Farnham Road Dental Practice

Your missing teeth, your secret

It’s bad enough suffering the loss of your teeth, let alone suffering the indignity of never knowing when your replacement teeth are going to let you down by doing a rumba in your mouth or even falling out. Wobbly false teeth are only funny for the onlookers, not the wearer.

However, there is a way to get replacement teeth that allow you to keep your dignity and your food choices, and your lovely strong jawbone, and that solution is dental implants.

Dental Implants in Guildford At Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford, we have been seeing more and more of our patients choose dental implants to replace lost teeth. Dental implants have one big advantage over dentures and bridges in that they are fixed into the jaw, rather than relying on the gums or neighbouring teeth for stability.

How dental implants work

Dental implants are small tapered screws or posts that replace tooth roots. To put them into your jawbone, the dental surgeon opens up a flap in your gum and carefully drills a hole into your jawbone. It sounds a lot more painful than it is, and the pain is easily controlled with a local anaesthetic as there are very few nerve endings in the bone. Pain is not the same as anxiety however, so you can have sedation to relax you during the procedure.

Once the implant is in place, the bone around it grows new bone cells and blood vessels all over it. This takes several weeks, but will eventually hold the dental implant in place as securely as a natural tooth in its socket.

Crowns, bridges and even dentures can then be attached to the implants. One implant can hold up to 3 teeth on a bridge and it only takes 4-6 implants to secure an entire arch of teeth (4 for the lower, 6 for the upper).

Maintenance

Looking after your dental implants is important and easy. All you need is to brush and floss them thoroughly twice a day to get rid of food and plaque. Couple this with regular trips to the hygienist for plaque removal and your implants can last for decades.

Adult orthodontics are easy

Getting straighter teeth used to be the sole province of teenagers and if you didn’t get yours done as a kid, that was it. You had to live with your wonky ones, or look a right twit in teenage metal-mouth braces for a couple of years.

Now, though, there are some great devices available for adults with mild to moderate misalignment issues. They don’t take forever to do their job and they don’t take over your mouth, filling it with so much metal that you can’t see the white enamel behind them.

Orthodontics in Guildford Here at Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford, we have 2 ways to straighten teeth both of which are very discreet. One is almost invisible. Let’s take a look at them.

Six Month Smiles

This brand of braces work on the front 6-8 social teeth, which are the teeth that most people can see when we talk and laugh. They are called Six Month Smiles because that’s how long the average treatment with this brand takes, although it can take as little as 4 months and as long as 9. These braces feature traditional brackets and wires, but updated for modern purposes. The brackets are smaller than that of old and they are made of clear ceramic. The wires are finer and tooth-coloured. Together they blend in with the teeth.

Invisalign

There are no brackets and wires with Invisalign. Instead you receive a series of mouth guard-style, transparent plastic aligners that snap on over the teeth. Each aligner in the series has a slightly different configuration of pressure points and they gradually nudge the teeth along the route to alignment. The average treatment time is 12 months, but it can take longer. The great thing about Invisalign is that, when they are in place, they are very hard to spot. You can go about your business without having to worry about casual observers staring at your teeth. They are also removable, which makes eating and cleaning your teeth a lot less hassle.

The best way to find out which, if either, of these devices is best for you is to come in for an orthodontics consultation.

When you need to see us as soon as possible

What’s the definition of an emergency? It’s when something happens out of the blue that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, and if it’s not, there may be serious consequences.

Emergencies and Dental Pain in Guildford How do you know when you have a dental emergency on your hands? And what are you supposed to do? There are basically 2 types of dental emergencies and pain is involved in both of them. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong and you need to get it seen to. Pain usually comes in the form of a bad toothache that won’t go away, or in the sudden pain that comes with an accident. Both are going to involve a trip to the emergency dentist here at Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford.

You never know when an emergency is going to happen, so it’s best to store the practice number in your phone, and the phone of every person in the family who is registered with us.

Out of hours

Because emergencies are no respecters of office hours, we are a member of the local out of hours dental emergency service. This swings into action every evening from 6-10pm, and also from 8am-10pm on weekends. The dental practices involved rotate the duties, so when you call us, a recording will tell you how to get in touch with the dentist on call at the time.

What happens during an emergency appointment

The main goal of an emergency appointment is to get you free from pain. Once that is achieved the dentist can examine you and discover what the problem is.

If you have been in an accident and have lost some teeth, we may be able to put them back in. You need to get to us within 2 hours and with your teeth safely stored, either in your mouth, or in a pot of milk. Never let them dry out or store them in tap water. They will die. Also avoid touching the roots and any flesh on them, as these need to remain intact if your teeth are to be restored to their sockets.

