Farnham Road Dental Practice

Is there a solution to issues with dentures?

Dentures are a long-standing and trusted method of tooth replacement. Many people get a lot of satisfaction and function from their dentures. At Farnham Road Dental Practice, we support lots of patients who use this equipment.

Denture Stabilisation Guildford The truth is that dentures do come with their own set of issues. Whilst these are offset by their usefulness, they are still present. These include:

Slippage – particularly at first, many people find that dentures move around more than they would like. Using dentures means lightly gripping the equipment with the jaw muscles. This is not an action that the jaw is used to performing as teeth do not require this movement to stay in place. Some patients need to use denture adhesive when they get dentures to feel secure;
Soreness – the above issue often causes soreness as the dentures rub when they move around. While some unusual sensations are common in the first few months of using dentures, long-term soreness is not something that someone should have to live with;
Reduction in bite pressure over time – even when dentures are new, they do not offer the same bite pressure as natural teeth. Patients are advised to chop their food into small pieces to help with consumption. Over time, changes to the shape of the mouth and other factors mean that bite pressure drops off even more.

Fortunately, there is a possible solution to all the above issues. At Farnham Road Dental Practice, we offer denture stabilisation in Guildford.

What is denture stabilisation?

Denture stabilisation is a process whereby dental implants are used to anchor a denture onto the jawbone. A few implants are fitted into the patient’s jaw and then they can clip a custom-made denture onto these points. This offers them a solution to all the above issues. They should experience no slippage or rubbing, which means no soreness. They will also be able to bite with a stronger pressure than they were able to before. Dentures can still be removed for cleaning in order to keep them fresh.

Denture stabilisation can be used in cases where someone already has standard dentures or in cases where someone wants to consider dentures as a tooth replacement solution.

Dental implants – are they worth the cost?

At Farnham Road Dental Practice, we like to be up-front with our patients when it comes to our services. This fosters an atmosphere of trust which is essential when it comes to dental treatment. When it comes to tooth replacement, we have several options available and we are happy to talk about the challenges involved in each method as well as the benefits.

Dental Implants in Guildford Today we are looking at dental implants. One of the things that people are often aware of when they are considering this tooth replacement method is that they are not a particularly low-cost option. For some people, this is understandably challenging, and they may feel like this is a barrier to treatment.

When you have dental implants in Guildford with Farnham Road Dental Practice, we offer you an accurate estimate of costs early in the process so that you know what to expect. If budget is a major concern for you, let your dentist know and they can bear this in mind when making your treatment plan. There may be options available that mitigate the costs involved. You may also be able to take advantage of a finance plant through the practice.

Why do dental implants cost more?

The skills involved in fitting dental implants and the amount of time they last account for the costs involved. Your dentist uses precision equipment and excellent training and experience to place your dental implants. Once they are in position, they are designed for at least 15 years, maybe decades, given the right care. You may need to have the prosthetic teeth replaced after a decade or so, but the base of the implant is fixed.

When you have dental implants fitted, you are getting more than a prosthetic device that partially compensates for your missing teeth. You are taking advantage of a solution that effectively replaces your teeth. Dental implants offer you practically the same functionality and appearance as a normal smile. They also only require you to follow a strict oral hygiene routine when it comes to care. You do not need to adapt with any special techniques for eating, speaking or cleaning. All of these qualities make dental implants well worth the investment.

Why do people need a dentist for nervous patients?

At Farnham Road Dental Practice, we have a lot of experience dealing with nervous patients in Guildford. This means we have seen a variety of different people and reasons for dental fear. Some people have a combination of issues whereas others have a strong experience of a particular kind of phobia.

Nervous Patients in Guildford If you have anxiety around visiting the dentist, we encourage you to come and talk to a member of our friendly team. We can tailor a treatment plan that incorporates sensitivity to your particular issues so that we can support you. It may be tempting to wait until you really need to visit the dentist but this can have a strongly detrimental effect on your oral health and lead to the need for more extensive treatment later that could be avoided with action right now.

