You may book this initially by telephone. You will be required to fill in a comprehensive Medical History form including adding a list of ALL your medication. Rest assured, all information is held in strict confidence and only shared with professionals dealing with your care. A copy of the medical history form is available for printing here. We look forward to meeting you, your family and friends. We welcome dental phobic patients and patients requiring a second opinion.
An initial consultation will last approximately 30-40 minutes where we gather detailed information about you and get to know your concerns to create a tailored approach to your treatment needs.
A full oral health examination is undertaken and will include the following:
External examination of your head and neck
Intra oral examination of your mouth
Special investigations
Discussion will involve options on your treatment needs, appointment times and fees. A copy of your treatment plan will be available for you to think on before proceeding. Any changes will be discussed and agreed on before proceeding. A comprehensive treatment plan involving specialist referrals will be discussed.
You may book this by telephone or via our online booking service. We encourage 6 monthly examinations to re-examine all these areas for changes and address your specific dental needs. All patients are risk assessed to provide individualized treatments. Radiographs taken help to identify areas of concern. Please do inform us of any contact detail or medical changes.
Comprehensive cases involving multiple treatments will require an in depth analysis. Each case assessment is individualised to provide long lasting, durable and an aesthetically pleasing result.
All our dental practitioners and nurses are passionate about preventive dental care. We aim to develop a good rapport with each child and adult patient to achieve an optimum standard of home maintenance and encourage patient participation.
Gingivitis causes inflammation of the gums margins. This presents as redness and swelling in response to stagnating plaque and can be painful on tooth brushing and can cause bad breath and bleeding on brushing. Plaque stagnation between the teeth and along the gum margins cause dental decay. Stagnating plaque becomes calcified and is converted to hard calculus which requires professional dental cleaning. Plaque-induced gingivitis is reversible and can be eliminated with a good home cleaning routine. Untreated gingivitis can lead to destructive gum disease or periodontal disease which is difficult to treat and causes destruction of gums and the supporting bone causing tooth mobility and eventual tooth loss. We offer oral hygiene counselling and support our patients routinely to prevent and manage gum disease and dental decay and in turn improve your general health.
Smoking - Smokers are more likely to develop periodontal disease than non-smokers. Smoking masks gum disease and nicotine causes blood vessels to narrow impairing healing.
Diabetes - Diabetes causes thickening of blood vessels which slows the flow of nutrients and weakens your resistance to healing. Poorly controlled diabetes increases your risk to gum disease.
Stress – Evidence suggests that stress is linked to gum disease by affecting your immune function and healing.
Medication - Some medications can cause gum swelling. Optimum oral hygiene habits will help manage this.
Minimal intervention Dentistry is fast becoming a modern approach to restoring and repairing teeth. Cavity preparations are kept minimal in order to preserve the maximum amount of healthy tooth to support the restoration. Modern bonding techniques allow this and can provide a restoration with adequate or superior strength and good aesthetics. This is called a Biomimetic Approach to dentistry.
A wide range of restorative options are offered. Your individual restorative needs will be discussed and a personalised treatment plan and fee breakdown will be provided for you to consider. A list of the most common treatments and fees are available to view here. Any additional treatment options will be discussed and provided by your dental practitioner. The longevity of your dental restoration is dependent on good oral hygiene habits.
Tooth Whitening
Your smile is important to us as it is a reflection of your gum health and confidence. Birchington Dental Care abides by the General Dental Council legal requirements for tooth whitening. You will require a bleaching consultation appointment.
MoreSPORTS GUARDS / TMJ
SPORTS GUARDS
These devices are worn to protect the teeth from damages when playing contact sports. It is constructed to fit your mouth snugly. It will minimise or eliminate damage to teeth and gums so you are not distracted while you are training.
There are options to personalise these mouth guards with colours or specific detail.
Many self-moulding products are available and cheaper however fail to offer the protection you need and do not last.
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ)
Pain of the TMJ may be due to acute or a chronic inflammation of the components of the joint (disc, muscles, fluid). This could be caused by psychological (stress) or physiological issues (anatomical or medical). Excessive tooth wear can cause the jaws to become mal-aligned causing pain that can be referred.
A TMJ examination involves locating the areas of muscle pain. An acrylic bite raising device (Michigan Splint) can be constructed to re-position your jaw correctly allowing your muscles to relax and relieve muscular and radiating pain. Night time wear will also have the added benefit of protecting your teeth from wear and fracture.
Birchington Dental Care provides a range of services including preventive, restorative, prosthetic, cosmetic and supportive dental care to patients of all ages. We have a team of like-minded practitioners with motivated supporting staff promoting good communication, consistency, confidentiality and cleanliness. We promote patient education and trust and encourage patient participation. The practice aims to be progressive and professional, offering basic and comprehensive evidence supported treatments with a robust specialist referral system. Our ‘wellness centred’ ethos aims to elevate each patient to a good level of dental health in a relaxed environment, accommodating individual needs. We offer registration as Private as well as a Denplan patients. Denplan patients have the advantage of membership benefits for individuals as well as families.
