It is often thought that cosmetic dentistry is only for the young and potentially beautiful. What, then, happens as we get older as we all hopefully will? There is no doubt that we will not look the same as we did in our youth, in fact, as each cell is replaced every seven years, some may say we are a different person altogether! That aside however, ageing is a fact of life and one that has advantages such as wisdom etc. Very few of us though appreciate the more negative aspects of getting older, especially our appearance. The good news is that we can at least do something towards looking good, even in our later years.

One of the aspects of ageing is that, inevitably, our teeth will not be in as good a condition as they were when we were younger. Some of us will loose teeth through decay or accidents whilst others may be relatively lucky and retain most of our natural teeth. Even so, these will suffer from discolouration which is unavoidable even if we avoid things that make them worse such as coffee and red wine. Increasingly, older people are now turning to cosmetic dentists to improve the quality of their teeth, not only for aesthetic purposes, but also to enable them to eat and speak easily. One of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures for older people is tooth whitening. This is entirely natural and whitening the teeth a few shades certainly improves the appearance of the teeth. Some people though will find that their teeth are too badly discoloured for this and will, instead, opt to have dental veneers fitted to bring back the whiteness.

On a more practical level, many older people that have lost teeth will have had dentures fitted. Because of the bone loss over a period of time though, many people find that these become uncomfortable and move around in their mouth causing sore and sometimes bleeding gums. For those that have partial dentures to replace a tooth or two, dental implants may be the answer here as they, in effect, replace a tooth with a replacement artificial tooth . The main difference here is not only do these look great but they are anchored into the jaw making them strong and allowing the person to eat properly once more. For some people, however, significant bone loss in the jaw may have occurred meaning that to have this procedure, it may be necessary to have a bone graft prior to the dental implant procedure being performed.

For those who have a full set of dentures to replace a whole arc of missing teeth, special dental implants can be used, in a process called all on 4, to replace the dentures and instead anchor firmly into place, a fixed bridge. These are attractive to look at and will not become loose, leaving the person with the same freedom as if they had a full set of natural teeth.

Of course, although these procedures are safe to be performed on older people, it is still advisable to check with your doctor if you are unsure if a pre existing medical condition may cause a problem. If you get the all clear though, why not call your cosmetic dentist and see if you can bring that smile back to life in your later years.

Some of you may have heard the term ‘teeth in a day’ and thought that sounds pretty unrealistic. Whilst it is a good idea to be sceptical about things that sound too good to be true, usually because they are, there are occasions when the product does exactly what it says on the tin. This is most definitely the case with teeth in a day.

Naturally, these are replacement teeth and you may well be thinking that they will be dentures, however, this is not the case!

Our Harley Street teeth in a day procedure is predominantly used for attaching a fixed bridge in place. This is a better option than denture retention for most people as a fixed bridge can remain in the mouth and doesn’t need to be removed for cleaning. It also will not work loose and you will have a strong replacement set of teeth. In most cases, the bridge will be either a full set of upper teeth or sometimes the lower set.

So, how does it work? Well, the procedure uses dental implants; however, it does not involve a single dental implant for each individual tooth. Although this would certainly be a good method, it would prove to be very costly indeed and would also entail a lengthy recovery period.

By using a teeth in a day procedure, only 4 dental implants are used. Two of these are placed at a 90 degree angle at the front of the jaw whilst the two at the rear are placed at around a forty five degree angle. Because of the angle, specially designed dental implants are used. This has two additional benefits. Firstly, the healing period is a lot shorter but also, many people are unable to have dental implants due to a lack of bone density in their jaws once some teeth have been lost. Although this can be rectified by a bone graft, this is an additional procedure which in itself entails a healing period before the implants can be placed.

Whilst there may be reasons why someone can’t have an all on 4, these are limited and can usually be rectified; for example if there is a gum infection, this can be treated prior to the all on 4. Once the implants have been placed, the fixed bridge can be attached and the patient will once more have a full set of teeth.

The whole procedure, as you may have guessed by the name, takes less than a day and you can start to eat straight away. However, it is wise to be sensible and eat soft foods initially simply to be kind to yourself. Although you will not feel any pain during the procedure as a local anaesthetic will be given, there will inevitably be some soreness in the areas that the implants have been placed into.

