Category: Dentists

A condition that affects up to 1 million people per year in the UK, migraine headaches are anything but a minor health concern.

Characterised by visual auras, feelings of nausea followed by an intense headache, this neurological condition can be devastating to functioning adults. While there are many underlying causes associated with migraines such as low serotonin levels, mental health concerns and even genetic components, there are many environmental factors which can cause them to occur more frequently.

Why are migraines being discussed in a dental article? Because one of the leading causes of recurrent migraines is dental issues.

If you frequently suffer from migraine headaches with little to no relief from medication provided by your doctor, come and see our dentist in St Johns Wood for an assessment. We will examine whether your migraines are caused or exacerbated by your teeth and will offer you a solution, if we determine a link between the two. Perfect!

But what are some of the dental issues that can lead to migraines or even tension headaches? Read on to find out.

Grinding

Usually occurring at night, grinding typically occurs when there is a misalignment of the molars.

As you sleep, your jaw muscles relax and the lower jaw can fall back. If your teeth are not correctly aligned, this can cause you to grind your teeth together.

After a night of this, you may wake up with a stiff neck and shoulders which can cause a migraine to develop. If you regularly experience headaches in the morning, talk to our dentist in St Johns Wood about having a nightguard fitted in order to eliminate grinding.

Occlusion

Similar to grinding, occlusion occurs when your teeth do not ‘sit’ correctly when your mouth is closed.

This can lead to abnormal muscle movements when you are eating food or talking. Like grinding, this can cause your muscles to pull and become sore, putting you at a higher risk of developing a migraine. If you think you have an occlusion issue, contact our dentist in St Johns Wood to discuss potential orthodontic treatments.

Temporomandibular joint disorder

A disorder that impacts on the movement of muscles in your jaw, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) has been linked to recurrent migraines.

Our team at Aura Dental will assess the severity of TMJ by feeling the muscles in your jaw as you open and close your mouth. Depending on the severity, we may recommend exercises to relax the tense muscles or we may even suggest visiting a physical therapist.

Missing teeth

If you have recently had an extraction and are now experiencing migraines, this is once again caused by an issue with your bite alignment.

We can treat this by fitting a prosthetic such as a bridge, partial denture or dental implant.

Decay

Technically, this is known as referred pain.

If you have untreated tooth decay, this can cause pain to occur in your ears, head or neck. If you haven’t had a check-up in a while, contact our team for one today.

When you lost your baby teeth at 7-11 years of age, you may have thought it would be the last time you would have to go through the ordeal of having new teeth erupting.

Sadly, you may have been wrong!

A condition that affects almost everyone between the ages of 15-25 is the eruption of wisdom teeth. Also known as the third molars, these are the last set of teeth to come in and, understandably, can cause a bit of discomfort. If you are concerned that your wisdom teeth may be coming through at an odd angle or they are causing you issues when opening your mouth, contact our team at Aura Dental.

At Aura Dental, we know all about the complications that wisdom teeth can cause and our dentist in St Johns Wood will be able to assess the best way to treat your newly erupting teeth. If your mouth can happily accommodate them, we may choose to let them come through naturally and offer you pain relief for the discomfort. If there isn’t enough room or there are secondary issues, we may opt for extraction.

But what are some of the secondary issues that wisdom teeth can cause? Our dentist in St Johns Wood provides the answer to that question below.

Impaction

Perhaps the most common complication that wisdom teeth can cause is an impaction.

Caused by the tooth erupting at a crooked angle, this can create pressure on any surrounding molars, leaving you with a feeling of pressure and soreness in your jaw bone.

If our dentist in St Johns Wood notices that you have an impacted wisdom tooth (usually following an X-Ray), we will opt to extract it to prevent further damage.

Infection

Another common condition associated with wisdom teeth is infection.

While some wisdom teeth develop infected roots, others become infected at the site where they have erupted. As there is often a gap between the newly cut wisdom tooth and the surrounding gum, this is the perfect place for bacteria to become trapped.

