Teeth are very strong and under the right environment are resistant to destruction. However, your teeth are continuously fighting off oral bacteria. Tooth decay is not life-threatening, however can decrease your quality of life. City of London dentists can teach you how to prevent tooth decay. They are also experts at diagnosing and treating tooth decay. Tooth decay develops when a certain environment exists in your mouth and caries-producing bacteria (Streptococcus mutans (Sm)) and plaque build up on your teeth. This along with a diet containing fermentable carbohydrates leads to the formation of tooth decay. Sm can be transmitted from one person to another, and is usually transmitted from mother to child. Your City of London dentist and dental hygienist will instruct you on proper care of your teeth and gums. Under normal conditions of health, Sm consumes sugar and then produces bacterial acids (predominantly lactic acid) that initiate enamel demineralization in minute amounts. The body’s normal defences remineralise the tooth enamel using salivary minerals between eating. Depending on the stage of the tooth decay, your City of London dental will treat your teeth accordingly. It is important for you to have regular dental check-ups and brush and floss your teeth thoroughly in order to prevent tooth decay.

Miniature dental implants (MDIs) are an excellent solution for wearing soft tissue supported full dentures and also certain partial denture cases. Your City of London dentists are very-well trained at the placement and use of these (MDIs). MDIs have an 85% or more 5 year success rate. MDIs offer an inexpensive alternative to regular dental implants. They are used to stabilize dentures in patients that have enough bone structure available for their placement. Dentists that are trained in MDIs can perform this procedure.
MDIs are made primarily of titanium alloy shaped in the very small screw-like form, with a ball attachment to place the dentures. After a complete oral examination is performed, and the proper X-rays are taken, your London dentist will use local anaesthesia in the area where the MDIs are to be placed. Usually, four MDIs are placed to stabilize a full denture. This procedure is mostly used with lower dentures, as they do not have the same suction as upper dentures and tend to move around more than upper dentures. Miniature drills are then used to drill through the gum tissue and into the underlying oral bone. After the holes are drilled, the MDIs are placed with a screwing motion. There is usually no pain associated with the placement of these implants. The denture is that retrofitted onto these MDIs. Housings are placed over the ball attachments on the MDIs and the denture is relieved. Using a cold-cure acrylic denture resin, the denture is left in place for 6 minutes, removed with the housings in place, and trimmed and polished. The patient should leave these in place for 24 hours before removal. So, visit your City of London dentist to stabilize your dentures using MDIs.

Your City of London Dental Clinic now offers the new 3M^TM ESPE^TM Lava^TM Crown and Bridge system. It is a novel CAD/CAM technology using a zirconium oxide base. Lava crowns are considered the optimum in ceramic crowns and require the removal of less tooth structure for the crown preparations than porcelain fused to metal crowns. The Zirconia frameworks are colourable, thin, and translucent. This gives the Lava crowns their natural and fundamental appearance. They are also strong and biocompatible. The margins around these Lava crowns are very similar to porcelain fused to gold crowns. The final colour of the Lava crown is achieved by the baked-on ceramic layer. The crown preparations and cementations are very similar to other crown systems. The Lava crowns are very aesthetic crowns, and ideal for those patients concerned with a black line showing through the gum tissue.

Your City of London dentist will offer to fabricate a Valplast denture for you, if you are not a candidate for a regular partial denture, or if for cosmetic reasons you do not want metal clasps to show when you smile. A pressure-injected, Valplast denture, has a flexible base that can provide a very comfortable denture, and has been used as partial dentures, unilateral removable dentures (i.e., Nesbit dentures), and flippers, to replace missing teeth. Valplast dentures are almost visible lightweight and made of lightweight material. Valplast dentures have been available for over 50 years and will save the patient valuable time at the dentist as they require very minimal teeth preparation. Your City of London dentist also saves chair time, and does not need to try-in a metal partial denture framework. Valplast dentures are very natural looking, and are made only by dental laboratories that are certified in Valplast denture fabrication. So, visit your City of London dentist to see if Valplast dentures are right for you!

Your City of London dentist will advise you on which teeth whitening procedure will work best for your teeth. Your City of London dentist will examine your teeth and speak with you about your teeth whitening expectations, and what is truly possible to achieve. From your true teeth shade, the dentist can tell how your teeth will respond to the whitening procedure. Yellowish teeth respond the best to teeth whitening procedures, followed by brown teeth, with the worst being greyish teeth. Your dentist will also examine your teeth for composite fillings and porcelain veneers; these will not get whiten with teeth whitening procedures.
Your City of London dentist may recommend an in-office teeth whitening procedure that can take a few visits of 30-60 minutes each. This procedure requires that the treated teeth be isolated using a shielding gel and rubber dam in order to protect the soft tissues of the mouth. A whitening gel is then applied to the teeth to be whitened, and one a several different special light sources can be used to activate the gel. Rubbery-type trays are then made for the patient so that they can apply a whitening gel to their teeth between dental visits.
Various types of over-the-counter products are also available in stores, online, and mail order, etc. Beware of some of these products, and make sure you get the advice of your City of London dentist prior to purchasing and using these products. Your dentist should know about any side-effects that may result from his procedure. These are usually teeth sensitivity, that will subside after a few days.

