TREATMENTS
GENERAL TREATMENTS
We offer a variety of treatments. If you would like any further information, our dentists are more than happy to discuss these options with you during your next consultation.
Partial dentures and bridges
If multiple teeth are missing, depending on the number of teeth involved and its position in the mouth, these are two possible solutions.
- A partial denture, often called a plate, fills in the spaces left by lost or missing teeth. It’s fixed to your own teeth using metal clasps and you can take it out to clean it.
- A fixed bridge is a permanent replacement for a missing tooth or teeth. It’s fixed either to the surface of your own teeth, or to a crown on either side of the gap.
Dentures
A denture is an appliance which is worn to replace lost or missing teeth to enable you to enjoy a healthy diet and smile with confidence. A complete or full denture is one which replaces all of the natural teeth in either the upper or lower jaws.
Fillings
To treat a cavity your dentist will remove the decayed portion of the tooth and then "fill" the area of the tooth where the decayed material once existed. Fillings are also used to repair cracked or broken teeth and teeth that have been worn down from misuse. Fillings can be tooth coloured (‘White fillings’) or amalgam (‘silver fillings’).
Root Canal Treatment
The root of a tooth has nerves and blood vessels within – the ‘root canal’. When the tooth is healthy the nerves are alive but decay or injury can cause the nerves to die. A dead nerve inside a tooth can cause an abscess at the end of the root. Root filling means removing dead or damaged nerves and filling the space left. The tooth that is left can then be repaired.
Inlays & Onlays
Inlays and onlays are alternatives to fillings. Fillings start soft and are carved to shape in the mouth. Inlays and onlays are made outside of the mouth, usually in a dental laboratory and then glued to the tooth in the surgery. Inlays sit in a hole in the tooth. Onlays sit on the tooth. Both can be constructed from porcelain or gold.
Fissure Sealants
Sealants are a safe and painless way or protecting your 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.
