Dental Blog - Orpington Dental Care

Visible smiles with invisible braces in Orpington

You may enjoy excellent oral health, but this does not mean that you cannot wish for more. When it comes to our overall appearance, you smile is really important. If you have crooked or misaligned teeth, your desire to straighten your teeth and beautify your smile, is understandable.

At Orpington Dental Care, we appreciate that while many adults would like to have their teeth straightened, they are often too embarrassed to wear metal braces. Luckily, modern dentistry has come a long way, allowing you to straighten your teeth discreetly and efficiently with invisible braces in Orpington.

Six Month Smiles

Although not completely invisible like some other types of braces, Six Month Smiles braces are far more discreet than metal braces. The treatment consists of tooth-coloured brackets and wires that exercise gentle pressure on your teeth, helping them to reach their correct position in six months or less. This effective and safe cosmetic treatment fits around your lifestyle, and help you avoid wearing visible metal braces for years, or experiencing invasive teeth straightening procedures. Six Month Smiles braces in Orpington are comfortable, short-term and affordable.

Invisalign

Invisalign is an innovative teeth straightening method that helps straighten your teeth without the need for metal braces. Your treatment will start with a consultation with one of our dentists, who will examine your teeth and discuss your smile goals. They will then create a 3D model of your teeth that will show where your teeth are at the start of the process and map out the journey to the prescribed position. Once you have reviewed the plan with your dentist, we will create your custom-made aligners.

You will wear each aligner for two weeks, before moving on to the next in your series of aligners. As each is slightly different from the last one, they will move your teeth gradually into their final position. During treatment, you will visit us from time to time so we can monitor your progress and provide you with your next set of aligners.

To learn more about discreet braces in Orpington or book an appointment with one of your dentists, contact us today.

Is your smile missing something?

Missing teeth may make you feel self-conscious about your appearance as well as causing difficulties with eating or speaking. Gaps can also lead to your face sagging as you are missing the teeth that would naturally support your cheeks and lips. Another issue with losing teeth is that the remaining teeth lose stability which has long-term implications for the health of your mouth. If you need restorative work but have previously dismissed the idea of dentures then you may be interested in dental implants. Orpington is the home of Orpington Dental Care where we have given patients a new lease of life with this effective technique.

What happens when I have dental implants in Orpington?

Dental implants are titanium screws which are inserted into the jaw during a minor surgical procedure. The tissues of the jaw mesh around the implants, holding them firmly in place. The implants can then be used as a base for a single replacement tooth, several teeth or a full set. If you need multiple restorations, you do not necessarily need a lot of implants. We can usually fit a bridge of up to four replacement teeth on just one implant. We are so confident about dental implants that we guarantee them for life as long as you are prepared to keep up a good standard of care. Dental implants in Orpington are a permanent, stable solution which look great.

What are the advantages?

The most immediately obvious benefit is that your smile is restored to its former glory. Your replacement teeth are made to match the tone and appearance of any existing teeth so the result is very natural. For our patients in Orpington, dental implants have also allowed them to enjoy their favourite foods again and speak without worrying about dentures falling out or their voice sounding strange. A further advantage is that implants help to strengthen your jaw. This is because they stimulate the bones and blood vessels in this area in the same way as natural tooth roots. This prevents the shrinkage of tissues where there are gaps or someone wears removeable dentures.

Give your smile and oral health a new start and see how having dental implants in Orpington can help you.

Straighter teeth and happier smiles

Crooked teeth can diminish the attractiveness of your smile and undermine your confidence. What some people are not aware of is that teeth that are misaligned, crowded or have large gaps can also cause other problems. Having teeth in the wrong position can affect how you eat and speak as well as your overall dental health. Excessive spacing between the teeth can undermine their stability and uneven teeth are harder to clean as there are more places in which plaque can accumulate. This can lead to gum disease, bad breath, and discomfort if left unresolved. At Orpington Dental Care, we fit braces in Orpington to realign your teeth, enhance your smile, and improve your dental health.

