You will love your new teeth
When you are faced with losing your teeth, you may feel a bit depressed and daunted. This is a body part you have lost and it’s not small thing. Also, you now face a choice between three replacement methods and if you have only just lost your tooth or teeth, you may not yet know how bridges, dentures and dental implants in St John’s Wood vary.
When you come to us at Aura Dental, we can talk you through the differences between these three methods. Here, we are focussing on dental implants in St John’s Wood because these are the most recent way to replace teeth and they offer the best functionality in terms of being able to eat and speak properly. They also last longest and preserve the health of your face, jaw and mouth better.
It’s all about root replacement
Replacement teeth are only as good as their stability, which natural teeth get from having roots embedded into the jawbone. Different replacement methods have different ways of gaining stability: dentures rely on suction to the gums; bridges use the neighbouring healthy teeth; and dental implants are artificial tooth roots that are inserted into channels that are drilled into the jawbone.
Dental implants in St John’s Wood are made from titanium, a miraculous metal that bonds with the body’s natural tissues. The jawbone grows blood vessels and bone tissue around the implant. It takes about a couple of months for bone and implant to integrate so that the replacement tooth becomes as stable and secure as the original natural tooth.
Chewing power
This makes all the difference to what you can do with your new teeth. Dentures only offer about a quarter of the original chewing power of your teeth, and this lessens over time as the gums and jawbone naturally recede. With dental implants in St John’s Wood, you can continue to eat whatever you like, however crunchy or chewy it may be.
Lasting power
Dental implants can last for the rest of your life as long as you take good care of them, brushing and flossing twice daily, and making regular visits to the hygienist.
Get that smile, the discreet way
There aren’t many people who wouldn’t like to have a lovely smile full of straight teeth. Smiles are worth investing in because they are so important in our daily interactions with those we love, those we work with and those we encounter briefly and may never see again. When a smile is in good working order, it’s a pleasure to behold and to use. Getting a great smile by having your teeth straightened can feel like something of an ordeal, and the idea of the hassle and inconvenience that comes with braces may be putting you off getting your smile upgraded. If that’s the case, you’re going to love Invisalign in St John’s Wood.
If you’ve never heard of Invisalign in St John’s Wood, then you need to pop into see us at Aura Dental. We are an accredited provider of Invisalign, a great way to discreetly straighten teeth without the hassle of having brackets and wires fixed to your teeth.
What do they look like?
Instead of brackets and wires, Invisalign in St John’s Wood is made up of aligners that look more like very thin plastic mouth guards moulded to the teeth, hugging them so tightly that, once they are snapped on, they are pretty much impossible to see.
How do they work?
Instead of one device, you receive a series of aligners. Each one has pressure points carefully designed into it and these press on your teeth. You start at aligner number one and work your way through them, changing each one for the next when that feeling of pressure wears off, which takes 7-10 days. How many aligners you will need to wear depends on the severity and complexity of your alignment issues.
Cleaning and eating
You take your aligners out to clean them, and also whenever you consume anything other than plain water. This means you can continue to eat whatever you like. You need to wear them for at least 20 hours a day.
After completion
Treatment with Invisalign in St John’s Wood takes, on average, a year and afterwards you will need to wear a retainer to keep your teeth in their new positions while they settle in.
Retainers: the final phase of teeth straightening
If you are thinking about getting braces in St John’s Wood, you are probably mostly concerned with how you are going to look while the braces are on your teeth, and you are already looking forward to the day that the braces come off and your lovely straight teeth are there looking marvellous for the whole world to admire.
But, hang on a minute. It’s not quite as simple as that. Once you have been through treatment with braces in St John’s Wood with us at Aura Dental, there is another phase. This phase is when you need to wear a retainer.
What is a retainer?
A retainer is a device that holds the teeth in place once they have reached their final position during treatment with braces in St John’s Wood. You need to wear it on your teeth for some time after treatment ends, possibly even the rest of your life. Your teeth will naturally want to return to the position they were in before braces, you see.
Bonded retainer
A bonded retainer is fixed to the insides of your teeth, so no one will be able to see it. The bonding is very strong and only we will be able to remove it. So, if you are not so great at being disciplined about such things, this is probably the retainer for you.
