We feel that any effective oral hygiene routine should include brushing twice daily, flossing daily and regular 6 monthly check-ups and appointments with the hygienist. These are particularly important as it allows your dentist to efficiently detect and treat any potential issues before they escalate. Moreover, appointments with a hygienist are essential as even the most effective oral hygiene routine requires a professional touch every now and then. These hygiene treatments are designed to remove any tough plaque that would not dislodge through regular brushing or flossing, apply a fluoride treatment, conduct saliva testing to determine the quality of your saliva and apply fissure sealants (if required) to any deep groves and pits which naturally occur in the teeth to prevent decay.
If it’s been a while since you last checked, contact our friendly team to arrange a check-up and hygiene appointment.
With the introduction of newer porcelains, inlays and onlays are being used more frequently now to rebuild damaged teeth.
The benefits of white inlays or onlays is they involved less preparation of your tooth, are cost-effective and can be tailored to precisely match the existing colour of your teeth leaving you with a beautiful natural smile. In fact, they are virtually indistinguishable to the naked eye. White inlays or onlays are used to replace larger fillings. These restorations are fused onto the remaining tooth.
The newer porcelains we use at Prime Dental have a similar hardness to enamel compared with other porcelains, which are harder than our own teeth. This was a major problem because they would abrade the opposing teeth with time.
At Prime Dental CEREC is our preferred method of restoring heavily filled teeth, as it is more accurate and efficient than traditional techniques, with precise restoration being created and fitted in a single visit.
Cracked tooth syndrome is a common problem which usually affects teeth that have large fillings.
The decay and subsequent restoration causes a weakening of the remaining tooth structure. Like all materials, teeth are subject to stress fatigue. After many bites on the tooth (stress cycles) a hairline fracture can develop, often at the bottom of the cavity.
As the tooth flexes the nerve is stimulated via tiny tubules in the dentine, which run down to the pulp (nerve), often resulting in a large amount of pain. The nerve is aggravated by the crack and by the bacteria being pumped into it via the flexing action of chewing, it becomes inflamed. The major symptom of this is a sensitivity to hot and cold, and pain on biting.
If left untreated the crack will normally continue to propagate like a crack in glass. Sometimes the crack goes off to the side, and the tooth fragment breaks off. The crack can also run deep into the tooth and at times right into the nerve. This can result in painful, extended and often costly treatment. Thus, it is essential to treat this problem early on before it develops.
At Prime Dental we recommend the best solution is usually to bind the whole tooth together with a crown to prevent further crack development.
