Dental

Hi @stephen-johnston, thanks for your question!

Firstly as dentures are a replacement for natural teeth,  they will never be as strong and sturdy as your original set of dentitions. The aim of denture is always to replicate as closely as possible to your natural teeth.

The success of dentures is generally dependent on the number of healthy teeth available to support it, the amount of bone remaining on your arch, and the patient's ability to tolerate dentures. 

If an accurate assessment of your oral condition is made, and an accurate mold is done for the lab to fabricate your denture, it generally allows the denture to fit rather well for the patient.

Hence, it is much less dependent on the price of the dentures, but on the expertise and experience of the dentist designing your denture for you that will ultimately determine the fit of your denture!

Hope this clarifies your question!

Hi @augustine-west, thanks for your question!

Dental crowns usually last from 10 years, and up to 30 years or more if well-cared for. Ultimately, it is dependent on the care of the tooth structure that is supporting the crown that determines the longevity of the crown. 

The process usually goes like this:

1st visit: Consultation with the dentist about the suitability of having a crown placed on the tooth, and which material (ceramic, metal, hybrid, etc.) will be best.

2nd visit: Preparation of the tooth structure by shaving (usually about 1mm all around) the tooth to the necessary dimensions to accommodate the crown. A temporary crown will be placed for about 2 weeks before the lab makes your final crown.

3rd visit: Cementation of the crown if it fits well.

To ensure that your crown is well-cared for, 6-monthly scaling and polishing appointments are recommended.

Hope this clarifies your question!

Hi @young-friesen, thanks for your question. 

An orthodontist is a dentist that specialises orthodontic treatment, which is the correction of teeth and jaw misalignments using braces and clear aligners. They undergo additional specialty training in this area on top of their general dentist training. 

General dentists are also qualified to perform orthodontic treatment. However, complex cases may sometimes be referred to orthodontists for treatment due to their experience and expertise in this field. 

Ultimately, both general dentists and orthodontists are able to perform orthodontic treatment. Other factors you can consider in making your decision are: 
- costs
- level of experience

Hope this answers your question! 

Hi @love-schuppe, thanks for your question.

It is actually recommended for children to start visiting the dentist once they get their first tooth! This may seem too young to some, but it is actually an important part in cultivating good dental habits and dental health in young patients that have lifelong effects. 

Getting young children familiar to the dental office, instruments, and environment can help enforce good dental hygiene from a young age and prevent dental phobia. This also allows early detection and diagnosis of any dental issues that may be present and timely management which usually results in better outcomes! 

Dental needs of children are distinct from that of adults as factors like growth and development have to be considered as well. Children's dentistry involves caring for primary (baby) teeth, their permanent (adult) successors, and tooth and jaw developmental issue that may arise at a young age. And of course, treating and communicating with a child in the dental chair would be very different as compared to an adult! 

This is why there is also a whole specialty dedicated to children's dental health. Paediatric dentists are dentists who specialise in treating children and teenagers usually under 18 years old and undergo additional training in this area. Both general dentists and dentists who specialise in treating kids can perform treatment on children. However, sometimes more complex treatments require referrals to paediatric dentists who are more experienced in managing the dental problems of children. 

Hope this helps! 

Hi @mendy-bode , thanks for your question!

To begin with, a tooth filling constitutes anything that is meant to replace a part of the tooth, or to add on the existing tooth.

Some common purposes of tooth fillings are as follow:
1. Decay-ed teeth
2. Any cavities in teeth
3. Adding on to existing tooth structure for aesthetics purposes (e.g changing the shape, closing the gaps, masking the colour of the tooth, etc.)

For decay-ed teeth or teeth with cavities:
The preparations usually just include removing all decay and restoring the tooth with the filling material. The duration usually depends on the size and extent of the decay, but it generally ranges from 15-30mins per filling.