Essix retainer
This is more like a mouth guard, being a very thin sheet of plastic that is heated and sucked down over a plaster-cast of your newly straightened teeth. Once it has hardened the edges are cut away and this becomes your new retainer, which you wear at night. Patients using Invisalign will probably opt for this kind of retainer, and, in fact, Align Technology, the makers of Invisalign, do their own version of an Essix retainer, called a Vivera retainer.
Ask us about retainers
If you are planning on getting braces in St John’s Wood with us, you can ask us all about retainers when you have your consultation appointment. We will be happy to answer all your questions and can even show you examples of retainers.
Is Invisalign in St John’s Wood the right option for me?
If your dentist has recommended teeth straightening or you are looking to improve your smile, you will be pleased to find out that you have several choices available. For a long time, the most common type of teeth straightening was metal braces, which albeit effective, were considered bulky and unattractive. However, dentistry has evolved and you can now take advantage of more discreet straightening treatments like Invisalign.
If you are ready to explore your teeth straightening options and restore your smile, you may be wondering if Invisalign in St John’s Wood is the right option for you. At Aura Dental, we are here to examine your teeth and help you decide whether Invisalign can help you overcome your tooth alignment problems. Using the latest technology, Invisalign in St John’s Wood corrects the vast majority of problems you might experience with your teeth.
How does Invisalign work?
Instead of using metal brackets and wires, Invisalign consists of a series of clear, plastic, removable aligners. These aligners are customised to apply gentle pressure to gradually align your teeth into their correct position. Aligners have to be worn at least 22 hours per day in order to achieve the best results; however, they can easily be removed for eating, brushing, and flossing your teeth.
Who is a good candidate for Invisalign?
If you can have metal braces, then it is quite likely that you can also have Invisalign. However, Invisalign requires patient compliance in order to be successful and this makes it a better option for responsible teenagers and adults who are committed to their treatment. Depending on the severity of your problem, Invisalign can correct gapped, crooked, crowded and misaligned teeth as well as overbites, underbites, crossbites and relapses from previous teeth straightening work.
Is Invisalign the right treatment for me?
Visiting your dentist is the best way to determine if this treatment suits your dental needs. Your dentist will take x-rays and photos of your teeth and perform a thorough examination. While Invisalign does work well for most patients, if it is not right for your individual needs, there will be other treatment options available to reach your goals.
Who makes a good candidate for dental implants in St John’s Wood?
Any adult over the age of 21 is suitable for dental implants so long as the jaw has finished growing. Whilst missing teeth are a pretty common occurrence amongst adult of all ages, whether the tooth loss was due to an injury, sporting event or poor dental care, the effects can be more harmful than many may think. Most patients know that having gaps in your smile can of course have a negative impact on your self-esteem and social life but what is less known is that missing teeth, that are not replaced can cause the bone in your jaw to deteriorate and ultimately alter the shape of your face.
Replacing a missing tooth within the first few months, instead of waiting for several months or years, can prevent extensive and expensive treatment later in life. At Aura Dental, our patients find dental implants in St John’s Wood a worthwhile investment as they are one of the most successful procedures available to replace a missing too and hold long-lasting results.
How do dental implants work?
A dental implant replaces your missing tooth’s root structure which then has a crown added which helps you chew and speak properly. An implant is a small titanium screw which is surgically fixed beneath the gum line in the jawbone, these are then restored with the replacement teeth after a healing period of several months. Dental implants are more effective compared to other tooth replacement options, because they do not simply sit on the gums – they interact with the jawbone, prevent its deterioration and promote the generation of healthy bone tissue.
Am I a good candidate for dental implants?
In general, most people are good candidates for dental implants in St John’s Wood. However, since dental implants fuse with the jawbone in order to stabilise replacement teeth, adequate bone density and quality is one of the most important requirements for their success.
Children cannot have dental implants since their jawbone has not sufficiently developed and bone grafts or mini implants are sometimes considered for patients who do not have enough bone tissue; however, modern implant techniques allow patients to have dental implants even if they are suffering from extensive bone loss.
If you are pregnant, or a smoker, dental implants may not be for you and patients who tend to grind and clench their teeth, different tooth restoration options will be discussed with Aura Dentals specialists. Finally, patients with diabetes and heart disease can still have dental implants in St John’s Wood as long as their condition is under control.
