General Dental Treatments

The most important step in dentistry is the consultation session. This should be the beginning step to any and all dental treatments. Only, after a thorough consultation session and assessment, dental work can proceed. However, emergency dental appointments are also initiated with an emergency consultation session. We tend to keep these short so we can try our best to ensure our patients are pain-free. These sessions are kept to give the patient a one-to-one interview with the dentist, to discuss any concerns and issues, and how these can be resolved. This is an essential step of dental treatment.

Dental X-rays are essential for specific dental treatments, and even in the consultation session. This is used to detect the issue which may be causing the pain. It is a preliminary treatment for orthodontics, root canal treatments, dental implants, certain oral surgical procedures and tooth extractions. However, these X-rays are mandatory and essential during and before any treatment.
Dental X-rays which are no older than 3 months can be used for these procedures, although if the patient does not have an x-ray, the dentist will take one. There are two types, the first is an intraoral X-ray and the second is a panoramic X-ray. An intraoral X-ray is a radiographic image of an individual tooth. A panoramic radiograph is a panoramic scanning of the upper and lower jaw. It shows a two-dimensional view of a half-circle from ear to ear.

A hygiene session (teeth cleaning) is the basic treatment that includes professional cleaning of the teeth for the patient. This is usually called scaling and polishing or a 'cleaning'. Our most important role is showing the patient the best way to keep the teeth free of plaque and gum disease. There are places in the mouth that an individual cannot clean or maintain healthy oral hygiene and cleaning sessions take place. During the treatment, the dentist or our hygienist will also clean the tooth roots and underneath the gum line with a special implement. This procedure is essential for the well-being of teeth and gums, and should be repeated twice a year to maintain healthy oral hygiene.

All of our tooth fillings are made of composite gradia, and are so called white fillings, or tooth coloured dental fillings. These tooth fillings are safe, quick to set, and can be moulded to the shape of your teeth, and can be put on any tooth surface with ease. Tooth fillings are used when a part of the tooth surface has been affected by decay, and the internal structure of the tooth is either compromised, or about to be compromised. Tooth fillings usually take about half an hour to place, and require some amount of the infected tooth material to be removed.

While many teens and some adults get their wisdom teeth removed, there are other reasons why tooth extraction may be necessary in adulthood. Excessive tooth decay, tooth infection and crowding can all require a tooth extraction. Those who get braces may need one or two teeth removed to provide room for their other teeth as they shift into place. This is so called the 'last option' in the dental industry. It takes a few days to recover after tooth extraction. There is a strict after-care instruction booklet, which needs to be followed to avoid infection, dry sockets, and other complications. Dental extractions will leave you with a missing tooth, and the tooth needs to be replaced immediately with a dental implant, in order to avoid further tooth loss.

Every person has a different experience with wisdom teeth. For some of us, wisdom teeth can erupt without any problem, for many of us on the other hand wisdom teeth can cause a huge amount of pain and discomfort in some cases even resulting in inflammation or infection. The process begins with a panoramic x-ray and a consultation with your general dentist. If your wisdom tooth is fully erupted, it can be extracted by a general dentist. The treatment is quick and can be done under local anesthesia.

A root canal is a dental procedure used to treat infection at the centre of a tooth. Root canal treatment is not painful and can save a tooth that might otherwise have to be removed completely. This is used when the internal structure of the tooth has been compromised, and the infection has spread to involve the dentine and the tooth pulp. This treatment is usually completed throughout multiple visits. We use this treatment to try and save the tooth. During a root canal treatment, the inside of the tooth is removed, killing the tooth, and a medicated tooth filling is placed inside the tooth to kill the bacteria. This is done several times, to ensure that all the bacteria is terminated. In the end, the dentist will refresh the tooth till the root, and make certain the tooth continues to function.

Plaque and tartar build up on your teeth is not purely an aesthetic issue, it contains bacteria that can cause gum inflammation, can attack the enamel of your teeth (creating cavities) and if not removed regularly, it can lead to periodontal disease. Without thorough brushing and flossing plaque can also develop under the gums and can erode the supporting bone surrounding the root. If not treated, periodontal disease may result in tooth loss. Fortunately mild or moderate cases of periodontal disease can be treated without a surgical procedure.