Invisalign is the newest treatment on the market that claims to be an alternative to traditional braces. The treatment involves using successive sets of aligners to gently move your teeth into a pre-determined alignment. It is a very discrete method of orthodontics, many people cannot even tell you are wearing your aligners most of the time. Invisalign is perfect for anyone who is worried about their crooked or misaligned teeth but who does not want traditional brackets and wires across their teeth for years.

Your local clinic in South East London will first take X-rays and 3D photographs in order to determine the current alignment of your teeth, and how they should look following treatment. The best thing about Invisalign is that the result is exactly pre-determined by you and your dentist together.

Once your aligners have been produced, you will be required to change them every two weeks, this allows for the slight changes in alignment that will be occurring during treatment. It is this attention to detail that is responsible for the outstanding results of Invisalign treatment.

Your aligners must be removed and cleaned twice a day and should also be removed when you wish to eat. You will be required to attend regular check-ups with the dentist in charge of your treatment just in order to keep on top of your progress and to address any problems you may be having.

Are you worried about the alignment of your teeth? Have you always wanted to fix that crooked tooth but didn’t want the pain and hassle of braces? It is not too late, Six Month Smiles can help you achieve that perfect smile in SE1 today.

Six Month Smiles are an innovative orthodontic practice that specialise in quick, discreet treatment for crooked and gappy teeth. The braces they use are almost invisible, nothing like the traditional brackets and wires, and are used to straighten the front 6-8 teeth only. Your front teeth are the only ones that show when you smile, so by targeting only these teeth, you will achieve outstanding results in as little as 6 months.

A consultation at a Six Month Smile clinic will involve determining if you are right for the product and what results you can expect to see. X-rays and 3D photography will be used to better examine the structure of your jaw and to create images of what your teeth should look like following treatment. Your dentist will then take an impression of your teeth and send this away to the Six Month Smile laboratory in order for them to fabricate your new braces.

After your braces have been fitted, you will need to attend regular check-ups with your Six Month Smile dentist in order to keep an eye on your progress and any problems you may be having with your braces. It is therefore recommended you chose a certified Six Month Smile clinic that is close to either your home or your work so that you can easily make and keep appointments.

The mouth relies on saliva to form a natural defense against bacteria developing into plaque and tartar. To maintain this, you should strive for a high level of oral hygiene, a good diet and try to cut out, or at least, down on bad habits such as smoking. Because if you don’t, you are in serious danger of getting a dry mouth and it can lead to some pretty nasty situations such as trouble with your speech, difficulty in chewing and swallowing and bad breath- to name a few. But it can also lead to the development of cavities; it’s because of the lack of saliva to protect the surface of the teeth, and because bacteria flourishes, the gums can become diseased and tooth decay can set in. Acids in the foods cannot be broken down so easily without saliva and so they start to eat away at the teeth’s enamel and sooner or later, break into the tooth and then cavities start to form. And all of these things thrown into the mix can lead to periodontal disease and in the end, the loss of all of your teeth. A dry mouth needs to be rectified as soon as you start to experience any problems, and the only way to start doing this is to seek professional advice from your dentist. For some people, it can be a long road back to a healthy, hydrated mouth, but one you must take.

You were too young to remember when your teeth first came through in London SE1, but if you watch a baby crying when going through this period, you will get the idea roughly, of what you could be in for when your wisdom teeth start to surface. Okay, that is a slight exaggeration on the theme, but wisdom teeth can be extremely painful. They are also very unpredictable as they can grow in all directions and in some cases, the only way to stop the pain is to have them removed altogether. But if they are growing straight and true, you may only have to endure the time it takes for them to erupt, some people are lucky enough to have hardly any pain at all. Generally, painkillers are the best way of soothing the pain but there are other techniques as well. Clove oil rubbed onto the gums tends to cool the inflamed area down, while anesthetic gels can also sooth the pain. Ice packs on the cheeks also help during this time but you can also speed up the eruption by chewing on the affected area. If the pain is unbearable, however, and especially if it continues once the tooth has come through, you will need to seek professional advice from your dentist. It is a serious and possibly dangerous time so you need to be prepared for every eventuality to arise.

However hard we try to look after our teeth in south east London, there is a certain inevitability that most of us will suffer from some form of tooth loss at some point in our lives, be it from injury or just the ageing process. But there are several reasons why teeth need to be replaced one way or the other- like how you feel psychologically, how you will look, but more importantly, for health reasons. Dentures and bridges have their uses, but for total freedom, the dental implant has become the treatment to go for. The boom of technology in dentistry has made all treatment prices competitive, especially with implants, that were once seen as very exclusive and expensive and now it is seen as a heaven sent, must-have for tooth loss. The use of lasers and computers has made the treatment fast and slim lined and multiple implants can be fitted in only a day. There is of course a cooling off period to allow the gums to heal, but once you are ready, you can have a full set of fresh new teeth put into place. They are as strong as your old teeth, less suceptible to disease and once they are in, they are with you to the end. If you are in the sad place of losing your teeth, chin up, be strong and trot off down to your dentists and ask about the dental implant.

