Dental Blog - Orpington Dental Care

Dental implants in Orpington: the facts

Whether you have lost one, two, a whole arch or an entire set of your teeth, dental implants in Orpington can help. At Orpington Dental Care, we can replace any number of teeth with this durable and stable tooth replacement technique.

What are dental implants?

Dental Implants in Orpington Implants are unique because they are the only tooth replacement method that replaces the root of the tooth as well as the crown. A tiny titanium screw is fixed into the jawbone, in a minor surgical procedure, which mimics the lost tooth root. After a healing period of up to three months, an abutment is fitted to the implant, and then a crown is fixed on top.

Why have dental implants?

There are many benefits:

The jawbone can begin to sag and deteriorate around the site of a lost tooth. This is because without the tooth root in place, the jaw isn’t getting the tiny taps it needs to keep growing. The body believes that the bone is no longer needed here and so begins to dissolve. As dental implants replace the tooth root, the jawbone once again gets the stimulation it needs to start growing. No other tooth replacement method offers this.
Biting, chewing and speaking function is fully restored. Dental implants act just as natural teeth do, so there is no slipping, slurring of words or pain on biting down.
Titanium is biocompatible. This means that the body accepts it as natural tissue. The jawbone grows around the site of the implant and integrates it into the body’s structures. This means that implants are very secure and can last a lifetime with proper care.
Implants are easy to clean: you maintain them just as you would your natural teeth. No taking them out at night like with dentures.

Are dental implants for me?

To find out if you could benefit from dental implants in Orpington, drop into our practice and talk to our experienced implant dentists. You can choose to replace a single lost tooth with one implant, or you can have a bridge or even a whole set of dentures fixed on one to four implants.

Are you kissing with confidence?

There’s nothing quite so likely to put the kibosh on a date than finally getting up close and personal with Mr or Mrs Gorgeous only to discover they don’t have very good dental hygiene.

They may be the most charming, witty and generous of dates but if, as you’ve gazed at them over coffee, cocktails, or even dinner, you’ve noticed that their teeth have that yellow build-up between them, and are stained, it could be a deal breaker. Your smile is top of the list of things people notice when they meet you for the first time.

It’s hard to kiss someone who hasn’t been taking care of their teeth. So, you shake hands instead and go back to the internet hoping for someone who pays attention to their dental hygiene in Orpington. Or maybe you have been the person no one can bring themselves to kiss. If it’s been so long since you had a good scale and polish that you’ve forgotten what clean teeth look like, take a long look in the mirror and see if you don’t need some help.

Disgust is a hardwired reaction to keep us away from things that might infect us, and grotty teeth can become breeding grounds of disease. It is almost impossible to over-ride the feeling of disgust, so deeply is it hardwired into our reactions.

Fortunately, good dental hygiene in Orpington is easy with us at Orpington Dental Care. Just book an appointment to get a good scale and polish and you can easily get rid of plaque and tartar where decay and gum disease-causing bacteria build up. This will do away with any bad breath associated with poor dental hygiene. If you haven’t had a scale and polish in a while, you might need more than one appointment. Then, to keep on top of it, you need to brush twice a day at home with a good fluoride toothpaste, and use floss and interdental brushes to clean between your teeth. Your check-up will flag up any remedial dentistry you need, and then you will be good to go back out into the world of smiling at people you don’t know and hopefully, this time, kissing a few of them too.

Would your smile benefit from straighter teeth?

Does your heart sink when you look in the mirror? Crooked, unevenly spaced or crowded teeth can detract from your appearance and make you feel self-conscious. If you long to stop worrying about how your teeth look, then having braces in Orpington could be the solution. At Orpington Dental Care, we provide treatments that are focussed on straightening your teeth so that you relax and enjoy your smile again. We treat children and adults in Orpington. Braces could improve your appearance of or that of anyone in your family, and prevent longer-term problems arising from misaligned teeth.

Who can have braces?

It is often considered that childhood is the best time to have treatment, when the jaw is still growing and developing. However, if you are an adult with wonky teeth, then it is certainly not too late to have them straightened. As people have different requirements, we offer a range of braces in Orpington. Our adult patients have busy social and professional lives so often request treatment that is discreet or works very quickly. If speed if your main priority then you could choose the Six Month Smiles system, which uses effective clear brackets and tooth-coloured wires. This means that it is very unobtrusive and you really can have a new smile in as little as half a year. If you need a brace that is almost invisible, then the clear Invisalign aligners may suit you better.

