Author: Aura Dental
We Asked You What You Wanted To Know About Oral Health
Ask Justina…
Over the past month we randomly surveyed our patients to find out what they really wanted to know about oral hygiene. Here are the top 5 queries you raised…
- What can I do if I have sore or bleeding gums while at home?
If you have sore, swollen gums or if they bleed when you brush your teeth it might be the early sign of gum disease. It is vital to make an appointment to see your dental hygienist or a dentist for a thorough gum health examination. Your clinician can then advise you on the best course of action to reduce and/or reverse the effects of gum disease. It is important to maintain as good oral hygiene as possible until you see you your hygienist or dentist.
- I brush my teeth twice a day and I still wake up in the morning with bad breath. What can I do to help this?
Poor oral hygiene, gum disease, tooth decay, or mouth infections can be causes of bad breath. Diet as well as tobacco and alcohol use may also be factors in causing bad breath. First of all it is important to visit your dental hygienist or a dentist if you develop a bad breath. Your dentist or dental hygienist will be able to find out the main cause of bad breath and help to eliminate it.
- My kids hate brushing their teeth. What can I do to encourage my kids to take better care of their teeth?
Let them copy you. You can buy them the same colour toothbrush as you have, which maybe more entertaining for them. You can also let your kids try brushing your teeth and then you can brush theirs to make sure they are actually clean. If you make it look like fun, the kids will want to do it 🙂
It is also good to get your kids used to visiting the dentist and hygienist from early on. This will get your child used to the noises, smells and surroundings and prepare them for future visits. It will also give them the chance to focus on learning about their teeth in an appropriate environment.
- There are so many electric brushes available now. Which one is the best?
In my opinion there is no best brush. It all depends on patients’ needs and individual choices.
Brushing with an electric toothbrush can help you keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy. It is important to make sure you choose the right one. Prices can vary from as little as £10 to over £200. They can be rotating, pulsating or sonic brushes. So how do you choose the right one? It depends on:
- Expert recommendation to suit your teeth from your hygienist or dentist.
- Size – make sure the brush head gives you easy access to all surfaces of your teeth.
- Effectiveness – rotation/oscillation is traditionally the most effective for brushing but new vibrating or sonic movement brushes have been proven to be very effective as well.
- Likability – if you enjoy using your toothbrush, you are more likely to use it all the time.
- Battery life – if you travel a lot battery life could be very important.
These days, you can get electric brushes with wifi or blue tooth connectivity. These are meant to increase your engagement in your tooth brushing, prompting you on things like brushing time and pressure. These are all well and good, but it does not replace the self motivation needed to ensure you are brushing you teeth properly.
- I do a lot of exercise and sports and consume high sugar foods and drinks to replenish my energy. How can I best protect my teeth?
Drinking sugary drinks and consuming high sugar foods can contribute to tooth decay. However, those who consume more sugar than average can still maintain healthy teeth. Here are a few tips that can help prevent cavities for sugar lovers:
- Drinking plenty of water and ensure your mouth is not dry. Saliva or water neutralises the acid on your teeth (particularly after eating/drinking sugars).
- Brushing your teeth more often especially after consuming sugary drinks or snacks or at least make sure to rinse your mouth out with water.
- Use fluoride mouth rinse to remove as much sugar as possible.
- Chewing sugar-free gum can help you increase the production of saliva and removing any sugar coating on your teeth.
- If possible choose less sugary snacks like fresh fruits.
The key to protect your teeth from cavities after eating sugary foods is simply to prevent the mouth from remaining coated in the acid-forming sugars found in sweets and energy drinks after eating/drinking.
For more information about hygiene treatment at Aura Dental, check out our website at auradentallondon.com or get in contact to book your hygiene appointment with Justina
Reasons to be cheerful, with a smile you can be proud of
We all want to have a smile we can be proud of, and it is becoming more acceptable to use cosmetic dentistry to achieve that smile.
But how do you know which dental practice to go to for cosmetic dentistry in North West London? After all, having cosmetic dental treatment is just as serious as any other kind of dental treatment. The only difference is that the outcome is focused on appearance rather than health.
At Aura Dental, our staff adhere to the standards set by the General Dental Council. Each of us is dedicated to offering excellence in cosmetic dentistry in North West London in a welcoming, friendly and relaxing environment.
We offer a range of treatments to help you achieve the perfect smile for you.
What’s on offer?
Maybe your teeth have become stained or discoloured over the years, in which case we can brighten them up with a teeth whitening treatment. You can have power whitening treatment in the dentist’s chair, which will lighten up your teeth by several shades in just an hour. In North West London, cosmetic dentistry treatments like this are perfect for important occasions, such as a wedding or job interview. We also offer home whitening, which you can do yourself over a couple of weeks using our custom-made mouth trays.
