How often do you visit your local dental practice? If you cannot remember the last time you were seen by a dentist it is safe to say that you are very possibly overdue for a check-up. So if you are based in Marylebone and have not seen a dentist in a while, why not visit our dental surgery, where you will be seen by our experienced dentist in Marylebone.

An introduction to our dental practice

Plowman & Partners was established in 1922 and our aim over the years has been to provide the best in dental treatments to our new and existing patients. From offering routine dental appointments to highly complex dental treatments, whatever your concerns may be, at our respected practice we will be more than happy to help you achieve your dental goals.

If you have noticed that your gums have become swollen or are bleeding, or you’ve noticed you may have bad breath, it is important that you book an appointment with our dentist in Marylebone.

Dental hygiene at our practice

At our surgery, we are very experienced in dealing with all types of dental concerns, and one of our main focusses for our patients is to ensure that they have good oral hygiene.

Dental hygiene is an important part of dentistry, and our team at the practice is very experienced in providing specialist advice on how to ensure your oral health remains at its best, as well as identifying any concerns relating to your dental hygiene. As we believe prevention is better than cure, we offer a hygiene service to our patients.

If you are a new patient at our practice, we will invite you to have an appointment with our dentist who will carry out a thorough assessment of your teeth and gums, as well as obtaining your medical and dental history. This is important for us as we will need to know whether you have any pre-existing medical conditions that may affect your oral health.

At this appointment our dentist in Marylebone will also discuss their findings with you and whether you require any dental treatment. In some cases, you may be referred to our dental hygienist should the dentist identify any hygiene concerns such as plaque build-up.

What to expect at a hygiene appointment

Having a hygiene appointment with us at Plowman & Partners allows our dental hygienist to not only thoroughly clean your teeth, but to help you maintain good oral health.

If it is identified that you have plaque and tartar build-up or your teeth are stained, your teeth will be cleaned using a procedure known as ‘scale and polish’. By using specialised equipment, our dental hygienist is able to gently remove plaque from your teeth, especially areas that are harder to reach in your mouth by brushing alone. Once the plaque/tartar is removed, your teeth will then be polished. Our hygienist will also use this appointment to provide you with techniques on effective brushing and how to maintain good oral health.

At some point in our lives, we may have an accident that causes a dental injury such as a broken or missing tooth. There are also other instances where our teeth may become damaged due to the food or drink we consume, which can cause staining to the enamel and cavities. If you are currently dealing with a dental issue similar to this, by visiting our practice Plowman & Partners, we will be able to offer you dental treatments within restorative dentistry to get your teeth back to their best.

What you should know about restorative dentistry

Restorative dentistry is the area of dentistry which focusses on replacing or repairing teeth that have either been damaged or are missing. At Plowman & Partners we are dedicated to ensuring that our patients are able to restore their teeth and their smile to what it once was, which is why we offer restorative dental procedures. An example of a restorative dental treatment is a cosmetic filling.

A cosmetic filling is one of the most common dental procedures used in order to treat a cavity in a tooth caused by decay, discreetly. For this procedure, our dentist in Marylebone will first remove the decay and fill the tooth with an enamel coloured composite resin. A straightforward procedure, fillings are made out of a material that is able to bond to your teeth, restoring your tooth to its original strength. They are also made to match the natural shade of your other teeth, meaning no one will see that you have fillings. You will also notice that once you have your filling, it will not affect your tooth’s sensitivity and you are able to consume both hot and cold items without any worry.

If you are currently dealing with a missing tooth, however, you may want to consider another restorative dental option, namely dental implants.

The dental solution for missing teeth

A long-lasting and modern approach to missing teeth, dental implants are a discreet solution for those who are missing a tooth or to replace teeth that are failing. The implant is a screw made of titanium in order to support a crown or false tooth.

This procedure is carried out over at least two dental appointments. If our dentist in Marylebone is satisfied this treatment is the most suitable for your dental concern, at your first appointment, our dentist in Marylebone will first make a small incision in your jawbone where your teeth used to be. This incision will be done under a local anaesthetic and is made in order for our dentist to insert the implant into the jawbone. Following this, you will be asked to return back to our practice within the next four to six months in order for the second part of the procedure. The reason for the gap in between the two appointments is so that the implant can fuse with the jawbone in order to provide a sturdy root for the crown.

At your second appointment, the permanent tooth (which would have been made to match your remaining teeth) will be fixed onto the implant.

