Posts tagged “broken tooth”

How to protect teeth by replacing mercury fillings at dentist near Alton

August 20th, 2012

Mercury fillings are gradually becoming a thing of the past.  Many patients are coming to see us due to broken teeth that have mercury fillings in, or are looking to replace them for better aesthetic white composite fillings.

Mercury fillings gradually leak mercury over time.  Although studies have said that not enough mercury leaks into your system to have any side effects and cause medical problems.  They also expand and contract over time.  This results in stress in the amalgam filled tooth which can result in the filling breaking or the tooth breaking. 

Today there are better aesthetic alternatives to mercury amalgam fillings.  When mercury fillings get to a certain size it can leave the tooth weak in structure and the tooth may break.  In order to prevent the cusps from breaking a crown or onlay maybe recommended.  Onlays bond to the tooth which gives the tooth strength, the margins are high up on the tooth which allow you to keep them plaque free and they can be made of resin or ceramic which is tooth coloured.  Onlays- an alternative to crowns and heavily filled teeth.

Time dental provides this service to patients in Alton as well as the surrounding areas of Hampshire, Surrey, west sussex and Berkshire.

Time Dental- private dental care at its best.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in cosmetic dentistry, crowns, Time Dental | No Comments »

Dentist near Fleet provides emergency pain free dentistry

August 1st, 2012

A patient came to Time Dental near Fleet for an emergency appointment with a broken tooth.  She had not been to a dentist in 6 years and was very apprehensive as she had a previous bad experience at the dentist which put her off attending regularly for 6 monthly healthy mouth reviews.  He had eaten a seeded bread which result in part of her tooth breaking.  The tooth was now sensitive to cold drinks.

On assessing the tooth the back section of her tooth had indeed broken off.  However the reason why it broke was due to the fact that the tooth had become very decayed.  When decay starts on a tooth and becomes extensive the tooth becomes much weaker.  In her case not only had the tooth now broken but the decay had now reached the nerve of the tooth which is why it was now sensitive to temperature.  If this decay had been caught in its early stages the tooth could have been filled with direct white composite.  Composite fillings when placed by a skilled cosmetic dentist can look like a completely natural tooth.

As the decay had now become so extensive the options for this tooth were either root canal therapy or extraction.  Root canal therapy is a way of keeping your own teeth.  It involves disinfecting the inside of the tooth and filling where the nerve used to be.  The tooth is then often crowned to prevent the tooth from breaking any further.  Crowns can be tooth coloured or metal.  The tooth coloured crowns are made of ceramic which are very strong when bonded to the tooth.  Crowns are an effective way of restoring a weak tooth so that you can bite comfortably and with confidence.

Time Dental provides this service for patients in the Fleet area as well as the surrounding towns in Hampshire, Surrey, West sussex and Berkshire.

Time Dental- Private dental care at its best

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in cosmetic dentistry, emergency dentist | No Comments »

Cosmetic dentistry at Farnborough dentist

June 20th, 2012

A patient came to Time Dental looking for a cosmetic dentist and to provide dental care to ensure a healthy mouth.  They had looked us up on Google and had read our reviews.  She had not been to a dentist for a while and was looking to replace some of her old amalgam fillings.

On assessing her mouth she had a range of size of amalgam mercury  fillings.  The larger amalgams also had cracks running down the side of the teeth.  Mercury fillings actually weaken your teeth.  On placement of the mercury fillings the tooth is often over prepared to help lock the filling into place.  Over time mercury amalgam fillings expand and contract. Combined with the forces on chewing this can result in cracks occurring within the tooth.  The cracks then propagate and the result is either the tooth breaking, the filling breaking, or decay as a result of the cracks.

When amalgam fillings are at a certain size the cusps of the teeth are often the first to the at risk of breaking.  This is when onlays are recommended to protect the weaker cusps.  Crowns cover and protect the whole tooth by encapsulating it, onlays are lab made restorations that cover the biting surface of the tooth.  There are several advantages of onlays; the edges are high up on the tooth which allow you to keep the tooth plaque free; they can be made of ceramic which makes it very strong; they last longer than direct composite fillings; and they cover and protect the biting surface of the tooth.

Time Dental provides the service for patients in the Farnborough area as well as the surrounding areas in Hampshire, Surrey, West sussex and Berkshire.

Time Dental- private dental care at its best

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in cosmetic dentistry | No Comments »

Dental Implants at Surrey dentist

May 16th, 2012

A patient came to see us at Time Dental in Farnham having eaten a nut and felt that a filling had dislodged from a tooth.  He did not experience any further pain so he left it a couple of weeks before coming to the practice with tenderness around the gum line.

