In an examination, your dentist will check how healthy your teeth, gums and other oral tissues are. You will then discuss the options that are available to you and decide which treatment, if any, is most suitable for you.
What does an examination involve?
During the examination, your dentist will:
Why are regular dental examinations important?
It is important for you to have regular oral examinations, so that your dentist can help you to maintain a healthy mouth and also to check for any early signs of dental problems, such as decay or gum disease. It is also important to check for any early tissue changes in the tongue or lining of the mouth, that might need regular monitoring or further checks. This will enable your dentist to rectify any problem before it gets too complicated and requires extensive treatment.
Composite resin is the main type of filling material that is used – it is a very hard plastic and is white in colour.
What are Composite Resin fillings?
Composite resins are tooth-colored, plastic materials (made of glass and resin) that are used both as fillings and to repair defects in the teeth. Because they are tooth-colored, it is difficult to distinguish them from natural teeth. Composites have improved dramatically in quality in recent years and are now the filling of choice in our practice for both front and back teeth.
Sealants are a safe and painless way or protecting your children’s teeth from decay. A sealant is a protective plastic coating, which is applied to the biting surfaces of the back teeth. The sealant forms a hard shield that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the tiny grooves in the teeth and causing decay.
Which teeth should be sealed?
Sealants are only applied to the back teeth – the molars and premolars. These are the teeth that have pits and fissures on their biting surfaces. The sealant forms a smooth, protective barrier, by covering all the little grooves and dips in the surface of the tooth. Dental decay easily starts in these grooves.
What is involved?
The process is usually quick and straightforward taking only a few minutes per tooth. The tooth is thoroughly cleaned, prepared with a special solution, and dried. The liquid sealant is then applied and allowed to set hard – usually by beaming an intense light onto it.
Will my child feel it?
No, it is totally pain free, and the teeth do not feel any different afterwards.
How long do pit and fissure sealants last?
Sealants usually last for many years, but your dentist will want to check them regularly to make sure that the seal is still intact. They can wear over time, and sometimes the dentist needs to add or replace some sealant to be sure that no decay can start underneath them.
When should this be done?
Sealants are usually applied as soon as the permanent teeth start to come through. This is usually between 6 and 7 years of age. These first molars are the most susceptible to decay. The rest of the back teeth can be sealed later any time between 11 and 14 years of age.
Do my children still have to clean their teeth?
Yes. It is still vital that they do this. The smooth, sealed surface is now much easier to keep clean and healthy with normal toothbrushing. Pit and fissure sealing reduces tooth decay and the number of fillings your child might need.
Your dental hygienist will carry out careful removal of all traces of plaque and tartar from the teeth and gum pockets. This restores your gums to a healthy state. She will also demonstrate ways that you can keep good plaque control yourself such as special tooth brushing techniques or use of interdental floss or brushes. If there is a lot of deep cleaning to be done the hygienist will put some local anaesthetic solution into your gums to make the treatment more comfortable. A few visits may be necessary to get your gums back to full health.
It is vital that this is followed by regular recall visits every three to six months. If you are able to maintain good plaque control then in most cases the gums will begin to heal. The inflammation will disappear and the gums will tighten up around the root surfaces. However, it must be stressed that the outcome of treatment will depend in the most part on the plaque control you are able to maintain yourself at home.
Plaque and Gum (periodontal) Disease:
Plaque is the name given to a film of bacteria which is constantly forming on all teeth. Plaque causes tooth decay and gum disease. Good oral hygiene will help prevent this disease. Brushing your teeth regularly helps remove plaque from the surface of the teeth.
Assessing the health of your gums and the support for the teeth
A vital part of the management of gum disease is a careful recording of the condition of your gums before active treatment starts. This will involve the measurement of gum pockets and of the amount of plaque and bleeding present. This is important so that we can assess progress and plan future treatment. The time taken to record these measurements is as valuable as time taken in active treatment. Most of your first appointment may be taken up with these recordings.
Endodontics is the branch of dentistry that specialises in root canal therapy, which involves the removal of infected or damaged pulp, disinfection of the root canals, and sealing the space to prevent further infection.
Why is it necessary?
It is usually necessary because of severe pain. There may also be swelling. The classic toothache is usually due to damaged or infected pulp tissue (you call it “the nerve”). Root canal therapy removes this damaged or infected tissue, thereby eliminating the pain.
The dental pulp, or “nerve,” can be damaged due to the following reasons:
How is it done?
Local anaesthetic is administered, and a small hole is made in the top or back of the tooth. A series of thin, flexible “files” are introduced into the roots to remove all remaining tissue and infection. Irrigating liquids are used to sterilize the inside of the tooth. Occasionally antibiotics are used to control infection. The cleaned canals are then filled with an inert, pink, rubbery-like material.
The success rate of root canal treatment, when properly performed, is in the range of 95%.
So why do we sometimes hear stories about the loss of these teeth after treatment?
The greatest cause of tooth loss after root canal therapy is severe tooth fracture due to inadequate reinforcement of the tooth. Proper reconstruction with a core filling and crown will virtually eliminate the potential for fracture.
