Dental Blog - Harley Street Dental Clinic

Choosing a dentist in Harley Street with decades of experience

If you’re looking for a professional team who can cater to the oral health needs of individuals across generations, then look no further than your local, popular and experienced dentist in Harley Street.

With decades of experience behind us and confidently upholding a reputable name, our dentist in Harley Street can offer expert care, education and guidance for caregivers of babies, toddlers, children, adults and those in their senior years.

We respect that your oral health care changes as you age and we offer appropriate advice and support throughout these times. We ensure that certain periods in your life, such as puberty and pregnancy are dealt with accordingly and that the health of your teeth and gums do not suffer from these immense and drastic changes that naturally occur during these times.

Tell me more about these changes that happen

Hormonal changes in your body during puberty, pregnancy and menopause can have detrimental effects on your oral health. Providing you find a dentist in Harley Street who takes a holistic view to your oral health care, these aspects of your health that are often overlooked, will be well taken care of.

Addressing concerns at their root cause will ensure that problems are resolved, rather than just masked or patched up time and time again. We know that during pregnancy, for example, teeth become more susceptible to damage and decay for a number of reasons.

Many women experience morning sickness during their first trimester which can mean that they are subject to nausea and vomiting for several weeks. Although normal, the impact on your teeth is anything but and we make sure that extra attention is taken to see that the enamel on your teeth is not eroded significantly from the additional acid that they are exposed to.

Extreme changes in hormones in conjunction with this can lead to some real issues with your teeth during and after pregnancy. By speaking with a professional as soon as you find out that you are pregnant can minimise these risks.

Any other time that hormonal changes in the body are significant, such as puberty or menopause, can also increase the risk of the damage to your teeth and gums. We do urge all of our patients to maintain a regular schedule in which to visit us so that we can monitor such subtle changes in your mouth and react accordingly and swiftly.

What can we do to help?

Preventive care is perhaps one of the single biggest treatments that we offer our patients when faced with natural changes in their lives that can have a detrimental effect on the health of their teeth. By understanding how you can best care for your teeth on a daily basis at home and by following up on your progress frequently, you are able to give your smile the best chance possible at remaining strong and healthy for life.

We look forward to working with you and allowing you to enjoy the changes that life brings, knowing that the health of your smile will not suffer unnecessarily.

Are you feeling nervous about your visit to our dentist in Harley Street?

Dental anxiety is extremely common within the field of dental care, and can unfortunately be experienced by patients of all ages, not just children! If you are an individual who experiences anxiety within a dental environment then you may be inclined to postpone your visit to our dentist in Harley Street. Despite many patients wishing to avoid their scheduled biannual check-up altogether, a dental appointment can have enormous benefits in regards to keeping your mouth clean, healthy, and looking attractive.

So what’s the solution?

At our dentist in Harley Street we strive to make our patients feel as comfortable as possible when receiving treatment within the walls of our modern, clean, and welcoming dental clinic. If you are feeling nervous prior to a visit to our surgery then we suggest you give our experienced dental team a call in order to discuss your possible options.

Ensuring our patients feel comfortable within the walls of our clinic

At our surgery in Harley Street we understand that many of our nervous patients may feel more comfortable after having been familiarised with our clinic, and the treatment process they will be experiencing. With this in mind therefore, our team is happy to introduce themselves to any nervous patient, to aid in ensuring that they feel relaxed within our surgery.

A tailor made treatment plan to incorporate all of your dental needs

At our clinic in Harley Street we choose to adopt a patient-centred dental approach, this essentially means that we appreciate each of our patients is unique, and therefore we design a custom-made treatment plan for all of them, whilst addressing any queries or concerns they may have.

At our surgery in Harley Street we believe our patients should never have to compromise on the quality of dental care they receive

At our surgery we use a superior standard of dental materials and the latest advancements within dental technology to ensure our patients achieve the best possible dental results, every time. In addition to the high quality dental materials we choose to provide, we also offer our anxious patients an extensive array of numbing, and topical anaesthetic gels to ensure they feel relaxed and pain-free when receiving their chosen treatment.

