What a dentist in West Byfleet can do for missing teeth

If you have missing teeth, you are not alone. Many of our patients, unfortunately, have missing teeth due to accident, injury, poor health or even genetics, but thankfully, they do not need to deal with the consequences that missing teeth can have on your general health and wellbeing.

That is because they reacted quickly and took our advice about replacing their teeth with dental implants or another kind of restorative procedure aimed at enabling full functionality of your smile again.

Dental implants are perhaps the most preferred treatment under normal, healthy conditions for a dentist in West Byfleet to recommend to their patients. This is because it is a long-lasting solution, decades of use in fact, that require no further specific care other than monitoring the site of the implant and cleaning it appropriately to avoid infection once healed.

What is a dental implant?

Your dentist in West Byfleet will take you through a series of examinations and scans to determine whether dental implants are suitable for you. People who have bone conditions, uncontrolled diabetes or gum disease, for example, may find that they would be better suited to other forms of tooth replacement, such as dentures or bridges, however, you can speak with your dentist in West Byfleet during your consultation to determine whether this is you or not.

Essentially, a tooth implant is a replacement tooth root. We use a titanium metal rod and surgically implant it at the site of your missing tooth root or in the best possible location for the treatment that you are receiving. We use digital scans to precisely pinpoint this location in the instance of a denture stabilisation or multiple tooth replacement procedures.

Titanium is used because this is a material that is known to bond with the bone in your jaw and therefore creates a long-lasting and very stable result. It will take several months for this bond to occur, but we can monitor this over time and have a pretty good understanding of whether the implant is successful within the first few weeks.

You should know that about 98% of implants are successful, making them a relatively safe option for many of our patients, especially since there is no upper age limit!

Are there any limitations to this treatment?

It may be important to mention that for those people who are looking to stabilise their dentures having worn them for so long that they might need an additional procedure prior to having the implant treatment. This is because you need to have a certain amount of bone in your jaw present and it naturally recedes overtime when it is not stimulated.

When you lose a tooth and either not replace it or simply replace it with a denture that sits on your gum or a bridge that is attached to surrounding teeth, the bone is no longer stimulated as it should be. As a result, the cells no longer replenish and slowly over time, begin to weaken.

Because implants need a strong site in which to be secured, a bone graft might be necessary to ensure there is enough bone there to complete the treatment successfully. We can explain this to you during your initial appointment if applicable.

Choosing the right dentist in West Byfleet for your children

We all know that healthy habits formed early are a good foundation for the rest of your life. By choosing a dentist in West Byfleet who has experience and confidence with children, you can be assured that you are minimising the risk of your child developing a fear of the dental chair but rather able to foster a healthy and positive relationship with their teeth and those who care for them.

It can be overwhelming for a child who has never visited a dentist in West Byfleet before, so this is why we ask parents and caregivers to consider bringing in children when they have cut their first tooth, or are about a year old. At this young age, the oral examination is more something for your child to experience rather than for us to consider any issues or complications.

It is also an opportunity for both the dentist in West Byfleet and the caregiver to have an opportunity to get to know one another and for any concerns to be raised as well as fears alleviated. We know questions are plentiful for new parents and that each child is different so by having a professional readily available to answer some of those unique questions that you might have regarding your child’s dental development and oral health in these early stages is gratifying.

As your child grows older and they frequent the dental practice every 6 months just like you do, the visitations become a normalised experience which reduces the likelihood of fears becoming ingrained and allows a healthy habit to form which can carry on as they grow into adults resulting in better managed oral health.

Speaking of healthy habits

Not only are trips to the dental practice important, but what we do in between these consultations is important as well. Practising a rigorous oral health care routine by brushing and flossing daily should be encouraged and you and your oral health care professional can guide your child in the right way to ensure they are willing and able to do this on their own.

But we respect that it can be difficult for young hands to brush all of those hard to reach places every day, so thankfully, we do have some preventive treatments that can ease concerns regarding cavities in young adult teeth so that we can all move forward confidently aware that young smiles will remain healthy well into adulthood.

We are talking about fissure sealants; a preventive measure that ensures the deep grooves in back molars are filled in and therefore protected from the common cavities that unfortunately haunt the smiles of young, otherwise healthy teeth.

Talk to one of us about the opportunities of preventive oral health care for your child and we will more than happily provide you with the information that you need so that you can make an informed decision for the health of your young child’s smile. A fissure sealant is just one of the ways that we are able to prevent cavities and decay in young teeth.

What happens during a check-up at your dentist in West Byfleet

Most of us know that we need to visit our local dentist in West Byfleet every 6 months in order to maintain a good level of oral health and hygiene. Our dentist in West Byfleet is able to take a good look using innovative techniques and technology so that they can see if any minute changes have occurred between consultations. If any changes have occurred, we can be confident in our ability to rectify the issue quickly with preventive or minor restorative treatment solutions, knowing that these issues are currently small and relatively new.

The concerns come when some of our patients miss out on an appointment or two and disease, cavities or other issues can become larger and more problematic. Of course, we have the right tools, confidence and ability to help you, but occasionally, drastic measures need to be taken and you may need to lose a tooth that cannot be restored.

By understanding what we do during a routine examination, we hope to inspire more people to commit to coming in to see us every 6 months for their scheduled appointments. Both children and adults alike benefit from this experience and we have found that if you establish this habit early on in life, a child is more likely to grow up fostering a healthy relationship with their dentist in West Byfleet and therefore ensure a healthier smile for life.

What happens at a check-up?

A check-up involves several features that we approach in a calm and organic fashion that suits you and your need for care at the given time. Plenty of our attention is focused on preventive solutions and simply checking in with you to see how you are doing.

We want to speak with you about any changes you feel might be of concern with your smile, consider any changes that have happened between visitations, such as illness, stress or pregnancy that might affect your oral health and then take a look at your teeth and gums.

Because every factor of your wellbeing plays a part with your overall oral health. By working with professionals who have this holistic outlook when it comes to your oral health care, you can be assured that the approach is dynamic, that no stone is left unturned and that this translates into conditions being accurately and quickly identified rather than simply treating the symptoms without understanding the root cause.

As we wrap up your examination, which may include x-rays depending on whether we deem them necessary to identify any changes since your last visit, we will discuss future plans for any treatments that you may need. These treatments can be restorative or cosmetic in nature and depend on the conversations that we have been having throughout the appointment and the general condition of your mouth.

We look forward to establishing a long term and positive professional relationship with you so that we can together work on improving and maintaining your oral health so that you can love the smile you share with the world.