Making Dental Care More Convenient For Our Bedford Patients

Dentistry just got easier – here are just a few of our time-saving features!

At The Dental Centre Bedford, we put a lot of time and care into getting things right for our patients. From the practice decor and the booking system to the latest in technology for treatments, we like to think nothing is spared. In today’s blog, we thought that we would take a look at a few of the things that we have put into place over time to make life easier for you, our patients.

Naturally, we are not perfect, and there may well be other things that you would like improving. It doesn’t matter if this is something relatively small or something that you think is extremely important, we are always open to feedback from our patients. We can’t promise, of course, that we will be able to act on everything, but we certainly want to do what we can to help our patients as best as we can.

Let us take a look at a few of the things that we can offer to hopefully make life a little easier.

Convenient teeth whitening

One of our most popular cosmetic dental treatments is the teeth whitening procedure. It is popular for many reasons including being affordable and also very successful. Patients will need to have an assessment to ensure that there are no other dental issues such as decay or gum disease which need treating first, but providing everything is OK, most patients can have this popular treatment.

The method we use allows you to whiten your teeth at home. This is very different to any DIY whitening advice which you may find online (hint; these can be very risky for your teeth), or even the home whitening kits which you can buy online. The professional bleaching trays we will provide are custom made for you, meaning that any risk of the bleaching agent coming into contact with your gums etc is greatly reduced. This is one of the risks of more generic whitening treatments. They will also be more comfortable to wear as they are made directly from impressions that we take of your own teeth.

Rather than sitting in the dentist’s chair to have the treatment carried out, we provide these trays and a whitening agent so that you can do this at home while relaxing watching TV etc. The feedback from patients is that this is a very convenient and effective way of attaining a whiter smile.

Cerec

One of the biggest time savers available to patients of our local Bedford dentists is the use of Cerec.  This is especially useful for any patient that requires a crown to be fitted. Traditionally, this treatment is done by taking impressions of the tooth which are then sent to a dental laboratory where the crowns are made. The manufactured crown will then be fitted on a second visit to our practice. With Cerec, this is no longer necessary. We simply use this technology to take 3D images of the tooth which is fed into a computer and the crown is then milled in our practice while you wait! The crown can then be fitted in the same visit meaning that you only have to attend once to have this done.

For anyone that wants to watch a short video showing how the porcelain block is milled, you can do so on our Cerec page. We think you will find it quite entertaining too!

CBCT scanner

Some dental problems are more complex than others and while, for some, an x-ray is enough to detect underlying issues, this isn’t always the case. To enable us to do everything like this in-house, we have invested in a CBCT scanner that allows us to check all aspects of the tooth structure and surrounding matter. This includes the teeth, soft tissue, nerves and even the surrounding bone. In nearly all cases, we are able to determine the problem using this scanner, enabling us to start treatment as soon as possible.

Check up and hygienist treatments in one visit

As we have said before, both regular check ups and dental hygienist visits are essential if you want to have really good oral health. One suggestion for our patients is to book them both on the same visit. This may not always be possible but it is worth asking us to help you find a suitable date where you can do this. Rather than come for two different appointments, you can be seen by the dentist and hygienist in just one visit. Not only is this more convenient for you but, as long as there are no issues in the meantime, it means that you won’t have to see the dentist for another six months; something we are sure that most of you would be happy about, especially if you are one of our more nervous patients.

Most of us lead busy lives these days and anything that saves time is to be welcomed. We always do what we can to help our patients receive treatment or check ups at a time convenient to them and we feel that the services offered above also make life just that little bit easier too.

If you would like further information about any of the services mentioned or would like to book yourself in for an appointment with the dentist or/and the hygienist, you can do so by calling The Dental Centre Bedford today on 01234 819868.