Visits throughout childhood

For many children, regular visits to the dental practice for yearly or bi-yearly checkups are common. Ensuring the teeth are healthy from as young as 6 months old is a process that is encouraged as preventive dentistry can be used. This process helps prevent potential dental problems further down the line and reduce the possibility of overbites or crooked smiles. Alongside the benefits of improving your oral hygiene and overall development process, studies have highlighted the positive impact of visits to the dental practice throughout childhood and how they can drastically reduce fears and phobias from occurring.

Creating bad habits such as dropping appointments

Whilst our parents took charge of our dental care when we were younger, as we age and become adults, our care, in most cases, transfers into our own hands. The pressure of adult life combined with all the other important tasks to remember can mean that the odd checkup appointment with your dentist in Marylebone becomes nothing more than a memory and your attendance a thing of the past. Now whilst we would like to think the impact of this is small, in time, your oral hygiene can decline, and without any checkups being carried out, new oral health problems can arise.

Now we are not trying to scare you; a missed appointment does not mean that your teeth will immediately fall out or your smile disappears. However, having these regular appointments will help deter more invasive dental procedures further down the line and protect your oral health consistently each year.

Every 6 to 12 months, our team at Plowman & Partners can check on your brushing technique; brush too hard and you risk damaging your gums, brush too soft and you could be leaving plaque around the edges. We can help guide you on your choice of toothbrush based on your brushing technique; it may be that a sonic or electric toothbrush can help you with your daily clean more effectively than manually scrubbing away. Or perhaps your two-minute teeth clean twice a day is proving, as in most cases, to not be efficient enough on its own; therefore, guidance on technique as well as additional aspects to add to your clean, such as flossing, may be advised. A regular trip to our dentist in Marylebone uncovers more than you may think and helps prevent wasted time and money on more invasive procedures.

Taking charge and contacting our dentist in Marylebone

Whether you have missed one checkup appointment or ten, contacting us at Plowman & Partners does not need to be an unnerving experience. It may be that you drop into our clinic, give our reception team a call or drop us an email; no matter what method you prefer, our friendly team will assist and get your dental journey re-started.

From putting in special measures for our nervous patients, such as playing specific music or adjusting certain layouts of the room, to a warm welcome, our team at Plowman & Partners has you covered and is here to work with you on your dental journey.

The early days

From as young as 6 months old, for some, the visits to the dental practice begin. Whilst in the early days, most cases require a simple checkup appointment rather than specific treatments; these are often considered the more important appointments. This may seem a little unusual, but by providing the standard appointments throughout early childhood, parents can set their children up for success in the future in more ways than one.

To begin with, each appointment will be used to monitor the overall health of the teeth, mouth and gums, ensuring that your cleaning processes at home are effectively in place. By monitoring these processes, we can tweak any aspects of your oral hygiene process early on and thus prevent damage further down the line.

Along with putting preventive dentistry into place, an aspect that is often overlooked by people is the importance of attending appointments to merely put your mind at ease. Positive associations are constantly being created throughout our lives and impact how we perceive different things. By attending appointments every 6 to 12 months throughout childhood, we are not only able to establish a positive relationship with the dental team but also remove any uncertainty we may have about the dental practice. Each positive experience at the practice will set us all up for success each time you visit your dentist in Marylebone.

Pushing your check-up to the bottom of the pile

Independence is a wonderful part of life but with independence comes responsibility. The twice-daily cleans that were first carried out by your parents/guardians, then monitored by them and then finally your sole responsibility, can lead to shortcuts or periods of avoidance. After all, visits to the dental practice may not be as exciting as other parts of your life, but they are of great importance; therefore, keeping in touch with your dentist in Marylebone is essential.

From tweaks to your dental hygiene routine, whether it be extending the length of the clean or encouraging more cleans, to how you clean your teeth, your dental visits can help keep you on track and ensure that your oral health reaches its highest potential. A simple appointment once every 6 to 12 months is not too much time to put aside and helps you invest in your long-term health, so is definitely worth the effort.

Reaching out and contacting our dental team at Plowman & Partners

Although we will always reach out to you near your appointment dates and encourage appointments to be booked before you leave, the main effort needs to be on your part. Our dentist in Marylebone will continue to prompt your appointments and guide you on approximate appointment dates, but the booking and final decision to attend naturally falls into your hands. We can support, guide and work with you, whether it be the timing of the appointment or specific requirements for the appointment, such as music playing to calm your nerves. No matter what you may need, discuss this with us, and we will help.

