Why dentists are important at every stage of life
Dentists are a vital part of your healthcare team from cradle to grave. Aura Dental in St John’s Wood offers a full range of general dental services for patients of all ages, with a firm focus on preventative dentistry – aiming to stop problems before they start.
Our St John’s Wood clinic has a skilled team of dentists who can prevent and treat all manner of dental issues. There are also options available for people who suffer from dental phobia or anxiousness about treatment.
Fear of dentists is very common and is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. A good dentist will never judge or criticise you if anxiety about treatment has stopped you visiting a practice for many years.
Modern dentists are very knowledgeable and sympathetic to the needs of those with dental anxiety or phobia, and want only to help you find your perfect back to treatment to restore your oral health.
You should start bringing your child for check-ups as soon as their first teeth begin to appear. The dentists at our St John’s Wood clinic are highly experienced in working with children, and can help to minimise your child being anxious or phobic about treatment later in life, by ensuring that all of their early experiences with dentists are positive ones.
Our St John’s Wood practice offers a number of preventative treatments designed to strengthen and protect children’s teeth, including fissure sealant and fluoride varnish. It is also often possible to spot the signs of potential orthodontic issues at an early stage, making them easier to treat.
Regular dental check-ups are also vital throughout the teenage and adult years. It’s common to have orthodontic treatment as a teenager, and your St John’s Wood hygienist can help you to clean around them efficiently.
It’s important to monitor your oral health for signs of tooth decay and gum disease as an adult. Our St John’s Wood clinic also offers special care to groups who have specific needs, such as those with weakened immune systems or those who are pregnant. When tooth loss occurs, dentures or dental implants may be used to replace them.
Looking after dental implants for a long-term healthy and happy smile
Dental implants are an excellent long-term solution to tooth loss. At Aura Dental in North West London our skilled implantology team can use implants to replace anything from one to all of your natural teeth, providing a permanent functional and aesthetically pleasing solution to missing teeth.
Implants are artificial tooth roots made from titanium, which are placed directly in your jaw bone during minor oral surgery at our North West London dental practice. Because they integrate with your bone, dental implants will prevent the common issues caused by loose dentures (which happens when the jaw bone shrinks). These issues include: difficulty eating anything but soft foods, problems speaking with clarity, and reduced confidence.
Aura Dental in North West London offers two options for treatment with dental implants: a single implant and a crown to replace one missing tooth (starting at £2,300), and a series of dental implants combined with a dental bridge to replace several or all of your missing teeth (starting at £2,750).
Unlike a standard dental bridge, which only contains one or two false teeth, bridges secured to dental implants can support anything from two teeth to all the teeth in one jaw. This provides a much more stable solution than dentures.
Once your dental implants have been placed and restored with new teeth, you will need to take good care of them to ensure their longevity. The good news is that it isn’t difficult to look after your implants and new teeth. As with natural teeth, the key is to practice good dental hygiene.
The hygienist at our North West London practice will teach you how to clean your new teeth effectively. Because both crowns and bridges are designed to stay in your mouth at all times, you need to brush them at least twice a day as you would natural teeth, to avoid the risk of plaque building up. Untreated plaque can cause gum disease, which can have serious consequences for your dental implants.
As well as visiting the hygienist regularly, you need to see the dentist frequently, too, for check-ups and maintenance.
The many ways cosmetic dentistry can make over your smile
Cosmetic dentistry is continuing to rise in popularity with men and women across the UK. Aura Dental in St John’s Wood offers a wide range of cosmetic dental treatments, designed to create the smile you’ve always wanted, no matter what that may entail.
If you are going to invest in cosmetic dentistry, you will want assurances that any treatment will:
- Be noticeable, but also look natural
- Be provided by a skilled cosmetic dentist
- Produce long-lasting results
At Aura Dental in St John’s Wood, we understand what a personal investment it is to have cosmetic dental treatment, whether you require a procedure large or small. That’s why we embrace the latest technology both to aid with treatment planning and to show you the results of any procedure before you start, so that you know exactly what you can look forward to.
We have an extensive cosmetic dentistry menu at our St John’s Wood practice, and use intra-oral 3D scanning and digital smile design to create the smile of your dreams. During a smile makeover consultation your dentist will take scans, photographs, and 3D x-rays, and will also take the time to talk to you about your wants and needs from any prospective treatment.
