Author: Aura Dental
Choosing the right braces in St. John’s wood
With orthodontics at Aura Dental, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to picking out the right kind of braces in St. John’s Wood. We have so many different kinds to treat different problems and budgets that it really is your one-stop practice for this kind of treatment. From teens to working professionals, there is a brace out there that’s right for you and in-depth consultation for orthodontics with our highly trained dentists can set you on the right path to a straighter and more beautiful smile. We have traditional braces, clear aligners and many other kinds of devices that you might not even know exist, which is what we hope to explain in this article. Technology has come such a long way in recent years so there has never been a better time to seek orthodontic care.
Types of Braces in St. John’s Wood
Whether you are in school, a student or even an adult with an office job or thriving business, it’s never too early or too late to fix crooked teeth and malocclusions. Straighter teeth have proven to be easier to clean and therefore you can look forward to having a healthier mouth, not to mention a more beautiful smile which holds the secrets to the laws of attraction. Well at least it will certainly help, just like these types of braces can help fix your teeth:
Lingual Braces – a different take on traditional braces, lingual braces use brackets that are fixed to the back of the teeth instead of the front of the teeth like traditional braces. A wire is then threaded through these brackets and different tensions are applied in order to pull the teeth into position. Like with traditional braces, lingual braces can be used to pull a stray tooth into place in a way that clear aligners might not manage, but by being set on the back of the teeth, lingual braces in St. John’s Wood still offers a reasonable amount of discretion.
Invisalign – the favourite child of the orthodontic world, Invisalign offers state of the art technology for straighter teeth sooner than with traditional braces and with far more discretion. In fact, these clear aligners are just about invisible when worn and can even make your teeth look shiner while wearing them because of the bright clear plastic. The technology used to custom create this system for you is like none other, with painless scans that allow a computer to 3D print your aligners so you can get an exact and snug fit each time. Depending on how complicated your teeth are to begin with will determine how long you need to use the aligners for, people with mildly crooked teeth can see results in just a few weeks while the more complicated cases may take 6-9 months.
Inman Aligners – this is probably the quickest way to fix the front ‘social’ teeth. In just a matter of weeks the unique Inman aligner both pushes and pulls the teeth into position at the same time by wedging them between two thin wires which are placed under tension in order to close any gaps, fix forward protruding teeth and correct crookedness.
These are the 3 main solutions we offer patients for their orthodontic issues however, there are at least 4 more options for you to discuss with our dentists before choosing what’s best for you, we also offer a range of retainers which will help you keep the shape of your newly fixed teeth for years to come.
Taking care of the littlest members of the family at a dentist in St. Johns Wood
Adults are often the target of oral care advertising. Whether it’s a new whitening toothpaste or discreet orthodontics, there are thousands of articles and ads out there to get you to buy into one treatment or another. This makes sense seeing as small children are not likely to be the target audience of a blog article, however, this does not mean that there isn’t a wide variety of treatment options available for your little ones that will benefit their oral care now and in the future. At Aura Dental, your dentist in St. John’s Wood, we want to give your kids premium treatment, whether they just come for a ride in the chair and a little inspection or they are at the stage where we can do fissure sealant on their teeth, they are never too young to see the dentist.
The importance of early visits
Creating good habits early in childhood can help ensure that these habits are continued into adulthood, from correct tooth cleaning to regular dental visits, you can teach your children that oral health is a vital part of their existence and this mindset can be instilled at a very young age. Children as young as 2 years old can come for a ride in the chair in order to help them feel that a trip to the dentist is fun rather than scary, we create an environment for kids that they feel comfortable with and start to build a relationship from them when they’re young that we hope can continue well into their adolescence and adulthood.
Removing stigma and fear before it has a chance to set in is another part of raising kids to feel comfortable with the dentist in St. John’s Wood. By ensuring that their early appointments are positive ones, we can guarantee that when they are faced with someone that tells them the dentist is scary, they will be able to respond for themselves that it simply isn’t true.
Treatments for kids
While bringing children up to love the dentist in St. John’s Wood is important, so is the actual care of their teeth, which is why there are treatments available just for kids to ensure the health and strength of their teeth as they grow up.
Fluoride treatments – unfortunately, children can get cavities too, especially if they are regularly consuming sugary foods and drinks. Their soft young teeth are vulnerable to cavities and that pain isn’t pleasant. But we can paint a fluoride varnish onto teeth as soon as they have grown (yes, this includes baby teeth) in order to protect them from harmful foods. This treatment can be done with each regular bi-annual or quarterly trip to the dentist.
