Missing teeth can be unsightly and may affect people’s confidence in their smile. Historically these gaps could be restored using dentures or bridges.

Dentures are removable from the mouth and bridges involve the ‘grinding down of the teeth adjacent to the spaces. This form of treatment was the treatment of choice several years ago but implants have become the “gold standard” in most cases.

Dental implants are essentially permanent replacement teeth allowing the restoration of a space without compromising adjacent teeth. The procedure is carried out by placing a titanium root into the jaw and leaving this to osseointegrate or ‘fuse’ with the bone. Once this osseointegration is completed (generally 3 months in the lower jaw, and 4 months in the upper jaw) a crown or bridge may be placed into the implant.

Flint and Flint Dental Surgeons are very experienced in this field. Dental implant placement is a simple, painless procedure that may be carried out under local anaesthetic or sedation should you wish. If required, we carry out all aspects of bone augmentation at the practice. We have a specialist implant technician also at our laboratory at the practice to construct your implant retained dentures, bridges or crowns. This makes us one of only a handful of dental practices in the UK to offer this fantastic facility.

If you feel you do not wish to have dental implants placed, there are other forms of treatment that may be considered.

We offer the full range of dentures at the practice, all constructed in our on-site laboratory. Our denture technician and surgeons are highly experienced in this field having been further educated in Switzerland on the “Gerber” technique of denture construction. This technique allows for the construction of very stable dentures that provide excellent aesthetics. Unlike normal dentures, accurate measurements of your jaw movement to aid the denture construction.

The first stage of having your new dentures constructed involves discussing your smile and taking impressions of your gums to start the process.

If you do not wish to have the “Gerber” dentures constructed, we offer all other types of private dentures.

Bridges

Bridges may be placed to restore spaces in your mouth. Crowns are palced on the adjecane tteeth to the spaces adjoined to a “dummy” tooth between them.

There are several types of bridge design that we offer, all of which are constructed by our advance technicuans in our on site laboratory.

There are two methods to safely and effectively whiten your teeth;

1. Britesmile treatment
   This new technology from the Unites States uses a patented light and gel to whiten your teeth in just over one hour. The results are long lasting and this treatment is a very effective method of whitening stained or discoloured teeth.
2. Home whitening
   This form of treatment involves the wearing off upper and lower mouth guards usually at night for a period of 2 – 3 weeks and provides as an effective, but more gradual form of tooth whitening.

Teeth that have discoloured with age usually respond well to whitening. With time however the process yellowing can and will slowly recur and teeth will fade again. The Smile Clinic offers a range of treatments to create and maintain your new whiter smile.

Ceramic veneers are considered to be the finest restoration available in cosmetic dentistry today with many celebrities, movie stars, and models choosing this treatment for a perfect smile.

A veneer is a new front surface for a tooth, custom made from porcelain. Veneers are extremely versatile and can be used to change the colour, size, shape and position of a tooth. They can whiten severely discoloured teeth, close gaps, and align crowded teeth or even reposition protruding teeth. They are very strong, and natural in appearance, and are used to make long lasting changes to the smile.

Crowns are used to restore severely broken down teeth. Most crowns are made of porcelain, like veneers, and look every bit as natural, leaving no black line at the gum level like traditional crowns. Porcelain crowns are as strong as natural teeth and are recommended for restoring severely fractured teeth or replacing old crowns.

Bonding is a process in which an enamel-like filling material is applied to a tooth’s surface, sculpted to an ideal shape, hardened and polished. It can be used to restore minor chips and close small gaps often in one appointment.

For those clients with low or uneven gum levels, a simple gum reshaping treatment can be performed to correct this, if a patient complains of a ‘gummy’ smile a painless gum lift can be offered.

We are amongst a few dental; practices in the UK to offer this revolutionary treatment to reduce decay in teeth. When decay is in its early stages, this treatment involves placing a rubber cup over the decay. Ozone gas is then placed against the tooth surface and the decay causing bacteria eliminated. The tooth may then be ‘sealed’ to prevent further advancing of the decay. The original decay is detected with the use of our laser decay detector.

Old metal or amalgam fillings may be replaced with new alternatives such as composite tooth-coloured fillings and ceramic inlays. There are advantages to each option, and these will be discussed with you when required.

We are keen believers in ‘prevention is better than a cure’. Care is taken to ensure that our patient’s understand how decay occurs and how the risk of developing dental decay may be reduced.