General Dentistry
Cancer screening, biopsy
Cancer can strike any part of the mouth, including the lips and tongue. If the cancer is not detected early, tumors can grow deep into local tissues and spread to lymph glands in the neck.
Regular dental check-ups, including an examination of the entire mouth, are essential in the early detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions. You may have a very small, but dangerous, oral spot or sore and not be aware of it.
Your dentist will carefully examine all areas of your mouth. In about 10% of patients, the dentist may notice a flat, painless, white or red spot or a small sore. Although most of these are harmless, some are not. Harmful oral spots or sores often look identical to those that are harmless - testing can tell them apart. If you have a sore with a likely cause, your dentist may treat it and ask you to return for re-examination.
A thorough, systematic examination of the head and neck need only take a few minutes and can detect these cancers at an early, and curable, stage. Our goal is to discover oral, head and neck cancers early, before patients present complaining of pain, a mass, bleeding, otalgia, or dysphagia. Errors in diagnosis are most often ones of omission, and therefore the importance of a systematic approach to the oral, head and neck cancer examination cannot be overstated.
Many medical conditions, including all cases of cancer, must be diagnosed by removing a sample of tissue from the patient and sending it to a pathologist for examination. This procedure is called a biopsy.
After the biopsy specimen is obtained by the doctor, it is sent for examination to another doctor, the anatomical pathologist, who prepares a written report with information designed to help the primary doctor manage the patient's condition properly.
TOOTH COLOURED FILLING
Dentistry has come a long way since the time when metal amalgam fillings were the norm. Advanced materials give today's dental professionals more freedom to create natural-looking reconstructions that are both aesthetically and structurally superior to their predecessors.
Advances in modern dental materials have enabled doctors to treat teeth that are decayed, damaged, or worn with tooth-colored fillings. Our general dentists, can repair teeth and replace old fillings using a natural-looking composite resin carefully matched to the color of your existing teeth.
Because metal fillings can be noticeable, distracting, and generally unattractive, our dentist offers tooth-colored fillings that provide the same protection while remaining virtually invisible. Patients no longer need to have their teeth repaired with metal fillings, and they can easily replace the old metal fillings they've had for years.
Tooth-colored fillings are actually stronger than metal fillings, and they adhere tightly to teeth, protecting against further damage and decay. Since the composite materials used today are so durable, they can even be used to repair back teeth, where pressure from chewing is greatest. Tooth-colored fillings also support the remaining tooth structure, helping to prevent breaks and cracks and insulating the tooth from extreme temperature changes. Additionally, because they contain no mercury, tooth-colored fillings eliminate the health risks associated with metal fillings.
GUM DISEASE TREATMENT
Gum Disease is caused by a build up of bacteria that lives within plaque and tartar that build up on teeth during everyday living and is the main cause of tooth loss in adults as oppose to decay. Daily removal of plaque and tartar, particularly between the teeth is essential if gum disease is not to become serious problem. Failure to remove bacteria can cause the gums to redden and swell and bleed easily hen touched. If not treated, gum disease can progress to cause gum shrinkage, bone loss and ultimately loose teeth.
Thorough removal of bacteria and deposits is a major part of our maintenance programme carried out by our dental hygienists who will also advise on the most appropriate interdental cleaning techniques and materials to be used at home to redress problems with gum disease.
In case of gum disease
If you have gum disease or unattractive receding gums, our general dentists, offers tooth-saving periodontal services to help. Gum disease treatment at our dental practice entails a thorough exam of your teeth and gums. Using a periodontal probe, our dentists can determine if you have any breakdown in gum tissue or if any pockets have developed between your teeth and gums. On our initial consultation the X-rays will determine if there has been any bone loss below the surface of the gums.
The type of gum disease treatment used will depend on the stage and type of gum disease you have. A thorough, deep cleaning or "scaling" below the gum line can remove microbial plaque and calculus deposits that often cause bacterial growth and bone loss. If gum pockets are deep, surgery may be required. Our dentists also uses antibiotic therapy to treat certain forms of gum disease.