What are the benefits of receiving numbing and sedative solutions?

Many patients may feel as if their dental phobia stops them from staying on top of their dental health, which is why our team provides many solutions to work around their anxiety. Finding the right solution can help our patients view our dental environment in a better light, whilst ensuring they never have to compromise on their dental goals.

Considering paying a visit to Harley Street Dental Clinic?

If our experienced team of dental healthcare professionals and our high quality dental materials look like something that could work for your unique dental needs, then you may be wondering how to get in touch with our dental team. Located on our modern and accessible dental website we provide our new patients with our direct contact number, email address, exact geographical location, and even a ‘contact us’ option to ensure even our busiest patients can pay our clinic a visit.

Want to know more about lip fillers? 5 FAQ’s answered by our team at Harley Street Dental

It is a somewhat unfortunate truth that as we age, our skin loses its elasticity.

Caused by a natural drop in collagen and hyaluronic acid, many people begin to notice that their skin is more prone to wrinkles, fine lines, and drooping. Of course, for some people, getting old gracefully is acceptable and nothing to worry about, but if you begin to feel your confidence dropping, there are options available.

As one of the most noticeable features of the face, the skin on your lips is not free from this process. An area that was once plump and smooth, may start to sag slightly, giving a thinner appearance, along with the deepening of lines on the surface. In the past, cosmetic options to resolve this involved collagen injections, but in modern minor facial procedures, there is a faster, safer, and cheaper alternative.

While it may seem odd to attend a dental surgery for facial procedures, all dentists have advanced training in working with facial muscles and so, they are the perfect medical practitioner for the job! When you come to us for lip fillers in Harley Street you can rest assured that you will have a straightforward, non-surgical procedure that will add natural fullness to your lips, without costing a fortune. Brilliant!

Have some questions about undertaking lip fillers in Harley Street? Read on for answers to the most frequently searched questions.

What kind of filler do you use?

Simply put, the type of fillers we use for plumping lips are called dermal fillers; in other words, hyaluronic acid.

Don’t be alarmed! The lips fillers in Harley Street that we use are sterile and are derived from non-animal sources.

Are the injections uncomfortable?

In our experience, many patients report a stinging sensation when the fillers are injected. If you are worried about discomfort, our team will be more than happy to inject an anesthetic to your lips beforehand, to numb any unpleasant sensations.

How long will they last?

As we all use our lips to talk, and due to the minor muscle contractions that this area goes through on an average day, you can expect the dermal fillers to last between 6-12 months. Once the effects of the fillers begin to fade, you can come in for a top-up session to keep your lips plump.

Can the fillers be removed if I change my mind?

Of course!

If after the injections are complete you decide that the fillers are not for you, our team will inject an enzyme called hyaluronidase, which will dissolve the filler by speeding up its natural breakdown.

Are dermal fillers the same as collagen fillers?

In a word, no but both are organic compounds that are found in the sub-surface of the skin.

This is a common myth but, similar to hyaluronic acid, collagen does boost your skin’s plumpness. However, if you decide to undertake dermal filler injections, collagen around the injection site will increase, creating a longer-lasting, smoother, and plumper look.

Getting a gum lift

Some people show a little more gum than others when they smile and may feel self-conscious about it, however, this is not something you need to be concerned with for the rest of your life. We at Harley Street Dental Clinic can offer you a gum lift that will transform the look of your smile into something that you feel is more aesthetically pleasing than you have at the moment, we, your dentist in Harley Street are all about giving you the confidence you need to step forward in your life.

What causes a gummy smile?

The cause of longer gums and shorter looking teeth can be determined by your dentist in Harley Street but usually, they are caused by an excess of the soft tissue which grows over the tooth enamel making your teeth appear short and your gums longer. This extra gum tissue can be genetic or caused by certain medications or inflammation in the gum tissue.

