General Dentistry

Emergency Treatments
If you’re in pain, swelling or discomfort, broken tooth or crown, bleeding etc, and you need to see a dentist urgently, we can help you. Talk to one of our friendly Mouthpeace Dental Practice team immediately and we will make sure that you’re seen by one of our dentists as soon as possible.
If you get in touch with us about an emergency appointment, we will aim to:
See you on the same day that you contact us. Diagnose your dental problem
Discuss all treatment options with you.
Relieve you from pain.
We treat you as we would like to be treated: compassionately and with respect.
Get in touch on 01929 462269 to find out how we can help you.

Dental check ups
We recommend visiting your local dental practice for checkups at least twice a year. This will enable us to spot any problems and advise you on how to maintain good oral health as well as identify if you need to make an appointment to see our dentist for a thorough clean of your teeth.
We know that every smile is unique, and strive to nurture the important relationship between you and your dentist. Regular check ups are advised to complement a good daily oral health routine and to provide a preventative approach to dental issues.
Our dentists at Mouthpeace will take the time to understand your lifestyle, past treatments and procedures, and are able to talk through any concerns you have. We understand that a trip to the dentist can cause apprehension, so building a relationship of trust between our dentists and you can help calm nerves and put anxieties to rest.

What does a check up include?
On your first visit, a complete health history will be taken to provide us with a broad understanding of your individual needs. Your dentist may take an x-ray of your teeth. An x-ray will required to pickup early dental decay and gum disease and secondary decay under dental restorations.
At every check up, your dentist will perform a complete examination of your mouth, teeth and gums. They will examine the health of the soft tissue in your mouth (cheeks and tongue), test your gums for any signs of gum disease and remove any plaque or harmful tartar. As well as teeth cleaning and oral health analysis, your Mouthpeace Dental Practice dentist will also offer mouth cancer screening and offer advice and guidance on continued and improved dental care. A comprehensive treatment plan, together with an estimate of the costs and the appointments schedule will be presented to you.

What are the benefits of regular dental checkups?
The health of your teeth is invaluable, and prevention is what we believe in. Regular checkups give your dentist the opportunity to halt any signs of gum disease or tooth decay and work with you to keep your smile fresh and bright, now and in the future. Routinely examining your smile can identify problems early.

Dental Checkups help to
Prevent gum disease and mouth cancer
Maintain good oral health
Prevent halitosis (bad breath)
Retain your teeth
Keep a whiter, brighter smile

How often should one have a check up?
Your dentist will advise on how often you should have your teeth checked as part of your oral care routine. This will depend on your individual needs. Some people schedule a dental check up once or twice a year, while others, who may require or have undergone treatment, will need to visit more frequently. You and your dentist will discuss the most suitable frequency for general checkups and work out a date and time that suits you.

When was your last check up? Contact Mouthpeace Dental Practice in Wool, Dorset today to book your next one.

Dental Hygiene services
Our key aim is to prevent and treat gum disease, which is now one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults. By including regular professional teeth cleaning in your oral routine, you can help to prevent gum disease and tooth decay.Why do I need to have a regular hygiene appointment?Regular visits to your dentist put you in the best position for detecting any oral health problems before they become worse.  Regular tooth brushing cannot prevent scale buildup and only a dentist can get to those hard-to-reach places to provide a professional deep clean. While you will leave your hygiene appointment at Mouthpeace Dental Practice with a fresher, cleaner smile, the job is not cosmetic. A scale and polish will remove harmful plaque and deposits of tartar that, if left, can cause periodontal (gum) disease. By making a hygienist visit part of your dental care regime you can stay one step ahead and avoid becoming one of the 9 out of every 10 people who will suffer from gum disease during their life.

What happens at a hygiene appointment?
A hygiene appointment will involve an initial oral hygiene check up, followed by a ‘scaling’ procedure. This is where any build up of harmful plaque and tartar is carefully and gently removed from the surface of your teeth and around the gum line using scalers and curettes, which are specially designed tools to check & scrape away soft deposits. Hand-held mirrors help your dentist to spot those missed areas and pinpoint plaque build up. Following a good clean and analysis of overall gum health, they will give your teeth a shine and polish with a gentle polisher to remove any superficial stains.

