Dentist Bromley

Why is Preventative Dentistry so Important?

Are you sometimes tempted to ignore those six monthly reminders we send you? Dr Zaki Bashir, and all the dental team here at Bromley Dental Practice realise this is all too easy to do, especially if your teeth feel and look fine to you. However there are lots of important reasons for picking up the phone and booking that appointment. Regular preventative dental care is the very best way to help keep your teeth and gums healthy, and is likely to save you money and time in the future. Common diseases such as tooth decay and gum disease can often be easy to miss.

Tooth Decay

Your dentist in Bromley will carefully examine your teeth for any signs of erosion or lesions in your tooth enamel. These could indicate the beginnings of a cavity, and at this stage we may be able to treat them with fluoride applications, or where necessary a small filling. Smaller fillings are also cheaper fillings, and will help to preserve the rest of your tooth. Leaving tooth decay until it becomes painful will be much more costly to treat. If a tooth causes pain then the decay could have reached the central part of the tooth, an area called the pulp and which contains all the nerves and blood vessels to the tooth. An infected pulp will require root canal in Bromley, and the affected tooth may need a larger filling or even a crown to restore it to health.

Gum Disease

Gum disease is often called a silent disease. Early signs such as gums that bleed when brushed, or which feel a bit tender, can be all too easy to ignore. These are the sort of things your dentist in Bromley will pick up on. A professional cleaning, combined with better dental care at home could be all that is required to get your gums back in the pink. If you leave this disease then it will destroy your gums, the ligaments supporting your teeth, and even the bone surrounding your teeth. Eventually you may find you lose some or even all of your teeth. Gum disease, or periodontal disease can also affect your general health, and not in a good way. Studies have linked it to numerous common diseases including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and heart disease.

Mouth Cancer

Finally, a simple check-up with your dentist in Bromley could even save your life. Your check-up includes a screening for mouth cancer, a disease that is frequently diagnosed late in the day when treatment is not always successful. This simple check will only take a couple of minutes, but will enable our dentists to see if there are any lesions or ulcers, or any changes in the colour of your oral tissues. Early diagnosis will mean treatment has a much higher chance of success, and it is likely to be less invasive.

All it takes is an hour or so every six months, and less than ten minutes each day to help keep your teeth and gums, and your whole mouth as healthy as possible. Regular professional cleanings will also help put a sparkle in your smile through removing some of those surface stains from your teeth.

Bromley Dental Practice

Zaki graduated from University of Bristol 1999 and has practiced in Kent since then. He is passionate about dentistry and providing the highest standard of care for patients, at the same time, he keeps himself at the cutting edge of modern dental techniques.

A New Crown in Just One Visit

If you have ever needed crowns in the past you might think this sounds too good to be true, but this service is available from your local dentist in Bromley. This is because Bromley Dental Practice offers CEREC crowns that can be made on site. This system uses the latest CAD/CAM technology, so you receive a crown that fits incredibly well, and which looks fantastic.

Advantages of Choosing CEREC

CEREC crowns are ideal for anyone who leads a buys life, and who struggles to fit in dental appointments. You just need one appointment with Dr Zaki Bashir, and you can leave our surgery with your permanent crown in place.

Dentist Bromley The process for having a CEREC crown does not involve having conventional dental impressions that have to be sent to a laboratory. Instead our dentist in Bromley will prepare the tooth for the crown, before it is scanned using a very small camera. This is much more comfortable and far less messy. It is ideal for anyone who finds dental impressions unpleasant, as we know some people with a strong gag reflex really struggle with impression trays.

CEREC crowns are milled from a single block of porcelain, creating a very strong and natural restoration. We keep a large stock of ceramic blocks in lots of different colours and translucencies, so your crown can be closely matched to the rest of your natural teeth. Each crown is hand finished and characterised to blend in beautifully, so it should be virtually undetectable.

Teeth can break or crack at the most inconvenient times, often just before special events or holidays. Our temporary crowns in Bromley can look nice, but will never look as good as your final crown, and they are temporarily cemented in position so they can come loose or fall out. Being able to have your permanent crown in just one visit eliminates the need for any temporary restorations, and the worry about them falling out.

Not Just for Crowns

We often use CEREC for crowns, but this system can also be used to create larger filings such as inlays and onlays that would otherwise have to be made in a laboratory. An inlay is a filling designed to replace the central part of one of your back teeth, whereas an onlay is designed to replace one or more of the cusps of your teeth. The cusps are the raised points you can see on the inner and outer surfaces of your back teeth. Using CEREC to replace these areas of decay helps to strengthen the remaining tooth structure. Their precise fit helps to ensure all bacteria are kept out of the tooth, minimising the risk of further infection and decay.

