Who are you going to meet?
Robin Wilding has Bachelor and Master's degrees in Dentistry, with a Diploma in Prosthodontics, from the University of the Witwatersrand. He also has a Doctorate awarded for a thesis on the factors which determine chewing efficiency. He has a number of research publications in international journals and has lectured in South Africa, as Professor in Dental Prosthetics and Oral Biology at the University of the Western Cape, to undergraduates, postgraduates and practitioners. Dr Wilding is registered with the General Dental Council as a Specialist Prosthodontist. He has recently completed a Masters degree in Holistic Science. Robin tries to bring together both sound clinical principles and a supportive empathetic approach to the whole patient.

Where is St Pauls practice?
St Pauls Dental Practice is in 4 St Pauls Road, Newton Abbot within sight of the War Memorial in Queens Street. Map

TREATMENT OPTIONS

Examination, Review and Specialist Consultations
Your first dental examination may start with a brief review of any changes in your medical health which might affect you teeth and mouth or your response to dental treatment You will also be asked if you have experienced any discomfort from your mouth and teeth or are dissatisfied with your appearance.
Your examination will include a survey of the soft tissues, tongue, palate etc in order to be certain there are no early cancerous changes. We will also look at the gums around the teeth to detect any inflamation which might be a prelude to loosening of the teeth.
Each individual tooth will be surveyed to detect decay, loose or broken fillings or signs of loosening. Your survey will conclude with a discussion of any problems encountered and the options and costs associated with any treatment. The fee for the first examination will usually be £ 35 and for subsequent review examinations, £ 22.
Referrals by other dentists for specialist consultation and advice will be charged £ 57 for the consultation.

Examination and Review	£ 35/22
Specialist Consultation	£ 57

Radiographs
In order to extend the scope of the examination to areas between the teeth and under fillings it is useful to make a small radiograph (Xray) of each side of the mouth. In people who seem to get a lot of tooth decay these radiographs might have to be done at least once a year
. When there is the suspicion of an infection associated with a particular tooth, around the root or at its tip, an individual radiograph of the tooth may be needed.
A panoramic radiograph gives an entire picture of the jaw bones and all the teeth. When considering treatment which might involve many teeth such as widespread gum disease or a proposed partial denture, bridge or implant it is useful to have the information provided by a panoramic radiograph. We try to avoid making radiographs for pregnant patients.

Radiographs (small) (panoramic)

£ 8 £ 24

Preventive advice and cleaning
Most dental disease is preventable. If we could control the masses of bacteria which are normal residents in the mouth, we would have little need for dentistry. We know that two factors, a diet low in refined carbohydrates and effective daily oral hygiene are effective forms of prevention.. Our Oral Hygienist, Lynn, will advise on effective mouth hygiene which requires plaque removal between and around the teeth and gums. Lynn will clean away accumulations of hard deposits (calculus or tartar) from your teeth which make effective brushing difficult. Some people accumulate calculus more rapidly than others and may need more frequent visits to the Oral Hygienist than others. Lynn will also advise you about your daily cleaning including how to use small brushes so as to clean in between the teeth.
The time you invest in cleaning your teeth every day is your best insurance against costly repairs or worse, tooth loss.

Prevention Advice and Cleaning

£ 28

Restoration
Dentists use this term to include all the techniques used to remove decayed tooth material and to restore the tooth to function. This may be achieved with a "filling" which can be placed directly into a tooth cavity but restoration also includes more complex techniques such as veneers and crowns.
In the short and medium term (say up to three years) restorations are quite successful. The long term outlook is less predictable. This is firstly, because the tooth has been weakened by the caries (decay) and is never again as strong. So restored teeth are more likely to break. Secondly, the bacteria which caused the caries are resistant to complete eradication. Small numbers of them advance far beyond the "rotten" part of the tooth. We would have to destroy much of the tooth to be sure of removing all the bacteria. So some remain, waiting for conditions to favour an increase in their numbers. The consequence of these two limitations to restorations are that once filled, a restored tooth may need further restoration or even root treatment.
The fees for restoration vary with the amount of tooth destroyed by decay and the complexity and extent of the restoration process. Restoring a single tooth surface is the most simple form of filling. When more two or more surfaces need restoring the techniques become more complex and the time required (and fee) increases.

Amalgam (1,2 and 3 surfaces) Composite (1,2 and 3 surfaces)

£ 48, £ 74, £ 106 £ 62, £ 96, £ 132

Sometimes decay has destroyed so much of a tooth that there is no longer a hole or cavity but something which resembles an open cast mine. There is not enough tooth to hold a filling and we have to resort to a cast metal restoration which covers the entire tooth. Crowns are made of gold or a similar precious alloy. They can be covered with porcelain or composite resin and are then both strong and look natural. If there is nothing left of the core of a tooth, a post may be placed into the root on which a core is built up to hold a crown. The root must have been treated and filled first.

