0 Comments
Will I have to wear metal braces?
NO! Most cosmetic straightening options use clear technology to make them as discreet and as invisible as possible. How long will my treatment take? Cosmetic straightening usually takes between 6 weeks and 6 months, how fast the treatment works will depend on how much movement is needed and in some cases how compliant you are with wearing any removable appliances will determine the speed of treatment. If you are having veneers you can expect the process to take between 4-6 weeks. Will it hurt to have my teeth straightened? Cosmetic straightening treatments work by gently moving the teeth. This process is not painful at all however some patients do report minor discomfort whilst their mouth adapts to an appliance. Veneers require a more invasive approach so you will need to have an injection however this should be relatively painless. Will my teeth stay straight after treatment? ANY orthodontic treatment needs to be retained. When teeth move away from their ‘natural’ position they will gradually drift back into place if no retainer is worn. All our cosmetic straightening treatments benefit from retention whether in the form of a removable appliance or a bonded retainer that is fixed to the back of your teeth. If you stop using a retainer your teeth will relapse and your straight smile will be lost. Veneers generally last around 8-10 years if cared for correctly after which you may need to replace them. How long do I need to wear a retainer once my treatment is complete? If you wear a removable retainer, this is usually worn full time for 6 months, every night for 6 months and every other night thereafter or for as long as you want your teeth to stay straight. You can also opt for a bonded retainer that is fixed to the back of your front teeth, that way you never forget to wear it! How can I pay for my treatment? Cosmetic straightening is very affordable compared to other cosmetic dental procedures. We can offer 0% finance (subject to status) to help patients spread the cost of treatment over 6, 10 or 12 months. We are also happy to stage payments over the course of treatment for those patients that don’t want to take out finance. Tooth loss can occur due to a variety of reasons whether it be decay, gum disease or trauma and living with missing teeth can hugely effect your self-esteem and confidence and can lead to the inability to smile and live life to its full. Replacing missing teeth is actually more straight forward that you might think and it need not cost you the earth. There are now various options for replacing missing teeth and there is usually a solution to suit all needs and budgets. To find out more about the options for replacing missing teeth get in touch to arrange your no-obligation consultation. A crown is an artificial restoration that fits over the remaining part of a prepared tooth, making it strong and giving it the shape & appearance of a natural tooth. Why would I need a crown? Crowns are an ideal restoration for teeth that have been broken or have weakened by decay or a very large filling. A crown could be used for a number of other reasons, including: · you may have discoloured fillings and would like to improve the appearance of the tooth. · you may have had a root filling which may need a crown to protect what is left of the tooth. · it may help hold a bridge or denture firmly in place. What are the different types of crowns? Crowns can be made of a variety of different materials and new materials are continually being introduced. Some of the most popular options are listed below: Porcelain bonded to precious metal– this is what most crowns are made from. A precious metal base is made and then porcelain is applied in layers over it. Porcelain– these are made entirely out of porcelain and are not as strong as bonded crowns but they can often look very natural and are most often used for front teeth All-ceramic– this modern technique offers a metal free alternative, which can give the strength of a bonded crown and the appearance of a porcelain crown. Therefore it is suitable for use in all areas of the mouth. Gold Alloy– gold is one of the oldest filling materials, today it is used with other metal alloys to increase its strength, which makes it a very hardwearing restoration. These crowns are silver and gold in colour. What is involved? The dentist will prepare your tooth to the ideal shape for a crown by removing most of the outer surface, leaving a strong inner core. Once the tooth is shaped, impressions will be taken of your mouth. These impressions will then be sent to our laboratory where our technician will use them to construct the crown. Once we receive the completed crown from our laboratory we will arrange for the crown to be fitted. Once you and your dentist are happy with the fit and appearance of the new crown it will be fixed in place with special dental cement or adhesive. Does it hurt? No. A local anaesthetic is used while preparing the tooth which should