Monthly Archives: March 2017

Get enlightened about tooth whitening…

whitening Leicester

Enlighten tooth whitening has been our preferred system at Smile Essential dental practice for several years. Enlighten offers superior results compared to other tooth whitening treatments. It combines at home and in surgery tooth whitening to create outstanding whitening results. We actually guarantee you will achieve the lightest natural tooth shade B1.

How do you whiten my teeth?
We create custom made tooth whitening trays which you apply a gel into every night and sleep with them in. The trays are very comfortable to wear and won’t interfere with you sleeping.

How long will it take to whiten my teeth?
Enlighten takes 14 nights at home followed by the in surgery whitening on day 15. If your teeth are particularly dark it may take a few extra nights after.

Will my teeth be sensitive?
During tooth whitening, transient sensitivity can be a problem. However, with Enlighten patients rarely report sensitivity issues. If sensitivity does occur it can usually be resolved with the specially designed sensitive tooth serum – contained as part of your package.

How long will the whitening last?
Whitening results will last indefinitely with regular tooth whitening top ups.

Will my teeth become too white?
The beauty of whitening at home is it’s a gradual process. If you are happy with the shade of your teeth at any point during the process you can simply stop.

My teeth are really dark will it work for me?
Yes at Smile Essential dental practice we guarantee you will achieve the B1 shade no matter what colour your teeth were to start with.

Do I have to be a Patient of Smile Essential?
No, we carry out free tooth whitening consultations for everyone. Smile Essential has achieved the Gold standard from the British Bleaching Dental Society and we are the only Practice in Leicester to have been awarded this, so you’re in safe hands having your teeth whitened with us.

How many appointments will I need?
You will be required to book three appointments

Appointment one: a free consultation to have a chat about your tooth whitening goals and that you are suitable. If you’re happy then we can take the impressions at this stage to make your uniquely designed tooth whitening trays.

Appointment two: is when the uniquely designed tooth whitening trays are fitted and then you start to whiten your teeth from home each evening for the next 2 weeks.

Appointment three: in-surgery laser tooth whitening whilst you can relax and watch a DVD and then we will reveal your new Enlightened Smile.

Tooth whitening is the simplest most effective way to cosmetically improve your smile

If you’re interested in booking a free no obligation consultation then click here or call 0116 2891317

Dental Leicester

How to choose and use a sensitive toothpaste…

sensitive toothpaste guide

Whether you’re new to sensitive types of toothpaste or have tried a few only to discover sometimes they work for you and other times not, this handy guide is here to help you avoid common mistakes people make when selecting a desensitising toothpaste.

When using a sensitive toothpaste it’s important to stick with it. Some promise to work in just 2 uses but many people report it actually takes around a month to work, so hang in there!

Don’t switch! If you find a toothpaste that works for you then stick with it if you want to continue to see the benefits. Often our patients report successful results and when it runs out they buy another brand or type of toothpaste. Each desensitising toothpaste uses a different active ingredient to treat tooth sensitivity.

The 2 most popular kinds of toothpaste we recommend at Smile Essential are Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief and Sensodyne Repair and Protect. These products have a good track record with relieving sensitivity

Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief
Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief™ Toothpaste with Pro-Argin®. It works by forming a calcium-rich layer on the tooth and in the dentine tubules, which is resistant to acids found in common food and drinks.

It locks in calcium and phosphate occluding exposed dentine tubules and preventing external stimuli from reaching dentine tubule fluid and causing sensitivity.


Sensodyne Repair and Protect
Sensodyne Repair & Protect contains patented NovaMin® technology, which seeks out and forms a tooth-like layer over vulnerable areas of the tooth where dentine is exposed.

Whichever toothpaste you choose it’s important to not rinse out after brushing. In order for the toothpaste to be effective, it needs to be left on to work its magic.

If you’re worried about sensitive teeth then scheduled an appointment with one of our dentists by clicking here…

Dental Leicester

Everything you need to know about cosmetic braces…

adult braces Leicester

How many times have you looked at your smile in the mirror when brushing your teeth and wished your teeth were straighter? How many times do you look at a photo and hate your smile or worse of all don’t smile at all! It’s incredible how many people we see at Smile Essential Dental Practice that don’t actually smile because they feel ashamed and embarrassed about their teeth and dislike smiling.

You could spend years hating your teeth and being scared of the dentist when actually dental practices like Smile Essential in Leicester can give you a really wow customer experience and offer you a solution to treat your crooked, wonky or misaligned teeth quickly and effectively.

How does it work?
Cosmetic braces such as ClearSmile still use fixed brackets on the teeth but they are much more cosmetically pleasing as everything is tooth coloured. They also work in the same way as traditional braces – exerting gentle pressure to move your teeth. They act much more quickly than traditional braces because they focus on only moving the teeth visible in your smile line.

