We love our kids and our kids love sugar. Unfortunately, so do the bacteria in dental plaque. It thrives on it, and then releases acids that cause tooth decay. Kids get just as much tooth decay as ever, and that’s why we offer a way to protect their teeth, with the application of dental sealants.

This is a relatively new dental procedure, and as such, you may be unaware of the benefits it can offer to your children.

Our dental team at Smilecraft dentist in Stevenage is committed offering preventive oral care to children and adults. Children’s love affair with sweets and sugary drinks mean they are more prone to tooth decay. With fluoride treatment and dental sealants, we can help prevent tooth decay and stop decay that has not yet reached the centre of the tooth. Our experienced dentist can show you how dental sealants work and answer questions you may have about them. However, let’s get a basic understanding of them here so that you can see what they can do to protect your children’s teeth.

How do dental sealants work?

At your dentist in Stevenage, we paint tooth-coloured dental sealants (also called fissure sealants) directly onto the ridges of the back teeth. These molars are harder to keep clean than teeth nearer the front of the jaw. The sealants act as a protective barrier between tooth enamel and cavity-causing mouth bacteria. When sealants are combined with fluoride treatment and diligent brushing and flossing, your kids teeth stand a much better chance of staying whole and healthy.

Brushing and flossing are still vitally important in preventing tooth decay.  Sealants provide extra protection for those hard-to-reach areas of the mouth and teeth. How many teeth you decide to get sealed will be influenced by your child’s lifestyle and their history of tooth decay. For effective protection, we recommend applying dental sealants as soon as your children’s permanent teeth come through.

At this dentist in Stevenage, we can apply dental sealants in just one visit. Once we have thoroughly examined your children’s teeth, we will give them a really good clean before applying the sealant. Then we harden it with a special light.

You’d think that in this day and age that dental decay in kids but would something you only read about in history lessons, but the truth is that even now children in the UK are having to have teeth removed before they are even one year old. The problem is that there’s more sugar than ever before in the food our kids eat, and not everyone is taking their children to the dentist.

At Smilecraft, we recommend that you bring in your children to see us from an early age. Make that first appointment for soon after their teeth start to appear. When you bring your children in this young, it helps to familiarise your child with the dentist in Stevenage environment and what goes on here. You can even bring them along to your own appointment, or that of a sibling. That way they get to see that having a dental check-up is normal and they will soon cotton on as, young kids love watching and copying what they see.

These early visits to the dentist in Stevenage help your child to see the staff here as friendly faces and they will look forward to seeing us and we will look forward to seeing how good they are at brushing their teeth. These little interchanges will build up trust, so that when we need to step in and deal with a problem, your child won’t be scared. Fluoride varnish and fissure sealant will help to strengthen children’s teeth and protect them from tooth decay.

Of course, catching problems early also takes a lot of the stress out of the experience for you and your child. You don’t like to see your child scared or in pain, any more than they like being scared or in pain, and these situations can be easily avoided with regular check-ups.

When your child sees our hygienist, they can learn about a healthy diet, tooth brushing, and looking after their smile, all delivered in an age-appropriate, fun, and engaging manner.

Establishing good oral health habits, including regular visits to the dentist in Stevenage, at an early stage, will help to set your child up with good dental health for life.

Visiting the dentist at least every six months is important for maintaining your oral and overall health. In recent years, studies have shown that a healthy mouth is linked to a healthy body. A healthy mouth starts with regular examinations and cleanings.

At Smilecraft, prevention is a very big part of our philosophy. To help our patients take good care of their own teeth we are always happy to give advice and answer questions about common or not so common dental problems. Our dentist in Stevenage will help you maintain the highest standard of oral health while limiting dental expenditures.

Gum disease and oral health

Gum disease is an oral condition that can cause many problems if not treated at an early stage. It occurs when plaque and germs infect the gums, causing them to become red, sensitive and to bleed easily. Advanced gum disease, also known as periodontitis, affects the supporting bone around the teeth and can lead to tooth loss. If plaque is left on teeth for a long time it can become hard, and cannot be removed with a toothbrush. Only a dental professional can safely remove it. If you brush and floss your teeth on a daily basis and visit the dentist in Stevenage for regular check-ups and cleanings, it is highly unlikely that you will develop gum disease.

