Author: Crofts Dental Practice

What happens during a root canal?

So you want to know what to expect from endodontics? Well, that is not as straightforward as it may seem. Although most procedures can be performed at our clinic, particularly complex cases may be referred on to an endodontic specialist. For the more common treatment of root canals Essex let’s look at the normal steps and likely outcomes.Root Canals Essex

It is very unlikely that an endodontic treatment will be completed in a single visit, but more likely over two. If there is an active infection, there will be a further pause in treatment and antibiotics will be given to resolve the infection before dental work can begin.

The preparation

Endodontics is by definition under the tooth. Our dentist will start with a set of X-rays, so they can see the scope of the problem and prepare accordingly. Most of the time, an anaesthetic is administered unless the infection has destroyed the nerve, leaving the tooth painless.

An oral dam will be created; the rubber barrier isolates the affected tooth and prevents the patient from swallowing debris generated during the procedure.

Cleaning and pulp extraction

The top of the tooth is opened to expose the pulp. From this, the infected pulp is removed via gentle scraping. If any of the abscess beneath the tooth remains it will be drained.

The root bit of the root canal

With the tooth de-pulped, the canal would be visible in a normal tooth; the canal is very narrow, far too narrow to clean and fill.

So a set of files is used to progressively widen the canal. This is not a quick process, it can take two hours and is therefore done in two sessions.

Not all teeth have the same number of roots, but in general, the front teeth have one, molars have two or three and some wisdom teeth have five. The number of roots varies on ethnicity, and the more roots a tooth has, the longer the root canals Essex will take.

To pause any root canals Essex our dentist will place a sterilising solution into the tooth canal and seal the top with a temporary filling. If at any point the signs of an infection reoccur, like a discoloured swelling or a raised temperature, the treatment will be stopped and a course of antibiotics will be prescribed.

Once the tooth is re-sized and fully cleaned, the filling can begin by replacing the removed pulp.

There is a higher risk of breaking a root-filled tooth than an untreated tooth, so depending on how much of your tooth remains our dentist may suggest a crown. If the tooth was very damaged there may not be enough remaining to support a crown; if so, a peg can be placed in the filled root to support a crown.

You should expect the lifespan of a filled tooth to be shorter than natural teeth, but with good oral hygiene eight to ten years is normal.

A filled tooth may darken after filling, this is normal, but you may wish to consider tooth whitening if a front tooth is affected.

Restoring broken teeth with dental crowns in Essex

If you have a chipped or broken tooth, don’t panic, it is not the end of the world and it is very possible that we can save the tooth and not have to pull it out thanks to the clever use of dental crowns Essex. Crowns are commonly used to cap off a tooth after root canal therapy but they can also be used to reshape and hide a chipped tooth or even hold together a broken tooth that has been cracked, at Crofts Dental Practice we want to preserve as much of your natural teeth as possible, because extracting a tooth could mean needing dental implant surgery whereas fixing a crown to your tooth can be done in 1 – 2 appointments.dental-crown-in-essex

What is a crown?

A crown is a cap or covering that is placed over a tooth in order to restore it. It can be made from metal (as often seen in those with gold teeth), porcelain fused stainless steel, resin or ceramic. It provides a necessary restoration where the tooth would otherwise have to be removed.

For cracked, broken or chipped teeth

Cracked teeth – if a tooth becomes damaged due to facial trauma and is cracked all the way down the centre, particularly but not limited to the case of this happening to a molar. Then it is possible to hold that tooth together with a dental crown, by capping the top of the tooth with the right crown, dentists are able to save the tooth.

Broken and chipped teeth – teeth with large chips or breaks in them can be restored with dental crowns Essex in order to still keep their function. Nowadays these restorative crowns are either made from tooth-coloured resin which is filed and shaped to form the shape of the tooth before being hardened with light or they are made of tooth coloured ceramic which is bonded to the tooth. Both make convincing and seamless coverups that are not noticeable when smiling.

