We recommend that our patients visit the dentist at least twice per year, to ensure optimal oral health. One of these visits would be with the dentist to check your teeth, gums and mouth, and the other appointment would generally be with the hygienist to clean and polish your teeth, talk to you about caring for your teeth and gums and your oral healthcare routine at home.
We encourage early and regular dental visits to develop a relationship with our young patients. We closely monitor growth and development of the jaws, allowing for early intervention if necessary to simplify future orthodontic problems. We monitor oral hygiene and diet and place fissure sealants at the appropriate stages. We believe in having a long term commitment to our patients so there is only a nominal charge for childrens check ups and fissure sealants
A Scale and Polish is the cleaning of your teeth, both above and below the gums where your toothbrush is unable to reach. Scaling refers to the removal of plaque, which is the white or yellow hard deposits that can build up on your teeth, or under the gum line and is not removable by routine brushing. The polishing refers to the removal of staining from the teeth using a high speed brush. Scale and polish can be provided by either the dentists or the hygienists depending on patient preference. We also offer polishing using air abrasion in suitable cases.
Dental Hygienists are an important member of the oral healthcare team who work with your dentist to make your smile the best it can be. The Dental Hygienist works with preventive and therapeutic procedures aimed to prevent and/or control gum disease and tooth decay. The Hygienist provides oral healthcare advice and procedures such as scaling, polishing, placement of fissure sealants, X-ray and administering of local anaesthetic.
At Kinsale Dental we offer our patients a choice of silver amalgam or white ceramic fillings. The huge benefit of white fillings is the ability to match the restored tooth to the other teeth in the mouth, making the filling invisible to the human eye, and much less noticeable.
Root canal therapy is a treatment used to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or infected. A root canal procedure is performed when the nerve of the tooth becomes infected or the pulp becomes damaged. During a root canal procedure, the nerve and pulp are removed, and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed. Root canal procedures have the reputation of being painful, although most people say that the procedure itself is no more painful than having a filling placed. We are able to offer our nervous patients a sedation service if required, which can help to overcome their fear and make the treatment more manageable.
The most common method of Gum Treatment performed by our general dentists is called Scaling and Root Planing. This is a deep-cleaning, nonsurgical procedure, done under a local anesthetic, whereby plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line are scraped away (scaling) and rough spots on the tooth root are made smooth (planing). Smoothing the rough spots removes bacteria and provides a clean surface for the gums to reattach to the teeth. Scaling and root planing is done if your dentist or periodontist determines that you have plaque and tartar under the gums that needs to be removed.
Fissure sealants are a safe and painless way of protecting your children’s teeth from tooth decay. It is a plastic coating which covers the chewing surfaces of the back adult teeth. The sealant forms a hard shield that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the tiny grooves in the teeth. Most tooth decay in children occurs in the back teeth. It is quick and straight forward taking only a few minutes per tooth. A dentist or dental hygienist will clean and prepare the tooth with a special solution which is then dried with air. The liquid is then applied and set hard using a special light. Most patients report that the treatment is virtually pain-free.
We will always try and save your tooth whenever possible, unfortunately though in some cases, it is just not practical. There are two main reasons that teeth are removed from the mouth, firstly when the tooth is damaged beyond repair, and secondly in situations where the tooth is causing discomfort or is responsible for misaligning other teeth in the mouth. For example patients who are receiving orthodontic treatment may have a tooth extracted to facilitate more effective alignment of the teeth. Any extraction that is performed, is carried out under a local anaesthetic to make it as comfortable and pain-free for the patient as possible.
When a tooth is cracked, decayed, or damaged, a crown may need to be fitted onto the tooth. A crown is a permanent covering that fits over the original tooth. Crowns can be made of porcelain, gold and other metals, acrylic resin, or a mix of these materials. Porcelain crowns typically have the most realistic appearance. Crowns can whiten, reshape, and realign existing teeth, adding to a bright, healthy smile.
A bridge is used to fill the space where a tooth has fallen out or been removed. A typical bridge consists of a pontic (a filler tooth) that is attached to two surrounding abutments (crowns). Once complete, this bridge structure is bonded into the mouth. Without the use of a bridge, spaces in the mouth from missing teeth can cause multiple teeth to shift, lead to occlusion (biting) and/or jaw problems and spur periodontal disease.
Dentures are a common restorative device used to replace missing teeth for people with no teeth. They can also be used in mouths where several teeth need to be replaced. These types of dentures are called partials and are also a popular alternative to those who wish to conserve existing healthy teeth. Dentures allow for the ability to chew and bite properly, and prevent a sagging facial appearance.