Complete oral care
Prevention is better than cure – identifying early signs of tooth decay or gum inflammation enables your dental practitioner to address the problem swiftly. As well as a thorough scale and polish, your dentist will also provide a complete check of your overall oral health. Your  MouthPeace Dental Practitioner will get to know you and provide you with customised advice on how to maintain the best oral health, from diet to dental care.

Stain removal
Our dentists use a jet system to gently remove plaque and visible surface stains, which is suitable for everyone, even for those with sensitive teeth. This treatment works with a simple combination of three things, air, sodium bicarbonate and a jet of water. The gentle water and air pressure are used to blast away plaque, while the addition of baking soda acts as a natural pumice to remove superficial stains caused by eating and drinking or smoking. This jet cleaning system is a great alternative to chemical teeth whitening. It is less expensive to achieve your whiter, fresher smile and results are seen immediately!

Fillings
If you’ve been suffering from tooth decay, your dentist at MouthPeace Dental Practice in Dorset can fit you with a dental filling in order to restore your tooth. Left too long, tooth decay can lead to tooth extraction. Having a filling is a straightforward procedure that takes little time. If you fail to catch tooth decay complications early, you will not be eligible for a filling and will have to look into more complex procedures. Spot decay before it gets serious.

When you visit for a check-up, your Wool, Dorset based dentist will use a small dental mirror to assess the surface of your teeth, looking for signs of decay or little cracks and fissures. They will let you know as soon as they see anything that might require treatment. Remember a small filling is a lasting preventative solution that far outweighs a root canal treatment, which can be the result of extensive decay. By closing up the defect, your dentist is preventing bacteria from getting in and preserving your tooth in the least invasive way. The process is straightforward and often only requires one or two appointments at your local MouthPeace Dental practice. Once your dentist has assessed the area that requires treatment, they will clear out any decay before filling the clean cavity with a material of your choice.

What are the different types of dental fillings available?
There are a number of different materials that can be used to fill a defect/decay or perform a small repair on your tooth. Indirect fillings are those that require a couple of visits to Mouthpeace Dental Practice as the tooth is treated with a tailor made filling that has to be crafted to your needs in a dental laboratory before fitting. Direct fillings are those that can be applied in one sitting or chairside. White or tooth-coloured options prove to be the most popular of these options as they remain the quickest and most natural-looking of the options – no one can tell that you’ve had a filling.

Indirect:  Gold fillings. Gold is known for its low reactivity, meaning it is a safe substance to leave in your mouth for years. Gold fillings are also long-lasting and could stay in place well for over 20 years. However, gold fillings are also ‘indirect’, so they require manufacture in a dental laboratory and then applying to your teeth, making this one of the longer and more expensive processes. Porcelain fillings. Porcelain fillings are referred to as onlays or inlays, and are custom-made and then fitted to your teeth. They boast a similar durability to that of gold fillings but look more natural.

Direct: Composite resin (white) fillings. Composite resin is a kind of plastic that will match your natural tooth colour, making a filling less visible. The resin mixture can be placed straight into the cavity, making it a relatively quick treatment, if a little less durable than gold or silver. Should you require a dental filling, your dentist will discuss with you the different options available and best advise you on the most suitable for you and your teeth.

Root canal treatment (RCT)
If you have been experiencing severe tooth pain, it is possible that you may require root canal treatment. If your tooth has become damaged or cracked, you have tooth decay, large fillings or have recently had a trauma to the tooth, the chance of root canal procedure increases, as these scenarios all leave your tooth open to infection.

When is an RCT required?
RCT (or endodontics) is required when there is an infection deep within your tooth. The blood or nerve supply may be infected either due to an injury or a severe cavity. You may not experience any pain or discomfort during the early stages of an infection, however, if your tooth changes colour and darkens that is a sign that your tooth nerve is in danger of dying. If left untreated, this kind of infection can not only be very painful but can lead to a tooth abscess or even tooth loss.