How long does it take?
Treatment takes anywhere from 4 to 9 months, but most people complete treatment in just 6 months. With conventional braces the average treatment is between 18 months and 2 years, this is what makes cosmetic braces systems such as ClearSmile and Six Month Smiles such a popular choice for adults. Once you have been in for your consultation the dentist will be able to give you an idea of how long they expect the treatment to take.

How much does it cost and what’s included?
We provide a complete cosmetic brace package this means no surprise costs at a later date! Included with your cosmetic brace package is our dual retention system – without this, your teeth are likely to move back! We also provide FREE tooth whitening to finish your new look.

The investment for straight teeth is 2,700. Many patients choose to take advantage of our flexible finance options.

We offer a range of finance options so you can spread the cost of treatment for peace of mind. Our most popular finance option is our 12 months 0% interest offer. If you would like to repay over a longer amount of time we also offer finance at a competitive 9.9APR from 24 up to 60 months. You can calculate what to borrow and the monthly costs on our handy finance calculator.

Interested in taking the next step at our Leicester dental clinic?

The next step we recommend is for you to come and see us for a complimentary dental consultation. It’s FREE and is just to have a chat with the dentist to discuss your concerns and check the treatment is suitable for you. If you and the dentist are both happy then the next step is to book in for a full orthodontic assessment appointment to start your journey to a healthy, straight and confident smile.

Ready to take the next step? Click here to arrange your FREE no obligation consultation or give us a call on 0116 2891317

Dental Leicester

Teeth grinding explained..

bruxism

Teeth grinding is medically known as a condition called bruxism. The painful symptoms of severe teeth grinding and clenching include headaches, jaw pain and even tooth damage.

Bruxism affects more than six million people in the UK. But the severity of the symptoms and the frequency of grinding varies. Most cases of bruxism (80%) are mild and occur subconsciously during sleep.

But, when it’s frequent and severe, grinding your teeth can aggravate the joints in your lower jaw, also known as the temporomandibular joints, or TMJ. Bruxism is usually associated with contributing factors, such as stress or anxiety.

Signs you may suffer from bruxism:

• Pain or tenderness in the face, jaw joint area, neck and shoulders, and in or around the ear when you chew, speak or open your mouth wide
• Limited ability to open the mouth very wide
• Jaws that get “stuck” or “lock” in the open or closed position
• Clicking, popping or grating sounds in the jaw joint when opening or closing the mouth (which may or may not be accompanied by pain)
• A tired feeling in the face
• Difficulty chewing or a sudden uncomfortable bite, as if the upper and lower teeth are not fitting together properly
• Swelling on the side of the face.
• Other common symptoms of TMJ disorders include toothaches, headaches/migraines, neck aches, dizziness, earaches, hearing problems, upper shoulder pain and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

Treatment for Bruxism include:

Mouth guards – can be effective in preventing wear and tear on the teeth caused by grinding but doesn’t stop you from grinding your teeth

Mouth splints – splints stop you from being able to lock your jaw together so they can stop you grinding and clenching.

Reducing stress – sometimes it’s difficult to make life less stressful. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may be beneficial in helping you to manage your problems by changing the way you think and how you act.

Lifestyle – make some simple lifestyle changes, if you smoke then give up and don’t smoke before bed, reduce your alcohol consumption and take time out to enjoy some rest and relaxation daily.

Learn more about treatment options by clicking here…

Dental Leicester

That dental feeling of clean just got better…

AirFlow tooth cleaning

There have been many revolutions over the past decade but one of our absolute favourites has to be AirFlow tooth polishing. AirFlow polishing is an electrical machine that cleans and polishes the teeth with a mixture of water, compressed air and fine powder particles.

AirFlow polishing offers superior stain removal compared to traditional polishing methods. A powerful jet of water, air and fine powder polishes all the surfaces of a tooth, removing plaque, discolouration and soft deposits, it reaches into the difficult to clean interproximal (in-between) areas which tend to attract more plaque and staining.

The result of using the AirFlow polisher to remove excess staining helps teeth to looks shades whiter and ultimately make the whole mouth feel much healthier.

We combine traditional cleaning methods by removing the hard plaque deposits (calculus) with hand and ultrasonic scalers, then polish the teeth the traditional way with a brush and polish; finally, we finish with the AirFlow polisher. The AirFlow polisher and its microparticles help to lift any remaining plaque and staining for that deep down feeling of clean.

The advantages don’t stop there! The AirFlow polisher is extremely efficient in removing the biofilm that sits around the teeth and gums. The damaging biofilm develops when dental plaque is colonised by bacteria and can lead to gum disease. Breaking that biofilm is the finishing touch in our most advanced cleaning system.

If you love that dentist feeling of clean you really will love AirFlow tooth polishing. Click here to arrange your appointment today…

Dental Leicester