If there is a need to extract some teeth in order to proceed, this is done on the same visit and the implants, because of their unique nature, can be placed directly into the site of the extraction; in fact there is evidence to suggest that this gives them an even better chance of being successful.

So, there you have it; it is now possible to go into your cosmetic dentist practice in the morning with missing teeth and come out again a few hours later with a full set of perfect replacement teeth enabling you to smile with confidence once again.

Looking for cheap dental implants is a little like looking for the Holy Grail; it probably doesn’t exist. Of course, many more people are now looking to cosmetic dentistry to improve their appearance. This may be due to the exposure of celebrities in our media on a daily basis, and of course, many people will want to follow the trends that they set.

Traditionally, a good cosmetic dentist has been sought out by the wealthy, however, as prices come down gradually, more and more people are considering having dental procedures done, however, many are still looking to cut costs whilst they do this.

Perhaps this is understandable in these difficult financial times, but as the saying goes ‘you get what you pay for’. Unfortunately some people have chosen to ignore these wise words and have paid for it dearly. The main way in which this happens is that people are tempted by advertisements offering cheap dental treatments abroad. The most popular of these treatments is dental implants.  Because this is a simple yet sophisticated procedure, many are tempted to put their trust in a dentist that they don’t know (and who may barely speak the same language) and travel long distances abroad in order to receive cheaper treatment.

Blinded by the ‘special offers’, many choose to ignore the potential, and in some cases very likely, pitfalls of taking this route. Bearing in mind that each country has different standards for practising dentists, some may even have only had limited training, and certainly not specialised in dental implants. This would cause most people to stop and think  …”would I really want someone who wasn’t highly skilled drilling into my jaw bone?”. I think that for most of us, we wouldn’t take the chance. It is easy to make a mistake in this procedure unless fully trained. In fact, UK dentists train for several years before they are allowed to perform this procedure. This may well not be the case in Poland, Thailand or other countries.

Of course, you may well have heard of people who have had no problems and that is fine, however, if things do go wrong, what you selected due to low cost may turn out to be very expensive as you are likely to find that UK dentists will not touch a procedure that has been done abroad and you may have to go back to the same dentist. This means that you have to put your trust in a dentist that has already made a bad mistake and also have to pay for a second flight and most likely accommodation.

A much better option if you are looking for cheap dental implants is to accept that there is no such thing in reality and instead, investigate one of the dental plans that most good quality dentists offer in order to help their patients spread their payments over a period of months. You may pay a little more in the UK, but you can be assured that you will receive high quality treatment, something you can’t guarantee abroad.

Despite the many pages of detailed information about dental implants that are available online, few of them actually touch on the real experiences of patients who have had the procedure. We thought that you might be interested in hearing the experience of a patient to give you an idea of what it actually feels like to have a dental implant.

“I lost a front tooth whilst cycling to work when I hit a pothole and fell from my bike. Thankfully, apart from a few bruises, I was relatively uninjured apart from one of my front teeth which was shattered and I knew quite quickly could not be repaired by a filling or even a crown. I consulted a Harley Street implant dentist who suggested that a dental implant would be the best option. I hadn’t even heard of these but after he had explained, it did seem to make sense so I gave the go ahead. The first stage involved the taking of an x-ray to ensure that there was sufficient bone for the implant to take – thankfully, there was. Other details were taken from these x-rays to ensure that the implant would be correctly fitted.

On the day itself, I was given a local anaesthetic and was told that this would stop me feeling any pain. I must admit that I wasn’t convinced by this and did wonder about taking up the option of conscious sedation in case I panicked. Eventually however, I decided that if I was going to allow a dentist to drill into my jaw, then I should really put my trust in him. Although I was expecting a lot of pain, when he drilled into the bone, it really didn’t hurt at all. Yes, I could feel a sensation but he explained afterwards that this would simply be the vibrations of the drill. Once the hole had been drilled, he carefully placed the dental implant into the hole. Once again, I felt nothing at all.