Tooth decay and oral health

Tooth decay occurs when the sugar found in food and drinks turns into acid, which attacks the teeth. If this happens often, the plaque acid can create cavities in the tooth enamel. Tooth decay affects people of all ages and it can start at a very young age. It mostly affects patients with very poor dental hygiene.

What can you do?

Clean your teeth and gums twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque. This will help stop decay and gum disease as well as bad breath. Moreover, it is important to visit your dentist in Stevenage regularly and ask their advice about what is best for you. Our experienced dentists will examine your teeth thoroughly and create a custom-made treatment plan for your individual needs.

Did you know that gum disease is the main cause of tooth loss in adults? A good oral care routine and a healthy lifestyle can help you keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong for longer. Brushing, flossing and eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis is important for keeping your mouth healthy and disease-free. However, it is more important to visit the dentist at least twice a year or more if you are prone to dental problems.

At Smilecraft, we are passionate about prevention, protecting you from bad oral habits and maintaining your dental health. Our dentist in Stevenage will ensure your gums stay healthy in order to prevent gum disease and keep your smile shining brightly for years to come.

The importance of brushing and flossing

Brushing twice a day is the most effective method of keeping your mouth fresh and clean. It is also a good idea to rinse your mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash twice a day in order to protect your gums. This way, you can reach areas that your toothbrush and floss cannot reach.

Flossing, on the other hand, is often left out by patients. However, it is one of the easiest ways to control plaque build-up and prevent gum disease. Your dentist in Stevenage will teach you how to floss your teeth properly.

Eat a balanced diet

What you eat can help you keep your teeth healthy. Vitamins and other nutrients found in fruits, vegetables and nuts increase the ability of your body to fight bacteria and irritation, helping to protect your teeth and gums in the long run. Moreover, foods rich in calcium and vitamin D such as milk and other dairy products, help promote healthy teeth and gums, and reduce the risk of tooth loss.

Do not postpone your dental visits

Visiting your dentist in Stevenage at least twice a year is extremely important in preventing disease and ensuring that your teeth remain clean and healthy. Your dentist will look for early symptoms of tooth decay and gum disease and will effectively remove plaque stuck to your teeth and gums.

Are you one of the 25% of UK adults who only go to their dentist when they have a problem? This is a bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. You need to have regular check-ups to maintain good oral health. Check-ups are also a way to make sure there is nothing else we can help you with.

As a modern dentist in Stevenage, Smilecraft offers a wide array of treatments. We not only fix problems, we prevent them and we can make your smile brighter too.

Prevention is better than cure

The focus of modern dentistry is on prevention. So, we are always keen to find new ways to help you keep your teeth for life. Our dental hygienists, Janet Spence and Nancy Carlton, remove plaque and tartar build up and can show you how to brush more effectively.

If you are a smoker, you are doing your mouth no favours at all. Your dentist in Stevenage can offer stop smoking support. We also do mouth cancer screening. Our hand-held scanning device helps us do a thorough check for lumps or lesions.

If you are having a baby, you will probably find your gums feeling more tender and swollen. Welcome to pregnancy gingivitis, caused by higher progesterone levels. You may need more hygienist appointments to keep gum disease at bay.

If you are sporty, you may need a custom-made mouth guard from your Stevenage dentist. It’s cheaper than new teeth, that’s for sure.

Replacing teeth

If you do get a tooth knocked out, dental implants replace the root, and the crown is replaced with a custom-made durable porcelain replica. This can last for the rest of your life.

Dentures are removable false teeth. You can have either a full, or partial set. A bridge is false teeth that are fixed to neighbouring healthy teeth for support.

Cosmetic dentistry

This is an increasingly popular branch of dentistry that makes damaged, wonky or discoloured teeth look great again. We can brighten you up with teeth whitening, white fillings, braces and veneers. With a happier, healthier smile, your self-esteem will get a boost too.

If you are holding off seeing the dentist in Stevenage because of fear or anxiety, here at Smilecraft in Stevenage Old Town, we can help you. We know that many adults experience dental phobia – around 30% in the UK – it’s way more common than you might think and you are not alone.

Whether you are concerned for your child or are anxious yourself, we have many ways to help our nervous patients and pride ourselves on offering the comfort and reassurance you need to sit easy in the dentist’s chair.

You are welcome

Our warm and friendly team have decades’ worth of experience and enjoy putting patients at ease.

