Services
Dentures
What are dentures?
Dentures are replacements for missing teeth that can be taken out and put back into your mouth. While dentures take some getting used to, and will never feel exactly the same as one's natural truth, today's dentures are natural looking and more comfortable than ever.
There are two main types of dentures; full and partial. Your dentist will help you choose the type of denture that's best for you based on whether some or all of your teeth are going to be replaced and the cost involved.
How do dentures work?
With full dentures, a flesh-colored acrylic base fits over your gums. The base of the upper denture covers the palate (the roof of the mouth), while that of the lower denture is shaped like a horse shoe to accommodate your tongue.
How long will it take for me to get used to my dentures?
New dentures may feel awkward or uncomfortable for the first few weeks. Eating and speaking with dentures might take a little practice. A bulky or loose feeling is not uncommon, while the muscles of your cheeks and tongue learn to hold your dentures in place. Excessive saliva flows, a feeling that the tongue doesn't have adequate room and minor irritation or soreness are also not unusual. If you experience excessive irritation see your dentist.
How to take care of my dentures?
When handling your dentures stand over a folded towel or basin of water. Dentures are delicate and may break if dropped. Don't let your dentures dry out. Place them in a denture cleanser soaking solution or in plain water when you're not wearing them. Never use hot water, which can cause them to warp.
- Brushing your dentures daily will remove food deposits and plaque and help prevent them from becoming stained. An ultrasonic cleaner may be used to care for your dentures but it does not replace a thorough daily brushing.
- Brush your gums, tongue and palate, every morning with a bristled brush before you insert your dentures. This stimulates circulation in your tissues and helps remove plaque.
- See your dentist if your dentures break, chip or become loose. Don't be tempted to adjust them yourself. This can damage them beyond repair.
Crowns and Bridges
What are crowns and bridges?
Both crowns and most bridges are fixed prosthetic devices. Unlike removable devices such as dentures, which you can take out and clean daily, crowns and bridges are cemented onto existing teeth or implants and can only be removed again by a dentist.
How do Crowns work?
A crown is used to entirely cover or cap a damaged tooth. Besides strengthening a damaged tooth, a crown can be used to improve its appearance, shape or alignment. A crown can also be placed on top of an implant to provide a tooth-like shape and structure for function. Porcelain or Ceramic crowns can be matched to the color of your natural teeth. Other materials include gold and metal alloys, acrylic and ceramic. These alloys are generally stronger than porcelain and may be recommended for back teeth. Porcelain bonded to a metal shell is often used because it is both strong and attractive. Your dentist may recommend a crown to:
- Replace a large filling when there aren't enough teeth remaining.
- Protect a weak tooth from fracturing.
- Restore a fractured tooth.
- Attach a bridge.
- Cover a dental implant.
- Cover a discolored or poorly shaped tooth.
- Cover a tooth that has had root canal treatment.
How do bridges work?
A bridge may be recommended if you're missing one or more teeth. Gaps left by missing teeth eventually cause the remaining teeth to rotate or shift into the empty spaces, resulting in a bad bite. The imbalance caused by the missing teeth can also lead to gum disease and Temporo Mandibular Joint (TMJ) disorders.
Bridges are commonly used to replace one or more missing teeth. They span the space where the teeth are missing. Bridges are where the teeth are missing. Bridges are cemented to the natural or implants surrounding the empty space. These teeth called abutments serve as anchors for the bridge. A replacement tooth called as Pontic, is attached to the crowns that covers the abutments. As with crowns, you have a choice of materials for bridges, your dentist can help you decide which to use, based on the location of the missing tooth (or teeth), its function, aesthetic considerations and cost. Porcelain or Ceramic bridges can be matched to the color of your natural teeth.
How are crowns and bridges made?
Before either a crown or a bridge can be made, the tooth (or teeth) must be reduced in size so that the crown or bridge will fit over it properly. After reducing the tooth/teeth, your dentist will take an impression to provide an exact mold for the crown or bridge. If porcelain is to be used, your dentist will determine the correct shade for the crown or bridge. If porcelain is to be used, your dentist will determine the correct shade for the crown or bridge to match the color of your existing teeth.
Using this impression, a dental lab then makes your crown or bridges, in the material your dentist specifies. A temporary crown or bridge will be put in place to cover the prepared tooth while the permanent crown or bridge is being made. When the permanent crown or bridge is ready, the temporary crown or bridge is removed, and the new crown or bridge is cemented over your prepared tooth or teeth.
How long do crowns and bridges last?
While crowns and bridges can last a lifetime, they do sometimes come loose or fall out. The most important step you take to ensure the longevity of your crown or bridge is to practice good oral hygiene. A bridge can lose its support if the teeth or bone holding it in place are damaged by dental disease. Keep your gums and teeth healthy by brushing with fluoride toothpaste twice a day and flossing daily. Also see your dentist and hygienist regularly for checkups and professional cleansing.
