Monthly Archives: June 2018

Nervous of the dentist? Don’t worry we’re to help…

 

Dental phobia is the main reason people put off seeking dental treatment and this means many nervous patients live with discomfort, pain and treatable conditions that can lead to tooth loss and can have a detrimental effect to their overall health. It doesn’t have to be this way!

Our kind and caring dentist have helped to treat hundreds of Leicester people overcome their dental phobia. As Leicester dentists, we believe that everyone deserves a healthy mouth and confident smile and our job is to help you get there. We are proud that our efforts have culminated in us achieving Dental Phobia Certification. This means you can feel confident about that you’re in the best hands.

There are many myths surrounding the dentist that stop people from coming:

MYTH:
The dentist does not have time for people who are nervous like me and who need a lot of encouragement and support whilst having treatment.

FACT:
Your dentist will be specially trained to support and work with patients who are obviously nervous about undergoing treatment and will have done so on numerous occasions. There is no need to think that you are making your dentist’s job harder than it needs to be as this is, in fact, part of their job, and they are there to make sure you feel comfortable and happy with your treatment.

MYTH:
The dentist will be completely shocked and appalled by the state of my mouth.

FACT:
Your dentist is a trained medical professional who has seen countless people with extremely poor oral health. You will be absolutely nowhere near the worst that they have seen. Even if your mouth is in a bad condition, your dentist is trained to help you and will go about your treatment in a professional manner. If you feel that your mouth is this bad, then this is a great reason to visit your dentist!

MYTH:
There is nothing that I can do to help myself overcome my fear.

FACT:
There are loads of things that you can do to help yourself visit the dentist and overcome your fear! There are lots of practical methods and techniques that can be used to help you, for more information click here.
At Smile Essential dental practice, we take your anxiety seriously. As dentists, we understand you may feel embarrassed about your problems, but you need not worry, we are here to help. We are confident that by working together, we can help you to overcome your fears and give you a smile that beams with pride.

MYTH:
Going to the dentist and having an injection into my gum will be excruciatingly painful.

FACT:
Fear of pain is a common dental issue and we routinely use a topical gel or spray for all patients to help prevent any pain. For patients with an extreme dislike of needles, we offer ‘The Wand’. The Wand is a digital method of delivering anaesthetic which prevents the bee-sting pain associated with traditional injections. It ensures anaesthesia is delivered in a controlled, pain-free manner.

There are also a number of tips and advice we over patients to allow the process to be as easy as possible. For example:

• Arrange an appointment as soon as possible – this way you’ll have less time to build up anxiety over the forthcoming appointment.

• Arrange an appointment for the morning. This way you won’t spend the day getting increasingly nervous. We promise you’ll feel better after your appointment!

• The first appointment is a consultation and we will not be carrying out any treatment, so relax.

• When you come back for dental treatment at our Leicester dental Practice we also have a STOP signal, so that if at any time during treatment you feel pain or are uncomfortable, we will stop the treatment and do all we can to help. As the patient, you are always in control.

• The dentist and dental assistant are also trained to guide you through the whole process with meditative breathing techniques to help you control your anxiety. Many of our patients find this hugely beneficial.

• You might find it helpful to bring a friend or family member along to your appointment for support and comfort of seeing a familiar friendly face.

It is with the above-mentioned tips, technology and compassion that we have earned the right to become Dental Phobia Certified.

Get in touch with one of our friendly team for help and support on taking the next step – 0116 2891317

Dental Leicester

5 expert tips to keep your children’s teeth healthy…

All mums and dads know that it’s important for their kids to have a healthy mouth. Here are 5 expert tips to ensure you can keep your child’s teeth healthy and their smile cute!

1) This one is obvious, but it is firmly at number one for good reason. Brushing their teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste removes soft plaque deposits and debris. The fluoride in the toothpaste also works to strengthen and protect the teeth in between brushing.

2) Make brushing as fun as possible. Little things can mean a lot to little ones. Letting them choose their own toothbrush will help them engage more with cleaning their teeth. You could clean your teeth at the same time and show them how fun it can be making lots of foam.

3) Get digital! This ties in with making toothbrushing fun. There are lots of fun apps and songs you can enlist the help of. Search on your app store for children’s toothbrush timers or check out this article: https://www.exceptionalsmiles.dental/blog/toothbrush-timer-apps-help-kids-love-brushing-teeth/

4) Diet. Kids naturally have a sweet tooth and it’s fine for them to indulge in the occasional treat – but the keyword is occasional. Children’s day to diet should limit sugar, this includes drinks. Children’s main drink should always be water.

It’s very important to restrict snacking. The frequency of the teeth being subjected to sugar is generally more important than the quantity when it comes to dental care.

5) Dental visits are vital for your child’s dental health.Children who reach the age of nine without having tooth decay have a 90 per cent chance of never having a filling in their lifetime – something to aspire to.

Regular dental health examinations from a young age will ensure children won’t suffer from untreated dental decay that could have a devastating effect on their growing teeth. There are a number of preventative treatments that our team can provide for children.

Find out more about children’s dental care…

Dental Leicester

Why do I need a dental crown instead of a filling?

A dental crown or sometimes called a cap is a prosthetic restoration which completely covers or encircles a tooth or a dental implant. A dental crown offers protection to the tooth surface underneath its structure.

Why might I need a crown?

A crown is usually placed on a tooth that has previously had a filling or other restoration such as a veneer. There are many reasons that your dentist may decide to place a crown the most common reasons are

• The tooths structure is more filling than tooth
• The tooth has previously had root canal treatment.
• A tooth is badly decayed and after removing the decay there would not be enough tooth structure to place and hold a filling.
• The tooth has a large or suspected deep crack.

Can I not just have a filling and see if it works?

Our dentists will always do the least invasive option possible without jeopardising the long-term prognosis of the tooth. When a filling is generally (there are exceptions!) more than 2/3 of the tooth it puts a lot of pressure on the whole tooth structure and the filling is unlikely to last very long. The major concern with this is that with all of that pressure the tooth could break and then be irreparable – leading to an extraction.

If a tooth has previously been root treated for whatever reason it then becomes more brittle. The recommendation here is generally to place a filling after being root treated, then wait for several months to confirm the root treatment has been successful and then place a crown.Why is it more expensive than a filling?

A filling is placed using a composite material in one appointment by the dentist. A dental crown requires much more attention than a filling resulting in a longer appointment for the preparation work, an additional appointment for the crown fitting and the additional cost of a dental technician and crown.

• extensive preparation work on the tooth structure
• impressions
• making of a temporary crown
• a dental technician to construct your work in a laboratory
• an appointment to remove the temporary crown, place the permanent crown and make any necessary adjustments

Hopefully, that’s answered any questions you might have and concerning why you might need a dental crown.

If you do have any questions in regards to your treatment than your dental team will be more than happy to answer any questions you have.Dental Leicester

 

 

I can’t recommend this dentist enough…

I’ve put off going to the dentist for more years than I care to admit. I researched so many dentists before finally deciding to register here. Out of everyone I spoke to they were the first to email me back and definitely the friendliest over the phone(Dawn).

On arriving the receptionist (Adele) was so friendly and just nice, I know people are probably more bothered about the dentist but for me, I tend to judge a place by the first person I speak to.
My dentist Zsolt was new to the dentist surgery he was very nice and told me everything he was about to do without making me feel scared.

Can’t recommend this overall experience enough.

Mr J.J, Leicester.

Find out more about our new patient dental health check…

Dental Leicester