Services

 

Did you know that it's an established scientific fact that muscles used to smile release substances into your body that makes you feel better? We can help you to smile with confidence.

 

             We offer you a wide range of services at Orpington Dental Care.

 

                                    A Full Range of Cosmetic Dentistry

                                       AND ALL THE ROUTINE TREATMENTS TOO!

 

 

Clinical examination, soft tissue examination, visual screening for oral cancer and periodontal screening, bite problems: We have available Intra-Oral cameras so that you can see what is happening in your mouth as well as Enhanced Digital X-rays to minimise radiation. You can thus take informed decisions on future treatments. All your data including X-rays are stored safely on our advanced computer system.

 

Our dentists may assist you to relieve you of symptoms like facial pain, neck pain, head aches, recurrent sore throats, and disturbances of sensation in the mouth and tongue or even tinnitus!

 

A likely culprit for these symptoms might be some mechanical disturbance of the temporomandibular [jaw] joint or in lay man terms a problem with your bite. By correcting your occlusion, [the bite] these symptoms might become just an unpleasant memory of the past.

 

Fillings: Most of us had amalgam fillings or perhaps even gold fillings restoration. Metal fillings were effective, but very conspicuous and tended to blacken in colour over time. Composite Resin Dental fillings were created as an alternative to traditional metal dental fillings and coloured to look like a natural tooth. It is strong, durable and make for a very natural looking smile.

 

                                    

                                              Before Fillings             After Fillings

 

Inlays and Onlays: If over half of your molar tooth's biting surface is decayed an inlay or onlay may be a better option than a filling. These options are basically when more than a filling is needed but less than a crown will do. An inlay is placed between the cusps of the tooth, whereas an onlay will cover one or more of the cusps. They can be made of gold alloy, porcelain or tooth-coloured resin and cemented in place.

 

Dentures: They are removable replacements for missing teeth. There are two main types of dentures. The first is a chrome cobalt which is made of metal and consists of clasps for better retention of the denture and is recommended for partial dentures. The other type of denture is made of acrylic and is used for full dentures.

 

                                     

                                            Before Dentures            After Dentures

 

Rootcanals: Many of us have heard the comparisons of painful things to the root canal procedure. It's not that bad. There are tiny canals within your tooth that may become infected. This may cause an abscess to form. Pain in the tooth is the most common and obvious symptom. All our dentists are experienced to perform root canal procedures. The dentist remove the infection, fill the canals and the tooth receives either a filling or a crown.

 

Crowns: Grinding your teeth, an improper bite and tooth decay can all be contributing factors in the wearing down, cracking or breakage of your teeth. Dental crowns cover the entire visible surface of your affected tooth and add strength. In other instances crowns are used to replace an actual missing tooth. These crowns are anchored to the teeth on either side, with a bridge section connecting the two crowns. 

 

                              

                                              Before Crowns           After Crowns

 

Dental Bridges: A dental bridge is a false tooth, known as a pontic, which is fused between porcelain crowns, to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. A three unit bridge consists of two crowns with the pontic attached in the middle. This is known as a fixed bridge. In areas of your mouth that are under less stress, such as your front teeth, a cantilever bridge may be used. Cantilever bridges are used when there are teeth on only one side of the open space. Bridges can help correct some bite issues and even improve your speech.

 

                             

                                                     Before Bridge                   After Bridge

 

Extractions: Most extractions can be done by our dentists but we have available an Oral Surgeon, Dr Adrian Kemp, for more complicated extractions and other oral surgery. This could be done comfortably with IV Sedation if necessary.

 

Dental Implants: They are fixtures of titanium, which are surgically screwed into your jaw. The implant is an anchor for a naturally appearing false tooth or a set of false teeth. The success of implants depends on where the implants are placed and their purpose. They are typically best placed in the front portion of your lower jaw. Implants are great for replacing missing teeth. It is important that you have enough bone in the area of the missing teeth for the implants to be attached to. Implants are not only used to replace one tooth, but rather people missing most, if not all. Implants are increasingly being used to replace certain types of bridges and removable partial dentures.

 

                                   

                                       Before Implants           After Implants

 

Tooth Whitening: The colour of teeth naturally varies from person to person. What we eat and drink, along with age, will also have an influence over the colour and darkness of the teeth. If the teeth are in a good condition it is now possible to whiten them using a simple technique.

 

To whiten the teeth a special jelly is used at home in a tray which is made to fit closely over your teeth. You need to use the tray for at least four hours a day. Many patients will wear the tray at night whilst asleep, often reaching desired results within three weeks. Tooth whitening carried out in this way improves the appearance of the teeth without removing any of the tooth surface. The teeth remain undamaged ensuring their long term success.

