FAQ

What does the first appointment in Dentorium look like and what does it include?

The first appointment is the most important step in our relationship, and we have it split into two office visits.

The first time, we reccomend coming to the office ten minutes prior to the appointment, to relax in a comfortable conversation and to fill out a medical questionnaire required to open your dental chart. The first examination consists of a detailed dental overview as part of which we will examine teeth, supporting structures and mucous membranes. We will create and analyze a panoramic radiograph of the jaw to identify any changes in bone structure. After that, we will make your "digital clone" using our photo and video protocol. We will take a series of photographs of the face, teeth and the inside of the mouth, as well as brief videos of functional movements that reveal potential problems in the jaw joint, muscles in the masticatory system, etc. Based on the data collected, our dentists will make a thorough analysis of your health and function.

During the second visit, we will present and explain in detail your current health and function situation, suggest a therapy plan, its financial and time requirements and optimal arrivals. This is the moment where we talk about everything, answer every question you ask, and find solutions to any problem.

You can see all about the price of the first visit here.

How often is recommended to visit a dentist?

Visits to the dentist and their frequency depend on the condition in your mouth. An individual approach to each patient, based on a thorough diagnosis of your current condition and the setting up of a complete plan of solution, allows us to divide the therapy into simple steps - according to the priorities of health, function and aesthetics.

Based on this, we will tailor your arrival to the office to your needs and capabilities, without compromising on quality.

After completion of therapy, we recommend a visit to the office twice a year - for a checkup and removal of calculus.

How a dental calculus is formed?

By brushing incorrectly or irregularly, a plaque, rich in bacteria, builds up around the teeth. These microorganisms are responsible for the destruction of tooth enamel and the creation of dental caries. The plaque hardens over time and, in conjunction with the accumulation of saliva minerals, forms the calculus (tartar), which is responsible for inflammation of the gingiva (gingivitis) and decay of the supporting structures of the tooth. If left untreated, tartar can also cause tooth loss.

To combat the formation of calculus, it would be necessary to brush your teeth twice a day, clean the interdental spaces with interdental brushes and occasionally rinse the oral cavity with mouthwash. Unfortunately, dental hygiene performed at home cannot completely remove the tartar, so it is recommended to clean it every 6 months with a dentist.

Dentorium tartar cleaning is performed in several steps: mechanical removal of tartar by ultrasound, sand blasting of scale deposits and pigmentation, polishing of tooth surface and enamel coating. The removal of calculus (tartar) is performed with local anesthesia and does not represent a major inconvenience for the patient.

How often a calculus should be removed?

At Dentorium, we recommend removing the tartar (calculus) by visiting the doctor's office twice a year so that the tartar does not cause serious damage to the teeth and surrounding structures. It is also an opportunity for the dentist to examine the condition of the entire mouth and to determine whether a new caries has occurred during this period.

Can enamel be damaged by tartar removal?

No. Removal of the tartar protects the enamel from decay caused by bacteria, and the descaling process itself does not damage the enamel. Dental enamel can be destroyed by bacteria formed on plaque and scale deposits, which, by producing acids, corrode its surface.

When can one eat or drink after dental tartar removal?

Immediately - there is no reason to wait with a meal or drink after tartar cleaning. You will notice immediately that the teeth are smoother and that the food does not linger on them as when they had tartar deposits. On the teeth cleaned of calculus, hygiene is much better maintained. After cleaning, the breath is fresher, and the unpleasant morning breath is gone.

Dental floss or interdental brush?

Although flossing has become a common complement to regular tooth brushing, for home oral hygiene and more effective maintenance of interdental spaces, there is now an even better solution available - interdental brushes. With their thick bristles, interdental brushes thoroughly remove residual food from spaces that are beyond the reach of a conventional toothbrush. However, unlike the floss, they do not damage the gums with their mechanical application and the gingiva remains stable without inflammatory processes caused by shocks.

Because interdental brushes are available in several sizes, ask your dentist the next time you visit to help you choose the brush that works best for you. You will be surprised how much home hygiene can be more effective!

What is endodontic or root canal treatment?

Endodontics is a branch of dentistry that deals with the treatment (curing ) of root canal inflammation. This is also known as "nerve extraction", in which, due to infection of the nerve of the tooth within the root canals, the devitalization of the tooth is accessed, the dental nerve is removed, the root canal is cleaned and widened, and the medicine is placed. After the healing time has passed, the canal is filled with permanent fillings to prevent the bacteria from penetrating the inside of the root.

If tooth decay is not treated in a timely manner, bacteria from caries and their products destroy hard dental tissues - enamel and dentin. The disappearance of the enamel and dentin allows them to penetrate the dental nerve (pulp) freely, resulting in inflammation (pulpitis) followed by hypersensitivity to warm and cold stimuli, pain and even swelling of the face in the affected tooth area. This condition can be treated with antibiotics, in addition to endodontic surgery.

Through the endodontic process, by using state-of-the-art equipment and individual approach, we strive to preserve the tooth so that, although devitalized, it can continue to perform its function for a long time.

How soon after cavity filling can I eat?

