Oral Health and How to Find a Good Dentist in South Africa

There are few more painful experiences than toothache, whether it's the result of trauma or failure to maintain adequate oral hygiene. The pain can be excruciating, making it impossible to concentrate, disturbing one's sleep, and making every meal agony. Even if not actually painful, teeth discoloured by tobacco, blackened by decay, broken, or crooked can be an embarrassment, as can the gaps due to lost teeth. Fortunately, all this pain and embarrassment can be prevented or eliminated with regular visits to a good dentist.

While most people are well aware of the benefits they could gain from these visits, many are simply too fearful to allow someone to poke and prod their teeth and drill holes in them. For those, there is good news. Thanks to the impact of technological advances, modern dentistry can achieve results previously only dreamed of while virtually eliminating the inevitable discomfort that once typified dental surgery.

In case you were wondering how to find a dentist with the necessary skills and resources to perform these modern miracles of dentistry, you do not need to look further than an Intercare clinic near you.

What to Expect at the Dentist Today 

 

There has been a marked shift in the focus of dental professionals since extractions and fillings were their mainstay. Cosmetic dentistry first emerged during the 1920s with the invention of dental veneers, later used by a Hollywood actor to launch the "perfect smile" so widely sought after today. There is more good news for South Africans. If you are wondering how to find a good dentist to fit some veneers, inlays, or onlays, or perform most cosmetic dental procedures, you can guarantee to meet some of the nation's best at your nearest Intercare clinic.

Like the doctors, surgeons, and other healthcare professionals who offer their services via the nationwide network of Intercare hospitals and clinics, our dental practitioners and dental hygienists are highly qualified specialists chosen for their expertise and experience. Together, they provide a full spectrum of dental services as follows.

Routine Dental Services Available from Your Dentist 

 

These services consist of examinations to evaluate dentition and soft tissue integrity in asymptomatic patients or as a prophylactic measure to maintain oral health and include:

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• - Dental X-rays using the latest digital, low radiation, intraoral units
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• - Creating and fitting removable prostheses such as partial dentures

 

• - Basic periodontal (gum) treatments

 

• - Root canal therapy as an alternative to extraction where possible
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An Intercare Dentist Can Also Perform Specialised Dental Procedures

 

Typical services in this category available from dentists at an Intercare clinic include the following:

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• - Orthodontics: This sub-speciality of dentistry involves detecting and treating misaligned teeth and correcting jaw alignment to restore a patient's bite path. These procedures employ various mechanical appliances, including palatal expanders, retainers, and regular or transparent Invisalign braces.
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• - Endodontic Treatments: Here, the task of the dental practitioner is to repair the tissues inside a tooth. In addition to routine root canal procedures, an endodontic specialist might perform a less invasive alternative like pulpotomy, a technique to remove only the infected material, or perhaps an apicoectomy to remove the tip of the tooth root and the surrounding infected gum tissue.
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• - Advanced Periodontics: The role of this dental specialism is to diagnose and treat problems that affect the gums. These often go unnoticed until they become acute, as they are not accompanied by pain in the early stages. Typical symptoms of periodontitis include redness or swelling, tenderness and bleeding, bad breath, sensitivity to heat and cold, and receding gums. After confirming a diagnosis, a periodontic specialist has several treatment options. These include non-invasive scaling and root planing, gum grafts, pocket reduction, and laser treatments.
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• - Implant Dentistry: Implants are undoubtedly the most significant advance in the history of dentistry. They provide a replacement for one or more missing teeth that are indistinguishable from a natural tooth both in appearance and functionality. While your nearest Intercare dentist can offer a dental bridge as a cheaper alternative, bridgework is less stable and requires work on the otherwise healthy teeth necessary to provide support.
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• By contrast, although preparing the patient and fashioning and fitting a dental implant is a slower and more expensive option, an implant is the only dental prosthesis with the proven potential to endure for a lifetime. Conventional dentures can't compete because, without roots, bone resorption occurs, causing shrunken gums and loose dentures. By contrast, the body perceives a titanium implant as no different from a natural tooth root, leaving the jawbone intact and fully supportive.

Oral Hygiene Services from an Interacare Dentist

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• Today's diet often includes too many sugary drinks and sweet pastries. Along with smoking and vaping, these habits are increasing the need for professional oral hygiene services to safeguard our teeth and gums. A dental nurse or assistant with specialised training and experience in this field may sometimes provide some of the more basic services. However, you can be assured of the utmost professionalism and quality of care when attending any Intercare medical or dental facility.
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• In addition to scaling and polishing, teeth cleaning, de-banding of braces, and providing gum guards, occlusal protectors, and retainers, an Intercare dentist will be happy to create a customised preventative programme to help you optimise your oral hygiene and limit your dental appointments to routine checkups.

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• There are more benefits to following an oral hygiene programme than a nice smile and a way to avoid toothache and bad breath. Oral health is inextricably linked to general body health. For example, oral problems like gingivitis and periodontitis are known to be contributory factors in cardiovascular disease, stroke, and endocarditis, a potentially fatal infection of the heart's inner lining.
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• Though generally considered a cosmetic procedure, Intercare dental clinics also include teeth-whitening in oral hygiene, offering a solution for patients with discoloured teeth from decades of bad dietary choices, smoking, and neglected oral care. These painless, non-invasive procedures are an opportunity to transform your smile and help you regain lost confidence.
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• Whether you want to ensure the future health of your teeth and gums or you have a dental issue that needs fixing and wish to know how to find a good dentist, click here, select your location, and choose "dentist" in the speciality column to meet some of South Africa's best dental practitioners.

 

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