In our dental medicine practice, we pay special attention to both the aesthetic aspect and the high quality of our dental services, remembering that our priority is to follow the scientifically approved treatment methods implicitly. We use the state-of-the-art, top-quality materials only, which are manufactured mainly in the USA and in Japan, as well as some of the other top-quality restorative products such as 3M ESPE Filtek Ultimate^® and GRADIA^® DIRECT, (white) composite filling materials. These materials enable us to provide our patients with a high-quality tooth protection, which prevents further deterioration of one’s teeth, while they simultaneously match our standards of exquisite aesthetics, of high-quality based on their natural look and long-standing functionality. Each composite filling is built up in layers with carefully chosen shades of the material, in order to blend in the composite filling with the natural colour of the tooth tissue.

All dental fillings are made by following the scientifically approved treatment methods and the state-of the- art researches in the field of dental medicine, because our goal is to achieve the best therapy results for each specific tooth. In tooth cavity preparation (the process of cleaning the cavity), we follow the principles of the micro-invasive aesthetic dentistry. Nowadays, the technology used in dental medicine has advanced to such an extent that, in fact, the doctors of dental medicine cannot keep-up with all of the latest researches in the field of dental medicine and use all of them in their everyday work. The main principle is to preserve the healthy tooth tissue to the maximum extent in the cavity preparation process, before the dental fillings are made. The healthy tooth tissue that can, otherwise, be lost in the process cannot regenerate and can only be replaced by an artificial material.

White (composite) fillings have many advantages as opposed to the amalgam fillings, because they do not contain mercury substances, they connect to the tooth tissue on a chemical level and the end result of the treatment matches the first-rate aesthetic standards.

Composite fillings form an extremely firm and long-lasting bond to the enamel surface, while the shape and the colour of the filling are carefully chosen to match the identical colour of the actual tooth.

Inlay, Onlay and Overlay

In cases in which a large part of the hard tooth substance needs to be reconstructed on the back teeth, we recommend making a ceramic filling, which would replace the regular filling. The function of the ceramic filling is the strengthening of the tooth structure especially during the mastication process as well as preserving its shape and natural colour.

The advantages of the ceramic fillings as opposed to the regular dental fillings are their long-lasting durability (approximately 10 to 15 years), maximum protection against tooth decay and the strengthening of the remaining tooth structure.

The ceramic are made indirectly, in cooperation with a dental laboratory.

A glistening smile has always drawn the attention of others. However, the shade of our teeth becomes darker under the influence of our bad habits or as a sign of ageing. Tooth whitening is a treatment that enables our patients to have their white and glistening teeth again.

As the number of people asking to have a glistening smile and shiny white teeth is increasingly rising each day, there are more and more questions regarding the possible side effects of the tooth whitening treatment and possible damage it can cause to one’s teeth. The tooth whitening treatment is performed only under the supervision of a doctor of dental medicine, so there is no reason to panic.

In our dental medicine practice, we only use a safe, world-famous tooth whitening product manufactured by Ultradent^®, which is the leading USA manufacturer of dental materials.

Whitening your teeth with the Ultradent^® tooth whitening product is safe and does not cause any damage to the tooth structure, due to the fact that it is chemically activated, contains a low concentration level of the whitening substance and shows minimal risk of developing side-effects (for example, dentinal hypersensitivity). Although there are various different whitening treatments available, the latest researches in the field of dental medicine had proven that this type of a tooth whitening treatment provides better end results and that the given shade lasts longer than the one achieved with the other lamp or laser tooth whitening treatments.

The key factor for achieving this is, in fact, a slower treatment, which provides us with a much longer duration period of the specific end result. The whitening product used in our dental medicine practice chemically dissolves the pigmented, coloured particles within tooth structure, instead of just “camouflaging” them as it is the case in some other tooth whitening treatments. (In American terminology, there is a significant difference between the term “bleaching”, which is the effect achieved after using other tooth whitening treatments, and the term “whitening”, which denotes our chemical tooth whitening treatment).

