Treatments

At Rawdon Dental Practice we recommend regular examinations to help maintain your oral health. This includes a soft tissue check to look for any abnormal changes in the mouth, as well as examining your gums and teeth. We also perform the appropriate radiographic investigations to check for early signs of dental decay that can then be treated before it becomes a problem, whilst offering sound diet and oral hygiene advice. We are happy to see patients who have joined our practice plan or who choose to pay as they go at each visit.

We offer a full range of fillings to restore your teeth. These can be amalgam fillings (silver fillings) or composite fillings (white fillings). In most cases we can place tooth coloured fillings in all of your teeth, so if you are interested in more aesthetic restorations then please ask your dentist.

If a nerve has died inside a tooth, most commonly through injury or infection, the best method necessary to save it is to perform a root canal filling. This involves removing the infected portion of the tooth and filling in this area with root canal filling material. This then enables the infected area to heal. It is normally recommended following root canal treatment on a back tooth that a crown is then constructed to support the remaining tooth structure. Root canal treatment can save a tooth which would otherwise need to be taken out.

If a tooth is heavily filled, sometimes it is best to restore it with a crown. This will help support the remaining tooth tissue and improve the overall appearance and function of the tooth. There are different types of crowns available, from gold crowns to more aesthetic tooth coloured crowns.

Dentures are false teeth that can be removed from the mouth for cleaning. They can be made out of acrylic or they sometimes have a metal framework. Dentures may be used to restore your dentition when all the teeth have been lost or when you still have some remaining teeth.

When you have lost a tooth then it can often be replaced by a bridge. This is a permanent replacement that is cemented into place. This can be an adhesive bridge that requires little or no drilling and is simply bonded to an adjacent tooth. It may also be a conventional bridge which is similar to a series of crowns fused together, replacing the lost tooth. Bridges offer an excellent and quick way of replacing a missing tooth.

A dental implant is an artificial replacement for a tooth root commonly made from titanium. It is inserted into the jaw bone to allow osseointergration (integration of bone and implant). After this the implant or implants can be used to support a single tooth, multiple teeth or dentures.

Teeth are most commonly extracted if they have become very decayed or broken down and are unable to be restored. However teeth can also be extracted for orthodontic reasons to make space to re-position crowded teeth. Not all painful or abscessed teeth have to be extracted and we will always give you the option to save a tooth where possible.

At Rawdon Dental Practice we feel that prevention is better than cure. The major cause of tooth loss today is through gum disease, which is when the bone support for the teeth is lost due to the body’s response to plaque and calculus build up. Our hygienists are trained to remove this plaque and calculus on the teeth but will also show you the most effective ways that you can maintain your oral hygiene yourself.

As you get older, your teeth naturally become darker. If you drink tea, coffee, red wine or consume other foods and drinks with strong colourings, your teeth may become discoloured earlier in your life. Another major cause of discolouration is smoking, which can make your teeth appear yellow. Tooth decay, fillings and tartar build-up (a hardened form of plaque, which is formed by a film of bacteria on the surface of your teeth) can also contribute to discolouration. Tooth whitening products can help to lighten your teeth. They usually contain either a chemical called hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. When these chemicals break down, oxygen gets into the hard outer surface (enamel) of your teeth, which whitens them. The whitening effects can last from a few months up to three years. This varies from person to person.