After root canal

In order to perform a root canal properly, dentists need to file and drill away much of the top of the tooth in order to get inside and clear out the infection, a crown needs to be placed on top of the remainder of the tooth in order to reshape it and make biting and chewing possible once more. At first, you will receive a temporary crown that can be removed in order for the dentist to make sure the infection is completely gone before fitting you with a more permanent one.

A cover job

Old amalgam and metal fillings can be unsightly when you laugh and dental crowns Essex are able to cover them up easily in order to restore the proper colour of one’s teeth, this is a more cosmetic use of crowns but is very effective none the less. Crowns are also used to hold a bridge of teeth in place when someone has two or more missing teeth in a row, a crown is fitted to each side of the bridge of false teeth and each crown is fixed to the teeth on either side of the gap for a seamless fit.

What you need to know about dental implants in Essex

The main thing you need to know about dental implants Essex is that they can do more than just replace a single missing tooth or indeed multiple missing teeth. With dental implants, we are able to save the bone of the jaw from a lifetime of degradation at Crofts Dental Practice and give you a restored sense of self-worth, by ensuring that dentures are fixed to the jaw and that your face shape doesn’t become sunken due to bone loss. This may sound like a lot of too many good things for a small piece of metal to achieve all on its own, but the science behind it is incontrovertible and the benefits have proven to be well worth the surgery.dental-implants-in-essex

What is an implant?

A dental implant is a small titanium screw that is inserted into the bone of the jaw in order to fix a false tooth or set of false teeth into place. The reason we use titanium is that it does not tarnish and it is very compatible with human bone matter. Bone tissue loves to fuse with, and grow on to, titanium – making it the premium choice for setting broken bones as well as false teeth.

Common uses

Dental implants Essex can be used for various reasons; a single missing tooth can be replaced with a single implant, indeed even 2 or 3 missing teeth next to one another can be secured to one implant as well. So if you have had serious facial trauma or the rot of one tooth has spread to the ones alongside it, you may only need one implant to support a bridge of 2 or 3 false teeth. Larger bridges can be supported on just two implants; if all the teeth in one quadrant of the mouth are missing, two implants can be used on each side of the gap in order to support a large bridge of false teeth. In the case where the entire top or bottom row of teeth are missing there are different systems used for dentures.

A set of dentures can be secured with only 4 implants which means you don’t need an implant for every tooth in your mouth should you need dentures.

The procedure

Setting dental implants Essex into the bone of the jaw requires surgery, but for nervous and even phobic patients there is always the option to have it done under sedation in order to keep stress levels low. First, your dentist will numb the area that is going to be operated on then they will cut open the gum in order to expose the bone, once this is done we will use a special drill to open a hole in the bone in which we will screw a small titanium implant. The area is then cleaned and you are stitched up and sent home with a temporary crown, bridge or denture in order to await the healing process in which your bone fuses with the titanium, thus securing it in place.

This healing usually takes 6 months and once it is complete you will come in for a second appointment where we will fit an abutment to the implant and clip the false tooth or denture to this newly formed and strong base set within the jaw.

Dental implants: a fixed solution for missing teeth

Nobody likes losing one of their valued possessions. Even in the most minor of cases, losing something important is at the very least a big inconvenience. Sometimes, when we lose something, we are able to find it again quickly, which means that there is no reason to worry as the problem is quickly solved. On other occasions, we may not be able to find the thing that we are missing, and so we have to find and/or buy a new version of it. But what if we lose something that can’t be bought? What if the thing that we lose isn’t really a ‘possession’ so to speak at all? This might seem like an odd concept but it does happen to people frequently, for example when losing a body part. One of the most common body parts to lose is a tooth. Whilst it’s fine and indeed necessary for a child to lose their milk teeth, it can be quite nerve-racking when an adult loses one (or many!) of their teeth. This can happen for a number of reasons, including suffering an accident which damages teeth, or tooth decay. So what should we do if we lose any of our teeth? While there are a lot of things we can do, one of the best things we can do is get dental implants in Essex. Dental implants in Essex are a treatment that act as a permanent solution to broken or missing teeth. Exactly how this treatment works, and how it can help to restore broken or missing teeth will be the subject of this article today. In addition, we will also take a look at our options for dental clinics that can reliably provide us with dental implants in Essex.dental-implants-in-essex