The aesthetic veneers enable us to restore the damaged hard tooth tissue by using aesthetic materials that can truly imitate the natural colour of one’s teeth and retrieve the lost function of the tooth. Nowadays, they are widely used in creating the so called “Hollywood smile” and the formal term “dental veneers” is often changed to an informal term “veneers”. However, we must not forget the fact that healthy teeth are the most beautiful teeth one can have.

Veneers are generally applied to the front teeth in order to change their shape, size, colour or positions. By applying veneers it is possible to close the gaps between two teeth (the diastemata), to cover a discoloured tooth as well as to replace one or more broken teeth.

One of the main characteristics and advantages of using veneers is that the tooth needs to be filed down minimally and that we are filing down only the surface of a specific tooth, which needs to be modified.

Veneers enable our patients to have their beautiful, healthy smile back.

We see children as our special patients, whose trust needs to be earned. However, once that we build trust between a child and his or her dentist, this trust serves as the basis for the quality dental care of your child’s teeth throughout his or her life.

We always put a lot of effort into helping the uncooperative children and children with pronounced dental anxiety, which had mostly developed after a traumatic experience at the dentists, who have neither enough time nor knowledge on how to work with children and who often show the lack of willingness to try.

Considering the fact that the preventive measures are the key elements of modern medicine as a whole and, thus, of dental medicine as well, in our everyday work we lay emphasis on the preventive measures in both children and adults.

That is the reason why our goal is to treat the primary (or baby) teeth as well as the new permanent teeth in such a way to preserve as much as the healthy tooth tissue as possible. It is the only way to preserve a healthy tooth tissue and only a healthy tissue is able to endure the masticatory forces throughout one’s life. Nowadays, the technology in dental medicine has advanced to such a level that it would be very wrong to condemn those new permanent teeth to prosthetic dentures or to an untimely extraction in the future, due to the insufficient care for the tooth enamel in childhood. Only the enamel can preserve a tooth in its place in the set of teeth, even in the old age. All of the cavity preparations are done following the principles of the micro-invasive aesthetic dentistry, which is based on the preservation of the healthy tooth tissue to the maximum extent. Modern diagnostic devices, which help us to diagnose tooth decay and to do cavity preparations, enable us to do minimal tooth preparations and provide us with a high treatment success rate. In our dental medicine practice, we use the scientifically approved methods to treat your teeth. We use the up-to-date adhesive restorative materials and the tooth remineralisation materials, which are used to restore tooth tissues.

We use the up-to-date composite materials as well as the resin dental sealants for fissure sealing of the permanent teeth, in order to provide you with the best tooth decay preventive measure available. The fissure sealing preventive measure enables you to have a high level of prevention against tooth decay, which lasts for many years. We use fissure sealing to cover all the pits and fissures in the surfaces of the teeth, in which it is likely for the leftover food particles to get caught in.

Our youngest patients can choose a colour of their fissure sealants for their primary teeth, so they can get fissure sealants in their favourite colour!

Endodontics is the branch of dental medicine, which treats the diseases of the human dental pulp. The acute inflammation of the dental pulp (acute pulpitis) is considered to be the condition, which can cause the most severe and intense dental pain. It is extremely important to get the right treatment for the involved tooth, so as to prevent the possible complications such as dental cysts, granulomas, swellings, dental fistulas, etc.

To ensure a successful dental treatment, it is necessary to have the adequate equipment and materials. In our dental medicine practice, we use the state-of-the-art model of the apex locator devices (the electronic devices used in Endodontics to determine the length of the root canal space) called NSK^® iPex Digital Apex Locator. In addition, we use the top-quality materials needed for the chemical treatment of the root canals and root canal sealants. Every treated tooth is monitored by taking x-ray recordings as well.

Root canal filling treatment is done with the AH26 Plus root canal filling material manufactured by Dentsply^®. The check-up x-ray recordings are taken before and after the root canal filling treatment. It is recommended to take another x-ray recording, several months after the treatment is finished, in order to monitor the healing process of the inflammation inside the bone, near the apex of the root. The inadequate treatment, followed by a persistent bone-destroying abscess, can cause a severe tooth loss. A tooth loss can also be caused by fracturing the tooth after the endodontic treatment. However, the materials used nowadays, increase our chances of success, so the endodontic therapy has a high probability of success and the maximum preservation of the number of one’s teeth in the set of teeth.