CEREC restorations are excellent, but there may be times when we recommend you have conventionally made crowns. For instance if you intend to have a smile makeover you may still get the best results through having your crowns made traditionally in a laboratory.

Bromley Dental Practice

Adult Orthodontics Have Never Been Easier

Adult orthodontics is becoming increasingly popular, and you may already know some people who have had their teeth straightened, or more likely you will not have realised unless they have actually told you. This is because modern adult orthodontics are quite different from even a few years ago, and can discreetly straighten teeth so no one need know you are having orthodontic treatment, unless you choose to let them in on your secret.

Orthodontics Bromley If you have ever hankered after a straighter smile, but didn’t want to spend months or even years wearing unsightly braces, then now is your moment. A quick consultation with our orthodontic dentist in Bromley will be sufficient to help you decide which braces system is right for you. We have two different systems, which between them can correct most common orthodontic problems.

Clear Braces

One of the systems offered by Bromley Dental Practice is Clear Braces. This uses a series of clear trays that look a bit like mouthguards. These guide your teeth into the correct position. The trays are exchanged for fresh sets every two weeks as your teeth gradually begin to move. The mouth trays are virtually invisible, and are custom-designed for you to be comfortable to wear.

You will need to keep them in for approximately twenty two hours each day, but you should take them out whenever you eat or drink something. Removable clear braces in Bromley are very easy to use, and incredibly easy to keep clean. There is no need to worry about having to use fiddly floss threaders or other special tools to clean your teeth and braces, as all you need to do is to brush and floss as normal. Your clear aligners can be rinsed and gently brushed.

Inman Aligner

Not everyone will need complete orthodontic treatment. If you have just one or two crooked teeth in the front of your mouth then you may be able to choose a different orthodontic system that is cosmetically oriented. We offer our patients the option of the Inman Aligner. This is a removable brace that is focused on only moving the front teeth. It is ideal if your front teeth stick out slightly, or if they overlap or are a bit crowded. It will not work if you have problems in the way your teeth meet together as it is not designed to correct major orthodontic problems.

The system works by using two thin metal bows that are powered by nickel titanium coil springs. One bow is behind the teeth while the other is in front of the teeth. The bow on the inner surfaces of the teeth pushes outwards, while the bow on the outer surfaces of the teeth pushes inwards. This gives the appliance a greater range of movement, making it more effective and a lot faster.

Dr Zaki Bashir or another of our dentists in Bromley will suggest the most suitable treatment for you, depending on your bite problems.

Bromley Dental Practice

Why Choose Dental Implants?

If you have lost a tooth, or perhaps several teeth, then Dr Zaki Bashir in Bromley will almost certainly have emphasised the importance of replacing it. This is because all your teeth are designed to work together, and if even one is missing, it can negatively affect your remaining teeth. Your choices of tooth replacement range from dental bridges, to partial or full dentures, or dental implants. Dental implants are the most expensive option, so why should you choose them?

A Dental Implant is like a Tooth Root

Dental Implants Bromley When you lose a tooth then one of the side effects can be bone resorption in that area of your mouth. A normal healthy tooth root stimulates the surrounding bone through transmitting the forces created during biting and chewing into this bone. This action stimulates the bone into replacing old bone cells as they die off, so the bone is continually renewed and stays strong.

When the root is removed this no longer happens, and as the bone reabsorbs it can create problems with your remaining teeth, making them less stable, or if you have lost a lot of teeth then you will eventually notice a change in your facial dimensions. Someone who has been wearing dentures for a very long time will often notice their face seems to collapse in on itself.

Dental implants can be the healthiest option for tooth replacement as they are designed to act like natural tooth roots. This means the bone is continually stimulated and will replace old cells as they die off.

Dental Implants can Function Just like Natural Teeth

Dental implants create a strong and stable foundation that can be used to support single crowns and dental bridges. These restorations are cemented or screwed in place and can be treated in exactly the same way as natural teeth. If you have loose dentures, then ask our implant dentist in Bromley about implant retained dentures. Just a few dental implants can be used to retain full upper or lower dentures, so the cost of treatment is well within the reach of many people.

Dental implants have a very high success rate of approximately 95% or even higher, and our implant dentist in Bromley is very experienced in implantology. We use Strauman dental implants as these are high quality implants that are thoroughly tested, and which are widely used throughout the world.

A consultation with our implant dentist in Bromley will let you know if this treatment is right for you. It is true that dental implants are not suitable for everyone, as if you have diabetes or certain other medical conditions then there is a higher risk of failure. If you smoke then be prepared to quit before implant surgery as smoking impedes healing. If you are suitable then dental implants are worth the effort and additional cost, especially in the longer term, as they can last for many years. Properly placed and cared for dental implants in Bromley offer the most permanent means of tooth replacement.

Contact Us