feel no different to having a normal filling. How long does treatment take? You will need to have at least 2 visits, the first for preparation and impressions, shade taking and fitting of the temporary crown and the second for fitting of the new crown. There will be between 10—14 days between these 2 appointments. What will happen between visits? At the first appointment after the dentist has taken impressions, a temporary crown will be made and placed by your dentist so that you can use this tooth while you wait for the permanent crown to be made. Will the crown be noticeable? The crown will be made to match your other teeth as closely as possible. The shade of the neighbouring teeth will be recorded to make sure that the colour looks natural and matches surrounding teeth. What will it cost? The cost of a crown will depend upon the type of crown and material used as well as other factors. A full written estimate will be given by your dentist. What will happen if I don’t have a crown? Teeth that have been weakened by decay, injury or those that have been subject to large fillings are no-longer strong enough to cope with normal biting forces and will continue to breakdown and ultimately fracture if left untreated. Fractures will allow bacteria to enter the inner surfaces of the tooth causing an increased risk of decay and eventual tooth loss if left un-treated. For more information please call us on 01425 615080 or click here to send us a question. That moment when your child takes a knock to the face is a terrifying time but the best advice is to stay calm. If a baby tooth gets knocked out there is no real urgency to do anything except provide comfort and support to your child who will likely be very upset. Apply a cold compress to your child’s face to reduce any swelling and relieve pain. If there is any bleeding, have your child bite down on a clean cloth or a piece of gauze to apply pressure until the bleeding subsides. If your child appears to be in any pain you can give them the appropriate dose of child paracetamol or ibuprofen. Baby teeth are very small and can easily be ingested or inhaled if they come out. If you think your child has swallowed the tooth and is having breathing difficulties you should go straight to A & E, otherwise don’t worry about finding the tooth (unless you want it as a keepsake) as it will be of no use to the dentist. Baby teeth are not very deep rooted and your dentist is very unlikely to attempt to re-implant the tooth. A permanent tooth will be growing underneath and will eventually erupt to fill the space. If you are concerned or need any reassurance call your dentist. If an older child suffers a knock to the teeth and a permanent (adult) tooth is knocked out you should follow the same first aid advice above however you should try and find the tooth rinse it with milk, try to handle the tooth from the crown and avoid touching the root surfaces. DO NOT rinse the tooth with water or anything containing alcohol and don’t scrub the tooth to remove dirt. Once it has been rinsed try to put the tooth back in the socket and get the child to bite down on a clean cloth and make an emergency appointment with your dentist. If you can’t put the tooth back in the socket you should store it in a small amount of milk or your child’s saliva until you can get to your dentist. If you find yourself in this situation and don’t know what to do, try to call your dental practice who should be able to give you advise over the phone. Living with crooked, misshapen or misaligned teeth can be really hard on your self esteem and confidence. The good news is that there are now quick, simple and affordable ways to get straight teeth! In this Guide.... We have put together this useful guide to help you find out what can be done to straighten teeth, what to expect from these treatments and how to find out which option is best for you. Why should I straighten my teeth? Having straight teeth isn’t all about the appearance, your health will benefit too! Straight teeth help us to effectively bite, chew and speak. Having straight teeth also allows us to effectively take care of our teeth and gums avoiding decay and gum disease. Oral health is scientifically linked to general health, gum disease is a marker and risk factor for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, infertility and adverse pregnancy outcomes. There is also an increasing link between oral health and Alzheimer’s and dementia. Teeth that are well aligned tend to work better and teeth that work better tend to look better! An attractive smile is such a vital component of self-esteem and self confidence and those that have orthodontic treatment generally see the benefit of improved self-esteem and confidence as a result of treatment. Orthodontic treatment not only improves appearance, health and self-esteem, it is also common for patients to have more social, relationship and career success! I had braces as a child and my teeth have moved as the years have gone by...
