Ways that we can improve your dental appearance

• If you think that your teeth are too dark or discoloured we can lighten them. Bleaching is a simple treatment that can be carried out at home, is pain free and can produce great results
• Unsightly or misshapen teeth can be disguised to make them blend in with your other teeth using veneers
• Do you have old crowns on your front teeth that do not match your other teeth? We can replace them with natural looking metal-free porcelain crowns
• If you have old or stained fillings that are visible when you smile, we can make them almost invisible with tooth coloured composite restorations
• Large, old silver fillings often become unsightly. We can replace them with tooth coloured fillings or inlays
• If you have missing teeth the spaces can be filled with dentures, bridges or implants
• Do you have a denture that looks or feels false? We can, in the majority of cases, produce natural looking cosmetic dentures for an improved appearance and better bite
• Are your teeth stained or your gums red and swollen? We can improve them with our gum treatments and scaling and polishing
• Are the tips of your teeth uneven? Often we can quickly, painlessly and without the need for anaesthetic recontour or level the tips of your teeth to improve your smile

Ways that we can improve your dental health

• Do your gums bleed when brushing? Do you get a bad taste in your mouth or around some teeth? Do your gums look red or swollen? Modern periodontal (gum) treatments can ensure trouble free healthy gums. We’ll also coach you in the things that you can do to maintain your gum health
• Do your teeth keep breaking? We can strengthen them with crowns and look for any underlying causes
• We can replace missing teeth with dentures, bridges or implants. Missing teeth can cause problems to occur other than just by it spoiling your smile. It can place other teeth under undue pressure causing other teeth to break, problems with chewing and problems with the gums
• Are you unhappy with your old plastic partial denture? We can replace it with a modern flexi denture or a chrome/cobalt denture that are stronger tighter and more comfortable to wear
• Tooth decay can be painful and expensive to repair if left too long. We’ll coach you on how it can be avoided and advise you about preventative treatments
• If you play contact sports regularly we can supply a custom made mouthguard (gum shield) to protect your teeth
• Many people suffer symptoms of stress including headaches, jaw joint problems and sensitive teeth. We can provide splints to help reduce the symptoms and discuss ways to manage your symptoms better
• Snoring affects many people. We can provide anti snoring devices that help to reduce the amount of snoring that you experience.

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For many patients a trip to the dentist can be a nerve wracking experience. At Hackenthorpe we prefer to make your dental appointments as comfortable and as easy as we possibly can. We’ll take your treatment one step at a time, and at your own pace. By working with you we will show you how to look after your teeth better and prevent problems from occurring in the first place.

If you’ve noticed that your gums are receding or that they bleed when you brush them, then the chances are that your gums need treatment and that you may have gum disease.Gum disease is one of the main causes of tooth loss.

The main cause of gum disease are bacteria. Unfortunately you’ll always have some bacteria present in the mouth and indeed you need some of them to be there – but just not too many!

When bacteria are left to accumulate around the gums they form dental plaque (those little bits of stuff that trap around your teeth). If you put just a small amount of dental plaque under a microscope here’s what you might see:

The video shows a wriggling writhing mass of bacteria. They are tiny creatures that, if left to their own devices, will spend their time nibbling away at your teeth and irritating your gums. They are the cause of tooth decay and gum disease.
The cure? Remove as many of the bad bacteria as you possibly can! And you can do this with your toothbrush, floss and other interdental products.

Our team will work with you to show you the best ways to get rid of the harmful bacteria and prevent you from losing teeth through gum disease and tooth decay.

The same bacteria that are present in dental plaque also cause tooth decay. Removing the bacteria is important but you also need to avoid feeding them things that help them do damage. Getting your diet right is extremely important. So avoiding tooth decay is as simple as keeping your teeth clean and eating a healthy diet. You can download a copy of our diet sheet in the resources section. By keeping a diary of your diet our team can work with you to work out what changes would help to reduce your risk of dental problems.

When should you bring children to the dentist?
We encourage parents to bring children to the dentist from the day they are born. It’s essential to give children’s teeth a healthy start and to prevent problems as early as possible. By bringing them to see us as early on in life as possible we can develop a trusting and caring relationship with them that helps to remove the fear of the dentist that many adults have. We know that babies are born free from dental disease and our aim is to keep them free from dental disease as they grow.

When do teeth come through?
There are twenty primary or milk teeth that usually start to appear at 6 months old. They continue to come through until they are all present at about 21⁄2 years old although there is a lot of individual variation. The adult teeth begin to come through at around 6 years. The back teeth come through first without replacing any baby teeth. The lower and upper front teeth usually follow in quick succession. The remaining baby teeth are replaced in turn up to the age of 14 years old.

