridge is made up of two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap and a false tooth/teeth rigidly attached in between. The bridge can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials.
Excessive clenching or grinding of the teeth, known as bruxism, is often caused by physical or psychological stress or a sleep disorder. If untreated, bruxism can lead to excessive wear on the teeth and may cause permanent damage to the teeth and jaw joints.
Treatment involves repairing damaged teeth (such as restorations, crowns, or inlays to replace the damaged tooth surface) and subsequently creating an occlusal splint (night guard) made from hard plastic that fits over the upper or lower teeth, and is worn at night to prevent further wear of the tooth surfaces.
Children’s Dentistry
Often children are nervous at the prospect of dental treatment. Our dentists understand this, and know it is imperative that good oral health and hygiene be developed at a young age. As such, our Dentists are well practised at handling nervous, young dental patients, and are proficient at helping them to grow up with a positive and enthusiastic approach to their dental health.
Cosmetic
These days there are a range of options to help your teeth look great. From simple whitening (bleaching) to replacing amalgam (silver) fillings with tooth-coloured restoration materials, to veneers, crowns, bridges and implants. Stained teeth, dark teeth, chipped teeth, crooked teeth, and even missing teeth can all be repaired or replaced.
Crowns
Dental crowns (often referred to as ‘dental caps’ or ‘tooth caps’) cover over and encase the tooth on which they are cemented. Crowns are used to rebuild broken or decayed teeth, as a way to strengthen teeth and as a method to improve the cosmetic appearance of a tooth. The type of crown your dentist recommends will depend on the tooth involved and sometimes on your preference, and include porcelain crowns, porcelain-bonded-to-metal crowns, which combine the appearance of tooth coloured material with the strength of metal, gold alloy crowns and acrylic crowns.
Emergency Dental Treatment
Toothache:
A very persistent toothache is always a sign that you need to see your dentist as soon as practicable.
In the meantime:
- try to obtain relief by rinsing the mouth with water;
- try to clean out debris from any obvious cavities;
- use dental floss to remove any food that might be trapped within the cavity (especially between the teeth);
- if swelling is present, place a cold compress to the outside of the cheek;
- take pain relief if necessary
Knocked out tooth:
If a tooth is knocked out, time is critical for successful replanting, so undertake to get to your dentist within 30 minutes. If the tooth is dirty, rinse the tooth in milk holding it by the crown (not roots). If milk is not available, rinse the tooth in water for a few seconds only, or have patient suck it clean, then put the tooth back in the socket. If the tooth cannot be replanted, wrap in cling wrap or place it in milk or in the patient's mouth inside the cheek.
Broken tooth:
You should go to your dentist as soon as practicable after breaking a tooth. Try to clean debris from the injured area with warm water. If caused by a blow, place a cold compress on the face next to the injured tooth to minimize swelling. Try to find all the bits that are missing and bring them to your dentist, keeping them moist. Some broken bits can be bonded back onto the teeth almost invisibly.
Endodontics (Root Canal Treatment)
Root canal or endodontic treatment is a process where inflamed or dead soft tissue in the canal that runs through the centre of a tooth known as ‘pulp’ is removed from the inside of the tooth, enabling a tooth that was causing pain to be retained.
After removing the pulp, the root canals are cleaned, sterilised and shaped to a form that can be completely sealed with a filling material to prevent further infection. Once a tooth is fully formed it can function normally without its pulp and be kept indefinitely. Subsequently a crown or complex restoration to restore or protect the tooth is usually necessary, as a tooth after undergoing endodontic treatment will be more brittle and prone to fracture.
Examination, Scale and Clean
In addition to daily brushing and flossing, visiting the Dentist every six months for a regular examination and clean, is important for maintaining good oral health and hygiene, and for early detection of any dental problems.
A scale and clean involves the removal of tartar (calculus) from the tooth surfaces by special dental instruments. Plaque, a soft, sticky film containing bacteria which builds up on teeth, can be removed by normal brushing. However, if plaque is not removed, it hardens to become tartar, and if left untreated, it will damage healthy teeth and gums, and can cause tooth decay, gum disease, supporting bone loss leading ultimately to tooth loss.
