Inlays and Onlays

Looking for a conservative option to repair damaged or decayed teeth? Inlays and onlays help ensure you keep as much of your natural tooth as possible.

Inlays and onlays provide a more conservative approach to restoring teeth, if you have tooth decay or damage to a back tooth, than a crown. As only a small amount of healthy tooth will need to be removed to prepare the tooth. Although small areas of damage or decay can be repaired with a filling, to protect larger areas, the team at College Dental Surgeries may suggest an inlay or an onlay. An inlay is designed to repair the very centre of your tooth, where as an onlay fits across the entire top surface of the tooth.

It will take two appointments to sculpt your inlay or onlay. At the first appointment the dentist will prepare your tooth and take impressions. These will then be sent to the laboratory so the dental technician can craft your custom-made inlay or onlay. At your second appointment the dentist will remove the temporary filling and will bond the inlay or onlay to your tooth, helping to strengthen and protect the tooth. Inlays and onlays are made from a variety of tooth coloured materials so will blend beautifully with your natural tooth colour, creating a restoration that is virtually invisible.

Cosmetic Bonding

Cosmetic bonding can be a fast, minimally invasive and inexpensive way to improve the appearance of your teeth. Composite resin is shaped and moulded onto your teeth to give the appearance of a straighter, whiter smile. It can help to improve the appearance of chipped and stained teeth. Unlike a veneer, cosmetic bonding can be completed in just one appointment.

The dentist will first remove some of the surface enamel to allow them to best shape the composite resin to your tooth. The composite resin is held in place by a bonding agent and is cured with a special light. The dentist will then polish your teeth to ensure that the cosmetic bonding matches seamlessly with your natural teeth.

Cosmetic bonding is among the easiest and least expensive cosmetic dental procedures. Unlikecrowns and veneers that need to be manufactured in a laboratory, cosmetic bonding can be completed in one dental visit

Smile Makeover

Looking to improve your smile and improve your confidence? A smile makeover could be just what you need.

Prior to your treatment, the dentist will perform a complete assessment of the health of your teeth and gums and will then provide you with a full treatment plan including all the possible options and their associated cost. Treatment can include teeth whitening, white fillings, crowns, bridges, hygienist treatments and stain removal.

So why not treat yourself to a complete smile makeover and feel proud of your teeth again!

Cosmetic Dentistry

Here’s a tiny little secret for feeling more confident; fast. Imagine having a brand-new drop dead gorgeous smile!The quality of your smile has a more direct effect on your personal life and business relationships than any other part of your body. In fact, 45% of Britons always remember someone with an attractive smile. That is why a lot of people want to change teeth that are discoloured, chipped or misshapen through wear and tear.

Cosmetic dentistry is the process of improving the appearance of your smile by lightening, straightening, reshaping or repairing your teeth. Over the past few years there has been an increase in the number of patients looking for cosmetic dentistry to improve their smile and confidence. Here at College Dental Surgeries we are able to provide a wide range of services to meet your needs ranging from simple tooth whitening to a complete smile makeover. All our dentists have many years’ experience providing cosmetic dental procedures so you can guarantee when you choose College Dental Surgeries any dental treatment will be of the highest possible standard.

Adult Braces

Adult braces are a simple, gentle, minimally invasive cosmetic treatment that corrects alignment issues with the top and bottom front six teeth, thus satisfying the needs of the vast majority of adult patients who seek orthodontic treatment.

Adult braces use clear orthodontic brackets and tooth-coloured nickel-titanium wires. The nickel-titanium wires put gentle pressure on the brackets to level and align the teeth with minimal discomfort to the patient. The treatment works similarly to clear aligners, but tooth movement is much more predictable.

Adult braces takes less time than conventional orthodontics because it focuses only on the “social six”, the front teeth that most influence the smile. Standard orthodontic mechanics are still involved with this treatment, however because it’s just the front teeth, the force required is minimal.

Clear Aligners

This a series of removable clear aligners for those patients who cannot, or choose not to wear a fixed appliance. Each aligner, worn for 22 hours a day for up to 2 weeks, is designed to fit over the teeth and apply gentle forces to gradually move the teeth. This step by step approach ensures that you are only applying gentle forces to the teeth, which minimises any discomfort when wearing the aligner.

Benefits of clear aligners include:

• Adults are increasingly seeking a confident smile, yet are not always willing to wear wire and brackets. As clear aligners are virtually invisible when worn, adults can have their teeth straightened without anybody else knowing
• The aligners are also removable for eating, public speaking or that Friday night date. Clear aligners offer minimal discomfort and impact on your daily routine compared with traditional orthodontic treatment
• Clear aligners are manufactured under exacting specifications, using the very latest in digital production methods

Veneers

Veneers are made from a thin layer of porcelain which is bonded on the prepared front surface of a tooth. Veneers are extremely effective in helping you improve the colour, shape and position of your teeth.

Veneers take on average two visits to complete. The first is to prepare the tooth/teeth and match the shade, and the second for fitting. Veneers are a long lasting and very cost effective way of improving your smile, leaving you with natural and healthy looking teeth.

As with all treatments, your dentist will need to assess your teeth first to see if this is a suitable treatment for you, and if so, will recommend to you the right shade to be used.

Crowns & Bridges

Dental crowns, also known as caps, are artificial restorations that fit over the remaining part of a prepared tooth, which makes it strong and gives it the shape of a natural tooth. Crowns are ideal for restoring a broken tooth, or weakened teeth as a result of large fillings. They can also be used to hold a bridge or denture in place, protect and cover root filled teeth and also to improve the appearance of your teeth.

Crowns can be made from a variety of materials, with some of the most popular types being porcelain crowns, ceramic crowns and gold alloy crowns. Your dentist will discuss the suitable crown for you and explain in detail what will be involved and how long it may take.

Dental bridges are an alternative to partial dentures. They are made by putting crowns on the teeth either side of the space and then joining these two crowns together by placing false teeth in the middle. Bridges are suitable if a patient has strong teeth and bones to support the bridge. Again, as with crowns, your dentist will discuss what is suitable for you and give you options to help you make an informed choice.

Some of the benefits of crowns and bridges include:

• Protecting your teeth against further decay or erosion
• Crowns protect root filled teeth and prevent them from reinfection
• They can help hide badly chipped or unsightly front teeth
• They both help in enhancing smile

Teeth Whitening

When patients are asked to name the one thing they feel would improve their smile, the majority answer: whiter teeth. Here at College Dental Surgeries, we know the importance of having a bright, white smile – for social and business appearances – but mostly for the self confidence a dazzling smile gives you.

Teeth Whitening is an effective and very safe way of whitening the colour of your natural teeth without causing damage. Teeth Whitening is sometimes necessary when the natural colour of your tooth is darkened or stained by food and drinks, calculus or tartar, smoking and ageing.

College Dental Surgeries only use premium whitening products, which use the latest technology to deliver the very best results. Having whitened thousands of teeth, we will ensure you achieve the smile you deserve. Teeth Whitening may not be suitable for all patients, so the team at College Dental Surgeries will assess you first and discuss the treatment in detail with you.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are safe, reliable and well established treatments that help replace missing teeth. A pure titanium screw is placed into the jaw bone to replace missing a missing tooth, and once the implant has bonded in to the jaw bone, the tooth coloured crown is then placed on it. Like our natural teeth, dental implants can last for as long as you take care of them.

Some of the benefits of dental implants include:

• Dental implants will help you comfortably eat an unrestricted diet
• They are built to last, so are a long term treatment solution
• They are proven to help protect jaw bones
• They function like natural teeth, so have no negative impact on the way you speak