So many questions! We are sure there are all sorts of things you need to know before treatment. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions. But if your query isn’t answered below, get in touch, we LOVE talking dentistry!
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Everybody needs to visit the dentist at least every 6 months, but the frequency does depend on dental health needs. The minimum for someone with good oral health would be routine dental hygiene appointments every 6 months, and a dental health check every 12 months.
If you have health conditions, are a smoker, or have poorer dental health you might be advised to have hygiene appointments every 3 months, and/or dental health checks every 6 months.
When you are first assessed by the dentist, they will advise you how often you need to see us, and we’ll review this at every visit. They’ll tell you which Club plan you need too!
This is a very common concern for patients. In fact we find that most people have some dental anxiety, from mild to very severe, and Carew Dental is here to help you.
We understand how frightening it can be to come to the dentist, so we break everything down into small steps. We are all different and you dictate the support you need; we have so many ways to help. Here are just a few of the things we do to reduce anxiety:
We are so proud of the extraordinary care provided by our Carew Crew.
Dental implants can be used to replace a single lost tooth or many missing teeth.A dental implant is a substitute for a natural root and is used to support crowns, bridges or dentures and is surgically placed into the jawbone.
The dental implant is a small screw made of titanium, metal alloys, or ceramic which bonds with the jaw, and provides a stable foundation for replacement teeth, as well as preserving the neighbouring teeth and bone structure.
Unfortunately not everyone is a suitable candidate for dental implants, the main requirement is to be in good general health.Ideally, you should have sufficient good quality bone. However, you may still qualify for implants even if you have lost a significant amount of bone as we are able to use bone grafting to replace lost bone.
Good oral hygiene is a must, and if you have poor oral health we will work with you to improve this before treatment.
You will be expected to answer detailed questions concerning your medical history and you will receive a complete examination of your mouth and teeth too.
Some medications can prevent implant surgery, so it is essential that we build a comprehensive picture of your suitability before we recommend treatment.
The procedure is performed in one of our surgeries under local anaesthesia. Many patients report that having a dental implant is no more painful than having a tooth extracted.You will experience some minor swelling and occasionally bruising afterwards, and simple painkillers can alleviate this pain.
The surgical procedure for placing dental implants may take from 30 minutes for a single dental implant to several hours for complex surgery:
Composite bonding is used in many different dental treatments, including for composite veneers and composite edge bonding.
The composite material consists of different-sized grains of silica (glass) in a methacrylate (resin) matrix. It is bonded in layers to the teeth and polished with a variety of diamond burs and polishing discs. Composite bonding is used to mask and change the shape, colour, and position of the teeth.
A composite veneer covers the whole visible surface of the tooth, whereas composite edge bonding is just used on the tips of the tooth. Both treatments transform smiles, with composite veneers being the more dramatic of the two.Composite veneers mask the whole visible tooth surface hiding stains and imperfections and allow us to create a uniform bright white smile. Most patients have 8 to 10 teeth treated on each arch.
Composite edge bonding is more subtle, colour matching to the natural teeth, and enhancing their shape. Most patients have 4 to 6 upper teeth treated and combine this treatment with teeth whitening.
In most cases, composite bonding requires no preparation of your teeth so it’s completely reversible if you maintain toothbrushing and flossing, and attend regular routine dental health appointments at the practice.
Composite bonding can stain over time, especially around the margins and in the spaces between teeth, so proper maintenance is vital. To maintain your composites, you need to brush your teeth twice a day, floss once a day, and visit the practice for a hygiene appointment every 3-6 months.Generally, most food and drinks won’t stain composites but eating curries or turmeric regularly, or if you’re a heavy coffee or red wine drinker, you may be prone to more staining.
Smoking can also cause staining to composites. So, if you have heavier staining or smoke, then regular hygiene appointments every 3 months will be essential to manage this.
Composite bonding often lasts for several years if properly maintained, and any chips are easily repaired. Plus, our composite bonding treatments usually come with a 2-year guarantee that covers the cost of any repairs you need.Proper maintenance is vital. You should brush your teeth twice a day, floss once a day, and visit the practice for a hygiene appointment every 3-6 months.
