General Dentistry

Regular dental treatments are essential to maintaining your healthiest and most beautiful smile.

At Rodney George Dental, we believe in the importance of good oral hygiene and regular check-ups. We encourage all of our patients to come in and see us once every six months so that we can help to resolve oral health issues before they become more complicated.

We offer the following general dentistry services:

Check-ups and Cleans

At Rodney George Dental, we believe that preventative dentistry is essential when it comes to maintaining healthy teeth and gums in the long term. Along with good dental hygiene habits at home, regular visits to your dentist can help prevent common oral health issues, such as gum disease and tooth decay, from developing over time.

What happens at a dental check-up?

When you come in for a dental check-up, your dentist will perform a thorough examination of your teeth and gums to check for any potential issues, such as cavities, a build-up of plaque and tartar and any signs of gum disease. In order to properly examine your gums, your dentist will measure the depth of the spaces between your gums and teeth — if these spaces are deep, it may be a sign of gum disease. Besides checking your teeth and gums, your dentist will also take some time to examine your tongue, neck and throat in order to check for signs of oral cancer. In some cases, x-rays may be recommended to check for any issues that may not be detected with the naked eye.

What does a professional clean involve?

Even if you brush and floss your teeth daily, it is important that you come in for regular dental cleans. While it is possible to remove plaque from the surface of the teeth by brushing and flossing, tartar cannot be removed at home and requires a specialised process only your dentist can perform. During the cleaning process, your dentist will use a special tool known as a scaler to clean your teeth before polishing them with a paste to ensure a smooth and shiny result.

How often should you come in and see us?

We recommend that you come in and see us for a check-up and clean at least once every six months. This will give us the opportunity to pick up on any oral health issues as early as possible. By detecting and treating issues before they become serious, it is often possible to avoid complicated and expensive procedures in the future.

If your dentist picks up on an issue at your dental check-up, you don’t need to worry. The issue will be carefully explained to you and a customised treatment plan will be formulated for you based on your unique needs. We offer a wide range of treatments, including fillings and restorative procedures such as extractions, root canal therapy, crowns and bridges. Your dentist will guide you through the required steps of your recommended treatment and address any questions or concerns you might have before going ahead with the procedure. We encourage you to discuss any worries you have and to communicate openly with our team if you experience any dental anxiety — we are here to help and would love to make your experience with us as relaxed and stress-free as possible.

Fillings

One of the general dentistry services that we offer is the placement of fillings. Fillings are a common treatment for dental cavities as well as cracked and worn-down teeth. We offer a range of filling types, each of which has its own set of benefits.

What does filling treatment involve?

If your dentist recommends a filling for the treatment of a cavity or a cracked or worn-down tooth, you will need to have a local anaesthetic administered near to the affected tooth. This will numb the site of treatment and ensure that you don’t feel any pain or discomfort during the procedure. Once your dentist has administered the local anaesthetic and checked that you are not able to feel the area around the tooth, he will carefully remove the decay from your tooth. Once all the decay has been removed, the space will be thoroughly cleaned of any remaining bacteria and debris. The filling will then be placed and your dentist will finish and polish your tooth. The treatment is generally relatively quick and you can expect to have a completed filling placed within an hour or so.

What kinds of fillings are available?

Fillings can be made from a number of materials. These include gold, porcelain, silver amalgam and composite resin. At Rodney George Dental we use modern white composite fillings and glass ionomer fillings. The reason for this is because they both provide patients with a strong, natural looking filling that is made to last.

Are there any side-effects?

Once your filling has been placed and your anaesthetic has worn off, you should not feel any pain. There are, however, a few possible side effects that you might experience. These include sensitivity to pressure, as well as cold or sweet foods and drinks. This sensitivity should subside within a week or two. It is normal to experience some numbness or mild discomfort around the site of the anaesthetic injection, and these side effects should subside within a few hours following treatment.

How should you care for your teeth after getting a filling?

If you have had a permanent filling placed, you should continue with your usual oral hygiene routine — brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss daily. This will help to keep your teeth clean and healthy and help to prevent tooth decay from becoming an issue in the future.

If you have had a temporary filling placed, it is important to know that it may come out more easily than a permanent filling. To ensure that your temporary filling stays securely in your tooth, you should try and avoid chewing on the surface of the affected tooth. If you do chew on your temporary filing, do so gently and try to avoid particularly hard and chewy foods, such as nuts, popcorn, toffee and chewing gum, as these can cause damage to your filling. It is also important that your brush and floss your temporary filling as gently as possible.

If you need a filling, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to arrange an appointment. It is best to have issues like tooth decay treated as quickly as possible so don’t delay the procedure. Our team provides top quality treatment and is available to answer any questions you might have about the process. We use only the latest equipment and techniques so you can rest assured that your treatment will be pain-free and effective. We look forward to welcoming you to our practice!