Dental Blog - Orpington Dental Care

Helping you keep your teeth for life

At Orpington Dental Care, we are all about the smiles. We do all we can to help you maintain a healthy, happy smile for life. There are many ways we do this, including our preventive treatments, such as scale and polish cleaning and mouth cancer screening.

Another way we help you keep your teeth for life is with braces in Orpington. Although many people associate braces with cosmetics, especially for adult patients, teeth straightening also creates healthier teeth that have an increased chance of lasting longer.

Braces in Orpington Straighter teeth are easier to clean. With fewer irregular gaps in between teeth, such as you find with crooked, crowded and gapped ones, it’s easier for brush and floss to do their work. And, it also means that there are fewer nooks and crannies for plaque and bacteria to build up in, meaning you are less likely to develop tooth decay and need extensive and expensive tooth repairs and restorations later in life.

So, while you many need to wear braces in Orpington for up to 18 months, it really is a short-term pain for long-term gain.

To make this process a little easier, we offer two types of discreet braces in Orpington: Six Month Smiles and Invisalign.

Six Month Smiles use brackets and wires to pull the front 6-8 teeth into position. However, unlike their traditional metal counterparts, Six Month Smiles braces are made from tooth-coloured and ceramic materials, meaning that they blend into the teeth, rather than stand out from them. And, as they name suggests, they do the job quickly. Treatment takes 4-9 months, depending on the severity of the misalignment.

Invisalign is even more discreet. These clear, plastic aligners are near invisible. They are like thin mouth guards, and only a close friend or a dental professional would be able to spot them once in place on the teeth. Invisalign can deal with more extensive misalignments, across the whole set of teeth. Accordingly, treatment takes longer, 12-18 months on average.

After both procedures it is necessary to wear a retainer to keep the teeth in their new positions. A small price to pay for a happier and healthier smile.

Beat the fear: you can have dental implants in Orpington

Are you one of the many adults in the UK who experiences dental phobia? The sinister dentist with their scary set of drills may be a common joke, but it hides an issue that affects a huge number of dental patients.

Dental Implants in Orpington Dental phobia ranges from a reluctance to book an appointment to a full-blown panic attack when sitting in the dentist’s chair. If you are somewhere on this spectrum, then maintaining your teeth is no laughing matter. It could mean that you haven’t had your teeth checked for years, which in turn makes it more likely that you will need work done. If, when you do bring yourself to the dental practice it turns out you need a tooth replacing with, for example, dental implant surgery, that’s only going to send your phobia back into the stratosphere. So, what’s the answer?

Well, first, we want you to know that here at Orpington Dental Care, we don’t judge anyone for the state of their teeth. We are well aware of how many people experience dental phobia, and, however long it’s been since you saw a dentist, we will welcome you in a warm and friendly way and listen to your questions and concerns.

If it turns out that you do need a treatment such as dental implants in Orpington, our highly experienced implant dentist will talk you through each stage of the procedure step-by-step. We’ll provide you with a detailed treatment plan before you agree to go ahead with any work, including all costs, so you can make an informed choice.

We also offer conscious sedation for nervous patients. This isn’t instead of anaesthetic: it’s an additional medication that helps to calm the nerves. It can be taken through inhaling a gas, or by injection, whichever you prefer. It works instantly, and you will remain awake but relaxed throughout the procedure.

You may feel drowsy afterwards, so it’s a good idea to ask a friend to drive you home.

Don’t let fear of the dentist put you off having dental implants in Orpington. Talk to our implant dentist today about how we can make the treatment as smooth and easy as possible.

Veneers are the real Hollywood smile

One of the best things to come along in modern dentistry is our ability to cover over teeth that aren’t looking so great. Veneers were first created in the 1920s in Hollywood as a way to change actors’ appearances. Veneers were stuck on over the actors’ real teeth to allow them transform themselves. But veneers weren’t very good back then; made of acrylic, they would only stay on for a few minutes and they made it harder to speak.

Porcelain Veneers in Orpington Things got better when dental porcelain came along, and there was another step forward in the 1950s when a dentist discovered a way to etch tooth enamel to create a better bonding surface. But it was not until the 1980s that veneers really started to come into their own for the general populace when dentists discovered a way to bond them permanently to the teeth.