You should be more careful with hard foods such as bones, boiled sweets, and apples, as they have a greater potential to chip the composites.
During your assessment and treatment planning appointments, you’ll be advised of the expected treatment time. Depending on the complexity of the treatment, it typically takes 3 to 9 months.
Aligner treatment only works if you are dedicated!
You must wear aligners for at least 20 hours daily throughout treatment.You can take them out to eat and drink. Afterwards simply rinse, brush, and put the aligners straight back in!
Aligners are made from clear plastic, worn over the teeth, and are very discreet. We provide a series of custom-made aligners.
The treatment works by applying gentle pressure to the teeth, which moves them over time into a new position. You wear each aligner for about a week, and gradually, your teeth will move to the desired position — transforming your smile!
You’ll only wear each aligner for a short period of time, so long-term maintenance is not required. Simply clean your teeth before wearing your aligner and rinse it when you remove it for eating.
Excellent oral hygiene is essential during aligner treatment. We’ll show you how to look after your teeth during treatment as the spaces between your teeth will constantly change!
As part of your treatment we also supply a remineralising treatment formulated by Curaprox especially for aligner patients. This will help protect your teeth against bacterial growth that can increase through wearing orthodontic devices.
You’ll be advised of the expected treatment time during your assessment and treatment planning appointments. Typically, fixed braces treatment takes 3 to 12 months depending on the complexity.
Initially, the braces feel like they “stick out”. This is normal and as you become accustomed to your braces and tooth alignment improves, this sensation will cease to be a concern.
Although the brackets are round and smooth, until the cheek tissues have “toughened,” you may find it helpful to use a small piece of wax around the bracket that is creating the irritation. If your supply of wax runs out, call into the practice for more.
We also recommend rinsing with warm salt water three times a day or using preparations such as Orabase gel to soothe cheek irritations.Sometimes during treatment, a wire may start poking into the back of your cheek and making it sore. See our How To guide for clipping the end of the wire at home!
If your teeth are tender in the first days, you may prefer to eat soft foods.During treatment avoid sticky foods as they have an increased risk of dental decay and appliance breakage. If foods or drinks high in sugar content are consumed, we advise having them with regular meals. Please brush and rinse immediately after eating.
Snacks should be confined to foods without refined sugar and should be followed by tooth brushing or vigorous rinsing if a toothbrush is not available.
The following foods can be particularly harmful to your teeth while wearing braces:
The wire on your braces is attached by small rubber O-rings or “doughnuts” which will discolour if you eat or drink dark foods such as curries, tomato-based sauces, black coffee, red wine etc. However, the doughnuts are usually changed at each review appointment. You need to brush effectively and not too hard – brushing too hard may remove the tooth- coloured coating on the wires.
Teeth whitening gently bleaches your natural teeth. During treatment, you wear custom-made trays loaded with a bleaching solution, and over a period of 2 to 3 weeks of repeated wear, you’ll gradually see your teeth become whiter.
It is important to note that only natural, untreated teeth can be whitened with teeth whitening products. So, if you have teeth treated with veneers or crowns, these teeth will not be whitened.
Many people whiten without troublesome sensitivity, but some people suffer more than others. If you get sensitivity during whitening we have a few tips to help!
1. Desensitising pen: Every teeth whitening kit is supplied with a pen. You simply paint the solution directly onto the sensitive teeth and feel instant relief!
2. Brush with sensitive toothpaste before, during and after the teeth whitening treatment, using any brand you prefer.
3. Apply a small amount of sensitive toothpaste to a clean finger and rub directly onto the sensitive tooth. Like the pen, this provides instant relief!
4. Alternate your whitening days: this method doubles the treatment time but is far more comfortable if you are experiencing sensitivity problems. Simply stop whitening daily and instead whiten one day, not the next day, then whiten again the following day, and so on.
You will be assessed for treatment by one of our dentists and they will determine whether you are more likely to suffer with sensitivity during whitening. If that is the case then you will be prescribed our sensitive whitening kit, which enables the patient to whiten whilst wearing the trays for shorter periods.