Just a few of the common reasons for dental fear include:

Lack of control – we understand that lying back in a dentist’s chair can be a vulnerable position. You cannot see what is going on and it can be hard to communicate. If this is particularly difficult for you, we can agree to provide you will all the information you need as you go along. The dentist will narrate what is happening so you feel like you are a part of the process. We can arrange a signalling system so you can let us know if you need a break or a chance to speak;
Needles – there are some dental procedures that require the use of needles for anaesthesia. We think that developments in dentistry mean that these are more comfortable than they used to be but you may still feel some sensation. We can discuss sedation options with you that will help you feel calmer if you need an injection. We can also ensure that you never see the needle as, for some people, this can be helpful;
Judgement – some people feel quite paranoid about their oral health and think that they may be judged for the state of their teeth. We are happy to talk to you about this anxiety and can reassure you that we understand why someone might not visit their dentist for long periods of time.

What can we do for nervous patients in Guildford?

Many people have trepidation about visiting their dentist. This might be on any level from slight anxiety all the way through to full-blown phobia. If this is you then visiting the dentist is probably not an easy task. At Farnham Road Dental Practice, we want to offer you a better experience of dentistry so that you can look after your teeth when you need to.

Nervous Patients in Guildford There are a number of ways that we offer nervous patients support when they visit Farnham Road Dental Practice. These include:

Communication – this is perhaps the primary skill that we can offer initially. While dental fear is common, each person’s experience of it is unique. We want to understand as much as we can about how you perceive your dental treatment so that we can tailor our other skills to change this for the better. A member of our team will talk to you, ask questions and get a full picture of your needs. It doesn’t necessarily matter if you don’t know why you are worried about visiting the dentist. We provide you with plenty of information so you know what to expect during your treatments and can ask questions about anything that you think might be difficult for you;
Adaptation – supporting your dental visits sometimes means that we adapt our techniques and the environment to make you more comfortable. For example, you may be particularly bothered by the sensory experience of dental visits. Some patients do not like the bright lights or the noises. We may be able to soften your experience of these things if we know that they have a detrimental effect;
Sedation – if you need to have a more extensive dental procedure, we can discuss sedation options with you. This is normally on top of any anaesthetic that we use to numb the area for treatment. Sedation for nervous patients focuses primarily on creating a relaxed mental state. Once you have had a positive visit or two, we think it will begin to change your view of the dentist. This is called creating a ‘positive feedback loop’ so you can expect to be able to approach future appointments with calmer feelings.

Why you need replacement roots as well as crowns

Teeth play several vital roles in our bodies. They are used to bite into and chew our food. They also play an important role in speech, and in non-verbal communication, forming the smile. When body parts don’t function as they should, it can be distressing, and so it’s important to find a replacement method that gives you back the full functionality of your teeth, for eating, talking and smiling.

Dental Implants in Guildford That’s why at Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford, we recommend dental implants. Dental implants are the only tooth replacement method that gives you new roots as well as crowns. Having roots to your replacement teeth makes a huge amount of difference to their functionality. If you were putting in a new tree, you wouldn’t expect it to function very well if it didn’t have roots, yet somehow, we think our replacement teeth should.

Why you need roots

Roots give stability, and you need a lot of that to be able to bite and chew. The average male chew carries a force of 97kg or 200lbs. Natural roots can withstand that and the fact that chewing isn’t just an up-and-down movement. Dentures, which rely on adherence to the gums, can only withstand about a quarter of that force, so even when they fit brilliantly, all sorts of great foods are off the menu, and you have to live mainly on soft foods. Bridges can cope with more force, but only because they are attached to neighbouring healthy teeth with crowns that require those teeth to be ground down. In effect, you have to give up two perfectly good teeth to replace one missing one.

Roots also play a vital role in the health of your jawbone. Without roots, the jawbone quickly starts to deteriorate in the area where the tooth is missing. It can lose 25% of its size and density in a year after tooth-loss. Lose enough teeth and you start to get that sunken-cheeked, pointy-chinned look that we associate with old age.

Because of this, we recommend that you come in for a consultation for dental implants in Guildford as soon as you can after losing a tooth, or before if your teeth are starting to fail.

