Minimal intervention to us, is an approach that involves an appreciation of how precious tooth structure is. If a hole can be prevented from forming in a tooth, then that is far better than fixing it afterwards. If a tooth does need fixing, then its perhaps better to drill the tooth as little as possible and preserve as much tooth structure as possible. These days there are an ever increasing number of different techniques that can be used to restore teeth in much kinder ways than by, for example, crowning. Much more tooth (and patient) friendly bridge designs are available too. A smile can occasionally be improved just by adding some tooth coloured filling to reshape a tooth rather than the sometimes quite destructive tooth preparation that occurs when carrying out more traditional cosmetic dentistry.
Minimal intervention can also be used in a slightly different context. It seems that people will only change their habits when they want or feel they need to. So if for example you were a smoker, and you had been for years, and your grandparents were smokers who lived to 110, and you loved smoking, it would be a waste of your time if we were to lecture you every visit on the damage done by smoking. In fact it would probably have the opposite effect and make you more determined to continue. In this situation we would, now and then, ask about your smoking habits and gauge whether you were ready for change or not. If you were, we would give you as much or as little information as you would like to help you to stop. If not, we would leave it without intervening. We use the same approach with regard to dietary habits for people who have a lot of cavities, and tooth brushing for those with gum disease. We give as much information as people would like to people who want it, and avoid annoying others with long lectures.
ADDRESS92 London Rd, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0DP
We are closed for lunch between 1.00pm and 2.00pm