This happy smile is spoiled by uneven and stained teeth	Crowns have been placed over the teeth to restore a natural shape and colour

These central incisors are dark and uneven	They have been covered with a veneer of composite resin to restore a better shape and colour

Crowns may serve as abutments (anchors) for holding an adjacent artificial tooth. If there are missing teeth with strong adjacent neighbours a bridge held by crowns on the adjacent abutment teeth can support artificial teeth. The bridge is cemented in place and may be a more acceptable alternative than a partial denture. The cost of the bridge is determined by the number of crowns (abutments plus artificial) required.
Replacement of a single missing front tooth may be achieved without making crowns on the neighbouring teeth by using a metal backing, bonded with resin to attach an artificial tooth to a neighbouring natural tooth.
Restorations do not always last a lifetime. The causes of dental decay have not gone away and the restored tooth is more vulnerable than a healthy tooth. Crowns especially are vulnerable to decay occurring around the join between the root and crown and so very carful cleaning every day is essential if the tooth is to have a long life .

Crowns Posts and core	£ 350- 450 £ 140
Veneers	£ 220
Resin Bonded Bridge	£ 220
Re-cementation crowns Re-cementation of resin bonded bridge	£ 18 £ 32

Root Canal Treatment.
If bacteria from decay reach right into the living part of the tooth, they multiply rapidly and cause acute pain. If you want to save the tooth, the only solution is to remove the entire living part. The popular name for this is the"nerve" but there is much more than nerves so it is more accurately called the dental pulp. The dental pulp extends inside a fine canal up to the tip of the root. Sometimes bacteria work their way up this canal and the first we know of their activity is when they cause irritation around the tip of the root We know this as a dental abscess and the treatment is to clean out the canal of all the bacteria and seal it up. The front teeth usually have single straight canals which are fairly easy to find and clean out. Molar teeth may have three or four canals. They are often very fine and curved which makes it more difficult to access, reshape and fill the canals. It is under these conditions that the fine files used for cleaning the canals may break, leaving a piece behind which may be impossible to remove. Many root treatments last a lifetime without causing trouble and thus save a tooth from extraction.
Root canal treatment, does not have to be painful. We have techniques to numb even the most sensitive teeth. We will not proceed with any treatment unless you are free of pain.

Root Canal Treatment Single root Double root Molar roots

£ 140 £ 180 £ 240

The middle tooth is very sensitive to pressure, due to an abscess around the root tips. The cause of this infection are bacteria in the dead root canals.	A narrow file is used to remove all the dead and infected tissue in the root canal and dressings placed for at least a week.	When the symptoms have cleared the root canals are sealed up. The bone loss around the root tips should disappear as the abscess heals.

Dentures.
If a tooth has had to be extracted it is possible to make an artificial replacement carried on an acrylic (plastic) plate. This method for replacing missing teeth has been extremely popular and probably millions have been made and are still worn today. A refinement of the acrylic partial plate is to have a metal framework made with clasps on the remaining teeth which hold the artificial teeth in place.
When all the teeth have been lost there is no anchorage for a full plate. It relies on a degree of suction to keep it in place and not surprisingly tends to move about more than a partial denture. Complete dentures cannot replace the function of natural teeth but they can look completely natural and very attractive. The teeth for complete dentures are normally set by dental technicians. This has the advantage of being economical and usually provides a quite adequate cosmetic result. This is a very standard approach and our fee quote of "standard" refers to this method. It is possible for the dentist to set front teeth at the chair-side, often with the help of old photographs and participation from the patient. This process takes time and carries a premium fee, but results is a more individualised appearance. For more information about dentures go to Moorland Dentistry

The teeth of the new dentures on the right, have been set with care to harmonise with the face. Dentures do not have to look artificial, and can contribute to facial beauty.	Two implants placed on the lower jaw, anchor the overlying denture and may make a significant difference to comfort and stability..

Dentures Partial, Acrylic base Partial, metal framework Complete Dentures Standard Premier Single Denture (upper or lower) Re-base

£ 550 £ 750 £ 850 £ 1150 £ 650 £ 140

Extraction
Taking teeth out is a last resort but still necessary on occasions or by choice if the cost of restoring the tooth seems inappropriate. Some teeth are easier to remove than others. The fee ranges from £ 48 for single rooted teeth to £ 86 for molars which may have to be removed in sections due to the spread and curve of the roots..

Extraction

£ 58 - 96

Implants
During the last twenty years, the use of implants in dentistry has become a realistic option for replacing missing teeth. They are particularly useful in providing much needed anchorage for complete dentures. They also serve to replace single teeth without having to damage adjacent teeth and appear to have better prospects of a long life than a bridge does. If you are interested about implants and we will try and give you the information you may need to decide whether implants might be a good treatment option for you. For more information about implants go to Dental Implants

Implant, single plus crown

£ 1800

Tooth Whitening
Dark stained teeth tend to give away our age. It is relatively simple to whiten most stained or dark teeth, with a little appliance we can make for you to use at home. The existing fillings or crowns unfortunately remain unaffected by the process and do not get whiter. They may look relatively dark, when the adjacent teeth have become whitened.

Whitening, trays provided per arch

£ 200

Are you Satisfied?
We try hard to do our best for every patient but if there is something you are not happy about, please talk to one of us or write us a letter and we will try and put things right.

FOR APPOINTMENTS WITH ROBIN WILDING AT ST PAULS
PHONE 01626 365 896

HOME PAGE