Veneers in 2018

Now you can reap the benefits of all that research with veneers in Orpington at Orpington Dental Care, where we regularly use them to improve the look of our patients’ teeth. You can expect your veneers to last for at least 10 years if you look after them well too.

Versatile cover-ups

Veneers can be used to cover over chips, cracks, mild misalignments, gaps and also discolouration that can’t be removed with whitening. Dental porcelain can be crafted so that your veneers are indistinguishable from your other teeth. They can be coloured, sized and shaped to match. Or you can have them a few shades whiter than your teeth and have your teeth whitened to match.

One thing veneers can’t do is be bleached, so if you want whiter teeth, you need to get this done when you have your veneers done.

Two appointments

It only takes 2 appointments to get veneers. One for us to take measurements, agree on colour, and prepare your teeth by removing a thin layer of enamel so that they have a good bonding surface and your veneers will lie flush with the rest of your teeth. The other appointment is to fit them. It’s so easy and it can transform your smile.

The invisible brace is here

It may sound a little futuristic, but invisible braces in Orpington are real, and here to stay. In fact invisible braces have been around for a while now and people all over the world are sporting beautiful smiles thanks to the innovative modern brace system Invisalign. Invisalign offers a convenient solution to your teeth straightening needs that is easy to manage, and fits in with your daily routine effortlessly. No fixed metal parts that can irritate your mouth to be found here. Invisalign does a wonderful job of straightening your teeth in a relatively short period of time when compared to traditional brace systems. The average treatment time for Invisalign is one year.

Who is Invisalign good for?

Many of our patients opting for Invisalign are adults with professional careers who prefer not to wear metal fixed braces for months or years. Invisalign works really well for patients who have mild to moderate alignment issues. In these cases, Invisalign offers an easy, convenient fix.

How can Invisalign benefit you?

Invisalign will straighten your teeth in a relatively short time period. It can be used on your top and bottom rows of teeth for a beautiful smile. Invisalign gives you flexibility. The clear Invisalign aligners are removable, you can take them out to eat, drink, brush and floss. As straighter teeth are healthier teeth, Invisalign brings dental health benefits. A properly aligned set of teeth means fewer gaps for food to get stuck in and plaque to build up. Straightening your teeth with Invisalign therefore helps to protect you from gum disease and tooth decay. Invisalign braces in Orpington can therefore improve your aesthetics and your wellbeing.

Think invisible braces in Orpington are for you?

Are you someone who feels unhappy about the alignment of their teeth? If so, Invisalign could help you change that forever. Visit us here at Orpington Dental Care for a consultation. During your appointment we can tell you if Invisalign will work for you. We can also give you detailed pricing information and an estimate of how long your treatment will take. So, to get a clear view of how invisible braces in Orpington can work for you, give us a call today.

As close as science gets to real teeth

If you could have anything you wanted to replace your lost teeth, wouldn’t you choose more natural teeth? Of course, you would. Why is that? Is it because they look better, chew better, stay put better and are easier to take care of than prosthetic teeth? Well that might have been the case once, but not anymore. Now you can choose something that mimics your lost teeth so closely that you may forget that they are not natural. And for sure, no one else will be able to tell they are replacements. These are dental implants in Orpington.

At Orpington Dental Care, we have been using dental implants in Orpington to replace lost teeth for quite some time now, and even we are still delighted every time we put them in for one of our patients.

Eat what you like again

We know that before too long, you will be back to eating all sorts of delicious crunchy or chewy delights. The kind of thing you don’t miss until you can’t have it anymore, like being able to bite into a crisp, fresh apple without fear of leaving your teeth behind in it. Or being able to order your favourite steak in a restaurant rather than having to settle for a cottage pie.

How dental implants in Orpington work

The actual implant bit is a tapered post, often screw-shaped that we insert into a channel in your jawbone. We do this under local anaesthetic, having carefully drilled the channel to avoid all blood vessels and nerves. The implant has an internal screw.

We leave the implant to heal for a few months. During this time the titanium implant triggers the jawbone to grow new tissue all over it, which holds it firmly in place, like a natural tooth.