On inspection of the tooth in question we found that he had actually broken the tooth.  He was not experiencing any pain from it as the tooth had already been root treated and so no nerve was present in the tooth.  The broken tooth however had a vertical fracture and now food was wedging into the crack causing pressure on the surrounding gum line.

Unfortunately the tooth could not be saved, so he discussed his options with cosmetic dentist Dr Rashid for replacing the tooth as there would be an unsightly gap when he smiled.  One option could be to have a partial denture which he was not too keen about.  Another option could be a dental bridge.  This uses the teeth on either side for support and can hold a tooth in between.  The tooth coloured types are often made of ceramic which is very strong.  However it does mean preparing the teeth on either side of the gap.  A further option is a titanium dental implant.  This is essentially a titanium root that replaces the root of the tooth that is to be removed.  In certain cases the implant can be placed on the day of extraction and a temporary crown can be placed.  Once the dental implant has fully integrated usually 12 weeks later the defiinitive crown can be placed. 

Dental implants are routinely placed at Time Dental and is a service that is provided for patients in the Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex and Berkshire area.  See how we can help yo to restore your smile at Time Dental- Private dental care at it’s best.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in dental bridge, dental Impalnts | No Comments »

Tooth decay causing broken tooth at dentist near Aldershot

May 3rd, 2012

A patient came to Time Dental having broken a tooth and she wanted to know what the options were for replacing it.  On discussion she had a regular diet of sticky hard sweets.  Strawberry bonbons were her favourite.  Sitcky hard foods are a nightmare for your teeth.  They can regularly break yur teeth as they are very hard.  Once they become soft and chewy they have a suction effect on your teeth and can pull off fillings and crowns.  The third thing is that they are loaded with sugar which will result in tooth decay.  All in all not a good idea to eat them!

The tooth that had broken due to the sweet had completely broken at the gum line and the root of the toth was left.  Unfortunately there is no way in saving the remainder of this tooth so it will have to be removed.  However ther are excellent fixed options to place a tooth in the gap.

One option is a dental implant.  An implant is a titanium root that replaces the missing root of your tooth.  It then holds a crown which is attached via an abutment which fits into the dental implant.  Imaplnts have 95% success rates and are an excellent choice for gaps in the mouth.  This will help to restore your function of your mouth and allow you to chew confidently again.

Another option is a dental bridge.  This uses teeth on either side of the gap for support.  The teeth on either side are prepared and impressions are then taken of the prepared teeth.  This is sent to our master ceramist where they provide a bespoke handcrafted bridge that is tooth coloured and which is very strong.  Another great choice for replacing missing teeth.

Time Dental services many patients from Aldershot as well as Fleet, Farnborough, Winchester, Alton and Guildford, and the surrounding areas in Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and West Sussex.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in dental bridge, dental implants | No Comments »

Loose Porcelain crown at dentist near Fleet

April 20th, 2012

A very nervous patient came to Time Dental having eaten an apple which caused her front porcelain crown to become loose.  She had a bad experience at a dentist 3 years ago where she had a tooth extracted and she was still in discomfort during the procedure.  That’s enough to put anyone off going to see the dentist, so it was understandable that she was apprehensive this time round.

After assessing the porcelain crown, the x ray showed that the crown also had a post in it.  A number of years ago a horse had hit her in the face which resulted in the tooth breaking.  The tooth had to be root canal treated and as there was not enough tooth left, a post was fitted with a porcelain crown that covered the post.  Post crowns are very vulnerable to hard foods as the sharp hard pressure can result in the tooth snapping by the tip of the post.  This is what happened in this case.  Part of the tooth was still attached to the crown.

When a tooth breaks with an oblique fracture under the gum line the outlook is not good.  The tooth often needs to be extracted.  The good news is that it can be replaced by either a dental implant or a fixed bridge.

A dental implant is a titanium root that is inserted into the jaw. Our specialist implant dentist at Time Dental, Farnham can even in certain cases place an implant the same time an extraction is carried out.  A temporary bridge or denture is placed while the site heals.  In certain cases the temporary crown can be placed immediately onto the implant.  So you would leave smiling and no one would know that you have an implant in place.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, Uncategorized | No Comments »

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.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in crowns, emergency dentist | No Comments »

Porcelain crowns at a Surrey dentist

February 22nd, 2012

A patient came to see us who was unhappy with his smile.  He was very conscious of a discoloured tooth at the front of his mouth and restricted his smile to not show his teeth.  The tooth had slowly darkened over a period of time.  He felt that if he could get this tooth looking like his other teeth it would restore his smile and his confidence when speaking to people.

