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Wisdom Teeth

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 14:39:57 GMT

Wisdom teeth are the most posterior teeth located at the end of the upper and lower jaws. They are the last teeth to erupt into the arch and usually erupt during your late teens to early twenties. Often there is not enough space for the wisdom teeth to erupt properly into arch and this can lead to issues such as infections and tooth decay. If your wisdom teeth are erupting, it is a good idea to make an appointment with us and have an assessment conducted. Our dentist will be able to easily tell you if your wisdom teeth will cause problems or if they will not require any treatment.

Whitening

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 14:39:19 GMT

If you are unhappy with the appearance of your smile book an appointment to see one our lovely dentist. Teeth whitening is a simple and effective method which can produce rapid results to help you achieve the smile you desire. There are several factors which can discolour your teeth such as foods, tea and coffee, soft-drinks as well as yellowing through the natural process of aging. Our dentists will be able to easily identify the source of your discolouration and create a treatment plan with you to achieve the smile you desire.

Root Canal

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 14:38:35 GMT

Root canal treatment is conducted in order to remove an infected or necrotic pulp from within the tooth and replace it with a long-lasting filling. The dental pulp is located in the centre of a tooth and consist of nerve fibres, blood vessels and other dental cells. If the pulp is compromised due to infection or injury patient will often experience a severe tooth ache and may require a root canal.

Regular Check-ups and Oral hygiene

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 14:37:27 GMT

It is highly recommended to see a dentist regularly in order to protect your oral health. At Steve King Dental Group, we recommend 6 monthly check-ups accompanied with a professional scale and clean. This allows us to identify any potential problems at the earliest stage possible and create a treatment plan to address your needs.

Emergency Dentistry

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 14:36:42 GMT

At Steve King Dental group, we understand that not all problems occur during working hours; If you have had an accident, knocked a tooth or are in pain, please call our practise immediately on ..... Our dentist are available after hours, as such we can get you out of pain and relaxed quickly. We recommend not to delay treatment as you may put yourself at risk of further complications.

7 Steps to Deal With a Broken Dental Crown

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 18:36:12 GMT

A dental crown can last a lifetime, but it may break if you bite down too hard on a nut, candy, or other piece of hard food. If this happens to you, take these steps to minimise pain and get your dental crown repaired as quickly as possible.

1. Remove the Crown

Breaking a dental crown is often painful. As soon as you feel the break occur, take a look in a mirror to see exactly what has happened. If the crown is loose, take it out of your mouth and place it somewhere safe. Don't panic if you have lost the crown or dropped it down the drain; your dentist can make you a new one. However, if you can keep the crown safe, the repair might be faster and easier.

2. Stop the Bleeding

Many people who break a dental crown have bleeding from the gums, tongue or cheek. The edges of a broken crown can be sharp and cause tiny cuts or scratches. Usually these are superficial and you can stop the bleeding simply by biting down on some gauze. If the bleeding doesn't stop, call an emergency dentist.

3. Schedule a Dental Appointment

A broken dental crown requires professional treatment as soon as possible. Call your dentist to find out when they can fit you in. If you cannot get a dentist appointment right away, don't panic; the following tips can help you cope with a broken crown while you wait for repair.

4. Temporarily Repair the Crown

A temporary crown repair can help to protect your tooth until you are able to see your dentist. Purchase some dental cement from a pharmacy. Clean the tooth and then apply dental cement to the affected tooth to cover the exposed nerve.

If you still have the crown, then you can use dental cement to stick it back onto the tooth. This kind of repair is not robust enough to be a permanent solution, but it should reduce pain and protect the tooth from decay while you wait to see the dentist.

5. Choose the Right Pain Relief Medications

Over-the-counter pain medicines can help you cope with pain radiating from a broken crown. Ibuprofen and paracetamol are both good options. You can take these medicines together if one alone does not relieve your pain. Don’t take a greater dose than recommended on the label though.

Also, you should never take aspirin for dental pain. This is because aspirin increases the risk of oral bleeding during dental treatment.

6. Apply a Cold Compress

Relieve the pain of a broken crown by pressing a cold compress against your cheek on the side of your mouth that hurts. Cold reduces blood flow and therefore slightly numbs the area, which can be very effective at reducing the pain you feel. Avoid applying ice directly to your skin, as that can cause skin damage. Instead, wrap your ice pack in a towel or cloth.