The important thing to remember about cosmetic dentistry is that almost anything is possible. Even if you think your smile is the worst in the world (which, by the way, it isn’t) it is unlikely to be anything your dentist hasn’t seen before. What’s more, at our St John’s Wood practice we are all about personalisation and customisation, so whatever solutions your dentist suggests to your problems from our extensive cosmetic dentistry menu, you can rest assured that they will be fully tailored to suit your needs.
St John’s Wood cosmetic dentistry
Popular cosmetic treatments at our St John’s Wood clinic include:
Teeth Whitening – The most popular procedure in cosmetic dentistry, whitening is a safe and effective way to remove common stains from the teeth. It must be prescribed by a dentist.
Teeth Straightening – We use both discreet fixed braces and removable aligners to straighten adults’ teeth.
Replacing metal fillings – Tooth-coloured fillings are a safe, reliable alternative.
Teeth straightening without metal braces: a guide to adult orthodontics
Modern dentistry offers more than metal braces to straighten your teeth. At Aura Dental in North West London we are keen to extol the virtues of tooth straightening treatment for people of all ages, and we’re not just talking about how your smile looks. Straightening your teeth has numerous benefits for dental and general health, as well as for your body image and confidence.
Although metal braces are still popular with teenagers, who like the option of being able to customise them with their favourite colours and make them into a fashion statement, a fixed metal appliance is seldom used in cases of adult tooth straightening, because their obvious nature and often lengthy treatment times makes them incompatible with a busy, professional adult lifestyle.
That is why, at our North West London dental practice, we offer a number of subtler options. Depending on your clinical needs, this may involve fixed braces or clear, removable aligners.
Among the options your North West London dentist may recommend are. . .
Six Month Smiles
Six Month Smiles are popular cosmetic braces that are known for their comfort as well as their subtlety. Comprising tooth-coloured nickel-titanium wires and clear ceramic brackets, these braces blend in well with the natural colour of your teeth for a high degree of discretion.
As the name hints at, Six Month Smiles work in an average of half a year. They do this by focussing on the front six teeth – those that show when you smile. It is these teeth most patients at our North West London dental clinic are primarily concerned about. What’s more, Six Month Smiles braces use lower forces than their traditional metal counterparts, for maximum comfort.
Inman Aligner
The Inman Aligner is the fastest-acting orthodontic appliance at our North West London dental clinic. This single aligner contains nickel-titanium coil springs and bows that create gentle opposing forces to guide your teeth into a new position. The Inman Aligner is specifically designed to treat protrusion and crowding of the front teeth, and can work in as little as six weeks.
How dentists can fix your discoloured teeth
Dentists have many ways of treating discoloured or stained teeth. At Aura Dental in St John’s Wood we have a skilled team of dentists who will work closely with you to solve any issues you may have with the current shade of your teeth, creating you a bespoke treatment plan to ensure that you soon have your dazzling set of pearly whites back.
Tooth staining and discolouration has a number of causes, so the first thing your St John’s Wood dentist will do is to establish what the root cause of your problem is. That way, they can devise an effective and long-term solution customised to suit your needs.
Visible plaque is the largest single cause of tooth staining among UK adults, with a shocking 66% of us suffering from it. Dentists agree that this is bad news, because as well as lending an unwanted yellowish or brownish hue to your smile, it also leads to gum disease and tooth decay. If this is found to be the reason behind your staining, you will be referred to the hygienist at our St John’s Wood dental clinic. Both dentists and hygienists play a vital role in getting rid of dental plaque and making sure you stay healthy.
Teeth whitening treatment is the most popular cosmetic dentistry procedure in the UK, and is an excellent way to remove everyday stains such as those caused by tea and coffee from the teeth. It’s vital to remember that, by law, only dentists can prescribe teeth whitening treatment – whitening from any other source may be unreliable, unsafe, or both.
Our St John’s Wood dental centre offers professional teeth whitening treatment, but if your tooth stains are found to be permanent there is no need to panic: our skilled St John’s Wood dentists can also help in this scenario. Porcelain veneers are a good choice to improve the appearance of one or more permanently discoloured teeth – for example, those that have darkened after dental trauma.
If visible metal fillings are making you frown, the dentists at our St John’s Wood clinic can safely remove these and replace them with tooth-coloured alternatives.