One of the most common problems we see is that a patient had orthodontic treatment as a child but their teeth have relapsed. In this situation people often worry that there is little point going through orthodontic treatment again as the same thing will happen. This is not the case, any movement of the teeth has to be held in place using retention. As long as retention is used either through a fixed or removable retainer, the teeth will remain straight! How can teeth be straightened? We can straighten teeth by using:
Which option is best for me? In order to determine the best option for your own teeth you need to have an assessment with a dentist. Each treatment has its own suitability criteria and only a dentist can determine if you meet this criteria. Do your research on which dentist to see for this assessment, you want to know they are experienced in this field and that they can give you the best advice. Look for reviews and patient testimonials and look at the type of straightening treatments they can offer. BOOK A FREE, NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION TO DISCUSS YOUR NEEDS AND FIND OUT HOW WE CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR PERFECT SMILE! CALL 01425 615080 or CLICK HERE TO START YOUR STRAIGHT TEETH JOURNEY TODAY. As parents we are often very concerned about the health of our children's teeth. We all want our children to grow up with a healthy and attractive smile and the idea of your child having an accident and smashing their front teeth is terrifying. Just the other day we had a very upset young girl come to us with broken front teeth. It was such a traumatic event for herself and her family and we were so pleased we could help her. We repaired the teeth with a very simple bonding technique using a type of filling material and we were all thrilled with the result. At some stage in later life this patient will need to have a veneer but for now her smile has been restored.
Okay so I am now about half way through my Clear Aligner treatment. I am on my 3rd Aligner, these are changed every 10-14 days to keep the teeth moving in the right direction.
I have been amazed at how discrete and unnoticeable these aligners really are, not a single person has noticed that I am wearing them! I can't say it has been difficult wearing them, the aligners are pretty comfortable and don't affect my speech at all. The pictures below show my progress so far, I am so pleased with the movement at the half way stage, I am so excited to see the final result! Today I had my first clear aligner fitted! I am amazed at how invisible it actually is, who can see it in this picture? So far it's not too bad, a little bit of discomfort and its hard to take it in and out but otherwise so far so good! I'm told it's normal for the first aligner to feel really tight and to cause some discomfort while your teeth adjust, so far it's not affecting my speech which I'm really pleased about :) I think it will really help with my diet too as I have to take it out to eat and at the moment its really uncomfortable taking it out so I expect I wont be eating quite as often as normal :) Wish me luck, I'll keep you posted on my progress. Zoom Whitening is the quickest way to get that white smile you have always dreamed of, giving patients a smile on average 6-8 shades lighter in just 1 visit! This sounds great but you might be wondering, how is this possible and what's involved? So we wanted to give you a behind the scenes look at how we can get your teeth so much whiter in a single visit! If you decide you want to whiten your teeth with Zoom, the first thing to do is to book a FREE consultation with one of our dentists. They will assess a number of factors to determine whether or not you are suitable for tooth whitening and they will also discuss any treatment you might need to undertake in preparation for whitening such as fillings or hygiene care. Your dentist will also talk to you about the risks and benefits associated with the treatment as well as possible alternatives that may be of interest to you. Once this is done and you want to go ahead we will take some impressions of your mouth to allow us to make some custom made bleaching trays that fit perfectly to your teeth. The next step will be to book your Zoom procedure! This appointment will take around 2 hours and will involve a number of steps to achieve your white smile. Step 1- Safety First! We take your health & safety extremely seriously and believe it or not tooth whitening is a risky procedure. We use specially made items to keep your skin and soft tissues free from exposure to the whitening solution. Allowing the whitening solution to come into contact with soft tissues such as your lips or gums can cause chemical burns which we really want to avoid. We also use a special liquid dam solution on your gums which helps protect your gums from the whitening solution and the UV light. Step 2- Let there be light! Once we have applied the protective equipment and the whitening solution we can activate the Zoom Whitespeed Lamp! This powerful light source activates the whitening solution to get the maximum whitening result. Each Zoom treatment lasts 15 minutes, after which the whitening solution is removed and if necessary re-applied to repeat the treatment. Patients will receive a maximum of 4 treatment cycles per procedure depending upon the result they wish to achieve. Step 3- The Reveal Once both you and your clinician are happy with the whitening result and/or you have reached the end of the procedure you'll get to see the result. You will be given custom made whitening trays and some whitening gel to use at home over the next few days to get an even better result which can be topped up using your trays and gel at any time (additional gel can be purchased). A case we did last month achieved a massive 9 shade improvement! If you would like to find out more about Zoom Whitening or would like to book a FREE consultation call us on 01425 615080 or book online!
|
Birchfield BlogWelcome to the Birchfield Blog, we hope you find our blog informative and useful click here to find out more about our practice. Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
|