Basildon dentists are currently using new technologies that are constantly being introduced into the world of dentistry. Technology is advancing at an incredible rate with tools like dental lasers making surgery more comfortable and improving recovery times. But perhaps the most significant new tool in the dentistry field is the digital x-ray. This has facilitated a number of pioneering new dental treatments and made many existing dental procedures much more efficient.

Digital x-rays possess several major advantages over conventional x-rays. The most obvious advantage is the time taken to process the image. Traditional x-rays need to be developed like photographs in a laboratory. This takes time and can cause problems with under or overexposure. It often meant that at times, the images are less than perfectly clear making diagnosis and treatment slightly tricky. New digital x-rays can be processed immediately and displayed on a computer screen right in front of the dentist. The images are very clear and very accurate and allow the dentist to use or save the image in the patients file.

Another major advantage comes in the area of safety. Digital x-rays use about 80 per cent less radiation than the old style x-ray machines which makes them less damaging to both patients and the dentists who use them every day. This has managed to alleviate one of the most common dangers of using x-rays.

Digital x-rays have also made possible the emergence of chair-side dentistry. The speed these images can be produced combined with other computer guided machinery means that dentists are now able to manufacture and fit dental restorations such as crowns and veneers in only a single appointment. This has vastly improved both the speed and accuracy of treatment. Call 01245 268 494 for a free consultation at Advance Dental Clinic in Chelmsford

Dental pain is an awful experience, and no matter how good your teeth are we are all prone to it from time to time. The pain in a tooth can be the cause of many factors, constant airline travellers suffer from the consequences of the pressurised cabins that take their toll on our teeth. A Chelmsford dentist has advised that it is important to analyse the source of the pain in order to treat any long term problems, the last thing a patient needs is to keep coming back to the dentist for pain relief. Usually a tooth ache can be dealt with by taking a few pain killers, and these days we have many kinds that are really powerful, yet not harmful like the long term use of Paracetamol. Many patients will consult their dentist with a tooth ache that won’t go away, and the dentist will end up treating an infection caused by a bad oral hygiene regime or even worse, no oral hygiene program at all. Bacteria is always in the mouth and produces acid which eats away at the enamel, this then weakens the surface and cracks appear leaving a route for bacteria to enter the inner chamber. The infection can progress into an abscess and swelling, along with the excruciating pain that will follow. If the problem persists then the dentist will either extract the tooth or try to save it with a root canal treatment. First they will drill out the inside of the tooth and remove any deep impounded bacteria, the hole is then filled with an anti-bacterial material to prevent further infections, this is then topped off with a hard crown and the problem usually goes away, however a good oral hygiene plan is recommended by dentists to prevent this happening again in the future. Call 01245 268 494 for a free consultation at Advance Dental Clinic in Chelmsford.

General dentistry is the term used to describe all the services a modern dentist surgery offers, says an Epping dentist. This can be anything from advice about oral care to a dental implant, with teeth whitening and repairs in between. Starting with oral care all dentists now have an oral care nurse on duty to advise their patients how to take better care of their teeth, this will range from flossing and brushing techniques to choosing the correct brush for the individual patient. From the time you get your first molars to the time you start losing your adult teeth, your dentist will be able to advise you on the best way to prevent premature loss of your teeth. Teeth whitening is a fairly new facility offered by general dentistry practitioners, this used to be something that cosmetic dentists had a monopoly on as their clients tended to very rich ones. With new techniques and less training time whitening has become very popular over the past 10 years. Your dentist can also offer you veneers that solve many problems from discolouration to crooked, chipped and cracked teeth. Veneers are offered in either a thin version or a porcelain one, they are glued or cemented into the surface of the tooth and basically cover up any of the problems mentioned. They last from 3-5 years for thin veneers and 10-15 years for porcelain ones, both are replaceable. For more complicated problems a dentist can also handle dental implants, these are used to replace lost teeth with false ones that are permanently anchored to the jaw bone just like a real tooth. A crown is also possible to replace part of a damaged tooth, and this facility comes with a bridge version that anchors a false tooth between two other false teeth, these are anchored onto the teeth either side of the false one. Call 01245 268 494 for a free consultation at Advance Dental Clinic in Chelmsford.

When you watch rugby or boxing on the TV you notice that all the players wear mouth guards. There are many other sports such as ice-hockey and hockey where mouth guards are an essential part of safety equipment. This is because wearing a mouth guard when playing very physical sport or sport with a high risk of injury to the face could save you a lot of pain. This is because it offers protection to the teeth and gums which are at risk of injury and even being knocked out.

Sporting injuries to the teeth are very common. About half the teeth knocked out in the UK each year are as the result of sporting injury, so you have to ask yourself if you are doing enough to protect yours when playing sport. A mouth guard from your dentist will go a long way to giving your teeth extra protection against trauma. Anyone who has ever suffered a sporting dental injury will certainly advise you that this is a good idea, as it is not a very pleasant and often quite costly accident to have happen to you.

You can buy mouth guards in sporting good shops but these are generic and not designed for your particular teeth, which means they may not be providing the best protection. A Brentwood dentist will be able to make you a mouth guard based on a mould of your teeth so that is well-fitted and spreads the force of any impact evenly among the teeth, reducing the risk of severe trauma.

For children playing sport, it is important to remember to have the mouth guard changed every six months so that it is not outgrown by developing teeth. Call 01245 268 494 for a free consultation at Advance Dental Clinic in Chelmsford.

The two fundamental principles of good dental health are effective oral hygiene and regular dental check ups. The two are complimentary and go hand in hand to keep your teeth and mouth in the best shape possible. One without the other will lead to problems in the short and long-term that may involve pain, tooth loss and possibly great expense.