Braces in Orpington for adults

Usually, braces are fitted when there is still a mixture of baby and adult teeth. This means that the teeth can be realigned as the jaw is developing to avoid problems in the future. However, it is never too late for straighter teeth, even if you are an adult who missed out on braces as a child or have had treatment in the past which has relapsed. Fixed braces are a good choice for younger patients as they are simple to live with but adults may have different requirements. Advances in technology mean that we are now able to offer our patients in Orpington braces that are discreet and faster than before.

Modern techniques

We are pleased to offer braces in Orpington that fit into your lifestyle. Invisalign is a system that uses a series of clear plastic aligners which are changed every two weeks to gently guide your teeth into place. The aligners are almost invisible and very comfortable as they are made from smooth plastic. They are removeable for eating and cleaning so are simple to use and do not interfere with everyday life. If you prefer fixed braces then clear ceramic brackets and tooth-coloured wires can help to minimise their visual impact. These are used in the Six Month Smiles technique which really can be as rapid as the name suggests.

Having braces in Orpington has benefitted so many of our patients and we would like you to share their experiences.

A clearer way to straight teeth

There have been some amazing steps forward in dental treatments and techniques in the last 20 or so years, nowhere more so than in the area of braces.

It started in the 1980s, when film stars, models and royals suddenly started having super bright, sparkling, white smiles. If you watch movies from the 1970s and before, hardly anyone has perfect teeth.

Now you can have lovely teeth too, and the best treatment to start with is clear braces at Orpington Dental Care in Orpington.

Clear Braces in Orpington Clear braces are great for sorting out overcrowded, gappy or crooked teeth. These problems are mild compared with problems with the bite, but they still make people so self-conscious that they cover up their smiles with their hands, or refuse to have their photo taken.

We offer two forms of clear braces in Orpington.

Invisalign

Invisalign invisible aligners are a series of incrementally different, very thin, clear plastic trays. They are 3D printed to fit your measurements precisely and fit snugly over your teeth to gradually guide them into a new position. You will probably need between 12 and 48 aligners, wearing each one until the teeth have moved, which takes about two weeks, before the next Invisalign tray gently moves them on again. The great thing about Invisalign, and what makes it so popular, is that the aligners can be removed. You take them out to clean them, and also to eat, drink, or even attend important business or social occasions. However, you must wear them for at least 20 hours a day to stay on track with your treatment.

Six Month Smiles

This brand of clear braces uses clear brackets and tooth-coloured wires that are fixed to the teeth to gently move them into a straighter position. This system is aimed at moving the front six ‘social’ teeth, and not for bite correction, which is why the average treatment time is only six months. The fact that this system uses translucent brackets and tooth-coloured wire means people have to be looking carefully to spot them.

Why not come in for a free consultation to find out which system of clear braces will work for you?

Replacement teeth that stay in place

Losing your teeth affects your oral health as well as your appearance. The gaps in your smile may affect your confidence when socialising, but they can also be tricky to clean, allowing food particles and bacteria to build up to harmful levels. If you’ve lost several teeth, your jawbone may start to deteriorate, which can alter the underlying firmness of your face, leading to a sunken appearance. At our practice in Orpington, dental implants prevent these problems, and restore dental function, so you can enjoy biting and chewing your food, and smiling about it afterwards.

Integrated arrangements

The team at Orpington Dental Care will begin your treatment with an in-depth consultation. Taking the time to get to know you as a patient, we’ll learn about your dental history, and assess your teeth in detail, using contemporary imaging techniques to help create a thoroughly accurate treatment plan. We’ll also make sure your oral health is in good enough condition to accept the implants, and give you a written treatment plan, including costs.

Once you’re comfortable and ready at our practice in Orpington, dental implants, in the form of small titanium posts, will be placed into your jawbone in a minor surgical procedure. After a short period of healing, you’ll then return to us to have the replacement teeth securely attached to the posts.

Functional future

Because the material of the jawbone meshes with the implanted posts, in a process called osseointegration, your new teeth will have a very strong foundation, so you can use them just like your natural ones. They look smart and are easy to clean, so good oral hygiene is easy to achieve. And people who’ve had dental implants in Orpington can find it easier to pronounce certain words and phrases, enhancing their intelligibility and speaking confidence.

If you look after your implants properly, they will last you for the rest of your life. They are a long-term investment in your future oral health. So, whether you’ve lost several teeth to decay over the years, or just one tooth in a sporting injury, contact us today to get started on your journey towards dental implants in Orpington.

