Many people have crowded or crooked teeth. Orthodontic treatment will straighten the teeth or move them into a better position. This can improve their appearance and the way the teeth bite together, while also making them easier to clean. Some people have upper front teeth that stick out and look unsightly. These ‘prominent’ teeth are more likely to be damaged, but orthodontic treatment can move them back into line.

Or the way the upper and lower jaws meet can cause teeth to look unsightly and lead to an incorrect bite. Orthodontic treatment may be able to correct both of these problems. When the teeth don’t meet correctly, this can put strain on the muscles of the jaw, causing jaw and joint problems and sometimes headaches. Orthodontic treatment can help you to bite more evenly and reduce the strain.

Braces (orthodontic treatment) straighten or move teeth to improve the appearance of the teeth and how they work.  Braces can be removable, so you can take them out and clean them, or fixed, so that they’re stuck to your teeth and you can’t take them out. We only offer invisible removable braces, which are made of a clear plastic.

A bridge is a fixed replacement for a missing tooth or teeth. It’s made by taking an impression of the surrounding teeth, which will eventually support the bridge. A bridge is usually created from precious metal and porcelain and will be fixed in your mouth (unlike dentures, which can be removed). There are also metal-free (Zirconia) options available.

There are three main ways to replace missing teeth. The first is with a removable false tooth (or teeth) – called a partial denture. The second is with a fixed bridge. A bridge is usually used when there are fewer teeth to replace, or when the missing teeth are only on one side of the mouth. The third way is by the use of dental ‘implants’. This is where an artificial root is placed into the bone of the jaw and a crown or bridge placed on top of this.

It can take up to 6 months for your gums to heal properly after an extraction. This means that you may need to have a temporary denture before the bridge is fitted.

Accidents do happen and can sometimes lead to breaking, chipping or knocking out of a tooth. If the tooth is just chipped, please make a non-emergency dental appointment to have it smoothed down and filled, or have it crowned.

If the tooth has been knocked out or is badly broken, call us immediately for an urgent appointment. We can replace the broken tooth with a filling, and a knocked-out tooth with a denture or a bridge.

You can also see our specialist for a consultation, if you prefer to replace the missing tooth with an implant.

A crown (or “cap”) is an artificial restoration that fits over the remaining part of a prepared tooth, making it strong and giving it the shape of a natural tooth.  Crowns can be fitted where a tooth has broken, decayed or been damaged, or weakened by a very large filling.

A crown could be used for a number of other reasons, for example:

• you may have a discoloured filling and would like to improve the appearance of the tooth
• you may have had a root filling and need a crown to protect what is left of the tooth
• it may help to hold a bridge or denture firmly in place

To fit a crown, the old tooth will need to be drilled down so it’s like a small peg onto which the crown will be fixed.

Have you lost some (or all) of your teeth due to tooth decay, periodontal disease, accidents, etc?

Dental implants offer a unique solution for restoring your smile to its full beauty and functionality. Unlike traditional, removable dentures, dental implants provide a permanent, secure solution to tooth loss and look just like natural teeth.

During your initial consultation, our experts will evaluate your specific needs and create a customised treatment plan, just for you.

Implants can successfully replace missing or damaged teeth and, with proper care, can last a lifetime.

A veneer is a thin layer of porcelain made to fit over the front surface of a tooth, like a false fingernail fits over a nail. Sometimes a natural-colour ‘composite’ material is used instead of porcelain. Composite bondings are directly bonded to the tooth tissue.

Veneers are new facings for teeth which disguise a discoloured (rather than a damaged) tooth. Veneers can improve the colour, shape and position of your teeth. A precise shade of porcelain can be chosen to give the right colour to improve a single discoloured tooth or to lighten your front teeth.

A veneer can make a chipped tooth look whole again. The porcelain covers the whole of the front of the tooth, with a thicker section replacing the broken part. Veneers can also be used to close small gaps, when orthodontics (braces) are not suitable. If one tooth is slightly out of position, a veneer can sometimes be fitted to bring it into line with the others.

More commonly known as false teeth, dentures are fitted in place of natural teeth. A full set is used to replace all your teeth. A part set is used to replace one or more missing teeth. Dentures are custom-made using impressions from your gums. They’re usually made from metal or plastic.

They’re removable so you can clean them, although part dentures can be brushed at the same time as your other teeth. A full set needs to be removed and soaked in a cleaning solution.

Dentures can help improve your appearance. In addition, the gap left by a missing tooth can put more strain on the teeth on either side. A gap can also mean your ‘bite’ is affected because the teeth next to the space can lean into the gap and change the way the upper and lower teeth bite together. This can then lead to food getting packed into the gap, which causes tooth decay and gum disease.

Dentures are important if you lose your natural teeth as losing your teeth makes it difficult to chew your food, which will adversely affect your diet and may cause your facial muscles to sag.

Fillings are used to repair holes in teeth caused by tooth decay. The most common type is amalgam (silver) fillings however, fillings can now be tooth coloured (white) as many people do not wish to show silver fillings when they laugh or smile.

Your dentist will offer the most appropriate type of filling according to your clinical needs.

Root canal treatment (also called ‘endodontics’) is needed when the blood and nerve supply of the tooth (called the ‘pulp’) is infected through decay or injury. You may not feel any pain in the early stages of the infection. In some cases your tooth could darken in colour, which may mean that the nerve of the tooth has died (or is dying). This would need root canal treatment.

If the pulp becomes infected, the infection may spread through the root canal system of the tooth. This may eventually lead to an abscess. An abscess is an inflamed area in which pus collects and can cause swelling of the tissues around the tooth. The symptoms of an abscess can range from a dull ache to severe pain, and the tooth may be tender when you bite. If root canal treatment is not done, the infection will spread and the tooth may need to be taken out.

The aim of the treatment is to remove all the infection from the root canal system. The root canal is then cleaned and filled to prevent any further infection.

Root canal treatment is a skilled and time-consuming procedure. Most courses of treatment will involve two or more visits to your dentist.

This is when your teeth are professionally cleaned by the hygienist or dentist. It involves carefully removing the deposits that build up on the teeth (tartar).

Dental hygienists are specially trained to work as part of the dental team, to give care to patients.

They play an important part in dental health care and are mainly concerned with preventive dental health and treating gum disease – showing you correct home care and helping to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Dreaming of a whiter, brighter smile? With our professional guidance, you take an active step towards getting your beautiful, confident smile in no time.

Teeth whitening can help you achieve a bright smile by whitening your teeth, removing deep stains and lightening any discolorations within the tooth due to eating or drinking coloured foods/beverages, smoking or even genetics.

At A A Tikare and Associates, we use a Home Tooth Whitening System, for best results. There is a variety of different strengths of daytime and nighttime formulations that you can use at home. Your dentist will help select the product that is most suitable for you. All our whitening products utilise EU compliant gels with trays that are custom-made to your dentition, for best results.

The wisdom teeth grow at the back of your gums and are the last teeth to come through, usually in your late teens or early twenties. Most people have four wisdom teeth, one in each corner.

Wisdom teeth can sometimes emerge at an angle or get stuck and only emerge partially. Wisdom teeth that grow through in this way are known as impacted.

Impacted wisdom teeth can also be removed. At A A Tikare and Associates, our Principal, Dr Akin Tikare is trained in Oral Surgery and has many years’ experience of removing impacted wisdom teeth without the need for sedation.  However, if you prefer the procedure to be done under sedation, we can refer you to specialist practices that offer sedation, or to a hospital’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery department.