Five signs of infection:
Serious toothache when eating, or when you put pressure on the tooth. Does it hurt when you bite down hard?
Excessively sensitive teeth. Does the sensitive pain linger after the initial contact with hot or cold foods or drinks?
Darkening of your tooth. Has your tooth changed colour? This may be a sign of the nerve dying.  
A small bump on the gum, close to the painful tooth.
Tender or swollen gums around the tooth.

Why is it called a root canal?
The visible part of your tooth, above the gum line is called the ‘crown’. Below the gum, fixing the tooth to the jaw, is the ‘root’ of your tooth. The root canal system is a network of nerves and blood vessels -dental pulp that fills a central hollow area inside the tooth and down to the roots. The dental pulp is responsible for nourishing and hydrating the tooth, as well as reacting to hot and cold. When an infection takes hold, it is this pulp which becomes inflamed, which is why it may be painful to eat or drink. Eventually a bacterial infection will cause the pulp to die. It is important to see your dentist if you are experiencing toothache, as the infection will not go away of its own accord and antibiotics cannot be used to treat a root canal infection. If left untreated, a deep infection can spread through the whole root canal system of your tooth. In this case, the pain may subside, as the infection will have removed all of the pulp.  

What does RCT involve?
Root canal treatment removes all of the infection from the tooth, before sealing the tooth to protect the damaged nerve and restore you back to good oral health. Endodontic treatment is always carried out by a specialist clinician and an anaesthetic is used to keep you comfortable through the process. When you first come into your local MouthPeace Dental practice, we will take an x-ray to assess the status of the infection. Then a local anaesthesia is administered to the area and a piece of rubber material called a ‘rubber dam’ is placed around the tooth the keep it dry and accessible throughout the procedure. Once you are fully anaesthetized, your dentist will use specially designed tools to remove the infected tissue. Once it is clear, a rubber compound is used to fill the tooth where the root canal tissue previously was. This is usually finished with a temporary filling. This is the completed stage of your first visit to the Mouthpeace Dental Practice. Following this, we create a custom made crown to fit your tooth and this is fitted at your second visit.

How do I avoid a root canal?
Root canal treatment can be avoided by practising good dental care. Regular visits to your Mouthpeace Dental Practice for check-ups mean that your dentist is in a good position to pick up on any problems you may not have noticed. They will check any current fillings or crowns for damage or cracks. By treating issues in the early stages you avoid infections and further complications that would ultimately lead to endodontic treatment. Tooth decay is one of the common reasons for root canal infections. You can keep tooth decay at bay by brushing and flossing regularly, chewing sugar-free gum between meals and reducing the amount of fizzy drinks and sugar in your diet.  If you are experiencing tooth pain, contact Mouthpeace Dental Practice at 01929 462269 today to see if you require root canal treatment.

Inlays and Onlays
At Mouthpeace Dental Practice, Wool, Dorset we can offer you porcelain inlays and onlays to help restore any teeth that require large fillings. You don’t have to compromise on aesthetics, as they offer excellent cosmetic results as well as durability and strength. Resin inlays and onlays are also available alongside porcelain, though the latter is stronger and more durable your dentist will advise on which restoration would be best suited for you.Perhaps you’ve not visited the dentist recently and since your last check up you’ve spotted some decay, or part of a tooth is noticeably suffering. Now is the time to call our Lyme Regis team to make an appointment. If decay has already set in and caused damage to the tooth, it may be that a filling is not sufficient. The next step to cover the damage and restore your tooth to its natural looking state is an onlay or inlay. Onlays and inlays bridge the gap between a small filling and the need to cover the tooth entirely with a crown, and will stop decay before it develops into something more serious.  The art of preserving your natural teeth.

