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When you visit Dr. Tjaart Kruger you are not just a client in a chair. We know that there is a person connected to the teeth being worked on and we strive to make a personal connection while building a bright smile and healthy mouth. As the oldest practicing dental practice in Helderberg, we can guarantee that our service will not easily be matched.
The Somerset West Dental Practice, in association with Helderberg Dental Surgery, is a fee for service practice, which means that after each visit the account for that day is settled. After the initial consultation, a cost estimate is provided for each patient. Patients can then submit the estimate to their medical insurers for authorization; this will let them know which portion of the services will be covered by their insurer. Please note that patients are always responsible for their accounts, irrespective of whether or not their insurers reimburse them.
Our main objective in dentistry is to help you prevent decay or gum disease. Simply relying on a 6-monthly cleaning and examination, however, might not be enough to avoid excessive visits to the chair. That is why Dr. Kruger makes a point of helping you develop preventative measures you can take at home that not only keeps both teeth and gums healthier for longer, but saves you time and money. At home, you can brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush after every meal, floss daily before you go to bed and use an oral rinse afterwards, and avoid sugary foods, coffee, and tobacco.
That said, we recommend a professional cleaning from time to time to eliminate plaque that flossing and brushing cannot reach, resulting in a brighter smile and healthier gums.
What can you do at home?
Damaged or decayed teeth are not anyone’s idea of fun, but don’t worry, Dr Tjaart Kruger has your back with effective solutions. Crowns, veneers, and bridges are fixed prosthetic devices. Unlike removable devices such as dentures, which you can take out and clean daily, crowns and bridges are cemented onto existing teeth or implants, and can only be removed by a dentist. Dental veneers are thin covers that adhere to teeth to give teeth a more classically shaped look that are a popular choice for those with chipped teeth, a gap between teeth, or misshaped teeth.
A crown is a cover or “cap” your dentist can put over a tooth. A crown restores a damaged or missing tooth to its normal shape, size and function and can protect the tooth or improve the way it looks.
Crowns can be made from several types of materials. Metal alloys, ceramics, porcelain, porcelain fused to metal or composite resin may be used. When a crown is made, the material often is tooth colored to blend in with your natural teeth.
Procedure for crowns on natural teeth:
Gaps left by missing teeth eventually cause the remaining teeth to rotate or shift into the empty spaces, resulting in a bad bite. The imbalance caused by missing teeth can also lead to gum disease and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
Bridges are commonly used to replace one or more missing teeth. They span the space where the teeth are missing. Bridges are cemented to the natural teeth or implants surrounding the empty space.
Types of Bridges:
Veneers are thin, tooth-colored shells that are attached to the front surface of teeth to improve their appearance. They’re often made from porcelain or resin-composite materials and are permanently bonded to your teeth.
Veneers can be used to treat a number of different cosmetic concerns, including chipped, broken, discolored, or smaller-than-average teeth.
Some people may only get one veneer in the case of a broken or chipped tooth, but many get between six to eight veneers in order to create an even, symmetrical smile. The top front eight teeth are the most commonly applied veneers.
Types of veneers:
Our practice uses digital smile analysis to optimally plan each case, making our results more predictable and our patients very happy.
Dental dentures help you enjoy having a full set of teeth even if some or all of your natural teeth have been removed. Getting the best fit for your dentures is crucial because ill-fitting dentures can not only be painful, but they can also be more difficult to keep in place, especially when you’re eating, and may even fall out, usually at the most embarrassing moment possible.
Partial
Partial dentures are a great option if you’ve lost one or more teeth due to decay or an injury. Implant-supported dentures lock into place to remain stable in your mouth, even when you’re eating.
Complete
A complete denture, also known as a full denture, takes up the whole mouth rather than just a part of it. It is either a removable device or anchored by dental implants, and can be used by someone who has lost all of their teeth. Complete dentures are usually made from acrylic. Dentures anchored by dental implants will naturally hold better, but involve surgery. Dr. Kruger will help you make the best decision.
