Our case of the month for September involves a full mouth reconstruction using dental implants and a technique called All on 4. All on 4, as the name suggests, involves replacing all of the teeth using 4 upper and 4 lower dental implants. The great advantage of this technique is that by using only 8 dental implants in total, the overall surgery is reduced thus reducing trauma to the oral cavity and there is an associated lower cost compared to traditional techniques where 6-8 implants were required for each arch. The typical case is where gum disease has severely affected the teeth health over many years thus resulting in a full mouth clearance, which was the case for our patient. Please view the before and after photographs:
 

One of our favourite techniques is the Social 6 lingual brace. This is a great technique for the cosmetic improvement of the front 4 upper or lower teeth. The brace is placed on the inside of the teeth, making this a truly INVISIBLE brace.The treatment times are often very quick, making this a short term treatment. So if you cannot stand the thought of metal train track brackets, using aligners (such as Invisalign) for 20-22 hours of the day, and you simply want to straighten your front 4 teeth, the Social 6 lingual brace could be for you. Here is a recent example of how the system works:
 

Jamie Olivier is on a crusade to reduce the sugar intake in the UK and quite rightly so! There were shocking images of children having all of their teeth extracted because of tooth decay solely due to sugar intake. This is unacceptable and should not be the case in the day and age we live in. Sugary drinks are one of the main causes, with up to 4 large tablespoons of added sugar in some well know drinks. Yes, that's right, 4 tablespoons! We are happy to provide education to all to reduce sugar consumption, eat well and adopt sound prevention regimes to prevent tooth decay. Simply call us- families, schools, sports clubs, community centres.... all are welcome.

Our case of the month for August is one involving cosmetic bonding. In this case, the edges of the central front teeth were worn, chipped and almost transparent.

Cosmetic bonding is a technique that can repair fractured, uneven, chipped and spaced teeth using a non invasive adhesive process. There is virtually no drilling required, no need for needles and no pain!

What's more is that we have recently improved our bonding process using fluid abrasion. The bond strength using fluid abrasion prior to cosmetic bonding is greatly enhanced.

Just take a look at the before and after photographs:
 

As you will be aware, dental implants are the best way to replace missing teeth. Whether you are missing one, several or all of your teeth, dental implants can help. In the past, dental implant crowns (the actual tooth replacement) was a combination of a titanium abutment (screwed into the implant) and a porcelain fused to metal crown. This was fine and provided a perfectly good, robust result. However, for front teeth especially, the aesthetics of such restorations were possibly not great. Today, we are able to provide crowns with all ceramic fittings. This is usually with a zirconium abutment and an E max crown. We can now also use a screw retained all ceramic crown, which was previously not possible. Therefore there is no metal above the gum line; greater aesthetics and no chance of a black line at the gum level. If you would like the most aesthetic dental implant restoration for your missing tooth/ teeth, contact us- we will have the solution.

Are you missing teeth? One tooth? Several teeth? All missing teeth? If so we can help. Dr Nissit Patel has over ten years experience of placing and restoring dental implants using only the best systems available. Dental implants are the best way to replace missing teeth and finding the right dentist to provide the treatment is vital. If you would like to discuss dental implant treatment with Dr Nissit Patel please do not hesitate to contact us. Tel 0207 7311162 e info@progressivedentistry.co.uk

Dental implants are widely recognised as the best alternative to natural teeth. Implants can be used for single, multiple or all missing teeth. In this article, we would like to discuss the treatment called All on 4, which is designed to replace all missing teeth. The concept is simple. If you are missing all of your teeth on the upper, lower or both jaws then 4 dental implants on the upper and lower jaws can act as the anchors to replace the missing teeth.

There is a great deal of planning involved and the treatment must be carefully thought through and planned to provide a natural, harmonious result which is functional and aesthetic. This will involve comprehensive analysis of the upper and / or lower jaws with CT scans to assess the bone quality, volume and relevant anatomical landmarks. The dental implants will be planned in accordance with your own anatomy. In most cases, we will aim to avoid bone grafting, sinus grafting or any other additional surgical procedure. This way, the treatment is as minimally invasive as possible. 

At Progressive Dentistry, we are able to provide All on 4 dental implant treatment with Dr Nissit Patel as the lead clinician. If you are interested in dental implants then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Our case of the month for July involves the restoration of severe tooth wear using the Dahl technique.

The Dahl technique is a great concept for the treatment of localised tooth wear, especially on the front teeth. The concept involves potentially a number of methods but we prefer direct bonding. For example, if the upper front teeth are worn but there is no space to restore them, we may use the Dahl concept to restore them. Direct composite restorations are placed to restore the teeth to the original anatomy and contours. This is done very carefully in accordance to occlusal planning (bite). This will cause premature contact on the new restorations and create space between the upper and lower back teeth. However, over time, this space closes and the jaw re adjusts to create contact once more. This can take a number of months. Therefore this treatment is often completely non invasive. Whereas in the past, teeth were cut down to pegs for crowns and veneers to restore tooth wear, we can now use adhesive technology to replace the lost tooth tissue.
 

As one of London's leading dental practices, we strive for the very best treatments for our patients. As such, we invest in the latest technology that can have a major benefit for our clients. We have just invested in fluid abrasion. This product will enable us to treat decay, remove old composite fillings, aid bonding, clean inside of crowns and bridges and much more WITHOUT drilling. Just imagine, no horrible noise or sensation from the dental drill! What's more, in many cases, we can do this without ANY anaesthetic. So no needles and no drilling, what could be better? Well, the technology also allows us to clean and polish teeth using the latest powder called Slyc which also de sensitises teeth. All of this fits in with our ethos of minimally invasive dentistry. 

So if you would like to benefit from the latest technology, please do not hesitate to contact us. Dental treatment does not have to be something you fear. We are here to help and provide the very best in dental care.