Once this had been done and I had got a lift home with a friend who I took for re-assurance, I did start to notice a little pain, well, not pain really but soreness. I suppose this is really to be expected and paracetemol took that away quite easily so there weren’t really any problems there. Initially, it was a bit of a nuisance restricting myself to softer foods but I knew it had got be done, and as the gums healed, I soon found myself eating normally again.

A few months later, I returned to have the crown placed on the dental implant. This was a simple procedure but I did opt for a little local anaesthetic as I’m such a coward when it comes to pain. In retrospect, I wouldn’t have needed it, but better safe than sorry I guess.

Initially I was a bit wary about eating harder foods as I felt that it could not be as strong as the dentist had suggested that it would be, but as my confidence grew, I overcame that and now I’m eating entirely normally and am happy to bite into almost anything that is put in front of me .. Well, as long as it doesn’t have marmite on it, but that’s another story”.

This is a question that we here time and time again, often outside of the dental practice. The general impression is that cosmetic dentistry is expensive and out of the reach of most people, especially in these difficult financial times.

Whilst it should be acknowledged that it is not cheap, the reality is that, like most things in life, you do get what you pay for. Not to slight the NHS, but to receive only NHS dental treatment is likely to mean that whilst your teeth will be strong enough, you are highly unlikely to be happy with their appearance unless you are one of the very fortunate few who have inherited the genes that will guarantee you perfect teeth throughout your life. One of the reasons for this is that many of the procedures available at a cosmetic dentist are simply not available to NHS users, or if they are, they will cost extra anyway. For example, amalgam is virtually always used at a traditional dentist and whilst this is a strong material, it is generally accepted to be unsightly. At our highly respected Harley Street cosmetic dentist, where it is viable, you  are more likely to be offered the option to have tooth coloured fillings which are not only strong, but will match the colour of your teeth leaving them looking natural.

New techniques are always coming online too, and the resources of most cosmetic dentists means that they are able to take advantage of advanced training to be able to bring you these procedures. For example, to be able to place a dental implant takes many years of training, something which would not be available largely on an NHS budget. For a cosmetic dentist though, keeping up with the latest advances is extremely important as patients demand new and better treatments to not only keep their teeth in good condition, but also to look good. To some, this may appear vain, but research after research has shown that people who have white straight teeth are much more confident than people with discoloured crooked teeth, something which seems obvious when you see it in writing.

Obviously, this extra training does mean that the cost of procedures are higher than NHS ones, which are also subsidised. However, cosmetic dentists are not unsympathetic to this and many offer 0% APR dental treatment plans to help you to work through this. It is also worth bearing in mind that ignoring treatments early on can also lead to more expense later on in life, and after all, we only have one set of teeth, so doesn’t it make sense to take the best care of them that we possibly can.

Many of us probably first come across cosmetic dentistry after reading about a celebrity, who has had a procedure, in the daily tabloids. Of course, the usual procedures such as dental implants, veneers and tooth whitening are not available only to the rich and famous but are becoming increasingly popular through all sections of society across the world.

Whilst it is often presumed that a teeth whitening procedure is the most popular procedure favoured by Hollywood stars, research has shown (yes, they actually do research about such things!), that veneers are the most popular cosmetic dentistry treatment amongst the Hollywood set.

Celebrity watchers have noted that, for example,  Anne Hathaway, who starred in the popular film ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, seems to have had veneers fitted on her front teeth. Few are fortunate to have perfectly aligned front teeth which she has been noted to have. One giveaway sign is that her smile follows the exact shape of her lower lip.

Even British TV stars Anna Friel and Piers Morgan have confessed to having work done on their teeth whilst in the United States. One can only presume that pressure played a part to have this done whilst they were they though, as the UK has many top quality dentists that can perform these procedures.

