The dentist will examine the mouth, assessing the condition of the teeth and existing fillings. Soft tissue examination: cheeks, lips, tongue and floor of mouth, muscles of mastication. Hard tissues: Upper jaw, lower jawBone levels between teeth

Dental hygienists play an important role in maintaining oral health care. Regular professional cleaning combined with advice on how to look after your teeth and gums at home can help to prevent or reduce gum disease (gingivitis)......

The hygienist will carefully remove the hardened plaque (calculus or tartar) from your teeth using a technique called scaling.

Gingivitis or Periodontal Disease is caused by the build-up of plaque, which is a sticky biofilm of bacteria. If left untreated, the gums can become swollen and bleed. This can lead to reduced bone support around the teeth ultimately resulting in tooth mobility and loss. Plaque and calculus are also major causes of bad breath (halitosis) and taste.

The hygienist will also advise on good oral hygiene techniques, individually tailored to suit the patient’s needs. Regular visits to our hygienist will ensure your teeth stay stronger and healthier for longer and also improve halitosis.

At Whitchurch Smiles we only use tooth coloured filling materials to restore teeth...... If your teeth are chipped or damaged or old metal (amalgam) fillings need replacing, we are able to restore them using advanced composite resin or glass ionomer filling materials which are shade matched to suit your natural tooth colour. Sometimes this technique can be used to restore large areas of damage where in the past the only alternative treatment offered would have been the more expensive options of specialist laboratory made onlays, inlays, crowns or veneers.

For some people, teeth get darker with age. With others they may want to improve on mother nature...... and so for a brighter, more youthful looking smile, professional whitening is very popular, particularly for a special event such as a wedding or as part of a cosmetic makeover.

Using a special peroxide gel applied to the teeth, we can lighten your teeth by up to nine shades. As the procedure is simple and safe, you can choose to have it performed at the practice or do it yourself at home or you can opt for a mix of the two. For whitening at home we will provide you with unique laboratory made, comfortable mouth guard’s and the whitening gel, for use either overnight or you can choose to use them for a couple of hours during the day.

When a tooth is too damaged and weak a crown is required which fits over the whole of the tooth to consolidate it...... A crown can also cover teeth which are too small or irregular in shape to improve aesthetics. The tooth is prepared by shaping and an impression is taken. The impression together with your dentists prescription is then sent to a specialist laboratory where the crown is hand crafted. The crown is then bonded into place by your dentist. Crowns can be made in a wide variety of materials, we provide porcelain bonded to precious metal (gold alloy), full gold and other precious metal crowns or for truly outstanding aesthetic results all ceramic crowns.

If you have missing teeth or need to have teeth extracted, a set of dentures will give you back a functional set of teeth and an aesthetic smile, particularly as they also support your lips and cheek muscles....... Depending on the number of teeth lost and their location, complete or partial dentures maybe fitted. For cases where teeth are due to be extracted, a temporary denture can be placed while we wait for full healing of the extraction site/s before a definitive final permanent denture is made by the laboratory.

Dentures can be made in different materials from Acrylic or flexible Nylon (plastic) based to metal cobalt chrome or precious metal based dentures.

Gaps due to missing teeth or tooth extraction not only spoil your smile, .......they may also cause the surrounding teeth to shift gradually around the vacant space, leading to potential problems related to chewing and jaw problems or gum disease. To fill the gaps left by one or two missing teeth a bridge can be used. This consists of a false tooth or teeth supported by one or more crowns or adhesive wings bonded into place over the intact teeth either side of the gap. The teeth adjacent to the missing tooth/teeth are prepared by shaping and an impression is taken. The impression together with the dentists prescription is then sent to a specialist laboratory where the bridge is hand crafted. The bridge is then bonded into place by the dentist.

Veneers are wafer-thin, custom made shells of porcelain or composite which fit over the front of a tooth much like a false fingernail covers a nail......... They can conceal damaged or discoloured teeth as well as alter the appearance for greater aesthetics.

The process is considered to be cosmetic dentistry since the main benefit is a bright, white and natural smile with perfectly aligned and shaped teeth.

You need to know that this process is usually irreversible because the enamel on your existing teeth is thinned down to accept the veneers.

Dental implants are the modern way of replacing anything from a single tooth to a full set of upper and lower teeth........ Essentially an artificial tooth root, an implant is a titanium alloy screw which is permanently fixed into the jaw bone at the precise location of the intended tooth. The implant then integrates with the bone and when sufficiently secure it is topped by a crown, bridge or denture depending on how many teeth are being replaced and your individual requirements. The procedure has a very high success rate and with proper care they can last a lifetime.

Implants are placed by our specially trained and highly experienced colleagues.

Also called endodontics is needed when the blood or supply of the tooth (known as 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.

Root canal treatments have received a lot of bad press in the past but through technological and scientific advancements in the use of Nickel Titanium rotary instruments, they can now be done quickly, successfully and painlessly.

However unhappy you are with your smile, we have the knowledge and expertise to give you the complete smile makeover that will boost self esteem and self confidence........ Communication from the patient is essential so that it is clear what is expected and what the smile will ultimately look like. Factors to take into account include the size, shape and position of teeth as well as assessing your facial features. Digital photography and wax blue-prints will enable a preview of the smile before treatment starts.

A smile makeover may include one or a combination of treatments including ultra thin porcelain veneers, orthodontics, tooth recontouring/reshaping, crowns, bridges, implants and partial/full dentures. All treatment options will be discussed with you to ensure you choose the best options suitable to you.

Does snoring keep you awake at night? We can provide you with an appliance that can help. Please ask your dentist for details.

Grinding teeth, jaw ache, headaches or migraines?........ Many patients are treated with medications to ease these problems and aid relaxation but are temporary solutions as they are treating the symptoms and quite often not the cause of the problem. Many cases of headaches, migraine, shoulder pain, painful jaw joints, fillings which keep breaking, crowns which keep falling out can be diagnosed as occlusal problems (occlusion: is the way that our teeth meet and slide against each other) and can be treated with specially made splints (hard mouth guards) which fit over the biting surfaces (upper or lower) of the teeth and aid muscle relaxation so reducing the need for medicated relief. (http://www.bsos.org.uk)

Orthodontics is a Greek word that literally means ‘to straighten teeth’. It is a type of dental treatment that aims to improve the appearance, position and function of crooked or abnormally arranged teeth. Dr Hyder will carry out orthodontic treatments for simple cases, more complex treatment needs are referred for specialist treatment by colleagues in the nearby vicinity. Every patient needs tailor-made treatment, planned by the dentist and agreed with you, the patient. In order to decide what treatment is required for you, your dentist will need to carry out a full assessment of your teeth which is likely to include x-rays, impressions (moulds of the teeth) and photographs.