Scaling

Plaque is a build-up of oral bacteria on food debris that remains on the surface and in the crevices of the teeth and gums. Combined with minerals in the saliva, it forms hard, rough sediment known as dental tartar or calculus. This in turn attracts further plaque build-up. Calculus is removed to prevent periodontal disease.

Tartar build-up is removed by very efficient ultrasonic scalers which are also suitable for the removal of heavy, tenacious tartar and stains. This may be followed with hand scaling for a more finite smoothing of tooth and root surfaces.

Caution is warranted for people who wear pacemakers, as the ultrasonic sounds may interfere with the function of the pacemaker.

Polishing

Following scaling, teeth are polished to remove stains and create a sensation of fresh breath and a clean mouth. It may be accomplished by spraying high-pressured water mixed with baking soda paste onto the surface of the teeth (jet polishing), or using a rubber cup and polishing paste.

Fillings

Amalgam fillings which are composed of silver, tin, copper, mercury and zinc, are relatively inexpensive, durable and have been used for over 150 years. They are considered less aesthetic than composite fillings because they blacken over time and can give teeth a grey appearance, and they do not strengthen the tooth.

Composite, resin or white fillings are composed of an organic polymer and inorganic particles such as quartz, borosilicate glass, and lithium aluminium silicate and have been used for about 20 years.

Dentures

Dentures replace lost or missing teeth they are made of either acrylic (plastic) or metal.

A 'complete' or 'full' denture is one which replaces all the natural teeth in either the upper or lower jaws. A 'partial' denture fills in the spaces left by lost or missing teeth. It may be fastened to your natural teeth with metal clasps or 'precision attachments'.

Sealants

A sealant is a white resin material that blankets the tooth, protecting the vulnerable grooves of the tooth where food may build up resulting in decay. Sealants can help reduce cavities on the top and sides of back teeth and be a cost-effective way to reduce the incidence of cavities.

Sports Mouthguard

Custom-fitted mouthguards made by a dentist can protect the jawbone, teeth, lips and cheeks from injury. Custom-fitted mouthguards are designed for the upper teeth and are comfortable to wear.

Nightguard

A nightguard, takes the punishment that your teeth would normally endure due to tooth grinding. This behaviour removes critical portions of healthy enamel from the chewing surfaces of your teeth and may cause facial pain.

Tooth grinding usually happens unintentionally when you sleep.

 A nightguard is a thin transparent horseshoe-shaped retainer made of hard plastic that has shallow borders for good tooth and bite alignment. It is worn between the top and bottom teeth and does not allow the teeth to interlock, which absorbs the force of the clenching and grinding to reduce tooth damage, joint irritation and inflammation.

Tooth Whitening

A whitening gel is then applied to the teeth after which a blue light that is wavelength matched to the whitening gel is shone on the teeth to effectively whiten and brighten teeth in just about an hour.

Crown

A crown or porcelain cap is fixed over the entire tooth to improve the asthetics of a front tooth that may have discoloured over time or a posterior tooth that may fracture due to a large filling.

Dental Bridges

Dental bridges replace missing teeth by "bridging" the gap between the remaining teeth.

A traditional or fixed bridge is where the dentist creates a false tooth with a dental crown on either side. The crowns are fitted over the remaining teeth to hold the false tooth in place.

A resin bonded bridge has the false tooth fused to a metal band. The metal band, in turn, is bonded to the back of the remaining teeth with white resin cement.

To design a bridge, a dentist must first shrink, then reshape the teeth to make room for the crowns. A mould is taken and sent to a laboratory, where the actual crowns and bridge are made.

Veneer

A veneer is a thin layer of porcelain or natural colour 'composite' made to fit over the front surface of a tooth.  Because they are very thin and are held in place by a special strong bond very little preparation of the tooth is necessary.

Veneers make teeth look natural and can improve the colour, shape and if one tooth is slightly out of position, a veneer can sometimes be fitted to bring it into line with the others. Veneers can also be used to close small gaps when orthodontics is not suitable.

To prepare for the veneer, the dentist removes a minimal amount of enamel from the tooth (about the same as the thickness of the veneer to be fitted), so that the tooth

Root Canal Treatment

This is the procedure of cleaning diseased or infected tissue from inside the tooth followed by the placement of a three-dimensional filling in the root canal space formerly occupied by this tissue. Using a local anaesthetic, there is little or no discomfort to the procedure.

Root canal treatment saves the tooth which would otherwise be extracted. This enables your own tooth to remain in your mouth and may last many years if not for a lifetime.

The dentist may recommend a crown or cap following the root canal treatment to protect and strengthen the tooth.

Braces

The reasons for adult braces can be many. Given the proper pressure, teeth can be moved at any age.

Saving teeth and better chewing abilities are prime reasons for adult braces. Crooked teeth and bad bites are often forerunners of gum disease.

Treatment techniques are usually the same for both adult and child orthodontics. In both situations, however, light forces, rather than strong forces, are used to move the teeth.

Dental Implants

With advances in implant technology available today, more people are choosing to replace missing teeth with implants as opposed to bridges and dentures.

Dental implants use a metal structure made of titanium to replace missing roots in the jaws. The implant usually consists of porcelain fused to metal crowns, which look and feel like natural teeth.

Implants can also be restored with attachments to partial or full dentures. A crown or bridge is then place over the metal fitting.

The dentist will assess the patient’s suitability for implants, taking into account, age, bone quantity and quality and other factors such as the health of the patient.

Often patients make comments such as "These feel just like my own teeth," "I wish I'd done this a long time ago," and "Now I can eat anything!!"

Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery

Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery reconstructs the upper jaws and lower jaws resulting in a change in facial structure. This results in  mouth and teeth functionality can be greatly improved .

Bone Augmentation

Bone Augmentation is sometimes required to allow the use of dental implants or to perform other procedures. The tooth bearing bone is augmented by harnessing your own bone or the use of a synthetic bone

Orthognathic Surgery

This treatment is to correct issue such as; upper or lower jaws that are too big, too small, too forward and set too far back. This may resulting in overbite, under-bite, an open bite and excess upper gums.

Periodontic Gum Surgery

Gum surgery is performed in cases of severe gum disease that is affecting the gums ability to support the tooth.