All examinations and treatments are carried out under magnification which enables the dentists to work at higher speed and with greater accuracy. A full clinical examination is carried out on your first visit. The functioning of the jaw-joint are checked, the lymph-nodes of the head and neck are checked and the tissues of the mouth examined. The teeth are checked individually, mainly visibly; the traditional probing is now used less. Finally, the gums will be gently probed. X-rays, both small and large, are used to screen for further problems. We may well use photographs, taken with either a large SLR or a small intra-oral camera, to record clinical findings. Also known as periodontology, this covers everything from simple, routine scaling and polishing to complex treatment of established gum-disease. Our dental hygienist is an important part of the team providing this care, both in the initial stages and as part of an ongoing preventative programme. Naresh has a special interest in periodontology and patients needing more dedicated treatment will be referred to his care. Most fillings are now done using tooth-coloured materials bonded to the tooth. Mechanically, functionally and aesthetically they are now mostly superior to the old silver amalgam fillings, although amalgam does still have its uses in certain cases. Your dentist will advise you as to the best material for any treatment you require. Root-fillings, or root-canal therapy as it is sometimes called, is needed when a tooth has died or is dying and the patient does not wish for the tooth to be extracted. Contrary to popular belief, the procedure should be painless. Your dentist will discuss the treatment with you in detail. When a tooth is badly-damaged by breakage or decay, the dentist will often advise the use of a crown to rebuild it. These may be made from gold, ceramic materials or a combination of the two. They are also use extensively in cosmetic procedures. The damaged parts of the tooth are drilled away, an impression (mould) of the teeth is taken and a temporary crown fitted. A dental technician uses the impression to make the crown which is cemented into place at a later appointment. A bridge is also known as a fixed partial denture. It is a way of replacing a missing tooth by fixing the false tooth or teeth to an adjacent tooth or teeth. There are a number of ways of making bridges and they can range from the very simple to the extremely complex. These are the traditional way of replacing missing teeth. They can be classified as complete dentures, where all the teeth in the upper or lower jaws are replaced, or partial dentures which replace a few missing teeth and fit round the remaining teeth. Partial dentures may be made from acrylic (plastic) or a cobalt/chrome alloy. This is a new alternative for patients that want to replace their denture with fixed teeth. Conventional implant treatment to replace all teeth usually takes between 6 - 10 implants in order to have enough strength for a fixed implant bridge. However, in the all-on-4 treatment the end implants are placed at a 45 degree angle, it increases their strength and ability to support a fixed bridge. This allows us to be able to anchor a fixed bridge with less implants than normally used. The all-on-4 implants can be immediately loaded, instead of waiting months to heal The fixed provisional bridge can be completed on the same day...!! This is one of the most exciting options we have ever had in implant dentistry because the goal of most patients who wear dentures is to be able to go back to a time when they had fixed teeth. For many patients, due to cost, this was not possible. With All-on-Four fixed implant teeth, many more patients now have the option to quickly, and with significant cost reductions, get fixed permanent teeth. Sometimes, a tooth cannot be saved or a patient does not wish it to be saved. We undertake all but the most complex surgical exctractions in-house. If you are nervous about the procedure, it can be perfomed under intravenous sedation. For nervous patients, treatment may be performed under intravenous sedation. An injection of Midazolam (a drug similar to Valium) is used to sedate the patient. The patient is awake but very relaxed and normally has no memory of the treatment afterwards. Electronic remote monitoring of blood-pressure and blood oxygen saturation is used. Naresh carries out all sedation procedures in the practice. These can range from a quick polish to remove staining to elaborate and complex reconstructions of a patient's entire smile. We have extensive experience of cosmetic procedures with a large library of photographs to demonstrate cases we have carried out. We use the Evolution home bleaching systems having found them to be the best available. We do not use in-surgery systems since they are costly, less effective than the at-home systems and often associated with extreme sensitivity. Feel free to discuss with your dentist any cosmetic requirements you have. For an appointment please call: 023 9237 0333Mr H.W. PortchesterWe can provide cover through Denplan...>>Castle Dental Practice20, Castle Street, PortchesterFareham, Hampshire PO16 9PP © Copyright Castle Dental Practice 2015MLL Portchester Ltd Registered inEngland and Wales 06879283Site by Red Pixel Creative