Hyperactive lip muscles can also be a cause of showing a lot of gum when you smile; this means that the muscle beneath the nose that contract, when you smile, works a little too much and pulls the top lip too high. This is often a genetic trait but can be easily treated with muscle relaxing injections like Botox, this treatment is not a gum lift but can hide a gummy smile in these particular cases which is why it’s important for your dentist to determine what exactly is causing your problem of showing too much gum when you smile.

Poor dental development that isn’t treated in youth or as an adult can cause the upper arch to jut forward making the gums more apparent when you smile. If this is the case, your dentist will first prescribe an orthodontic treatment which will likely fix the issue before determining whether or not you need a gum lift.

The gum lift

If your problems are in fact caused by an excess of the soft gum tissue over the teeth then your dentist in Harley Street will recommend a gum lift, or gum reshaping, to treat and transform your smile. This treatment can involve one of two procedures:

Laser reshaping – for this rather straightforward and painless treatment we will use a specialised laser to reshape the gums into a more aesthetic position on your teeth to give you a smile you can feel confident about.

Surgery – in the case where your issues are a little more complicated, it may be determined that a laser just won’t be enough to help you restore a beautiful smile and we would recommend that you undergo a surgery where we remove bone and gum tissue to shape your smile into something you will be happy with.

Either of these treatments will benefit you by improving the appearance of your smile making it look more balanced, these treatments can offer you better dental health in the long run because gingivitis likes to grow beneath gums so if we can make the area for that growth less you will have a healthier smile for longer.

Want to get rid of gaps between your teeth? 5 ways composite bonding can improve your smile

Do you have a few cracked teeth in your mouth? Or do you have some gaps in between teeth that you want to have closed?

It is a somewhat common occurrence amongst dental patients to have minor gaps or cracks in their mouths; if you are a fan of contact sports, you probably have more than a few chips or cracks here and there. And, while there is nothing inherently wrong with having gaps between your teeth, it can put a bit of a dent in your confidence.

However, there are many options open to you if you want to close that gap or rebuild a tooth. While you could choose to undertake an adult brace to close gaps, this may not be feasible due to time constraints or finances. Luckily, there is a simple, cosmetic solution which can reshape and smooth your teeth, while also closing up those pesky gaps.

Far from a new concept, composite bonding in Harley Street can achieve all of the aforementioned goals and more. At Harley Street Dental, our team has used this method to improve the smiles of thousands of patients. Everything from concealing a crack to building up worn down teeth, this treatment does it all!

But what are some of the other dental issues that can be treated with composite bonding in Harley Street? Read on to find out!

Misshapen teeth

A fairly common issue which can be due to genetics or indeed injury, using composite bonding in Harley Street to reshape teeth is a popular procedure.

Our team will be able to create better symmetry in your smile by shaping your misshapen tooth to the one on the opposite side using a composite solution, without needing to shave down your tooth. Perfect!

Replace fillings

Let’s face it, metal fillings are far from aesthetically pleasing. They are also sensitive to temperature changes in the mouth, and can crack the tooth due to expansion- not great if you like drinking hot tea!

Similar to a composite filling, bonding can be used to replace metal fillings, creating a more natural-looking restoration that won’t crack under pressure.

Repairs

As mentioned before, cracks and chips are extremely common in dentistry but will need to be repaired to prevent decay and infection.

Bonding is often used in this instance by our team, as it is a painless and simple solution, with aesthetically pleasing, long-term results.

Rebuild

Another great aspect of bonding is that the composite is durable.

If you have lost part of your tooth due to injury, our team can use composite materials to rebuild your tooth in layers. This will provide you with a natural-looking tooth, that is also as sturdy as natural teeth.

Gaps

Finally, another great use of bonding is to close gaps in between teeth.