Once this is done, we put a connecting device called an abutment into the implant and add your custom-made replacement crowns on top. One implant can hold up to three crowns on a bridge.

If you would like to have dental implants in Orpington, please book a consultation with us. This will involve checks to see if your jawbone is strong enough.

Easy ways to straight teeth with braces in Orpington

If you have put off getting your teeth straightened because you think getting braces in Orpington is going to be a long, complicated and somewhat embarrassing process, then think again. If you got through visits to the dentist as a child without being told you needed braces treatment on the NHS, chances are that your alignment issues are pretty mild and easily dealt with, with discreet braces in Orpington.

At Orpington Dental Care, we are accredited providers of two kinds of discreet braces in Orpington, one fixed and one removable, giving you more choice.

Fixed braces in Orpington

You are no doubt familiar with bracket and wire braces, but you may well only know about the big, clunky ones that are made of metal. Six Month Smiles braces have much smaller, clear ceramic brackets and a finer wire that is coated in a tooth-coloured material. The whole effect is one that blends in with and complements the teeth rather than obscuring them and making the mouth look unattractive. Six Month Smiles work on the front 6-8 social teeth, the ones most on view. They work quickly, taking between 4-9 months to straighten mild to moderate misalignments of the teeth.

Removable braces in Orpington

Removable braces look like mouth guards. They snap on over the teeth and use built-in pressure points to move the teeth into position. Instead of having one device with a wire that is progressively tightened, Invisalign clear aligners use a series of aligners. Starting with aligner number one, you wear each one until the feeling of pressure wears off, after about 7-10 days, and then move onto the next. Treatments take 9-18 months as long as you wear each aligner for at least 20 hours a day. You take your aligners out for eating meals and drinking, and also for cleaning.

Retainers

Both methods of straightening require you to wear a retainer after your teeth are straightened. This keeps them in the right place while the new bone tissue around them settles down. You can have a retainer bonded to the back of your teeth or wear one at night.

All you can eat

Eating is one of life’s fundamental pleasures, and so to have to steer clear of various foods because your teeth can’t cope with them can be terribly sad. That can be the case with some methods of tooth replacement, such as dentures, which do not have the chewing power of natural teeth. There is one method of tooth replacement that allows people to continue to have complete freedom in their food choices and that is dental implants.

At Orpington Dental Practice, we can fit dental implants in Orpington to replace one, a few or an entire arch of lost teeth. The reason that they are so great at their job is because dental implants are embedded into the jawbone rather than adhering to the gum as dentures do or relying on neighbouring teeth to be used as buttresses as bridges do. Dental implants give 100% of the chewing power of natural teeth.

The science bit: how dental implants work

Dental implants are small titanium posts that are tapered to resemble tooth roots and also often screw shaped. The dentist puts them into the bone after opening up the gum and carefully drilling a channel into which to put them. Once they are in place, the gum is replaced and the implants left to integrate with the bone, which takes 2–6 months. During this time, the titanium catalyses new bone growth over its surface and this is what holds the implant in place so well. Once this process has completed, you come back to us and we fit a connecting piece into the implant and attach the replacement crown on top.

The crowns are handmade by skilled technicians to blend in with your natural teeth. Or, if you are having all your teeth replaced, to resemble the ones you have lost.

Maintenance

Looking after dental implants is easy. All it takes is a diligent oral health routine of twice-daily brushing with a fluoride toothpaste, plus careful flossing. Gum disease is the enemy of implants and it is important to keep it at bay because if gum disease gets as far as attacking the bone, it can loosen the implants and cause them to fall out.

Prepping you for dental implants in Orpington

At Orpington Dental Care, we want to make sure that we cover all the bases when we are preparing you for dental implants in Orpington. While you are the best source of information about your needs, we have experience in examining patients preparing to undergo this kind of treatment. Together we can ensure that you are ready to go ahead and that you will have a smooth and positive treatment experience with dental implants in Orpington.

What do they look like?

Dental implants in Orpington involves dental equipment that is going to help replace your teeth and is going to become a part of you. It’s only natural, therefore, to wonder what it looks like, feels like and what its made of. We can satisfy your curiosity and help to understand the procedure better by showing you dental implants at Orpington Dental Care.

