General

This can happen as a result of Caries, (Decay), Trauma or as a result of Grinding.

It is important to visit your dentist as soon as possible following an event such as a ‘Chipped Tooth’ as it may be a simple matter to fix if done immediately thereby avoiding Root Canal Treatment or even an Extraction.

Also known as ‘Caps’ a Crown is a Laboratory custom made jacket made of porcelain and fitted over a slightly paired down version of the concerned tooth.

They are indicated for teeth that have very little remaining tooth substance and require strengthening to enable the tooth to function better.

They are particularly recommended in side or back teeth that have had a Root Canal Treatment. Such teeth are very prone to fracture as they are brittle. The breakage can be severe and it can happen shortly after the Root Treatment has been carried out hence it is important to follow up immediately on a tooth that has been Root Treated and place a crown.

When a tooth is extracted the bone which contained the root prior to removal tends to recede back from the point where the tooth was removed. This is a problem when the Dentist wants to carry out replacement of that tooth in a form of an Implant or indeed for a Partial of Full Denture.

Lack of bone height or width may make it difficult or impossible to place an implant or reduce the effectiveness of a Partial or Full Denture.

It is therefore often advised to place a Bone Graft which is made up of Bone Crystals in the socket site where the tooth has been removed.

This mesh of Bone Graft minimises the shrinking of natural bone which would otherwise occur.

While Extractions could not be considered pleasant when carried out by a competent operator whose skills are fit for purpose for the job entailed the procedure is pain free.

In our practice we are fortunate to have the services of Dr Haitem Bashari a Specialist who is capable of carrying out any potentially difficult tooth removals as well as the full range of Wisdom Teeth Extractions.

The procedure is painless and takes no more than 15 minutes.

Healing is uneventful and patients generally are fit to work the following day,

Teeth that are heavily filled or have significant decay present may present with pain.

In this case it may be necessary to do a Root Canal Filling whereby the Root is cleaned and sterilised and filled with a rubber material to prevent future episode of pain and abscesses.

This is the closest substitute to replace a missing tooth. A Titanium base is place underneath the gum, allowed to fuse to the bone which takes 3-4 months at which point it acts as an artificial root.

It is then uncovered, an impression is taken and sent to the Laboratory.

On return a Porcelain Crown is fixed to the implant and looks and feels completely like a natural tooth.

In some cases where the patient has a missing tooth it may be more sensible to make a Bridge.

A Bridge involves removal of the outer layer of the enamel on either side of the missing teeth.

While it would not be appropriate to do this on teeth that are perfectly fine and have no decay/fillings present, in the event of the two teeth being heavily filled it may be a good idea to prepare these teeth for crowns anyway and fill in the missing gap using the teeth on either side of the gap as pillars bridging across.

Adhesive/Maryland Bridge This type of bridge is very suitable where a patient has one front tooth missing. Minimal tooth reduction is carried out at the back of the adjacent teeth and a porcelain tooth is fixed by means of two metal wings at the back.

Dentures can provide an effective and cost efficient alternative for patients and may be the only option where there is not enough bone to support implants or if there are too many teeth missing to make a bridge.

They tend to attract plaque which can cause Decay, Gum Disease and must be left out overnight to give the Gums and Teeth a break. It is also very important to attend regularly to the Dentist to have the fit/state of the teeth adjoining the denture reviewed.

In the case where a tooth is extracted and there is a waiting period before crowns/implants can be made, a Denture is a suitable temporary choice.

There are two main types of Dentures, Acrylic and Cobalt Chrome. The latter is a better fitting custom made Denture than Acrylic and the Denture of choice.