Treatments
Fillings
Gum treatment
Where possible we use composite resin for fillings to match the colour of the tooth as closely as possible. These can be bonded to the tooth and we feel can provide the best restoration. In some cases other materials are more suitable or may be an option chosen by the patient. These may include silver amalgam and glass ionomer cements.
We offer gum treatments ranging from tooth polishing to remove stains, scaling and polishing to remove plaque and calculus deposits to prolonged gum treatments for periodontal disease. Maintaining good gum health is very important as this ensures optimum health for the gums and bone which support the teeth.
Crowns and Bridges
Dentures
Crowns or "caps" are cast restorations which cover the whole remaining tooth. They are usually used where there is insufficient tooth left to hold a filling in or where a tooth has been root filled. They may also be used as a cosmetic treatment to change the shape and colour of a tooth.
Bridges are a number of crowns joined together to replace missing teeth using the teeth next to the space as support. A bridge may be a way of filling a space where teeth have been lost.
Where possible crowns and bridges are made metal free to make them look as near as possible to natural teeth.
Dentures can be a way of replacing missing teeth.They are usually made of acrylic resin, especially if they are to replace all teeth. If there are some teeth remaining the best option may be a chrome/cobalt metal framework using the remaining teeth for support and to support the missing teeth.
Root fillings
Extractions
Root fillings (endodontic treatment) are sometimes done when the nerve in the tooth is dead, infected or painful. A tooth has a central chamber and canals running off this down the roots. These are cleaned out and filled with an inert material - gutta percha. A back tooth which is root filled will usually also require a crown.
Sometimes a tooth cannot be restored or retained and requires extraction. This is done under local anaesthetic. Very occasionally a tooth may require surgical removal. This can usually be done in the surgery but may on occasions require a referral to hospital.