We would all love to keep the teeth we were born with, or at least the last set that grew out during childhood, safely tucked, and preserved in our mouths. Unfortunately, sometimes decay has damaged a tooth to the extent that it needs to be removed. There are various routes you can go depending on whether a tooth is malformed, damaged, impacted or ingrown, all of which are forms of surgery. But don’t worry, Dr. Tjaart Kruger will do his best to save your tooth or, if that is not possible, remove it with the least amount of discomfort and trauma possible (Or offer conscious intra-venous sedation, provided by a highly skilled and experienced qualified medical doctor if you don’t think you will be able to handle the procedure).
Fillings are probably the dental method you are most familiar with. Most people need at least one tooth filling in their lifetime. Dental filling procedures are most commonly used to treat cavities, but they’re also used to repair cracked or broken teeth, or teeth that have been worn down over time.
Dental filling procedures feature the following:
The best long-term solution to missing teeth is dental implants. That’s because they become a fixed part of your mouth and allow you to go about your everyday life without people ever realising you have them. Here’s how they work:
1. Crown
This is the tooth portion of your implant, designed to work hard and blend in with your natural teeth.
2. Implant
This anchor piece integrates securely into your jaw like your natural tooth root, creating a strong bond that improves bone health.
Dr. Tjaart Kruger has received training in the field of implantology locally and abroad, bringing you the most current techniques and ensuring the most predictable outcomes.
Snoring and jaw clenching are things that many of us might be doing without even realising it, but not a lot of people are aware of the health risks they may cause.
If you wake up in the morning with a stiff neck or sore jaw, you may be a good candidate for a night guard.
Night guards help people who suffer from bruxism, or grinding and/or clenching their teeth at night. They create a snug barrier between the teeth to prevent any damage. People grind or clench their teeth for a number of reasons, including:
The Effects of Grinding Your Teeth
There are more serious side effects to grinding your teeth at night than your partner or roommate complaining about the noise in the morning. Night guards can prevent against dental issues such as:
Mouth guards can do more than provide a simple barrier between your teeth to prevent grinding. A snore guard is a mouth guard that can help decrease snoring.
Snoring isn’t the sound of air getting pushed through the nose. It is actually the sound of air getting constricted farther back in your airway behind your tongue. The soft tissues in your throat vibrate against each other, resulting in a snore.
Snore guards help keep your jaw aligned and forward, which creates more room for air to flow in your throat, preventing the snoring sound.
Similar to a regular teeth cleaning, periodontal maintenance removes tartar buildup from the teeth. Unlike a normal, preventative cleaning, periodontal maintenance is a treatment prescribed to combat periodontal disease. It involves both scaling and root planing, meaning tartar must be removed from deep between the teeth and gums.
During a periodontal maintenance appointment, we will remove tartar build up from in between your teeth and gums down the entire length of each tooth, stopping where the gum, root and bone meet. We will carefully monitor the depth of each pocket in your gums and irrigate these pockets with antiseptic medications, if inflammation or infection are present.
You might be tempted to buy a teeth whitening kit at your local Checkers at low cost, but doing it professionally is safer, faster, more effective, and longer lasting. The unfortunate fact is that teeth darken over the years due to certain foods and beverages, or tobacco, we consume staining them. We guarantee brightening your teeth by five to ten shades in a single cycle, but only you can avoid excessive repeat visits by taking good care of your teeth and watching what you consume.
In-Office Whitening
An in-office bleaching procedure, followed up by a home maintenance kit, is your best option for fast and effective results. Our offices offer Opalescence(TM) and, for more challenging cases, the KöR Whitening System. Each patient is screened to ensure that the teeth that we whiten are clean and healthy to start with, followed by custom whitening trays that are manufactured to deliver the most effective results.
What should you avoid?
Dr. Tjaart Kruger, in association with Helderberg Dental Surgery, does do Anit-Ageing Treatment and Dermal Fillers in selected cases. If this is a service you are considering, please make an enquiry.