Don’t put it off, get your dental implants in Guildford now

Losing your teeth can be a pretty frightening experience. It doesn’t matter whether you are young and get them knocked out playing sport or in an accident, or you are knocking on a bit and your teeth are failing due to neglect, night-time grinding or just plain bad luck. When they go, you could be forgiven for panicking a little.

Dental Implants in Guildford The thing you must not do is put your head in the sand and tell yourself you will sort out replacement teeth in a few months. This is easy if the teeth you are losing are molars tucked away at the back of your mouth where no one can really see them. If it’s your front teeth that are on the way out, or already gone, you’ll be more on the ball, as the gappy look is not one many people aspire to.

The thing is, when you lose your teeth you also start to lose your gums and jawbone. Both of them start to recede in the area of the gap and if you are going to get dental implants, you need a good strong jawbone to put them in.

Dental implants are the only tooth replacement method that replaces the roots of the teeth. This preserves your jawbone as well as allowing you maximum freedom in terms of what you eat. Because dental implants are embedded into the jawbone, they won’t wobble around like dentures can tend to do.

How to get dental implants

The first thing you need to do is come along for a consultation so that we can take x-rays and do a scan of your jawbone and see what condition it is in. If it’s in good shape, we can get on with implant surgery. If not, we may be able to do some work to build it back up.

Dental implant surgery takes place under local anaesthetic. One implant can carry up to three crowns and there are ways for us to put a whole arch of teeth on as few as four implants. You need to give them a few weeks to integrate, but once they have become part of your jawbone, you may even forget they are not your real teeth.

Why are dental implants a viable solution for missing teeth?

If you are missing one tooth or many, you can either replace them or leave gaps in your mouth. However, if you fail to replace your missing teeth, you will face a number of complications with your oral health. At the same time, your chances of losing more teeth will also increase.

Nowadays, there are several options for replacing missing teeth, but dental implants are the most reliable one. Unlike conventional dentures and bridges, dental implants are embedded into the jawbone, where they create a strong foundation for natural-looking replacement teeth.

Dental Implants in Guilford At Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guilford, dental implants are ideal for those seeking to rebuild their smile and restore their oral function. Dental implants do not require support from adjacent teeth, and they keep the jawbone strong and healthy by replacing the roots of the missing teeth.

Effective tooth restoration

Most tooth replacement options, like removable dentures and bridges, just sit on the gums without interacting with the jawbone. While offering an aesthetic result, these options leave you at risk of jawbone degeneration.

This is because once a tooth is lost, the body starts to reabsorb the jawbone because it knows there is no tooth to support. Over time, this can cause the remaining teeth to shift out of place into the gap created by the missing tooth.

Dental implants act as root replacement and restore the oral function completely. A small titanium post is placed directly into the jaw to replicate the root of a lost tooth. This not only gives the replacement tooth a sturdy foundation, but it also supports the jaw just like a natural tooth does, ensuring that it will maintain its shape and strength over time. Moreover, dental implants encourage the growth of new bone tissue.

After the post has been positioned within the jawbone, a replacement tooth, including crowns, dentures or bridges, can be attached to the dental implant.

Regain your confidence in your smile

If missing teeth have changed your lifestyle, dental implants may be the solution you have been looking for. If you think they could be right for you, simply contact us today and we will book a consultation appointment for you.

Who makes a good candidate for dental implants in Guilford?

Dental implants are a popular tooth restoration method, ideal for patients who have lost one or several teeth. Unlike conventional tooth replacement options, dental implants are integrated into the jawbone, creating a strong and stable foundation for replacement teeth.

At Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guilford, we offer many implant solutions for patients suffering from tooth loss. However, while dental implants are an effective and long-lasting tooth replacement solution, not everybody is a candidate for treatment. Our experienced dentists will examine your teeth thoroughly and help you decide whether this is the right treatment for you.

Here are some of the things to take into consideration before deciding whether to have dental implants in Guilford:

Good oral and overall health

During your consultation appointment, our dentist will examine your teeth, gums and jawbone carefully and ask you many questions about your oral and overall health. This is to determine whether your body will be able to heal properly after the surgery. Patients in good health are generally good candidates for dental implants as long as they have enough bone tissue left in their jawbone.