When it comes to dentistry, our experts work hard to maintain and keep your teeth as healthy as possible for as long as possible. The longer you can keep your natural teeth, the better it is for your overall oral health. Inlays and onlays are a method of preserving teeth which have been attacked by decay. While crowns are an option for damaged teeth, they often require your dentist to file down or remove a little of your existing tooth, in order for the sleeve to fit nicely over the top and stay in line with your existing teeth. Onlays and inlays fit onto your teeth in a way that maintains all or most of your current tooth structure.  
Do I need an inlay or an onlay?
Larger cavities are best treated with inlays and onlays, as fillings simply won’t manage the damage. Inlays are very similar to fillings in that they close up a gap. An inlay sits inside your tooth, while an onlay is fitted to the outside of it and is usually used to build up any area of tooth damage or if your tooth has fractured. It is often the back teeth that require this kind of attention, as the surfaces of the ‘chewing’ teeth are particularly vulnerable to developing cavities.
You may also have an amalgam (silver) fillings that you would like replaced with a more natural coloured onlay or inlay. Our MouthPeace Dental Practice dentists can remove old fillings, clean out any existing decay and replace unsightly dark patches with a more natural looking treatment.
What are onlays and inlays made from?
Like fillings, inlays and onlays are usually made from porcelain or composite resin to blend naturally with the rest of your teeth and provide lasting strength and reinforcement to your otherwise damaged tooth. It is possible to get gold and amalgam inlays and onlays, however composite resin and porcelain choices make for a solution that is hardly noticeable.
How long does an onlay or inlay take to fit? Treatments will take two appointments as the carefully moulded part to replace your tooth needs to be fabricated in a dental laboratory. On your first visit, your dentist will take a mould of the tooth, which will be used to create the inlay or onlay. Your finished inlay or onlay will then be carefully fitted during your second appointment.

Do you need to book a check up? Early detection of decay is the best way to treat it. Contact MouthPeace Dental Practice  01929 462269 today to make an appointment.

Crowns
Dental crowns (caps) are customized sheaths that sit over an existing tooth to protect it from further damage, and to improve your overall smile.  Crowns can hold cracked teeth together and support bridges, and they are often applied as the final step in root canal treatment. They can also cover discoloured teeth to improve the appearance of your teeth.

Why you may need a dental crown?
A tooth crown may be required if you have a weak or damaged tooth. This ‘sheath’ fits over the exposed part of the tooth, above the gum line to effectively keep together cracked teeth and prevent further damage. It also protects a worn-down tooth from any further wear and tears. A crown may also be fitted where there has been a substantial amount of tooth decay and there is a large filling or a root canal treatment with not enough tooth left to support it. As crowns are shells, they are also used to fit over dental implants or to cover discoloured or misshapen teeth. You may need a crown if you are having a bridge fitted, as they create anchors to hold the bridge in place.

How is a dental crown fitted? 
Fitting your crown will usually involve two visits to see your MouthPeace Dental Practice dentist. The first is an assessment of the tooth and its surrounding area, including the root. This will usually require an x-ray. Occasionally a root canal may be required ahead of fitting a crown, if there is any trace of infection or inflamed tissue. The tooth underneath must be as clean and healthy as possible before the crown is fitted. If your tooth is its original size, your dentist may need to file it down to allow the cap to fit snugly in line with the rest of your jaw and not affect your bite.

Our friendly and professional dentists in Wool, Dorset take an accurate impression of your tooth to create a perfectly fitting crown that seamlessly sits alongside your existing teeth. A crown will usually take around two to three weeks to create in a dental laboratory, so before it can be fitted you will be provided with a temporary crown. This is usually made out of acrylic and is held in place with temporary cement to keep your mouth looking and feeling healthy while your crown is custom made. Local anaesthesia will be administered before your permanent crown is fully fitted. Your dentist will first remove the replacement before attaching your unique crown using permanent dental cement.

What are crowns made from?
The application of crowns is one of the longest-standing dental procedures. We can date their use back to the 5th century. Dental techniques have developed since then, and in today’s practices crowns can be made from a variety of materials:
Metal, including gold alloy and other metal-based alloys
ZirconiaPorcelain
Porcelain fused to metal (known as PFM)Porcelain fused to zirconia
Ceramic
Resin

We recommend the use of porcelain crowns, as they are durable and can be crafted to match the natural shade of your teeth.

