Dental Blog - Orpington Dental Care

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.

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.

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