A guide to using dental implants for permanent tooth replacement
If you have lost one or more teeth, dental implants may already be on your radar. Of course, choosing implant treatment is a big decision, but at Aura Dental in North West London we believe it is one of the best you can make. We offer implant treatment to replace anything from one to all of your natural teeth.
Dental bridges and dentures have been used for many years to replace lost teeth, but the major issue with both these options is that they only replace the crown parts of the teeth. All natural teeth comprise crowns and roots, and when the root portions aren’t replaced, the jaw bone starts to resorb (shrink), making traditional dentures loose.
Traditional bridgework, meanwhile, relies on adjacent teeth to support one or two false ones. This puts more strain on these teeth and often necessitates the destruction of healthy tooth structure so that crowns can be placed.
Dental implants will fully support your new teeth, without any strain being put on your remaining teeth. Furthermore, because they are actually replacement tooth roots as opposed to replacement teeth, they will stop your jaw bone shrinking and will help to keep it healthy and strong.
Titanium is used to make dental implants, because it is highly compatible with human bodies. It is osteoconductive, meaning that it actively supports bone growth. Implants are placed directly in your jaw bone during minor oral surgery, which most patients at our North West London dental practice only require local anaesthetic for. As soon as they are in position, dental implants begin to integrate with your jaw bone in a process known as osseointegration.
It takes a few months for this process to complete, during which time you may have temporary teeth fitted. Once your teeth have integrated with your jaw bone, you will be called back to our North West London dental clinic to have your permanent teeth attached.
Aura Dental in North West London offers two options for implant treatment – a single implant and crown to replace one tooth, or a series of dental implants and a bridge to replace some to all of your teeth.
How our dentists can look after you at all stages of life
Dentists play a vital role in looking after your health at every stage of life. Aura Dental in St John’s Wood offers bespoke dental care for patients of all ages, and our dentists will work closely with you and your family to create a fully customised treatment journey no matter what your needs may be, designed to keep your smile healthy and happy for life.
Children
You should bring your child to visit the dentist from an early age. The dentists at our St John’s Wood clinic are highly experienced in working with young patients and will work hard to ensure that every experience your child has of the dentist is a positive one. This can help to prevent dental phobia later in life.
Dentists can provide preventative treatments such as fluoride varnish or fissure sealants to help protect and strengthen children’s teeth. They will also help to explain the importance of proper tooth brushing to children, and to spot any early warning signs of decay.
Teenagers
The teenage years often involve orthodontic treatments. There are other specific dental issues that can affect teenagers, however, and our St John’s Wood dentists can help with all of them. Wisdom teeth often appear during the teenage years, whilst teenagers also have a bad reputation for high-sugar diets and drinking lots of fizzy drinks, which can lead to tooth decay and enamel erosion.
Regular visits to the dental practice are essential to keeping your teen’s teeth healthy and strong, and to helping them understand the importance of diet to dental health.
Adults
Dental check-ups are vital to adults, with most people advised to attend every six months. Some groups, such as pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems, need to visit more regularly. Cosmetic dental treatment is also increasingly popular with adults; our St John’s Wood dentists offer a wide range of aesthetic procedures.
Older people
Whether you have kept all your natural teeth or have full dentures, you still need to visit your dentist regularly as you get older, to keep your mouth healthy and your teeth functional.
Finding your perfect braces or aligners for subtle tooth straightening
Traditionally, braces are associated with teenagers, but an increasing number of adults are also looking for orthodontic treatment. North West London clinic Aura Dental recognises the demand for such treatments, coupled with the need for discretion. For that reason, we are proud to offer a number of subtle options for tooth straightening.
Although the majority of people who come to orthodontics later in life are primarily driven by cosmetic concerns, at our North West London dental clinic we always emphasise that any such treatment – whether with braces or aligners – will also benefit your oral health, by making your teeth easier to clean.
Reducing areas where plaque can build up makes a big improvement in your chances of avoiding tooth decay and gum disease, which both lead to tooth loss and in the case of gum disease has been linked to several serious general health concerns. Of course, you need to practise good dental hygiene and visit your North West London dentist and hygienist regularly, but straightening your teeth is a good place to start.