You will be able to hold a dental implant between your thumb and first finger. It’s quite small with a base that is shaped like a screw and made from titanium. There will be an abutment on top which is the area that attaches the implant to your choice of prosthetic. If you are having a single tooth replaced, this will be a crown and, if you are having multiple teeth replaced, it could be with a bridge or denture.

What do you need to know about them?

There are plenty of nuances when it comes to a dental implant treatment. Most of what you need to know are the facts that reassure you that dental implants are secure, functional and that they look great. We can explain these to you when you have an appointment at Orpington Dental Care.

How do they feel?

Once your treatment is complete, your dental implants should feel close to natural teeth. For the most part, you won’t have to think about the fact that you have dental implants.

If you have a solution such as implant-retained dentures, you will still be able to take your teeth in and out, so you will still need to think about cleaning them in this way.

We can talk you through what your experience of dental implants will be like.

What do you need to know about braces in Orpington?

In order to understand what your needs are when it comes to a teeth-straightening treatment, you need to ask yourself some important questions about your priorities. You know you want to make improvements to your smile, but did you know that you have options around how to achieve that when you get braces in Orpington?

At Orpington Dental Care, we can guide you through the decision-making process by letting you know where there is flexibility and the possibility of choice when it comes to your braces in Orpington. Here are some sample questions you might like to consider before you have your first appointment for teeth straightening:

What do I want to achieve?

Most people who consider teeth straightening as an adult for cosmetic reasons. Within that, there is often a number of issues that they want to address. For example, they might be hoping to push or pull their teeth back into line or they may wish to close a gap. Sometimes there is a problem with the way the teeth meet, and this can be addressed with more extensive orthodontic work.

Do I have any deadlines in mind?

While it’s tough to rush teeth straightening, there are some methods that can achieve remarkable results in a relatively short space of time. The length of time taken to actually move the teeth remains relatively consistent. However, the focus of treatment changes to encompass only the teeth that are cosmetically important. This means that the whole procedure is shortened. Let your dentist know if you have any special occasions coming up that you would like to be ready for and they will tell you what is possible.

Is it vital that your braces in Orpington are discreet?

There are many life circumstances that require people to be ultra-conscious of the impression that they make. The aura that we give off frequently dictates how we are received in the world and, if that isn’t maintained through confidence and a high level of self-esteem, it can have difficult consequences. Invisible braces options are one way to maintain great looks while still getting your teeth straightened. We have a number of options for you at Orpington Dental Care.

Don’t let the gaps get you down

If the gaps in your smile are getting you down, dental implants in Orpington are here to save the day. They are a heroic method of tooth replacement that will have you feeling full-powered again in no time. It may seem easier to just let go of your teeth or imagine that you will never have a fully-functional set of teeth again, but the truth is that dental implants can give you that.

Dental Implants in Orpington At Orpington Dental Care, we love getting a bit over-excited about the benefits of dental implants. In Orpington, at our clinic, they are one of our favourite methods of tooth replacement. There are ways to get some level of dental function back without implants, but not that many that offer the entire package.

Why are dental implants in Orpington so awesome?

The patient experience is paramount at Orpington Dental Care. If you are experiencing great treatment results that make you happier, we have done our job correctly. Dental implants in Orpington help us to achieve this goal readily. When you have your teeth replaced with this method you will experience these excellent qualities:

Stability – dental implants don’t slip and slide around. They are as firm as normal teeth as long as they are well cared for. Implants offer support to any remaining teeth that are either side of the gaps as well, so they do not shift around like they can when gaps are present;
Functionality – because of the stability of dental implants, functionality follows closely behind. They are fully integrated into the body’s structure, so they move like normal teeth without the need for any fancy techniques or concern about them not being up to the task at hand;
Aesthetics – dental implants should be nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding teeth to the casual observer. They also support the fullness of the face in the same way that teeth do, which avoids the tendency towards a sunken appearance that is a hazard of other tooth replacement methods.

These are just a taster of the benefits available when you are using dental implants in Orpington. We look forward to giving you more details when we see you.

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