Tooth Decay 

Tooth decay is a bacterial infection and begins with the dissolution of tooth enamel as a result of an acidic oral environment. If necessary precautions are not taken, it continues until a cavity is formed. The acidic environment is caused by the interaction of bacteria in the mouth with food residues or by consuming acidic foods and drinks. If a decayed tooth is not treated in time, it can affect other teeth.

Simple Precautions for the Protection of Oral and Dental Health

Prevention of tooth decay depends on paying attention to oral hygiene and neutralizing the acidic oral environment during the day.

• Teeth should be brushed at least twice a day for 2-3 minutes. When brushing, not only the front areas but all surfaces of the teeth should be brushed. Finally, the tongue should also be brushed to remove bacterial plaque on the tongue.
• Dental floss should be used for cleaning the interfaces that the toothbrush cannot reach.
• Fluoridated mouthwashes can be used to strengthen the tooth structure and improve the oral environment, but it should not be forgotten that these mouthwashes are not sufficient alone without brushing the teeth.
• Consuming sweet, sugary foods with main meals as much as possible during the day ensures that the teeth are exposed to acid less frequently.
• If tooth brushing is not possible when taking sweet food as a snack, the mouth should be rinsed with plenty of water or the buffering properties of saliva should be utilized by chewing sugar-free gum.
• It helps to correct the acidic environment in foods that require a lot of chewing and contain little sugar, such as cucumber and carrot.
• Cheese is a food that has a serious effect on tooth protection. Eating a piece of cheese improves the oral environment and prevents caries formation.

Visiting your dentist every 6 months helps to protect your teeth by enabling early diagnosis.

Invisalign Treatment 

Invisalign, an orthodontic treatment, is a successful alternative to metal braces. In this procedure, instead of wires and brackets to forcefully drag your teeth into the correct position, transparent plaques, known are used to encourage the teeth to return to the proper position and are known as aligners. Invisalign, also known as wire-free orthodontic treatment, has become increasingly widespread in recent years. Invisalign treatment allows you to maintain your smile throughout the treatment with almost invisible, removable transparent plaques. Invisalign aligners are completely transparent and are specially manufactured to gradually align your teeth without the use of any metal wires or brackets.

After dental x-rays or panoramic x-rays of patients who request Invisalign treatment, 3D intraoral scans are taken. The dentist plans the treatment over the patient’s dental records in the digital environment. Within the scope of personalized planning, the number of sets of transparent plaques to be worn is also determined.

After the treatment is planned, personalized clear aligners are prepared in an average of 20 days. Transparent plaque sets can be worn for 1 week, 10 days, or 2 weeks. In this way, the duration of the treatment is determined at the beginning. Transparent plaques should be worn for at least 20-22 hours a day.

The reason why Invisalign treatment is so popular is the advantages it offers over traditional braces. Since transparent plaques are almost completely invisible, they are often preferred by people who do not want it to be understood that they are undergoing orthodontic treatment. After Invisalign treatment planning, the patient only needs to visit the dentist less frequently than with traditional braces. Patients can eat comfortably during Invisalign treatment, brush their teeth as usual, and use dental floss. Although the duration of treatment may vary according to various factors specific to the person, the desired results are achieved within one year in many patients.

Implant Treatment 

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots placed in the jawbone to restore the function and aesthetics of missing teeth. Implant screws are structures with a certain thickness and width. For this reason, the jawbone in the area where the implant is to be placed must have the height and width to accept this implant screw.

The quality of the bone is also one of the factors affecting implant success. In addition, the gums must be completely healthy before the treatment and as long as the implant remains in the mouth.

One of the most important factors that are important in implant treatment and affects success is bone structure. The person must have suitable bone tissue for the implant. Bone tissue should be determined and then implant planning should be made. Clinical and radiological examinations must be performed before implant treatment.

There is no upper age limit for the implant if the person’s bone structure and general health condition are suitable. Health is a much more important factor than age. Implant treatment is not preferred only in very young patients with incomplete bone development.

Treatment duration may vary depending on the number of teeth to be made. Today, with the developing technology, treatments are completed in a very short time. The pain after the placement of the implant is not different from the pain felt after normal tooth extraction.

