General and Preventive Dentistry

We provide a comprehensive range of services:-

Regular examinations and second opinions
Intra-oral and panoramic radiography
Hygienist services
Traditional amalgam and gold restorations
Tooth coloured fillings, inlays, veneers, crowns and bridges
Periodontal (gum) treatment
Root canal treatment
Extractions
Removable partial and full dentures
Sports gum shields
Wisdom tooth removal (by our Specialist Oral Surgeon)
Dental implants (click here for more information)
Sedation (click here for more information)

Preventive dental care is central to the way we practice. Reducing decay and encouraging good oral hygiene and dietary habits in childhood can save a lifetime of needing to repair and replace restorations.

Preventive Dental Care includes:

Advice on the best oral hygiene techniques and products appropriate for you as an individual

Removing deposits of tartar through scaling and polishing
Analysing a diet diary kept over a few days and recommending healthy eating habits for your oral and general health.

For patients at high risk of tooth decay, we use special tests to check the protective effect of saliva and count the numbers of harmful bacteria in the mouth.

Screening for oral cancer and providing a pathway to smoking cessation clinics

Sealing the biting surfaces of permanent teeth to prevent cavities.

Painting fluoride varnishes regularly on teeth to strengthen the surface and increase resistance to decay.

Prescribing fluoride tablets and drops

Providing a splint to protect teeth where they are being worn from grinding overnight.

Providing a custom fit gum shield for contact sports.

Advising parents, local schools and sports clubs on knowing how what to do if the mouth is injured or if a tooth is knocked out.

We are also now beginning to see many patients keep their teeth into old age presenting a whole new challenge for dentistry. Often these people have extensively restored mouths with crowns, fillings, bridgework and partial dentures, rather than full dentures as in recent decades.

We believe that the elderly require special care and attention and are particularly likely to benefit from preventive care. Some of the challenges that we are all seeing increasingly often are listed below:-

Home care such as brushing, flossing and using interdental cleaning aids can become difficult as we age with problems such as arthritis and Parkinson’s disease. It also becomes more difficult to manage lengthy dental appointments.

Teeth can become worn over a lifetime of use, especially with some modern diets. Some of the drugs needed to keep long term health problems under control can lead to a dry mouth, making teeth more prone to decay.

Many long term health problems such as diabetes affect our oral health and risk of gum disease and tooth decay.

Shrinkage of the gums can occur over time exposing the roots which are especially prone to decay. Changes in lifestyle such as retirement or moving into residential care often lead to changes in diet with increased intake of sugary food and drinks.

In addition to the preventive dental care listed above, we provide the following to this group of patients where needed:

Prescription only strength high fluoride toothpastes

Specially adapted toothbrushes where manual dexterity has been lost

Help for relatives and carers on effective home dental care

Home visits for examination and hygiene services including fluoride varnish applications

Recaldent treatment - to apply calcium to teeth at risk of decay