Broken Tooth
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Broken Tooth
Make an Appointment for Your Smile!
The main causes for chipped or broken teeth include
Chewing on hard food
Getting Injured
If the Tooth Already Has a Decay
What to do if your tooth has chipped?
Book an appointment as soon as possible in order to prevent further damage to the tooth. If you are required to wait some time before seeing your dentist and the chipped tooth is giving you pain you may take some light painkillers. If the break has caused a sharp edge in your teeth you may cover it using wax paraffin or chewing gum to avoid any cuts inside the mouth. It is best to avoid biting down on the broken tooth and have only soft food.
Treatment:
The type and price of the treatment depends on the severity of the damage.
- For small chips of the tooth enamel and for chips that occur on the front teeth the dentist will use a tooth coloured filling to shape the tooth back to its original shape.
- The dentist will begin by preparing the tooth by adding a gel to etch the surface. This is to ensure that the filling sticks to the surface of the teeth. Thereafter the filling is molded to the shape and the tooth and finally hardened using ultraviolet light.
Crowded teeth
Crowded teeth occur when the size of your jaw is not accommodating to the size of your teeth. This may be because your teeth may be too large for your jaw or your teeth too large for your jaw. Having crowded teeth is a lot more common in people than people realise.
Factors that may cause crowded teeth include:
Cleft lip or palate
Jaw fracture
Having extra teeth
Reverse swallowing
Consequences of crowded teeth
This iTeeth that are properly aligned last a lifetime in comparison to crowded teeth, which will most likely result in gum disease, teeth loss, jaw joint damage and premature wear.
Treatment
Crowded teeth are common in both children as well as adults and it is advisable to get treatment at a younger age to prevent the consequences mentioned above.
The right treatment for you depends on 3 factors:
- Severity of the crowding
- Age
- Your own preferences
The treatment options we offer at Maxcare Dental include
- Traditional Braces: This is the traditional treatments comprised of wires and brackets which have over the years proven to be an effective and reliable solution to teeth crowding
- Fast Braces: This is a fairly new form of treatment for teeth alignment and is similar to traditional braces except is comprises of few structural changes which have proven to align teeth faster
- Invisalign: can be considered an invisible brace system since it is clear and not noticeable. It still serves the purpose of teeth alignment.
- Clear aligners: are similar to invisalign, however, they are made of a different material.
Dental Anxiety
Are you often nervous about coming to the dentist? More so than the average person? You may have dental anxiety. A person who experiences dental anxiety may feel stress, fear or anxiety in a dental setting. Triggers such as drills, needles or even the dental setting can be associated with dental anxiety. Dental anxiety can also result due to certain mental health conditions such as, generalised anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Dental anxiety is quite common and there are ways that it can be managed.
Symptoms of dental anxiety
The following symptoms may be experienced by someone experiencing dental anxiety:
- Increase heartbeat or heart palpitations
- Sweating
- Low blood pressure
- Syncope (possibility of fainting)
- Visible distress such as crying or signs of panic
- Withdrawal
Patients may also intentionally miss appointments consistently to avoid the distress
Causes of dental anxiety
The following factors may have caused dental anxiety:
- Previous trauma to the neck or head
- A previous traumatic dental experience
- Other traumatic experiences such as abuse
- Depression, post traumatic stress disorder or generalised anxiety
- Trust issues
- Fear of invasion of personal space
- Fear of loss of control
Who is likely to develop dental anxiety
Dental anxiety is common amongst all age groups. Children who have dental anxiety can overcome this fear after a good experience, where they were taken good care of. Adults on the other hand hardly ever overcome their fears.
How to manage dental anxiety
In order to manage dental anxiety it is really important for you to inform your dentist that you are anxious so they can make the process as comfortable as possible for you and can tailor your treatment plan accordingly.
Some ways to cope with dental anxiety include:
- Meditation
- Distraction such as music
- Deep breathing
In case of extreme dental anxiety, also known as dental phobia extreme measures such as sedation may be considered.
Gum Disease
Gum disease also known as periodontal disease is a common infection which leads to the inflammation of the gums which consequently destroys the bone that surrounds and supports your teeth. The most common form of gum disease is gingivitis and a less common but prevalent condition in older adults is periodontitis. Gum disease is treatable and can be prevented by maintaining good oral hygiene and regular dental checkups.
Difference between Gingivitis and Periodontitis?
Gingivitis is a much milder case of gum inflammation and with improved oral health habits can be treated at home. However, if gingivitis is left untreated it can lead to a much more severe inflammation of the gum known as periodontitis. It is not necessary that periodontitis develops after gingivitis but may occur as a result of smoking and poor oral hygiene.
Causes
Our mouths are full of bacteria, mucus and other particles. Together these form plaque, which is a sticky substance that sticks to your teeth. This plaque can harden to become tartar/calculus if we don’t brush and floss regularly. This calculus acts as a base for bacteria, which means the bacteria is more prevalent around the gum area leading to damage of the gum tissue. The gums begin to pull away from your teeth and form empty spaces. These empty spaces also known as pockets have bacteria inside them and as a result become infected. If left untreated this can lead to the connective tissue and bone supporting your teeth to break down. This will cause your teeth to become loose and eventually lead you to get them extracted.