How you treat tooth decay in London SE1 depends a lot on how bad the situation has got. First of all you need to know how to spot the problem and there are a few signs here that you can look for: if your teeth feel pain when you are chewing or when drinking hot or cold drinks are sure indications that you have a problem. Of course, if this is happening at home, then there is a pretty good chance you have been neglecting to visit your dentist regularly, because any signs of tooth decay would have been picked up on during your bi-annual check-up. When you feel these pains, it means that your decay is just about retrievable because you are at the junction of reversible pulpitis. It means that the decay has not yet found its way inside the tooth and the problem solved with a filling. It is only when the pulp in the tooth has become infected that the treatment becomes a little more complex. The pulp will need to be removed, as will the roots, then filled and crowned, if you have any chance of saving the tooth- even then, you have seriously halved the life of the tooth by allowing it to get to this stage. The best way to avoid all of this is to prevent it from ever occurring at the start, and there is no reason why between you and your dentist, tooth decay should ever get to dangerous levels.

Whilst we are busy brushing away furiously at our teeth to keep them pretty and healthy, spare a thought for your gums, for they too need a little TLC too in south east London, if not, your teeth will fall out! Gum tissue is far softer that tooth enamel, so you should really think about that when buying a brush, and also learn how to use it with a good toothpaste as well. But when it comes to really caring for your gums, herbal remedies are excellent for this. Soaking your tooth brush and floss in tea tree oil first helps to take away any heat in the gums and then soothe them. Echinacea and Aloe Vera are excellent for massaging the gums after brushing and flossing as it rejuvenates the blood flow through the tiny veins; in some cases where gum disease has been present, such remedies have actually started to reverse the disease and should your gums start to bleed after brushing, table salt on the brush and in warm water to rinse with, stops the blood and heals the wounds. Finally, keeping up a healthy diet with lots of vitamins will not only strengthen your gums, but look after your heart and other vital organs in the long run.

Oh dear, it has come to that time in your life in London SE1 when you need to be fitted with dentures, now what visions does that conjure up…plink-plink fizz sound familiar?  In truth, it is a serious scenario that conjures up many connotations, the first one is that you feel you are getting old, but if you don’t get dentures, your face will sag badly and you will look old as well as feeling it. For some people, dentures also signal the end of eating certain foods as well, like steak for instance. But dentures have seriously moved on from those horrible plastic days and moved into a more natural looking world and this is because the materials they are manufactured with have become softer and more natural looking; the soft palette of the dentures adhere firmly to the mouth whilst the teeth themselves can look as natural as the teeth you once had: it has been this move towards the needs and indeed the worries of wearers that has led to the improvement in denture technology. But the most significant improvement has come with the dental implant that has given tremendous freedom to those wearing dentures. Once five or six implants have been screwed into the jaw, the denture can be clicked onto them to hold it stronger than any denture has been held in before- now you can eat what you like and chew on rubber, if only to show off!

Xerostomia is simply the fancy medical term for the common problem of dry mouth, often referred to as cotton mouth. It is a symptom that typically indicates a larger problem such as a dental disease. If you are a heavy smoker or frequent user of alcohol, you can worsen your xerostomia. Xerostomia can lead to halitosis, the medical term for constant bad breath. It also makes your mouth more vulnerable to dental cavities, because there is not enough saliva in your mouth to protect your teeth’s hard minerals. Saliva acts to remineralise the enamel of your teeth, and without enough saliva production, harmful bacteria are able to break away at the hard surfaces of your teeth with greater ease. Patients who suffer from xerostomia should consult their dentist straight away because your teeth are more at risk to tooth decay and cavities. If you have xerostomia, you need to be particularly good about practicing good oral hygiene at home and frequently visiting the dentist for check ups and clean ups. Make sure you are using a good fluoride toothpaste and a soft bristled tooth brush. You will want to brush and floss after every meal. The prevention of cavities is very important for people who have xerostomia. Keep yourself hydrated and speak to your local dentist in the London SE1 area for advice and tips on practicing good oral hygiene at home.

Are you embarrassed by your teeth? Are you ashamed of smiling, laughing, or eating in public because of the bad condition your teeth are in? You are not alone in suffering from low self esteem and a lack of confidence because of your bad teeth. At our offices, we deal with countless patients who are embarrassed by their teeth on a daily basis. We are proud to say that we have helped each and every one feel better about themselves and their teeth by giving them a bright, sparkling, confident smile. How have we helped people with bad teeth? The solution lies with cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentistry is a relatively new field of dentistry and works specifically to help people improve the appearance of their teeth. Patients who have benefited from the modern techniques and advancements of cosmetic dentistry report having more confidence, a boost in self esteem, and an overall better quality of life because they are happier and feel better about how they look. Cosmetic dentistry can give you a whiter smile, straighter teeth, or a complete dental make over. Treatments range from simple procedures such as teeth bleaching or veneers, to Invisalign and dental implants. Cosmetic dentistry can help you look and feel great. If you dream of attaining a celebrity smile, come and speak to us at our offices in South East London today for a consultation.