Preventative Dentistry: an Easy Way to Keep Your Smile at its Best

All of our dental team at Wimbledon Dental Care is passionate about preventative dentistry. We know this is the best way to help maintain healthy teeth and gums, greatly reducing your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. We’d far rather work with you to prevent any problems from occurring than have to offer emergency dental care for toothache. Gum disease is another huge problem and particularly as in the early stages it often creates few if any symptoms. It’s the major reason for tooth loss in the developed world, and just like tooth decay is generally highly preventable. In addition, looking after your teeth and gums will help lower your dental bills in the longer term and ensures your smile is always looking its best.

Regular Check-ups

We suggest you visit our dentist, Dr Kulej Sihra in Wimbledon every six months as this will enable us to detect any problems, hopefully at a stage when treatment is quick and straightforward and we can keep an eye on your oral health. Oral cancer checks are an important part of your regular check-ups, particularly as your dentist is most likely the only health professional who regularly examines the inside of your mouth.

Regular Oral Hygiene Appointments

We thoroughly recommend all our patients book regular hygiene appointments. Good oral hygiene in Wimbledon is vitally important and most people will need to see a hygienist every six months, or at every regular check-up, but some will benefit from more frequent cleanings. This might be the case if you have any conditions that affect your immune system and which might increase your risk of gum disease, or if you are pregnant as the hormonal changes during pregnancy can increase the risk of developing a condition called pregnancy gingivitis, a form of gum disease.

The main reason for having your teeth professionally cleaned is to remove hardened plaque, a substance called tartar from your teeth. Plaque and tartar tend to build up around the gum line and if not regularly removed will increase your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. This is because the bacteria in plaque and tartar release toxins that gradually infect and inflame the gums.

During your professional teeth cleaning, all hardened tartar will be scaled or scraped away from around the gum line and just below. Treatment finishes with your teeth being gently polished which helps to remove some surface stains and is great for just putting a bit more sparkle into your smile.

Get Customised Advice on How to Look after Your Teeth and Gums at Home

As part of your regular oral hygiene treatments, we can offer instructions on the best way to look after your teeth and gums at home. We know many people struggle with flossing and you’d be surprised at how much easier this task can be when you’re shown how to do it properly. We can also advise you on the best tools to use at home, so you make the most of every single second spent brushing and flossing.

Has it been a while since you last visited a hygienist? Call us today to book your appointment on 020 8946 6546.

Six Months Smiles in Wimbledon

If you have slightly crooked teeth then you might have already looked into ways of straightening them, and perhaps quickly discounted wearing braces due to the hassle and time required. However there have been huge advances in orthodontics in Wimbledon over the past few years, and nowadays treatment is often quick, discreet and very effective. If you think braces means wearing highly visible ‘train tracks’ then we have some extremely good news for you; now you can straighten your teeth with braces that are much less noticeable. Wimbledon Dental Care is an accredited provider of Six Month Smiles, arguably one of the fastest orthodontic systems in the world.

Why Choose Six Month Smiles?

Six Month Smiles is what is known as a cosmetic braces system. This means it concentrates on moving the teeth you can see when you smile or talk, the so-called ‘social six.’ For many adults, this is often all that is required to create a beautiful smile and it can be particularly good for people who perhaps had orthodontics as a child and have since had an orthodontic relapse. An orthodontic relapse can occur when retainers are not worn as recommended, enabling teeth to shift their position slightly. Six Month Smiles can soon correct problems with rotated or crooked teeth and can close up or minimise unwanted spaces.

Treatment Is Much Faster

Conventional orthodontics often focus on correcting problems with the way teeth bite together which involves moving multiple teeth including those right at the back of the mouth. Six Month Smiles only concentrates on moving the front teeth so the overall treatment times are far quicker, taking an average of just six months. The great thing about having fixed braces such as Six Months Smiles is that the brackets can be positioned to precisely move teeth, and unlike removable aligners they are continually working to straighten your smile. You will also find these braces pretty comfortable to wear as they are specially designed to use mild but effective forces to gently move teeth.

Less Visible Than Conventional Orthodontics

Conventional fixed braces often use heavy and highly visible metal brackets whereas Six Months Smiles uses tooth coloured brackets and wires that are virtually invisible. In addition, you’ll only be wearing them for a very short while so it’s unlikely that very many people won’t notice you are wearing braces.

What Is Treatment like?

Our dentist in Wimbledon, Dr Kultej Sihra, will need to examine your teeth to decide if Six Month Smiles is suitable. If he thinks you will benefit from more comprehensive treatment then you can be referred to an orthodontic specialist. Otherwise we will take impressions and photographs of your teeth and these are used to fabricate your braces. The next step is for the braces to be bonded onto your teeth. You’ll need to visit our surgery every four or five weeks so we can make any necessary adjustments. In no time at all you’ll begin to see the results as your teeth moved into predetermined positions, creating a beautifully straighter smile. After your braces are removed, you’ll need to wear a retainer. This is a comfortable device that is bonded permanently onto the inside surfaces of your teeth, ensuring you maintain the benefits of having Six Months Smiles in Wimbledon.

Want to find out more? Contact Wimbledon Dental Care on 020 8946 6546 to book your appointment today.