Dental Health Care

Tooth Coloured Restorations and Bonding

Today there are two very real reasons why people are moving towards the tooth coloured restorations. Firstly they are becoming increasingly anxious about the use of amalgam due to its mercury content, and secondly the aesthetic considerations; they do not want to show off amalgam and gold.

White Fillings

There are now many techniques available to restore a broken or decayed tooth using a tooth coloured filling material. Here at The Dental Surgery we use both composite and porcelain restorations. Both these filling materials are matched to your own natural tooth colour. They are bonded by a special adhesive into your tooth, adding to the retention of the filling and sealing the tooth.

Cosmetic Bonding

Bonding is a very simple cost-effective way of closing gaps, removing other defects, changing rotated or broken teeth. It involves simply bonding a composite filling material matched to your tooth colour without the need for any tooth tissue removal.

Having crooked or misaligned teeth can certainly keep you from feeling your best. For most people, crooked teeth in childhood lead to braces, but braces are not always a permanent fix. Crooked teeth may return in adulthood as wisdom teeth grow in and push the other teeth out of alignment.

But looks aren’t the only problem. Crooked, misaligned teeth can lead to tooth decay, problems with chewing, hard-to-clean gaps and other serious dental problems. Misaligned teeth can create painful biting and chewing, leading to Temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ), a painful and damaging condition of the jaw joints.

Of course, the motivation for most people to fix a crooked smile begins with the desire for a beautiful smile. Straightening your teeth boosts self-esteem, helping you to be a more productive person, parent, friend, and co-worker. Whereas children and teens would not feel strange wearing braces when so many of their peers are doing the same, adults can feel socially awkward with braces on their teeth. Fortunately, a number of new solutions are available: clear braces, Invisalign, crowns, and veneers. These give you the opportunity to have the smile you always dreamed about.

Invisalign
If you’ve ever seen or worn a retainer, you’ll easily understand how Invisalign works. Using a series of clear (see-through) aligners, Invisalign gradually moves your teeth into a straight position. This process can take from six months to two years, with each aligner being used for two weeks before it is replaced with the next aligner.

Your dental professional will take impressions of your teeth and use computer imaging to create precise positioning for the aligners. Each aligner will be applying pressure slightly differently, on different teeth, or in different directions. You can take the aligners out any time, for eating and cleaning, or for special occasions. But they should be worn at least 22 hours each day for optimum results. Slowly but surely they’ll move your teeth into well-spaced and even alignment.

Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are fast, so if you’re looking for a quick fix, they may be the right solution for you. A veneer is a thin shell of porcelain that is bonded to the front of your tooth to give it a new surface, and perhaps also a new shape, with a natural look and feel. Veneers can cover small imperfections, make teeth look straight, cover chips, crack and gaps, and work double duty as whiteners. If your teeth look crooked because of small gaps and chips or uneven sizing, porcelain veneers may be a better option than straightening. When considering your options, think about your ultimate goal. Do you want to correct misalignment or simply have teeth that appear straight? Invisalign is a more long-term commitment, but produces perfectly straight teeth when the aligners are worn properly. If you combined it with whitening and crowns, you’ll have a truly dazzling smile. But it does require an investment of both time and money and for some this is not appropriate. Veneers can give the appearance of straight teeth, but your dental professional can evaluate whether your degree of crookedness is too great to consider veneers.

Consult with a qualified cosmetic dentist, such as Dr. Michael Iott to determine the solution that works best for you. With the many treatment options available, your dream of achieving a beautiful smile is close than ever!

Everybody loves a bright white smile, and there are a variety of products and procedures available to help you improve the look of yours.

Many people are satisfied with the sparkle they get from brushing twice daily with a fluoride-containing toothpaste, cleaning between their teeth once a day and the regular cleanings at your dentist’s office. If you decide you would like to go beyond this to make your smile look brighter, you should investigate all of your options.

Teeth whitening is ideal for people who have healthy, unrestored teeth (no fillings) and gums. Individuals with yellow tones to their teeth respond best. But this cosmetic procedure is not recommended for everyone.

It is important to note at this point that our teeth have no uniform whiteness. Usually, the whitest teeth are the two front teeth while molars are generally two shades darker. A realistic goal for anyone wishing to have a whiter set of teeth is for the process to achieve its optimum level while retaining the natural look of white teeth. Besides, the whitening results vary from patient to patient depending on the teeth structure and procedure type.

But first, what causes tooth discoloration? Remember that aging, chemical damage and staining are factors that contribute to discoloration as are medications, tea, coffee, cola soft drinks and cigarette.

There are also other factors that affect the color of teeth like genetics and disease. Some people have naturally whiter teeth enamel and their children can acquire this gene trait. But if you suspect that there’s a physiological factor behind the color of your teeth, it is best to consult your physician too so you can better inform your dentist

Teeth whitening corrects the discoloration in your teeth by removing the staining on your teeth. And there are a number of methods or techniques that can be used to achieve this such as the following: mild acid whitening, chemical whitening, abrasive teeth whitening and the latest one: laser teeth whitening.