Periodontology is a branch of dentistry, which deals with the study and treatment of the diseases of the structures that support teeth.

Until recently, periodontitis was considered to be an incurable disease and by accepting this definition we have accepted the fact that the affected patients will inevitably suffer from loose teeth and a relatively quick tooth loss. However, new treatments have enabled us to stabilise the teeth and cure one’s gums, so that the gums become healthy.

Unfortunately, doctors of dental medicine are not putting enough effort into educating the patients on how to maintain a successful oral hygiene, at home and in the dental medicine practice alike.

This is the reason why, in accordance with our goal plan to prevent and treat periodontitis, we put talking to our patients, demonstrating the appropriate oral hygiene procedures to them as well as presenting the overall preventive measures against developing the severe stages of the disease i.e. periodontitis first. The dental procedure known as initial periodontal therapy can be performed in several appointments, all of which are completely painless and can even be considered pleasant. After the initial periodontal therapy the given state just needs a proper maintenance programme.

In patients with severe periodontitis, the dentist needs to perform the curettage of periodontal pockets as well as cleaning of the surface texture of the root from calculus deposits.

In patients, who need a prosthetic rehabilitation, the periodontal treatment is a very important factor, because it is the only factor that can ensure the long-standing results of the complex rehabilitation of the stomatognathic system.

Dental prosthetics is the field of dental medicine, which primarily deals with the preservation of the tooth structure, the integrity of which has been undermined by a tooth decay, trauma or the tooth loss of the neighbouring tooth or the tooth placed on the opposite side of the dental arch from the tooth in question.

A ceramic crown is a fixed dental restoration that is placed over a single tooth, to restore the defects, in which a large part of the tooth substance needs to be reconstructed in order to restore its primary function as well as its full aesthetic appearance.

A dental bridge is a construction, which is used to span a gap ranging from one to several missing teeth.

The advancements in dental technology have enabled us to use the top-quality and at the same time highly aesthetic materials, which meet the conditions required by the standards regarding functional loadings, long-standing durability and aesthetic excellence. In our dental medicine practice we use this kind of materials exclusively and work in one of the best equipped dental laboratories, which offers a multiple year guarantee on the materials, good workmanship and  natural look. Metal ceramic crowns (metal interior or base, which is fused to porcelain crowns), which were traditionally used, are nowadays almost entirely squeezed out of the market by the usage of the Zirconium oxide also known as “the white metal” in dental prosthetics. The combination of the Zirconium oxide, as an extremely robust, but at the same time highly aesthetic material and the top-quality ceramics, is the key factor that contributes to better patient awareness and the rising interest for these dental restorations. The special workmanship model of these dental restorations refers to the CAD/CAM technology i.e. the computer aided manufacturing and design of the porcelain block from the virtual impression. By using this technology one can achieve the absolute precision in creating the patient’s dental restoration and by using transparent materials the dental restoration is given the perfect, natural look. For the areas in the dental arch, where the aesthetics is the essential criterion (in the front teeth area), we recommend using all- ceramic dental restorations (manufactured by E.Max^®), which contain a glass ceramic base. This type of material contributes to the impression of the perfect, natural looking and transparent teeth.

All dental restorations are made in cooperation with the Naturaldent dental laboratory, which is the first dental laboratory to be granted an ISO 9001:2008 certification and which can guarantee a top-quality level of services they provide.

Dentures are used to replace a large number of lost teeth, in cases of either the loss of several teeth (partial dentures) or of a complete tooth loss (full dentures).

They are made of acrylic materials combined with bases constructed from metallic materials (cast-metal dentures).

The classic Wironit cast-metal dentures can be in a suitable solution in dealing with the dental restoration problems regarding the highly aesthetic Invoclar Phonares denture teeth. The perfect dental casting technology enables us to make cast-metal dentures, even without the metal clasps, which can be invisibly anchored into position. This effect can be achieved by placing retentive dental abutments (clasps) onto the metal skeleton of the dentures. This is essential, especially if the denture is needed to restore the front teeth. There is also a possibility of making and placing the individual Zirconia abutments in the areas where high aesthetic standards are required.

