Dental Specialties - The Oral Lab

Orthodontics / Dental alignment / Invisalign

Is a dentistry speciality that treats malocclusion, in other words, it deals with problems regarding the alignment of teeth and dentofacial disharmony.

The alignment and correct dental positioning are determining factors in the health of your teeth and gums, with great impact on your smile’s appearance. The incorrect positioning of the teeth has a strong influence on their durability due to erroneous wear patterns that can accelerate the loss of tooth structure.

The fact that the teeth are misaligned hinders their proper cleaning and can cause problems on their supporting tissues (causing periodontitis, gingival recessions, etc.).

Orthodontic correction is often essential to correct problems in the temporomandibular joint, postural problems, headache and muscle pain.

Did you know that a large number of adults report problems with self-esteem and avoid smiling in front of others?

Orthodontic correction can allow you to smile again with confidence, preserving your teeth in great health for many years.

There are several types of devices available, depending on the malocclusion to be corrected and the patient’s age.

The Oral Lab has a lot of experience in the orthodontic treatment of children and adults offering the most innovative techniques such as Invisalign, the removable invisible aligners.

Other dento-facial orthopedic appliances, fixed metallic and aesthetic appliances are additional resources in this type of treatment that is intended to be as conservative as possible.

Surgery

Complex dental extractions / wisdom teeth

Teeth deemed to extraction may involve surgical extraction. Due to its location near vital anatomical structures such as blood vessels or nerves or due to the shape or orientation of the tooth, surgery may need a complex approach.

The best way to minimize risks in this type of surgery is to invest time on planning. Part of it is done through the analysis of imaging such as orthopantomography and computed tomography (CBCT), which allows to see in detail and three-dimensionally the relationship of the tooth with the vital structures to be preserved.

The planned and precise surgical technique, as well as the scrupulous compliance with the recommended postoperative care, minimize the associated risks.

Wisdom teeth typically erupt between 17 and 19 years old. Generally, there is not enough space for its complete eruption creating numerous complications in the medium term, such as inflammation, dental crowding, maxillary cysts, lesions in the adjacent roots, etc., making it convenient to extract it before more serious complications arise.

There are clear indications for extraction:

Lack of space with incomplete eruption, causing recurrent episodes of acute inflammation
Poor positioning can compromise neighbouring teeth due to its eruption axis
The impossibility of being restored due to incorrect positioning and difficult access
The fact that they promote crowding of the remaining teeth due to the lack of space

Complex extractions requires an experienced surgeon for the surgery to be minimally invasive and provides the best possible post-operative scenario.

At The Oral Lab you can count on surgeons with a vast curriculum and a lot of experience in this type of interventions and find the confidence and security you need.

Most common surgical procedures in oral surgery:

Removal of cysts and benign lesions from the oral cavity
Explantation of implants
Frenectomies
Bone regeneration
Maxillary sinus lift

Periodontology

Periodontology is the specialty of dentistry dedicated to the study and treatment of diseases related to the supporting tissues of the teeth.

Gum and tooth support diseases can lead to the loss of one, several, or all teeth.

The most frequent warning signs are bleeding during brushing, tooth mobility, hypersensitivity to cold and the opening of spaces between teeth.

Periodontal problems can also be detected in a routine radiographic examination. In addition to controlling predisposing systemic factors and other precipitating habits that aggravate the disease, the treatment is localised.

As a general rule, the treatment consists of a previous consultation with the Oral Hygienist, a complete periodontal evaluation, a hygienic phase with decontamination of the bacteria deposits, a reassessment of the results obtained and a surgical treatment of the areas still uncontrolled with an eventual reconstruction of the periodontal tissues lost as a consequence of the disease.

Preliminary soft tissue improvement and the treatment of overload on some teeth may be part of the general treatment.

The gum is for your smile like a frame is for a picture. The healthy gum is an essential component of the smile, contributing significantly to a youthful appearance and healthy mouth.

Short teeth and excess visible gum (gummy smile) are corrected by periodontal procedures that aim to make your smile more harmonious. Just as it is possible to make teeth longer, very long teeth can be corrected by covering the exposed tooth area, which often has an unsightly appearance and can generate tooth sensitivity.

Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric Dentistry is the speciality of dentistry that studies and promotes oral health in children and adolescents. Maintaining the integrity, health and function of the first dentition until the natural exfoliation period is one of the fundamental objectives of Pediatric Dentistry.

Children are not young adults and therefore need a specific treatment approach , both technically and socially speaking. Understanding how to communicate with them at each stage of their development is the key to achieve treatments that are often complex and challenging.

Deciduous teeth are very important for chewing, phonetics and aesthetics, preserving the necessary space for a correct development and positioning of permanent teeth.

They also have a significant influence on the growth of bone structures that support them, thus affecting the entire development of the child until adulthood.

The premature loss of baby teeth has adverse outcomes for the child; changes in aesthetics with consequences on self-esteem, changes in speech, and occlusal imbalances that can only be corrected with the use of orthopedic and / or orthodontic appliances.

Prevention is in our first line of intervention ensuring a healthy growth of the child which is decisive for the future oral health . Caries prevention is more effective than its treatment. For that reason, application of fissure sealants and fluoride are common procedures in a consultation of this speciality.

Counselling children and parents about hygiene and nutrition to be implemented at each age, establishes good bases for a healthy growth, this complementary information is also provided at the consultation.

The child’s risk level for the various diseases of the oral cavity will be accessed, and eventual problems are detected at an early stage so that solutions become simpler and more effective.

In the Pediatric Dentistry consultation, we treat our patients in a relaxed environment, so the vast majority of treatments are carried out in the office environment without anxiety or pain.

However, there are exceptional situations in which, for reasons of safety and complexity, treatments will be carried out using advanced anesthesia techniques that are equally safe. We can resort to conscious sedation or general anesthesia in order to avoid traumatic treatments for the child.

These techniques are also used to treat children and adults with special needs.

Our pediatric dentist has a vast experience in treating patients with disabilities and is faculty at the Faculty of Dentistry in Lisbon. General anaesthesia and sedation can be implemented when necessary.

Endodontics

Root canal treatments

It is the treatment that is commonly called devitalization. It consists of obtaining access to the interior of the tooth, in order to promote disinfection and sealing of the root canal system. It is a treatment that relieves pain, swelling and treats a tooth’s infection, allowing its future rehabilitation instead of its extraction.

Prosthodontics

Prosthodontics is the area of dentistry that aims to rehabilitate or maintain the patient’s oral function by restoring chewing, aesthetics and phonetics. The most common restorative procedures are crowns, veneers or dental prostheses on teeth or implants.