If you are looking for a professional and friendly dental practice to receive your dental implants in Essex from, then we have a great recommendation for you. Crofts Dental Practice is a dental practice which employs only highly trained and experienced staff, and we are fully equipped to offer you high quality and bespoke dental services that are designed to put you and your needs first. We care deeply about all of our patients, and so we offer all of our treatments in a relaxed and comfortable environment and we even have a special clinic designed for those who are particularly worried or nervous about getting dental treatment, so that we can do our utmost to put everyone at ease.

The reasons for this treatment

There are a lot of negative impacts of losing teeth. Many of these effects are cosmetic in nature. For example, the loss of teeth is often the main reason for people feeling insecure about smiling. Furthermore, the jawbone beneath missing teeth will slowly degenerate and resorb, which gives the face a very ‘sunken in’ appearance. This is why dental implants in Essex can be a very important treatment.

The implants themselves are actually small metallic screws that are fixed in place in gaps between teeth where old teeth have fallen out. These screws allow things such as bridges and crowns to be fixed on top of them as they are affixed to the jawbone and thus provide a stable basis for natural looking and feeling artificial teeth to replace broken and missing ones.

Six Month Smiles and the advantages of braces

Many of us often wonder what the best way is to improve our health. One natural response is that we need to eat healthily and ensure that we exercise regularly. While this is good general advice for most people’s health, there are some areas of the body which need more specific care than healthy eating and exercise. One such area of the body are the teeth. Whilst eating well certainly helps our teeth to be strong and clean, often our teeth will need additional consideration and treatments to ensure that they are both healthy and aesthetically pleasing. What sorts of treatments can help us with our teeth specifically?six-month-smiles-in-essex

One particular example is the use of braces. Braces are a common treatment frequently used to correct the positioning of crooked or misaligned teeth. While they are a common solution that many people undergo, nowadays there is still quite a lot of stigma about getting them. Many people believe that the treatment to get braces is painful, or that braces do not look good in a cosmetic sense. However, the treatment for modern braces is, more often than not, a smooth and comfortable one. Furthermore, given the multiple different varieties of discreet and personalised braces available to patients nowadays, it is easy to find several different types of attractive looking braces. One example of this is Six Month Smiles in Essex. Six Month Smiles in Essex is a treatment which combines and fine tunes many of the best aspects of braces and provides its patients with a cosmetic way to shift misaligned teeth. But what exactly is this treatment? And what can we expect from it? To answer those questions we will take a deeper look at Six Month Smiles in Essex and an experienced provider of them.

When thinking about Six Month Smiles in Essex, it is important to research a reputable practice which provides them. Of course, patients would like to find a respectable and trustworthy dentist to carry out this treatment for them, and to that end we recommend Crofts Dental Practice. At Crofts Dental Practice, we offer all of our high quality treatments in comfortable surroundings, and we make the most of our modern dental technology and tools to offer some of the latest and most exciting treatments to our patients. With over thirty years worth of experience serving our patients, it is no surprise that our practice employs a philosophy of listening to and caring about our patients, to ensure that their dental journey with us is always a positive one.

What are Six Month Smiles?

Six Month Smiles in Essex are a clear type of braces. This treatment uses small tooth coloured wires, making them very difficult to notice to the outside observer. This treatment is gentle and so entails minimal discomfort, and it lasts for a relatively short amount of time – six months on average. This is possible because this treatment uses special wires that are made out of nickel and titanium, and also because the treatment focuses primarily on moving the teeth that show when you smile.

What are dental implants in Essex?