On assessing the tooth, we noted that it had already been root treated and it had a very large discoloured composite white filling.  The tooth had been broken in accident some years ago and the only option to save the tooth was to root treat it.  This involved cleaning and disinfecting the inside of the tooth to prevent further infection and abscesses.  The broken tooth had then been repaired with composite bonding.

When a tooth is root treated it becomes dry and brittle and is prone to breaking.  The tooth can also discolour significantly over a period of time.  In this case half the tooth had discoloured and have the tooth was a worn compsite white filling.

We discussed the options which were to either whiten the tooth and replace the old white filling with composite bonding, or place an all-ceramic crown on the tooth to mask the darker colour and help protect it from breaking in the future.

We decided to place a porcelain crown on the tooth which is an excellent choice for this situation.  The tooth was prepared and impressions of the teeth were sent to the master ceramist.  The ceramist then hand crafted the bespoke crown which was then cemented onto the prepared tooth.  That left a very happy patient who was able to smile confidently again.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Tooth ache near Fleet dentists

February 20th, 2012

A client came to Time Dental experiencing tooth ache after having eating a hard boiled sweet.  The tooth had initally broken and as she was in Turkey at the time a dentist repaired the tooth.  Since then the tooth had been very tender to bite on and she could not even brush the tooth as it was so sensitive.

On assessing the tooh, the white composite filling that the dentist inTurkey had placed was actually sound and in good shape, however she was experiencing a great deal of pain when she used the tooth when chewing.  The x-ray showed that the filling was deep and close to the nerve, however no other obvious signs of pathology was present.  She had a very strong bite and her teeth had been worn excessively.  She reported that she ate alot of pickled gherkins daily.

Pickled food are very acidic.  If this is a regular part of your diet then you are essentially sloshing acid on your teeth every day and this will cause them to wear and erode.  Combined with the fact that she was grinding her teeth resulted in excessive wear of all her teeth. 

Hard crunchy foods can crack your teeth. Foods such as boiled sweets, granary seeded bread, hard crusty bread, hard nuts, crunchy museli, grenola.  If you like these types of foods you are at a high risk of breaking your teeth- fact.  The best thing to do is avoid these types of crucnhy food entirely.  Softer options are readily available.

To help this patient the inital steps were to ease her bite so that she was not placing excess force on her problem tooth and to use a special tooth balm to alleviate sensitivity to cold drinks and food.  Cracks in teeth are often difficult to diagnose.  She may still have had a microscopic fracture in the tooth that was not visible and if this propagates ie extends further through the tooth, it may well involve the nerve and the only option for the tooth is root canal therapy.  If the crack were to extend beyond the floor of the tooth, the only option is extraction.  Our first step was to see if the bite adjustment would resolve the issue a dn reduce the trauma to the tooth.  The plan was then to review her in the near future to see if the symptoms had settled.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Health | No Comments »

Gaps in your smile at Alton dentists

February 12th, 2012

We had a visit from a patient who had been in an accident.  His top front tooth had completely come out and he also fractured the adjacent tooth horizontally in half.  Having been to A&E to have stitches placed in his lip and a head scan he attended at Time Dental with the facial swelling now greatly reduced.  He was clearly upset as they were his front teeth and his partner used to say that his smile was one of his best features.  He was also in a job which was customer facing and so he was obviously very aware.

 Options for replacing missing teeth would be a removable denture, a fixed bridge or a dental implant.  In this particular case the denture as a long term solution was not something he wanted.  We discussed the option of having a dental bridge which uses teeth on either side for support.  This would mean preparing otherwise sound teeth.  Although this is a perfectly reasonable option, the best treatment would be to replace the tooth with a dental implant.

A dental implant is like a titanium root which is inserted into the jaw bone.  The dental implant then holds an abutment which a crown then sits onto.  The advantages of dental implants are that they replace teeth that are missing therefore preparing of adjacent teeth is not required; dental implants have 98% success rates;  they are now routinely placed at Time Dental;  there is a very quick recovery time with minimal discomfort after the implant is placed.

His other tooth which had been fractured horizontally in half would require root canal therapy, a post and then a crown.

In order to help him immediately the plan was to build up his broken tooth with composite bonding and provide him with a temporary denture for his missing tooth.  This meant that in the short term he could still meet his clients at work with a smile while we were able to deal with the broken and missing tooth for the long term.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Health, Uncategorized | No Comments »
« Older Entries

 

Book a Consultation

Click to book now

 

Patient Reviews

Time Dental Practice 87 West Street | Farnham | Surrey | GU9 7EN | 01252 723 008
Quick Navigation
Home | About Us | Cosmetic Dentistry | Emergency Dentistry | Contact Us | Request an Appointment
Journey Planner - travelling to our practice from:
Aldershot | Alton | Farnborough | Fleet