7. Eat Soft Foods

If you need to eat before you can get your dental crown repaired, stick to soft foods such as soup, oatmeal, mashed potatoes and yoghurt. Don't eat anything that is very hot or very cold, as your tooth is likely to be more sensitive than usual. Avoid spicy food for the same reason. This kind of diet can help you tolerate the broken crown until you can see a dentist.

Steve King Dental Group is ready to help you with your broken dental crown. Our experienced team can reattach the crown or create a new crown to repair your tooth. Call us today to schedule an appointment.

5 Signs That a Filling Needs Replacement

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 22:20:24 GMT

Fillings should last for years. Even basic composite fillings should do their job for around five years; stronger materials like amalgam and gold can last for up to 15 years.

However, some fillings don't last for average timescales. Some last longer than you expect; others develop problems that shorten their lives. Generally, you get some signs if a filling needs to be replaced, but some signs are more obvious than others.

How can you tell if one of your fillings should be replaced?

1. Signs of Damage

Fillings sometimes fracture and break. This often happens when you eat something hard or chewy. So if you're eating and you suddenly realise that you have a piece of filling in your mouth, then a quick check in the mirror may show that some of the filling has broken away from the tooth.

Other signs of damage include white or dark spots on the tooth around the filling site. These spots may be signs of decay. Even a tiny crack in the filling can affect its ability to protect the tooth.

Some fillings look intact but start to feel rough when you put your tongue over them. Fillings should feel smooth, and signs of roughness are a sign that the filling is wearing down.

2. Pain in the Tooth

You can't always see obvious signs of damage on a filling. Tiny chips and cracks may not be visible when you look at the tooth in the mirror. However, if the filling doesn't give an intact seal, its tooth may develop problems. The tooth may become painful.

The tooth may ache or throb all the time. Or you may only notice problems when you eat or drink. The tooth may feel sensitive to hot or cold, or it may feel painful or tense when you eat on it. This pain may not last long, but it'll return next time you eat or drink.

3. Floss Shredding

If you have a filling in the side of a tooth, then you can't see any or all of the filling. It sits out of sight between two teeth. While it is harder to see problems on these fillings, your floss may give you a clue that all is not well.

For example, if you floss between the two teeth and the floss is slightly shredded when you take it out, then the filling may be damaged. If the filling has chipped or broken off, then its edges will be rough. These edges catch on the floss and break its strands.

4. Bad Breath and Bad Tastes

If a filling fails, then you may develop a nasty case of bad breath. You may also have a bad taste in your mouth. This smell or taste doesn't go away even after you clean your teeth. If this taste or smell is down to a problem filling, then it's a sign that you have some decay issues going on behind the scenes.

5. Colour Changes

Sometimes, you may choose to have a filling replaced for cosmetic reasons. For example, if you have an old white filling, then the filling may not look white any longer. It may have discoloured. This makes the filling stand out rather than blend in with the rest of the tooth.

Or if you have recently had your teeth whitened, then your old filling may look like an eyesore. It won't be affected by the whitening treatment, so it will look dingy or yellow compared to the rest of its tooth. In these cases, putting in a new filling gives the tooth a more even colour again.

If you're worried that you've got a damaged filling or want to replace an old filling that doesn't look good, then contact the Steve King Dental Group . One of our experienced dentists can quickly check out your suspect filling and let you know if any work needs to be done.

3 Signs You Need New Dentures

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 21:03:47 GMT

If you have had your dentures for a good few years and they are still in one piece, then you may not think they need replacing. But though dentures do last for years, they don't last forever.

When your dentures start to reach the end of their life, they give you hints that you may need to replace them soon. How can you tell if you need new dentures?

1. Your Teeth Don't Work That Well

Once you got used to using dentures, you stopped noticing that you're wearing them. As dentures age, you may start to have some problems with the way they work. You'll become more conscious of your dentures again.

For example, you may find that eating is more difficult. Your dentures move around your mouth more and make clicking noises that they didn't previously make. You may also often bite the inside of your cheeks, especially when you're eating something hard or something tough to chew.

If you use denture adhesives, then these may not keep your dentures in place as well as they did in the past. Even if you've had your dentures relined to improve their fit, these relines only work for a while before your dentures start slipping about again.

These problems are often down to denture fit. Over time, your dentures stay the same shape and size, but the bones in your face change. Your dentures can't fit tightly enough because your mouth isn't giving them the support they used to have.

2. Your Teeth Don't Look That Good

Denture teeth are strong and effective, but they are affected by long-term use. For example, your denture teeth may look a little shorter and stubbier than they did when you first got them.

