Archives: Treatments

What are Dental Implants? Dental implants are metal posts or frames that are surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath your gums. Once in place, they allow your dentist to mount replacement teeth onto them.

How do Dental Implants Work? Because implants fuse to your jawbone, they provide stable support for artificial teeth. Dentures and bridges mounted to implants won’t slip or shift in your mouth — an especially important benefit when eating and speaking. This secure fit helps the dentures and bridges — as well as individual crowns placed over implants — feel more natural than conventional bridges or dentures.

For some people, ordinary bridges and dentures are simply not comfortable or even possible, due to sore spots, poor ridges or gagging. In addition, ordinary bridges must be attached to teeth on either side of the space left by the missing tooth. An advantage of implants is that no adjacent teeth need to be prepared or ground down to hold your new replacement tooth/teeth in place.

Both crowns and most bridges are fixed prosthetic devices. Unlike removable devices such as dentures, which you can take out and clean daily, crowns and bridges are cemented onto existing teeth or implants, and can only be removed by a dentist.

A crown is used to entirely cover or “cap” a damaged tooth. Besides strengthening a damaged tooth, a crown can be used to improve its appearance, shape or alignment. A crown can also be placed on top of an implant to provide a tooth-like shape and structure for function. Porcelain or ceramic crowns can be matched to the color of your natural teeth. Other materials include gold and metal alloys, acrylic and ceramic. These alloys are generally stronger than porcelain and may be recommended for back teeth. Porcelain bonded to a metal shell is often used because it is both strong and attractive.

Fixed implant retained dentures require more implants than a removable implant retained denture because the denture is permanently affixed onto the implants and requires greater stabilization. Implant retained dentures feel much more natural than removable dentures and chewing efficiency is completely restored.

Removable implant retained dentures require fewer implants; Four dental implants securely hold an upper denture allowing the size of the plate to be reduced or eliminated from the denture altogether. Plate reduction or elimination feels more natural and allows for the better tasting of food. Just two implants under a lower denture can improve stability and restore chewing efficiency up to 90% of normal. Four implants provide up to 100% normal chewing efficiency. Removable dentures also allow for easier maintenance and cleaning.

Various extraction protocols have been followed successful orthodontic treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extraction protocols in patients who had previously undergone orthodontic treatment and also who had reported for continuing orthodontic treatment from other clinics.

One hundred thirty eight patients who registered for orthodontic treatment at the Faculty of Dentistry were divided into 10 extraction protocols based on the Orthodontic treatment protocol given by Janson et al. and were evaluated for statistical significance.

Extraction of permanent teeth such as canine and lateral incisors without rational reasons could have devastating consequences on the entire occlusion. The percentage of cases wherein extraction of permanent teeth in the crowded region was adopted as a treatment option instead of orthodontic treatment is still prevalent in dental practice. The shortage of orthodontists in Malaysia, the long waiting period, and lack of subjective need for orthodontic treatment at an earlier age group were the reasons for the patient’s to choose extraction of the mal-aligned teeth such as the maxillary canine or maxillary lateral incisors.

Why is dental cleaning done? Your teeth are continually bathed in saliva which contains calcium and other substances which help strengthen and protect the teeth. While this is a good thing, it also means that there is a build-up of calcium deposits on the teeth. This chalky substance called calculus or tartar will eventually build up over time. Usually it is tooth coloured and can easily be mistaken as part of the teeth, but it also can vary from brown to black in colour.

Scaling and polishing is cleaning of the teeth carried out by a dentist. The dentist will clean around the gum line on the back and front of your teeth to remove any plaque and tartar. The most important and valuable dental visit for you is a dental clean and check-up. Teeth cleaning and polishing allows the dentist to maintain your oral hygiene and health. Regular dental cleaning and checkups are important to prevent dental diseases from developing. Daily brushing, rinsing with antiseptic mouthwash and flossing might not be enough to maintain a good oral health in the long run. To maintain good oral health, it is imperative to visit your dentist every six months. Going for regular check-ups helps keep your gums and teeth healthy and allows early detection of any problems such as gum disease, cavities and oral cancer.

Orthodontic treatment is a way of straightening or moving teeth, to improve the appearance of the teeth and how they work. It can also help to look after the long-term health of your teeth, gums and jaw joints, by spreading the biting pressure over all your teeth.

Some people have upper front teeth that stick out and look unsightly. These ‘prominent’ teeth are more likely to be damaged, but orthodontic treatment can move them back into line. Or the way the upper and lower jaws meet can cause teeth to look unsightly and lead to an incorrect bite. Orthodontic treatment may be able to correct both of these problems.