Restorative

What is involved?

Fillings are usually a very simple and straightforward process. The area around your tooth will be numbed with local anaesthetic and then the decay together with possible old fillings will be cleared out. Weak parts of the tooth may be removed to lessen the risk it will break off later.

Unlike silver fillings, white filling materials stick to the tooth surface. This means that less tooth is drilled away.

Once the cavity has been cleared out and conditioned, a filling material is matched to the colour of your tooth and then placed. It is set (hardened) with a specially designed bright light.

At the final stage, the filling is trimmed and polished so it fits in more naturally with the contours of the rest of your tooth.

Can you replace older amalgam (silver) fillings with white fillings?

Absolutely! In fact, we highly recommend it. White fillings are, in a majority of cases, almost impossible to notice. That's because they can be matched and shaped to the existing colour and contours of your tooth.

How does teeth whitening affect white fillings?

The colour of the fillings are permanent, they don't yellow (or whiten) like the rest of your teeth. To make a filling as invisible as possible, its colour is matched to the colour of the rest of your tooth at the time the filling is made.

If you are considering whitening your teeth, then we recommend doing it BEFORE you do a filling, so that all your teeth (including the new filling) are the colour you want them to be.

When is it needed?

We recommend a crown when too much of a tooth is lost due to decay or fracture and a filling is not considered strong enough. A crown will completely cover the tooth above the gum line and thus restores the original shape and function of the tooth. It is strong and is designed to fit in naturally with all your other teeth.

What is involved?

Your dentist will start by numbing your tooth. The tooth will then be shaped and if necessary old fillings will be replaced or a core will be built up. An impression is then taken using a rubber-like material. The impression (along with the shade of your teeth) is sent to a laboratory so that a dental technician can hand-make a crown in the specified material.

Meanwhile, a temporary crown is placed over the tooth to protect it until the permanent crown is ready to be fitted.

One or two weeks later, the new crown arrives from the laboratory and is then "cemented" in place. Your dentist will then make minor adjustments to make sure you can bite comfortably.

How does teeth whitening affect crowns?

The colour of crowns are permanent, they don't yellow (or whiten) like the rest of your teeth. To make a crown as natural-looking as possible, its colour is matched to the colour of the rest of your teeth at the time the crown is fitted.

If you are considering whitening your teeth, then we recommend doing it BEFORE you fit a crown, so that all your teeth (including the new crown) are the colour you want them to be.

What if my full dentures are loose?

Help is now available with this in the form of implants which are placed into the bone and dentures constructed that firmly attach to a framework so they are unable to move. If you would like any further advice on this please book a free consultation with Mike so we are able to give you the individual advise.

How will my dentures look?

The best artificial teeth which are on the market are used allowing a totally natural look to be created. Time is taken to make individual dentures enabling them to replicate how your own teeth used to be.