Effective dental hygiene involves thorough teeth cleaning by brushing and flossing at home. Epping dentists can give you more information on effective teeth cleaning which will help to reduce the risk of gum disease and tooth decay. Some basic principles include brushing your teeth with a soft bristled brush for three minutes twice a day, making sure to also gently clean the gums. This will remove the majority of bacteria and plaque that coats the teeth after eating. Also, floss once a day to remove bacteria from the hard to reach places like the gaps between the teeth and areas around their bases.

However, even the most effective oral hygiene routine can succumb to the dangers of dental disease. One of the problems we have is that no matter how well we clean our teeth it is always the areas that we cannot clean effectively that are affected by dental problems. This is why it is so important to see a dentist every six months for a check up appointment. This will ensure that all the areas of your mouth are cleaned and checked for the signs of decay and disease. Early detection of dental disease will limit the damage it causes and allows the dentist to take measures to protect the teeth and gums from further damage.

Dentists are also able to check for the signs and symptoms of other oral conditions such as oral cancer as a routine part of a check up appointment. Call 01245 268 494 for a free consultation at Advance Dental Clinic in Chelmsford.

When teeth are damaged either by decay or accident, the pain is caused by the exposure of the sensitive dental nerve located at the centre of the tooth. In a normal functioning tooth the nerve is protected by a layer of pulp and dentine and then finally covered with a layer of hard protective enamel. When a tooth suffers form decay this enamel is broken down exposing the softer central parts of the tooth and dental nerve to infection and extremes of hot and cold. This can lead to painful toothache and even tooth loss.

Holes in the enamel therefore need to be filled with a protective substance to replace the enamel. These are commonly known as fillings but in certain circumstances, a filling is not enough to protect the tooth from further damage and more extensive protection is needed. In this case dentists uses what is called a crown to offer a greater degree of protection to the tooth. A crown covers the whole of the tooth exposed above the gum and can be made form metal, porcelain or a combination of the two, although most patients today prefer porcelain because of the aesthetic qualities it offers.

Crowns are also used for teeth that have been cracked and damaged by injury to the face. Cracked or broken teeth can be very painful and if they cannot be repaired with dental bonding then they too will require a crown from a Billericay dentist to prevent further pain.

The crown is manufactured to closely resemble the shape pf the existing tooth before being cemented over the top to act as a protective barrier. It may be necessary to remove some existing enamel to allow the crown to fit comfortably over the top. A dental crown can last longer than fifteen years if properly cared for. Call 01245 268 494 for a free consultation at Advance Dental Clinic in Chelmsford.

Bad breath is often something even our best friends daren’t mention for fear of upsetting us, yet if we know about it and seek some simple advice, we can avoid it. The problem is that it is often down to some bad habits we have as individuals, says a Colchester dentist. There isn’t a cure as such; it is just a matter in most cases of changing our eating and lifestyle habits. The liver is a vital organ that gets rid of toxins in the body; it also produces chemicals that are responsible for bad breath. Bad breath in some cases is just a matter of what we eat, foods such as spicy curries can leave an odour on the breath that lingers and dries the saliva that we produce to neutralise bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria is good for us in the first instance, but after it has done its job in breaking down our food, it needs to be got rid of. Flossing and mouth washing are a start, but just a simple routine like drinking water throughout the day will also help. Alcohol is a major cause of bad breath, it makes the liver work overtime and is a warning to us that our intake is above safety levels; the liver gives us bad breath for this reason. A lax attitude in oral care is also a major cause, as well as certain conditions like diabetes. Seeing a dental hygienist or your doctor is a good place to start, brushing your teeth after every meal will also stop the build up of bacteria that cause the problem. Make sure that you use a good mouthwash, and taking care to avoid gum diseases like Gingivitis will also bring bad breath to an end, giving up smoking can also help. Call 01245 268 494 for a free consultation at Advance Dental Clinic in Chelmsford.

Gingivitis, more commonly known as gum disease, is an oral infection that affects the gums caused by bacterial growth in the mouth. If not properly treated gingivitis can become the more serious periodontitis resulting in tooth loss and the destruction of soft gingival tissue in the mouth. Gum disease has also been linked to various other infections in the body including heart disease. It is believed that bacterial infection in the mouth can infiltrate the bloodstream and cause wider health problems if not treated successfully.

Gingivitis is initially caused by plaque build up. Plaque is a filmy substance made up of bacteria and other debris that covers the tooth enamel and gum tissue and erodes it. This causes irritation of the gums which may bleed when brushed firmly. This kind of irritation is easily treated and combated by more effective cleaning. However, if left untreated, gingivitis can become peridontitis where the infection creates pockets between the teeth and gums which can spread the infection below the gum line. This is very hard to clean with conventional brushes and may need some antibiotic treatment. In sever cases some tissue may need to be removed if beyond treatment in a process called a gingivectomy.

Although gum disease my be caused by more wide ranging health issues such as hormonal changes and illness it is most often caused by poor standards of oral hygiene. An improvement in brushing and flossing and making regular six-month check up appointments with a Basildon dentist is usually enough to keep gum disease at bay.

Even if you think you have healthy gums and are experiencing no irritation or symptoms of gum disease it is still necessary to see a dentist on a regular basis. Some gum disease shows little or no sign of obvious infection but a dentist will be able to spot the warning signs. As previously mentioned, gum disease can be the underlying cause of a more systematic infection that becomes very hard to treat, so it really is worth making a few small efforts to prevent it. Call 01245 268 494 for a free consultation at at Advance Dental Clinic  in chelmsford.