If you have worn, chipped, slightly misaligned or gappy teeth, then porcelain veneers offer a quick makeover, with long-lasting effects. Veneers are tiny sheaths of porcelain that slip over the fronts of the teeth. They are fixed on with dental adhesive. The teeth to be treated are slightly ground down, so that the adhesive has something to stick to, and so that your veneer is in alignment with the surrounding teeth. You can have one veneer, several or a whole set.
In North West London, cosmetic dentistry treatments can also help solve the embarrassment of a mouth full of metal fillings. We can replace your amalgam fillings with white fillings, which are made from a substance that can withstand the strong forces that come with chewing. Our white fillings can give you back the smile you were born with.
Straighter teeth, more quickly
If you grew up with slightly wonky teeth and have always wished you had straightened them when you were younger, don’t worry, it’s not too late. Increasing numbers of adults are having their teeth straightened with braces in North West London. With straighter teeth, you can enhance the aesthetics of your smile, while also improving your dental health.
Leave the past behind
Many adults want straighter teeth, but without the lengthy treatment times, discomfort and embarrassment of traditional ‘train track’ braces. Fortunately, these days such heavy-duty treatments are only needed for people with serious bite problems to correct. Alternative treatments are now available for the many people who have perfect bites but whose teeth grew through wonkily. It is these people that most of the new braces systems are aimed at.
At Aura Dental, we offer various braces in North West London, including:
Inman Aligner
This braces system is designed to realign the front teeth only. Nickel titanium coil springs power two aligner bows that gently oppose each other, guiding the teeth into their new positions. These gentle forces are active over a very large range of movement, which is why the Inman Aligner works so quickly. Worn as prescribed, it can straighten your teeth in just6 to 18 weeks. It is a removable appliance, so you can take it out for eating and cleaning.
Six Month Smiles
This is a fixed bracket and wire system, with the added plus of using clear brackets and tooth-coloured wires that are barely visible. As the name suggests, this braces system can realign teeth in an average of 6 months.
Invisible braces
If you’d rather not do the wire options, invisible braces are custom-made tight-fitting trays rather like mouth guards. You wear a series of them, each for 2 weeks. Each one gradually shifts your teeth towards their desired positions.
If you would like to find out how braces in North West London can transform your smile, and maybe even your life, please come to Aura Dental for a consultation. We love to show people what is possible with braces these days.
The art of a lovely smile
Having a lovely smile can smooth your path through life in subtle ways, which you may only be aware of once you no longer have that lovely smile. If you have teeth that you feel let you down by being crooked, stained, crowded or full of old fillings, then you’ll know how easily even a subtle imperfection can stop you smiling as much as you’d like.
Suppressing your smile can have subtle knock-on effects on your sense of well being, your social interactions, and maybe even your work. This is because people are hardwired to judge others on their smiles when they first meet them. In tribal terms, we are trying to work out if that person on the bus is a friend or foe, and so we smile at them. If they don’t grin back, we think ‘foe’. We don’t think ‘maybe they’ve got crooked teeth and are too self-conscious to smile’.
At Aura Dental in St John’s Wood, cosmetic dentistry can give you back the smile that will let everyone know that you are a friend, not a foe. We can transform your teeth imperfections so you can smile with confidence again. Let’s take a look at a couple of the treatment options available:
Teeth whitening
In St John’s Wood, cosmetic dentistry has no more popular treatment than teeth whitening. It is a safe, fast, and effective way to remove common stains such as nicotine, coffee or red wine. It can be carried out at the clinic in one session, or over a couple of weeks in your home.
Veneers
Thin pieces of porcelain attached to the front surfaces of your teeth can quickly improve their appearance. Veneers are a great option if you have permanently discoloured teeth, small spacing or alignment issues, or for teeth that have small chips or cracks. One veneer can be used to improve the look of a permanently stained tooth, while a full set can create a smile makeover. The porcelain from which they are made is very robust and can last for 10 years or more, depending on how well you take care of them. These are another very popular option for cosmetic dentistry in St John’s Wood.
Improve your smile with discreet braces in North West London
Teeth straightening treatments not only improve your appearance and self-confidence, but can also improve the health of your teeth, gums and jaws. Misaligned teeth are more difficult to clean, increasing the risk of tooth decay, gum disease and other dental diseases.While under bites, overbites and cross bites can cause irregular wear and tear of your teeth as well as achy jaws.
At Aura Dental in North West London, braces are not just for children. As an adult, you may wish you had straighter teeth but be put off by the unappealing look of metal braces. We offer a wide range of treatments that can cater to your individual needs, lifestyle, budget and moreover provide a discreet way to straighten your teeth. Teeth straightening no longer mean sporting a mouthful of metal.
