Family Friendly & Specialty Dentists in London, UK
A recent study concluded that 27% of women and 22% of men are worried about dental procedures and possible pain in the UK – as you can see, it's not uncommon, particularly when undergoing extensive treatments such as dental implant treatment.
Does the thought of having your teeth checked fill your entire body with fear?
It is not so strange that many people would endure the agony of a sore tooth rather than stepping foot in dental surgery. These people are not alone. Many people are so worried about going to the dentist that they prefer not to have any treatment at all! Which is not so great for long-term health.
We carry out treatment under intravenous sedation at London Dental Specialists because your welfare and comfort is a massive priority and offer a considerate approach that helps many patients overcome their anxiety.
Mrs Doyle was an extremely nervous patient. This two-minute film is her recollection of the implant surgery under IV sedation at London Dental Specialists.
Watch Mrs Doyle's testimonial and complete the form below if you would like some further information.
There is now very good evidence from around the world that diabetes can affect your gums and cause gum disease (periodontitis).
If your diabetes is well controlled (HbA1c between 6.5- 7% or lower), then you are like every other non-diabetic patient i.e. your risk of gum disease is normal.
But if your diabetes is poorly controlled (HbA1c >10%) then your risk of developing gum disease (which is a leading cause of tooth loss) is massively increased. This is because patients with uncontrolled diabetes get more severe gum disease compared with non-diabetics. There is also very good evidence to show that the presence of severe gum disease makes is much more difficult to control your blood sugar i.e. the gum disease and diabetes make each other worse!
I am confident that we can help you break the cycle of uncontrolled gum disease (periodontitis) and diabetes.
Please complete the form below to receive a full personalised analysis of your gums and diabetic blood results.
The short answer is no. You cannot because tooth whitening products do not work on dental implant crowns. You can only whiten your own natural teeth because the available tooth whitening products only work on natural teeth.
If you are planning to do some tooth whitening while undergoing dental implant treatment, it is important that the tooth whitening stage is carried out before the final dental implant crown is being made, so the dental technician will be able to match the new tooth colour to the whitened colour of surrounding teeth. If you are doing a course of tooth whitening, it is advised to wait 2 weeks after finishing the course of treatment for the new shade to settle before choosing the final colour of your new dental implant crown.The dental implant crown's colour can be carefully selected by your treating dentist and the dental technician to match the neighbouring teeth from all aspects, including the shape and colour. This is to ensure that the new dental crown does not only look cosmetically pleasing but fulfils its functional purpose as well.
Carefully planned dental implant crowns can ensure that your smile is being taken care of as well as your bite.
If you would like to make sure that all the above is being considered when receiving dental implant treatment and tooth whitening then please complete the form below and one of the team will contact you promptly.
If, like most people, you are partial to a cup of tea or coffee, especially now that you are working from home more, you may have noticed tooth discolouration. This can usually be easily remedied by regular hygiene appointments to keep the stains at bay.
These are common teeth staining agents:
Once the stains are embedded on your teeth, it is not possible to remove them safely yourself at home, not even by brushing more. In fact, brushing too hard will irreversibly damage your teeth and gums. To remove the stains, you can book an appointment with a dental hygienist who can use a range of methods to effectively and most importantly, safely remove them. You may be recommended to have an air-polish treatment which involves using a polishing power to remove the stains. This is the best method of stain removal on the market.
This depends entirely on what is causing your teeth to stain. You can avoid the items in the list above. If you are unsure why your teeth are becoming stained please complete the form below.
Professional teeth whitening is the safest and most predictable way to get a whiter, brighter smile. This treatment must be carried out by a registered dental professional. It may be confusing seeing so many products available in the shops. Every brand of toothpaste has its own whitening line, with some having multiple products within the same brand. It’s no wonder people get overwhelmed and try out so many different products and are disappointed by the results. To save yourself time and money trying out new toothpastes, look no further because the only way to achieve your dream is by professional teeth whitening.