In cases where the treatment is completed without any problems, patients are so comfortable that they do not even feel the presence of implants. General or local anesthesia can be used during implant application according to patient preference.

The gums must be healthy before the implant treatment and as long as the implant remains in the mouth. To ensure complete osteointegration of the implants with the bone, the loads on the implant should be minimized during the first 3-6 months of the healing period.

Smoking, especially during the early healing period, may increase the risk of infection. So it is not recommended for this reason.

The lifespan of implants depends on many factors. Implants can be used for a lifetime if the patient provides general oral and dental care and maintains his/her health. In terms of the life of the implant, it is necessary to brush the teeth 2 times a day, and use dental floss and mouthwash regularly.

Implants are made of materials that do not have any side effects for the patient and have been subjected to intensive research for years. These are usually metals such as titanium and other similar substances that have never been part of a living organism. Therefore, it is not possible for the body to produce antigens against them and reject the implant as in heart and kidney transplants.

The experience of the dentist who will perform implant treatment is very important. Care should be taken to ensure that the dentist is trained and experienced. If the implant decision is made, good research should be done on this subject and the proper dentist should be treated.

Digital Smile Design 

Digital smile design is the creation of a personalized, aesthetic smile design by dentists using digital technologies. In the field of dentistry, digital design software is used in our country as in the whole world. In this software, the tooth structure and facial proportions of the person are analyzed in depth.

The most important point among the advantages of digital smile design is that the patient can see what kind of smile he/she will have before aesthetic dental treatment. With the latest technology and computer software, the face of the person is also transferred to the system. Thus, the patient can see what kind of appearance he/she will have at the end of the treatment before the treatment begins.

There is no room for bad surprises in digital smile design. Patient satisfaction is guaranteed. The patient can have the smile that he/she completely wants and approves of. The use of digital facilities in smile design allows the treatment to become personalized.

The dentist consults the patient in detail, takes the necessary videos and photographs, and prepares a smile design by taking into account the facial, dental, jaw, and character features. Smile design is a holistic and multidisciplinary treatment. The main goal is to protect the patient’s oral health and to provide an aesthetic smile.

The first appointment in digital smile design is as follows;

• Digital measurements of the teeth are taken using a 3D intraoral scanner.
• Photographs of the patient are taken from different angles.
• The patient is shown case examples in the form of before/after cases previously made by the dentist.
• Digital smile design is made with special software.
• The second appointment in digital smile design is the process in which the procedures begin.

The second appointment goes like this;

• Necessary procedures are performed for the patient’s teeth and gums.
• Thanks to the 3D intraoral scanner, digital measurements of the teeth are taken
• Approval is obtained from the patient for the digital smile design and necessary revisions are made.

Zirconium Treatment 

Zirconium treatment can be applied to upper and lower teeth. It is frequently applied in terms of durability in the back group teeth and aesthetic appearance in the front group teeth. Zirconium dental veneers are materials with many advantages. The features and advantages of these teeth are as follows:

Their structures are very robust because they are subjected to special baking processes.

• It is resistant to breakage, cracking, and abrasion.
• It has high resistance against corrosion.
• It has a light-permeable structure like natural tooth enamel.
• It does not contain a metal structure.
• It contributes to gum health by adapting to the gums.
• It has a natural white appearance thanks to its light transmission feature.
• It can be used safely for many years.
• Since it has low heat permeability, it does not create hot and cold sensitivity.
• Unlike metal-supported coatings, there is no taste change in the mouth.
• Thanks to its gum compatibility, it reduces bad breath and does not leave a dark color on the gums.
• Colour change is very rare compared to natural teeth.
• Allergic reactions caused by metal are prevented.
• The surface is shiny and smooth. Therefore, it does not cause plaque accumulation.

The lifespan of zirconium teeth varies from person to person. While some people use it for 5-10 years, some people can use it for life. People who have regular dental examinations and pay attention to dental health can use zirconium coatings for many years. Treatments that are not performed in a clinical environment will have a short lifespan and may be harmful to the health of the person.