IMPLANT-SUPPORTED DENTURES

In our dental medicine practice, we often make the implant- supported dentures for our patients. Our patients have a wide range of different implant restorations to choose from and the implant restorations can meet both the medical requirements of the specific case as well as the patient’s wishes. Even in cases where full dentures are needed, we can make the implant-supported dentures. In such cases, the implants ensure excellent retention and stability of the dentures, because they hold dentures in place, so that they ensure excellent functionality and make the dentures easy to use.

Modern dental surgery enables us to place titanium dental implants in the mandible or maxilla. During that process, after a certain amount of time, the dental implant initially grows together with the bone and enables the implant to take on the burden of holding other dental restorations, such as the dentures, crowns and dental bridges in place.

Besides the Dental Implantology procedures, our expert team, in cooperation with a dental surgeon, is able to perform even more complex dental surgeries such as the sinus lifting surgery and the bone augmentation procedures. Bone augmentation procedures are used to build the missing bone structure so that dental implants can be placed. By doing that, it is possible to increase the possibility of the successful placing of dental implants, in the majority of patients, who are considered to be good candidates for dental implants.

The preoperative analyses are done by using the digital radioviziography devices such as the Dental Orthopan and the 3D Cone beam computed tomography (or CBCT), so that the patient’s radiation exposure is minimal, while the doctors of dental medicine get maximum help in diagnostics as well as in  choosing the most suitable treatments.

We can also make and place the individual Zirconia abutments (with the help the CAD/CAM technology) in the areas where high aesthetic standards are required.

The dental implant placement procedure is completely painless and it is performed under local anaesthesia.

The long-lasting durability of implant suprastructures as well as of the implants is possible only by maintaining immaculate oral hygiene, which includes regular brushing and the maintenance of  the prosthetic restorations, after every meal. Little, specially designed implant toothbrushes enable the patients to maintain good oral hygiene of the whole implantological system. We also recommend using a chlorhexidine-based (CHX) mouthwash. Moreover, the regular dental check-ups are extremely important. The components of one’s implant- prosthetic system need to be thoroughly cleaned from the hard food deposits (tartar) in our dental medicine practice at least once a year, in order to prevent possible inflammations or other complications.

The implant- prosthetic rehabilitation enables us to restore natural-looking teeth completely, so that one cannot see or feel the difference between the natural teeth and dental implants, while you are masticating, speaking or laughing.

Taking all aspects into consideration, the dental implants serve as an incomparably better aesthetic and financial solution as opposed to the regular dentures and dental bridges.

In our dental medicine practice we can offer a variety of different oral surgery services, which we perform in cooperation with an oral surgeon.

We perform complex dental extractions with minimum trauma to the surrounding tissues, so that the postoperative recovery process can be short and cause as little pain and discomfort to the patient as possible. We are also able to perform complex oral surgeries such as maxillary sinus floor elevation with simultaneous implant placement.

In our dental medicine practice, we perform these oral surgery procedures:

– Dental extraction
– Alveotomy
– Apicoectomy
– Hemisection
– Bone augmentation
– Dental implantology
– Sinus floor elevation (the so called “Sinus lifting” surgery)
– GTR/GBR (guided tissue regeneration / guided bone regeneration = guided tissue and bone regeneration by using a resorbable collagen barrier membranes).
– Frenulectomy
– Alveolar ridge levelling
– Gingivoplastic surgery

The orthodontic treatment, which enables the patients to have an excellent function of the masticatory system by moving their teeth into the ideal position in the dental arch, is one of the best preventive measures against tooth decays. It will prevent a majority of tooth decays from forming on the tooth surfaces, which are usually hard to reach with a regular toothbrush.

Nowadays, the orthodontic treatment is not considered a luxury, but a necessity, which should not, by any means, be disregarded. The orthodontic treatment will have everlasting positive effect on a patient’s life.