Protecting your smile

When nothing feels out of the ordinary, when you have no toothache or pains within your mouth or gums, it can be all too easy to continuously push the idea of a dental checkup aside. After all, your never-ending pile of things to do does not need another thing on top of it, so in some cases, not all, a visit to our dentist in Marylebone can quickly become an after-thought that gets pushed back month after month.

Now whilst it is excellent news that you are not in pain or discomfort, this does not mean that the all-important checkup does not need to happen. The slight bleeding to the gums should not be ignored. The slight yellowing around the bottom of the teeth must be treated and that tooth you knocked out needs to be looked at. No matter what state your oral health may be in, by putting your smile first and contacting our dentist in Marylebone, you can create a positive step towards a happier and healthier smile.

Pushing back the appointment out of fear

Whether it has been years since your last dental checkup, a mere few months or the checkup has never occurred, rest assured that our dental team can take care of you. At Plowman & Partners, we understand how daunting a trip to a dental clinic can be for adults and children. Whether the fear is from some past experience or due to lack of attendance throughout life, we have got you covered. Our friendly, approachable team will work with you in whatever way possible to ensure your oral health does not suffer.

A level of teamwork

Throughout life, you may be a part of a variety of teams, some positive and some you do not want to be a part of. When it comes to your dental care, we need to work as a team, and that is why finding a dentist in Marylebone who understands your needs, cooperates with you and creates a partnership is of the utmost importance. After all, whilst we carry out your dental work at our practice, the bulk of the work is in your hands, and therefore, teamwork is essential. At no point will you be left unsupported, so rest assured that no matter your circumstances, we will be there to assist.

A financial burden

Although many of us wish it would, money is not always readily available; therefore, concerns over the cost of an appointment may deter people from keeping on top of their oral health. Whilst in the short term, this may seem like the more appropriate way forward, the long-term impact can create heavier costs due to the need for more extensive treatments. This is why we like to work with our patients and ease the upfront costs by splitting the fees over 3 or 4 instalments.

No matter what the concerns may be, take the leap today and discuss your ideas and concerns over your oral health with our dental team.

Reasons to attend your check-up.

When you are not noticeably experiencing toothache or other potential dental problems, it is all too easy to assume that your oral health is top-notch without actually putting in the important check. Whilst this may save time and money in the short term, the long-term impact of not attending regular hygiene dental check-ups can be rather damaging. Attending regular check-up appointments with your dentist in Marylebone enables them to monitor your oral hygiene process and suggest alternative methods to enhance your daily oral cleaning process. By working together with your dental team on a regular basis your teeth, mouth and gums will be receiving the best care they can which in turn reduces damage further down the line. Preventing dental problems as much as possible with regular check-ups with you dentist in Marylebone saves you time and money further down the line as it reduces the possibility of more extensive treatments and procedures.

Suffering from nerves?

Although no two people are the same, rest assured you are not alone when it comes to nerves surrounding trips to the dental practice. Whether a child or adult, our dental team understands that for some, it can be difficult to confidently walk through the practice doors to attend the appointment whether a check-up or something more extensive. Our dental team works hard to ensure that each patient, whether nervous or not, receives the friendliest and most welcoming experience they can and therefore should you have any concerns, just mention it to one of the team and they will work with you to ensure that your visits are as stress free as possible. We all have your best interests at heart and by working together we hope to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible and are able to attend all your appointments including your regular check-ups.

Understanding the costs of treatments and procedures.

Before undergoing any treatments or procedures, a breakdown of the costs will always be provided which enables you to take time to decide upon your course of action. For the treatments and procedures which are spread out over a number of appointments, the cost is often spread out in regular instalments. This spread of the cost can be extremely helpful and therefore removes the initial pressure of paying all at once. After all, we want your visits to the dentist in Marylebone to be as stress free as possible in all aspects of your visit.

Working together and creating an understanding.

Whilst attending each of your appointments is necessary to help protect your oral health, it is vitally important that you understand what your dental team are saying to you with regards to your oral health. The dental team may have the expertise and knowledge to support you, but each day the daily care is in your hands and therefore teaching you to take care of your oral hygiene is our job. We therefore need to ensure that both sides of the team, which is you and your dentist in Marylebone, understand what is required and how to achieve the goals in the most efficient ways possible. Working together is vital to protect your oral health.

Putting your fears aside.

