John was scared of the dentist and had not attended for over 20 years. He was at a stage where all his back teeth had broken and his remaining front upper and lower teeth were decayed and wearing extensively. After his first visit at Parrock Street Dental Care with Rik he overcome his phobia and was comfortable with attending the dentist. He was able to have reconstructive treatment to replace his missing back teeth, increase his bite and a smile makeover to improve the colour and appearance of his teeth and smile. He has regained his self confidence and smiles effortlessly. ”Coming to this practice is lovely” See his video testimonial below.

Ann had not attended the dentist for a while due to her phobia. She presented with very loose lower teeth due to gum disease which needed removal and replacement. After careful planning including a ct scan the lower teeth were removed and replaced with implants at the same visit. At this visit a prefabricated lower denture was modified and attached to the dental implants. Ann had same day fixed teeth and is very pleased with her new teeth and smile. She is even more happy with her new confidence with her smile and attending the dentist.

There he observed live surgery involving the most advanced procedures to treat patients with missing and failing teeth.

Patients attended with insufficient bone in areas requiring dental implants to replace missing teeth.

In the back part of the upper jaw a procedure called a sinus augmentation/graft procedure was carried out. This involved accessing and lifting the upper jaw sinus lining and placing an artificial graft material and occasionally simultaneous implant placement. The graft material encourages natural bone formation and this is allowed to heal with implant placement for about 6 months.

The best form of graft material is natural bone from the patient in another part of the mouth. In other areas with bone deficiency natural bone was taken either from the chin or back part of the lower jaw and fixated to the deficiency and allowed to heal. After 3-4 months this bone usually heals and corrects the deficiency to enable implant placement.

Where there were deficiencies making the area for implant placement too thin advanced procedures were learnt to expand the ridge avoiding a bone graft to allow simultaneous implant placement. Likewise where there were small deficiencies in bone height in the back part of the upper jaw simple techniques were observed to increase the height for simultaneous implant placement.

All in all a great 3 day experience which will benefit those of our patients with missing teeth, dentures and failed bridgework and crowns greatly in achieving fixed naturally looking and functioning teeth.

Patricia had lost 2 teeth on the left side several years ago and had 2 dental implant placed by Dr Rik Trivedi. She has just completed treatment to have her lower right molar replaced with a dental implant and talks about her treatment with us.

She is generally a very anxious patient for routine dental treatment. But has found no problems with having her dental implant treatment which she says is just like routine dental treatment. She is over the moon with her new teeth

Please see below for Pat’s written testimonial.

” My previous dental treatment had put me off going regularly, and consequently I became really scared and so didn’t go for my regular check-up appointments. I was motivated to go to the dentist again because I had to repair the damage that I had caused to my teeth by avoiding the dentist.
After my first initial appointment seeing Rik I was made to feel safe and in good hands. Rik was different to my other dentist in the way that all treatments were fully explained to me and most importantly I felt at ease.
I now have NO problems in attending my dental appointments…..I can’t say that i love going to the dentist BUT Rik and his team try and make each experience as comfortable as possible.
My teeth have never looked better and I am over the moon. My dental treatment changed my life as I finally have confidence in my teeth.
My words of advice for other nervous or anxious patients would be to trust in Rik and after just one visit you will feel more at ease.
Exceptional is the word that sums up my dental experience!”

There are 5 simple steps that you can use for effective brushing.

1. Always look in a mirror whilst brushing. It sounds so simple but many people do not use a mirror and hence cannot see where they are brushing and so miss cleaning certain areas.

2. Use a methodical approach, concentrating on one tooth at a time.

3. Make sure that you brush the outside, inside and biting surfaces of the teeth.

4. Try to begin brushing in a different place everyday to ensure that you do not neglect any particular area.

5. Toothbrushing should last for at least two minutes (A good tip is, if you listen to the radio in the morning you should brush for the duration of 1-2 songs).

Flossing techniques

Some people say that they spend a long time brushing their teeth and therefore they do not need to floss, this is not the case. Although the bristles of a tooth brush are fine, collectively they are still to thick to get in-between the teeth effectively. It is very easy to forget that teeth have more than two surfaces and they all need the same care and attention, especially as food can get trapped in-between teeth and if left it can cause decay/ carries/cavities. The only way to remove this is by flossing.

1. Take about 50cm (20inches) of floss and wind the ends around your middle fingers, leaving a short distance between them.

2. Using your thumb and first finger, gently move the floss between your teeth and wrap in a C shape around the tooth.

3. Guide the floss to where the tooth meets the gum, but take care not to damage the gum by flossing too vigorously

4. Then move the floss up and down the tooth. During use the floss spreads out for more effective plaque removal.

Inter-dental Brushes

Inter-dental brushes are small pocket sized brushes that are available to buy in different sizes. A dentist would recommend what size is best for the pateint, and some people are advised to use two different sized brushes corresponding to the size of the gaps between teeth. Tepe brushes are great as they come with a lid and can be kept in your pocket incase you are going out for a meal and you have a tendency to get food trapped in certain areas.

For the ultimate feeling of a fresh mouth, don’t forget to use a tongue scraper  as your tongue  harbours many bacteria that can cause bad breath.

Should you need any further advise on brushing and flossing techniques, speak to one of our team members who will be happy to help you.

Dentures are the cheapest short-term option but they require replacing every few years and soon become the most expensive long-term. They can also have a  detrimental effect on the gums supporting surrounding teeth which leads to further tooth loss. this makes dentures harmful to the overall health of the mouth long-term.

Bridges have a cost similar to dental implant treatment but usually require the cutting down of adjacent healthy teeth to hold and link to the missing tooth, this can mean healthy teeth risk having problems. Although bridges give a fixed solution they do need replacing over time. The frequency of replacement depends heavily on the maintenance of a patients oral hygiene and lifestyle factors such as smoking and sugar intake.

Implants are considered the more sound long-term investment. The initial cost can be spread over the length of the treatment. They are shown to be the most long-term successful option having a 97-99% success over a 15 year study. Hence long-term they are by far the cheapest!

Ultimately if i lost a tooth its the only thing i would ever consider! If you require any further information or wish to discuss this further please call or email the practice to arrange an appointment at your convenience.

Dr. R. Trivedi

Dr Rik Trivedi