Never has it been so easy and so important to have a great smile. Your smile is your number one fashion accessory, in use all day, every day. It’s also your most important non-verbal tool of communication. You will get far more wear out of your smile than that new ultra-expensive handbag, and you will reach more people with it than with the latest version of your phone.

Why not invest some time and money in one of the things you will wear all day, every day for the rest of your life: your smile. Here at Smilecraft, your dentist in Stevenage, we have a great range of tried and tested treatments to upgrade every aspect of your smile.

Whether you are unhappy with your smile in general, or there’s just one tiny imperfection that’s been niggling at you for years, we can find the treatment for you. And, if you aren’t quite sure what you need, you can come in for a consultation with the dentist in Stevenage. We can put together a package of cosmetic treatments that will turn your smile into a thing of beauty that harmonises with your mouth and face. Just ask for a smile makeover consultation when you call.

Colour change

Having white teeth is important these days. And yet, we also consume plenty of things that stain. If you like coffee, tea, red wine or berries, they will be leaving traces of pigment in your enamel. We can lift the stains out and lighten your enamel colour with teeth whitening treatments, either in the clinic or as a take-home kit.

Minor imperfections

Veneers and cosmetic bonding cover over imperfections such as worn edges, tiny gaps, slight misalignments and discolourations that don’t respond to whitening. Veneers are made of dental porcelain, and cosmetic bonding is done using composite resin. Both are robust materials that can last for a decade if you take good care of them.

Hidden history

Hide away your history of tooth decay with white fillings instead of amalgam. White fillings use composite resin and can be sculpted to give you back your chewing surfaces.

Want to know more? Why not give the dentist in Stevenage a call?

Many of us only visit the dentist in Stevenage when we need a check-up or specific treatment. A lot of the time, this means we don’t bother to investigate what else the dentist can do for us. At Smilecraft Dental Care, we can help with all sorts of things, from jaw joint problems to pain-free dentistry with The Wand. 

Snoring

You might not be aware, but your dentist in Stevenage can help with snoring problems. If your partner’s snoring is seriously disrupting your sleep, try to persuade them to come and talk to us. Or maybe sleep apnoea is disturbing your sleep, making you tired and irritable during the day. Custom-made mouthpieces can help with these problems by holding the bottom jaw in a slightly forward position. This helps to open up the airway, allowing clear breathing and a better night’s sleep.

Jaw joint problems

Do you wake up with a headache, a stiff or aching jaw, or even neck or shoulder pain? It could be caused by a problem with your temporomandibular joint. This joint, connecting the lower jaw and the skull, can cause pain and discomfort if there is a problem. This can be caused by a misalignment of the jaws, which can be treated with an appliance you wear at night.

Painless injections with The Wand

If you, like many people, feel nervous about getting an anaesthetic injection at the dentist in Stevenage, then have no fear. We can now offer our patients The Wand – an innovative system to deliver anaesthetic without the anxiety of an old-fashioned injection. The computer unit and hand-held wand don’t even look anything like a syringe. When you have an injection, it is the sudden rush of liquid into a confined area that causes the ‘bee-sting’ discomfort. With The Wand, the anaesthetic is delivered slowly and smoothly, eliminating the pain.

Mouth cancer screening?

Did you know that we screen you for mouth cancer when you come in for a check-up? The dentist checks your mouth for any lumps or lesions that could be signs of cancer. Early detection gives you a greater chance of successful treatment.

Not many of us get to the end of our lives with all our natural teeth intact, so it’s good to know that at the dentist in Stevenage there are ways to replace teeth to suit every situation and every budget.

Some of us get teeth knocked out in an accident, often sports-related, when we have decades more chewing to do. Others lose teeth in mid-life as they crumble away from years of night-time tooth grinding. Others lose them in later life as the fight against gum disease is lost. Whichever way you are losing your teeth, it’s a distressing experience, and it’s time now to focus on how to replace them.

Dentures

You can get dentures whether you have lost some or all of your teeth. This method of tooth replacement features crowns attached to a hard-wearing material. If you have lost all your teeth, the denture stays in place by adhering to your gums. If you need to replace only some of your teeth, the crowns are fitted to a plate that rests behind your remaining teeth. Dentures take a bit of getting used to and you have to be careful to keep them clean.

Fixed bridgework

The dentist in Stevenage can use fixed bridgework to replace one or more teeth in a row. It is called a bridge because it is fixed to the teeth on either side of the gap for support. These 2 teeth are ground down and buttress crowns go over them. The bridge is usually made of a precious metal and coloured to blend in with your teeth.

As with dentures, you need to take good care to keep the bridge clean so that you don’t get bad breath or gum disease.

Dental implants

Dental implants are now most people’s first choice when they come to the dentist in Stevenage to replace lost teeth. Dental implants replace the tooth roots with screws or posts that are inserted into the jaw for stability. One implant can support up to 3 crowns on a bridge. They can also be used to make dentures more stable.

Need more information? Come on in for a chat.

Have you ever thought about replacing your amalgam fillings with white fillings? Getting white fillings is on many people’s dental ‘to do’ list for a few good reasons. Here at Smilecraft, we love seeing the change in how teeth look once all that grey has been removed and replaced with something that blends in with the teeth.

Colour

Many patients are increasingly concerned with having a smile that looks great, and so having white fillings becomes a natural part of that. You can either have white fillings put in when you have a new cavity, or you can get old amalgam fillings replaced. The dentist in Stevenage can replace them individually as old fillings begin to fail, or as a job lot in a couple of appointments.

Decay

One problem with amalgam fillings is that, although we pack the cavity tightly, there is no seal around the edge of it. This means that there is always the chance that decay-causing bacteria can get in underneath the filling and cause more decay. White fillings, on the other hand, are bonded to the tooth, so there is no chance of bacteria getting in.