When you feel uncertain about a situation, whether it be entering a new location on your own, starting something new or taking a trip to the dental practice, it is important to remind yourselves of the basics. Like you, many have felt unsure when tackling these things and, in the end, we are all human. Your dentist is just like you, the only difference is their job and approach to oral health.

Discussing how you feel about the situation is of great importance as you will learn that we are here with you, working together to achieve the smile you want. After all, the final decisions are always yours and we, at Plowman & Partners, are simply here to guide you.

Reaching out to your dental practice.

When you are suffering from nerves surrounding your visit, the first step is to reach out to your dentist in Marylebone. Whilst this may still be a big step to take, by putting in this first step you will be opening yourself up for further help and support for the current appointment as well as future visits which we hope you will take at our practice. It may be that specific music can be played to help calm you throughout your visit, or it may be that a specific appointment time can help you prepare efficiently. In some of the more severe cases, a visit to the dentist in Marylebone can be too daunting but attending a dental hygiene appointment can be more manageable.

No matter your worries, by reaching out to your dental team we will be able to use our expertise and our empathy to work with you in whatever way possible. As a team we will ensure that you receive the oral health care you want and need.

Taking a look at the wider picture.

Whether seeking a place to head to for regular dental check-ups, looking for a hygienist or seeking more extensive dental work to be carried out, getting in touch with your dentist in Marylebone can be of great help. By taking the first steps and picking up the phone, dropping an email or walking in to have a chat with our friendly reception team you are opening up a range of possibilities whilst ensuring that your oral health receives the best care possible.

When looking for new shoes, we all have our favourite stores and styles, therefore we put the time in to locate them. When searching for a dental practice we should put in as much time and effort if not more, to ensure that we are pushing for a high level of service and care. On a day-to-day basis our oral health is down to the individual but ensuring that our oral health is kept in check is down to our dental team and therefore locating the right support is of the utmost importance.

Putting the location option further down the list.

Whilst location plays a large part in choosing a dental practice, always ensure that the quality of service rises above the convenient location. This is where Plowman & Partners exceeds. Being conveniently placed in the heart of London we not only have the convenient location but you can rest assured that you will be receiving the highest level of care.

Regular check-ups at the dental practice may seem like a mundane task to carry out each year, but the impact on your oral health and overall health can be significant. Regular check-up appointments enable your dentist in Marylebone to monitor your oral hygiene methods carried out at home and prevent any serious damage or issues from occurring further down the line.

Whilst visits to the dental practice are often considered unnecessary, in truth, these regular visits not only keep tabs on the health of your teeth but extends further to your overall oral health. Monitoring your teeth, mouth and gums is of great importance and that is where your dentist in Marylebone comes in. //Taking the first step and contacting your dental practice.//

At Plowman & Partners dental practice, we understand that for some, visits to the dental practice can be unsettling. This is why we concentrate on creating connections with our patients and do our best to encourage positive engagements throughout each visit. From the minute you walk through our doors we aim to be as encouraging and friendly as possible so as to put your mind at ease. Creating positive connections, no matter your age, is of great importance so that together we can work on your overall oral health without the fears.

Finding alternative solutions with a gentler approach to start.

For patients who struggle with the general dentistry side of their appointment, an alternative solution would be to attend regular appointments with the hygienist. Visiting the dentist in Marylebone may be too big a task to begin with but by taking a smaller step and visiting the dental hygienist you are moving in the right direction and ensuring that your oral health receives some form of care rather than none at all. The dental hygienist, whilst may seem the same as a visit to the dentist is actually completely different. Whilst normal dentistry uses the more intensive equipment and methods, the role of the hygienist is to help you understand ways to keep your teeth, mouth and gums clean at home and throughout your daily life. Using less invasive equipment and methods, for some taking a trip to the hygienist can be a manageable and more gentle approach to visit the dental practice and therefore if this suits you better, it is something we are happy to encourage and support. Our aim is to always work together and ensure that together your oral health receives the best care possible even when seeking alternatives.

Discussing your options with the team.

Taking the first step and contacting your dentist  is an excellent way to begin or continue your dental journey. Whether suffering from nerves, looking for second opinions or just starting out on your journey we will work with you to ensure that each step of the way you are supported and guided throughout.

Once you open communication with the dental team we can begin to provide you with the support and knowledge you require to keep your oral health in the best condition possible.

When dental restoration involves replacing teeth, our dentist in Marylebone can make a seamless addition to your smile by using the latest technology and advanced training.

