General Dentistry

Oral Hygiene

Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth and teeth clean to prevent dental problems, most commonly, dental cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath. Although the mouth can also be kept clean and healthy by brushing and flossing, specialized cleaning and treatment may be required from time to time.

Oral hygiene care services include:

• Preventive and maintenance programmes
• Scaling and polishing
• Root planing
• Teeth whitening
• Retainers
• Gum guards
• Occlusal protectors

Metal-Free Tooth-Coloured Restorations

Cosmetic dentistry is not confined to the front of the mouth! Aesthetic, tooth- coloured restorations can also restore posterior teeth to their original appearance and strength. These restorations, made of either composite resin or porcelain, are biocompatible, strong, and much more aesthetic than traditional silver and gold fillings. They are also very conservative, enabling preservation of healthy tooth structure. Kuilsrivier Dental is highly experienced in the cosmetic restoration of posterior teeth, including the replacement of old silver and gold fillings. With our help, your teeth can look like they’ve never been filled!

Root Canal Treatment

Root Canal treatment is necessary when the pulp becomes inflamed or infected. The inflammation or infection can have a variety of causes: deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth or a crack or fracture in the tooth. In addition, a blow to a tooth may cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess. Signs of pulp damage include pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, discolouration of the tooth, and swelling and tenderness in the nearby gums. Sometimes, there are no symptoms.

Paediatric Dentistry

Kuilsrivier Dental is pleased to offer cleanings, examinations, and other age-appropriate services for the youngest members of your household. We can begin seeing your child for paediatric dentistry visits as soon as his or her first tooth appears to help ensure proper development and to begin acquainting them with dental visits. We recommend not waiting longer than your child’s first birthday to make an appointment, even if very few teeth have erupted. These visits are essential for helping children feel confident and comfortable with routine dental care.

We cater paediatric services to meet the needs of each child. Depending on the developmental stage of your child, this may include:

• Checking for proper tooth eruption
• Cleaning and fluoride treatment
• Sealants

In some instances, fillings and similar general dental treatments are appropriate for children as well. This, as with all aspects of your child’s dental care, will be based on his or her specific needs and never performed without your permission.  We also offer dental treatment under general anaesthesia or conscious sedation.

Preventative Treatments

At Kuilsrivier Dental, we want all our patients to enjoy the many benefits that come with having a healthy and attractive smile. We offer preventative dentistry to help our patients avoid developing some of the most common problems with teeth and gums. As our patient, you will receive exceptional, individualized dental care to keep your smile healthy and bright.

Preventative dentistry is an umbrella term that describes the many dental procedures used to treat tooth decay and other dental diseases in their earliest stages. The goal is to keep your teeth, gums, and mouth as healthy as possible while helping you avoid tooth loss. Here are the different types of preventative procedures used today:

Professional Dental Cleaning:

It is important to have your teeth professionally cleaned twice a year to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth, especially in areas where you have difficulty reaching when brushing and flossing.

Dental Sealants:

Dental sealants are thin coatings that are applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect them from decay. The sealant material seeps into the natural fissures and pits of the tooth surfaces where bacteria gathers to help prevent cavities from forming.

Fluoride Treatment:

This naturally-occurring mineral helps make teeth stronger and more resistant to decay. It can even arrest small cavities that are beginning to form. We provide fluoride treatments to those patients who are not getting enough fluoride. The procedure is quick and easy as the fluoride is applied directly to the teeth during a regular dental visit.

Mouth guards

Mouth guards also known as sports guards or athletic mouth protectors, are crucial pieces of equipment for any child participating in potentially injurious recreational or sporting activities.  Fitting snugly over the upper teeth, mouth guards protect the entire oral region from traumatic injury, preserving both the aesthetic appearance and the health of the smile.  In addition, mouth guards are sometimes used to prevent tooth damage in children who grind (brux) their teeth at night.

At Kuilsrivier Dental, we custom-make mouth guards. These mouth guards offer the greatest degree of protection,  First, we take an impression of the child’s teeth using special material, and then the mouth guard is constructed over the mold.  Customized mouth guards are more expensive and take longer to fit, but are more comfortable, orthodontically correct, and fully approved by the dentist.

Anti-Snoring Device

A device to position the mandible more forward in order to open the airway.

Retainers

Retention is a critical follow-through step that should begin after orthodontic treatment and typically requires wearing a retainer. Without this orthodontic appliance, your teeth will naturally shift back into their original positions. If that were to happen, all the time and money you invested in orthodontic treatment will have been made in vain.

Your teeth are held in place by a network of fibers called periodontal ligaments. Once your teeth have been moved, it takes several months for these ligaments to adjust to the new positions your teeth are in. In short, if you want to enjoy your new smile for the rest of your life, you must wear a retainer according to the directions we provide you with.