ORAL EXAMINATION

Our eight point oral health check. This involves examination of extra-oral tissues, intra-oral tissues, jaw joints, oral cancer screening, teeth examination, gum assessment, digital x-rays if required and diet/hygiene advice. The ultimate check up! 

CLEANING

Six monthly cleaning of teeth and gums is essential in the prevention of gum disease. Plaque bacteria is linked to health conditions such as heart disease and our hygienist will educate you in the maintenance of your own gum health. Our hygienist is highly skilled in performing pain free cleaning with the latest ultrasonic scaler and can use local anaesthetic if requested.

Polishing staining build up from tea, coffee, red wine etc is also removed at each cleaning session. You’ll leave feeling totally refreshed.
 

FAMILY DENTISTRY

We are very keen at Barna village Dental to involve all the family from an early age. We believe if oral hygiene and diet education is started early it instills a lifelong habit of good dental health. We encourage siblings to attend together and all our friendly staff will help alleviate any apprehension children may have.

Our hygienist offers a fantastic service where siblings can attend together for a 30 minute session of diet and oral hygiene instruction. Diet diaries are emailed out prior to appointment and  tooth brushing demonstrations are given. This is a fun filled way to encourage better tooth brushing and reinforces in children the importance of a good diet for their teeth as well as their general health. Why not try it out?
 

FISSURE SEALANTS

Prevention is better than a cure! This age old saying is very appropriate in regards to our teeth. A fissure sealant is a white or clear plastic coating that can easily and painlessly be placed on top of molar teeth to act as an added barrier to decay. It can normally be placed at age seven when the first adult molars are fully erupted and again at age 12 when the second molar teeth are present. Do we recommend these? This is a no brainer in our opinion. A must for all kids. If you are suitable our hygienist can fit up to four in one visit. It’s important to get these placed before any decay is present.
 

FILLINGS

Decay in your teeth requires removal before it causes damage to the nerve of the tooth. Composite (white) and Amalgam (silver) fillings made from the highest quality of materials are used by all dentists at Barna Village Dental.The decay can be removed painlessly using local anaesthetic and the size of the filling required will help determine the choice of material used.We prefer to use composite (white) fillings whenever possible. If decay is left until you feel pain it is unfortunately often too late to fill the tooth as the nerve is damaged and root canal treatment may also be required at this stage. This is one of the main reasons regular dental checks are encouraged. The earlier a problem is detected the simpler it is to treat and often the better the outcome. 
 

ROOT CANAL

When a nerve is damaged in a tooth by either trauma or if decay has been allowed to progress to the inner tooth (pulp) a root canal treatment may be required. The damaged nerve is removed under local anaesthetic and a replacement biocompatible material (gutta percha) is put in its place.  Often the reason this is required is because a lot of the tooth is damaged so it usually means after the root canal treatment (especially on back teeth) a crown is needed to strengthen the tooth structure.
 

CROWNS

A crown is a covering that is placed over your own tooth. The tooth shape is first altered by the dentist to accommodate the new crown and an impression is taken and sent to the lab where they custom make the crown to match the shape and shade of your own teeth. A temporary crown can be placed in the interim and on your second visit the permanent crown is cemented in place. A crown is often needed if you do not have a lot of tooth structure left (i.e a large filling in place) or the tooth is weaker due to having needed a root canal treatment.

VENEERS

A veneer is a thin layer of porcelain made to fit over the front surface of your own tooth. A small amount of tooth is removed by the dentist, moulds are then taken and sent to the lab for fabrication of your veneers. The veneers will match your own tooth colour and are often used to improve the appearance/colour of your tooth or to alter the shape of your smile line.
 

BRIDGES

A bridge is used to replace a missing tooth or number of teeth. A bridge uses adjacent teeth to hold the missing tooth/teeth in place. Your dentist will need to assess the adjacent teeth to ensure they are suitable and to discuss the different options for bridge type.
 

WHITENING

Teeth whitening is a simple and safe way to improve the appearance of your smile. Recent research has proved the most effective whitening system (and the only method recommended by the Irish Dental Association) is home tray bleaching. A custom made tray is made to accurately fit over your teeth, this ensures bleaching is effective and more importantly safe. You will then be provided with a bleaching kit with the appropriate percentage of bleach required to painlessly yet effectively whiten your teeth.

A oral health assessment is required with cleaning prior to whitening to make sure optimum effects are achieved.
 

EXTRACTIONS

Sometimes when a tooth is unrestorable it will need removed. Following an assessment of the tooth a x ray will be taken and the dentist will numb the area with local anaesthetic. The tooth will be removed as easily as possible while the dentist and nurse guides you through the process and explains the post extraction information carefully.
 

DENTURES

When you have missing teeth they can be replaced by dentures. There are two materials used for dentures,  acrylic and cobalt chrome. Depending on how many teeth you are missing the dentist can advise you on your options and the pros and cons of each type. Making a new denture normally takes four appointments each lasting 15-20 minutes approximately.   
 

GUM SHIELDS

Accurately fitting and comfortable gum shields are the best way to protect your teeth from injury. It has also been proven to reduce the impact of a head injury and gum shields are now compulsory in GAA. Please ask about our special discounts for local clubs of watch out for our gum shield clinics held once or twice a year at the start of the season.  
 

NIGHT GUARDS

Tooth wear, cracked teeth and fractures can be caused by night time grinding. Night grinding can also cause jaw pain, migraines, upper back pain and neck pain.  A custom made night guard can be expertly constructed in the lab from an impression of your own teeth.Once fitted and adjusted the guard is worn nightly and can help alleviate the symptoms.
 

SIX MONTH SMILES

Six month smiles is a fantastic cosmetically focused orthodontic system. The philosophy behind six month smiles is very simple...

We give patients a smile they can be proud of, in a reasonable amount of time, with clear braces.  Why not book a free consultation toady to check if you are suitable?