In a similar way that our team rebuilds a tooth, this will involve extending the sides of the teeth until they meet in the middle, closing the gap and preventing any future bacteria accumulation or decay.

Understanding dental implants

At Harley Street Dental Clinic, whether you need to replace a single missing tooth or row of teeth that have been lost due to wear or injury, getting dental implants is one of the best solutions to fix missing teeth, however, we also have patients who choose to replace teeth to get a better-looking smile even if those teeth are healthy. We know that dental implants in Harley Street involve some rather serious surgery and we would like to take this chance to explain it to you in detail so that you can make an informed decision when considering undergoing surgery.

If you want to change your existing teeth

Before the dental implants in Harley Street can be placed you will require that the socket where the root fits into the jaw be completely empty and cleaned out. This means that If you have a decayed, loose tooth or want to replace your natural healthy teeth a tooth extraction is first performed under local anaesthetic and once the tooth is removed, the area is cleaned out and correctly treated to be made ready for the implant.

The implant procedure

After the area has been properly prepared, your dentist will decide if you will need a bone graft, this bone graft ensures that a solid base is present for the implant to fit into; sometimes this procedure can be quite involved which means that you will have to wait for it to heal before the dental implants in Harley Street can be applied. However, if there is enough bone, to begin with, your dentist will perform the implant surgery immediately.

A dental implant is a titanium post or screw that your dentist inserts into the bone of your jaw or skull by using a special drill and other tools, once correctly inserted, the gum is stitched up and you are given a temporary denture for aesthetic purposes to cover the gap before you are sent home to heal before your next appointment. Healing time can take 2-6 months, depending on the quality of your bone, during this time, the growing bone fuses with the titanium securing it in place, making it strong enough to fit a false tooth without risking damage to the internal structure.

After a successful healing process, an abutment is connected to the implant. The dentist then creates a crown, which looks like a real tooth though it is often made of ceramic, that fits onto the abutment. This false tooth will be made to match your other teeth or give you a brand new smile.

The benefits

This surgery is a permanent solution to a missing tooth that so closely resembles a natural tooth that it makes it so very appealing to many people, not only do they look the same but they even feel similar to natural teeth and eating with these dental implants is the same as eating with natural teeth which is often a complaint among people who are fitted with dentures.

Need fast teeth whitening treatment? 5 advantages of trying Zoom at Harley Street Dental

When you want to brighten your smile, you may feel a bit like a kid in a candy store.

With many pharmacies and toothpaste brands offering whitening pastes, mouthwashes, and kits. You can easily be misled into thinking you can whiten your teeth up to 10 shades using nothing more than an electric toothbrush and a specialised toothpaste.

However, while it may be possible to whiten your smile a few shades with a store-bought toothpaste if you have deep-set stains or just have yellow looking teeth, it is likely that you will need the help of a professional to get those teeth looking their whitest! While this can seem like a daunting process if you have never had your teeth professionally whitened before, the options for professional whitening are more varied and can be tailored to lift deep-set stains, while also being gentle enough to use on sensitive teeth.

The options that our team uses for teeth whitening in Harley Street will leave you with a whiter, healthier-looking smile, without uneven colouring or discomfort. We use two different methods to whiten your smile, Zoom whitening and Enlighten; our dedicated team will choose the most suitable option for you, to leave you with an ice-white smile that you can show off every day! Now that’s a confidence boost!

What are the other advantages of teeth whitening in Harley Street? Read on to find out some of the benefits of the Zoom whitening treatment.

Fast

Many whitening treatments that are offered by dental surgeries take up to 2 weeks to whiten the teeth. With Zoom whitening, teeth whitening in Harley Street can be completed in one hour, meaning you can literally leave our surgery with a glowing smile.

Pain?

With many traditional whitening options, oxidising gels are used to lift stains off of the teeth, along with bleaches to whiten the enamel.