In any case, candidacy for dental implants should be considered on an individual basis with the Aura team.
Have a lovely smile for longer
Did you know that when you invest in getting your teeth straightened with braces in St John’s Wood at Aura Dental, you are not just investing in having a smile to be proud of, you are also investing in the long-term health of your teeth?
Dentistry’s main focus nowadays is for you to keep your natural teeth for as long as possible, and one way to do this is to make sure they line up as well as possible. There are two main reasons for this. One is to do with wear and tear, and the other is to do with gum disease and decay.
Wear and tear
When your teeth don’t line up evenly along your jawbone, it means that when you chew, some of your teeth are going to have to take the brunt of the pressure. If only a few on each jaw are doing all the chewing, where pressures can reach up to 97kg or 200lbs, they will probably crumble away in mid-life. When that happens, it will compromise the rest of your teeth, which can then move around in your jawbone, tip into the gap left by the crumbled teeth, and even fall out. Investing in braces in St John’s Wood can prevent this and save you money in the long-term.
Decay and gum disease
Both of these common problems are caused by the build-up of plaque, a sticky film of bacteria that occurs naturally in the mouth. The bacteria feed on sugars in the mouth, proliferate and give off acids. These acids eat away at your tooth enamel, and irritate the gums, hence decay and gum disease. The only way to get rid of plaque is to physically remove it with brushing, flossing, mouthwashes and scraping. It is even harder to get rid of if it is building up in nooks and crannies between wonky teeth. Straighten them out and you have a much higher chance of avoiding tooth loss due to decay and gum disease.
At Aura Dental, we have great braces systems, including the innovative Invisalign system. To find out if Invisalign is right for you, why not come in for a consultation for braces in St John’s Wood?
Aura Dental: big fans of Invisalign
At Aura Dental, we offer a number of different systems to get your teeth straightened here at our practice in St John’s Wood. Invisalign is one of our favourites and we’d like to tell you why.
Thinking outside the braces
We love the history of Invisalign. It was created by a young student at Stanford University. He’d just had his teeth straightened and was wearing his mouth guard-style retainer. Lying on his bed with his retainer in, he wished his whole straightening system had been as easy to use as his retainer. He got together with dentistry students and found a way to make this work.
3D printing
At Aura Dental, we love the digital age. We still don’t quite understand how 3D printing works, but we know that one of the great products that would not be available without it is Invisalign in St John’s Wood.
Eat what you like
No one likes being told that they can’t eat this and they can’t eat that. And yet, with bracket and wire braces there are often limits on what foods can be consumed. This is because the delicate brackets and wires might be damaged, or bits of food, like nuts or gloopy nut butters, might get stuck under the brace. Not so with Invisalign in St John’s Wood. These little beauties come out when you eat, so you can eat what you like, and just give your teeth a good brush before putting your aligners back in. Piece of cake, so to speak.
Invisibility
This is such a big plus! Invisalign aligners are made of 0.3 millimetre thick, transparent rigid plastic. They are printed to measurements taken with a handheld scanner that recreates your jaws and teeth in minute detail digitally (we can show it to you on the screen). The aligners hug your teeth like a second skin and as long as you take care not to discolour them, no one will be able to spot them once they are in place.
If you think you like the sound of Invisalign in St John’s Wood, why not come in for a consultation?
New teeth, new life
When you start to lose your teeth, your life can diminish in scope. You may not notice it with the first tooth, but slowly, as more fall out or have to be removed, you will find that it becomes harder to chew and your diet becomes restricted. If the teeth are coming out of the front of your mouth, you will find that you don’t smile and laugh like you used to, for fear of showing your awful gappy mouth to people and offending them.
Gaps may not have mattered a few decades ago, but these days, perfect teeth are the order of the day. And with standards like that to live up to, it’s easier to stay tight lipped and perhaps get a little bit depressed because you’re not laughing enough. If you want a new life with new teeth that do a good job of eating, then you need to seriously consider getting dental implants in St John’s Wood.
In St John’s Wood, dental implants are becoming the go-to tooth replacement method for our patients at Aura Dental. They love how these modern day artificial teeth do such a good job that once they are in and integrated to the jawbone, beyond diligent twice-daily brushing and flossing, they can pretty much forget about them.
