Prosthodontics is the branch of dentistry that specialises in Implants, Crowns, Veneers and the cosmetic appearance of your smile.

Sometimes a specialist may be called a Cosmetic Dentist but only a dentist who has completed an additional 3 years specialist training can be called a qualified Prosthodontist.

At Pearls Dr Mark Condon is our Prosthodontist. Mark splits his time between private practice and teaching dentists at the Dublin Dental Hospital.

At Pearls we can complete full mouth restorations involving crowns, implants, veneers and white fillings in the same surgery. There is no need to refer you to other practices, making your treatment more convenient.

We can show you examples of Dr Condon's work so you can see what is possible with your smile.

We provide a comprehensive service, we produce models of how we envisage your smile to look like, so you can be confident that you are getting the smile you want.

At Pearls we have a specialist team that works with Dr Condon, ensuring that our patients recieve only the best specialist care.

Crowns
A crown is a type of dental restoration which completely caps or encircles a tooth or dental implant.
Crowns are often used to improve the strength or appearance of teeth, repair badly decayed teeth.
The benefits include long-term durability, aesthetic appearance and good functionality.

Usually the crowning of a tooth involves taking an impression of a prepared tooth by a dentist which is then sent to a dental laboratory for manufacture.
Patients will usually be fitted with a temporary crown whilst the permanent crown is being manufactured.
Pearls’ laboratory will then produce the crown using gold alloys and porcelain; this gives you a strong tooth that looks very realistic.
A crown will take approximately an hour to fit and you will, patients should treat the crown as they would any other tooth, regular twice daily brushing and flossing.

The main disadvantage of restoring the appearance of a tooth with a crown is irreversible tooth preparation i.e. removing part of the tooth to prepare it for a crown to sit

on to it. However, it’s is important to remember that a crown is usually placed ion to a tooth that is already damaged.

1. Damaged Tooth selected for a crown.

2. Damaged Tooth prepared for a crown to fit over it.

3. Finished Crowned tooth

Veneers
A dental veneer is a thin layer of material placed over the surface of a tooth, this can be done either to improve the appearance of a tooth, or to protect or repair the damaged tooth surface. Typically veneers are made up of either composite or dental porcelain.

To have a veneer fitted your teeth and gums must be healthy, your bite must not be of such that it would damage the veneer, have an adequate amount of existing enamel on the tooth surface, or suffer from teeth grinding.

• A composite veneer is usually built-up in the mouth.
• A porcelain veneer is produced in a dental laboratory and then fitted into the mouth.
• A tooth will need to be prepared before a veneer can be fitted. This is done by removing tooth material to shape the tooth. Many patients will have a temporary veneer fitted whilst the new veneer is being manufactured in the laboratory.

Realistic Appearance –Porcelain is a ceramic that has similar qualities to natural teeth enamel.  Making porcelain veneers appear very natural and realistic.

Stain-Resistant – Porcelain is veneers are very smooth and impermeable.  This makes them very resistant to permanent stains.  .

Durability – Porcelain veneers are pretty robust, giving them an average life of around 10 years.

Colour  – The colour of porcelain veneers can be selected; this allows your Prosthodontist to get an excellent colour match, making the veneer indistinguishable from your other teeth.

Improves Appearance Of A Smile – Porcelain veneers can improve the appearance of a smile that suffers from dental flaws such as crooked teeth, discoloured teeth, or teeth that are poorly shaped  and a ‘gappy’ smile.

Disadvantages

Permanent Procedure – fitting veneers often involves removing healthy tooth material.

Limited Life- Veneers typically have a ten year life time. Therefore there will be expense in the future when damaged veneers have to be replaced.

Teeth Sensitivity – Preparing a tooth for veneering requires the removal of tooth enamel, therefore your tooth may become more sensitive to hot and cold foods/ drinks.

In summary, the majority of people will find that the advantages of high quality porcelain veneers outweigh the disadvantages.  Porcelain veneers are a relatively quicker way to attain a more aesthetic smile.

Dental bridges are used by dentists to fill a gap created by a missing tooth or teeth.
In a single tooth bridge, the replacement tooth will be attached to the teeth either side of the gap- forming a ‘bridge’. Multiple replacement teeth can go into a bridge.

Typically, conventional bridges require shaping of the teeth surrounding a missing tooth. Crowns are then placed on the shaped teeth and attached to an artificial tooth (called a pontic).

A resin-bonded bridge requires less preparation of adjacent teeth. It is often used to replace front teeth, provided that the gums are healthy and the surrounding teeth do not have extensive dental fillings.

Bridge Procedure

During the first visit, our Prosthodontist will examine the health of your gums and other teeth to evaluate if you are a candidate for a dental bridge.
Sometimes a course of gum treatment is required before treatment can progress.

A cast of your teeth will be taken so that a wax model of the proposed bridge can be made. Once you are happy with the appearance of the proposed bridge it will be manufactured in the lab.

Some patients may elect for a temporary bridge whilst the permanent bridge is being manufactured and prepared.

After your dental bridge has been cemented into place, your dentist will provide you with hygiene information to maintain the bridge, along with the health of your teeth and gums. A special bridge floss threader will allow you to properly and thoroughly floss the areas surrounding your bridge and between the pontic and underlying gum tissue. It should be used daily to prevent the build-up of plaque and bacteria. Proper brushing with fluoride toothpaste should be performed at least twice each day.

Implant Dentistry

Dental implants are used when a person has lost a tooth. Dental implants are typically made from titanium alloys that are anchored directly into the jawbone and topped with realistic replacement teeth (often called a crown) that look, feel, and perform like  their own.

Dental implants are a vast improvement over conventional dentures. They're more stable and user-friendly than many other teeth replacement options, they also help prevent bone loss and gum recession (because the pressure of chewing on the implant’s crown stimulates the underlying bone and prevents it from deteriorating from disuse.

To have an implant placed a patient must have healthy gums and sufficient bone in the implant site for the implant to bond into. If gum disease is present a course of gum treatment may be required before implant treatment commences. If insufficient bone in present in the implant site then bone augmentation may be required.

Step One
A cast is taken of the patient’s mouth a wax model is made showing the proposed implant in situ. This gives the patient an indication of how the completed treatment willlook. The patient will have to signoff the appearance of the tooth.

Step Two
A dental Surgeon surgically places a titanium screw or ‘implant’ in the patient's jaw.

Bone augmentation may be carried out in conjunction with this step or it may need to be carried out separately in advance if bone loss is severe. If done in advance it will take approximately 12 weeks to heal and bond to the rest of the jaw. Healing must be complete before the implant is placed.

Once the implant has been placed it will take approximately 3 month to heal and bond into the jaw.

Step Three
After the gums have healed around the implant and the implant has fully bonded into the jaw, a replacement tooth is attached to the top of it.