If your teeth are prone to sensitivity, this can be quite an uncomfortable process. With Zoom whitening, a mild beach is applied to your teeth and then a light is used to remove stains. No foaming gels, no enamel damage and most importantly, little to no discomfort.

Less exposure

When a dentist whitens your teeth using gels, your teeth and your gums are exposed to high levels of bleach, which as mentioned earlier, can cause mild erosion to the enamel. As thick enamel is needed to keep your teeth healthy, long-term, this style of whitening can be damaging.

As Zoom only uses one mild bleach, your enamel is not overexposed and will, therefore, stay healthy, even with multiple applications.

Staining

Zoom can remove even the deepest set tannin or smoking stains with ease, whitening your smile up to 15 shades in one hour! Now that’s worth smiling about!

Longevity

Another benefit of coming to Harley Street Dental for Zoom whitening? The final results are long-lasting and stain-resistant.

Once applied and with correctly practised oral hygiene, your teeth will stay their new shade of pearly white for up to 6 months!

Invisalign, perfect for public speakers

Public speaking in any form can be a nervewracking experience for some but for others its all part of the job and everyday life; YouTubers, conference key speakers, Ted talkers, politicians, comedians, judges & magistrates. Anyone who is constantly in front of an audience, we at Harley Street Dental Clinic understand that you need to look your best and if – like most – you weren’t born with a perfectly straight set of pearly whites then you will be pleased to hear that Invisalign is a wonderful solution for you.

The psychology of straight teeth

Psychological studies have been performed regarding human smiles, teeth, and the unconscious effect they have on others. It was found that people with straight teeth are perceived by others to be smarter, more successful in their careers, more attractive, have better love lives, and are also more trustworthy. Now, of course, someone with straight teeth could be none of these things, however, it is simply a social perception that we can’t get away from. So with this in mind, when you consider that the role of a public speaker could be anything from convincing a crowd to agree with their viewpoint, making people laugh or being a voice of authority, a straight set of teeth could give you an edge with the unconscious perception people make of you.

Getting straight teeth as a public speaker

If you missed the boat in your youth to get braces and straighten your teeth and you are now feeling like you need a better smile, then Invisalign is a brilliant option for you. As the name suggests, it’s virtually invisible thus allowing you to continue with your public appearances and speaking while you undergo treatment.

This treatment involves a set of clear aligners that fit over your teeth and gently nudge them into place over time, straightening them out in under a year. The aligner does not affect how you speak, as braces might, making it a good solution to fit into your lifestyle.

How it works

Invisalign is a revolutionary technology for straightening teeth and uses all the newest methods from start to finish; at your consultation appointment, a non-invasive 3D digital scan will be taken of your mouth which does not involve any gross dental goo sliding down the back of your throat. Once the quick scan is complete, a computer calculates how your teeth will shift in increments over time, and then that information is sent to a lab. The lab then creates a pack of custom clear aligners for you, each aligner is swapped out for a new one every 1-2 weeks in the comfort of your home as your teeth shift into the correct position, making this a hassle-free solution that doesn’t involve multiple trips to the dentist.

The removable aligners can be taken out for eating and cleaning on a daily basis and depending on each person’s individual case, treatment time can last 4-12 months while you are still able to focus on your public speaking career.

Invisalign for men

It is often women that are the target of having high beauty standards, but we at Harley Street Dental Clinic know that the guys are just as concerned about their appearance as their lady counterparts. With Invisalign in Harley Street, those of you men with more discerning tastes and who care for their appearance and the smile they show the world, there is no better way to complete your look. Whether you’re in the corporate world or entering the dating one, we know you need to feel confident about the first impression you give and more importantly that you achieve that striking appearance with discretion.

