Blog - Part 2

Broken tooth, emergency dental care at dentist near Alton

April 19th, 2012

A patient came to Time Dental having broken a tooth and was now experiencing sensitivity to cold drinks and cups of tea. He had not been to see a dentist in over a year and was travelling alot due to work and was now looking for long term continuing care. He informed me that he had broken teeth in the past and had just put it down to old age.

On assessing the tooth half the outer wall of the tooth had broken off. There was still a very large mercury filling in place and a small part of the inside of the tooth still present. It was quite obvious why he was experiencing the sensitivity as his dentine layer was exposed to the elements.

Boken teeth in mercury amalgam fillings as dental emergencies are quite common. They reason is not due to old age; its due to the mercury filling expanding and contracting over time, and combined with the downward pressure on eating food causes internal fracture lines of the tooth. In time either the tooth will break or the filling will break. Mercury amalgam fillings actuallly weaken your tooth.

In instances such as this the only option for the tooth is to crown it to protect the rest of the tooth. A crown acts like a bomb shelter that protects the sides as well as the biting surface of the tooth. They are often recommended when there isn’t mcuh tooth left and the tooth is quite weak. In order to prevent further breaks the crown encapsulates the whole tooth.

Crowns are bespoke handcrafted restorations made by skilled master ceramists and lab technicians. They can be made of gold; metal ceramic or all ceramic. The tooth coloured crowns are the most popular due to them looking very natural. The metal ceramic crowns are the traditional tooth coloured crowns which have metal underneath the tooth coloured ceramic. All-ceramic crowns are the best for strength and aesthetics. The sub structure can be made of zirconia which is extremely strong and durable.

Time Dental provides this service for patients from the Alton area in Hampshire as well as the surrounding towns and villages in Surrey and West Sussex.

Dental Implants at Dentist near Farnborough

April 16th, 2012

A patient came to see us looking for options to fill the gaps in the back of his mouth. He had not been to see a dentist in 5 years as he had a bad experience at his last visit. He found that chewing food was difficult as he had lost a number of his back teeth due to tooth decay and there was another large cavity in another back tooth.

On discussion with the pateint, he was looking for a fixed option to repalce the gaps in his teeth. He was not keen on dentures and had heard about dental implants. The first thing that we had to found out was why he was getting decay and what was causing his teeth to break.

We discovered that he had not been to see a hygienist in over 5 years and he had advanced gum disease in multiple areas of his mouth. He also had a diet of hard food that resulted in his teeth breaking. The first step was to stabilise his dental health. Placing dental implants in a mouth with active dental disease is a receipy for disaster.

After intensive gum (periodontal) therapy to stabilise his dental health we would then look at his options for placing dental implants.

Dental implants are titanium roots that replace the roots of teeth that have been lost due to dental disease such as gum disease or tooth decay. Implants have success rates of 95% and are excellent for replacing single or multiple teeth. The dental implant is placed into the bone by a specialist implant surgeon. A crown is then attached to the implant using special abutments. The amount of bone present is crucial for the success of dental implants. This is assessed by the implant surgeon.

Tags: Cosmetic, Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental implants, Dentist, dentist farnborough, Hampshire
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Straight teeth with clear braces near Fleet Dentist

April 14th, 2012

A patient came to see us at Time Dental looking to straighten her upper front teeth. Her crowded teeth had been bothering her for many years and she was looking for a fast solution. She had been searching in a number of areas including Fleet and Farnborough and finally found us as her cosmetic dental practice.

We discussed her various options. Fixed orthodontic braces was an option to straighten her upper and lower teeth but would take approximately 1-2 years of treatment. She did not like the length of time required for fixed orthodontic treatment and the fact that the braces would be visible.

Another option would be Invisalign clear aligner system. This uses clear aligners that are changed every 2 weeks which incrementally move the teeth into the desired position and are virtually invisible. This treatment would still take 12-18 months which the patient felt would not be feasible for her, even though the brace would be invisible

The third option we discussed was the Inman aligner. A revolutionary removable brace that can move teeth in a matter of weeks. The aligner has clear sections to it so it is relatively discreet. It’s currently the fastest way to achieve straight teeth and is only used for the upper or lower incisors. As the teeth that bothered the patient were only her upper front four teeth, she liked the idea of straightening her teeth very quickly.

Tags: clear braces, Cosmetic, cosmetic dentist, Cosmetic Dentistry, dentist fleet, Hampshire, Inman Aligner, Invisalign, invisible braces, straight teeth
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Tooth whitening and composite bonding at dentist near Guildford

April 12th, 2012

A patient came to see us unhappy about the general colouration of his teeth and especially the white flecks on his two front upper teeth. They had been present since he could remember and it always bothered him especially when he looked back at photos of himself.

We discussed all his options which ranged from tooth whitening, composite bonding, special etching polish and porcelain veneers.

He initally wanted to take the least invasive path, so we started with professional tooth whitening. There are two types of tooth whitening. In-office and the professional tooth whitening kit. He opted for the professional tooth whitening.