Dental implants are so much easier to look after than dentures, with all that adhesive and overnight soaking, and the fear that they might break. All you have to worry about with dental implants, is keeping plaque at bay, so that you don’t develop gum disease.
Either? Or? How about both?
You may be one of the many people who already have dentures, or can’t afford dental implants and so have to choose dentures. If so, there’s a wonderful compromise technique called denture stabilisation. This uses mini dental implants to hold the dentures in place so that you don’t have to worry about them wobbling around on your gums. The dentures continue to be removable, and we recommend you continue to soak them overnight to give your gums a rest, but otherwise, you get all the advantages of dental implants in St John’s Wood at much less expense.
Secret smiles
The trouble with getting your teeth fixed has always been that there’s no hiding that you are having treatment. That’s not so bad at school, where every third kid is wandering around with entire railway systems on their teeth, but in the work place it looks a bit odd. So odd, that colleagues or customers may find it hard not to stare, and the nosier ones will just have to ask all sorts of personal questions, distracting you from doing your job.
If that’s the kind of scenario that puts you off getting braces in St John’s Wood, then you need to come and see us at Aura Dental to find out about some modern systems that can straighten your teeth with so much discretion that people may never even know you are having treatment.
Take Invisalign for example. This system is specifically designed to be almost impossible to spot, once it is in place on your teeth.
Invisible Invisalign
Invisalign braces in St John’s Wood are not really even braces, in that there are no brackets and wires fixed onto the fronts of your teeth. Instead, you receive a series of very thin clear plastic mouth guard-like aligners. These snap on over your teeth, and are held in place by discreet brackets on your back teeth. Each aligner has carefully positioned pressure points that, over the series, nudge your teeth into position. You wear each aligner for a week to 10 days and when the pressure has worn off, it’s time to move on to the next one.
Removable Invisalign
As well as being almost invisible, Invisalign braces in St John’s Wood are removable. You take them out every time you want to eat something, or drink anything other than plain water. If you don’t, whatever you consume will discolour the plastic. All you have to do is brush your teeth well, after you’ve eaten and then put the aligner back in. You’ll find yourself cutting out mindless snacking and endless cups of coffee and you may even retrain your eating habits over the year, on average, that it takes to complete treatment with Invisalign.
Straightening your teeth with Invisalign in St John’s Wood
Teeth straightening has been evolving due to the surge in demand for adult treatments in recent years. Innovations stemming from technological advances and new, modern materials being readily available have made straightening your teeth quicker, easier and simpler than ever.
One that stands out from the rest here at Aura Dental is Invisalign. In St John’s Wood Invisalign can straighten your teeth without anyone even noticing you’re having treatment. It is considered cosmetic due to its limited adjustment capacity but can still have transformative effects.
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign is teeth straightening treatment that uses a series of clear aligners that look like transparent mouth guards. These braces fit snugly over your teeth. You wear each aligner for one to two weeks, until your teeth have shifted in position, then you move onto the next one. This process is repeated until your teeth reach the desired end point.
Invisalign is much easier to live with than traditional forms of teeth straightening. The aligners are removable, making meal times no hassle at all. It’s even easy to clean your teeth. You simply stick to your usual dental hygiene routine, as prescribed by your dentist. And if you really want to make sure no one can see you are having treatment, you can even take them out for an hour or two, for a special occasion.
Invisalign vs. traditional braces
Invisalign has many advantages over traditional braces. Many adults are put off seeking teeth straightening treatments due to their unsightly appearance.
In recent years ‘train track’ braces have been made less conspicuous with clear and tooth-coloured materials, but they still can’t be called invisible -Invisalign is. Most people won’t notice you’re having treatment, unless you tell them.
Invisalign aligners are custom-made from a smooth plastic that fits around your teeth much more comfortably than traditional braces. Many people with traditional braces complain of discomfort, sometimes to the point of having to be prescribed painkillers. This doesn’t happen with Invisalign aligners.
Find out more
If you’re looking for a modern alternative to traditional braces, Invisalign in St John’s Wood could be the treatment for you. Call into our surgery today and chat to our dedicated clinical staff about the treatment options.