What are cosmetic braces?

Cosmetic braces in Orpington focus on correcting the cosmetic issues that can typically make our patients to feel unhappy about their smile. Braces at Orpington Dental Care focus on the teeth that show when you smile, but do not make significant changes to your bite.

These braces can have significantly reduced treatment times, using the best part of conventional braces in Orpington techniques, in a life-style friendly and cost-effective package for straight, white teeth.

Braces in Orpington Crooked and wonky teeth can make many of our patients feel self-conscious, reserved, or even ashamed about their appearance. In the past, it would have been hard to comprehend a braces treatment that would work in less than a year and didn’t necessitate complicated metal fixed brackets, wires and frequent trips to the dentist. Luckily, with recent advances in the dental field, revolutionary treatment is now available in the form of Six Month Smiles at Orpington Dental Care.

What is Six Month Smiles?

Six Month Smiles braces in Orpington is an amazing dental technique for adults that uses the latest in modern materials to create your dream smile. It is a new approach to an age-old problem: How do adults straighten their teeth quickly and easily?

Six Month Smiles is an intensive dental treatment focused primarily on the front teeth that are most visible when you smile, known as the social six. The cost of Six Month Smiles is also tempting as the cost can be significantly less than other teeth straightening treatments, but can be less functional, as it is designed to concentrate on straightening the teeth purely in a way to improve your smile.

If you would like to find out more about the wonderful world of Six Month Smiles, there are many reviews available out there – you’ll easily be able to find that many people who are very happy with their results.

If Six Month Smiles braces in Orpington sound like the solution to your cosmetic dental issues, why not give us a call today and arrange your initial consultation today. Our dedicated and experienced staff are ready and waiting to help you get the smile of your dreams.

Are dental implants the right choice for me?

Dental implants in Orpington, at Orpington Dental Care are one of our most effective restorative treatments. If you need to replace one or more broken or missing teeth and would prefer a more permanent alternative to false teeth, a visit to one of our implant dentists will provide you with the solution you need to reclaim your smile and improve your quality of life.

What else can they offer me?

In addition to restoring your teeth and restoring your healthy, natural-looking smile, dental implants in Orpington also have several health benefits too.

The procedure for inserting dental implants is short and simple and relatively pain-free, thanks to the use of anaesthetic, which means it can all be performed during a single visit and your new teeth can be ready to use quickly.

Dental implants in Orpington are not invasive and won’t affect adjacent teeth the way dental bridges may do. They will fit comfortably in your mouth, as if they were your own natural teeth.

Dental implants in Orpington can even be used to secure dentures. This can remove the stigma and negative side-effects associated with dentures, such as gum inflammation, impaired speaking or chewing or the general embarrassment some of our patients feel when wearing them.

As long as you take good care of your new teeth, maintain a good dental hygiene routine every day and visit us for regular check-ups, dental implants at Orpington Dental Care could be a long-lasting replacement for your lost or damaged teeth.

Are dental implants for me?

Since every one of our patients is different, we believe in an individual approach to dental care. If you are looking to replace just one or several missing teeth, our implant dentists will be able to advise you accordingly and help you find the ideal replacement technique specifically for you.

The dental expertise you will receive comes from a practice with over 20 years’ experience and thousands of happy customers over the years. Our dedicated team will help you through every stage of your dental implants in Orpington. Give us a ring today and start your dental journey with us.

Time for an upgrade

If your teeth have taken a bit of a battering over the years, you might be feeling a little less than comfortable with giving everyone your biggest grin.

And that’s a shame, because when we smile, it’s infectious. People automatically smile back and the world is a brighter place as we all feel the happy feelings that come with the rush of serotonin that genuine smiles release.

Porcelain Veneers in Orpington So, what can you do to get back that lovely smile you once had before eating dangerous foods, like olives with their hard stones, took bits out of your teeth? Or how can you solve the issue of that crack, that gappy bit, those worn edges, that rough enamel that just seems to soak up stains no matter how regularly you come for a scale and polish?

Actually, the answer is easy and so is the procedure, when you come to us at Orpington Dental for porcelain veneers in Orpington.