This involved taking impressions of his teeth and making custom fit whitening trays. The custom fit trays are then loaded with the tooth whitening gel and placed in the mouth for 40 minutes. This process is repeated over 10-14 days.

Once we had whitened his teeth to as light as they could go we reassesd the white flecks. In some cases tooth whitening is enough to blend the white flecks, but in his case although there was a huge improvement in colour the white flecks were still there. So we went onto the next step which involved special etching polish.

This involved polishig the white flecks with a special etch which in many cases will remove the discoloured / stained fleck. However in this instance the white flecks were still present.

Our next step involved composite bonding. We carefully selected the shade of composite to his surronding tooth and masked the white flecks. This achieved the result that he wanted and he left for home smiling from ear to ear!

Tags: composite bonding, Cosmetic, cosmetic dentist, Cosmetic Dentistry, Dentist, dentist guildford, dentist surrey, Surrey, surrey dentist, Tooth Whitening, white fillings
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Tooth grinding at dentist in Surrey, Farnham

April 10th, 2012

Tooth grinding is a major problem, not only in Farnham, Surrey. A patient came to see us at Time Dental for a comprehenisve dental examination and consultation. On discussing his lifestyle he seemed to have a lot of stress in his life. He had been made redundant form work and he also suffered from back problems and headaches.

On asssessing his mouth, his teeth had mutiple stress lines running through the majority of his teeth. He also had large cavities to the side of his teeth by the gum line. The reason why this type of cavity/hole develops is due to a heavy bite and tooth grinding. The enamel is much thinner on the tooth by the gum line than anywhere else. When the tooth is under alot of stress due to grinding/ bruxing, the tooth enamel shatters in this area. This leaves a classic v-shaped notch by the gum line. This can lead to sensitivity as well as tooth decay as the enamel protective layer is lost.

The first step is to protect and fill the holes up by the gum line. This is achieved by composite bonding. Once the tooth is anaesthetised, a white composite filling is placed in the cavity. Once this is cured the white filling is polished. The end result is an invisible filling by the gum line by composite bonding which looks and feels like a natural tooth.

In order to prevent reoccurance of cavities by the gum line (abfraction cavities) the cause of the cavities, which is the tooth grinding, must be addressed. The most effective way to reduce tooth grinding is to provide a biteguard/ splint. This is worn at night and helps to reduce the tension and muscle stress that tooth grinding can cause. Using this biteguard can also reduce tension headaches and reduce the risk of teeth and fillings fracturing.

Tags: Bruxism, composite bonding, Cosmetic, cosmetic dentist, Cosmetic Dentistry, dentist surrey, Surrey, surrey dentist, Teeth Grinding, white fillings
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Tooth whitening at dentist near Godalming

April 4th, 2012

Spring has come, finally! This year winter has seems to have gone on for longer than normal. Wedding season will be starting soon, and people generally want to look and feel better. Time Dental are now offering their 2 for 1 tooth whitening offer back by popular demand for servicing patients in Godalming, Surrey.

Tooth whitening is an easy, safe and effective way for improving your smile. There are two main types of tooth whitening. In-office and professional tooth whitening. The end result is generally the same the speed of in-office is the main advantage.

In-office tooth whitening involves placing a gel on the teeth for approximately one hour which whitens the teeth by a few shades straight away. Some types of In-office tooth whitening use a light source to activate the gel, and other types use chemical activation. There is no advantage of one over the other. We recommend that you also use the professional at home kit for 2-3 sessions after in-office tooth whitening to help stabilise the tooth colour.

The professional at-home tooth whitening involves using custom fit whitening trays which are loaded with a lower concentration gel. At Time Dental your cosmetic dentist will take impressions of your teeth and using our in-house facilities fabricate your custom trays. The trays are worn for 40 minutes per day. It normally takes 10-14 days of professional tooth whitening to achieve a great result.

Tags: Cosmetic, cosmetic dentist, dentist godalming, dentist surrey, discoloured, stained, Teeth, Tooth Whitening
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Dental implants at dentist near Alton

April 2nd, 2012

A client came to see us at Time Dental looking to smile with confidence. She had previously been seeing a dentist in London but the dentist had retired and she was now looking for a new dentist to help her with her confidence. She had dental bridges placed sometime ago which she was very happy about but recently they had begun to move. She was aware that her mouth was in a poor condition and that she would need a lot of help to achieve dental fitness.

On assessing her mouth she had three large spanning bridges in her top teeth; her back lower teeth were missing; and her remaining lower front teeth were very mobile. The teeth that were supporting the upper bridges had significant bone loss and were very mobile. All her teeth had a very poor prognosis and she wanted a long term solution to her dental health.

Her x rays showed that her teeth had lost a lot of boney support and the only option for them was to extract them. In order to restore her mouth we discussed new options.

The gold standard and most predictable fixed option would be to place dental implants in the top and bottom jaws and provide fixed bridges. This would achieve a great aesthetic result. Dental implants are titanium roots that are placed into the jaw. They have a success rate of 95% and are excellent fixed option.

Another option would be to provide implant retained dentures. This is where implants are placed into the top and bottom jaws and dentures are attached to the implants to help provide retention. Cosmetic dentures nowadays look extremely life like and are very hard to tell apart from real teeth.