If your wisdom tooth is infected, our team will aim to remove it and treat the infection with antibiotics.

Secondary damage

A wisdom tooth can press against the roots of surrounding molars, causing them to crack and become damaged.

While this may not be visible on the surface, our team at Aura Dental will always perform an X-Ray when wisdom teeth are emerging, allowing us to assess whether they require extracting.

Periodontal issues

Swelling, gaps and bacteria can all cause gum or periodontal disease and when it comes to wisdom teeth, they are no exception to this general dental rule.

Periodontal issues often occur alongside the eruption of wisdom teeth and we will aim to resolve these issues before attempting to extract the offending tooth or teeth.

Discomfort

Tooth eruption is quite uncomfortable. As mentioned earlier, if we determine that you have sufficient space in your mouth for your wisdom teeth to erupt, we will offer you pain relief in the interim. Simple!

When it comes to general dentistry there are three things that many people could be worried about; Extractions, fillings and root canal therapy. Many dentists don’t understand why people are so afraid as they never perform surgery without completely numbing a patient’s mouth first. At Aura Dental we know that part of the problem is not knowing what to expect and not knowing what happens after because, of course, we cannot see what the dentist in St. John’s Wood is doing in our mouths. In this article, we hope to provide some explanation for these common procedures so that you can go into your appointment with knowledge instead of fear.

Fillings

Holes in the teeth are often caused by poor diet or poor oral care Sugary and acidic foods degrade the state of the protective enamel on the teeth and eventually cause small holes in or between the teeth. Not flossing regularly can also leave food particles between the teeth which then begin to create holes in the tooth. This is where fillings come in, before that hole exposes the tooth to a big infection, we need to fill it for you.

This is a procedure we do just about every day at the dentist in St. John’s Wood. First we numb the side of the face that needs work by blocking the nerve that feeds that particular area. Once the local anaesthetic has taken effect we will drill into the hole in order to make sure the cavity is free from infection and shape the hole in order to properly fill it. Once this area is clean, we insert a composite bonding material (this is a tooth coloured synthetic substance as metal amalgam fillings are no longer used). Once the area is full of bonding material, we shape it in order to fill and construct the area of the tooth we drilled away and then use a light to harden the material.

Root canal

Root canal therapy is needed when there is an infection in the pulp of the tooth. This infection will be causing you an extreme amount of pain and getting the treatment means taking your pain away, not giving you more. We need to clean out the infected pulp before it rots the whole tooth, in order to do this we will have to drill away the top middle section of the tooth to gain access. Once the pulp is exposed we wash it all out and fill the tooth once more with a synthetic substance and cap the tooth off with a crown. It really is as simple as that, but if you don’t get it done, we will eventually need to pull that tooth out.

Tooth extractions

If a tooth does become rotten or severely injured, it will need to come out before infection has spread to the surrounding teeth. Like with all surgical treatments we will block the nerve going to your mouth so that the dentist in St. John’s Wood can work on you pain-free. The tooth in question is likely to be quite degraded and will probably break under pressure so we may take it out in sections and then clean the gum and socket properly before stitching you up. An option to replace the tooth will likely be discussed with you before the extraction.

A note on wisdom teeth – this surgery is often done under sedation or general anaesthetic and you will not feel or remember anything. Wisdom teeth do not need to be replaced as they are not necessary and cannot be seen as they grow right in the back of your mouth.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We live in a world where aesthetics have become increasingly important, whether it be on social media, in your everyday life or even at work, many of you may be feeling the pressure to enhance your aesthetic just a little bit in order to stand out in a world of beauty. There is nothing wrong with this, in fact, here at Aura Dental, your local dentist in St. John’s Wood, we are not only capable of giving you a stunning smile but we are uniquely suited to helping you feel good about the face you show to the world without having to undergo massively invasive surgery.