What should I expect?

We want you to have a smile that you are proud of and a treatment that suits your lifestyle and budget. Your initial consultation is a chance for us to find out exactly what you would like to achieve. We also check the teeth and gums thoroughly to ensure that they are sound, and make sure that you get the treatment that is right for you. We will talk you through every stage so that you are fully informed from start to finish. If you are looking for braces in Orpington, then you can rest assured that you are in safe hands.

Take the first step towards having an attractive new smile today and contact us to see how we can help you with braces in Orpington.

Can I replace my missing teeth?

Missing teeth are a problem for many of our patients here at Orpington Dental Care. In fact, even a single missing tooth can harm the stability of the rest of your teeth. Fortunately, it is not something you need to live with for the rest of your life.

Therefore, our dentists will emphasise the importance of replacing missing teeth with suitable replacements, such as dental implants in Orpington. These restorations will not only take the place of lost teeth, but will also mimic the natural structure of the teeth and help maintain the rest of your smile.

What are dental implants?

Your natural teeth consist of two parts: the part you can see above the gum line and the part anchored by tissue and bone, known as the root. The implant portion of your dental implants in Orpington are titanium screws secured directly into the jawbone.

Our dentists here at Orpington Dental Care use them to replace one, several, or all your missing teeth by topping them with a crown, or using them for an implant retained denture.

What are the consequences of missing teeth?

Many people believe that losing teeth is inevitable, but the truth is your permanent teeth should last a lifetime. However, due to many factors, not all of which are in your control, teeth sometimes can fall out or but subject to an accident resulting in tooth loss.

This loss will not only leave a gap in your smile, but will also disrupt the balanced relationship between the tooth and bone. The jawbone helps to anchor teeth in position, but the teeth also stimulate the bone to keep it strong.

When you lose one or more teeth, it will also lead to some level of bone loss as there is nothing in the socket to stimulate the underlying structures. This loss of bone can impact your appearance and can even make you appear older than you are.

It will also affect your overall health because you may experience problems with the remaining teeth and could lose your ability to speak or eat easily. With dental implants in Orpington these problems could be a thing of the past.

Your teeth straightening options in Orpington

Many patients want to know how they can straighten their teeth. Lots of people who have had teeth straightening treatments earlier on in life now feel like they need to seek assistance again as their teeth have moved over time.

Here at Orpington Dental Care, we have treatments that can perform more minor adjustments to teeth in much shorter amounts of time than traditional braces in Orpington.

These cosmetic braces in Orpington can help give you back the confidence you deserve when smiling and laughing in social situations.

Thanks to advances in dental technology and new materials being made more commonly available, treatments can now straighten your teeth much more quickly and much less conspicuously than in the past.

Teeth straightening options: Six Month Smiles

Six Month Smiles is a step on from traditional braces, designed to straighten more minor misalignments in less time. The average treatment time for this type of braces in Orpington is just six months.

Six Month Smiles treatments times are shorter because it focuses on the front six teeth that are visible when you smile. This is why Six Month Smiles is considered a cosmetic treatment. It can only perform limited adjustments.

Six Month Smiles treatments also benefit from being made from tooth-coloured and clear materials that make them much less conspicuous than traditional metal braces.

With Six Month Smiles, you can straighten your teeth quicker and without having to worry about a mouth full of metal wires and brackets.

Teeth straightening options: Invisalign

Another treatment that has seen a surge in popularity is Invisalign. This treatment bears little resemblance to traditional braces. It hardly uses any metal components at all.

Invisalign uses a series of custom-moulded plastic aligners that are slightly different in shape from one to the next. This change in shape applies pressure to your teeth and changes their position over time.

This treatment is also more suited to less drastic movements. Invisalign is also very inconspicuous. Not many people will even notice you’re undergoing treatment when the aligners are in your mouth.

The aligners are removable allowing for much more practicality than a fixed appliance.