The third option is to provide upper and lower dentures. These are supported by the gums and are a satisfactory removable option.

Tags: cosmetic dentist, cosmetic dentures, dental bridge, Dental implants, dentist alton, dentist hampshire, Time Dental
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Teeth whitening at cosmetic dentist near Guildford

March 29th, 2012

A client was due to get married in April and came to see us a couple of weeks ago looking to improve her smile. She had generalised discoloured teeth with prominent white flecks on her upper front central incisors. She wanted to look her best for the wedding day and wanted to know what her options were with such a limited time frame.

We assessed her mouth and made sure her teeth and gums were healthy and that she did not have any white composite fillings onher front teeth. We offered her the two types of professional tooth whitening systems to help to achieve whiter teeth and improve her smile.

There are two main options with professional tooth whitening. One is the in-office system, and the other is the professional at home kit.

The in-office system can whiten your teeth in as little as an hour. So it is great for someone who has a tight deadline to meet. Some in-office systems use a bright light soemtimes called laser whitening. This uses a light source that activates the tooth whitening gel which is placed on the teeth. Other systems do not need a light source and are chemically activated. The in-office tooth whitening system can whiten your teeth by a few shades straight away. We normally recommend combining this with the at-home kit to get the best result as it helps stabilise the tooth whitening procedure.

The professional at home kit use a lower concentrated gel which is placed into custom fit whitening trays which are then worn for 40 minutes per day. It normally takes 10-14 sessions of professional tooth whitening to achieve a great result.

You need to make sure that your mouth is dentally fit and healthy and that if you have crowns, veneers or composite fillings on the teeth that are to be whitened they will stay the same shade. Porcelain and composite fillings do not whiten.

Tags: bleaching, cosmetic dentist, dentist guildford, dentist surrey, discoloured teeth, stained teeth, Tooth Whitening
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Dental Implants for patients near Farnborough

March 28th, 2012

Missing teeth and having gaps in your smile can have a real impact on your self esteem. A new client came to see us at Time Dental with exactly that.

He had porcelain crowns and bridges placed almost 10 years ago and a few months ago some of his back porcelain crowns started to come loose. On further discussion with him he wanted a solution as his line of work meant that he was in public alot meeting new people and he wanted to smile with confidence. He also told me that he previously had a diet of fizzy drinks and lots of sugary foods but only recently found out that it causes tooth decay around crowns. This certainly explained why his porcelain crowns were falling out and why they had so much decay underneath them.

On examination we found that the decay was very extensive under his crowns and that they were unrestorable. This meant that most of his remaining upper teeth were rotten and would have to be removed. We therefore had to discuss different options to help him restore his mouth to give him a long term solution.

One option would be to provide immediate dentures. Cosmetic dentures are very life like nowadays. Individually tailored with fantastic aesthetics. However these would have to be removed daily and cleaned.

Another option could be implant retained dentures. This is where titanium roots are placed into the jaw which help to secure dentures in place. Again this is a removable option but much more secure then normal cosmetic dentures.

A fixed option could be implant retained bridges. This is where 4-6 implants are placed which hold a fixed bridge which looks and feels like normal teeth. Dental implants have a 95% successful outcome and are an excellent choice for having fixed teeth again.

Tags: cosmetic dentist, cosmetic dentures, dental bridges, Dental implants, dentist farnborough, farnborough
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Cosmetic dentist near Guildford, Surrey

March 26th, 2012

A patient came to see us who was bothered about his overlapping lower front teeth. He previously had braces as a teenager, however in the last few years he noticed that his teeth were moving and going back to the way they used to be. He had not been to see a dentist for a thorough dental health check in a number of years and although he was not experiencing any pain decided to register and see what could be done about his crowded lower teeth.

Unfortunately the crowded lower teeth were the least of his problems. As he had not been to see a dentist in years he was not given proper dietry advice and his teeth had mutiple areas of decay.

Tooth decay or caries is the demineralisation of the enamel caused by products of plaque bacteria in the mouth. The bacteria love a sugary environment which they produce into acids that destory tooth enamel. Once the bacteria has broken thorough the enamel surface and into the dentine layer the decal can spread very quickly to the nerve and give symptoms of toothache.

The best thing to do is ensure that you have a healthy diet and that you do not snack on high sugar food and drinks. Make sure you drink plenty of water as this can remove large particles of food debris. Brush your teeth twice a day and also clean in between your teeth. Use a flouride toothpaste. Regularly visit your dentist and hygienist for health checks. This will ensure that things are caught early and the preventative advice can be given.

In the case of this patient, he wanted to achieve a healthy mouth as his priority. We therefore had to place a number of white composite fillings after having removed the decay to help him achieve dental health. The composite fillings are tooth coloured so they blend with the natural tooth surface. As they also stick to the tooth, they also help to bring back the strength of it back.

Tags: caries, composite, cosmetic dentist, dentist guildford, dentist surrey, preventative dentistry, tooth coloured fillings, Tooth Decay, toothache
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