Saving teeth

 

•  Root canal treatment (endodontics):

During treatment, I enlarge and shape the narrow, irregular root canals inside the tooth roots to create smooth walls and enough space for a special root filling material to seal the canals along their full length. I remove infected tissue as I shape the canals and rinse them repeatedly with disinfectant to reduce the bacterial load as much as possible.

To minimise potential errors during root canal treatment, I use an apex locator. This instrument determines my position within the canal and when I reach its end to an accuracy of a tenth of a millimetre. It is an invaluable aid and one of the foundations of successful root canal treatment and filling over the long term.

I enjoy the real challenge of locating narrow root canals that are difficult to find.

This service is a DaviDent speciality!

 

•  Saving loose teeth:
Loose teeth are most commonly caused by periodontal disease. In such cases, the tissues supporting the teeth need treatment. (Read more about treating periodontal disease)
Where teeth are particularly mobile, I splint them together to distribute the load and allow them to support one another.

 

•  Tooth-coloured fillings:
I use light-cured composite filling materials, selecting the most suitable shade and quality. I aim to recreate each tooth’s individual shape, character and translucency, restoring its original appearance.

 

•  Inlays and onlays to preserve teeth:

An inlay restores a tooth when a relatively large amount of tooth structure is missing. It is made by a dental technician from an impression I take, and bonded into the cavity. In some cases, this avoids the need for a crown. An onlay differs from an inlay in that it also covers the entire chewing surface, helping protect the tooth against fracture, for example after root canal treatment. Inlays and onlays can be made from gold, porcelain or a special ceramic-reinforced resin.

 

•  Dental posts:
Posts can be made from metal or metal-free materials.

 

•  Dental crowns:
– Temporary resin crowns: I always make temporary crowns and bridges in the practice, so patients never have to leave without teeth.

– Metal-ceramic crowns: Porcelain fused to a metal framework. The metal may be a cobalt-chromium alloy, a gold alloy or titanium.

– Metal-free porcelain crowns: As well as conventional metal-ceramic restorations, crowns and bridges can be made entirely from porcelain or from porcelain on a zirconia framework. These offer excellent aesthetics and a natural appearance, while avoiding metal allergies.

 

•  Treatment of periodontal disease:

Periodontal disease affects the tissues that support the teeth.

These supporting tissues, known as the periodontium, include:

– the gums,

– the fibres that hold the tooth in place,

– the bone surrounding the tooth.

This includes gum inflammation and gum recession. When looking in the mirror, you can generally only see symptoms affecting the gums, whether the periodontal disease is mild or severe. In milder cases, only the gums are affected.

If the inflammation spreads deeper, it also affects the supporting fibres and bone, causing these tissues to break down. In everyday language, this is often referred to as receding gums. Sometimes the bone and gums recede together: as the bone level moves towards the root tip, the gum level moves with it.

At other times, bone loss is not accompanied by gum recession. This creates periodontal pockets: spaces alongside or between the teeth that remain almost constantly inflamed and are very difficult to clean at home. Periodontal disease may affect one tooth, several teeth or all of them.

Treating periodontal disease is a complex process involving several steps. First, an X-ray is needed to assess its severity. In milder cases, simple scaling may be enough. In more severe cases, such as periodontal pockets, the pockets need to be cleaned with special instruments over several visits. I also use disinfectants and medication locally, including preparations applied directly into the pockets. I provide every assistance to help patients achieve the best possible oral hygiene at home. Regular, frequent and thorough cleaning, both at home and at the practice, is essential to stopping periodontal disease.

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