Getting that extra shine

If you have teeth that make you feel self-conscious when smiling because of discolouration, then tooth whitening treatments could be the solution for you. Teeth whitening treatments are the most popular cosmetic dental treatment in the UK.

This is because a tooth whitening treatment can provide a fast, cost-effective boost to your smile, bringing out its potential.

Tooth Whitening in Orpington According to National Smile Month in the UK, the smile is the first thing we notice when meeting a new person, so it’s important to make a good first impression.

In-practice tooth whitening

Here at Orpington Dental, we offer two different types of tooth whitening in Orpington. The first takes place inside the dental practice. Power whitening gets the fastest results and has to be carried out by a dental professional.

During this treatment, a protective barrier covers your gums and lips and the highly concentrated gel is placed onto your teeth. A special lamp is then placed over your mouth to activate the bleaching process.

The whole process takes around an hour and your teeth can appear a few shades brighter than before the treatment started.

Home whitening

If you would rather do your whitening by stealth, you can take home a kit to make your teeth lighter over a period of a couple of weeks. This treatment can also be used to give previously home whitened teeth a little boost.

With this treatment, we custom make a set of tooth trays that fit your teeth perfectly. The whitening gel is then put into these trays and worn for a few hours until you reach the shade you’re happy with.

The results are normally seen over two weeks, depending on how often and how long you wear the tooth trays.

Causes of discolouration

Tooth discolouration can happen for many reasons. The most common reason for discolouration is the food we like to eat and the things we like to drink. Tea, coffee, cola, wines and even certain types of fruits and vegetables can stain our teeth.

Smoking is another leading cause of discolouration. Many of the main causes of discolouration are things we choose to do and our habits.

Replace your teeth the modern way

Stereotypical images can take a long time to die away, and one that hangs on longer than it needs to is that of the old person with a set of dentures that don’t really fit in their mouths, but when they take them out, they look sunken-faced. This image of old age is on the way out, thanks to dental implants in Orpington.

It’s not that there is no such thing as dentures anymore, it’s just that dental implants in Orpington from Orpington Dental Care are people’s first choice for replacing teeth these days, and small wonder.

Dental Implants in Orpington Dental implants have been around since the 1980s, so they are way past their experimental stage and are now very much part of mainstream dentistry, so much so that people now losing their teeth see them as a first choice rather than something to aspire to that only the elite can have.

Dental implants are the only tooth replacement method that restores full functionality to the mouth. This means that they can chew as well as your original teeth, and allow you to speak clearly and use your smile as freely as you used to. All of these important functions are compromised in some way by the other two replacement options: dentures and fixed bridges.

Strong roots

The big advantage implants have is that they are fixed into the jawbone, replacing the root of the tooth as well as the crown. Dentures and bridges only replace the crown. This means that they cannot keep the jawbone in a strong healthy condition. Without something in it telling it it’s still in use, the jawbone quickly starts to dissolve itself and becomes noticeably smaller. If you have lost all your teeth, it will shrink all over. If not, it will shrink only in the places you have lost teeth. Either way, it will affect how you look. If you wear dentures, it is this shrinkage that causes them to become loose and ineffective in a relatively short space of time.

But with dental implants in Orpington, you can continue to eat, speak and smile as before. Come in for a consultation to find out more.

Getting that perfect, straight smile with braces in Orpington

If you have dreamt of having that perfect smile shown on TV and film, you’ll be happy to know it’s easier than ever to achieve. Thanks to advances in technology, straightening your teeth can be faster and less conspicuous than in the past.

Here at Orpington Dental Care in Orpington, braces have evolved far beyond the days of metal ‘train track’ braces. You can now straighten your teeth without anyone even being able to notice you’re undergoing any treatment at all.

These new types of treatment are considered more cosmetic as they can’t achieve the dramatic adjustments that traditional braces can.

Six Month Smiles

A new treatment that can have your teeth looking better in just six months is Six Month Smiles. These braces work on the same principle as traditional braces.

The first way these braces differ from traditional braces in Orpington is that they are made from tooth-coloured and clear materials, making them much less conspicuous than metal braces. This is a great improvement on older types of braces, the appearance of which may put many adults off straightening their teeth.