You should take extra care during and after whitening treatment as your teeth will become susceptible to staining from coloured foods and drinks. This is because the bleaching formula opens the pores on your teeth and coloured foods and drinks seep into the pores causing staining.
It takes about 2 weeks for the pores to settle after treatment, and you should take care during this time with the food and drink you consume. Be cautious with any highly coloured food and drink; however, some of the worst staining products are turmeric, curries, red wine, coffee, and tomato-based sauces.
A porcelain veneer is a thin layer of tooth-coloured material bonded to the front of a tooth to improve its appearance.You can have porcelain veneers placed over multiple teeth to achieve a stunning whole-smile transformation, or simply cover one or two teeth that you’d like to improve the appearance of and match in with your other natural teeth.
Porcelain veneers can be made in much whiter shades than treatments such as composite veneers can achieve. They are also made from extremely strong porcelain and protect sensitive teeth from acid erosion.
Only if you want to! We will work with you to achieve the look that YOU want. Rylan’s teeth were criticised because they looked too big in his mouth, and Simon Cowell’s because they were so white and squared.
Our dentists are highly experienced in restorative dentistry and love working with porcelain veneers. This expertise is why our patients are so happy with the results; the colour, shape, size and fit make a huge difference and you need a look that’s perfect for you, and that’s what we make happen!
Yes, teeth must be prepared for porcelain veneers by removing some of the surface of each tooth, this prevents the tooth looking or feeling bulky, so the veneers look like your natural teeth, only better!
We remove only a minimal amount of the tooth surface, but once you have had your teeth prepared for porcelain veneers you will always need a covering over them.
It can take your mouth several weeks to get used to new dentures. You can expect some tenderness in the gums for 2 weeks and sometimes this can last for up to 4 weeks. If your gums don’t settle down your denture may need some minor adjustments to improve the fit.You can help reduce discomfort by taking the following steps:
See our How To guide on denture cleaning!
It’s all about the fit! Our gumshields are made completely bespoke for you.We take 3D scans of your teeth. The technology captures every detail, so when your gumshield is created, it fits perfectly into your mouth. There is no movement, rubbing, or gagging because there is too much material.
Fit comes with safety, so if the wearer takes an impact, the gumshield works and will not compromise the wearer’s safety by dislodging because of its unsuitable fit.
Yes! We have three types of gumshields available: single-colour, striped, or a special order fully customised to include logos—these are created for schools, clubs, and teams.
We print the owner’s name on the palate of each gum shield (so it is not visible when worn). This is particularly useful for identifying your own gum shield if everybody else in your team has one that looks almost identical!
Depending on which treatment you receive at Carew Dental, you may receive a dental work guarantee for repair or replacement. Our guarantees last 2, 5, or 10 years, depending on the treatment.
All our guarantees require you to properly maintain your oral health. This means that if you wish to use your guarantee, you will have to produce evidence that you have been visiting the dentist for regular dental health checks and hygiene appointments.
The best way to do this is to join our Club Carew, create your dental membership plan, and have all your routine appointments with us!
Any staining, hygiene appointments, or re-polishing of your treated teeth are not included in the guarantee. If the same tooth repeatedly fails, then you may require an alternative treatment.
Undisclosed health conditions, such as Temporomandibular Disorder, and excessive grinding may cause treatments to fail. In these circumstances, you may require a night splint, or to undergo an alternative treatment. Night splints and alternative treatment fees are not covered by the guarantee.
We accept the following payment types:
Most of our treatments require a 50% deposit to be paid at the time of booking, then the balance is due on the day of treatment. This must be received before you go into surgery.
We are delighted to offer finance through a third-party provider, Tabeo. Tabeo finance is offered with 0% interest and is available on all treatments over £500.
With Tabeo, you can arrange to pay for your treatment over 6, 10, or 12 months. The application is very simple, requiring only a soft credit check, which should not affect your credit rating.
Finance applications can be made by the patient, or if you prefer, you can ask a friend or relative to apply for finance on your behalf.
Yes, all deposits are fully refundable.
Carew Dental Limited (registered in England and Wales, company number 13163290).
Registered office ℅ UNW LLP, City Gate, St James’ Boulevard, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JE