What procedures can you get?

With so many beauty-related procedures out there, it can be daunting and overwhelming for many who are looking at getting something done. Whether it be keeping the signs of aging at bay or getting a treatment to enhance certain features, we have a small selection on offer to help you come to a decision on what best suits your needs and the environment at our practice is professional and knowledgeable without any judgment.

Anti-wrinkle injections – this treatment reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the skin for a fresher, more youthful appearance. Injections of botulinum toxin are used in targeted areas on the face to relax the small facial muscles that cause wrinkles to look more permanent.

Dermal fillers – this treatment boosts the volume in your face to enhance certain features and even uplift areas that are beginning to look sunken. Usually, these injections are made from a hyaluronic acid gel and are injected into different parts of the face to create a more sculpted and uplifted effect.

Lip enhancement – using the same process as dermal fillers, this treatment plumps and enhances the lips to create a more desirable shape and size.

Chemical peels – these are used to transform skin and help it appear younger and more radiant as the damaged outer layers are removed to reveal the new glowing skin beneath.

Mesotherapy – can help melt fat deposits and create a younger, smoother, more youthful complexion by injecting a range of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, vitamins, amino acids and plant extracts into the subcutaneous layer of fat under the skin.

Benefits

These subtle changes have good results in the appearance of aging with minimal invasive effort and the tragic fact that we aren’t getting any younger means we need all the help we can get. While it is certain that enhancing your features may give you a competitive edge in certain industries it is the personal benefit of looking your best that we feel is most important; having confidence and a sense of pride in your appearance can make you more at ease to face the world and this something that we, your trusted dentist in St. John’s Wood understands. We don’t want to completely change who you are, just help make the best version of you that you can be.

Tooth extractions are a painless procedure that are conducted under a local anesthetic, dentists never want to cause you pain so there is no need to dread this treatment and cause yourself added stress. We at Aura Dental, your dentist in St. John’s Wood, want to set your mind at ease and lower any anxiety you might have when it comes to needing one or more teeth extracted by creating an environment of ease and comfort for your experience at all your dentist visits in a relaxed and calm fashion.

Reasons for a tooth extraction

Tooth decay and advanced gum disease or even a chipped or broken tooth can often, with very careful dental work, be repaired and saved without needing to be taken out. There are cases, however, where we cannot save a tooth and this is if advanced gum disease has rotted away the soft tissue beyond repair or decayed the tooth so much that it cannot be saved with a root canal. To be able to properly consult on the state of a tooth, your dentist in St. John’s Wood will take an Xray of the area to assess the damage and make a decision on what needs to be done and whether or not the tooth can be saved.

If it happens that the tooth does indeed need to be removed, you will be injected with a local anesthetic to completely numb the area that needs to be worked on so that you won’t feel a thing. If you find that you are quite phobic or very nervous there is an option for you to be placed under sedation while we work, in order to set your nerves at ease and help us make things quicker and even more painless as the whole tooth, root and all, will be extracted and the area cleaned of all decay.

After the space where the tooth used to be has been properly cleaned it will be stitched and you will possibly be prescribed antibiotics to prevent any further infection after surgery, your dentist will also discuss possible tooth replacement options with you that best suit your needs.

Impacted wisdom teeth – depending on how these teeth are growing, can be a complicated and lengthy procedure which is why it is usually done under general anesthetic. Your wisdom teeth may begin to grow out when you reach adulthood, or even after. Ideally, they should cut through the gums with ease, but this is not always the case, sometimes they may grow beneath the other back teeth if there is not enough space in the mouth for them to come out, which can cause headaches and mouth pain.

These impacted teeth need to be removed to stop the other teeth from overcrowding or becoming crooked, there may be quite a bit of swelling after surgery and over the counter pain medication may be prescribed along with a diet of soft foods for a few days but the healing process is quick and you will be back to normal within 1-2 weeks after surgery at your dentist in St. John’s Wood.