This is an overview of just some of the services we provide at the surgery.
The two main causes for concern in the mouth are tooth decay and gum disease. If you are keen to know how best to look after your mouth and prevent problems in the future, then talk to our staff. Preventing problems is our priority.
Routine examinations Depending how healthy your mouth is, these can range in frequency from three monthly, six monthly, yearly, or even once every two years. We look for problems with your teeth such as decay, but also assess fractured or broken teeth or fillings, excessive wear and erosion. We can also offer advice on filling gaps if teeth are missing or what options there might be to improve your smile. But we dont just look at your teeth. We assess your gum health and advise on the best ways of improving oral hygiene. We also check the cheeks, lips, tongue and gums for any other signs of disease including cancer. We can also check the jaw joints, and any other concerns you might have regarding the outside of your mouth.
Scale and Polish This is the removal of chalky hard deposits of tartar from around the base of a tooth. If left, the ledges formed make it harder to clean your teeth effectively. If your gums are not cleaned well and regularly there is an increased risk of gum disease.
There is more and more evidence linking long term gum disease to other systemic problems such as heart disease, so it is very important to keep these tissues healthy.
Bleaching or Tooth Whitening There are two systems we recommend for tooth whitening at Oakwood Dental Surgery. The most reliable method is to provide you with a 'whiten at home' kit. This includes trays that are custom made to fit your teeth. A small amount of gel is placed in these trays, the trays are placed on your teeth and usually worn overnight, every night, for between two and four weeks. We have found this to be the most safe and effective way of whitening teeth and provides the most stable end result.
The other system involves a cheaper take home kit. Inside the kit are strips which are placed over the teeth. The kits contain enough strips to whiten top and bottom teeth for 14 nights.
Fillings We can restore teeth with white (tooth coloured), silver or more rarely, gold fillings. Even quite badly broken down teeth can be saved and built up again.
Root Canal Therapy This is a way of saving teeth that have either died or about to die. Teeth usually die as a result of having suffered with large amounts of decay at some point, but there are other causes too.
Restoring a tooth with a root filling prevents infections from building beneath the tooth, and avoids having to extract the tooth. Although the treatment is time consuming, it is gentle and doesn't deserve the bad press it gets.
Crowns and Onlays These restorations are designed to strengthen teeth or on occasion to improve their appearance. They sit over the prepared tooth and can improve the strength of a tooth by up to seven times.
At Oakwood Dental Surgery we can provide various different types of tooth coloured crowns and onlays including metal free restorations.
Veneers These are used to improve the cosmetic appearance of teeth. A veneer is a new front surface for a tooth. Usually placed on front teeth, they are made traditionally from porcelain, but they can also be made from a type of 'super set' filling material more like plastic.
Bridges If teeth are missing, they can sometimes be replaced using a false tooth attached to a neighbouring tooth or teeth. This is called a bridge. There are many types of bridge available, some requiring very little tooth structure to be removed.
Dentures These are removable plates that replace missing teeth. They can be made of hard plastic, flexible plastic or have a metal base. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages and the most suitable style of denture will depend on the number of teeth to be replaced and the position and quality of the remaining teeth.
Implants Whilst we currently dont place implants we can certainly advise on their suitability. We can discuss options and explain the processes involved. We can recommend some excellent implantologists in the area too.
The descriptions above are intended to give an idea of the sorts of services we can provide. There are many new materials and techniques available these days but there is no 'one cure fits all', so it is best to talk to your dentist and get their advice on which if any is best for you.
ADDRESS92 London Rd, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0DP
We are closed for lunch between 1.00pm and 2.00pm