You can eat right away after sealing. Composite fillings or seals are made of a material that is, in the sealing process itself, cured to high strength by polymerisation. Due to this, a tooth with a new filling is immediately able to withstand the chewing forces that cannot affect the quality of the filling itself.

What you should pay attention to when taking food after this procedure is the impact of anesthesia. The effect of anesthesia will last for some time after the end of the procedure, so care must be taken not to inadvertently bite on the "dead" lip or cheek.

Should all root canal treated teeth be crowned?

The crown is not necessary on all treated teeth, but very often such teeth lack a large portion of the tooth structure that we replace with a filling. If we replace a large area of the tooth with only a seal, the possibility of it breaking may be increased. The ceramic crown will protect the natural tooth and distribute the transmission of force when chewing.

In addition, the root of the tooth, which is devitalized in this procedure, eventually becomes brittle and prone to cracking. To preserve it, we install a glass-ceramic post in it, which further reinforces it.

What is the difference between the veneers and crowns?

Ceramic crowns are "covers" - functional and aesthetic substitutes that are cemented onto a previously prepared natural tooth. Crowns therefore protect, strengthen and aesthetically correct the tooth on which they are cemented. Likewise, crowns attach to implant implants or completely replace a lost tooth, where together with the crowns on the prepared adjacent teeth, they form a bridge.

Ceramic veneers are a restorative aesthetic treatment for smile correction. Unlike crowns, for veneers we do not need to prepare a natural tooth or this preparation is reduced it to a minimum. They are characterized by high aesthetics and strength and are most commonly used for minor functional corrections, such as diastema closure or aesthetic one, such as tooth discoloration.

What are the types of crowns?

In Dentorium, crowns are usually made of complete ceramics and zirconium-ceramics.

Complete ceramic crowns are made of pure ceramics. Their feature is in the perfect aesthetic that is enabled by their properties such as translucency and transparency, which means that - like a natural tooth - they transmit or repel light, giving the impression of naturalness and youthfulness.

Zirconia-ceramic crowns are made of high quality zirconium base, which is made in the laboratory, CAD / CAM machine-computer technique, and coated with ceramics. They are very solid and characterized by biocompatibility and as such are ideal for almost any condition.

For larger bridges and dental crowns on the lateral (posterior) teeth, metal-ceramic crowns are an excellent choice because they tolerate heavy occlusal forces when chewed and are more affordable than highly aesthetic ceramic and zirconia crowns.

When only one tooth is missing, would implant be better option then the bridge?

As the individual approach when it comes to dealing with tooth replacement problems has shown us- there is no universal answer to this question. For this decision, it is important to take into account the condition of the bone, the soft tissues in the area where the tooth is missing, the surface that needs to be “toothed”, and the condition of the surrounding teeth.

An implant is the ideal solution when there is enough bone. If implant is osseointegrated (implant contains pores into which osteoblasts and supporting connective tissue can migrate and secure it into the bone), after mounting the crown replacement, the implant behaves like a natural tooth, and the crown, which copies the natural tooth, is modeled upon adjacent teeth. Apart from being aesthetically pleasing, the hygiene and maintenance of the implants are also easy.

A bridge is an option we will recommend when the bone at the tooth site we are replacing is insufficient to support the implant. For the bridge, we are forced prepare the adjacent teeth, and we need to make ceramic crowns on both adjacent teeth as well as in the area where the tooth is missing. The bridge will also be a good replacement for the missing tooth with its functional and aesthetic properties, but if the conditions are ideal, we would prefer to recommend the implant. In price, these options are almost identical.

How and why does jaw muscle tension build up?

If you have noticed that you wake up with a sore and tense jaw in the morning, your partner told you to grind your teeth during the night or your teeth become hypersensitive to warm or cold stimuli, it is a great possibility that you will suffer from bruxism. Bruxism is a psychogenically conditioned behavior, manifested by tight teeth clenching or even scraping, resulting in accumulated stress or anxiety. Bruxism occurs in unconscious moments - most often during sleep or in a waking state when our thoughts are concentrated on something else.

The result is excessive tooth wear, changes and pain in the jaw joint and masticatory system, constant muscle tension, and very often headaches and pain in the neck or ear. In the long term, this condition impairs functional harmony, permanently destroys tooth health and brings discomfort and disruption of concentration, and if left untreated - therapy becomes longer, more demanding and more expensive. Bruxism is treated with relaxation splints that are made individually, according to the patient's bite, and are worn at night, preventing teeth from clenching and scraping while allowing a better sleep. Splints (bites), in fact, place the jaw joint in an ideal position that is comfortable and allows the muscles of the masticatory system to rest.

I have full dentures. How often should I visit a dentist?

Visits to the dentist involve more than just a dental examination. Although patients who wear dentures no longer have to worry about health decay of their teeth, they may have problems chewing or dropping the denture, or wounds in the mouth and ulcers. We recommend that you visit your dentist at least once a year, and more often if there is pain or discomfort in your mouth.

A denture examination is also an opportunity for the doctor to see if there are any changes in the mucosa that may indicate the presence of the disease - or it may be necessary to replace the worn dentures with new ones that fit better and thus provide better function.