Fissure sealants – further protection to children’s teeth come in the form of a fissure sealant. This is like a glue that we insert onto the tops of the back teeth which seals them off as they are growing in order to stop food from collecting inside the back teeth.
Orthodontic monitoring – did you know that children as young as 6 or 7 can get orthodontic appliances to help guide the growth of the teeth into the correct position, bu monitoring the growth of your kid’s teeth over the years and through the use of X-rays we are able to predict any orthodontic issues that may present themselves and fix them earlier rather than later.
Crowded teeth and Invisalign in St. John’s Wood
Invisalign has transformed tens of thousands of smiles around the world and can treat just about any orthodontic problem effectively, however, those with crowded teeth may need a little extra dental work in order for the treatment to have the effect you are hoping for. This is why Invisalign in St. John’s Wood should be your go-to for a clear aligner system rather than the systems you may see online that can be created simply from an impression you take of your teeth at home. At Aura Dental we can ensure that your teeth are correctly prepared for the best possible results that can be expected from clear aligners, in fact, we will even be able to show you a simulation of those predicted results at your first consultation with us so that you know what to expect before treatment even begins.
The Invisalign system
All treatments for Invisalign in St. John’s Wood begin the same way; with a professional consultation with one of our dentists who will be able to determine if you are a good candidate for treatment. If they give the go-ahead then a painless 3D scan will be taken of your teeth and the information uploaded to a computer which then creates a 3D image of your mouth. A very clever algorithm will calculate and simulate how your teeth will be expected to shift over time and give the dentist the information they need to progress with your personal treatment plan.
Those with overcrowded teeth will require one extra step in their treatment plan in order for it to be as effective as the simulation suggests and this is Interproximal Reduction (IPR)
What is IPR?
This is a technique used to prepare crowded teeth and make a tiny space between them so that they are able to shift accordingly. The technique involves gently filing away bits of tooth enamel between certain overcrowded teeth in order to to create more space. A very thin flexible strip of material similar to sandpaper is used to do this and it takes away very small amounts of outer enamel in order to help shift the teeth. This may sound scary but healthy teeth have about 2.5mm of enamel surrounding them and we will only remove about 0.2mm – 0.3 mmm of that, so the dentin of your teeth will still remain safely encased in a layer of enamel.
Business as usual
Once this extra step for overcrowded teeth is complete it’s business as usual with Invisalign in St. John’s Wood, the information we collect on your newly filed and scanned teeth will be sent to a lab where your clear aligners will be custom created. Once those aligners have been made and sent to us you will be able to collect them with instructions from your dentist on how and when to wear them (usually no less than 22hrs per day), how often to change them and how to clean them in order to prevent any plaque buildup.
Replacing missing or broken teeth at a dentist in St. John’s Wood
If you have broken or missing teeth it can chip away at your confidence over time, particularly if there is a gap in your smile. There are also some physical implications from having missing teeth, eating and chewing may well become difficult but did you know that a missing tooth will directly lead to bone loss in the jaw? At Aura Dental we understand all the implications of having broken or missing teeth and our dentist in St.John’s Wood would like to restore them to their former glory so that you can get your oral health and self-esteem back on top form.
Chipped teeth
Composite bonding – a chipped tooth can easily be fixed in a single and affordable appointment with a composite bonding treatment. The dentist in St. John’s Wood will carefully select a bonding material that exactly matched your other teeth and then place it over the chipped area of the tooth then shape and sculpt it until it resembles a restored tooth. Once you are happy with the final result, we will then use a special light to harden the material and your tooth will be fully restored.
Veneers – for a bigger chip or a tooth that has broken off but still remains structurally sound at the root, we can use a porcelain veneer to cover up the whole tooth. This veneer will be created in house to look exactly like your other teeth in size, shape, colour and transparency and will be permanently bonded to the broken tooth which may be filed down to size.
Broken or cracked teeth
Crowns – A tooth that has been broken or cracked down the middle but is still strongly connected to the root which is still firmly in place, may be held together with a special porcelain crown. A crown is sort of like a cap that is placed over the tooth and this is commonly used for molars which have been cracked. Once a dentist has ensured that no infection has got into the crack, they will seal it up and place a tooth coloured porcelain crown over top to hold it all in place.
Missing teeth
Bridges – if a tooth has completely come out due to injury or decay and can not be replaced, a dentist in St. John’s Wood may be able to close the gap with a tooth bridge, this is a set of false teeth which are custom created to fit in your gap. On each side of these teeth are crowns which are secured onto the teeth that exist on each side of the gap, these teeth will need to be filed down slightly in order to snugly fit into the crowns but once the bridge is fixed in place the dental arch will be restored once more.