Dentures are removable oral appliances that replace missing teeth in your upper jaw, lower jaw or both. Dental technicians craft dentures from materials like acrylic, resin, nylon, metal and porcelain.
Complete Denture
If you’ve lost all of your natural teeth, whether from periodontal disease, tooth decay or injury, complete dentures can replace your missing teeth and your smile. Replacing missing teeth will benefit your appearance and your health. Without support from the denture, facial muscles sag, making a person look older. You’ll be able to eat and speak—things that people often take for granted until their natural teeth are lost.
There are various types of complete dentures.
Even if you wear full dentures, you still must take good care of your mouth. Brush your gums, tongue and palate every morning with a soft-bristled brush before you insert your dentures to stimulate circulation in your tissues and help remove plaque.
Partial Denture
Partial dentures replace some missing teeth. There are two types, plastic and metal based. Plastic partial dentures are less expensive to make. But unless they are designed very carefully they can damage the teeth they fit against. Metal partial dentures are usually from an alloy of cobalt and chromium and they are much stronger. They are lighter to wear and can be supported by the remaining teeth. Although the base is metal, they have gum-coloured plastic and natural-looking teeth fixed to them. They are more expensive than the plastic ones.
How do I look after my denture?
The general rule is: brush, soak, brush. Always clean your dentures over a bowl of water or a folded towel in case you drop them. Brush your dentures before soaking, to help remove any food debris. The use of an effervescent denture cleaner will help remove stubborn stains and leave your denture feeling fresher – always follow the manufacturers’ instructions – then brush the dentures again, as you would your own teeth, being careful not to scrub too hard as this may cause grooves in the surface. Most dentists advice using a small to medium headed toothbrush and toothpaste. Make sure you clean all the surfaces of the dentures, including the surface which comes into contact with your gums. This is especially important if you use any kind of denture fixative.
Crowns, and variations of crowns such as onlays, are designed to strengthen or reconstruct teeth that have extensive fillings or fractures. They may also be used to enhance the appearance of teeth.
How are Crowns constructed?
The process of restoring a tooth with any type of crown takes a fairly similar course.
Technically they are similar to individual crowns attached together in a series. Similarly, the procedures to fabricate fixed bridges are virtually identical to individual crowns, although somewhat more extensive. The final result will closely mimic the look and feel of natural teeth.
Dental implants have significantly expanded our capabilities to replace missing teeth, and now allow us to avoid removable tooth replacements in many circumstances. Additionally, dental implants can provide us with the capability of replacing missing teeth without having to involve adjacent sound, natural teeth. You can think of a dental implant as an artificial root. With “roots” now replacing missing teeth, we can build on these implants to construct crowns and fixed bridges.
Unlike fixed bridges, individual missing teeth can be replaced with a single implant while leaving adjacent healthy teeth alone. Implants can also be used as primary or additional support for non-removable bridges when traditional therapy required a removable partial denture. They can be used to support a denture and make it very much more secure.
There are too many possible treatment approaches to list, and each reconstruction needs to be individually planned.
Reconstruction with Dental Implants
Planning reconstructive care with dental implants requires careful coordination between the surgical phase and reconstructive phase. It is vital to fastideously plan the entire treatment and prosthesis prior to implant placement surgery. This reduces unexpected surgical and anatomical complications and ensures the best possible outcome.
Diagnosis
Dental x-rays, panoramic x-rays, diagnostic models, and CT scans are commonly performed. This enables full planning of both the surgical and reconstructive phases of treatment.
Implant placement
The surgical procedure to place the implants in the jaw is generally performed with a conventional local anaesthetic. Sedation can be arranged if you are very nervous. While in the past many types of implant remained completely covered by gum tissue during the healing phase, this is now less usual and the implant is allowed to heal with a ‘healing cap’ attached to its head. This cap prevents the gum from growing over. The healing phase is now usually less than three months.
Implant evaluation
After the appropriate healing time, the implants are checked and evaluated for stability.
Reconstruction
It is now time to build the final tooth structure on top of the implant(s). This can be an individual crown or a bridge of some type, thus replacing one or more teeth.
Porcelain veneers, often alternatively termed porcelain laminates, are wafer-thin shells of porcelain which are bonded onto the front side of teeth so to make a cosmetic improvement in their appearance. Porcelain veneers are used to restore the ideal appearance to teeth that are discolored, worn, chipped, or misaligned. Different dental materials can be used for this purpose, but porcelain has distinct advantages.
Translucency
Porcelain veneers, because they are glass-like, have a great advantage over other types of cosmetic dental bonding by the fact that they are translucent. When they are bonded onto a tooth’s surface they mimic the light handling characteristics of enamel.
Light striking a porcelain veneer will penetrate its thickness, and then subsequently be reflected back out once it has reached the opaque cement and tooth structure lying underneath the veneer. This translucency effect provides a sense of depth, and thus a very life-like appearance.
