Investigate, plan and treat before you need to make that emergency call.

Although visiting the dentist might not be high on your “fun things to do” list, it is the best way to prevent dental emergencies. Unfortunately, dental problems are usually completely painless before it is suddenly too late – meaning it’s important to prevent tooth and gum issues from occurring in the first place.

The two main reasons for dental emergencies are:

1. Bacteria
2. Old dental treatments

Restore and replace broken down or missing teeth with porcelain.

What is a Crown?

The crown is the top part of the tooth that is visible to us.  A dental crown treatment is a manmade replacement for the natural tooth that sits over it like a protective cap.

What is a Bridge?

A bridge is a series of crowns (usually three or four) that are joined together to replace missing teeth. It is necessary for the teeth on either side of the missing tooth or teeth to be prepared down for the crown to be inserted over the top of them for anchorage.

What is a Veneer?

A veneer is an artificial cover that can be placed over the front surface of the teeth. Veneers are used to improve aesthetics or to protect teeth. Poor aesthetics can include discolouration of the tooth, wear and chipping from grinding or trauma.

Saving an infected tooth to prevent an extraction.

This is the cleaning out of the hollow inside of the tooth and is called an Endodontic treatment by dentists.  Essentially it is the removal of all of the internal tooth contents which are blood vessels lymphatics and nerve tissue (nerve).  It involves both the mechanical clean out and chemical preparation of the canal system inside the tooth.  All teeth have different shapes and roots, therefore they all have different root canal systems.

Permanently replace your missing teeth and prevent a cascade of dental problems.

Dental implants are titanium fixtures (like a screw) that are placed into the jaw to replicate a missing tooth root.  The implants can then be used to anchor one or more artificial teeth to it. These titanium implants have a specially designed roughened surface to encourage “osseointegration” within three to four months after insertion. Osseointegration is when your bone grows onto the implant’s surface allowing it to fuse into your jaw bone like your old tooth root.

A sophisticated way for both teenagers and adults to straighten crooked teeth.

Invisalign is a virtually invisible way to straighten teeth without braces. The Invisalign System uses a combination of proprietary virtual modelling software and rapid manufacturing to custom make clear, removable ‘aligners’ to straighten teeth without metal or wires. The Invisalign system is prescribed to patients through trained Invisalign Dentists.

Make your smile shine with in-chair or take home whitening.

There are two types of whitening procedures.

1.  In chair whitening
   This involves the patient being in the dental office for a long period of time and having the solution applied several times over.  This is a fast way of achieving the whitening.  As this technique takes longer it is a more costly option.
2.  Take home whitening
   This involves making a special guard that fits closely on the tooth and the patient using the whitening solution in their own time.  This is the least costly of the two options.

Resolve painful infections or prevent future problems.

Wisdom teeth are the third molar teeth.  In most cases they are the last teeth in the dental arch.

Wisdom teeth start to form around our preschool years and may come through the gum at any time from your late teens to early twenties.  In some cases, they will never erupt through the gum at all.

Wisdom teeth can be clearly seen in a diagnostic OPG X-ray if they are have not erupted.  In this OPG x-ray, it is easy to see the four upper and lower wisdom teeth on the outer edge of the jaw growing out of alignment to the other teeth.

Understanding why your teeth are shrinking, chipping and why you should be worried.

Bruxism is the act of grinding ones teeth together. This is not a new phenomenon – there are some 7 references of this activity in the Bible.