But why is cosmetic dentistry so popular with Hollywood stars? Well, the obvious factor is that their facial features are often seen extremely close up on a big screen which, inevitably, must make them self conscious about their teeth. Although, to date anyway, no research has been done to compare film actors with theatrical actors, it is highly likely that there would be less emphasis on their teeth by theatrical actors due to the fact that their teeth are not seen close up whilst performing. There is also a historical precedent for film stars too. In fact, originally, cosmetic dentistry was often referred to as producing a ‘Hollywood smile’. It is rumoured that many top actors and actresses had quite appalling teeth due to smoking and drinking and came under pressure from film directors to have their teeth whitened, usually with dental veneers. Of course, at this early stage the veneers were purely cosmetic and would have a very short life span, unlike modern dental veneers.

Thankfully, though, cosmetic dentistry reaches a much wider demographic and is increasingly on the radar of younger people especially. Perhaps for too long now, the British have had a poor reputation for taking care of their teeth and have especially been the butt of many American jokes. This is likely to change, however, as people gradually start to reconsider their teeth and look at ways of improving not only their health, but also their facial aesthetics .

Taking care of our teeth too, will also affect our physical features. Lost teeth, for example, means that our jaw bone gradually thins, and this can change the shape of our face significantly, often resulting in a ‘drawn’ look. Modern cosmetic dentistry however can now remedy this with dental implants, one of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures around.

Gum disease is not only relatively common, but can also be potentially serious. Thankfully, if it is caught early it is easily treatable.

With gingivitis affecting around one in every five people, this a potentially major health concern as research is increasingly indicating that not only is it likely to lead to the loss of teeth but also to other health problems such as heart disease and strokes.

How to Spot Gingivitis

It is relatively easy to spot if you have gum disease, although the severity of the symptoms will depend on the extent to which the disease has taken hold of the gums.

If you notice that your gums are bleeding at all, are swollen, or have become red and inflamed, then there is a strong possibility that you may have gingivitis and you should arrange a consultation with your cosmetic dentist as soon as possible. Another sign of gum disease is bad breath although this can, of course, be caused by other factors such as smoking and poor diet.

If you are pregnant, there is an increased risk of gingivitis as there also is if you are taking certain medications.

However, by far the most common cause of gingivitis is the build up of plaque on your teeth. Plaque is an entirely natural substance but if ignored, it will cause oral problems such as gingivitis. There is, however, little reason to allow the build up of plaque, you simply need to make sure that you brush and floss your teeth well and this should ensure that plaque build up doesn’t cause you any problems.

Whilst plaque is a white sticky substance however, another more difficult form of it is called tartar. This is a much harder substance to get rid of and although you can minimise it by maintaining a good cleaning routine of your teeth, regular check ups at our Harley Street dentist will spot any build up of tartar and your dentist may recommend that you have your teeth scaled and polished to remove this.

Provided that you make sure that you clean your teeth well, and not simply brush them so that your mouth feels fresher, and keep regular appointments at your dentist, the effect that plaque has on your teeth should be relatively minimal.

Whatever you do though, do not ignore early signs of gingivitis as, left untreated, it could build up to cause loss of teeth and even infection of the jawbone itself.

By simply following these steps, you can eliminate or at the very least delay having further cosmetic dental treatments such as dental implants or dentures for a very long time to come.

When a tooth has been lost, or more likely a couple of adjoining teeth, it is quite usual for a bridge to be fitted to replace them. As the name suggests, this involves replacing the missing teeth with replacement ones and the two natural teeth either side are then used to attach the bridge, thereby holding it in place.

Many people have asked the question as to whether this will affect their eating ability. This does vary from person to person, with some people having no problem at all, whilst others find it troublesome to eat some of the foods that they enjoy.

It is only natural that, initially, you may find it strange, especially if you have become accustomed to having a gap where the bridge now is. Some people report extra sensitivity after the bridge has been fitted whilst others, not used to having teeth there, find that they bite their cheek or tongue quite regularly. Whilst this is not uncommon, these effects should disappear quite quickly as you become used to the new bridge.

Some of the problems with eating after a bridge has been fitted comes from not feeling confident to bite down on harder foods. From talking to patients, some do feel that each time they bite, they are just a fraction away from breaking the bridge and, consequently, they tend to avoid foods that they find difficult to eat.

For these people, and really for anyone who wants extra security for their bridge, a process called “all on 4″ is ideally suited. This uses dental implants which are placed into the jaw to hold the bridge in place. As the name suggests, four dental implants are used, two of which are placed in the jaw at a specific angle in order to give extra security to the bridge. This technique can be used to replace a full arch of teeth in a single day!