How long will a dental crown last? 
A permanent crown can last between 5 and 15 years, depending on your habits, lifestyle and oral care routine. Teeth grinding can put pressure on a crown, leading to cracks and possible damage. If you know that you suffer from clenching or grinding, speak to your Mouthpeace Dental Practice dentist; they will be able to provide you with advice and possible solutions (such as a mouth guard) to help protect your crown and keep it looking its best into the future.
How shall I look after my crown? You can treat your crown like a normal tooth. While it does not require any particular care, remember that it acts as a sleeve over the top of your natural tooth and so decay and gum disease can still occur without a good oral health routine. Keep up regular visits to your local dental practice and remember to continue to floss around the tooth. When flossing, try to pull the floss through your teeth rather than upwards – sometimes pulling up and out can catch on your crown and contribute to wear and tear.  If you think that you require dental crowns, or would like further information on the procedure, contact Mouthpeace Dental Practice, Wool, Dorset today.

* Bridges
Dental bridges are a popular and highly successful way of restoring your smile if you’re missing one or more teeth. Living with missing teeth can affect your day-to-day confidence and your health but at Mouthpeace Dental Practice, we can help.

Why might I need a bridge?
A bridge is a replacement for one or more missing teeth. It is a good solution if you don’t have many missing teeth, or if your missing teeth are all on one side of your mouth. It is important to replace missing teeth to prevent your remaining teeth from drifting into the empty space, as well as to restore the appearance of your smile.

What is a bridge?
A bridge is made up of two or more crowns that fit teeth on either side of the gap, which serve as anchors, along with a false tooth in-between.
A bridge will support the false tooth or teeth and reduce the susceptibility of remaining teeth to decay and gum disease.

How is a bridge fitted?
Your Mouthpeace Dental Practice, dentist will examine your teeth and jaw at your first appointment to evaluate the best course of action. If you have strong enough teeth with good bone support then a bridge could be a great option to restore your smile.
An impression will be taken of your mouth, from which a plaster model will be built of your teeth and gums to enable your dentist to understand how your teeth bite together. Your teeth will then be prepared so that the bridge will fit: the teeth either side of the gap need to be reduced in size to fit the fixings and accommodate the bridge comfortably.
The second impression of your teeth is taken and used to build a bridge that looks natural and matches your mouth exactly. The bridge will be made from metal, porcelain or a combination of both, and the replacement tooth that’s fixed between your bridge will be colour-matched to the rest of your teeth. While your bridge is being made, your dentist may fit a temporary bridge or crown to protect the exposed gum and teeth.
When the bridge is ready, it will be fitted carefully at our Dental practice by your Mouthpeace Dental Practice dentist, who will make sure it is comfortable before it is fixed in place.

How do I look after my bridge?
You will need to clean your bridge and the false tooth or teeth it supports every day. Your dentist will show you how to use a bridge needle or special floss to ensure your bridge is thoroughly clean. To prevent damage, it’s best to avoid chewing hard foods and ice. By taking good care of your bridge, you can ensure it will last for many years.

Dental Veneers
If you’re unhappy with your smile, here at Mouthpeace Dental Practice Wool, we can help. We’ve been involved in many success stories when it comes to veneers, with patients being extremely satisfied and finding we have restored their confidence and their smiles. If you’re looking to improve your smile and boost your confidence, our range of treatments  including dental veneers are sure to help.

Chipped or damaged teeth, discolourations and gaps between your teeth can change the way you feel. If your self-confidence is affected by the appearance of your teeth, you may be considering dental veneers. Dental veneers are a type of cosmetic dentistry that cover your existing teeth to hide common problems with a new, whiter and brighter finish. At Mouthpeace Dental Practice Wool we can offer advice on whether dental veneers are a suitable solution and the options available to you.
You might be interested in dental veneers if:

You have chipped or broken teeth.
Your teeth are discoloured.
You have gaps between your teeth.
Your teeth have become worn down.
You have misaligned or irregularly shaped teeth.