Six Month Smiles
At Aura Dental, Six Month Smiles braces have taken the best aspects of conventional braces and adapted the treatment to provide a safe and cost-effective solution that can give you straight teeth in as little as six months.
Six Month Smiles are fixed clear braces that blend in with your natural teeth. The wire used to shift your teeth into place is transparent or tooth-coloured. The average time for treatment spans from four to nine months, depending on the position of your teeth. The speedier results produced by Six Month Smiles means fewer visits to the dentist and consequently lower costs than with traditional fixed metal braces. However this treatment focuses solely on your front teeth and so cannot treat more complex cases of tooth misalignment.
Invisalign
Invisalign braces in North West London consist of a series of customised, transparent, removable aligners. These are worn like a mouthguard and steadily straighten your teeth over time. As the treatment proceeds, your dentist will provide you with new Invisalign aligners every two weeks or so in order to ensure that your teeth move to the correct positions. The best part of Invisalign is that the aligners are removable, so you don’t have to change your lifestyle or diet. Simply take off the aligners when you eat, brush or floss.
To explore these and other options for braces in North West London, get in touch with Aura Dental today.
Relax and unwind at the dentists in St John’s Wood
If you are an adult over 40, you can probably remember how it used to be when you went to the dentists as a kid. The hard metal chairs lined up against the waiting room wall, the vinyl floor, the faint sound of the drill coming from behind a shut door. No wonder why fear of the dentist is so common in adults. Thank goodness that’s all changed, and going to the dentists in St John’s Wood is as pleasant and relaxing as going to the hairdressers.
Creating a relaxing environment
At Aura Dental, we redesigned our clinic on Chalbert Street to make visiting the dentists in St John’s Wood something you would look forward to rather than dread. We went for neutral colours and clean lines reminiscent of a good hotel. When you come to our reception, you can relax on comfortable grey sofas and admire our white orchids and modern artwork while you wait for your appointment. Our aim is to help you relax, de-stress and enjoy a sense of tranquillity throughout your time with us.
If you are an especially nervous patient, please don’t worry. We are well aware that fear of the dentist affects about 2.5 million people in the UK. We have a special Nervous Patients’ Programme, which offers empathic, understanding, bespoke care and can provide treatment under sedation or hypnosis where necessary.
Treatments for all
Now that you know that being with us will feel relaxing, you will also be glad to know that treatments with us cover the full range of services that you would expect from a modern dental practice.
We cover all aspects of general dentistry, from regular check-ups, hygiene and preventive care, through to work on cavities, and dealing with pain from infection.
We also offer the full range of cosmetic dentistry treatments so that you can have the smile you’ve always wanted.
We offer services for pregnant women, babies, children, teens, and adults, right through their lives as their dental needs change.
To find out more about Aura Dental and to make us your dentists in St John’s Wood, call 020 7722 0040.
Stable, life long replacement teeth
Your smile is one of the first things that people notice about you. It’s something they continue to notice as they talk to you. So if you have lost one or more teeth, and are finding that other people are realising that some of the teeth in your mouth are artificial, then maybe it’s time to find out more about dental implants in North West London.
Whether you need one, several or even all of your teeth replacing, Aura Dental has the experience, knowledge and skills to give you back the beautiful smile you deserve.
A complete reconstruction
In North West London dental implants are a permanent, stable way to replace missing teeth because they are fitted into the jawbone. Unlike other ways to replace a missing tooth, implants replace the missing root as well as the crown of the tooth. Having the root replaced helps stabilise your other teeth and also keeps your jawbone strong and healthy. This is because the teeth surrounding the gap left by a missing tooth tend to tip into it, and the jawbone below can start to shrink. This is what leads to that sunken look associated with age, but which is actually the product of a reduced jawbone and missing teeth. The more teeth you have lost the more pronounced this can become.
Dental implants prevent the loss of jawbone, thereby helping you avoid looking old before your time. They also create a stable base onto which custom-made artificial teeth can be fitted. Implants can be fitted for one tooth, or for a bridge with several teeth on it, or, even for a full set of teeth. In fact, there is one treatment known as All-On-4that fits a whole new set of teeth onto just 4 implants on the upper and lower jaw.
The process of having dental implants in North West London takes some time from start to finish. This is mostly because once the implants are in place, they need time to heal and integrate with your jawbone. This will take several weeks to a few months to complete. Only after that can the crowns of your new teeth be fitted.
Improve your smile with cosmetic dentistry in St John’s Wood
As we grow older, our teeth experience normal wear and tear. However they can also become chipped, misshapen or discoloured. Lifestyle factors can affect your smile as well. For example, smoking and drinking tea and coffee regularly can stain your teeth, while playing contact sports may damage or break your teeth. Sometimes, even genetics are against us, since not many people are born with perfectly straight teeth.