For aesthetic purposes:
The preparation generally doesn’t include removing healthy tooth structure, but merely preparing the surface of the tooth by cleaning it. We will then usually add on the filling material to the tooth after and shape it. The duration also varies depending on extent of filling material, but it generally ranges in approximately 20-30 mins per tooth.

Feel free to clarify if you have any more questions! 

Hi @pa-kihn, thanks for your question!

Dental implants generally cost between $2000 and up to $5000 depending on the complexity of the implant position and if its done by a general dentist or a specialist. A more accurate cost is given once a consultation is done by the dentist, having assessed your oral condition and the complexity of procedure.

The duration is again dependent on the complexity of the procedure, but it could vary between 30mins to an hour per implant. Usually the procedure will be spaced between 2 visits before the final crown is placed on the implant.

To properly care for your implant, it is vital that the gums around the implant are well-cared for. This includes good oral hygiene, and 6-monthly scaling and polishing done with the dentist.

Hope this clarifies your question!

Hi @dannie-dibbert , thanks for your question!

A periodontist is sometimes known as the ‘gum specialist’ .

A periodontist usually treats problems related to the gums and bone supporting your teeth. Some common treatments that periodontist perform includes:

- Deep gums cleaning: where they will clean the surfaces of your teeth under your gums., hence allowing bacteria to be removed from the space between the teeth and the gums. The aim of this treatment is to help your gums heal, and to prevent further bone loss underneath (and thus gum recession too).

- Other treatments that they usually perform includes: implant placements, adding bone to areas under the gums where needed, etc.

Usually treatments are done under local anaesthesia, hence you will be awake during the procedure. As the area/s the periodontist will be working on are numb, you generally should not feel pain as they start the procedure.

Feel free to clarify if you have any further questions!

Hi @redmercurygolden, thanks for your question.

A kids dentist, otherwise known as a paediatric dentist, is a dentist that specialises in treating children and teenagers usually under 18 years old. Paediatric dentist undergo additional specialist training on top of their general dentist training. As such, paediatric dentists usually only treat children and teenagers due to their expertise and interest in that area. 

Technically speaking, a paediatric dentist would be qualified to carry out dental procedures on an adult patient. However, with their specialisation in the dental needs of children, they are more likely to only focus on treating younger patients as compared to adults.

Hope this answers your question!

Hi @ms-lincoln-willms, thanks for your question. 

The procedure for extraction of wisdom teeth will vary depending on how your wisdom tooth is positioned in your mouth. During your first consult, your dentist would have taken an x-ray to assess the positioning of your wisdom tooth and its proximity to other important structures in the jaw.

Usually, if your wisdom tooth is completely visible and emerged in your mouth, a simple extraction would be done under local anaesthetic. In other cases, the positioning or angle of the wisdom tooth does not easily allow removal with forceps e.g. it is only partially emerged from the gums, it is angled towards the tooth in front or towards the back of your mouth, it is positioned close to the nerve or sinus in your jaw. This would then require a surgical extraction of the wisdom tooth, which is usually done under local anaesthetic as well. The difference between a simple extraction and a surgical extraction is that the latter is a more complex procedure that requires removal of a small part of gum tissue and bone to access the tooth. 

Before the procedure, the dentist will administer anaesthetic around the site of extraction to numb part of your mouth. This will prevent you from feeling any pain during the procedure. During the procedure, it is normal to feel pressure and pushing as the dentist performs the extraction. If a surgical extraction if required, you can also expect to hear some noises from the dental drill.

After the procedure, stitches may be placed at the extraction site to help the gums heal. Your dentist will advise you on some instructions on how to care for the wound. It is normal to experience some pain with any extraction after the numbness wears off. Your dentist would prescribe some medication to help manage this.

It is important to care for the extraction site and keep it clean to minimise complications and speed up recovery. Do try to gently brush and clean the area the day after your extraction, if possible, or as soon as it is not too tender to do so. If you are unable to brush the area, gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water or antibacterial mouthwash to keep the area clean.