Symptoms
Symptoms that indicate periodontal or gum disease include:
- Bad breath
- Receding gums
- Gaps forming between your teeth
- Teeth getting loose on their own
- Tenderness in the gums
- Pus in between the teeth
Risk Factors
The following factors increase your risk of developing gum disease:
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Pregnancy
- Medication
- Genes
- Poor oral health
Treatment
As gum disease develops plaque begins to form under the gum line. This plaque can not be removed by yourself and needs to be removed by a dentist using a cleaning method called scaling. Scaling essentially scrapes off the plaque from below and above your gum line to remove the bacteria causing the infection.
In-Practice Teeth Whitening at the speed of LIGHT!
This is a teeth whitening procedure that is performed on the dental chair. It is the fastest and most effective way to whiten teeth and usually takes around one hour to complete. In-practice whitening is the best option for those wanting ‘instant’ results. Maxcare Otahuhu dental uses the #1 patient requested whitening brand Philips Zoom WhiteSpeed ®.
What does In-Practice Whitening treatment involve?
The dentist will first apply a protective gel to the lips and gums, followed by the application of the whitening gel to the teeth. The gel (which contains Hydrogen Peroxide/Carbamide Peroxide) is then activated by a special LED light, and the resulting photo-chemical reaction gently penetrates the tooth to lift deep stains and discoloration. This process varies in length, depending on the depth of the stain and the goal level of whiteness. It can be a little uncomfortable having the mouth open for such a long time, but many patients find listening to music or watching a movie helps to distract them, and the upside is that there is usually only one treatment required (deep staining may require additional treatment). Whether you have heavily discoloured teeth, or only mild discolouration, you will notice a dramatic difference immediately after treatment.
The Whitening treatment is 100% safe and does not harm your gums, teeth or any dental work you may have had in the past.
Take-home Teeth whitening Kit
Only available through your dentist, WHITE DENTAL BEAUTY® with NOVON® is for patients who care about the quality of their take-home whitening gels.
First things first, you must make a teeth-whitening appointment with one of our dentists. Once in the chair, the dentist will take teeth impressions for a custom-made tray. Within days, your complete whitening kit will be ready to be collected. Your kit contains two new custom-made trays (one for the top teeth and one for the bottom), syringes of whitening gel and easy-to-follow instructions.
Once home, apply a small drop of gel inside each tooth impression in your two trays, place on your teeth, then relax over the next few hours while the whitening gel does its job. After your whitening session, remove and rinse your trays, and brush your teeth. Repeat this over the next week or two until you achieve the level of whitening you desire.
The snug fit of your custom-made tray and the dentist-quality whitening gel provides you with an amazing result that an off-the-shelf supermarket kit simply cannot offer.
Each Kit contains the required amount of whitening for approximately two weeks of treatment. WHITE DENTAL BEAUTY® incorporates NOVON® accelerator Technology which controls and balances pH, manages sensitivity whilst delivery impressive whitening results. WHITE DENTAL BEAUTY® is available in four different strengths. The strength, and the length of full treatment is prescribed by the dentist.
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Frequently asked Questions about In-Chair Teeth Whitening.
How long will the whitening last?
This depends on whether good hygiene practices are observed after the treatment. It is not unusual for the whitening effects to still be noticeable after a couple of years.
How long until I can eat/drink after treatment?
Immediately. Although we do advise you to avoid coffee, soft drinks, red wines, berries etc for the first 24 hours. The general rule is that if it can stain clothing, it can stain your teeth.
How to maintain your teeth after whitening?
- To maintain your new pearly white teeth, daily brushing and flossing helps to keep the mouth clean, stain free and healthy.
- Regular dental checkups allows for the dentist to easily polish away any surface stains
Can the L.E.D light become hot and burn the mouth?
There is no chance of this happening. The light is a cold light and produces no heat.
What does the light do?
The LED light helps to activate the whitening gel and speeds up the treatment process.
Who is the treatment not suitable for?
Teeth Whitening treatment is not suitable for children under fourteen years of age, nor for pregnant or breast feeding woman.
Can ACC cover teeth whitening treatment?
No, ACC does not typically cover the cost of teeth Whitening treatment.
Can the treatment remove stains from smoking?
Yes L.E.D laser treatment is effective in removing stains associated with smoking.
Can toothpastes whiten teeth?
Special toothpastes with mild abrasives can clean surface stains but cannot change the underlying tooth color or remove significant staining.
Our Dentists are Dedicated and Compassionate.
With over 35 years of Dental experience, it is no wonder our staff have built a reputation within the Otahuhu community and Auckland wide for Affordable and High-Quality dentistry.
You can have complete peace of mind knowing that our dentists will have a solution for whatever your dentistry needs, at an affordable price. We provide a full range of services including teeth Whitening, Braces, Crowns, Implants, Veneers, Dentures, Extractions, Fillings + many more.
Book you free consultation today and come talk to out friendly dentists about your needs and concerns today.
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