With restorative dentistry, we always attempt to repair and reconstruct before replacing teeth. There really is nothing like your natural tooth, and even if it cannot be completely saved, as much healthy enamel and dentine as possible will be retained during a restoration process. But even with our best efforts, there are some scenarios where teeth have to be removed, and this can leave a gap in your smile.

We are very well equipped to meet any prosthodontic needs (prosthetic teeth) ranging from a full set of dentures to a small prosthetic inlay (a fragment of porcelain that is bonded flush to the surface of part of a tooth, usually the top surface of molars).

Let’s take a closer look at our most common fixed oral prosthetics.

Crowns

Crowns have been around for a long time, and at Plowman and Partners, we are well-versed in both the most well-known of crowns, which is made of a gold alloy, and the most aesthetically subtle of crowns, polymer composite hybrid crowning.

Over the decades, there has been a shift in the philosophy behind crowning. It was common to remove a substantial quantity of the natural tooth as any remaining tooth would significantly reduce the lifespan of the crown and also obscure it once the crown had been fitted. This has flipped towards trying to preserve as much of the natural tooth as possible, and instead of shaving down the tooth to a peg, crowns have been designed to fit around the remaining tooth. We use detailed digital scanning techniques to record the shape of the remaining tooth before having a crown fabricated that will fit like a glove. This allows our dentist in Marylebone to save more of our patient’s natural teeth, whilst at the same time, we use surgical microscopes to be certain that we have accurately removed any residual decay.

Bridges

Bridges have also altered over the lifespan of our practice. We still regularly carry out the traditional wired bridges; these are multiple crowns, and up to 3 are grouped on a structure and wired onto the adjacent teeth. However, we do this with great caution by taking x-rays of the surrounding teeth and being mindful of the additional pressure and risk put on them by having to support the bridge.

The real progress in bridgework has been their pairing with dental implants. By using a pair of dental implants to work as the endpoints for the bridge, there is no stress put on the adjacent teeth (assuming that the jaw is healthy). Therefore, this can be an excellent alternative with a much longer lifespan than wired crowns.

Always moving forward

We’ve always kept up with the times in our clinic. With our emphasis on proper staff training, skills development and the use of new technologies, our dentist in Marylebone will always have great ways of providing restorative care.

Endodontics is all about carrying out procedures underneath a living tooth; you may be wondering how exactly our dentist in Marylebone manages to do this.

We hope you’ve been lucky enough to never have a dental abscess, but if you have one, a root canal treatment is your best friend. Our dentist in Marylebone has made it a point to perform root canals to high standards with great accuracy by investing in training and modern surgical equipment, such as surgical microscopes. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s talk more about how root canals are performed and what we do here at Plowman & Partners.

The root of the root canal

There are several endodontic procedures performed by our dentist in Marylebone, but the most common one by far is the root canal. It is very suitable for dental abscesses, and the treatment is broken down into a set of phases.

Phase one involves the top of the infected tooth being opened with an access hole that goes down into the root of the tooth to allow the pulp to be removed. At this stage, we may need to widen the access hole and will do so with a set of files, but you won’t feel a thing.

Once widened, the hole will allow access to the abscess beneath the tooth; it can then be drained through the tooth and thoroughly cleaned. The final step is a full tooth filling; this starts below the tooth in the void left by the tip of the root where the abscess once was. The filling extends through the entire length of the tooth to the access hole which was formed at the beginning of the procedure.

Once the procedure has been completed, our team may prescribe you a course of antibiotics; this will help to clear up any lingering infections and kill any bacteria that may have spread from the abscess into surrounding soft tissues.

It might surprise you to find out that a complicated part of this entire process is winding roots; tooth roots are rarely straight. This is particularly true with molars as they have multiple roots that are often tangled amongst each other, greatly complicating the process. Due to this, our dental team may encounter restricted access with teeth further back in the mouth.

Should we have concerns about the structure of your roots or the potential complexity of an upcoming root canal, we will discuss these with you and may recommend referring you to an endodontic specialist to complete the treatment.

Meeting a challenge

We meet challenges with the excellence and professionalism you would expect from a well-established clinic and continually invest in the highest standards of staff training and dental equipment. Our success rate at treating abscesses is very high, ensuring that no matter how bad the dental abscess is, it is highly unlikely to recur in the future.

If you have concerns about having a root canal or questions relating to aftercare, please feel free to contact our team at Plowman & Partners.