According to conventional wisdom, the main goal of an orthodontic therapy is aesthetics. However, it is important to note that the proper position of one’s teeth is not only an important aspect of someone’s looks, but also an even more important aspect of a healthy masticatory system as a whole, healthy oral muscles and temporomandibular joint.

Moreover, in specific cases of the loss of several teeth, fixed orthodontic appliances can be used to close the gaps and thus make the usage of other dental restorations, which usually used to restore lost teeth (e.g. dental implants or dental bridges) unnecessary.

Before placing orthodontic braces, it is important to treat and cure all the dental problems on one’s teeth (i.e. to treat all the tooth decays as well as the periodontium) and to learn how to maintain oral hygiene perfectly. The patient needs to undergo regular orthodontic therapy check-ups every 4-6 weeks or as necessary, in cooperation with an orthodontic specialist.

Considering the fact that dental technologies are rapidly advancing, there is a variety of different aesthetic brackets to choose from as well as the technologies, which enable us to shorten the overall treatment time, depending on the medical indications.

Taking public awareness into account, the formation of tooth decay and the preventive measures against that process are the topics widely known to the general public.  However, not all of the information seen on TV or printed in the newspapers is accurate and good for our patients. In our dental medicine practice we put a lot of effort into examining new patients during their initial appointments and we tend to put emphasis on the dental prophylaxis of the certain dental diseases.

During the initial visit, we instruct the patients how to maintain good oral hygiene, how to brush teeth properly as well as about different toothpastes and other oral rinsing products. Every patient is treated and instructed individually, based on the clinical condition of one’s teeth, which is determined during the initial dental check-up.

Oral Examinations

In addition to the other dental services, our patients can test their oral hygiene index, analyse their salivary status by measuring the flow rate of saliva (i.e. measuring the quantity of both stimulated and unstimulated saliva) as well as undergo the saliva acidity tests i.e. to determine the pH level of their stimulated and unstimulated saliva. By taking these tests   it is possible to determine one’s propensity for cavities and by doing that it is easier to decide on the proper way to maintain good oral hygiene. As a result, these tests enable us to prevent dental cavities from forming.

The latest scientific studies have outlined that fast, modern lifestyles cause the frequent occurrence of the gastrointestinal diseases. The saliva acidity tests can be used to identify the gastrointestinal diseases, which usually need to be treated as soon as possible.

Children

Dental prophylaxis has the most important role in paediatric dentistry. It is very important to protect a child’s new permanent teeth from forming tooth decays or from the unnecessary filing. This can be done only by providing good preventive measures.

In addition to teaching about the proper way to maintain oral hygiene, dental prophylaxis is performed in a dental office and it is followed by a topical fluoride treatment i.e. by applying a product which contains a high concentration of the fluorine ion. Fluoride, then, becomes incorporated into the enamel structure, thus making one’s tooth stronger and more resistant to the acid attacks from the bacteria that live in the surroundings of the tooth.

In November 2008, on the workshop organised in Athens, the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD) had approved the guidelines on the use of fluoride in children. The dental specialists have reached an agreement on the recommended concentration levels of the fluoride in the fluoride toothpastes suitable for children. In toothpastes suitable for children aged six months to two years the recommended level of fluoride is 500 ppm. For children aged two to six years the recommended level of fluoride is 1000 ppm. For six-year-old patients and above toothpastes should contain 1450 ppm of fluoride. Recommended use of fluoride toothpaste in children younger than six years of age is the pea-size amount of toothpaste, whereas in children aged six and above the recommended amount is 1-2 centimetres (0.4 – 0.8 inches) of toothpaste.

However, studies have shown that despite the fluoridisation treatment, tooth decays still often appear on molars, due to the specific structure of their masticatory surfaces. That is the reason why, in accordance with the dentist’s assessment, the patient may undergo the so called “fissure sealing” treatment, i.e. the covering of all of the pits and fissures in the masticatory surfaces of molars with a specially made fissure sealing material.

Thanks to the enormous effort, the doctors of dental medicine had made in the field of dental preventive measures, we were able to cut in half the teeth damage rate in today’s children, so that they get less affected by the dental diseases than their parents did.