Staying relaxed

If you are anxious about a particular treatment, we can offer conscious sedation. This isn’t an alternative to anaesthetic. Sedation isn’t a pain killer, it helps you to relax and stay calm during the treatment. You will be conscious but may not remember the procedure afterwards.

Sedation can be taken either as a tablet before your treatment or administered intravenously through an injection.

Easy does it

We use The Wand, which is a pain-free injection system. The Wand is a small, thin, pen-like device that we use to administer anaesthetic. It works at a low pressure; many of our patients aren’t even aware that it’s in use. We can be much more precise in targeting the area that needs numbing, which means little or no freezing of surrounding areas such as the lips.

Clear and clean

We explain all our treatments in advance thoroughly, including timescale and cost, so you know exactly what will happen each step of the way.

Ask us anything

You are welcome to drop in to see our dentist in Stevenage and talk to any of the team about your dental health. Have a look around and talk to us about any questions or concerns you have.

This surgery has been at the heart of Stevenage for more than 25 years and we have served several generations of the same family. We’ve built up our reputation through trust, consistency and excellent care. Drop in today and see if we could be your new dentist in Stevenage.

When you visit a dentist these days, you can easily get carried away with fantasies of perfectly shaped white teeth created by cosmetic dentistry.

And, while, at Smilecraft, we agree that of course you should have well-aligned, shapely, white teeth, if you want them, we also believe that good oral health forms the foundation of every beautiful smile.

That is why when you join our clinic and come to us for your first appointment with a Stevenage dentist, we will start by taking a detailed look at your gums, jawbone, tongue and mouth, as well as your teeth. We will also have a good chat with you about your dental history, and your dental desires.

However, if we find that you need some remedial work, we will carry this out using modern equipment, techniques and materials.

For example, your fillings no longer need to be made of mercury amalgam. Your Stevenage dentist at Smilecraft can use composite materials that match your tooth colour and withstand the stresses and pressures that biting and chewing place on teeth. With this kind of filling material, we do not have to remove so much of the tooth in order to give it something to bond too, which means your teeth are stronger too.

It may be that at some point, you will need to have root canal therapy. This need arises after bacteria have entered into the pulp of the tooth, either via a crack or decay. These bacteria give off acid, which irritates and infects the tooth, leading to severe toothache as the pressure increases inside the tooth. Our dentist will clean out the canal, removing the pulp and filling the resultant space before sealing it.

If you need to have teeth removed, your Stevenage dentist can fill the gap left with a bridge. Bridges are false teeth supported by the teeth next to them, or by dental implants. This stops the surrounding teeth from tipping into the gap left by the lost tooth.

However, if you come to us for a twice-yearly check-up, visit the hygienist, and brush and floss twice a day, you may never lose a tooth or need root canal therapy.

If you are shopping around for a dentist in Stevenage, you are probably looking for one whose skills you can trust. Feeling comfortable and able to trust your dentist is as important as trusting your new car, or feeling comfortable in your new home. You only get one mouth, and keeping it in optimum health and looking good over decades of hard wear and tear is very important.

As we go through life, our dental needs change, and what most people want is to be able to find a great dentist whom they can go and see throughout their lives and take their children to see, and, even their elderly parents.

At Smilecraft, dentists Dr Bradley Abrahams and Dr Caroline King head up a practice with three hygienists, and three nursing and reception staff. We have been established for more than 25 years and extend our caring ethos to your entire family.

When you bring your toddler or baby with you to the dentist for the first time, your Stevenage dentist will make sure that these very young patients have a positive experience. That way, they will be able to start building a lifetime habit of regular visits to keep in optimum oral health.

When your baby becomes a child and then a teenager, our dentist in Stevenage will be on the lookout for the changes that growing mouths and emerging teeth go through. They will be able to catch problems with crowded, crooked or misaligned teeth almost before they happen and recommend the right treatment to give young patients a great smile of healthy teeth.

But it’s not just the teenage year that are important: as we go through adulthood, our teeth and mouths continue to evolve. Accidents, lifestyle, diet, and wear and tear all take their toll on our hard-working mouths. Our dentists can correct any problems, be they health-related, such as infections, or aesthetic problems, such as chipped, worn or broken teeth.

In older age, our dental needs are more likely to include the need for replacement artificial teeth and problems with receding gums. Your Stevenage dentist can look out for the issues that come with old age, recommending the best options for you.