Procedures
Having healthy teeth is important to your general health and well-being, allowing you to present yourself as a confident, positive person. A healthy smile is a confident smile! Here at Bright White we pride ourselves on high quality dental care, putting patient satisfaction foremost.
On this page you will find information about procedures we perform that will help keep you smiling and feeling your best. These are either general, which concern oral health issues such as tooth decay and gum disease, or cosmetic, which relate to aesthetic concerns.
Laser dentistry
Although lasers have long been the standard of care for many surgical and cosmetic procedures, they have only recently begun to be applied widely in the field of dentistry. At our clinics they are used to replace conventional instruments such as drills and scalpels in a number of procedures, including some of those listed on this page. Their numerous benefits include increased comfort, less invasion, and faster post-operative recovery.
Cosmetic procedures
Everyone wants a confident, beautiful smile. At Bright White we believe in aspiring to the teeth you want to have.
We offer a variety of cosmetic procedures for shape, colour, and any other concerns with appearance including chipped, missing, discoloured or multi-coloured teeth. These include white aesthetic restorations such as implants, crowns/bridges, dentures or veneers to improve the look and feel of your smile.
We also provide a number of whitening options including our popular Zoom! Whitening procedure, as well as crown lengthening options for gummy smiles.
We have also begun to offer the exciting new Invisalign technique to safely and invisibly realign your teeth.
Come in for a consultation today to find out what is optimal for you and your smile.
Fillings
Since decayed tooth also harbours bacteria, it is important to halt its progress, before a minor cavity grows into severe pain. A simple filling can do this - the earlier the better! The same can be done for a broken tooth. Our procedure removes visible decay and restores the tooth with either a silver or cosmetic filling, preventing bacteria from accessing the vulnerable inner layers of the tooth and maintaining your dental health.
IV Sedation
We are also able to offer IV sedation to decrease distress during the more invasive procedures such as wisdom tooth extraction. Sedation can also help you relax during longer appointments – allowing us to get more work done and reducing the number of visits so you can get your perfect smile sooner. Your caring dentist can tell you more about this anxiety-reducing measure, and help dispel some of your fears about what we do.
NB: Patient will have to arrange for a driver to take him/her home.
Root canal treatment
The dentists at Bright White believe that the best teeth are your own, and they make sure that you do not lose any of them. Successful root canal treatment will allow you to keep your tooth, which would otherwise be removed due to extensive bacterial infection.
Root canal therapy (endodontic therapy) is a technique used to save a diseased or damaged tooth. The alternative to a root canal would be an extraction or removal of the tooth. Treatment requires that the nerve inside the tooth be removed and replaced with a solid filling material that is resistant to infection.
Keeping your tooth could prevent the remaining teeth from drifting out of line and causing long-term jaw problems or gum disease. Saving your natural tooth means avoiding having to replace it with either a bridge or an implant.
With our state of the art technologies and materials, along with continuing training, the more feared dental procedure can be done with ease. If suitable, even the laser can be used to provide the best results.
To learn more about any of these tools, please contact Bright White today!
Root Canal Treatment – the Procedure:
Inside a tooth is a small space called the root canal containing the nerves and blood vessels which form the dental pulp. Infection of this dental pulp may result in an abscess or tooth ache. In the past this tooth would simply be removed but now we can offer you root canal treatment to care for these teeth.
Infection or damage to the dental pulp can often be attributed to the following reasons however sometimes there is no clear cause:
- Decay
- Deep fillings
- Trauma
- Tooth fracture
- Infection
Prior to initiating RCT, we conduct thorough tests and take x-rays in order to evaluate the vitality of the pulp and surrounding tissue. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the root canal can be accessed by drilling a hole through the top of the tooth. The canal is measured, cleaned and shaped with fine dental files. The root canals are also washed with anti-bacterial solution to remove any debris. This is followed by sealing them with a permanent filling, which usually results in full recovery to useful function.
Compromised structural integrity often goes hand in hand with such teeth due to the presence of large fillings or extensive damage. Furthermore, these teeth are also weaker and the added protection of a crown is often recommended to ensure longevity.
Extraction
There are a range of reasons why a tooth may need to be extracted. The extraction may be part of an orthodontic regime, or it may be intractably painful or broken. The removal of a severely decayed tooth may actually improve oral health as it will no longer put adjacent teeth and gums at risk of infection, as well as reduce pain from an inflamed nerve.
Another type of extraction our dentists are happy to perform is for the wisdom tooth. Due to its late eruption, wisdom teeth often disturb existing teeth, with a risk of painful or disappointing misalignment, as well as decay. At Bright White we offer excellence in extraction and surgical extraction, and if compensatory parties require extraction by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, we are also happy to refer you.
Cleaning
Good oral hygiene involves brushing and flossing twice a day to keep your teeth and gums healthy. However, brushing and flossing may not be enough. The shape of your teeth may hinder thorough cleaning, causing unsightly tartar buildups that cannot be brushed away. The presence of tartar allows bacteria to be very close to the teeth and gums, which risks tooth decay and gum inflammation. When you come in to have your teeth cleaned with us, we use hand and ultrasonic tools to safely remove such deposits as well as stains, eg, from coffee, while leaving healthy tooth enamel unaffected. For more serious gum infections we are also happy to refer to a periodontist.