Denture teeth, like natural teeth, wear down. Years of use reduce the size of the teeth, making them smaller than they were originally. This isn't always noticeable, but if you have a lot of wear on older dentures, then your teeth may look odd.

The colour of denture teeth also often changes over time. They may start to look more yellowed. Or, you may have problems getting stains out of the teeth.

It gets more difficult to remove stains from older dentures if tooth surfaces are cracked. Stains embed in these spaces. Even if your dentist cleans them out, the stains will come back. This makes parts of your dentures look streaked and unattractive.

3. Your Teeth Need Frequent Repairs

The fact that you've kept your dentures in one piece doesn't mean that they don't need replacing. If you've had to have an increasing amount of work done to repair problems, then this is a sign that the dentures are failing.

While you need denture repairs if something damages your teeth, older dentures may need repairs for no obvious reason. You haven't dropped them or had an accident, they simply start developing problems.

Common signs that your dentures are reaching the end of their life include the following:

Teeth falling or cracking off the plate
Chips, cracks or lines appearing on some of the teeth
Wear, chips or cracks appearing on your denture plates

While you can continue to have your dentures repaired to fix damage, this won't work forever. You could spend a lot of money on repairs only to ultimately find that you need a new set of teeth anyway.

The easiest way to check if you need new dentures is to have your dentist look them over. All of the dentists at the Steve King Dental Group have the experience and expertise to know when the time is right to invest in new teeth. To find out more, contact us .

Nervous About the Dentist? How to Handle Dental Anxiety

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 21:20:51 GMT

If you ever experience some anxiety before your dental appointment, you're not alone. Research from the University of Adelaide shows that as many as one in six adults in Australia are afraid of the dentist — higher than the number of children, which is only one in ten.

To successfully handle your dental anxiety, first, be kinder to yourself about this common fear, and second, discuss ways to manage your fear. Dental anxiety is something you can overcome, and patients who do overcome their fear will soon see that modern dental work is comfortable, safe and painless.

Be Open About Your Feelings

As you arrive at your appointment, the first thing you should do is to let your dentist know how you feel. Many people feel some uncertainty at the dental office, so you certainly have nothing to be ashamed of in admitting your worries.

Besides, your dentist can't help you relax if they aren't aware that they need to. As such, speaking up will make the appointment easier for both of you to get through.

Know What to Expect in Your Appointments

If you plan to go in for a general check-up, you already know what will happen. Your dentist will examine your teeth to make sure you have no dental problems and perhaps give some advice to improve your dental care routine.

However, anything more unusual could understandably cause some uncertain feelings because you won't be so familiar with the process. Avoid this easily by asking your dentist for more information — both about the dental issue itself and about the intended treatment.

If the dental issue has a technical name, make a note of that so that you can research it later.

In most cases, the solutions to your dental issues and treatment will be extremely simple. Perhaps you'll need to pay more attention to your gums as you brush your teeth — or perhaps the dentist will add a sealant to your tooth to protect it from damage.

Knowing more about your dental health and preparing yourself for any further necessary appointments will help reduce your anxiety.

Make Regular Visits

Visiting the dentist is the very best thing you can do for your anxiety, even if this seems counterintuitive. First, you can teach your subconscious that you have nothing to be nervous about.

Also, putting off your dental appointments means that dental issues often build up over time, even if many of them aren't serious, such as cleaning issues and tiny repairs.

For example, at one appointment, your dentist may suggest you pay more attention to brushing and flossing your teeth. In another, they may notice the beginnings of some staining from too much sugar in your diet. At the next, perhaps they'll make a small repair to a tooth damaged by tough foods.

Individually, these issues are just small things your dentist may mention. However, if you only attend the dentist once every two years, you would need to deal with all three at the same appointment.

Equally, making regular visits helps to prevent more serious problems. Dentists will always find preventing a problem easier than curing it — so take advantage of this with regular dental visits.

With regular dental visits, you'll establish a routine that will help you feel safe and comfortable.

Choose Appointment Times Wisely

Cramming in your appointments before work or during your lunch hour is unlikely to make the task any easier. When possible, schedule your appointments at calmer periods. You'll be able to walk in with a relaxed mindset, without feeling rushed or flustered.

Nobody attends dental appointments every day — except dentists. Feeling a little uneasy about something you're not familiar with is perfectly natural — and as the figures show, many people do.

However, arming yourself with information and ensuring you stick to a good, healthy schedule will do you plenty of favours — both in managing your nerves and your dental health. Contact the dental professionals at Steve King Dental Group to learn more.