Teeth Whitening Strips — Teeth whitening strips are popping up in every drug store across the nation. These whitening strips sold over the counter are fairly inexpensive, easy to use and most of them really work. Teeth whitening strips may take take longer to produce the desired results depending on the strength of peroxide that they contain. Good Housekeeping recently did an interesting study about which whitening strips work the best.

Teeth bleaching is a chemical process that a dentist can use to lighten up the color of the teeth of his patient. The process can be administered right in the dentist’s clinic, at the patient’s home or a combination of clinic first-finish at home. Home teeth bleaching procedures are more common nowadays these afford patients the convenience of their own homes.

Maintaining Your Whiter Smile
In order to maximize the longevity of your whitening treatment, it is important to maintain excellent oral hygiene (brush and floss after every meal) and steer clear of some of the more common causes of discoloration (coffee, tea, red wine, etc.). To help avoid future staining, dentists often suggest using a straw, even with coffee and tea. Smokers wishing to undergo whitening treatment are advised to stop smoking in order to prevent the staining it causes. Discuss such considerations with your dentist during your initial whitening consultation.

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What are Dental Implants?

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root made of titanium that a dentist gently places into your jaw. Dental implants are ideal for people in good oral health who have lost one or more teeth. We know how confidence about your teeth can affect how you feel about yourself, both personally and professionally. Perhaps you hide your smile because of spaces due to missing teeth. Maybe your dentures don’t feel secure. Perhaps you have difficulty chewing. If you would like to smile, speak and eat again with confidence, there is good news!

Dental Implants have proven to be the answer to many patients’ dental problems. By replacing just one tooth in your mouth, they enable the restoration of a natural smile, improving patient comfort and confidence. Dental implants are so natural-looking and feeling, you may forget you ever lost a tooth.

What can Dental Implants do?

* Replace one or more teeth without affecting bordering teeth.
* Support a bridge and eliminate the need for a removable partial denture.
* Provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable.

Who can have Dental Implants?

We will carry out a thorough examination taking appropriate x-rays, to see if your case is suitable. It can be dependent on the condition of the bone in the area of the planned implants. Only very rarely is there not enough bone or it is not healthy enough and therefore it may not be possible to proceed without additional treatment.
What does the treatment involve?

Placing of the implants is carried out at the surgery, involving a simple operation under a normal local anaesthetic. The after effects are similar to having a tooth extracted i.e. you may feel mild discomfort due to the normal healing processes.

How successful is the treatment?

Under proper conditions, such as placement by a dentist and diligent patient maintenance, implants can last a lifetime. Long-term studies continue to show improving success rates for implants. Being implanted into the bone, as with your natural teeth, implants require thorough cleaning. Cleaning around the implants is no more difficult than cleaning your natural teeth and we will strongly advise all patients to see the dental hygienist on a regular basis to maintain the healthy status of the implant and the rest of the teeth and gums.

First came fluoride. Then came sealants. For over 30 years, sealants have offered a protective plastic coating that covers the surfaces of teeth to help prevent tooth decay.

Because of their many bumps and grooves, the chewing surfaces of children’s teeth are highly susceptible to cavities. Debris and resulting bacteria can easily lodge among the grooves of a child’s tooth. These grooves, called pits and fissures, may be more problematic for some children than for others.

Toddlers, children in cavity-prone years (aged four to 17), and adults all face the same pit and fissure problem. Premolars and molars have the most pits and fissures and are difficult for anyone of any age to reach with a toothbrush or dental floss. However, placing sealants on the right teeth can help prevent tooth decay for this susceptible population.

The Dental Sealant Procedure

The procedure is usually performed on baby teeth soon after they erupt, and is repeated at regular intervals over the years. It is necessary to repeat application regularly due to gradual loss of the sealant from natural wear and tear of the teeth.

First your dentist will clean the teeth, dry them, and apply a slightly acidic solution to help the sealant bond to the tooth surface. Then he or she will “paint” each tooth with a very thin layer of the sealant coating. This coating is clear or white and blends easily with the natural tooth color.

The acidic solution and sealant combination help to bond the sealant to the tooth surface. The sealant is typically hardened with a high-intensity curing light. Sealants can last for many years but they need to be checked regularly for possible re-application.

It is important to note that sealants do not replace fluoride. Instead, they add to the benefits of fluoride and may preserve teeth so that they do not decay and require fillings or more extensive dental procedures later on.

Dental Sealants Cost

The cost of dental sealants can range from about $25 to $50 per tooth. Of course, this may be a small price to pay compared with the discomfort and cost of possible dental procedures, such as fillings or crowns that may result from cavities or decay if sealants are not used. Insurance companies will often cover the cost of dental sealants, dependent on the level of dental insurance you have. See your dentist about the advantages of sealants for your particular situation and the out-of-pocket costs associated with sealants.