Patients with health problems, on the other hand, may still be eligible for dental implants, as long as their condition is stabilised prior to implant surgery. Last but not least, patients with gum disease or other oral health issues should have them treated before implant surgery. This is because, if left untreated, they can hinder the healing process.

What if I don’t have enough jawbone?

While as a general rule your jaw needs to be strong enough to support the dental implants, patients with deteriorated jawbones can still take advantage of this treatment. Modern implant techniques such All-on-4 implants, allow patients to have multiple teeth replaced with dental implants, even if their jawbone has greatly deteriorated. It should go without saying that a thorough consultation with your dentist is needed before any decisions are made on the matter.

Book your appointment

If you are considering dental implants in Guilford and have questions about whether this is the right treatment for you, please contact us to book your consultation.

Teeth that help you shine

If you want to give yourself an instant healthy glow, one way to do so is to invest in the world’s most popular cosmetic dentistry treatment. Teeth whitening is the world’s favourite treatment because it’s quick and non-invasive, making it a great value way to brighten up your smile so that you can enjoy yourself even more when you are partying and dining out.

Teeth Whitening in Guildford In Guildford, teeth whitening is a very simple procedure here at Farnham Road Dental Practice. You pop into us for a whitening kit and then carry out the treatment at your leisure at home, over the next two to three weeks. Now is a great time to get started on teeth whitening, to give your smile an early Spring clean.

We use the Enlighten teeth whitening system, which allows you to carry out the treatment at home. You just need to come into us so that we can take impressions of your teeth and make your gel trays. You take them home with a kit containing the whitening gel.

You fill each gel tray with the gel and put it on over your teeth. You need to wear your trays every day for an hour or two.

You will start to see results in just a few days, but it will take two to three weeks for the full whitening to be completed. The length of time it takes and the colour your teeth will lighten to depends on the colour of the staining or discolouration to start with. We have found that teeth whitening is most successful on teeth that are yellow or brown to start with, rather than grey. However, this does not mean that greyish teeth cannot be improved by teeth whitening.

Teeth whitening is not a permanent treatment and how long it last depends on how well you look after your teeth, avoiding things that stain, such as tea, coffee and red wine.

If you would like to discover more about teeth whitening, you can pop in for a free consultation. We are in the town centre and would love to chat with you about how we can help you.

Time for a Spring clean?

It’s that time of year when Spring is almost peeking around the corner and we can all start to hope for sunnier, warmer days. Spring means being able to see indoors without having electric lights on, and oh boy, look at the dirt! It’s interesting how we are so primed to respond to the seasons, and Spring means cleaning, and sprucing up. We busy ourselves, tidying our nests and getting our bodies ready for Summer. So often we get immersed in trying to lose weight or get a new haircut when what would be most beneficial is a spruce up for our smiles.

Teeth Whitening in Guildford How is yours looking? Have you taken a good look at the state of your teeth lately? At the colour? Is it a lovely pearly white? Or have you been drinking so much tea, coffee, red wine or cola that you’ve gone and stained them beyond the help of a scale and polish with the hygienist?

Never fear, here at Farnham Road Dental Practice, we can help you get your whites pearly again with teeth whitening in Guildford.

Most of the stains that can so discolour our teeth are on the surface. Our tooth enamel is porous so it soaks up dark pigments from food and drink, as well as tobacco and certain medications. What we do is use teeth whitening gels that have hydrogen peroxide as an active ingredient. Hydrogen peroxide has been in use as a whitener for a couple of hundred years. It’s safe. It gets into the porous bits in your enamel and lifts the staining out.

Depending on the strength of the hydrogen peroxide it can either do this very quickly, or very slowly and gently. The quick gel is stronger and can only be applied to your teeth by a professional. This is because, although hydrogen peroxide is not toxic, it can be an irritant. So, if you want the fast version, we need to do it for you, and protect your lips and gums with protective barriers. It takes about an hour. The milder treatment can be done by you at home and takes a couple of weeks.