If you require a filling in your tooth, a cosmetic option would be to choose a white filling material that matches the shade of your surrounding natural teeth. You can also have any existing metallic fillings replaced with tooth-coloured or 'white' fillings. This will allow you to smile without a metallic glint in sight, giving your teeth a more natural appearance overall.
Composite Resin fillings are a natural-looking alternative to metal amalgam fillings. They are available in a range of shades to match your own natural tooth colour. Making them virtually invisible in the mouth.
A white filling has the ability to bond with the tooth making the finished combination much stronger. In addition, because of it’s excellent bonding capacity, less of the natural tooth structure needs to be removed.
Yes. Unlike amalgam, which is unsafe for pregnant women and individuals allergic to metal, white fillings are safe for nearly everyone.
Decayed or chipped teeth can often be repaired with white composite fillings that look natural, however if the damage is too substantial, particularly on the back teeth, then an inlay or onlay would be recommended. Inlays or onlays can be made from a number of strong materials such as metals or ceramics.
An inlay is a small filling that fits into the biting surface of a tooth. An onlay covers a larger area of the tooth and is better suited to bigger cavities. Gold was traditionally used for these types of restorations. However, in recent times hard-wearing tooth-coloured porcelain has become a more popular choice of material. This is a more aesthetic way to restore the teeth and creates a more natural-looking smile.
Thanks to advances in digital technology (called CAD/CAM) porcelain inlays can be made at some dental practices using a special milling machine known as CEREC. This means you will need fewer visits to the dentist to have your tooth restored.
Teeth whitening is one of the most effective ways you can improve your natural smile.
We scan your teeth to have custom-made lab trays constructed for you using the latest digital technology iTero Scanner with Niri Technology.
It is quick, safe and easy. Teeth are whitened by the use of a gel concentrate placed in trays worn over your teeth over the period of 2-3 weeks. The gel interacts with the tooth surface by removing surface staining and blemishes, all the while working internally within the tooth surface, to brighten their shade overall.
Boutique Whitening – a professional home-whitening system that will brighten your teeth steadily and sustainably by at least 3 shades on industry recommended shade guides. It requires the use of custom-made mouth trays and whitening gel for a period of 2-3 weeks.
Whitening gel is a prescription cosmetic medication and can only be provided by a dental professional. It is approved by the government industry that regulates all medicines and in the concentration it has been approved for use, it is safe for your teeth and will not damage them. Any whitening gel bought over the internet or from a shop is not regulated in the same way and may damage your teeth or be too weak to have any effect.
The only side-effect you may experience from whitening is sensitivity. We can recommend things that will help reduce this sensitivity and it will only last for the duration you are doing the whitening.
Although results tend to last many years, the brightness can show signs of fading over time, especially when exposed to certain lifestyle habits, like smoking and drinking red wine.
To prolong results indefinitely, we recommend you ‘top-up’ your whitening 1-2 times a year by obtaining a tube of whitening gel from us and using it for 3-5 days at home, in the same way as you would have done originally.
Home teeth whitening is where you apply a special teeth whitening gel into a personally created gum shield or 'tray' and wear it overnight for 1 – 2 weeks.
This is a cheaper alternative to combination teeth whitening, but it does takes longer to achieve the results that you get with a combined home and in-surgery whitening system such as Enlighten.
One of the advantages of home teeth whitening is that once you have been provided with your personal teeth whitening trays, you can top up the whiteness of your teeth by purchasing top up whitening agent syringes from our practice.
The active chemical in the teeth whitening agent is 16% carbamide peroxide. This gel releases oxygen free radicals (which whiten the teeth) over a longer period of time, due to its sustained release. This gradual approach will still give fantastic results, due the length of time the gel stays active.
Some people have naturally darker teeth. Your teeth can also be stained on the surface by food and drinks such as tea, coffee, red wine and blackcurrant. Smoking can also stain teeth. Tartar can also affect the colour of your teeth. Some people may have staining under the surface, which can be caused by certain antibiotics or by tiny cracks in the teeth which allow the stain to penetrate the teeth.
Teeth whitening trays look like a gum shield or mouth guard. Your dentist will take an impression of your teeth and send this away to a dental laboratory so that they can use this as a mould to create trays that are designed for your teeth. This ensures that you have a perfect fit and that the whitening agent can be evenly administered onto your teeth without leakage.
