INVISALIGN
Clear aligners revolutionised the world of orthodontics decades ago. Since then, millions of people world-wide of enjoyed the benefits of straight teeth, without metal braces.
Clear aligners are made through a combination of our expertise and 3D computer imaging technology. We have a new set of aligners fabricated for each treatment stage, and those stages typically last about one to two weeks. On the day of delivery, we may bond some small, tooth-coloured bumps (called attachments) on selected teeth to facilitate tooth movement and retention of the aligners. These attachments are completely removed at the end of treatment, with no harm to the teeth.
You wear one set of aligners day and night continuously, for a minimum of 22 hours per day. You remove your aligners only to eat, drink, brush, and floss. Aligners are replaced in a specific series, according to your doctor’s instructions, usually every two weeks. As you replace each aligner, your teeth will move – little by little, week by week – until they have straightened to their final desired position.
After your treatment goals have been met, you can go back to your normal oral health routines. However, you will continue to wear a post-treatment retainer at night, to help preserve the progress you’ve made and prevent the teeth from relapsing.
CROWNS & BRIDGES
DENTAL CROWNS
A crown is a type of dental restoration that covers the entire surface of a tooth. crowns are generally used when the structure of the existing tooth makes a filling impractical, or if the location of the decay on the tooth would make a filling more likely to fail. Crowns are very durable and long lasting, and they often feel exactly like natural teeth.
Crowns come in many forms, but the most common material is a specialised ceramic. We carefully match the size, shape, and colour of the crown to match your existing teeth. The end result is that most people will never be able to tell that the crown isn’t a natural tooth. Common uses of dental crowns include:
- Restoring a tooth following a root canal
- Repairing large cavities (caries) that are poor
- Candidates for composite fillings
- Following injuries to the tooth caused by
- Excessive wear or traumatic impact
- Treating cracked tooth syndrome (often a cause of bite and temperature sensitivity)
- Preventing cracks from propagating across a tooth, decreasing the likelihood of cusp fracture and bacterial tooth infection
BRIDGES
Bridges can be a great solution for a missing tooth or teeth. They are generally a faster product compared with dentures or implants. A bridge generally requires a crown to be placed on each side of a space, with the missing tooth fused to both crowns.
They are constructed in a very similar way to a single crown and whilst slightly longer, are the same in-chair experience.
The crown placement process typically requires two appointments:
- On the first appointment, we’ll take a mould (impression) of your existing tooth, numb the tooth, and remove any decay or other problematic areas. We then use your mould to create a temporary crown, right here in the office. The temporary crown is placed on your tooth the same day. it helps to protect the remaining tooth structure and allows you to chew and eat properly while your permanent crown is being made by a specialised lab.
- Approximately two weeks later, you’ll return to finish the procedure. We’ll remove the temporary crown, clean the tooth, and install the permanent crown, carefully adjusting its placement to make sure the spacing is accurate and your bite feels comfortable.
IMPLANTS
Implants are used for more and more applications in dentistry. Here at Gilbert St Dental, we use them to replace one or more missing teeth, and we also use them to support dentures, which really makes a huge difference to how well dentures stay in the mouth.
Implants have very much become the gold standard in dentistry today. Implants allow us to replace a missing tooth, without having to treat the adjacent teeth (unlike bridges and dentures).
When we talk about dental implants, it is important to understand that there are several components involved:
- Fixture: The titanium post that is inserted into the jaw bone and that acts as a replacement for the root.
- Abutment: once the fixture is integrated successfully in the bone, which takes several months, it can receive an abutment that will link the implant fixture to the restoration of choice.
- Restoration: Typically, a crown, bridge, or denture is attached to the abutment. The process for installing a crown over the dental implant requires several appointments.
Implants are a superior treatment option, but do require a few things to be considered, including aspects of your lifestyle, medical history, dental history and dental hygiene.
If you have concerns about missing or loose dentures, we would love to talk you through your options. These treatments can bring significant improvement for our patients and we would love to assist you on your journey.
HEAVILY WORN TEETH
Sometimes, when a patient’s teeth have all worn down at the same time, and there is a reduced facial height or exposed dentine as a result, we need to look at restoring the length of all of the teeth.
Left untreated, tooth wear can cause pain or discomfort, increased risk of dental decay, functional problems and deteriorations in appearance. The longer left un-checked, the more complex the problems become.
Worn teeth can be restored in direct composite, porcelain, zirconia, or a combination of materials. We also need to assess how the excessive tooth wear occurred, and set in place measures to stem the cause.
This is something which requires thorough assessment and discussion with the patient. If you are concerned about excessive tooth wear, come and talk to us. we are here to help.