Not having your ideal smile can be a serious blow to your self-esteem. More importantly, it may also lead to dental health issues. Misaligned and damaged teeth can cause you to chew irregularly and put unnecessary pressure on your jaw.
With cosmetic dental treatments, our experienced cosmetic dentists at Aura Dental in St John’s Wood can help you overcome some of these problems and achieve the smile of your dreams. Two particularly popular options are teeth whitening and veneers. Here’s a quick run through of what they involve and how they can help enhance your smile.
Teeth whitening
Many people aren’t happy with the look of their teeth because they are stained or yellowed. You can now restore the brilliance back to your teeth with cosmetic dentistry in St John’s Wood.
Smoking is a major factor contributor to staining.Likewise, coffee, tea, red wine and dark-coloured foods can leave behind stains. Certain medications can also darken your teeth. We offer professional teeth whitening treatment with our in-clinic and at-home teeth whitening systems. Both treatments are safe and effective with promising results. When you come to see one of our experienced dentists, your teeth will be examined to find out if teeth whitening is right for you.
Veneers
Dental veneers are thin, custom-made shells of porcelain attached to the fronts of your teeth. They are used to recreate the natural look of your teeth and are just as strong. Porcelain veneers are commonly used to change the shape, colour and size of your teeth. They can also be used to disguise slightly misaligned or crooked teeth.
Get in touch
If you’re tired of your less-than-perfect smile and are looking for cosmetic dentistry in St John’s Wood, contact us today for a consultation.
Working together to straighten your teeth
Getting a certain kind of dental treatment is a collaboration. It involves you and our dental team at Aura Dental in North West London. Braces are one of these treatments. They also often require further interaction with a third party company which manufactures braces.
It is important to understand the different relationships involved in your treatment. This will help you to feel taken care of and secure. Getting plenty of information is often a good way to reduce anxiety about treatment. Most things are less intimidating on closer inspection than they appear in our minds.
What we will do
At Aura Dental, we start by having a consultation with you at our clinic in North West London. Braces are custom-made for each patient, and we need to get a complete picture of where your teeth are, so that we can plan how to get them where they are going.
The schedule we provide you with will give you key information, such as how long treatment will take and what it will involves. Many of these things are predictable, with a reasonable degree of accuracy from the outset. This means we can also let you know the costs involved.
Some of the people we work with
We work with companies, like Six Month Smiles, Invisalign, Inman Aligner and CFast, to give you the latest in teeth straightening options. All of these brands have worked with dentists and patients nationally and internationally.
As each is highly focused on their treatment method, it means that you get the benefit of intensive development and experience. Your dentist will securely send your information to the makers of your chosen braces. They will then make and return your braces, which are fitted at our clinic in North West London. Braces all realign the teeth, but this can be achieved in a number of different ways. Your dentist will help you to decide which of these is right for you.
What you need to do
While we support you throughout, the final decision is always yours. Once made, you can begin to plan how your dental treatment and appointments will fit into your daily life. This might mean following special usage and care instructions for your equipment.
Exploring your options for cosmetic dentistry in St John’s Wood
What would you like to change about your smile? If you want to use it more often and feel good about doing so, you might want to consider cosmetic dentistry in St John’s Wood at Aura Dental.
We help patients revive the sparkle in their smile with one of the cosmetic treatments in our range. We can focus on one aspect of your teeth or you can choose to think about your teeth holistically and choose procedures that enhance one another for a beautiful finish.
The colour of your teeth
The colour of your teeth can say a lot about you. We tend to think of bright teeth as young, healthy and indicative of a high level of self-care.
Whether you have lost a bit of the pizazz in your teeth due to ill health, lifestyle factors or the natural effects of aging, teeth whitening may be able to help.
You can opt to restore your teeth to their original shade or you might choose to go a bit brighter if you can. As long as the effect matches what you think of as a top-notch smile then this is a successful treatment.
When you have cosmetic dentistry in St John’s Wood, one of our skilled practitioners will advise you about whether your teeth are suitable and what can be achieved.
The position of your teeth
Some practices report that more than 50% of their patients who get braces are now adults. This is because people realise that they can have cosmetic orthodontic treatments that give them the look they have always wanted.
There are many methods of straightening available including those that describe themselves as invisible. This means they are designed to minimise the impact of your treatment on your look. As you can often have braces for a number of months, you might consider one of these options if you regularly need to make a positive impression on new people at work or socially.
The shape of your teeth
Yes, you can change the colour and position of your teeth but you are stuck with the shape, right? Not necessarily. If you only have minor gaps or misalignments in your teeth, then changing the shape might be a possibility. This could save you a lengthy realignment with braces. Ask your dentist about veneers if you think this might you.