Porcelain veneers resist staining
Cosmetic dental bonding materials utilised in the past had the shortcoming of being susceptible to staining and discoloring. This was especially a problem for those people whose teeth had excessive exposure to tea, coffee, red wine, or cigarette smoking.
A significant advantage of porcelain veneers over other types of cosmetic dental bonding is related to the fact that a porcelain veneer’s surface is just that, porcelain. Since porcelain is a ceramic, and therefore glass-like, its surface is extremely smooth and impervious. This means that the surface of a porcelain veneer will not pick up permanent stains.
Everybody loves a bright white smile, and there are a variety of products and procedures available to help you improve the look of yours. The options are as follows:
What is in-surgery bleaching?
Because of new EU legislation the concentration of hydrogen peroxide used for tooth whitening cannot exceed 6%. Consequently in-surgery bleaching is not likely to be effective – getting a good result simply takes more time.
What is at-home bleaching?
On day one, digital scans are taken of your teeth. We then construct custom-fitted soft mouthguards (bleaching trays), which you wear ideally in bed overnight. These trays contain the bleaching agent which we supply.
Treatment time is generally about 2 weeks, although even after 1 week there is a noticeable improvement in most cases.
A follow-up appointment is needed to review progress. The treatment continues until the desired shade is achieved. This method is very effective, has a long track record and the results are better than any other method.
What are whitening toothpastes?
All toothpastes help remove surface stain through the action of mild abrasives. ‘Whitening’ toothpastes usually have special chemical or polishing agents that provide additional stain removal effectiveness. Unlike bleaches, these products do not alter the intrinsic color of teeth.
Re-bleaching
Once you have whitened your teeth they stay good for between 1 and 3 years. However, you can ‘touch up’ your bleaching at any time so it is very important to keep your bleaching trays. Re-bleaching takes only a quarter of the time used in original bleaching to achieve a desired degree of whiteness.
Dental appliances are common parts of dentistry and orthodontics. A dental appliance refers to any device that helps with your treatment plan for you.
Sports Guards
A sports-guard or gum shield is the most important piece of equipment a contact sport’s player should own.
The sports-guard not only protects your teeth and gums, it can reduce damage around the jaw and your chances of getting concussed. As every mouth is different, so every sports-guard should be moulded to fit perfectly around the top half of a player’s mouth.
The best way to do this is to see your dentist, who will take a digital scan of your mouth and make sure the shield is custom made for you.
The other type of sports-guard is the “boil and bite” type which you mould yourself using hot water. Put the warm shield in your mouth and suck on it for roughly three minutes until it has moulded to the shape of your upper teeth.
Whether you opt for a custom made sports-guard or a “boil and bite type”, the most important thing is to make sure you wear some sort of protection when playing contact sports.
Anti-Snoring Devices
In the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea or other sleep disturbances or snoring conditions, dentists can have an important role in the screening of patients for signs and symptoms which may predict the presence of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is a condition that can have serious consequences. It is important that all patients who exhibit signs and symptoms of sleep apnoea should have a proper medical assessment and, if necessary, be referred to an appropriate specialist trained in the diagnosis and treatment of OSA.
Where obstructive sleep apnoea is present, any anti-snoring device should only be provided as part of an integrated treatment plan. An anti snoring device can come in different designs but is usually a clear plastic device fitted to your upper teeth. Worn at night, it is comfortable and well secured. The device works by repositioning your lower jaw, keeping your tongue in a forward position, and enables you to maintain an open airway.
Because of the possible medical implications of snoring we take the view that the treatment of snoring should only be carried out by a professional with appropriate expertise in the treatment of sleep apnoea.
Anti-Grinding Devices
Anti-Grinding Devices, or Nightguard Appliances as they are more commonly known, take the punishment that your teeth would normally endure during night-time grinding to minimize the damage from grinding your teeth.
A nightguard appliance is a custom-made thin transparent horseshoe-shaped (retainer like appliance) made of hard plastic that has shallow borders for good tooth alignment and ideal bite relationship.
This appliance is worn between the top and bottom teeth and does not allow the teeth to interlock which absorbs the force of the clenching and grinding to elimate wear on your teeth and also to reduce jaw joint irritation and inflammation.
[email protected]
01 278 9007
Unit 3-6 Rock Hill, Main Street,
Blackrock, Co. Dublin, A94 TK22.
Monday – Thursday: 8.30am – 7.00pm
Fridays: 8.30am – 4.30pm
Saturdays: 8.30am – 2.00pm
Sundays & Bank Holidays: Closed
[email protected]
01 278 9007
Unit 3-6 Rock Hill, Main Street,
Blackrock, Co. Dublin, A94 TK22.
Monday – Thursday: 8.30am – 7.00pm
Fridays: 8.30am – 4.30pm
Saturdays: 8.30am – 2.00pm
Sundays & Bank Holidays: Closed
© Blackrock Dental 2024 | Website designed by evekudesign.com | Clinic & staff photography by Selina Sharpe | Nature photography by Danielle O’Hora
© Blackrock Dental 2024
Website designed by evekudesign.com
Clinic & staff photography by Selina Sharpe
Nature photography by Danielle O’Hora