Crowns
Dental crowns, often referred to as 'dental caps' or 'tooth caps' are typically used in dental restoration to repair teeth that sit above the gum line but have been broken, significantly worn away, or destroyed by decay. A wide variety of dental crowns are available ranging from naturally looking porcelain or gold alloy. A successful crown fitting can be expected to last trouble free for in excess of 10 years or longer.
When do you need a Crown?
- To strengthen a decayed, cracked or broken tooth.
- To protect a tooth that"s at risk for cracking. This measure helps to prevent problems such as pain and/or the need for a root canal.
- To improve the appearance of the tooth.
- To improve the cleansibility of a tooth.
- After a tooth has root canal therapy.
Types of Crowns
- metal-fused-to-porcelain
- gold-fused-to-porcelain
- porcelain jacket crown
- circonia-base crown ( CERCON and PROCERA)
Procedure: Before placing a crown, our general dentist uses a local anesthetic on the affected tooth and surrounding gums. The dentist then will reshape the existing tooth to provide a basis for accepting the new crown. A dental technician will craft the new crown from dental impressions provided by the dentist so that a perfect match can be made to fit with existing teeth. The dentist will then cement the new crown to the donor tooth and dress, clean and polish to match adjacent teeth. The procedure is generally completed with 2 visits to the clinic with a week in between for the new crowns to be made.
Bridges
There are various forms of dental bridge of which two main types are discussed:
The traditional fixed bridge, is a procedure used to replace one or more missing teeth. A false tooth is fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. The two crowns fused to the false tooth are attached to the teeth at either side of the gap created by the missing tooth. Fixed bridges are permanent and cannot be removed from the mouth like partial dentures.
The cantilever bridge, is used where there may be only one tooth from which to anchor the bridge. Typically, these can only be applied where the bridge has to endure minimal stress. Successfully fitted dental bridges can be expected to last in excess of 10 years
A dental bridge helps to "bridge the gap" created by a missing tooth or teeth. Gaps in the mouth can adversely affect both chewing function and the appearance of your smile. With a bridge placed by our general dentist, your mouth can be restored to its full functioning ability and look completely healthy again.
Crowns and artificial teeth are the main components of a dental bridge. Our dentist begins treatment by reshaping the teeth on either side of the affected area. She then creates crowns to fit them. One or more artificial teeth are inserted between these crowns to replace those that are missing. This dental bridge effectively bridges the gap caused by missing teeth. Once the bridge is placed, the dental specialist cements it firmly to the crowns on either side, giving you a strong, full set of natural-looking teeth.
The estimated durration for a Bridge treatment is around 5-6 working days.
DENTURES
For patients with missing teeth, dentures provide a flexible and inexpensive solution. A removable dental appliance, dentures consist of either a full or partial set of replacement teeth, depending on each patient's needs. Dentures rest on top of the gums to help return the patient's mouth to normal chewing function.
Our dentists can fabricate dentures that have natural-looking porcelain teeth or less-expensive plastic teeth. Either way, dentures will restore chewing function, enable patients to speak with greater ease, and produce a more aesthetically pleasing smile.
Advantages: Dentures definitely provide a great smile with a very natural appearance. They're made of very durable materials and last very long when properly taken care of. Typically dentures last from five to ten years. They also correct several problems, from speech to chewing, for many patients.
Disadvantages: There's no doubt that dentures take a little getting used to. There is maintenance involved, and initial speech issues to overcome (these are temporary and last only a couple of days). Mouth irritation or sores may occur, but are usually caused by poor dental hygiene, and not removing your dentures when needed. It is common that your mouth change over the life of your dentures, so even though they last long, they may need to be replaced to achieve a better fit before they are worn out. With a denture a person typically chews at only 15-23% efficiency compared to a person chewing with their natural teeth. In the case of a full upper denture, the upper palate is covered which can reduce taste of foods you're chewing.
DENTAL IMPLANTS
Patients with missing teeth are vulnerable to gum disease, loss of bone, and potentially negative changes in facial structure. Dental implants provide an innovative way to minimize or eliminate these and other problems, while restoring function and beauty to patients' smiles. Unlike traditional treatments for tooth loss, such as dentures and bridges, dental implants are actually fused to the jawbone, providing the most durable, long-lasting way to replace missing teeth.