The other advantage of this procedure is that, unlike standard dental implants, if you lost a tooth a while ago, you will nearly certainly have lost a significant amount of bone density in your jaw. This would normally mean that there was a possibility that you would initially need a bone graft procedure in order for there to be sufficient bone in which to place the dental implants. The way implants are placed in an all on 4 procedure, however, means that a bone graft will very likely not be necessary.

So, if you find that you are experiencing trouble eating the foods that you would like to, it is certainly worth consulting our Harley Street dentist to see if an all on four procedure would benefit you and give you back the quality of life that you desire.

It is a fact, no matter how sugar coated dentists try to make it, that many people are simply terrified of visiting a dentist. A few are lucky and get through life without visiting a dentist. However, for most, fear of going to the dentist often results in what would quite likely have been a simple small filling turning into either an extraction or root canal surgery.

Whilst dentists do generally now try to practise minimal invasive dentistry where only as much is done to the tooth as is absolutely necessary and everything will be done to preserve as much of the tooth as possible, as with most fears, dental fears are usually irrational and based on what ‘might’ happen rather than what will.

To help to counter this fear, we thought we would take a look at a few of the most common procedures which cause the most fear and address the facts about them here, starting with one of the most feared procedures which has almost passed into legend. – Root Canal Surgery.

Often cited as probably the worst pain that you can experience, this seems to have seeped into the urban myth book. No doubt this originally came from someone’s bad experience at a dentist, quite possibly some time ago when methods were much less sophisticated than they are now.

The reality is that a root canal should cause a person no more discomfort than a filling or extraction as the procedure is done using a local anaesthetic.

To reduce fear, it is usually best to be fully aware of the facts. Even though we may think that we don’t want to hear them, the truth does enable us to take on our fears directly. To explain what the procedure actually is. It simply involves removing any infected soft pulp material which is in the inner tooth. This usually becomes infected when the ‘shell’ has been broken, often when a simple filling would have sealed it effectively. Once the pulp becomes infected, it can lead to pain if not treated promptly. In fact, the pain often mentioned most likely comes from an abscess which is caused by the infection. If this is the case, then antibiotics are usually used to eliminate this before the procedure can take place.

To perform a root canal, the top of the tooth is opened and the soft pulp material removed thoroughly, the inside of the tooth will then be cleaned to rid it fully of any infections before being filled and a crown placed on to seal it. This tooth then in effect becomes a ‘dead’ tooth and can not decay. However, it is still important to clean around the tooth effectively otherwise gum problems can occur.

Hopefully, this simple explanation will help to calm your fears but if not, it can be helpful to discuss the matter further with our Harley Street dentist.

It’s likely that many of you reading this article will be able to recall the trauma inflicted upon many a child during their school days when they turned up wearing dental braces. They say that children can be cruel, and this proved to be a classic case in point. It may even be that we joined in with the mocking too, whilst thinking that there but for the grace of god go I!

The flipside of this situation though is those children that were mocked, will, by now, have perfectly straight teeth, whilst those of us who didn’t have braces, can probably look in the mirror and wished that we had gone through the torment too. However, there is a viable dental alternative for straightening teeth quickly in adulthood….

Cracked, misaligned and badly stained teeth can be corrected using dental veneers, a process often referred to as ‘instant orthodontics’. A dental veneer is a very thin sliver of porcelain and can be considered to act like a false nail – although fitted a lot more precisely!

Our Harley Street dentist will shape the surface of your tooth and remove a small layer to accept the overlaying veneeer; next, a special, extremely strong dental cement is used to fix the veneers firmly in place. Our cosmetic dentist takes great pride in this process and done carefully, a great result is delivered. Dental veneers can be very successful even where a patient has quite a considerable gap between the teeth.

If you suffer from cracked, stained or misaligned teeth or are just embarrased about an obvious gap, please call our Harley Street dentist for professional help and advice. We are conveniently situated in the heart on London’s medical community and we will be msot pleased to assist.