Our dental tip of the day involves prevention, in particular reversing early decay. Did you know that in many cases dental decay starts from in between the teeth called the interdental area? If left untreated, these lesions will gradually progress and become closer to the nerve leaving you at risk of the dreaded root canal treatment. Our tip is simple - prevention is better than cure. Ensure your oral hygiene is excellent, clean properly in between the teeth using dental floss and brushes. We can also prescribe higher fluoride toothpastes to aid reversal and remineralisation of the decay. 

At Progressive Dentistry, we use state of the art digital radiography to spot early decay. Once seen, we will advise you on how to reverse the decay and monitor the areas for peace of mind. Remember - prevention is better than cure!

Dental implants are the best way to replace missing teeth. Fact. So if you have missing teeth, your first choice should be a dental implant. The most common scenario we encounter is to replace a single missing tooth. Why replace the tooth? There are a number of reasons:
 

1. For aesthetics especially if it is a front tooth! 
 

2. To restore function.
 

3. To prevent any further bone loss. 
 

4. To prevent drifting of the adjacent and opposing teeth- yes they can move! 
 

5. To maintain the bite. 
 

6. For psychological well being.

In the case of a missing single tooth, there are a number of simple steps that have to be taken to end up with a new tooth:

1. Careful planning. 
 

2. CT scans may be required if the tooth was lost many years ago.
 

3. Careful placement of the dental implant. 
 

4. Often a waiting period of 6-12 weeks is required for healing. This is called 'osseointegration'. 
 

5. Impressions are then required. 
 

6. Final placement of the crown or a provisional restoration is placed.
 

7. If a provisional restoration was placed, a waiting period of 3-12 weeks may be required prior to the final crown.

For example, just look at our case below to see how a dental implant should look:
 

Our case of the month for May 2015 involves teeth straightening of the lower front teeth. Crooked lower front teeth is a very common problem that affects many adults. In fact, there is a term for this as the teeth gradually become more and more crooked - 'late lower incisor crowding'. There are a number of reasons for straightening lower teeth: 

1. Cosmetic 

2. Improved hygiene - often plaque and calculus (hardened plaque) readily forms on the inside of lower front teeth 

3. Improved bite 

4. Prevent further movement 

Just have a look at our case below. He was originally told that one incisor tooth required removal. However, we managed to create a great result without removing any teeth.