Dental implants in Essex could easily be argued as the best possible form of tooth replacement within the modern field of restorative dental care, they are not only used for the replacement of singular teeth, but also multiple missing teeth, and whole rows of absent teeth within the mouth (in the form of denture stabilisation)! Dental implants in Essex essentially consist of three key aspects, arguably the most vital is the dental implant itself, a small titanium screw (typically less than one centimetre in length) which works to accurately replicate the root of the missing tooth. In addition to acting as a stabilising base for both the abutment (also commonly referred to as a ‘connector’) and the porcelain crown.dental-implants-in-essex

A tailor-made dental plan, to ensure our patients’ achieve the best possible dental results

At our clinic within Essex we choose to embrace not only variety in regards to the treatments on offer to our patients’, however, we also encourage the use of the latest advancements available within dental technology, our porcelain crowns are therefore no expectation to this rule! Our porcelain crowns are not only matched to the shade of our patients’ surrounding teeth, however, they also match the shape too, therefore achieving a natural-looking appearance.

Are dental implants right for you?

If you are an individual who is suffering from the loss of one, multiple, or possibly even a whole row of teeth within the mouth, then dental implants at our Crofts dental practice could be the perfect restorative solution for your smile.

What causes missing teeth?

Missing teeth can occur for a multitude of reasons, for example, a bicycle accident, a car crash, or possibly even due to oral diseases and infections (such as gum disease, to name just one common example). Whatever the cause, however, missing teeth can cause a multitude of concerns within the mouth, which is why it is so vital you receive dental treatment.

What are the benefits of receiving dental implants?

Missing teeth cannot only make it extremely uncomfortable (or possibly even painful) for patients to eat, drink or even brush normally, however it can also massively affect their self-esteem, and possibly even trigger the development of a speech disfigurement (commonly referred to within the field of dental care as a lisp). In addition to these functional concerns, the exposed gum can also, unfortunately, act as a breeding ground for oral bacteria within the mouth, therefore triggering the onset of possible oral diseases and infections (such as gum disease, to name just one common example).

So… What’s the solution?

With all of these concerns in mind, therefore, receiving dental implants can massively improve not only the function of a patients’ smile, however, they can also help to maintain a high standard of oral hygiene, whilst eliminating the risk of erasing years worth of orthodontic work (missing teeth can encourage the surrounding teeth to move into the exposed space, this can therefore erase orthodontic results from previous years).

What are Six Month Smiles in Essex?

Have you been looking for a way to straighten your misaligned teeth? Many people do not have their crooked teeth treated and simply ignore them, but this can lead to having a less healthy mouth overall. This isn’t ideal, and you may be able to improve your smile and your general dental health by looking into getting orthodontic treatment in Essex.six-month-smiles-in-essex

Six Month Smiles is a modern orthodontic system, which has been deemed as one of the quickest ways to straighten a patient’s misaligned teeth within the field of orthodontic dental care. If you have been looking around for the right treatment for yourself, you may find that this is exactly the solution that you have been waiting for. Of course, if you have any questions about the treatment itself or about how the process works, please get in contact with the team at Crofts Dental Practice, as we’re always happy to advise you and ease any nervousness that you may have.

Six Month Smiles are essentially a modern alternative to fixed conventional braces that strives to transform both the function and the physical aesthetic appearance of a patient’s smile, in as little as six months! In addition to their rapid treatment time however, they also work to create long-lasting and therefore effective orthodontic results, for our patients who are suffering from some of the most visible severe misalignment or overbite dental concerns.

Is Six Month Smiles in Essex right for you?

If you are an individual who has teeth that are not as straight as you would like them to be, but do not wish to wait years to see the orthodontic results you desire, then Six Month Smiles could be the perfect solution for your individual dental case! Six Month Smiles essentially uses subtle wires in order to apply pressure on the misaligned teeth, therefore producing a straight smile for all of our patients, however small or large their concerns may be.

What are the benefits of receiving Six Month Smiles in Essex?

There are many advantages to having Six Month Smiles as your chosen dental treatment, and we’d like to take you through a few of these to give you a good idea of the benefits that you may be receiving after beginning to undergo treatment with us.