                             

                                    

                                    Before Teeth Whitening        After Teeth Whitening

Veneers and Lumineers: Veneers are often used as an alternative to crowns and is very thin pieces of specially-shaped porcelain or plastic that are glued over the front of your teeth with little or no anaesthesia needed. They are the cure for teeth that are severely discoloured, chipped, have small holes or pits, misshapen or crooked or for the correction of unwanted or uneven spaces. Unlike crowns, veneers won't require the dentist to remove much of the tooth.

 There are only a very few dentists in the UK offering the "Lumineer" veneer. We are fortunate that Helen Loubser is one of them. Made of Cerinate porcelain, Lumineers are a new type of porcelain veneers. They are contact lens thin. Little to no tooth reduction in most cases is necessary and anaesthetics or numbing injections are not needed. It is claimed that Lumineers resist micro-leakage and micro-cracking more so than traditional porcelain veneers. Lumineers are reversible if no tooth reduction was necessary when they were first done. For more information go to www.cerinate.com

                                          Before Veneers              After Veneers

Stop Snoring: Acute snoring can severely impact on normal sleeping patterns causing exhaustion and a lowered immune system. Over an extended period of time, serious snorers may also develop more serious problems like sleep apnoea. Emotionally, snoring can affect the relationships that snorers have with people around them. Many partners of snorers become resentful due to the fact that are deprived of sleep on an ongoing basis. For a very reasonable cost, we can now provide snorers with a comfortable oral appliance, which can be worn at night. It is non bulky and has proven highly succesful, even for those who find breathing through the nose difficult. Just imagine peace, quiet and harmony at night again

Long-Term Mini Dental Implant System. Many people with dentures are unable to eat what they want. Sometimes their dentures may shift, tilt or wander. Some patients do not like the taste and the feel of messy denture adhesives. Gums may be sore and some people even have trouble speaking clearly or are afraid to smile. Johan Hough now provide mini implants that may resolve your problems at a very affordable price. Placement of the implants is accomplished quickly and easily in the surgery with local anesthesia or light sedation. Using a precise, controlled, minimally invasive surgical technique, MDI Implants are placed in the jawbone. The head of the implants protrude from the gum tissue and provide a strong solid foundation for securing dentures. For more information go to www.imtec.com

Hygienist Services: Our Dental Hygienist carries out educational and clinical care for individual patients. She works closely with the dentist who will examine you initially and recommend the treatment to be given by the Hygienist.  Gum Disease [also known as Periodontitis] is preventable. Your hygienist will help you to acquire the necessary skills to maintain your oral health effectively. She can help you to identify where you have difficulty in removing plaque and then work with you to modify your tooth brushing technique to ensure effective cleaning. The hygienist can also give you advice on diet and help you to prevent or deal with bad breath. She is responsible for removing deposits of calculus from the surface of the teeth. The presence of calculus attracts plaque and makes tooth cleaning more difficult. Calculus and some types of staining are removed using hand scalers or ultrasonic scalers. The hygienist may also apply fluoride directly to the teeth and fissure sealants, particularly on children's teeth, to help prevent tooth decay.

Anxious and Phobic Patients: We have available the services of a qualified medical doctor and anaesthetist to provide Intravenous Sedation for nervous patients. This involves an injection into an arm or the back of a hand of a powerful sedative. The drug has three main effects: to promote a feeling of calm within the patient; to reduce patient awareness of treatment, to provide a powerful amnesia so that the patient remembers very little of the procedure. Whilst the effects are variable, most people enter a state that allows treatment to be performed without undue patient anxiety.

We also provide Relative Analgesia [Laughing Gas] and will sometimes combine it with Hypnosis to help patients to be more relaxed. We have excellent results with especially children and find that our children patients might even enjoy visiting the Dentist.

If a patient is extremely anxious or phobic, we can provide the services of a qualified and experienced counsellor and Hypnotherapist at a reduced price. She also provides help with stop smoking and weight control. For more information please log on to her website www.breakfree.org.uk

Wrinkle Removal Without Surgery [Botox]: Last, but not least for our patients who would like to look at their best when they smile with confidence. Dr Andre von Backstrom, a qualified and experienced medical doctor and our anaethetist, now offers facial injections for the correction of fine lines and wrinkles, dermal fillers for deep furrows and lip enhancement. You will have the peace of mind to know that this is all done in a safe and hygienic medical environment whilst enjoying a cup of special coffee.