With the economy taking a downturn and purse strings becoming tighter,people are looking for cheap dental treatments or postponing a trip to their NHS and cosmetic dentist. However, you may be doing more harm than good by doing this. In fact, you may actually be increasing your expenses in the future – especially if a dental problem turns into an emergency.Your dentist should be visited regularly not only to help keep your teeth healthy but also to prevent dental problems in the future. Here are some dental tips to save you money and help you achieve a perfect and healthy smile.
Find a qualified dentist
A good way of finding a reliable qualified dentist is through the recommendations of your relatives and friends. The common mistake when selecting a dentist is choosing based on the prices charged, but really it is most important to select a dentist that is qualified to perform your dental work correctly. Failure to select the right dentist could result in poor results and your dental costs could end up being far more in the long run.
Regular checkups
It is best to visit the dentist on a regular basis, as it is better to catch any dental problem in the early stages. For example, a tooth cavity can be filled in just one sitting but if the problem is not treated, then a root canal and crown may be required.
Dental Payment Plans
These can help save you money in the long run as you pay a fixed amount every month which allows you to maintain regular dental visits and hygiene appointments within your payment plan
There is no denying the fact that we all want a great smile. We look at celebrities in movies and on TV; we look at models in advertisements; and we often wish that we had teeth like them.
There is a common misconception that a visit to a cosmetic dentist to get a spectacular smile doesn’t come cheap, but cosmetic dentistry treatments are not always as expensive as you might imagine.
Several affordable cosmetic dentistry procedures can be used in combination to improve your smile immeasurably. For example, a combination of laser gum surgery,tooth shaping and teeth whitening could produce a great effect.
In addition to this, you could have discoloured old fillings replaced with new white fillings. Many people have old fillings that are stained, while others may have silver fillings on their premolars (side teeth) that make them look darker than other teeth.
It may be more expensive when porcelain crowns or veneers are involved, but there are occasions where this is necessary. The results of this cosmetic procedure are excellent.
Your cosmetic dentist can recommend affordable treatments that would be suitable for you and which would allow you to have an attractive, bright smile.
Beautiful white teeth can change the way you feel and having a beautiful smile can affect both your image and your personality in a positive manner.A visit to your cosmetic dentist could give you the smile of your dreams.
The easiest and most popular way to achieving a pearly white smile is through laser teeth whitening. When compared to other procedures like home whitening kits and whitening toothpastes, laser tooth whitening is the most effective way to achieve good results. With laser teeth whitening, it is possible to get teeth that are five or six times lighter in shade.
It is important to consult your cosmetic dentist before undergoing laser teeth whitening treatment. This is because the cosmetic dentist can first assesses your teeth and ensures that the procedure is suitable for you.
Laser teeth whitening often produces instant results which can develop and whiten further after the treatment.
Some cosmetic dentists do combine laser teeth whitening at the clinic with a professional dental take-home whitening system. This can be used for a week or two at home, following your laser teeth whitening treatment, in order to really get a really brilliant white smile:
- The cosmetic dentist will carry out the laser teeth whitening procedure at the clinic. This is done by applying a professional dental strength tooth whitening product onto your teeth and with the help of a laser light, activate and accelerate the chemical reaction to enhance the whitening procedure.
- Following the laser whitening, your dentist may provide you with a professional dental strength ‘home- whitening’ system. This includes custom made trays to fit your teeth and a high concentration whitening gel to be used in your trays.
- The trays containing the whitening gel are usually worn for a few hours every day for 7-10 days, as recommended by your dentist.
- The already white teeth can be whitened even further using this ‘combination’ laser and tray whitening system
The way we look can greatly affect our lives and our self esteem. It is a proven fact, that the better we think we look, the more confident we feel. The one thing that can outwardly show a confident person is their smile.
If you are looking for perfect teeth and a great smile, a good cosmetic dentist should be able to help advise you.A beautiful smile is something that can brighten up anyone’s day. Unfortunately people with uneven, broken, discoloured or damaged teeth may think twice before smiling.
However, there are many cosmetic dentistry procedures such as dental veneers which may be a way to change this so that you can achieve a perfect and beautiful smile:
What are dental veneers?