Dental Implants – this requires some major surgery but is the best option for a single or multiple missing teeth as the titanium used in the implant will continue to support the bone structure for the rest of your life. A false tooth or bridge of false teeth will be fixed to an abutment which is set into the implant thus restoring your smile.
Straightening teeth with braces in St. John’s Wood
The world of orthodontics is a big one with so many options to choose from, patients looking for braces in St. John’s Wood will have the freedom to choose a system that not only suits their pocket but their lifestyle as well. At Aura Dental, we understand that your image is very important to you, which is why you want to straighten your teeth and you probably don’t want to do it with an unsightly set of metal tracks. We can offer you invisible as well as slightly more visible options for orthodontic appliances each with their own ability to straighten your teeth in a shorter period of time than traditional braces.
Invisible options
Young working professionals may feel that they can’t afford to present themselves with any orthodontia showing on their teeth and thanks to modern technology this is totally possible, there are systems with appliances that are just about invisible that will allow you to straighten your teeth discretely:
Invisalign – as the name so aptly suggests, Invisalign will align your teeth while remaining invisible with a set of clear aligners that are made custom to your teeth. This system can fix any orthodontic problem like overcrowding, gapped teeth, and malocclusions which are problems with the bite. Depending on your personal orthodontic problems, Invisalign can work anywhere from as little as 7-14 weeks up to about 9 months and the entire time no one will even know you’re undergoing treatment.
Lingual braces – These braces in St. John’s Wood, work in the same way that traditional braces do in so much as a bracket is fixed to the tooth and a wire is fitted to the bracket under tension in order to pull the teeth into position, however, the major difference is that they are fixed to the back of the teeth instead of the front which makes them impossible for other people to see. Depending on the severity of your problems they can take 12-18 months to achieve the final result
Visible options
There are some options for orthodontics that are more visible than the above-mentioned systems but these can sometimes be more affordable and in some cases work much quicker than their invisible counterparts:
Inman aligner – this is a removable appliance that can adjust the front 6 teeth very quickly when compared to other systems, we are talking weeks rather than months. These are made of 2 nickel-titanium coils which are placed under tension on the back and front of the teeth and over time they simultaneously push and pull the teeth into alignment by providing a squeezing effect.
Damon System – these braces in St. John’s Wood are like traditional braces and they too are fixed to the front of the teeth, however, instead of using metal brackets, this system uses clear or tooth coloured brackets in order to support the wire that will pull the teeth into position. These special brackets are far less noticeable than the metal ones and the system is often used on those with highly complex orthodontic problems.
Creating a beautiful smile at a dentist in St. John’s Wood
Creating a beautiful smile has many benefits, it can boost your own self-esteem and improve the opinions people may have of you as well as create a great lasting first impression which can be beneficial in your professional life as well as your social or romantic life. But these day to day occurrences aren’t the only things a dentist in St. John’s Wood can help you with, we can also create a beautiful smile in time for a big event like a wedding or speaking function where photos and videos may be taken of you that will last a lifetime. Whatever your reason for wanting to improve your smile, at Aura Dental we have the right treatment to suit your needs and a frank discussion with one of our dentists will set you on your journey to achieving these aesthetic goals.
Treatmetns
From hiding crooked teeth to whitening them, there is a great deal in between that can help you improve the look of your smile:
Composite bonding – if you have a chipped tooth that is ruining an otherwise beautiful smile, a simple composite bonding treatment can see that smile restored in as little as one visit to the dentist in St. John’s Wood. We will apply a tooth coloured bonding material to the chipped tooth then mould and sculpt it into the right shape before hardening it with a special light. The colour of the material will be chosen to exactly match the colour of your other teeth so you can rest assured that the restoration will look beautiful and natural.
Crowns and bridges – in the event that you have a tooth that is broken and cracked, a crown can be placed over it along with the bonding material in order to restore it, this crown is made of porcelain and will exactly match your other teeth for a natural-looking restoration. A bridge of porcelain teeth can be used to close a gap whether there is one or a few missing teeth in a row, this can help restore the lost teeth as well as any confidence that went with them.
Gum reshaping – lasers are a beautiful thing and for those of you who have large gums that are covering much of your teeth’s surface area making your teeth look small, we can reshape your gums with a special laser in order to reveal more of the teeth for a natural and beautiful smile.
Veneers – Porcelain veneers at a dentist in St. John’s Wood can hide a multitude of sins, from staining to chips and even misalignment we can use a set of veneers to create that gorgeous Hollywood smile in as little as 2 appointments. A veneer is a thin tooth-shaped piece of porcelain that is set onto a prepared tooth, you can have a single veneer only to hide a stained or chipped tooth or a whole set of them to create a whole new smile no matter what your original teeth look like.