When dental caries extends into the pulp of the tooth, your City of London dentist will need to perform a root canal to help save your tooth. The tooth’s pulp is made up of a blood supply, nerves, and connective tissues. When dental bacteria and their end-products create an infection in the pulp, the tooth will start dying and the result is pain or even tooth loss. Your City of London dentist will anaesthetize the tooth that requires the root canal, and isolate the tooth using a rubber dam. An access hole is then drilled into the tooth’s pulp chamber, and the pulp of the tooth is removed by using special drills and files, and sterile chemical solutions. Next the inside of the tooth is dried using paper points, and gutta percha is placed to seal the inside of the tooth and keep it from becoming reinfected. A properly performed root canal procedure will keep the adjacent teeth from becoming infected. Antibiotics may also be used to kill the infection. Following a root canal, the tooth usually feels better in 1-2 days. A mild pain medication may also be required. Following a root canal, the tooth becomes dry, weakened, and more brittle. Your City of London dentist may suggest a crown to help strengthen your tooth.

If you are looking to have a smile makeover, make sure to visit your London dentist. Your London dentist will listen to all of your wants and needs, and will also perform a complete intra-oral and extra-oral examination to determine what can be accomplished and how best to proceed. Your London dentist will take several digital photographs of your smile and than show you what kind of results to expect on a computer screen. Your London dentist will explain to you carefully and completely what is required to achieve your desired results and work with you on financial arrangements. Dental procedures that may be used are; teeth whitening, cosmetic dental bonding, porcelain or Lumineer veneers, dental crowns and/or bridges, orthodontics, and gingival recontouring. If required, you may be referred to an orthodontist or oral/maxillofacial surgeon. Your teeth, face, skin, hair colour and shape, gums, and lips, all need to be taken into account. Your London dentist will review all of the procedure(s) necessary for a smile makeover.

Halitosis, or bad breath is a problem that many people don’t even know that they have, that can cause them embarrassment. You should visit your London dentist if you feel or you were told that you have bad breath. Your London dentist can help you to solve this problem. There are many causes of bad breath, and your dentist can help figure out the cause and suggest treatments. Certain foods have been known to cause bad breath, including onions and garlic. When these foods are ingested, their metabolites remain in your blood stream until they are expired by the air in your lungs. Even though you try to mask the odour of these foods, with toothpastes or mouthwashes, the odours remain until these foods are completely metabolised and eliminated from the body.
Other causes of bad breath include bacteria and food debris left behind in your mouth. These can be removed by proper oral hygiene practices. Mouthwash use really only masks bad breath, and can in turn reduce friendly bacteria in your mouth, thus causing an overgrowth of more harmful and sulphur-producing bacteria, that add to the bad breath. Mouth dryness (xerostomia) can lead to bad breath and even make it worse if bad breath already is present. Mouth dryness doesn’t allow saliva to wash away bacteria and food debris normally. Sugar-free hard candies and chewing gum can help. Certain lifestyle factors can also cause bad breath, such as smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages. Medical ailments can also lead to bad breath. Your medical history will be reviewed by your London dentist, and if necessary, your dentist will refer you to a physician that can help with these problems and the resultant bad breath.

Gum disease (gingivitis) is widespread throughout the U.K. Gingivitis occurs when bacteria, their by- and end- products, and dental plaque, cause the gum tissues to become inflamed. Signs and symptoms of gingivitis include swelling, redness, pain, temperature, and bleeding and/or visible pus around the gums. Although gum disease is caused by local conditions, such as bacteria and plaque, it can be made worse or better by the body’s responses to the inflammation. If treated early enough, gingivitis can be reversed. If not treated in time or properly, gingivitis can progress to periodontal disease, which causes oral bone loss, tooth loosening and/or tooth loss. Periodontitis can also lead to abscesses and bad breath (i.e., halitosis).
Your London dentist can treat your gum diseases, however they will tell you that prevention if the key to good gum health. You should have regular checkups and professional cleanings. Your London dentist and dental hygienist will teach you how to brush and floss your teeth properly. You should brush your teeth twice daily for 2 minutes each time, and make sure that you floss your teeth at least once daily. If your gum disease is very severe, you may be referred to a gum specialist (periodontist). Tooth scaling and root planning can help with gum diseases, along with antibiotic treatment. Other times, gum surgery may need to be used to correct your gum problems.

Teeth grinding (i.e., bruxism) has been treated in the City of London Dental Clinic for some time. You may be unaware that you are grinding your teeth as it usually occurs while you are asleep. There are several reasons why you may grind your teeth, including mal-positioned teeth and teeth and/or skeletal discrepancies between your upper and lower teeth. You are usually more aware of your children grinding their teeth due to being awake while your child is sleeping. Teeth grinding in children usually occur due to their primary teeth arrangements (i.e., edge-to-edge) and the development of their secondary teeth. When the adult teeth come into the mouth, this grinding usually subsides. Your City of London dentist will perform a complete examination of your teeth and gums complete with X-rays and study models of your teeth. Then they will recommend the proper course of action for you and/or your child.

Teeth grinding may not be a large problem, however may eventually lead to mouth, jaw, face, neck, and even back pain. Missing and/or misaligned teeth, faulty fillings, crowns/bridges, and removable full or partial dentures, can alter your normal bite and cause you to grind your teeth. Your City of London dentist will examine your mouth and teeth both inside your mouth and using your study models in order to determine if wear and grinding patterns exist. If wear patterns exist, an occlusal equilibration may be performed by your dentist. In addition, your dentist may have an acrylic mouth guard fabricated so that you no longer damage your teeth. These mouth guards can also serve as a diagnostic aid for your dentist. Since the acrylic is softer than teeth enamel, your dentist will be able to detect the wear patterns on the appliance. Your City of London dentist may decide that a specialist in the field can help and you will then be referred to this specialist. Visit your City of London dentist to get the help you need with teeth grinding!