There are two kinds of dental veneers
Porcelain veneers are long-lasting, natural looking teeth that are crafted in the finest detail to look just like natural teeth by specialist technicians in a dental laboratory. These are usually fitted in two or three appointments and require some preparation to your existing teeth, for example a small amount of your existing enamel needs to be removed in order to adhere the veneers directly to your teeth.

Composite veneers can be applied in one visit. Layers of resin are applied directly to the tooth, masking any damaged enamel, which is then sculpted to the correct shape and size to look just like natural teeth. Composite veneers are a good option if you have stained or slightly damaged teeth, such as a chipped or cracked tooth.

Dentures
A denture is a removable plate that holds a single tooth or more in place. If you have teeth missing, they can be replaced with a set of partial or complete dentures that can be removed at any time. At Wool in Dorset, our cosmetic dentists can create a custom set of comfortably fitting dentures that can resolve speech and eating difficulties.Our dentists stabilise the dentures using techniques called ‘smile in a day’ or ‘all on four’, both of which offer fixed dentures, eliminating the discomfort that can occur with removable dentures. For more information on the treatments available and for professional dentures in Dorset, contact our friendly, professional team today.

Why might I need dentures?
If you are missing several teeth or a full arch of your teeth, dentures can be used to replace the function and appearance of your natural teeth. Our specialist prosthodontists create dentures that are comfortable and natural-looking, and we will take the time in our local Lyme Regis surgery to discuss all the options with you. If you would like a removable solution to restore your smile, dentures could be ideal for you.
It is important to replace missing teeth, even if just one is missing. If left untreated, your chewing and speaking will be affected, as additional strain is put on teeth either side of the gap, and your bite can become misaligned. The missing teeth and bone can also cause your face to sag and look older, and you could end up losing further teeth.

What are the advantages of dentures?
There are a number of benefits to choosing dentures to replace your missing teeth.
You will have a full, natural-looking smile dentures are durable and long-lasting
They enable you to eat more foods and speak comfortably
They can easily be removed
They give support to any remaining teeth

How do dentures work?
There are three solutions available:
Complete dentures replace a full arch if you have lost all of your teeth. An acrylic plastic base, coloured to match your gums, with a full set of teeth usually made from resin, fits over your own gums. Your Mouthpeace Dental Practice dentist will take precise measurements of your mouth, which will be given to a dental technician who will custom-make your dentures so that they fit snugly over your gums and jawbone. Your Wool dentist will make sure your dentures are comfortable, and advise you on how to clean them and the best methods for keeping them securely in place.

Partial dentures replace one or more teeth, and are used if you still have some of your own teeth. The replacement teeth are specially created to fit the gaps you have, and to blend in with your remaining teeth. These are fixed to a metal framework that attaches to your natural teeth to hold in place.Implant retained dentures are a more permanent solution for partial or complete dentures. Denture stabilisation uses implants to secure overdentures in place. Implants are small titanium screws that are placed permanently in the jawbone and act in place of your tooth’s natural root. The implant provides a fixed, permanent anchor onto which your overdentures can be secured. Implant retained dentures offer a number of benefits over removable dentures:
They fit securely to your gums
They feel less intrusive
They look and feel like real, natural teeth
It’s easier to bite and chew with them
Implants stimulate bone growth
It can take a while to get used to your new dentures, but modern dentures are more comfortable and natural looking than ever.

How do I look after my dentures?
Dentures must be looked after as if they were your natural teeth. Plaque can develop on dentures in much the same way as it can on natural teeth, which can put you at risk of gum disease.With removable dentures, we recommend you take them out and clean them thoroughly with a soft brush. They should then be rinsed and soaked overnight in a denture cleaner.Remember to keep your mouth clean too, by gently brushing your gums and tongue with a soft brush and rising with a mouthwash.Contact Mouthpeace Dental Practice, on 01297 462 269 today to find out more about how dentures could work for you.