Getting dental implants is a multi-step process beginning with the surgical placement of titanium posts into the jawbone. After several months of healing, these posts will have permanently fused to the jaw, enabling them to function like the roots of natural teeth. Next, general dentist will attach and secure metal-free artificial teeth to the titanium posts. Specially designed to match the color and appearance of the rest of your smile, dental implants look, feel, and function just like natural teeth.
Time required for a full implant restoration
With treatment of implants each case is different; therefore it is hard to evaluate any case without an oral examination. In most of the cases the schedule of an implant is the following:
- If tooth extractions are needed, 3-4 month should elapse before the implant can be placed. As for the operation, a 2-4 day visit is enough. 2-4 months after the placement of the implants, the healing abutments can be placed which is a one-day visit. These healing abutments should remain for minimum 2 weeks, after which we can build up the implants and have the crowns or denture made. This visit should be one week long.
ROOT CANAL TREATMENT
The soft tissue or "dental pulp" inside each tooth consists of nerve fibers, blood vessels, and lymph vessels. When dental pulp becomes diseased, root canal therapy is the appropriate treatment, since it helps to prevent further damage to the affected tooth. When disease affecting dental pulp is allowed to progress, it can ultimately lead to tooth loss.
Is the treatment painful?
A Local anaesthetic is used and therefore you should feel no pain during the procedure. For the next 24hrs after the procedure, you may suffer with slight discomfort. This discomfort can be relieved by painkillers, if required.
What does the The Root Canal Procedure involve?
During the procedure all infection is removed from the canal system. The canal is then shaped and cleaned to prevent any further infection. A temporary filling is then put in and the tooth left to settle.
The Root canal filling is then completed at the next appointment. A permanent filling would also be required. In some cases a crown may be required.
Root canal treatment is a skilled and a time consuming procedure. Most courses of treatment can involve two or more visits. The total time required for the procedure can be up to 2 hours.
The alternative?
The alternative is to have the tooth extracted and replaced with a bridge, implant or removable partial denture to restore chewing function and prevent neighbouring teeth from shifting.
Root-End Resection
Root-End Resection is the removal of the root tip and the surrounding infected tissue of an abscessed tooth. This procedure may be necessary when inflammation and infection persists in the area around the root tip after root canal therapy or root canal retreatment.
Root-End Resection Procedure Steps:
- After the tooth is "numbed", the gum is reflected (lifted) to uncover the underlying bone and the root end of the tooth. The root-end is resected (removed) with all the surrounding infected tissue.
- A root-end filling is placed to seal the end of the root canal, the gum is repositioned, and a few dissolvable sutures (stitches) are placed to hold the gum tissue back in its place until healing occurs.
- After a few months, the bone around the root-end has healed, and all symptoms are gone.
TOOTH EXTRACTION
A tooth extraction is necessary when a tooth is so damaged that it threatens to adversely affect the overall health of the mouth. A severely decayed tooth, for example, often cannot be sufficiently treated with fillings or crowns and may eventually cause infection in adjacent teeth.
When the damaged portion of the tooth is located above the gum line, the doctor uses a local anesthetic to perform a simple extraction. However, if tooth damage occurs below the gum line, surgical extraction is usually necessary. When the dental specialist performs a surgical extraction, she often uses sedation to make the experience as comfortable as possible for her patients.
Wisdom-tooth extraction
A wisdom tooth is extracted to correct an actual problem or to prevent problems that may come up in the future. When wisdom teeth come in, a number of problems can occur:
- Your jaw may not be large enough to accommodate them, and they may become impacted and unable to break through your gums.
- Your wisdom teeth may break partway through your gums, causing a flap of gum tissue to grow over them. Food and germs can become trapped under the flap and cause your gums to become red, swollen, and painful. These are signs of infection.
- One or more of your wisdom teeth may come in at an awkward angle, with the top of the tooth facing forward, backward, or to either side.
FRESH BREATH MANAGEMENT
Over 90% of the odours causing bad breath come from bacteria lodged within the mouth and generally in areas not easily reached by routine brushing. As part of our maintenance programme our dental hygienist will remove bacteria and deposits surrounding the tooth and advise on the most appropriate interdental cleaning techniques and material to be used at home to provide a long lasting solution to a bad breath problem