Dental veneers are very thin ‘shells’ which are custom designed to cover the front of the teeth. Dental veneers are either made from composite or porcelain.
Porcelain veneers are the more natural looking choice and they are also stronger and more resistant to stains than composite veneers.
What are they used for?
They are used for altering misaligned, chipped or broken teeth teeth and misshapen and discoloured teeth. They are also used to disguise teeth that are cracked or have erratic spacing between them. Dental veneers can be used in conjunction with other dental treatments to change the original length, shape, size or colour of teeth.
How are dental veneers made and fitted?
Your new veneers are custom-made for you and they will be constructed in a laboratory from a mould taken of your teeth.
There may be several appointments involved whereby your dentist will take a mould of your teeth and also try out ‘temporary’ fittings in order to ensure a really good final result when the finished veneers are prepared.
Once the final veneers are complete and ready to be fitted, your teeth will need to be prepared for bonding the veneers. This will involve the removal of a small amount of tooth structure.
The final and finished veneers will be permanently ‘cemented’ into place over the required teeth, often utilising a special light to help this process and ensure a good and secure fit.
How long do dental veneers last?
Providing you take good care of them, dental veneers can last a long time, anything up to 10-15 years.
Teeth whitening or dental bleaching should always be carried out by a cosmetic dentist.The tooth whitening procedure involves the application of a chemical whitening agent to the teeth. The chemical agent oxidises the discolouring molecule which is causing the teeth to appear darkened and discoloured, thereby whitening the teeth in a non-reversible and ‘permanent’ manner.
There are two types of teeth whitening processes – external and internal:
External teeth whitening:
This is when the whitening agent is applied to the teeth, either by the dentist or by an individual using a home whitening kit to whiten the teeth.
It usually involves wearing a tray or mouthguard containing the whitening agent over the teeth to be bleached.
Internal teeth whitening:
A tooth can become discoloured when the nerve and/or blood vessels inside it are either traumatised or they die. Often, root canal treatment is required to treat the tooth to save it although this treatment will not be able to change the colour of the tooth if it has become discoloured.
Internal bleaching can be carried out in situations like these, following the root canal treatment, in order to restore the colour of the damaged tooth.
This treatment involves the bleaching agent being sealed inside the affected tooth for about a week until the required lightening results are achieved.
Internal and external teeth whitening treatment are often combined to lighten and whiten discoloured, non-vital teeth (where the nerve has been removed), following root canal treatment.
The results are usually very effective.
Dental implants are artificial teeth installed in your gums which look exactly like natural teeth and they are a popular choice used for replacing missing teeth.
The most important benefit of having a dental implant is that it gets rid of gaps and gives you a perfect smile. This can boost your self confidence a lot and indirectly contribute to your success.
Having a dental implant can improve your speech, as missing teeth can sometimes affect the way you talk. Also, if a missing tooth does not let you chew your food properly, a dental implant will address this, allowing you to chew properly and perhaps preventing any digestion problems that you may have been experiencing.
Fixed dental implants need to be cleaned in the same manner as your real teeth and removable implants are easier still to maintain as you can clean them after taking them out.If looked after well and with good maintenance, they can last for many years.
The success rate of dental implants is high, so shed all your apprehensions and visit a cosmetic dentist to see if it is suitable for you to have them.
Do you want a beautiful white smile or have your teeth become discoloured over time? These might be good reasons to have teeth whitening treatment. Alternatively, you might have stained teeth or discoloured teeth from drinking tea or coffee or from smoking or chewing tobacco. Whatever the reason for your desire for whiter teeth, you are not alone.
Similar to how we have different skin and hair colour, people have different teeth colour. The natural colour of the tooth can be affected by various factors that cause discolouration and stains. Some factors are:
- Drinking tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco (chewed & smoked) and eating food with a high stain content such as blueberries or cherries.
- The ageing process.
- Consuming too much fluoride.
- Accumulation of tartar and plaque deposits.
- Damage to the tooth that can cause a grey, black or brown colour.
Teeth whitening is a painless, non-surgical and affordable dental treatment. It is always best to consult your cosmetic dentist before any whitening procedure. The dentist will be the best person to evaluate whether your teeth require or do not require a whitening treatment.