The next difference is in the design and function of Six Month Smiles. Six Month Smiles focuses on the ‘social six’. These are the teeth that are visible when you smile.

Because the treatment deals with these teeth only, the treatment time is greatly reduced to between four and nine months. This treatment is popular on makeover shows on TV due to its fast-acting nature and transformative power.

Invisalign

Invisalign treatment is a more modern treatment that has less in common with traditional braces. Instead of the usual metal brackets and wires, Invisalign uses a series of clear plastic tooth aligners that snap on over your teeth.

These aligners are almost completely invisible when in use and are completely removable, allowing for easy cleaning and maintaining a high standard of oral hygiene.

It’s important to remember that while both of these treatments are considered cosmetic, there are numerous health benefits to having straighter teeth.

With these new treatments, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t seek treatment and make the most of your beautiful, natural teeth.

Having dental implants in Orpington

If you have lost one or all of your teeth, we have a solution for you at Orpington Dental Care. In Orpington, dental implants can replace any number of missing teeth permanently.

Implants are considered the closest thing to growing a new natural tooth in place of your missing one. This is because implants act as a substitute for a natural tooth root.

Dental implants can even support existing dentures, making them much more usable and adding a whole new realm of practicality to often troublesome dentures.

Dental implant procedure

Getting dental implants requires a minor surgical procedure. During this procedure, a titanium screw is inserted into the patient’s jaw. To allow this screw to be attached firmly, a small hole will need to be drilled into the patient’s jawbone.

The aim is for the screw to have as much contact with the natural bone as possible. This will allow the bone to integrate with the screw more easily, creating a stable anchor for whichever attachment is appropriate to complete the patient’s smile.

The implant usually takes two to six months to heal and integrate into the jawbone. Once the implant is strong and stable it can last the patient a lifetime.

Multiple missing teeth?

In Orpington, dental implants can replace a single missing tooth by the addition of a crown to the implant. This crown is custom-made to fit your smile perfectly so that no one can tell it’s not a real tooth.

If you have lost multiple teeth then a dental implant can support what is known as a bridge. Bridges bridge the gap between missing teeth. One single dental implant can support anything up to three false teeth in a row.

Another great application of dental implants is the stabilisation of dentures. If you have been a denture user for a long time or if you are new to the world of dentures, dental implants can be used to attach dentures firmly in your mouth.

This means you can do away with denture adhesives for the rest of your life and get more chewing power out of your dentures. This versatility and permanence make dental implants a preferable treatment for missing teeth.

Why mouth cancer screening is important

Your overall health is affected by your oral health, which is why it is really important to visit your dentist regularly for dental check-ups. While cavities, plaque, and gum disease are common problems that you might experience if you are not careful with your oral health, you also run the risk of developing oral cancer. Oral cancer tends to be painless and many patients overlook the symptoms. However, if detected early, oral cancer is curable with a significantly improved recovery rate over later detections.

Mouth Cancer Screening in Orpington At Orpington Dental Care, we urge our patients to visit the dental practice for a mouth cancer screening as soon as they notice something wrong with their mouth or throat. Ideally, the screening should be performed at least once a year or more frequently if you are at higher risk of developing oral cancer. The screening process is painless and very quick.

Who can get oral cancer?

Though generally, people who smoke or drink excessively are at higher risk of developing oral cancer, anyone can be at risk. New findings also suggest that while most oral cancers are diagnosed in people aged 45 and over, younger patients are also at risk due to complications caused by HPV, a sexually transmitted disease.

What are the warning signs?

Oral cancer can occur anywhere in or around the mouth including the tongue, lips, cheeks, palates, sinuses and the throat. The signs and symptoms of oral cancer typically mean it is already developed and you are running out of time to treat it effectively. These include white patches in your mouth, bleeding that is not related to gum disease, swelling, lumps, bumps, spots and sores on the face and the neck that do not heal. Your dentist will examine your face, mouth and throat thoroughly and determine whether any of these symptoms are related to oral cancer. Sometimes the issue can be something entirely unrelated, and sometimes it can be oral cancer. However, any of these symptoms warrant a visit to the dentist to request a mouth cancer screening.

By making it a point to visit your dentist regularly, you make it easier for oral cancer and other dental problems to be identified and treated at an early stage.

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