Teeth whitening (done by a dental professional) does not weaken your teeth or damage your enamel. In fact, it is far safer to have your teeth professionally whitened than using a whitening toothpaste (which does not whiten teeth anyway!). These whitening toothpastes/products tend to be very abrasive and can cause wear on your enamel if used over a long period of time.
Like many things in life, if you want great results then there is no ‘quick fix’. There are many different professional teeth whitening systems on the market and depending on your needs, your dentist or hygienist can talk you through the different options. With all the systems available, you will need to have custom fitting whitening trays made which will allow you to safely whiten your teeth at home over a period of time. Please watch this video for more details.
Professional tooth whitening costs approximately £450-£650 in London. This is incredible value when compared with the amount of money wasted on shop bought products. Once the custom-made trays have been made for you, they are yours to keep. This means that future whitening ‘top ups’ (£20 per top up) involve you purchasing only the gel. It’s that simple.
If you would like a brighter, whiter smile please complete the form below.
This is a question I am asked frequently and the answer to the question depends entirely on your dental needs. There are so many toothpastes on the market, it’s no surprise that there is some confusion when putting one into your shopping basket. Toothpastes do multiple things and I am going to discuss each one below:
Fluoride is the most important ingredient in toothpaste. It is safe and helps protect your teeth from becoming decayed and needing fillings. It does this by mixing in with your saliva and offering protection even after tooth brushing. The toothpaste brand is irrelevant i.e. a toothpaste that costs 50p can be equally as effective as one that costs £10 as long as it has 1400ppm fluoride in it. Please check the ingredients list for this information.
If you suffer from sensitivity, it is important that you use a toothpaste which is targeted for this dental issue. There are many different brands that offer a sensitivity range and there isn’t one that is better than the other. It can take some trial and error to find the brand and type of toothpaste that is right for you. Please ensure that it contains 1400ppm fluoride (see the ingredients panel). A prescription only toothpaste (2800ppm fluoride) is highly effective at dealing with sensitivity.
No toothpaste will cure your gum disease. The only gum disease ‘cure’ is manual removal of the bacterial plaque using your toothbrush and cleaning in-between your teeth. The type of toothpaste will not impact your gum disease.
After brushing we now recommend that you do not rinse with water or mouthwash. That’s right! This is because rinsing will wash off the fluoride that you have just placed on your teeth. Rinsing after brushing is like washing your face after you have already moisturised. So, skip that step and let your toothpaste do what it is supposed to do!
You may be surprised to learn that the vast majority of them do not work. The scientific evidence is very clear that the toothpastes sold in the UK and the EU cannot whiten your teeth because they are banned from having enough of the active ingredient. It is really important that you do not use a whitening toothpaste that will damage your enamel because it is too abrasive
The team here at London Dental Specialists will be very happy to talk to you if you would like more information. Please complete the form below.
This is a question that I (as your periodontist) get on a daily and sometimes hourly basis.
Flossing is an essential part of your daily cleaning routine because toothbrushing alone only cleans 50% of the tooth surface. Interdental cleaning with brushes (rather than floss) is far more effective and efficient compared with floss. These amazing little brushes have been proven to remove more of the harmful bacteria than conventional floss. That is because these brushes come in a range of sizes to suit all spaces and have bristles on the end which help remove more plaque. A bonus is that they are less fiddly to use than floss!
Tooth brushing alone will not remove the harmful bacteria (plaque) that form in-between the teeth. If these bacteria are not removed daily, they will sit there and cause the gums in that area to become inflamed and will bleed. This inflammation will become gum disease which is a leading cause of tooth loss.
Your hygienist will be able to size up the spaces in-between your teeth so that you are using the correct size brush. This is extremely important because using a brush which is too small will result in you not getting the right results for the excellent efforts you are making.
The team here at London Dental Specialists will be able to find your interdental brush size and show you how to use them so that you can clean in-between as well as we can! Please complete the form below.
Dental implants are custom-made teeth replacements that are permanently attached to your jawbone. They sometimes need to be attached to the cheekbone when is not enough bone in the mouth. The questions you must consider before signing up for an implant treatment with a dentist should include:
Scientific evidence shows success rate is dependent on the quality of the gum around the implant, therefore for better results it would be best to see an expert in gums. Our patient, Laura, explains this point perfectly.