In pain? Lost or damaged a tooth?

If you have been developing a toothache that has been getting more and more severe then please don’t keep thinking it will go away all by itself. Give Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford a call and book an appointment with the emergency dentist.

Why take notice of pain?

Pain is a signal from your body telling you that something is wrong. You may want to ignore and get on with your work or your studies, or making sure that the kids get to school, but the longer you ignore that toothache the more chance there is that you may be doing yourself some long-term damage.

Severe toothache

If you have a powerful toothache that goes all over your face and even into your ears and neck, it could well be the sign of an infection. When there is infection around the tooth, pus can accumulate under the gum around the tooth root. This is known as an abscess and if it is not drained, it can lead to the loss of the tooth.

If you have such a toothache it is important to call us as soon as you can, and we will do our best to book you in for an emergency appointment on the day you call.

Stop the pain

When you get in to see the dentist, our first task will be to get you free of pain. When we have got you comfortable, we can take a look at your teeth and make a diagnosis.

Root canal therapy

If you do indeed have an abscess and an infection in the tooth root, we will drain away the pus and then clean out the infection. We then fill the root and cap it off with a crown. This way you get to keep your tooth. If we extract the tooth, we will then need to think of how to replace it. This could be done with a bridge, a partial denture or a dental implant.

Put our number in your phone

When it comes to dental emergencies and dental pain in Guildford, don’t be caught out without our number. Put it in your phone, that way you will be able to call us with no hassle.

The secret to dentures that stay still

Have you noticed that since you got your dentures they have started to wobble around? Are you surprised, since they fitted so well when you first started to wear them? Now you can’t really trust that they will stay put, even with messy dental adhesives applied before you slip them over your gums. What on earth is happening and is there anything you can do about it?

Why do dentures start slipping?

Dentists go to a great deal of trouble to make sure that dentures adhere well to the gums. The trouble is that when there are no tooth roots sending tremors down into the gums every time the teeth come together, the jawbone believes that it is no longer in use and starts to dissolve itself. This happens very quickly and people can lose up to 25% of their jawbone in the first year alone after tooth loss. There is less depth of bone for the dentures to grip onto and that makes it hard to get a good suction between gum and denture.

What can you do about it?

It used to be that all you could do was get your dentures relined so that they fit your jaw again. This is a simple solution but the trouble with it is that the jawbone continues to shrink and so your dentures may have to be relined about every year.

However, here at Farnham Road Dental Practice, we have another way to stop your dentures wobbling around and that is to secure them to your jawbone with dental implants in Guildford. This technique is called denture stabilisation, and we can adapt your current dentures so that they can be attached to the dental implants.

We find that you will need 2–4 dental implants on the bottom jawbone and 4–6 implants on the top jawbone. We can put in the implants, customise your denture and attach them all in one appointment, so you need never be without your teeth. You continue to treat your dentures as dentures, taking them out at night to clean them and rest your gums, but you will find that during the day, they behave more like natural teeth than your unsecured dentures ever could.

Why we love dental implants

It’s grim when you lose your teeth. Nobody sails through the loss of these vital body parts without feeling some distress. If you’ve had a tooth or two knocked out playing sports, you may worry that you now have to go through decades with a denture and no one is ever going to want to kiss you again. If you are starting to experience tooth loss after watching teeth be filled time and again over decades, losing them may feel like the beginning of the end of the prime of your life. All sorts of fear and worries come up around tooth loss, and it used to be that there were only fairly good ways to replace teeth, each with their own set of hassles and inconveniences. Dentures could mean a restricted diet and embarrassment from them wobbling around. Fixed bridgework meant losing at least two more teeth to act as buttresses for the bridges. Not much fun if you’ve only lost one tooth to start with.

Dental Implants in Guildford Thank goodness then for the advent of dental implants. Here at Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford, we can’t quite believe that this innovative solution to tooth loss has been around for more than 30 years already. Considering that, it’s also surprising that many people do not know about this fabulous way to replace teeth. But then, when something is fulfilling its remit to be indistinguishable from real teeth, both in form and function, and people don’t like to tell others about their teeth, dental implants can remain a very well-kept secret.

However, in the time that they have been available to the public, dentists have been experimenting with ways to use them and also ways to make them more available to a wider range of people.

Now you can use dental implants to replace one tooth, several on a bridge, or the whole lot. You can even use dental implants to stabilise loose dentures. And if you have been told your jawbone is no longer strong and dense enough to support implants, there are ways to sort that out too.

All hail the dental implant! We are so glad you got invented.

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.