| Frequently Asked
Questions |
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| General
- What does the hygienist do?
- What does acupuncture do?
- Do you use metal fillings?
- I smoke. Should I be worried about
my mouth?
- I am worried about my mouth cancer
risk. Is there a test I can take?
- Should I use an electric toothbrush?
- Do you advise fluoride tablets
for children?
Orthodontics
- What's wrong with taking out teeth?
- Do you offer invisible braces?
- Do you do conventional orthodontics
on the NHS?
- What does it cost?
- What caused the problem In the first place?
- Why do my childīs teeth look so large?
- Are teeth ever actually too large for the patientīs mouth?
- Is early treatment always best?
- Can my child be treated with only removable appliances?
- What will the treatment cost?
- Do children "talk funny" with appliances in their mouth?
- When can my child take the appliances out?
- Do I need to continue to see my own dentist?
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| 1. What does the hygienist
do? |
| She will clean and remove all the deposits
from your teeth. However the most important function a hygienist performs
is to educate you to keep your mouth healthy so you don't need to
come back! |
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| 2. What does acupuncture
do? |
| It can be used for treating pain in
the teeth and jaws (especially TMJ pain) but is also extremely good
for anxious patients and those who gag very easily. It is not uncomfortable
and most patients find it quite relaxing. |
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| 3. Do you use metal
fillings? |
| In general, No, although the most recent
research indicates that metal fillings pose no health risk to the
overwhelming majority. We would use them only if there were no alternative
other than extraction. |
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| 4. I smoke. Should
I be worried about my mouth? |
| Possibly. Smoking increases the statistical
risk of tooth-loss through gum disease by 800%! It also increases
your risk of mouth cancer dramatically, especially when combined with
alcohol. |
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| 5. I am worried about
my mouth cancer risk. Is there a test I can take? |
| Yes. It is a simple mouthwash that can
detect it at a very early stage. It is more than 95% accurate and
costs about £60. |
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| 6. Should I use an
electric toothbrush? |
| Probably a good idea. We are big fans
of electric toothbrushes because they are extremely thorough, do not
allow you to brush too hard and the better ones allow you to use special
attachments to clean in between your teeth. Many have built-in timers
to tell you how long to brush. |
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| 7. Do you advise fluoride
tablets for children? |
| Generally, no. The lower incidence of
dental decay in children means the undesirable effects of too much
fluoride such as permanent staining of the teeth are not worth risking.
All cases are, of course, treated on their individual merits. |
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| 8. What's wrong with
taking out teeth? |
| It is stressful to the patient and in
the vast majority of cases a non-extraction approach will work just
as well or better and is a more holistic solution. Up to 80% of crowded
cases have an element of jaw size discrepancy (ie small jaws instead
of big teeth) so it makes sense to correct this by making more bone
before resorting to removing healthy teeth. In addition the process
of having four extractions can never be made a pleasant one. |
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| 9. Do you offer invisible
braces? |
| In general, compared to Delta Force all other fixed systems either take longer, are less accurate, or are limited in the types of tooth movement that they can produce. Of course, we continue to monitor all new developments as they become available. |
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| 10 .Do you do conventional
orthodontics on the NHS? |
| No, because our favoured system is simply
much too expensive to allow its use on the NHS. We are happy to arrange
a hospital consultation for this kind of treatment. |
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| 11. What does it cost? |
Typically:
Diagnosis £ 400 - models of your teeth, dental and head x-rays
plus analysis, treatment plan and 30 minutes case presentation.
Treatment costs approximately £ 80-85per month with an initial
£ 420 lump sum one-off payment. Total cost from £ 1750.
Average treatment time is 12 to 18 months.
High speed, high tech fixed braces are £ 1900 (upper and lower). |
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| 12. What caused the problem In the first place? |
| No one knows the exact cause of every orthodontic problem. Some causes are very evident, such as thumb sucking. Most are much more complex, However, the old cliche´ that the patient inherited daddy´s teeth and mother´s jaw is simply not correct. |
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| 13. Why do my childīs teeth look so large? |
| The teeth do not change in size once they are formed. In a normal relationship the face and jaws grow fast enough to accommodate the erupting permanent teeth. It is when this balance becomes disrupted that orthodontic problems start to occur. |
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| 14. Are teeth ever actually too large for the patientīs mouth? |
Yes.
However, this is not a common occurrence. Interestingly the teeth can also be too small for the patient´s face and jaws as well.
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| 15. Is early treatment always best? |
Not necessarily.
If the patient's problem is growth related then it certainly is wise to begin therapy early. The majority of problems fall Into this category. However, if the problem is simply “crooked teeth”, the dentist may advise you to delay treatment until all of the permanent teeth have developed into the mouth. |
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| 16. Can my child be treated with only removable appliances? |
Not usually.
Sometimes all of the permanent teeth will correctly align themselves following orthopaedic therapy. Everyone should be prepared to complete the second phase of treatment which is orthodontic therapy with fixed braces. |
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| 17. What will the treatment cost? |
In most situations the doctor can provide you with a reasonable estimate of the expenses involved.
If you have any questions regarding the fee by all means ask the doctor. |
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| 18. Do children "talk funny" with appliances in their mouth? |
| Only for a short period of time. The speech pattern will quickly adapt to the appliance when they are worn full time. |
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| 19. When can my child take the appliances out? |
| Only when eating and brushing. There are certain exceptions such as singing in a choir, but these should be discussed with the dentist. There are also certain malocclusions that it´s best to eat in the appliances. |
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| 20. Do I need to continue to see my own dentist? |
If you are referred to us by your general dentist, you must continue to see them for routine care during your orthodontics.
We will only deal with your braces and once treatment is complete, you will be returned to the care of your normal dentist. |
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