Routine Checkup

At Devonshire House Dental Practice we believe in preventative dentistry. We offer a complete range of dental treatments that will help you maintain the health of your beautiful smile and prevent tooth loss and gum disease. Routine oral examinations are essential in prevention and early detection of dental problems. Regular check-ups will ensure that you and your family maintain good oral health and problems are discovered early on so that minimal intervention is required.

Every step is undertaken with the utmost care, skill and attention to detail, using only the finest materials and expert technicians. Following the examination you will be given a comprehensive diagnosis, advice for prevention and care, and recommendations to restore your teeth back to health.

 

Our general dentistry treatments include:

 

  • Routine Checkups & X-Rays
  • Scale and Polish
  • Gum Disease – treatments
  • Root Canal treatments
  • Extractions
  • Hygiene (hygienist therapy)
  • Dentures
  • Fillings (White and Amalgam – silver)
  • Fissure Sealants
  • Cerec– Restorations
  • Dental Crowns & Bridges

 

Below are some of the diseases and pre-conditions you should be aware of and the available dental treatments we can provide to help you restore your dental health.

Gum disease occurs when bacteria is left to enter and infect the gum tissue, usually due to improper oral hygiene. Smoking, poor diet and drinking can exacerbate gum disease, so it is vital to look out for the signs of gum disease if you fall into any of these categories.

  • Bleeding gums: bleeding gums can occur when switching to a new toothbrush or when you first implement flossing into your oral health routine. However, if bleeding occurs more than once a week and the amount of blood increases each time you brush, you may have the start of gum disease and you should go to your dentist immediately for treatment.
  • Bad breath: gum disease often starts without any feeling of pain, which makes it a hard problem to detect. However, if you have continual bad breath this could be a definite sign of gum disease.
  • Loose teeth and gum pockets: when gum disease is in its early stage it is known as gingivitis, but if left untreated it then becomes periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is more difficult to treat, with the usual symptoms including loose, wobbly teeth and pockets of skin opening up around the teeth. If periodontal disease is allowed to progress tooth loss and gum deterioration is often the final stage.

If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms, it is in your best interests to visit the dentist right away. Once identified, your dentist will prescribe your treatment to prevent the spread of the disease and bring it under control. The treatment will include:

  • Deep Cleaning: a dental hygienist will thoroughly clean every part of your mouth and teeth, removing all bacteria and plaque build-up and returning your mouth to good oral health.
  • Periodontal Cleaning: if the problem has developed into periodontal disease a more intensive cleaning will be necessary. This will remove any hardened tartar and plaque from your gumline to stop the spread of the infection.

Once under control you will be given a tailored oral health regime to follow, which should ensure that the problem doesn’t return.

A healthy tooth. Plaque builds up, gum and bone may begin to recede.
Sometimes the gum recedes with the bone and sometimes it doesn’t.
Either way the tooth may become mobile.

Tooth decay is most often caused by a combination of sugary food and neglected oral hygiene.

After eating a sugary snack or drinking a can of soda you may feel a slight gritty feeling across your teeth. This occurs when bacteria feeds on the sugar on your teeth and forms a film of plaque. This plaque, if left unchecked, eats away first at the enamel of your teeth, then the dentin and finally the dental pulp inside. Once this has occurred the tooth will become infected, which is often incredibly painful.

Symptoms include:

  • Holes in the teeth: this is the most common indication of tooth decay and occurs when the bacteria eats away the enamel of your tooth.
  • Toothache: Once the decay has passed the enamel and entered the tooth, pulp pain is usually the norm and will become hard to ignore.
  • Broken teeth: This occurs when the decay has been left untreated and the tooth has been literally eaten away by the bacteria.
  • Fillings: if your decay is in the very early stages, when only the outer enamel and some dentin is damaged, your dentist can clean the area and then seal it up with a dental filling.
  • Root canal treatment (Endodontic Therapy): this is often necessary when a large tooth cavity reaches the nerve, becomes infected, or for preventative reasons. We remove bacteria and damaged or dead nerves, the root is then sealed, re-filled and often crowned. This will extend the life of a tooth for many years to come. Root canal treatment is often feared, but with modern techniques this is a relatively painless procedure.
  • Broken teeth: Finally if your tooth has reached the broken stage it will most likely have to be removed to prevent the spread of infection to your other teeth. However, once it has been removed there are a number of options to replace your tooth, including dentures, bridges and dental implants.

 

Teeth have a hard enamel surface, but poor oral hygiene can lead to a build-up of plaque, which can lead to decay.
If decay is left untreated the nerve of the tooth may become infected and die. This may cause an abscess.

We are here to protect the overall health of your mouth and teeth. If any problems arise, please contact us or give us a call on 01277 217727 as soon as possible and we can help you return to good oral health.