Fillings
What is a filling?
A filling is a way to restore a tooth damaged by decay back to its normal function and shape. When a dentist gives you a filling, he or she first removed the decayed tooth material, clean the affected area, and the fills the cleaned out cavity with a filling material.
BY closing of spaces where bacteria can enter, a filling also helps prevent further decay. Material used for filling includes gold, porcelain, a composite resin (tooth colored filling) and an amalgam (an alloy of mercury, silver, copper, tin and sometimes zinc.)
Which type of filling is best?
No one type of filling is best for everyone. What's right for you will be determined by the extent of repair, whether you have allergy to certain materials, where in your mouth the filling is needed, and the cost. Consideration of different materials includes:
Gold Fillings are made to order in a laboratory and then cemented into place. Gold inlays are well tolerated by gum tissues and may last more than 20 years for these reasons, many authorities consider gold as the best filling materials. However it is often the most expensive choice and requires multiple visits.
Amalgam (Silver) Fillings are resistant to wear and relatively inexpensive. However, due to their dark colour, they are more noticeable than porcelain or composite restorations and are not usually used in very visible areas such as front teeth.
Composite (Plastic) Resins are matched to be the same color as your teeth and therefore used where a natural appearance is desired. The ingredients are mixed and placed directly into the cavity, where they harden. Composites may not be the ideal material for large fillings as they may chip or wear over time. They can also become stained from Coffee, tea or tobacco and do not last as long as other types of fillings generally from three to ten years.
Porcelain Fillings are called inlay or onlays are produced to order in a lab and then bonded to the tooth. They can be matched to the color of the tooth and resist staining. A porcelain restoration generally covers most of the tooth structure. Their cost is similar to gold.
If decay or a fracture has damaged a large portion of the tooth, a crown, or cap may be recommended. Decay that has reached the nerve may be treated into two ways; through root canal therapy (in which nerve is removed) or through a procedure called pulp capping (which attempts to keep the nerve alive)
What happens when you get a filling?
If your dentist decides to fill cavity, he or she will first remove the decay and clean the affected area. The cleaned out cavity will then be filled with any of the variety of material described above.
How do I know if I need a filling?
Only your dentist can detect whether you have a cavity that needs to be filled. During a checkup your dentist will use a small mirror to examine the surface of each tooth.
Anything that looks abnormal will then be closely checked with special instruments. Your dentist may also X-ray your entire mouth or section of it. The type of treatment your dentist chooses will depend on the extent of damage caused by decay.
Dental Implants
What are Dental Implants?
Dental Implants are metal posts or frames that are surgically positioned into the jaw bone beneath your gums. Once in place, they allow your dentist to mount replacement teeth onto them.
How do Dental Implants work?
Because implants fuse to your jawbones, they provide stable support for artificial teeth dentures and bridges mounted to implants won't slip or shift in your mouth - an especially important benefit when eating and speaking. This secure fit helps the dentures and bridges as well as individual crowns placed over implants - feel more natural than conventional bridges or dentures.
For some people, ordinary bridges and dentures are simply not comfortable or even possible due to sore spots, poor ridges or gagging. In addition, ordinary bridges must be attached to teeth on either side of the space left by the missing tooth. An Advantage of implants is that no adjacent teeth need to be prepared or ground down to hold your new replacement tooth/teeth in place.
To receive implants you need to have healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant. You must also commit to keeping these structures healthy. Good oral hygiene and regular dental visits are important for the long-term success of dental implants.
Orthodontics
What is Orthodontics?
Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that corrects teeth and jaws that are positioned improperly. Crooked teeth and the teeth that do not fit together correctly are harder to keep clean, are at risk of being lost early due to tooth decay and periodontal disease ,and cause extra stress on the chewing muscles that can lead to headaches,(TMJ)syndrome and neck, shoulder and back pain. Teeth that are crooked or not in the right place can also detract from one’s appearance.
The benefits of orthodontic treatment include a healthier mouth, a more pleasing appearance, and teeth that are more likely to last a lifetime.
A specialist in this field is called an orthodontist.
How do I know if I need Orthodontic ?
Only your dentist or orthodontist can determine whether you can benefit from orthodontics. Based on diagnostic tools that include a full medical and dental health history, a clinical exam, plaster models of your teeth, and special x rays and photographs, an orthodontist or dentist can decide whether orthodontics are recommended, and develop a treatment plan that’s right for you.
If you have any of the following, you may be a candidate for orthodontic treatment.
- OVERBITE: Sometimes called “buck teeth” where the upper front teeth lie too far forward (stickout) over the lower teeth.
- UNDERBITE: A bulldog appearance where the lower teeth are too far forward or the upper teeth are too far back.
- CROSSBITE: When the upper teeth do not come down slightly in front of the lower teeth when biting together normally.
- OPENBITE: Space between the biting surfaces of the front and / side teeth. When the back teeth bite together.