Traditional metal braces have been present within the field of dental care for a multitude of years; they have, therefore, been deemed as extremely successful when resolving some of the most severe dental cases. Despite their success however many patients are now looking for a more rapid and discreet orthodontic alternative. The Six Month Smiles system concentrates on the front teeth and is therefore faster to gain results. The nickel titanium wires used in this fixed appliance are subtle as they can be tooth coloured too, therefore having less obvious impact on appearance during treatment.

Why choose our dental clinic to receive your orthodontic dental treatment?

Located within Essex, we not only place our patients’ oral health at the forefront of our minds at all times, however we also have a wide variety of cosmetic, orthodontic, and preventive dental care available for our patients. Unlike many other dental clinics, we not only offer a variety of more conventional orthodontic appliances as well as those that are newer, but we also work to evaluate your goals and lifestyle factors to help choose the right orthodontic treatment for your individual dental case.

Let’s see how dental implants in Essex can transform a smile

When you lose a tooth, you begin to finally recognise the importance of having a complete and fully functional smile. It is not something that can be explained to you. You unfortunately need to experience this for yourself, as it is with life.

We do believe that those who have yet to lose a tooth do understand it is dental-implants-in-essexsomething to avoid, but oral health is something that is difficult to regain once lost and even though advances in our treatments are continual, your original teeth are nothing to be compared to.

Dental implants in Essex is perhaps the closest we can get to replacing your existing teeth after they have been lost and this is why they are highly sought after and recommended. Our dentists will explain to you whether you are viable for this treatment and discuss with you the advantages and any potential risks that are associated with this treatment for your personal situation, in relation to other options available.

What are some of the other options?

The only other choices that you have in regards to replacing any missing teeth, whether it is a single tooth or a full arch is dentures or bridges. Both of these options sit on the gums and this can lead to a host of complications later in life.

Because your jaw bone is constantly shedding cells, just like the rest of your body is, it needs to be stimulated correctly so that it knows to replace the cells that have been lost. Dentures and bridges are unable to stimulate your jaw bone as they should and as a result, you will slowly find that the bone in your jaw begins to resorb.

Over time, you will find that the stability of other, surrounding teeth is not as strong and your face may appear more sunken and aging prematurely.

Dental implants in Essex uses a titanium rod that is placed directly into the jaw bone that addresses this concern. The bone not only responds to the implant and continues to be stimulated, it also bonds to the material creating a strong and durable hold.

This is why dental implants in Essex can be guaranteed for several decades, especially when cared for correctly. For many of our patients, this equates to a lifetime of enjoyment, a positive investment if you consider the accumulation of costs for continual maintenance and even replacements of other false teeth.

As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved and we will go through these with you in great detail to alleviate any fears and concerns. Because this treatment boasts a 98% success rate, you can be assured that if you are viable for this treatment, there is a very high chance that you will enjoy positive results with limited consequences.

If you have issues with your bones, such as osteoarthritis, are undergoing radiation or chemotherapy or have any underlying health conditions such as gum disease or diabetes, you may find that this treatment is currently not suitable for you. We can work through ways in which you can control these conditions before choosing this option, or speak with you about other choices that may be a better fit.

Six Month Smiles in Essex takes the best of braces

Have you ever wanted to straighten your teeth but were not feeling confident enough to tackle the huge undertaking that this kind of treatment appears to be? The cost, the length of time and the discomfort can all be factors that lead us to put it off for another time.six-month-smiles-in-essex

Thankfully, there has been a massive surge in the amount of different devices that have become available in the past years that gives those of us who have misaligned teeth or an incorrect bite the opportunity to streamline our treatment in order to directly achieve the results that we are looking for.

Traditional braces are brilliant and still in common use today. However, for cases that are not so severe but rather cosmetic in essence, they can be full of unnecessary features that are, if anything, cumbersome to the job at hand. By speaking with a dentist about the specific devices that will benefit your personal situation, you may very well be pleasantly surprised at the way in which we can help you to achieve the smile of your dreams quite effortlessly.

