Is a dental procedure to treat infection at the centre of a tooth. Infection may lead to an abscess or discolouration of the tooth. The infection is caused by bacteria that live in the mouth and invade the tooth when decay occurs or teeth are damaged by trauma, such as a fall.

These are used to fill holes in the teeth that have occurred due to decay, tooth wear or trauma. Fillings are usually either silver (amalgam) or white (composite).

If a tooth has been broken or weakened by a lot of decay or a large filling, you may need a crown. Crowns are shaped like natural teeth and fit over the prepared tooth.

This is used as a permanent alternative to dentures to fill spaces left by missing teeth, and do not need to be removed at night. A bridge may be required if a tooth has been lost through an accident, injury or result of decay.

(false teeth) are removable replacements for your teeth, designed to look and function like your own natural teeth and surrounding gum tissues.

This is similar to a filling and lies inside the cusp tips of the tooth. It may be required if a filling in your tooth would be extremely large with some walls of the tooth missing.

Tooth colored fillings are available at a private charge for back teeth. They can be used to replace amalgam (silver) fillings which can be unsightly. Occasionally white fillings cause slight sensitivity due to minute shrinkage of the material but this generally resolves quite quickly.

Veneers are wafer thin laminates of porcelain which are bonded to the front surface of your tooth. They can be used for a variety of reasons for example badly stained teeth or teeth that have become damaged or worn.

Are a private option. Unlike conventional crowns and bridges with metal base cores, Lava restorations contain absolutely no metal so you will see no dark lines where the tooth meets the gum and they have a more natural appearance.

Is a way of lightening the natural colour of teeth using bleaching methods. The product contains carbamide peroxide and as this chemical breaks down, oxygen gets into the enamel on the teeth, lightening them. Tooth colour varies among people. Teeth can become discolored through drinking red wine, coffee, smoking and age.

Is a permanent solution to replace missing teeth. A titanium root is used to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth. Once the procedure is complete it resembles the look and feel of a natural tooth.

A tooth can be removed for several reasons. Most common reasons are: severe gum disease, tooth decay, a broken tooth that can't be repaired, crowded teeth or wisdom tooth problems.

Its recommended that children should attend the dentist from 6 months old. Regular check up appointments keep children used to coming and if any teeth start to decay then this is spotted early and can be treated by the dentist or dental therapist.

Is a national program designed to improve the oral health of children in Scotland aged between 6-36 months and reduce inequalities both in dental health and access to dental services. Age specific diet and oral hygiene advice is given and fluoride applied to the teeth when the child is old enough.

Provide education on tooth brushing and gives patience and carers dietry advice.

This is usually provided by our dental therapist and includes treatment for the health of your gums. This may be simple scaling and polishing to remove plaque or tartar to more intensive treatment for loose teeth.