COMMON DENTAL PROCEDURES
Teeth cleaning and fluoride application
Teeth cleaning is the commonest treatment for conditions such as bleeding gums, tartar accumulation, teeth staining and bad breath. Cleaning involves the use of an ultrasonic instrument. Do not let the fancy terminology scare you, this is basically an instrument which jets out water at very high speeds and this water hits the stains or the tartar accumulated on the teeth and dislodges them from the tooth surface leaving a cleaner tooth surface. There after the surfaces are polished with a brush with prophylaxis paste to smoothen and even out the surfaces. Thus, the surfaces are less adhesive to plaque and much easier to clean.
Fluoride therapy is sometimes done after the cleaning procedure. This refers to applying fluoride on the teeth wait for a minute or two after which you spit it out. This procedure is done on the dental chair and its benefits cannot be summarized in a sentence. How do you know you need fluoride therapy? If you have a lot of teeth sensitivity, people prone to tooth decay etc. Visit us today to learn more on whether you need fluoride therapy.
Teeth whitening
Teeth whitening refer to the procedure where the tooth is exposed to an oxidative compound which alters its light absorbing and light reflecting properties giving the teeth a whiter appearance. Situations that necessitate whitening includes discolorations due to some genetic defects, some child hood illnesses and fevers and discoloration as a side effect of intake of some drugs etc. There are also some situations where whitening is discouraged. Click here to read a much more in-depth explanation of whitening. Visit us to also have your teeth checked on whether they are suitable for whitening.
Tooth extractions
Extraction of teeth is the oldest form of dental treatment and the most common for a long time. However, with the advent of new technologies we are seeking to change that so as to save your tooth. There are situations where teeth extraction is inevitable like shedding of baby teeth, severe gum disease, badly decayed teeth which the prognosis of a restoration is bad, in crowding to make space for alignment of teeth. Click here to learn more about teeth extraction. Our priority is usually to save your teeth and so we recommend you come to us for regular checkups and get dental treatment early so that we don’t have to extract a tooth that can be saved.
Dental fillings and fissure sealants
A filling is a dental material that is placed after cleaning an area with tooth decay. There is so much to it, to learn more click here. It has several advantages like preventing a cavity from worsening, restores form and function to a tooth and deals with bad breath associated with tooth decay.
Fissure sealing on the other hand refers to the process where the deep ridges of the back teeth are recontoured and potential areas of plaque accumulation sealed making them easier to clean and making them less prone to getting tooth decay. We recommend you to visit is for dental checkups because here is where we can detect deep fissures and seal them before they develop tooth decay
Root canal treatment
Root canal treatment is the most common treatment for dental pain associated with tooth decay. This refers to the process where the cavity is cleaned, the infected tooth pulp is removed, the area cleaned and medicated. On subsequent visits the area is shaped and an inert material is introduced to fill the space previously occupied by the pulp thus ensuring no room for bacteria to multiply. This ensures you do not experience pain anymore. A filling is then placed on the tooth thus restoring form and function to the tooth. To learn more about root canal treatment click here. In case of dental pain visit as a result of tooth decay visit us to get root canal treatment.
Veneers
Imagine your teeth are discoloured or a piece of your tooth is chipped off. How do we restore it using veneers? A thin portion of the tooth is cut off and this measurement taken with the aid of an impression. This is then taken to the dental laboratory and a thin ceramic restoration is fabricated. It closely resembles artificial finger nails. This is then cemented to the tooth restoring its form and function. Incase of discoloration or chipping, visit us to see if a veneer is best suited for you.
Crown and bridge
A crown is a toothlike restoration that resembles a cap that is placed and cemented on a tooth. The process begins with reducing the thickness of the tooth, an impression is then taken and then it is fabricated in the dental lab. This type of restoration is best suited whenever the tooth is weakened for example after root canal treatment etc.
In the event where a missing tooth is to be replaced, two crowns are fabricated for the teeth on either end of the gap and a third toothlike restoration is made for the gap and joined to the other two thus when cemented to the adjacent teeth fills in the gap. Visit us to see the suitability of a bridge to replace your missing tooth or a crown to strengthen your root canal treated tooth.
Complete and partial dentures
Another tooth replacement option is a denture. They may be complete meaning they replace all the teeth in your mouth or they may be partial meaning they replace a couple of missing teeth. Unlike bridges or implants, they are removable. Click here to learn more about dentures. Visit us to find out whether a denture would be most suited to replacing your missing teeth.
Braces and Orthodontic treatment
Orthodontic treatment refers to correction of misaligned teeth. Click here to learn more about braces. Click here to learn about taking care of braces.
Dental implants
A dental implant is a special type of metal ‘post’ that is put in your bone and this creates a support to which a tooth is put on top. Click here to learn more about implants.
