General and Family Dentistry

The professionals at Tesolin Dental Centre recommend an oral examination at least once a year. At this appointment, the dental hygienist will perform an oral screening, then scale and polish your teeth, and the dentist will perform a dental and oral examination.

Root canal treatment involves devitalizing the tooth by removing the blood vessels and nerves contained in the dental pulp. Once emptied and cleaned, the space is filled with a rubber-like material. This treatment enables the tooth to be preserved, even if it is no longer alive.

Crowns

The prosthetic crown is the solution generally proposed by your dentist when there is very little natural structure left on the tooth to be effectively filled with other materials, without a high risk of possible fracture.

Like a hat that covers the tooth, the crown protects and strengthens it. Made in a laboratory, it is generally made of ceramic, a very durable material that protects the tooth and offers it great resistance. Ceramic is also the most aesthetically pleasing material because it mimics the appearance of the natural tooth as closely as possible. In this sense, crowns are often used to make a smile more aesthetic.

Once the tooth decay is removed and the tooth is trimmed to accommodate the crown, the dentist takes an impression that will allow for the crown to be produced in the laboratory. Once the crown is made, it can be cemented onto the tooth, or it can be attached to a dental implant to replace a missing tooth.

You may need one or more crowns for the following reasons:

• Cracked tooth
• Large surface area of tooth destroyed
• After a root canal treatment

Bridges

The bridge is composed of two parts: the pontic and the abutment teeth.

The pontic is the central suspended part made of the teeth to be replaced, while the abutment teeth are located on each side of the gap to be filled and will serve as anchors for the bridge.

The dentist can also attach the bridge onto dental implants.

A bridge replaces a missing tooth and is attached to adjacent teeth. A bridge can help you avoid dental problems that often occur when a tooth falls out. These problems can include, but are not limited to:

The tooth opposite the missing one can extrude from its socket. This is called a super eruption.
The missing tooth may cause difficulty in chewing.
Shifting teeth can therefore lead to TMJ (temporal joint dysfunction).
Teeth are more difficult to clean, which can lead to periodontal disease.

Dentures

Full dentures are used to replace all natural teeth in the upper and/or lower jaw. They stay in place thanks to the suction of the mouth. This type of dental prosthesis is what many people still call “a denture”.

Full dentures are completed in several appointments, but the procedure is simple. To ensure that the shape and colour of the teeth are in harmony with your mouth, we start by making a first wax-up based on impressions and precise measurements that we will have taken with regards to the shape of your face.

Once you and your denturist are satisfied with the results, the technician will make a final version of your acrylic denture. Your denturist can then place your new teeth in your mouth.

Finally, a few follow-up appointments will allow the denturist to adjust the comfort of your removable dentures.

CEREC is a German dental technology that enables us to make a crown, veneer, or inlay in a single visit. With CEREC technology, the first step is taking an impression of your tooth with a digital oral camera. Your dentist then adjusts the image of your tooth and production specifications are sent to a machine tool that sculpts your restoration in less than 15 minutes. The dentist then permanently places what has been trimmed inside your mouth and you leave the clinic with a smile.

Restoration of dental implants

Dental implants are favoured over bridges and dentures as they are seen as a permanent and aesthetic solution to the problem of missing teeth. Plus, they are strong and durable.

Restoration of crowns

The implant is inserted into the jaw and allowed to fuse with the bone in a process called osseointegration. This process takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Once the gum has healed and fusion has taken place, the implant is then ready for the attachment of a metal abutment. This device acts as an anchor for the restoration process.

The dentist takes an impression of your teeth.  This impression is sent to a laboratory that will produce your new restoration. You will be fitted with a temporary restoration during this time.  This process is the same for both single and multiple crowns.

Restoration of a bridge

The process is the same as mentioned above but with one difference. This involves the creation of several crowns which are then fixed to a bridge. A bridge consists of one or more false teeth known as a pontic and two or more crowns which are attached on either side of it. This bridge is inserted into the space between your teeth caused by tooth loss and is supported by the other teeth. The big difference between this and removable dental prothesis is that a fixed bridge is cemented in place and cannot be removed each night.

Restoration of an implant retained denture

One solution is a denture which is fixed in place with a dental implant. This is like a fixed bridge and removes the need to remove the dentures at night for soaking before replacing them in the morning.

The advantages of an implant retained denture are the reduced risk of trapped food particles underneath the plate which can lead to an infection. Moreover, no risk of developing sores caused by friction of the denture. This kind of denture is strong and lifelike and customized to your individual requirements.

Wisdom teeth are the third molars located completely behind the other teeth. In most cases, these teeth grow in early adulthood and often get stuck in the remaining oral space. As a result, they often become trapped under the tissues of the mouth, not fully erupted or poorly positioned, which limits their maintenance.

If all the other teeth are present and healthy, there may not be enough space for the wisdom teeth to come through properly.

What is an impacted wisdom tooth?

If there is not enough room, the wisdom tooth may try to come through, but will get stuck against the tooth in front of it. The wisdom tooth will be at an angle and will be described by the dentist as “impacted”.

