Mysmiledental

Bridges

A bridge is a fixed replacement for a missing tooth or teeth. It's made by taking an impression of the surrounding teeth, which will eventually support the bridge.

A bridge is usually created from precious metal and porcelain and will be fixed in your mouth (unlike dentures, which can be removed).

Crowns

A crown is a type of cap that completely covers a real tooth. It's made from either metal, or porcelain and metal, and is fixed in your mouth.Crowns can be fitted where a tooth has broken, decayed or been damaged, or just to make a tooth look better.To fit a crown, the old tooth will need to be drilled down so it's like a small peg the crown will be fixed on to.It can take some time for the lab to prepare a new crown, so you probably won't have the crown fitted on the same day.

Fillings

Fillings are used to repair a hole in a tooth caused by decay. The most common type of filling is an amalgam, made from a mixture of metals including mercury, silver, tin, copper and zinc.Your dentist will offer the most appropriate type of filling according to your clinical needs. This includes white fillings, if appropriate.

Root canal treatment

Root canal treatment (also called endodontics) tackles infection at the centre of a tooth (the root canal system).

When the blood or nerve supply of the tooth has become infected, the infection will spread and the tooth may need to be taken out if root canal treatment isn't carried out.

During treatment, all the infection is removed from inside the root canal system.

The root canal is filled and the tooth is sealed with a filling or crown to stop it becoming infected again.Root canal treatment usually requires 2 or 3 visits to your dentist.

Read more about root canal treatment.

Braces 

Braces (orthodontic treatment) straighten or move teeth to improve the appearance of the teeth and how they work.

Braces can be removable, so you can take them out and clean them, or fixed, so they're stuck to your teeth and you can't take them out.They can be made of metal, plastic or ceramic. Invisible braces are made of a clear plastic.

Read more about braces (orthodontics).

Wisdom tooth removal

The wisdom teeth grow at the back of your gums and are the last teeth to come through, usually in your late teens or early twenties.Most people have 4 wisdom teeth, 1 in each corner.Wisdom teeth can sometimes emerge at an angle or get stuck and only emerge partially.Your dentist may perform the procedure, or may refer you to a dentist with a special interest or a hospital's oral and maxillofacial unit.⁸

Your dentist can also refer you for private wisdom teeth treatment if you wish.

Find out more about wisdom tooth removal

Dental implants

Implants are a fixed alternative to removable dentures. They may be the only option if the loss of teeth has caused the mouth to shrink so it can no longer support dentures. 

You can use implants to replace just a single tooth or several teeth.

To fit an implant, titanium screws are drilled into the jaw bone to support a crown, bridge or denture.

Replacement parts take time to prepare. This is to ensure that they fit your mouth and other teeth properly. This means they may not be available on your first visit to the dentist.

Implants are usually only available privately and are expensive.