Family Friendly & Specialty Dentists in London, UK
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.
In this, the second of this 2-part blog, Dr Ope Sodeinde discusses the elements that must be considered when making decisions on dental treatments of this nature. As we saw in part 1, if the decay/fracture does not extend to the bone, the treatment is very simple but when it does, the options are:
As part of this dental treatment, we carried out crown lengthening surgery and root canal treatment. Although we are confident that the tooth is currently healthy, the longevity of the tooth is currently uncertain but the patient was extremely happy with the dental treatment she received to help save their tooth.
Very careful consideration of a patient’s bite is supremely important in all aspects of dentistry. Clenching and grinding our teeth when we sleep is extremely common and (like this patient) many of do not know that we are clenching/grinding until we start breaking teeth/crowns and bridges.
This excellent patient was referred by a colleague 2 years ago for dental implants and he managed to fracture them during the first COVID19 lockdown in the UK. We therefore decided to replace all his upper teeth with dental implants (Dr Ope Sodeinde), braces in the lower jaw and dental implants to replace the lower back teeth.
Although we had extensive discussions about whether a 72-year old needed this extent of treatment, I am really glad that the patient and my referrer agreed to have this extensive treatment because the video shows that the patient managed to fracture his temporary implant bridge (very very rare indeed) within 3 weeks. I am so glad that the team at London Dental Specialists are able to carry out such complicated treatment with ease and we look forward to showing you the final results.
This patient referred herself to see me complaining about the appearance of her lower front teeth and the general colour of her teeth. On further investigation revealed that she did not like the alignment and colour of her teeth.
The clinical examination revealed that the two teeth that she really hated had severe gum disease and that her teeth were darker than usual. In this situation, after teeth whitening (to improve colour), the two treatment options are:
Our patient chose option 2 and the treatment took 4 months to complete
