General Treatments in Carmarthenshire

Root Canal Therapy

Root canal treatment (also called endodontics) is needed when the pulp inside your tooth becomes infected through tooth decay or damaged by an injury to your mouth. This infection may spread through the root canal system and could eventually lead to an abscess, causing a great deal of discomfort. If root canal treatment is not carried out, the tooth may need to be taken out.

Root canal therapy involves the following:

1. First, local anaesthetic will be administered to ensure no discomfort is felt during treatment.
2. The tooth will be prepared with a drill, allowing access to the root canal system.
3. The root canal system will be thoroughly cleaned out to remove all infection and pulp.
4. The root canal system is then filled and sealed temporarily with a crown.
5. The tooth is checked at a later visit and when all the infection has cleared, the tooth is permanently filled.

Root canal treatment is a skilled and time-consuming procedure and most courses of treatment will involve two or more visits.

Emergency Dental Care

If you have chipped or broken a tooth as a result of an accident or injury, it is very important that you see a dentist as soon as possible. The same goes for one or more knocked out teeth. The sooner you are seen by a dental professional the better the chances that the teeth could be re-implanted, depending on the severity of your injury.

Here are some of the steps an emergency dental appointment will cover:

1. A thorough examination of the injured area will be undertaken. This may include dental x-rays to determine the extent of the damage.
2. Depending on the severity of the pain, the area will be numbed with local anaesthetic.
3. The injured area will be sterilised to reduce the risk of infection.
4. The damaged teeth will be restored temporarily or permanently, depending on the case.
5. In severe cases the affected tooth may require extraction and implant treatment will be discussed.

If you require emergency dental treatment, you should ask to see a dentist as soon as possible. At our practice we offer appointments for all dental emergencies from toothache to lost or broken crowns, chipped teeth and fillings to abscesses, trauma, avulsed teeth and facial swelling. We can take care of your injuries to ensure you heal quicker and more effectively, ensuring that you avoid additional dental problems and complications in the future.

If you require emergency dental care during normal working hours, please do not turn up unannounced at the surgery. Please ring us as soon as you can and we will do our best to help you, we can usually see you on the same day. If you require emergency dental care out of normal working hours, please ring the surgery and the answer machine answer will tell you who is available to help and how to contact them. Please listen carefully as there will be different advice for NHS and care plan/private patients.

Jaw Problems

The way your teeth meet when your top and bottom jaws close down on top of each other is known as your 'bite'. If your teeth don't fit together properly, you could have malocclusion or 'bad bite', which can cause problems with your teeth, gums, the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) and the muscles in your face.

This misalignment, often referred to as TMJ disorder, can also cause some people to clench the jaw and grind their teeth at night. This can lead to facial pain, headaches, discomfort and clicking when biting or chewing, migraines as well as neck and shoulder pain, and even back pain.

If you recognise any of these symptoms or suffer with these on a daily basis, you will need to see a dentist to treat your problems or to refer you to a specialist if necessary.

Treatment can include the following:

1. Impressions of your teeth are taken to create a customised plastic appliance that fits over your teeth and is worn at night.
2. When the device is worn, your teeth are in a position where your facial muscles are relaxed, preventing grinding and taking the pressure off your TMJ.
3. The device also protects the teeth, preventing them from becoming worn down by grinding.

Depending on the origin and severity of your problem, you may need orthodontic treatment or maxillofacial surgery. Other solutions may include replacing missing teeth or adjusting any ill-fitting bridgework that you may have. The most important thing to do is to see your dentist as soon as possible so that your problem does not become worse over time and require more drastic measures to correct.

Extractions & Oral Surgery

In cases of advanced gum disease and tooth decay, teeth may need to be extracted. Some patients may also develop impacted wisdom teeth, which can cause intense pain. This is alleviated by having them removed surgically. One area in which it is possible for dentists to specialise is oral surgery, an umbrella term for all dental procedures involving surgery, such as the extraction of teeth or wisdom teeth. It is always important to get the advice of a dental professional if you are worried about any of your teeth. Never attempt to pull out your own tooth at home as this could cause a more serious problem for you.

Tooth extractions typically involve the following:

1. Before the procedure you may require an x-ray of your teeth.
2. Depending on your particular case and the severity of your problem, you may be given a local anaesthetic and offered sedation if you are anxious.
3. Dentists have the right equipment and sterile environment to extract teeth with the utmost care and your recovery can be surprisingly quick.
4. In the case of wisdom tooth extractions, you may have some swelling after the procedure and discomfort that can be eased with over-the-counter painkillers. In cases of advanced gum disease or periodontitis, antibiotics will be prescribed to reduce the risk of further infection.