Fluoride
Fluoride treatment involves applying a fluoride solution to the teeth to prevent decay starting. This concentrated fluoride acts by interfering with the bacteria in plaque, altering the structure of tooth enamel to make it more resistant to acid attack, and by helping to regenerate and repair enamel which has started to decay.
Fissure Sealants
Teeth which contain deep grooves that cannot be reached by the fine bristles of a toothbrush are susceptible to plaque (bacteria) building up in the groove and causing decay. To prevent this, is a protective tooth coloured resin coating, known as a fissure sealant, is placed in the groove of the tooth to stop decay from forming.
Gum Disease
Gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults.
Gum disease is an infection and inflammation of the gums caused by plaque, a bacteria that builds up on teeth. The most common symptoms of gum diseases are bleeding, red, swollen gums, recession of the gum and bone, persistent bad breath, abscesses between teeth and gums, increased spacing between teeth, loose teeth, sensitivity, and pain (in advanced cases).
Gum disease can be prevented, and treated, by visiting your dentist regularly for a scale and clean, together with good oral hygiene which includes brushing with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day, flossing regularly, and over short periods, the use of mouth rinses and gum massagers.
Implants
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root submerged into the jawbone. The bone grows and bonds to the implant, making the implant very strong. Implants are often used to replace missing teeth, gaps, and even poorly fitting dentures.
Mouthguards
Dental injuries can often be prevented by people wearing a mouthguard whilst participating in any sport where there is a reasonable risk of a knock to the face. Typically, mouthguards which cover the upper teeth, cushion a blow to the face and minimize the risk of broken teeth and injuries to the soft tissues of the mouth. Injuries such as a chipped or broken tooth, internal damage to a tooth, tooth loss, and in severe cases, a broken jaw or a concussion, can lead to long and potentially expensive treatment to restore the teeth and mouth back to normal function and appearance.
Oral Surgery (Extractions)
An extraction is a procedure consisting of the removal of a tooth, whilst the patient is anesthetised by local anaesthetic.
Often teeth which require extraction are severely damaged by tooth decay or fractures and cannot be saved by other dental treatments such as endodontics (root canal treatment).
Pregnancy Dental Care
Regular visits to the dentist both before, and during pregnancy, is recommended to ensure that your gums and teeth are healthy. As many women experience bleeding gums during pregnancy, visiting your dentist regularly for a scale and clean, together with good oral hygiene which includes brushing with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day and flossing regularly, is imperative.
Radiological Examination
Radiographs (x-rays) are taken of the patient’s teeth by placing the film in the mouth. The Dentist then examines the developed image, and interprets the health of the teeth and any further treatment required.
Restorations (Fillings)
A filling is an artificial material used to replace parts of the tooth that have been damaged by tooth decay or have fractured.
The treatment involves removing all the decay and sealing the hole in the tooth with materials to protect the remaining tooth from further decay, and to allow it to function normally.
There are various materials used to restore teeth including tooth-coloured fillings such as composite resins and glass ionomer cements, or metallic (amalgam) fillings (however, dental amalgam is slowly being phased out by most Dentists).
Teeth Whitening (Bleaching)
Whitening (or bleaching) improves the colour of a patient’s teeth by using a special bleaching gel.
The procedure for home bleaching involves taking impressions of a patient’s teeth, which are then made into custom-made trays known as bleaching trays. A bleaching gel is then placed inside the trays, and worn by the patient over the course of approximately one week, depending on the current shade, and the desired shade, of the patient’s teeth.
Veneers (Bonded Facings)
A veneer involves bonding an adhesive tooth-coloured material, or facing, to the surface of a tooth.
Dental veneers are applied for a variety of reasons such as improving the appearance or aesthetics of a tooth, or to restore the enamel on a tooth which has been damaged by decay, fractures or abrasion.
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