What about crowded teeth?
Whilst the adult teeth are coming through between the ages of 6 and 14, it’s not unusual to see crowding of the teeth. It is during this stage that our team will be looking for signs of crowding or missing or misplaced teeth. Should these problems arise we will discuss them with you and make arrangements for the necessary orthodontic work (braces).

What can you do to prevent problems for your child’s teeth?

• Start brushing babies teeth as soon as they come through.
• Use a small headed toothbrush with a pea sized amount of age specific fluoride toothpaste.
• Brush children’s teeth twice a day – after breakfast and last thing at night.
• Avoid giving children fizzy drinks even if they are diet or low sugar. Lemonade, cola, energy drinks and some sports drinks are all very acidic and contain more sugar than you would imagine. They will not only cause tooth decay and erosion but may also affect the stomach and guts. Continued use of these drinks may result in stomach problems in later life.
• Encourage your child to have dilute drinks (squash).
• Avoid sugary snacks between meals. Sugary snacks are better eaten at meal times with a main meal.
• Avoid sticky chewy sweets (eg Haribo) and sweets that stay in the mouth a long time.
• Avoid mints – they are full of sugar and are acidic too.
• Instead of mints and normal chewing gum, let them have sugar free chewing gum.
• Always bring your children to the dentist as soon as possible so that they can become familiar with the dentist and the practice.

This is a common problem that causes tooth wear, muscle pain, headaches and migraines. Whilst it may just be a habit it can also be associated with problems with the jaw joints, stress, muscular problems and acid reflux.

It commonly happens during sleep when the patient may be unaware that it’s happening.

Treatment with a well-made bite guard will reduce symptoms associated with tooth grinding and will also help to protect the teeth from its damaging effects.

See our resources section for advice on tooth grinding and jaw joint exercises and advice on acid reflux.

If you would like to know more or make an appointment with one of our dentists call us now on 0114 248 0071.

If you’ve been unfortunate enough to have lost a tooth you’ll know the problems it causes. A missing front tooth has an obvious impact on the appearance and leaves you reluctant to smile and reluctant to be seen in public. Whilst a missing back tooth may be less obvious to others, it will give you difficulty chewing food and will more likely put extra pressure on other teeth. In turn this may lead to problems with other teeth or at worse further tooth loss.

Replacement of missing teeth is therefore essential in maintaining the health of the rest of the teeth.

The good news is that there are a range of options for replacing missing teeth.

Dentures
Dentures are an easy way to replace missing teeth.

Bridges
Bridges are a useful way to fill spaces between two teeth. Essentially a bridge fits to one or more teeth either side of the space you want to fill. There are several different designs of bridgework and bridges are not always appropriate for every single case. An individual assessment would be necessary to ensure that you get the right advice.

A traditional bridge uses the two teeth either side of the space (the abutment teeth) to support a false tooth (the pontic). This involves reduction of the abutment teeth to make room for the bridgework and it’s important that the abutment teeth are suitable to support the bridgework. On occasion a bridge can be supported by just one abutment tooth – again this would need careful individual assessment.

Implants
Implants are a great way to replace teeth as they are stand-alone fixtures. A titanium implant is placed into the bone in the space to be filled and a crown is then placed on top of the implant.

If your teeth are discoloured, badly broken down or full of old worn fillings you may be embarrassed to smile or be seen in public. It can affect your self-confidence and your social life.

A smile makeover may involve a variety of treatments from bleaching to veneers or orthodontics.

By completing our smile assessment sheet and attending the practice for a smile assessment with one of our dentists, we can discuss treatment options and tailor a smile makeover plan specifically for you. We will discuss all treatment options, including the choice of materials available and all relevant costs. If you would like to book an appointment or find out more information, contact the surgery now on 0114 248 0071.

Bleaching
For a whiter smile bleaching is a safe and effective way to enhance the appearance of your teeth. It can transform yellowing teeth to give a whiter, healthier and more youthful smile. The process can also be tailored to the needs of the individual for the best results. So whether it’s for a special occasion such as a wedding or anniversary, or just to treat yourself and freshen up your smile, if you’d like to know more about teeth whitening call our surgery on 0114 248 0071.

Up to 45% of the population have been estimated to snore in their sleep. This not only affects the snorer but may also affect those trying to sleep next to them! Treatment of snoring has health benefits for the patient, not least of which is a better quality of sleep and feeling fresher the following morning.

Treatment of the patient using our Sleepwell mandibular advancement splint couldn’t be simpler. By helping to posture the lower jaw forwards during your sleep, this simple device will help you to breathe easier and improve the quality of your sleep.

If you would like to know more about treatment for snoring or to make an appointment with one of our dentists call us now on 0114 248 0071.