-MISPLACED MIDLINE: When the center of upper front teeth does not line up with the center of your lower front teeth.
-SPACING: Gaps, or spaces, between the teeth as a result of missing teeth or teeth that do not “fill up” the mouth.
-CROWDING: When there are too many teeth for the dental ridge to accommodate.
How does Orthodontic treatment works?
Many different types of appliances, both fixed and removable are used to help move teeth, retrain muscles and affect the growth of the jaws. These appliances, work by placing gentle pressure on the teeth and jaws. The severity of your problem will determine which orthodontic approach is likely to be the most effective.
Fixed appliances include:
Braces: The most common fixed appliances, braces consists of bands, wires and/or brackets. Brands are fixed around the teeth or tooth and used as anchors for the appliance, while brackets are most often bonded to the front of the tooth. Arch wires are passed through the brackets and attached to the bands. Tightening the arch wire puts tension on the teeth, gradually moving them to their proper position. Braces are usually adjusted monthly. To bring about the desired results, which may be achieved within a few months to a few years. Today's braces are smaller, lighter and show far less metal than in the past. They come in bright colors for kids as well as clear styles preferred by many adults.
Special Fixed Appliances: Used to control thumb sucking or tongue thrusting, these appliances are attached to the teeth by bands. Because they are very uncomfortable during metals, they should be used as a last resort.
Fixed Space Maintainers: If a baby tooth is lost prematurely, a space maintainer is used to keep the space open until the permanent tooth erupts. A band is attached to the tooth next to the empty spaces and a wire is extended to the tooth on the other side of space.
Removable Appliance Include:
Aligners: an alternative to traditional braces for adults, serial aligners are being used by an increasing number of Orthodontics to move teeth in the same way that fixed appliances work, only without metal wires and brackets. Aligners are virtually invisible and are removed for eating, brushing and flossing.
Removable Space Maintainers: these devices serve the same function as fixed space maintainers. They're made with an acrylic base that fits over the jaw and have plastic or wire branches between specific teeth to keep the space between them open.
Jaw Repositioning Appliance: also called Splints, these devices are worn on either the top or lower jaw and help train the jaw to close in a more favourable position. They may be used for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJ)
Lip and Cheek Bumpers: these are designed to keep the lips and cheeks away from the teeth. Lip and cheek muscles can exert pressure on the teeth and these bumpers help relieve the pressure.
Palate Expander: a device used to widen the arch of the upper jaw. IT is a plastic plate that fits over the roof of the mouth. Outward pressure applied to the plate by screws force the joints in the bones of the palate to open length wise, widening the palatal area.
Removable Retainers: worn on the roof of the mouth, these devices prevent shifting of the teeth to their previous position. They can also be modified and used to prevent thumb sucking.
Head Gear: with this device a strap is placed around the back of the head and attached to a metal wire in front or facebow. Head gear slows the growth of the upper jaw and holds the back teeth where they are, while the front teeth are pulled back.
Root Canal Treatment
What is Root Canal Treatment?
Root Canal Treatment is a removal of the tooth’s pulp, a small, thread-like tissue in the centre of the tooth. Once the damaged, diseased or dead pulp is removed, the remaining space is cleaned, shaped and filled. This procedure seals off the root canal. Years ago, teeth with diseased or injured pulp were removed. Today, root canal treatment saves many teeth that would otherwise be lost.
The most common causes of pulp damage or death are:
- A Cracked Tooth
- A Deep Cavity
- An Injury to a tooth, such as severe knock to the tooth, either recent or in the past.
Once the pulp is infected or dead, if left untreated, pus can build up at the root tip in the jaw bone, forming an abscess. An abscess can destroy the bone surrounding the tooth and cause pain.
How is a Root Canal Done?
Root Canal Treatment consists of several steps that takes place over two to three office visits, depending on the situation.
These Steps are:
- First, an opening is made through the back of a front tooth or the crown of a molar or premolar.
- After diseased pulp is removed.(a pulpectomy), the pulp chamber and root canals are cleaned, enlarged and shaped in preparation for being filled.
- If more than one visit is needed, a temporary filling is placed in the crown opening to protect the tooth between dental visits.
- The temporary filling is removed and the pulp chamber and the root canal permanently filled. A tapered, rubbery material called gutta-percha is inserted into each of the canal’s and is often sealed into place with cement.
- In the final step, a crown is usually placed over the tooth to restore its natural shape and appearance. If the tooth is very broken down, a post may be required to build it up prior to placing a crown.
How long will the root canal treated tooth last?
Your root canal treated tooth can last a life time with proper care. Because tooth decay can still occur in treated teeth, good oral hygiene and regular dental exams are necessary to prevent further problems.
As there is no longer a pulp keeping the tooth alive, Root Canal treated teeth can become brittle and are more prone to fracture. This is an important consideration when deciding whether to crown or fill a tooth after root canal treatment.
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