One such device is Six Month Smiles in Essex. This treatment is known to take the best of braces and streamlines the procedure to enable it to be completed in a matter of months, as the name suggests.

How does this treatment work?

Six Month Smiles in Essex works like a fixed device, with brackets being attached to the front of your teeth and wires are attached to these brackets to move your teeth over time into their correct position.

The unique aspect of Six Month Smiles in Essex lies in the wires. They have a kind of memory and gradually shift back into this original position after being placed into a crooked alignment to attach to the brackets on your misaligned teeth. This movement takes at most 6 months to complete, hence the promise that comes with the name.

This consistent and gradual movement is a lot more gentle than sporadically tightening wires like dentists must do with more traditional devices or when changing from one removable device to the next stage. Because there is no need to go in to see one of our professionals during your teeth straightening journey, you can benefit from a more independent experience, perfect for those individuals who are working and find it difficult to find time to get off work to come into our practice.

Because they are fixed, the issue with motivation that is commonly seen in those wearing removable aligners is eliminated as well. We find that this treatment really does enable the best of the many different treatments out there and allows you to quickly and effectively complete your teeth straightening transformation and to happily move forward with your life.

So many people delay getting themselves this opportunity of a lifetime, to perfect their smile and allow it to be healthier and more confident. We would love to be able to speak with you about how straightening your teeth with a convenient and fast system such as this one can make a difference to your physical and emotional health.

What are Dental implants in Essex?

Dental implants in Essex are a popular, long term, and effective form of restorative dentistry that strives to restore not only the aesthetic physical appearance but also the functional aspect of a patients’ smile. Dental implants in Essex could be considered as the best possible form of tooth replacement within the field of dentistry and essentially consists of three aspects.dental-implants-essex

How does implant dentistry produce effective results?

Dental implants are made from a sturdy titanium material, they are typically less than one centimetre long and act as a sturdy root base to support both the abutment (also commonly referred to as a ‘connector’) and the custom made porcelain crown.

What are the benefits?

Dental implants not only allow patients to chew, drink, and brush their teeth normally (and therefore with minimal pain or discomfort) however they also look extremely discrete within the mouth. At our dental clinic within Essex we treat every dental case as completely unique, perfectly matching the surrounding teeth to the porcelain crown in regards to their shape and shade to ensure our patients achieve a natural-looking smile.

What to expect from the treatment process..

Many of our patients may be familiar with the term ‘dental implants’ however they may still be unsure of what to expect from the treatment process. Much like any dental treatment administered at our Crofts dental practice, the dental implants start with an initial consultation, during this appointment our dentists will answer any queries or concerns our patients’ may hold.

What happens next?

After our team of dental healthcare professionals have tended to any concerns you may have we may also run you through the treatment process to expect in addition to planning your custom-made porcelain crown! Lastly, our staff may discuss how many appointments you require, costings, and aftercare (to name just a few examples).

Embracing the latest advancements within dental technology

At our surgery within Essex our team are always staying up to date with the most recent technological advancements available on the dental market, our dental implants are therefore no expectation. With this in mind, we use cone beam CT scans (which are also commonly referred to as cone beam computed tomography or CBCT) to digitally position the implants to ensure optimal placing (and therefore results) are achieved.

Are dental implants right for you?

Dental implants have a countless number of benefits, some of which include improving bone density, regaining function of your smile, and preventing surrounding teeth from moving. The combination of the many benefits of this form of restorative dentistry with our modern and collaborative dental approach ensures our patients receive a long term and effective solution to missing teeth whilst achieving an aesthetically pleasing smile they feel confident in.

Do our dental services work for you?

If you are impressed with the dental treatments on offer at our clinic you may wish to take a look at our website. Located on our easily accessible website we not only display our clinic address, contact number, and our email address however we also provide an online ‘ask the expert’ option to ensure even our busiest patients can receive the dental attention they require.