Orthodontics

Orthodontic treatments are generally a treatment method that progresses by attaching brackets to the tooth surfaces. There are many types such as metal brackets, ceramic brackets, sapphire (ice) brackets, Invisalign, Damon (capped) metal brackets, Damon (capped) transparent brackets, and lingual brackets. These braces, it is aimed to make the teeth proper and healthy.

The treatment method is decided by taking into account the age of the patient, such as the lower jaw being in front or behind. If the patient is in adolescence and the upper and lower jaw structure is behind, treatment is possible with orthodontic techniques. If the patient is an adult, the treatment of skeletal disorders is carried out in cooperation with orthodontics and surgery. Due to functional disorders, for example; jaw incompatibility can be observed in cases such as mouth breathing. In a mouth-breathing person, the upper part of the jaw will be V-shaped as it will remain narrow.

Habitual situations that should not be done such as using bottles and false pacifiers for a long time, finger sucking, and nail-biting may cause orthodontic disorders. These habits should be treated as early as possible.

Prevention of these habits at an early age is important for the completion of skeletal development.

Conditions such as the tongue being larger than it should be in terms of structure and the presence of extracted tooth gaps also cause tooth spacing. If the jaw structure to which the teeth are attached is small and the teeth are large; the teeth do not fit in the jaw and crowding occurs.

Early or late loss of milk teeth can also cause crowded teeth. Instead of the milk teeth that fall out of the mouth prematurely, the permanent tooth existing in the mouth slides into this gap. Since the teeth that need to come out from there cannot find a place for themselves, crowding occurs.

Composite Laminate

Composite laminates are aesthetic and cosmetic restorations made with composite material on tooth surfaces to change the color, shape, enlarge, or treat a defect of the tooth and to give the tooth an aesthetic appearance without damaging the teeth. In this method, the dentist works like a sculptor and gives a new and aesthetic shape to the teeth with composite materials.

Laminate veneers obtained by using composite material covers the outer surface of the teeth. However, since it is very thin and in real tooth color, it cannot be understood that it is a veneer from the outside. It has an original tooth appearance. Composite laminate can be used for many years. It has a very robust structure. However, there are still points to be considered during use.

– Laminate Veneer coating is one of the closest coating types to natural teeth in terms of color and appearance. When natural colors are preferred, it is very difficult to distinguish that it is artificial.

– It has an aesthetic appearance.

– Considering the stages after the treatment, there is no protocol different from natural teeth in terms of use.

– It has an abrasion-resistant structure.

– The adhesives preferred in the application provide chemical bonding between the tooth and the glass ceramic structure.

– Anaesthesia may not be required.

– The veneer does not lose color due to tea, coffee, or acidic drinks.

– It is possible to see the final form of the application with a sample before the treatment is finished.

Oral Diagnosis and Radiology

Successful dental treatment, as with all diseases, can only be done if a good diagnosis is made. From this point of view, Oral Diagnosis fulfills a very important task. The oral examination includes all soft tissues in the face, jaw, and jaw joint, lips, palate, tongue, nose, and neck. In addition, a panoramic x-ray should be taken to see the tooth alignment and roots. Gum recession, bacterial plaque, tartar, fistulas, caries, overlapping teeth, and jaw closure are evaluated. At this stage, teeth that are not yet painful or gums that have just started to recede should also be evaluated and protection treatment should be applied. In addition, patients who come for treatment should be asked about their existing heart, vascular, blood pressure, allergy, asthma, diabetes, hormonal disorders, and the medications they use regularly. The presence of such disorders will change both the treatment method and the drugs to be used in the treatment. With Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, dental treatment will be planned by taking the patient’s full history. The patient’s expectations from dental treatment are learned and treatment is recommended by explaining the possible results to the patient in detail.

In the process of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology by specialist dentists; an intraoral examination is performed and panoramic x-rays showing the tooth and jaw structure are taken. After this stage, a special treatment plan is drawn up for the patient, and treatment is provided in the relevant department. However, not only problems such as decayed teeth, impacted teeth, or receding gums are seen in the mouth. There may also be diseases of the soft tissues on the cheek, palate, and jaw bones. In this process, all systemic diseases and oral tissue diseases such as aphthae are also diagnosed and treated.