More emphasis on male grooming

For the last 20 years or so, male grooming has reached a higher standard than the years that came before it, from injectables to skincare, more men are pushing their aesthetic goals further than ever before, the ladies are certainly not complaining about it. So what is it that are men finding they need to enhance regarding their personal appearance? The answer is their teeth; psychology suggests that people with a stunning smile and straight teeth and are considered by others to be more attractive, have better success in their love lives and careers, and are even perceived to have better hygiene. While these certainly aren’t facts and unfortunately not always the case, the unconscious perceptions that people have when they first meet you are inescapable which is what’s leading more men to seek a solution to fix their smiles.

However, when it comes to grooming, there is a level of mystery men like to keep, it could well be argued that women are more open about what it takes to stay beautiful than men are, this may be due to the ribbing they might get from their friends but whatever the reason. Men prefer it to look like they didn’t even try and want to make it seem that they have a ‘just rolled out of bed’ perfection, without having made any effort, and this is where Invisalign in Harley Street can help you.

Clear aligners keeping your male beauty secrets

This treatment is practically invisible and is very easy to fit seamlessly into all of your activities; with a clear aligner, you can go about your life while undergoing tooth aligning therapy without anyone ever catching on.

At your first consultation, a 3D digital scan will be taken of your teeth, this can be seen on a computer which then calculates how your teeth will shift over time and how long you will need treatment for. This information is then sent to a laboratory and a set of clear aligners are custom made for you with the use of 3D printing technology.

Once the aligners have been made in the lab, the full set for the whole treatment will be sent to you. They need to be changed every 1-2 weeks, as they gently push your teeth into position. Each aligner is completely removable for eating and cleaning and with Invisalign in Harley Street, you can take control of your smile and appearance giving yourself a boost of confidence.

Dental implants for nervous and phobic patients

We at Harley Street Dental Clinic understand that even though we have created a calm and trusting environment at our practice, there are always going to be people who have fears, anxiety, and even phobias about going to the dentist, making important procedures like dental implants in Harley Street difficult or even impossible to perform on a patient that is awake. For this reason, we can offer an opportunity for such patients to get their implants done under general anaesthesia to make the experience safer and less stressful.

Dental phobias and anxiety

Phobias, though often considered irrational fears, can be quite debilitating for some people, in fact, one in four of us have a fear of going to the dentist to one degree or another and some of us may try to avoid it at all costs. Whether your anxieties are set off by needles, drills, the chair, lights, or even the dentist themselves, we know that you are genuinely afraid and would never trivialise that fear and call you irrational, because fear of the dentist often stems from the fear of pain which is a very real human fear given to us for survival. Now, in modern society where we have very high life expectancies and we no longer need to worry about pain being the difference between life and death, that ingrained fear can be difficult for some people to shake; making a trip to the dentist truly terrifying, never mind facing the procedure for dental implants in Harley Street.

Dentists today understand that each patient’s journey and experience are different and what you may not realise is that dentistry has changed over the years and is a far more pleasant experience than many may have gone through in the 20th century. But if your fear is unmanageable then we have the option to use a general anaesthetic to treat you.

The difference between local and general anaesthetic

Usually, a local anaesthetic is administered to patients who are receiving only one or two implants. This anaesthetic is injected into the area that the dentist plans to work on to numb it, so that the patient doesn’t feel any pain during the procedure. However, if you are particularly anxious or phobic your dentist may suggest that you go under a general anaesthetic. This will put you to sleep while the dentist performs the implant surgery, so you will not have to face any fears surrounding your dental treatment and can wake up with your implants in and ready to heal.

How implants work

Dental implants in Harley Street replace missing teeth in the most natural way possible. A titanium screw is placed into the jaw during minor surgery, which is then capped with a temporary bridge or tooth and left to heal for a few months. During the healing process, the jawbone grows around the implant, securing it in place in the same way a tooth’s natural root does, not only is the tooth secured, but the jaw is saved from experiencing the bone loss that may come from having a gap in the teeth.

Once the healing process is complete, customised and permanent ceramic teeth are made to attach to the implant, these take on the appearance of real teeth and are made to match your other teeth and fit your smile perfectly.

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