In a very small number of cases patients might find that their teeth become sensitive during or after the treatment. There could be discomfort in the gums, you might get a sore throat or tiny white patches on the your gums. These symptoms are usually temporary and disappear after a few days of the treatment finishing. The most frequent side effect is a small amount of sensitivity that your dentist can help you with by applying a desensitising gel on your teeth.
If you are self-conscious about the shade of your teeth or if you have staining on some of your teeth, professional teeth whitening treatment is a safe and recommended option for you to consider.
Home teeth whitening kits are also available to lighten the teeth more gradually. In this case, the trays with bleaching agent can be worn overnight. With all whitening treatment, individual results will vary and are dependant on your initial tooth colour and the nature of your tooth staining.
Are your teeth stained, chipped, or not aligned on top of each other? Veneers are a good treatment option to consider because they look like natural teeth and don't require a major procedure. Veneers can also be used to close small gaps when braces are not suitable. If one tooth is slightly out of position, a veneer can sometimes be fitted to bring it into line with the others.
Composite bonding is the process of applying a tooth-coloured filling material to the teeth to change their shape, size and colour.
The composite can be added to the whole front surface of the tooth, also known as a composite veneer. It can also just be added to the edges, known as edge bonding, to make the teeth look more uniform in appearance, cover up tooth wear or repair chips and imperfections.
It is suitable for:
It is a simple procedure that can most often be done without the need for drilling or injections, and usually only requires a single visit to complete.
We do recommend having them straightened first if there are issues with the alignment. In most cases, we will whiten the teeth first so that they are a brighter, more even colour throughout, correcting colour discrepancies between individual teeth.
Although composite bonding treatment does not last as long as veneers, many patients find the treatment is highly cost-effective. It can also be repeated with no damage at all to your teeth.
We will take you through the Case Assessment, which is a simple set of photos to determine whether you are suitable for Invisalign treatment.
If treatment is right for you, we’ll take photos, X-rays and digital scans, or a dental impression, of your teeth. Then we’ll create you a digital treatment plan, using our state of the art technology, showing you what your results could look like via a 3D video.
We’ll give you a series of aligners to wear every day and change at home – on average every 1-2 weeks (as directed by your Dentist). You can comfortably wear your aligners for 22 hours a day (the recommended daily wear). And because they’re removable, it’s easy to maintain your normal oral hygiene routine and enjoy your usual diet.
We’ll invite you back to the practice around every 4-6 weeks to monitor progress and hand over your new aligners. At the end of your treatment, you will need to wear your retainers to maintain your new smile.
At All Smiles Dental, we’re dental experts and passionate about innovative treatments. We’re proud to offer Invisalign at our dental practice, helping patients see outstanding results.
Invisalign is a revolutionary name in orthodontics. Instead of the traditional wire and bracket brace design, Invisalign uses a series of clear, removable plastic trays to slowly correct the position of your teeth over time.
Not only is this ultra-discreet, but you may be able to see those subtle changes as they happen. Plus, by using 3D technology, you’ll be able to see pictures of how your teeth will move throughout your Invisalign treatment, and get an idea of the end results. Prepare to be excited!
Developed by Align Technology together with leading orthodontists in 1997, Invisalign straightens your teeth using a series of custom-made clear aligners. Comfortable, clear and removable – Invisalign transforms your smile without disrupting your life. Something that over 8 million people worldwide have already discovered.
By using advanced technology, Invisalign can treat a broad range of dental and orthodontic issues that were previously treated with traditional braces – from minor tooth movements to more complex cases. These issues include:
An effective long-term solution to straightening your teeth and correcting your bite is orthodontics. Orthodontics is a subspecialty area in dentistry that focuses on aligning and straightening teeth using wires and brackets, applying gentle pressure to the teeth to move them into a particular position. The discipline has advanced over decades and today treatment is a lot faster and more comfortable than it was in the past.
We do not offer Orthodontics here at the practice, but for Under 18s we refer to an Orthodontists Specialist under NHS contract.Patient have to meet the relevant criteria to have a referral.
If it's just minor alignment corrections or more cosmetic then it can be done privately irrespective of the age of the patient.
Arrange a time that suits you for us to discuss your treatment options, from the comfort of your own home.
Schedule My Call17 South Burns, Chester le Street, County Durham DH3 3EZ
Call us today: 0191 388 2939
| Email: [email protected]
Fields with (*) are required.
Please contact us via this website or email without disclosing confidential information.