Whitening – no smile makeover is complete without a whitening treatment, in fact, there may be some of you with a lovely set of teeth who only need them to be whitened once in a while, this is a service we gladly offer all of our patients.
What you need to know about Invisalign in St. John’s Wood
Having already taken the world by storm, Invisalign in St. John’s Wood is the preferred option for orthodontic treatment by both adults and teens alike and it’s not hard to see why; completely invisible and fast-acting, more people are seeing straighter smiles in less time than was ever before possible and here at Aura dental, we have the testimonies to back it up. But we understand that the referral of other people is not always enough to convince you, so let’s present you with the facts:
Invisalign facts
Easy assessment – If you’re worried that Invisalign in St. John’s Wood is going to make you endure that awful gooey mold in order to assess the position of your teeth then let us put those worries to bed; we only use the latest in 3D imaging technology (called ClinCheck) to take a painless scan of your teeth in order to assess not only what they look like now but also exactly how they will look after treatment. This involves a very clever computer algorithm that lets you see a simulation of the treatment and the results you can expect in the end.
Accurate – thanks to the awesome technology provided by ClinCheck, a lab will be able to make you a set of custom aligners that are accurate to the exact micrometer which means that each aligner will fit comfortably on your teeth every time.
How it works – these 3D printed aligners have been created by a computer according to how your teeth have been predicted to shift over time, each aligner gently pushes the teeth into the correct position and after 1-2 weeks you will change from the current aligner you are wearing to the one next on the list, so as your teeth shift, the aligners change. This can be done comfortably and easily at home which means no regular trips to the dentist.
Invisible – as the name suggests, Invisalign in St. John’s Wood are just about invisible, once you clip them over your teeth they will not be noticed, there is no metal or elastic in sight, just a clear aligner you can forget about.
Removable – while other types of braces may be fixed in the mouth, you can remove your clear aligner for eating, sporting activities and cleaning, which makes it fit easily into the most active of lifestyles.
Comfortable – as previously mentioned, the accuracy of each aligner is unmatched, which means that this treatment is very comfortable, once your fist aligner is in, it may take a few hours to get used to, but soon you will forget it’s even there.
Fast-acting – we agree that time is relative, so what do we mean by ‘fast-acting?’ While traditional braces can take 2 years to see the final results, these clear aligners can work in as little as 14 weeks to 10 months, depending on the severity of your misalignment which is what makes them a top choice in a society of instant gratification.
Transforming my look at a dentist in St. John’s Wood
They say a change is as good as a holiday and how many of us feel like we need a holiday after this crazy year? However, as long as travel restrictions are still in place, going on a holiday is not really a possibility, so a change is the next best thing. While many people have had some disastrous home hair do’s, few have considered the possibility of what a dentist in St. John’s Wood may offer in terms of transformative therapies for both dental and facial aesthetics. We at Aura dental can offer you both types of treatment for a fresh new you to help remove the indications of what stressful year this has been.
Stress and aging
It is no secret that the solution to a worry-free expression is to live a worry-free life but let’s be realistic, no one lives a worry-free life, not in 2020. Those lines of worry between your brows and on your forehead are eventually going to show up as evidence, if they haven’t already, however, there is a solution to smoothing out these 2020 wrinkles for a time:
Anti-wrinkle injections – botox is here to save your face, to freshen up your look, and smooth out the fine lines that have left you looking tired and in need of a holiday. By injecting small amounts of this fluid into key areas, a dentist in St. John’s Wood can block the nerve impulses that cause certain facial muscles to contract in order to make expression lines. This treatment is effective for wrinkles around the eyes and mouth and results can be seen in 4-7 days and will last about 6 months.
Dermal fillers – while botox flattens the ridges, fillers plump up key areas to give you a fuller more youthful and uplifted look. You can restore the triangle of youth by plumping up your cheekbones in order to create a more youthful contour or fill up your lips to create a softer, more pouty effect rather than a tense puckered one. Dermal fillers can soften deep-set lines as well and the effect is immediate lasting 6 months in most cases.
A new smile for a new face
While you’ve taken care of your wrinkles and facial fullness, why don’t you have a look and see what your dentist in St. John’s Wood can do for your smile? Transforming your teeth can make you look younger. A bright smile will full teeth can take years off your appearance and this can be achieved in a number of ways:
Veneers – these porcelain tooth coverings are a quick solution to a new smile, they are the top choice for celebrities the world over and can give you a whole new look in the matter of two simple appointments.