What are the main reasons for taking wisdom teeth out?

• When it is clear that the wisdom teeth will not be able to come through into a useful position because there is not enough room, and they are also causing some pain or discomfort.
• If they have only partly come through and are decayed – such teeth will often be more likely to decay as it will be difficult to clean them as thoroughly as your other teeth.
• If the wisdom tooth is causing a cleaning problem and has no real use
• If the wisdom tooth starts to ‘over-grow’. This often happens if the lower one has already been removed or is impacted and cannot come through. The upper one will come down too far, looking for a tooth to make contact.
• If they are painful.

When a large area of gum recession requires correction, the following gum grafting technology approach is possible. The tissue can be obtained from a tissue bank. This tissue called Alloderm has been carefully treated to minimize rejection and disease transfer.

Utilizing technology in treating burn victims the tissue has been modified for periodontal applications. The postoperative recovery is fast, and discomfort is minimized since the palate does not need to be used for harvesting tissue.

Our priority at the Tesolin Dental Centre is to forge a lifelong commitment to oral health with your child. Your child’s first visit is an opportunity to identify cavities and other potential problems. We can also provide advice on the daily care of your child’s teeth and answer any questions you may have. Early consultation is important to nurture a positive dentist-child experience in the years to come.

To prepare your child for his/her first visit to the dentist, try playing “child dentist”. Count your child’s teeth and ask him/her to count your teeth. Explain that at the dentist’s office, children can take a few pictures of their teeth with a special camera. A great way to introduce your child to this environment is to take him/her and a big brother or friend for a routine checkup. The most important thing is to make these visits part of a routine outing. This prepares your child for what should become a lifetime habit.

Sleep apnea: cause, diagnosis and treatment

There’s no doubt that snoring is a nuisance for you and your partner, which can lead to arguments between the couple. However, for some people snoring is more than just a nuisance. It is a sign of a dangerous, potentially deadly condition, known as obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition that disrupts your sleep, preventing you from getting rest and therefore leading to serious mental and physical health problems. In fact, sleep apnea has been shown to increase your risk of heart attack and/or death from cardiovascular disease by as much as 200%.

The custom mouthguard is not just for professional athletes, it is recommended for all participants in high-risk sports such as hockey, martial arts, cycling, boxing, inline skating, skiing, soccer, etc.

Unlike prefabricated mouthguards, it is designed by professionals from a dental impression to optimize comfort, breathing, and retention, and not have a negative effect on performance.

In addition to protecting against dental injuries, it also reduces the risks of concussion, jaw and teeth fractures, neck and mouth mucosa injuries. Finally, it protects your smile.

If someone in your household grinds their teeth, day or night, they may be suffering from bruxism, a problem that can have serious consequences.

Teeth grinding can cause premature wear of the teeth, as well as jaw pain and sometimes even migraines. In severe cases, bruxism can cause joint cracking, shoulder and neck pain, ear congestion, or limited mouth opening.

To counteract the harmful effects of bruxism, an effective solution is a dental occlusal splint. This splint is made from a precise impression of the teeth and is worn mainly at night, but sometimes during the day if necessary.

The dental occlusal splint offers several advantages:

• it partially absorbs teeth grinding and clenching;
• it relaxes the muscles of the jaw to relieve tension;
• it relieves jaw joint pain and decreases discomfort;
• it limits the deterioration of teeth and bones;
• it reduces snoring (in some cases).

Dental decay is a very common disease caused by the presence of bacteria in dental plaque. Sugars in dental plaque release acids that demineralize teeth and can lead to their loss. However, prevention can prevent many of these problems, and dentists can treat cavities that are detected early.

Symptoms of dental decay

Dental decay may have no symptoms at first, but if it persists, it can cause:

• Toothache;
• Sensitivity to extreme temperatures and pressure;
• Bad breath or an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Treatment of dental decay

The treatment of dental decay involves removing the affected part of the tooth, after which the dentist may propose solutions to replace the missing part of the tooth, such as:

• Resin composite filling;
• Amalgam filling;
• Ceramic inlay;
• Dental crown.

Periodontal disease is a condition that affects the supporting tissues of the teeth, such as the gums and bone. Rigorous oral hygiene and regular dental visits can help prevent this disease, but it can affect anyone. Here are some simple tips to prevent gum disease:

1. have preventive cleaning and check-ups annually,
2. brush your teeth at least twice a day,
3. floss daily,
4. eat healthily and avoid smoking, as tobacco greatly contributes to oral diseases.

The two most common types of periodontal disease are gingivitis, which affects the gums, and periodontitis, which also affects the bone that supports the teeth.

Frenectomy is a minor procedure performed by a dentist under local anesthesia, involving the cutting of the labial or lingual frenum of the mouth. It is performed to treat speech disorders, dental malposition, or gum recession caused by the position of the frenum. The labial frenum connects the lips to the jawbone, while the lingual frenum connects the tongue to the jawbone. Postoperative pain is minimal, and the patient can resume normal activities quickly.