Hello, and welcome to the first post on our new blog. Over time we will be posting more articles on a wide variety of dental related matters, whether they be cosmetic or general dentistry, general oral health guidance or addressing topical issues that appear in the media. We hope that you will find these useful and we welcome any suggestions you might have for topics that you would like us to cover.
As our first post coincides (more or less) with the beginning of a new year, we thought that we would start by looking at how the team at Purley Dental Care can help you have a great looking smile for the year ahead, using the wide range of cosmetic procedures that we have at our disposal.
Let us start with one of the most popular and best well known cosmetic dental treatments currently available. Teeth whitening has become increasingly popular over the last decade or so, perhaps due to high profile celebrities who have had this treatment and, consequently, have a great looking smile.
While cosmetic dental treatments were once the preserve of the wealthy, this is one treatment that is definitely affordable for a much wider range of people than before. It is a non-invasive treatment that is custom made to work for your teeth and will whiten them by several shades in just a short period of time. We offer both Enlighten and Boutique teeth whitening treatments at our Purley dental clinic which have proved to be both popular and highly effective over the years.
Most people will benefit significantly from a teeth whitening procedure, but for some patients, a more effective result can be achieved by using porcelain dental veneers. This is usually the case where the patient’s teeth are badly discoloured, such as may be the case with a heavy smoker, or who have suffered from minor damage such as chips and cracks.
Where a teeth whitening procedure whitens the tooth enamel, porcelain veneers are used to replace the compromised tooth surface. This usually requires a small, invasive treatment where a fine layer of enamel is removed and replaced with specially crafted porcelain. It can also provide an effective solution for patients who have sensitive teeth caused by enamel erosion. The results of this treatment can last for around ten years and often more.
The above solutions for having a whiter smile are all very well, but what if you have lost a tooth or a number of teeth? The ‘standard’ solution for this has always been to have dentures fitted, but times are changing. While dentures do fulfil a purpose and are certainly more aesthetically pleasing than they used to be, they can present a number of problems for those who wear them.
Dentures can have a tendency to move around in the mouth, sometimes at awkward moments. They can also make eating certain foods fairly difficult too. Add to that, the fiddly cleaning process and it’s hardly surprising that more and more people are now turning to dental implants.
Instead of just replacing the crown part of the tooth, dental implants also replace the root of the tooth. The implant is securely placed into the jawbone and it is this which results in their excellent strength and stability. You can eat what you want without worry and in addition, you can clean them the same way that you do your natural teeth. We will discuss the treatment procedure in more detail in a future blog.
Finally, we are delighted to provide one of the most popular teeth straightening systems currently available, in the form of Invisalign aligners. These replace the traditional metal ‘train track’ braces which can be so unsightly and also present problems such as trapped food. Invisalign orthodontics are designed to not only be more comfortable but also much more discreet too as they are made from a transparent material. They are also designed to be removed by the patient for short periods of time when eating meals and cleaning their teeth. This makes them incredibly convenient, especially compared to traditional dental braces.
We hope that you have found this brief introduction to cosmetic dentistry at our Purley clinic useful and we will be looking in more depth at specific treatments in the weeks to come. In the meantime, if you would like to see how we can help you have a more attractive smile, why not give our friendly team a call today to see how we can help? You can contact Purley Dental Care either by using the form on our website or by giving us a call on 020 8660 2928.