Dental Implants – for those who have endured dentures for a while, you will notice a loss of structure in your teeth and this is due to bone loss. Dental implants will not only give you a newly transformed and fixed set of teeth but will help replace the much needed structure you are missing from your face in order to complete your transformation.
Different options for braces in St. Johns Wood
When it comes to straightening teeth, there is a world of options available to you. But with options comes confusion. Which is the best option to fix my particular problem? Which option best suits my lifestyle? Which option will work the quickest? So many questions, all of which we can answer at Aura Dental because braces in St. John’s Wood have never been easier to understand. From slightly crooked teeth to complicated bite problems, our aim is to get you smiling with confidence for years to come.
Teeth in the 21st century
There is absolutely no reason for you to be going about your life feeling self-conscious about your teeth in the 21st century because fixing teeth has never been more accessible to a greater amount of people than it is today with braces in St. John’s Wood and whatever reason it is you are seeking orthodontic treatment, we have a solution for you.
Invisalign – far and wide the most popular option for adults, this treatment has taken over the orthodontic industry with its ability to fix a wide range of problems while being almost completely invisible. This suits many adults in all kinds of different lifestyles from active and sporting to sedentary and professional. Invisalign fits into your life with ease and comfort and it can work in less than half the time of traditional braces and, being a removable appliance, you are not limited with your choice of foods and also enables you to easily clean your teeth.
Lingual braces – think of traditional braces but on the back of your teeth instead of the front. This option of orthodontic treatment is fixed in your mouth for the full length of treatment but is virtually unnoticeable. Lingual braces can be used to fix complicated orthodontic problems like stray teeth growing out the pallet or very crooked or skew teeth which makes it an ideal choice for adults who want to treat their problems with discretion.
Inman Aligner – this is an elegant and quick solution for those who have teeth that jut forward out of the correct position. This system pulls the teeth back into an upright position so that they form a nicely shaped arch that you can be confident about when you smile.
After the treatment
No matter how long or how quick your braces in St. John’s Wood took to complete, we are sure that you’ll want to maintain your newly straight smile for a long time, which is why we recommend getting a retainer to hold your teeth in place as they have a habit of going back to their original positions without one. This can be done with removable or fixed retainers which involve a thin wire being fixed to the back of the teeth or clipped on over the front of the teeth at night before bed. However new Vivera retainers, which use the same revolutionary technology as Invisalign, are a custom made clear guard that keep teeth in the correct position. This new technology is stronger than the more traditional retainers and completely invisible which is almost always the better option for adults.
Information for teeth grinders at a dentist in St. John’s Wood
While some people may have a partner who has woken them up because of their teeth grinding, there are those who may not even notice they’re doing it or don’t have anyone around to point it out. Our dentists at Aura Dental will immediately be able to tell if you’re a tooth grinder from a single visit to the Dentist in St. John’s Wood and we have options that can help treat this difficult to break habit. But how else can you tell if you’re clenching or grinding your teeth, if it’s something you do in your sleep or subconsciously when you’re awake? What signs can you look out for?
Signs of habitual tooth grinding
The most obvious thing to look out for is if you’re doing it while you’re awake. In many cases it has been found that once patients are aware of it, they notice they are doing it more and more. Being mindful is the first step, but what else might you notice?:
Tooth sensitivity – teeth grinding will cause the outer layers of the tooth enamel to wear away and will expose the more sensitive part of the tooth. This will make them sensitive to extreme temperatures both hot and cold in your mouth.
Jaw pain – those jaw muscles and tendons will be working overtime if you’re clenching and grinding your teeth and if you have begun to notice a dull ache in your jaw, it could be that you are grinding your teeth.
Headaches – especially in the morning, maybe an indication that you are grinding your teeth in your sleep, waking up with a dull headache is not normal and could be indicative of tooth grinding.
Jaw clicking or locking – if you are finding that it is difficult to open your mouth all the way, or that your jaw clicks when you yawn or locks up when you eat, you may be grinding and clenching your teeth which has resulted in TMJ issues.
The cause of all of this could be a combination of many factors; stress, dental problems or even some medications can exacerbate the problem but an in-depth conversation with your dentist in St. John’s Wood can help make the cause of your problems more clear as well as a possible solution for them as well.
What if I’ve ground my teeth into stumps?
In a case where someone has been grinding their teeth for years without treatment, you may find that you have worn your teeth right down and are less effective than they once were, it’s not like they can grow back, so what can we do? Well, as your dentist in St. John’s Wood, we want to give you the best alternatives for new teeth and while we know you may run and hide at the thought of removable dentures, there is certainly a more secure option with dental implants. Speak to one of our highly experienced dentists about this option if you have found that your teeth are shortened due to wear and let us find a solution for your best overall dental health.