Pregnancy

It is very wrong to avoid your regular dental checkups during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, one’s saliva can become more acidic due to frequent vomiting and changing one’s diet. That is just one of the possible factors, which favour tooth decay formation. Moreover, the high bacterial level in one’s saliva, caused by the hormonal changes can lead to the so called pregnancy gingivitis and periodontitis, which can result in gum bleeding or gum swelling.

To reduce the risk of tooth decay formation, it is important to inform the expecting mothers on the necessity of maintaining oral hygiene properly as well as about the necessity of the regular dental plaque and tartar removal. In addition to using a toothbrush and toothpaste, it is important to use dental floss and to use a mouth shower as necessary. It is important to treat and cure all the dental problems in the early stages of one’s pregnancy.

Temporomandibular joint disorders and splint therapy

Stress, an inevitable component of everyday life, as well as the partial tooth loss can lead to the teeth squeezing or the teeth grinding (Bruxism) activities. However, the teeth squeezing activity combined with the teeth grinding activity damages one’s teeth and may often be a reason for headaches or migraines. The splint therapy is recommended for patients, who suffer from migraines, without showing any other symptoms.

Dental splints are used to protect patient’s teeth from further abrasion (or crumbling), to prevent TMJ muscle pain as well as for the temporomandibular joint and jaw pain, neck stiffness and as well as to prevent pain and discomfort caused by tooth sensitivity.

A wide range of different dental splints, which can be used to reduce the parafunctional habits as well as the variety of different athletic mouth guards enable us to prevent tooth damage, possible dental restoration damage as well as to prevent the severe pathological changes of the temporomandibular joint.

The digital dental radiography service is one of the services available in our dental medicine practice and it is considered to be one of the most important diagnostic methods in performing dental treatments. In our dental medicine practice, we use the DIGORA^® Optime digital system for the intraoral radiographic imaging treatment. This, new generation digital system, is manufactured by SOREDEX, which is a renown Finnish manufacturing company specialized in intraoral imaging devices.

The main advantage of using this type of dental radiography rising lies in highly sensitive sensory imaging plates, which enable us to get real- time digital dental recordings, which have a high level of precision of all of the recorded dental structures, while, simultaneously, offering the  functional analysis options and  the digital image processing software. Easy to use, comfortable for both the patient and the dental specialist, extreme functionality and diagnostic image quality are just some of the characteristics that can be used to describe the qualities of the given digital dental radiography system.

One of the main advantages of the digital radioviziography is minimal radiation. Furthermore, some of the other advantages are greatly enhanced precision of the recordings, the practicality of managing the digital recordings as opposed to analogue dental x-ray recordings. Immediately after taking the digital x-ray recordings, the digital images can be easily processed by using the matching software analysis, in order to capture and display all the fine details of the recordings. If the analogue dental x-ray recordings are used, the dentist is not able to alter any part of such recordings. This means that if an analogue recording needs to be altered in any way in order to be more detailed, the patient needs to undergo dental x-ray treatment again, thus to double his or her radiation exposure level.

In just several minutes (the overall duration of the digital dental recording treatment, from dental imaging to the processing of the given image) we are able to collect important data on the medical condition of the tooth in question or of the several teeth, respectively. Using digital radiography, we can clearly identify all of the anatomical structures and accurately diagnose all pathological processes of the bone structure, the pathological processes involving the tissues of the root, identify the tooth decays formed under the dental restorations or dental fillings, etc.

The data collected in this way are, sometimes, considered to be extremely valuable for further dental treatment. There is no need to postpone the dental treatment for your next appointment, due to the fact that the digital radiography treatment is performed immediately in our dental medicine practice, without the need for making an appointment before you arrive.

After the digital radiography treatment, the recordings can be easily stored in the patient’s dental records file. In addition, besides the simple storage system, the digital recordings can also be easily copied to a CD or attached to an e-mail and sent to other addresses, in accordance with the previous arrangement with the patient. This is the reason why it is advisable to use the digital recordings in dental diagnostics.