What are veneers all about?

Dental porcelain has been developed over the years to become this incredibly strong, versatile, and durable material that can be coloured, moulded, and honed to create artificial teeth, or parts of teeth that can withstand the wear and tear of being a tooth for years. In the case of veneers, you can expect the piece of porcelain to last you over a decade. Of course, you have to look after your veneers — no more removing the caps from bottles of beer with your pearly whites. But with care and good oral hygiene, veneers can keep on looking great for a very long time. Here’s how we fit them:

You come to us for an appointment during which we look at what your dental problem is, and whether veneers are the right answer. If so, we do a colour match and take impressions so that the veneer in question will blend seamlessly with your own teeth. During the next appointment, we remove a very thin layer of enamel from your tooth, and fix the veneer to it with dental cement, making sure it lies flush with your other teeth.

And that’s it! All done. You can have as many veneers as you like. Why not pop in for a consultation?

A more beautiful smile and a healthy mouth

If you have crooked teeth then you know that it can diminish the beauty of your smile and affect how you feel about yourself. Teeth that are misaligned, crowded or have large gaps between them can also cause other problems. Having teeth in the wrong position can affect how you eat and speak as well as the overall health of your jaw. Excessive spacing between the teeth can undermine their stability and uneven teeth are harder to clean as there are more places for plaque to accumulate in. This can cause gum inflammation, discomfort and infection if left unresolved. At Orpington Dental Care, we fit braces in Orpington to realign your teeth, enhance your smile and improve your health.

Solutions for adults in the modern world

Many adults associate having braces in Orpington with childhood and usually treatment is carried out when there is a mixture of baby and adult teeth. However, if you missed out on treatment earlier in life, it is never too late. You do not even have to worry about restricting yourself to traditional metal braces, which you may see as uncomfortable, unsightly or inconvenient. Advances in technology mean that we are now able to offer our patients in Orpington braces that are more discreet, faster and more comfortable than before. The days of having to tolerate a mouth full of metal for months on end have gone.

The discreet way of straightening your teeth

We are pleased to offer braces in Orpington that fit into your lifestyle, whether you are a busy professional or simply enjoy social engagements. Most interactions are more pleasant if you are not concerned about whether people can see your braces. Invisalign is a system that uses a series of clear plastic aligners, which are changed every two weeks to gently guide your teeth into place. We also offer clear brackets and tooth-coloured wires, which are very unobtrusive. Whatever you are looking for, we have a range of options for braces in Orpington.

Having braces in Orpington has benefitted so many people and we would like you to share their experiences. Give yourself the gift of a more attractive smile and a healthier mouth by contacting us today.

Filling the gap

If you are one of the 74% of UK adults who has lost a tooth, you may be very tempted to just live with the gap. This can be especially tempting if you have just lost the odd tooth at the side or back, where it doesn’t affect your smile so much.

At Orpington Dental Care, we encourage all our patients who have lost teeth to get replacements of some kind for a number of reasons. In Orpington, dental implants are the best kind of replacement for a single missing tooth.

Why fill the gap?

If the surrounding teeth are in good health, you don’t really want to compromise them by leaving a gap. When there is a gap in the teeth, the bone and where the missing tooth used to be start to shrink through lack of use. Also, our teeth support each other in their places and when there is a gap that support is compromised, so the teeth can start to move around and tip over into the gap, even fall out. So, losing one tooth can, over time, lead to losing more teeth.

What can dental implants do?

In Orpington, dental implants work by replacing the root of the tooth as well as the crown. They are the only kind of tooth restoration that does this. Having a replacement root means that the cells in the jawbone and the gum can continue to renew themselves and keep both strong and healthy. If you opt for a bridge, you won’t get a replacement root, plus you will lose the 2 perfectly good teeth on either side of the gap, as these will have to be ground down to become the abutments for the bridge to fix onto.

When you have a dental implant, you will need to take half a day off work to have minor oral surgery under local anaesthetic to have it fitted. Once in place, the implant needs several weeks to heal and integrate with the jawbone. When that’s done, you can come back and we will fit your custom-made porcelain crown, which will blend in seamlessly with your other teeth.

Orpington dental implants can last for decades if they are well looked after.

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