FAQs

Tooth whitening is the process of removing stains and discolouration from teeth and improving their colour through a bleaching process to make them look “whiter”.

Tooth Whitening can be very effective for teeth that have been stained by smoking or by consuming staining substances such as coffee, tea, or red wine and also whitens teeth discoloured by certain medications.

A dental crown can be best described as a ‘cap’ which is positioned over an existing tooth to improve its appearance or strengthen it. Once properly positioned, the dental crown is most often ‘cemented’ into place and will completely cover the area of the tooth which is above the gum line. A dental crown can be made from metal, ceramic or porcelain fused metal. The type of dental crown which is suitable for your tooth will depend on the reason for the dental crown.

A dental bridge is a false tooth, known as a pontic, which is fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. The two crowns holding it in place that are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth. This is known as a fixed bridge. This procedure is used to replace one or more missing teeth. Fixed bridges cannot be taken out of your mouth as you might do with removable partial dentures.

Pain associated with hot foods and drinks usually implies that the nerve in a tooth is dying and an abscess may be forming at the tip of the root. It is not uncommon for a tooth nerve to die off and a number of reasons, including decay or trauma can bring it on - when you least expect it.

When the nerve of a tooth dies off, it starts to disintegrate and gasses are formed in the tiny nerve chamber within the root.

When hot foods and liquids are consumed the gasses in the nerve chamber expand with the heat, causing significant pressure build up, which results in pain.

It is very important that a proper diagnosis is made at this particular time and if so, the nerve in the tooth should be removed. If left untreated, a dying nerve will eventually cause an abscess to form at the tip of the root, which is excruciatingly painful. Some people have described the pain as being more severe than appendicitis.

Once the abscess has formed at the tip of the root it can be very difficult to treat. Complex root canal therapy through the tiny nerve chamber is often required to drain and clean the infection that can develop.

So if you start having any pain symptoms whilst drinking hot liquids it is advisable that we see you as soon as possible so that we can prevent the problem from getting worse and causing you further and unnecessary discomfort.

Sugar is the main cause of decay and it is found in many of the foods we eat and drink either naturally or as an additive.

Bacteria that have settled on a tooth thrive on sugar. They love the stuff and multiply themselves so that even more of them can have fun. Unfortunately when bacteria and sugar get together a chemical reaction occurs that produces acid which eats away at the enamel of the tooth. The more sugar we eat results in more bacteria which produces more acid which increases the chance of decay.