North West London braces and aligners – your choices
Come into Aura Dental in North West London for a tooth-straightening consultation and your dentist will conduct a thorough clinical examination, before talking you through the best courses of treatment. Depending on what your clinical requirements are, they may recommend:
Six Month Smiles
Six Month Smiles is a popular system of cosmetic braces that work both quickly and discreetly. Unlike standard braces, which are made from metal and are very obvious, Six Month Smiles are made from clear brackets and tooth-coloured wires. This means that they blend in with the natural colour of your teeth, so are barely noticeable. Because they focus on the front six teeth they work in an average of half a year.
Inman Aligner
This aligner works very quickly on issues affecting the front teeth – protrusion, for example. The Inman Aligner’s unique design enables it to work in between six and 18 weeks, making it the fastest option at our North West London clinic.
Invisalign
A system of clear, removable aligners that can correct more extensive orthodontic issues.
Cosmetic dentistry: brightening your smile in just a few short appointments
Cosmetic dentistry offers a solution to every smile problem, and the team at Aura Dental in St John’s Wood love nothing more than making people’s smile dreams come true. Often, new clients are surprised at how rapid and effective cosmetic dental treatments are. In fact, it’s often possible to achieve the smile you’ve dreamt of for so long in a few short appointments.
We hear many different smile requests at our St John’s Wood dental clinic, but the most frequent one is for a brighter or whiter smile. Most people want a beautiful Hollywood dazzler of a smile, but all too often lifestyle factors get in the way, and our teeth become stained easily.
Fortunately, we have a number of solutions to stained and coloured teeth at our St John’s Wood dental practice. Your journey will begin with a consultation with a cosmetic dentist.
St John’s Wood cosmetic dentistry: smile brightening options
There are numerous causes of tooth discolouration, and at our St John’s Wood clinic we find the best place to start is with establishing the cause. That way, your dentist can find the best course of treatment from our extensive cosmetic dentistry menu.
Here are some popular cosmetic dentistry choices to brighten your smile at our St John’s Wood dental practice:
Teeth whitening
Teeth whitening is the most popular treatment in cosmetic dentistry, and as long as it is carried out by a fully qualified dentist it is a safe and reliable way to remove common stains from the teeth. We offer home and in-chair whitening at our St John’s Wood clinic.
Good for: Everyday stains such as tea, coffee, or nicotine
Not suitable for: Pregnant women, permanent stains
Veneers
Veneers are thin porcelain shells placed over the surfaces of the teeth to improve their appearance. They can help in cases of permanent discolouration.
Good for: Permanent stains/discolouration
Not suitable for: People with poor dental health/weak teeth
White fillings
White fillings are designed to blend in to your mouth seamlessly. They can be used in most areas of your mouth.
Good for: Replacing metal fillings, filing front teeth
Not suitable for: Very weak teeth
Life benefits of using dental implants to replace your missing teeth
Dental implants offer a permanent solution to tooth loss, one which will give you back all the action and appearance of a second set of adult teeth. At Aura Dental in North West London we have dental implant options to replace anything from one to all of your natural teeth.
Every dentist will tell you that missing teeth always need to be replaced, one way or another. At Aura Dental in North West London be believe that dental implants are, in most cases, the best way to do this.
There are two options for dental implant treatment at our North West London clinic. The first is to have one implant and one crown placed, which is ideal if you have lost a single tooth, for example in a road traffic accident. Prices for single implant and crown restoration start at £2,300.
The second option is to have a series of dental implants placed, and a bridge attached. Prices for this option begin at £2,750, and will depend on how many implants you need and how many teeth will be attached to the bridge.
Unlike a traditional dental bridge, which can replace one or two teeth, the implant-retained bridges we use at our North West London dental clinic can contain as many adjacent teeth as you need – in fact, a series of carefully-placed dental implants can support a full arch of new teeth in bridge form.
Although most patients at our North West London clinic only need local anaesthesia for the placement of dental implants, we also offer treatment under sedation for patients who are nervous or phobic. If fear of the dentist has contributed to your tooth loss, we are committed to working with you to get you back to full oral health.
Your dental implants will need some time to heal and mesh with your jaw bone, and will develop a strength similar to natural tooth roots. Temporary teeth are likely to be fitted during the healing period so that you needn’t worry about being toothless. Permanent teeth are attached when healing is complete.