Due to the extensive skills and knowledge of the expert, the aesthetics and final results would be better and the gum would be perfect.
Our regulator (The General Dental Council) recognises a specialists in Periodontics as having particular expertise in the management of gum diseases and dental implant surgery. These dentists would have spent 3-6 years of continual postgraduate study after they qualified as dentists.
In the hands of an expert, such as a the periodontist at London Dental Specialists, we achieve a success rate of 95%. We also offer a 10 year warranty on all implant treatments.
In UK Law, there are only three specialities with verified expertise in dental implants; Periodontics, Oral Surgery, Prosthodontics. Ask your dentist for their registration number, click on this link put the number in the appropriate section and you will be able to see if your dentist is an expert.
The advantage of seeing a periodontist for Implants is that it is accepted that if the gum is perfect, it is very unlikely to face problems with the implant.
The time frame for dental implants would be between 3-12 months depending on the case.
Dentists will agree that expertise is required to carry out a successful implant treatment and that only a minority have this expertise because this training is not given at dental school.
Many implant case patients need further treatments, whether its gum disease, root canal treatment or orthodontic treatment. To get the best possible results, these additional therapies can be treated under one roof at London Dental Specialists.
Invisalign is a fantastic, computer software-based system for moving teeth that works very well for many patients. Invisalign uses the very latest computers and artificial intelligence to create fantastic results. From a patient’s perspective, there are only three things that are required for success:
After careful assessment of your teeth, gums, bones and nerves in teeth, impressions (digital or conventional) are taken of your teeth and sent to Invisalign. Because Invisalign has never met you OR examined your teeth, gums, bones and nerves of your teeth, Invisalign totally relies on very detailed and personalised instructions from the dentist that examined you. Otherwise, the treatment will not work or will take a lot longer than required.
Once our specialist orthodontist has given Invisalign the correct and personalised information, a set of trays are very accurately manufactured for you and you can enjoy watching the slow but predictable development of the smile of your dreams.
If you wish to receive Invisalign teeth straightening from our specialist orthodontist, please complete the form below.
Braces are used to straighten teeth for people who have crooked teeth or a misaligned bite. They apply gentle pressure to the teeth on a continuous basis, which will eventually shift them into a more even alignment.
Orthodontists and General Dentists undertake the same training initially, but orthodontic specialists complete 3 years of further training after they graduate dental school.
Orthodontic specialist training goes beyond basic dental training and have a more specific focus. They are specifically trained so that they can very accurately predict how teeth will move.
When you meet with the Orthodontist, he/she will ask you questions about your health and perform a clinical exam. The orthodontist will likely order a series of X-rays of your mouth, take photographs and create a 3D model of your teeth. Once he/she has all the relevant information, the orthodontist will prescribe a plan of treatment best suited for your particular situation.
Metal Braces are the most prevalent type of braces. They comprise of metal brackets, rubber bands and archwires which are attached to the front of your teeth with special glue.
Metal braces are the most affordable and versatile option. They can be used to correct more severe cases of misalignment. They’re also the least subtle option.
Ceramic braces are similar to metal braces in terms of mechanism, the difference is that they’re made using ceramic material which blends better with the natural colour of the teeth.
Lingual braces are also similar to metal braces: they’re both made of metal and they have the same components. The difference is that lingual braces are attached to the back of your teeth, making them virtually invisible.
Invisalign is very different from the previous types of braces because they don’t use the typical brackets and wires, instead, they’re based on a system of custom-made clear plastic aligners you wear over your which you change every couple of weeks.
Typically, the orthodontist will begin by thoroughly cleaning and drying the teeth. They will then apply glue to your teeth in order to attach the brackets. Once they are in place, he/she will install the wire into the brackets and use elastic to secure them in place. The entire process usually takes between 1 hour.
Though the procedure itself is not painful, it is not uncommon to feel some level of discomfort afterwards. Initially, your tongue and cheek will rub against the braces, which may cause some sensitivity, and your teeth may feel sore. Getting used to the braces will typically take about a week.