Strength

Amalgam fillings require more healthy tooth material to be removed. This can put stresses on the tooth and cause it to crack. The dentist in Stevenage does not need to remove so much healthy tooth material when white fillings are used, so the sides of the tooth are stronger.

Chewing

Another big plus with white fillings from the dentist in Stevenage is that we can give you back your chewing surfaces. White fillings are built up in layers, with each layer being cured with a UV light before the next one is put in. When the final layer is in and hardened, we can sculpt the surface of the filling to recreate the mounds and valleys of the chewing surface. This makes the filling more realistic and gives you back full chewing ability.

Cost

Sadly, white fillings are not available on the NHS. The price for a filling depends on its size and starts at £109. However, we do offer payment plans which offer an affordable way to pay for your treatments.

Taking your children to the dentist for regular hygiene appointments creates a lifelong positive relationship between them and their dental health. However, if your child is facing more extensive treatment, involving possible injections, you and they may be feeling anxious.

At Smilecraft we have invested in the latest technology in anaesthesia application. Instead of an injection we now use a wand. The wand is an evolution of the syringe, allowing for greater accuracy and ease of use. The wand is similar to a pen and can be used to apply a small amount of anaesthesia to a localised area. Our dentists are able to work in a much more relaxed manner as they can use the wand in a refined way, allowing for precision during treatments.

Some patients, when they have received an injection from the wand, are not aware that it has occurred, commenting “Has it happened yet?”. You can imagine the impact this has on nervous patients, especially if they are frightened of needles. This approach reduces anxiety and allows for greater relaxation. In addition, for children it removes any possibility of having a difficult experience. Your dentist in Stevenage is now even more child friendly.

No more numb mouth

Thanks to the precision of application, only the area that is being worked on will be numbed. If you have had injections previously, part of the difficulty of receiving treatment is the numb mouth and tongue afterwards. This numbing can make eating difficult and patients sometimes need to take time of from work. Equally, if a child has an injection that leads to this numbing, the whole process can feel more invasive and traumatic. Thanks to the localised application, any patient, including your child will leave their dentist in Stevenage, with full feeling in their mouth, lips and tongue.

Finding the latest technologies and techniques that can improve patient experience is at the heart of our practice at Smilecraft, bringing innovation to preventative dentistry through to restoration of your smile. Although our dentists may not be wearing pointy hats and long grey coats, they are nonetheless wielding a wand, whilst looking after you and your family’s oral wellbeing.

If you run your tongue over your teeth before you brush them, chances are that you will feel a thin film attached on the surface of your teeth. This film is known as plaque and can cause many problems if it turns into tartar, a calciferous mineral that can lead to many oral health problems.

At Smilecraft, we advise our patients to book frequent visits to the dentist in Stevenage in order to have plaque and tartar professionally removed from the teeth. Even if someone brushes and flosses regularly, chances are that plaque deposits are still in-between their teeth and gums.

What is plaque?

Plaque consists of bacteria and food remains that form a film over the teeth after a meal. Over time, plaque hardens into a substance known as tartar and is gradually deposited in the teeth and gums. If you fail to remove plaque day by day with brushing and flossing, chances are that you will soon experience gum disease and/or tooth decay. However, brushing and flossing on their own are not enough – you should also visit the dentist in Stevenage. They have all the right tools to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth before it’s too late.

Removing plaque

Ideally, you want to have plaque removed from your teeth and gums, before it turns into a problem. Brushing and flossing your teeth daily will help keep plaque at bay to a certain extent and will prevent it from turning into tartar. However, some areas in the mouth are hard to reach and plaque likes to hide in these places. Your dentist in Stevenage has all the right tools to clean your teeth thoroughly and prevent plaque from creating problems.

Protection against plaque

Fortunately, there are ways to protect against plaque without having to visit the dentist in Stevenage all the time. Plaque is at its most vulnerable state a few hours after eating. Always brush and floss your teeth. Ideally, you should also use an antibacterial mouthwash. Even if you are a great brusher and flosser, you will still need to see your dentist from time to time. The standard number of cleanings is 2 per year, yet some people produce more plaque than others.

Spring is here and you may be wondering if it’s time to see the dentist for your routine check-up and cleaning. If your last visit to the dentist was more than 6 months ago, or if you don’t remember when you last sat in the dentist’s chair, then it’s time to schedule an appointment with your dentist in Stevenage.

At Smilecraft, we are excited to help you prepare your smile for the spring and give you more reasons to show your teeth proudly. Whether you are looking for a general check-up or cleaning, or you are wondering if it is time to explore your cosmetic dentistry options, we are here to help.

Advantages of visiting the dentist regularly

Studies have shown that people who visit the dentist at least twice a year, are less likely to develop gum disease or tooth decay. Similarly, patients who don’t avoid the dentist are less likely to suffer from general diseases linked to bad oral hygiene such as diabetes or heart disease. Patients with these conditions should visit the dentist in Stevenage more than twice a year, since symptoms of oral infection can be invisible.

Visiting your dentist in Stevenage at the beginning of the spring will take away your smile-related worries and help you remain in the path of great oral health.

What to expect during your check-up

At Smilecraft we prioritise prevention and for this reason, we examine our patients’ teeth, gums and mouth thoroughly during their check-up. In some cases, we may even take x-rays to determine the cause of an infection or see through the gums thoroughly. Moreover, we provide screenings for oral cancer, especially to patients who are at risk of developing it.

How to know when to visit the dentist in Stevenage

If you suffer from a toothache, see blood in the sink every time you brush your teeth, or your teeth have suddenly become sensitive to hot and cold foods and beverages, then it’s time to arrange a dental appointment at our practice. If you are interested in greeting the springtime with a healthy and beautiful smile, contact us today.