Some of the reasons why you should whiten your teeth and achieve a beautiful and bright smile are:
- A younger appearance.
- To boost the self-esteem and confidence that comes with a beautiful and bright smile.
- To make an effective and long-lasting impression on others.
- For special events like weddings or birthdays.
A visit to your NHS dentist or cosmetic dentist in order to undergo dental treatment for your teeth is not something that appeals to many people. The dental drill, recliner chairs, sedatives and uncomfortable surroundings may make you feel uneasy. Your fear of dentists can now be resolved because of a new form of treatment available.
HealOzone Treatment is a new form of dental treatment that works on the principles of using ozone. Ozone is considered to be one of the most powerful oxidants that are used for the effective purification of water and air, destroying bacteria and viruses on a large scale. HealOzone Treatment uses ozone ‘gas’, delivered via a wand to the infected area of a tooth, with the help of a HealOzone machine. The ozone is then broken down into oxygen molecules once it fulfills the requirements of the treatment.
HealOzone is a treatment involving the use of ozone(a form of oxygen atoms), which is utilized to remove decay from gums and teeth. It eliminates or reduces the need to drill or use needles in the mouth by controlled ozone application to the affected area, thereby removing any harmful bacteria and/or decay. Sensitive teeth which dislike the use of drills or needles can undergo HealOzone treatment as it causes minimum tooth sensitivity.
HealOzone Treatment may help increase the speed of your treatment by tackling symptoms of toothache and decay at an effective pace. The ozone can be delivered to spread to all parts of an infected tooth, thereby disinfecting completely and reducing the chance of any infection spreading to other parts of your mouth.
There are many dental treatments available at NHS dental centres and cosmetic dentistry clinics that help to rectify the health of your teeth and aim to achieve a healthy smile.
One of the methods employed by cosmetic dentists to correct minor chips in your teeth or minor gaps between teeth or to subtly change their shape is cosmetic tooth bonding.
What is cosmetic tooth bonding?
Tooth Bonding is a dental procedure that involves applying an enamel-type material or composite resin to your tooth. It is effective in repairing teeth with small chips, fractures and other minor imperfections.
Is it similar to veneers?
No, unlike veneers which are manufactured in a laboratory , require the removal of a small amount of tooth structure for bonding purposes and a customised mould for a correct fit , bonding is carried out in a single visit to a cosmetic dentist.
What is tooth bonding used for?
Tooth Bonding is an inexpensive and straightforward cosmetic dental treatment. It is used to shape, alter and remould the affected tooth in order to improve its appearance to achieve a more pleasing smile.
Is there any preparation involved?
There is no preparation required for tooth bonding treatment.
How is bonding done?
Your cosmetic dentist will first match the shade of your tooth to a shade guide, to select the right colour of composite resin for you. Then he will slightly etch the tooth’s surface, making it rough so he can apply the tooth-coloured resin. The resin is then smoothed and moulded until the tooth’s correct shape is achieved. When the resin hardens, the dentist will further shape and polish it until it perfectly matches the rest of the tooth .
Bad breath is a common problem suffered by many people but a visit to your dentist could solve this problem. The most common cause of bad breath is the presence of food particles in the mouth and the resulting build up of bacteria. If you feel that people turn away when you talk or regularly offer you mints, then you may be suffering from bad breath.
Bad breath or halitosis is an embarrassing problem that can affect you both socially and personally. But it is a treatable problem and with regular care and attention, it can be easily overcome.
- Control the consumption of beverages such as coffee (both decaffeinated and caffeinated), alcohol and food products such as meat, dairy, onions, garlic and sugars. These products are known to cause bad breath and should be consumed moderately.
- Avoid breathing through your mouth. Always try to breathe only through your nose since breathing through the mouth can lead to dryness of the mouth, which is a major breeding ground for bacteria.
- Brush your teeth regularly, at least twice a day. It is recommended to brush your teeth after meals to remove food particles. In addition, clean your tongue and floss between your teeth at least once a day.
- It is important to visit your dentist at least once every six months for a dental check-up. Regular dental cleaning will keep your mouth free of problems which may cause bad breath.
Bad breath can be treated by visiting your local cosmetic dentist or NHS dentist who who will be able to help guide you on how to best address the issue.
