Treatment Risks

Preparing the teeth, and sensitivity

• Getting teeth ready for veneers usually means removing a thin layer of enamel. Once it’s gone, it doesn’t grow back.
• Some people notice sensitivity to hot, cold or pressure afterwards. This can be short-lived or stick around, and occasionally needs further treatment to settle.

Durability and appearance

• Veneers are tough, but they’re not unbreakable. They can chip, crack or come loose over time — more so if you grind, clench or put heavy force through them.
• We match colour and shape as closely as we can to what you’re after, but the final look may not land exactly the way you pictured it.

Gums and oral health

• Gums around veneered teeth can become irritated or inflamed, particularly if hygiene slips or the fit isn’t quite right.
• Veneers don’t last forever. They may need replacing down the track due to wear, damage, or changes in the teeth and gums around them.

After treatment

• You might feel some discomfort, tenderness or sensitivity afterwards. For most people this passes, but occasionally it lingers.
• Your bite can feel a bit off at first. Some people need a couple of small adjustments before everything feels natural again.

Reactions

• Rarely, people react to anaesthetic or to the materials we use. Please tell us about any allergies or medications beforehand so we can plan around them.

Worth knowing first
Any dental treatment carries some risk. Before you start, we’d encourage a second opinion from another suitably qualified practitioner, and we want you asking plenty of questions along the way. There may be other options worth considering too.

How long treatment takes really depends on how complex your case is and how consistently you wear your aligners. Straightening teeth is a long game, and wearing a retainer afterwards — long-term — is part of keeping everything where we’ve moved it to. You may need to tweak a few eating habits while you’re in treatment, but most people carry on with normal life throughout. Any discomfort is usually temporary as you adjust, and it varies from person to person. Looking after your aligners matters too, and your practitioner will set you up with a maintenance plan that can carry costs beyond your initial treatment.

Things that affect your result

• Not wearing your aligners for the recommended hours, not following instructions, missing appointments, or having teeth that are still erupting or unusually shaped can all stretch out treatment time and affect the final result.
• More complex cases — severe open bites, significant overjet, mixed dentition, a narrow jaw — can need extra treatment on top of aligners alone.
• Some plans need supplementary help: bonded buttons, elastics, or other devices and appliances where aligners by themselves won’t get you there.
• General health conditions and certain medications can influence how treatment goes.

Adjusting to the aligners

• Teeth can feel tender when you move to the next set in the series.
• Gums, cheeks and lips may get scratched or irritated.
• Your bite can shift during treatment and feel uncomfortable for a while.
• Aligners can leave your mouth drier or, for some, watering more than usual — and some medications make this more noticeable.
• They can affect your speech early on, sometimes causing a slight lisp. This usually clears within a week or two.

Keeping teeth where we’ve moved them

• Teeth can drift back after treatment. Wearing your retainers consistently is what keeps that from happening.

Oral health risks

• Decay, gum disease, gum inflammation or permanent marks on the enamel can develop if sugary food and drink are a regular thing, if teeth aren’t brushed and flossed properly before aligners go in, or if hygiene slips during treatment.
• The bone and gums supporting your teeth can be affected.
• If teeth have been crowded or overlapping for a long time, the gum between them might not fill back in once they’re straightened — leaving a small gap known as a “black triangle.”

Attachments and wear

• Small attachments may be bonded to some teeth during treatment to help move them, and removed once you’re done.
• Attachments can come off and need replacing.
• Teeth may need a little reshaping between them to create the room for movement.
• Occasionally there’s slight surface wear on the aligners, often from grinding — this usually isn’t a problem, as the aligner keeps its strength.

Bite and pre-existing factors

• At the end of treatment, your bite may need a small adjustment.
• Surgery is sometimes needed first to deal with significant crowding or jaw imbalances. Where that’s the case, the risks of anaesthesia and healing need to be factored in beforehand.
• A tooth that’s been knocked or heavily restored in the past can flare up. In rare cases its lifespan can shorten, it may need further treatment like root canal or restorative work, and occasionally a tooth can be lost.

Traditional implants replace one tooth or a few — each one placed where a tooth is missing. All-on-X replaces a full upper or lower set using four to six implants to support a whole arch.

Our dentists plan implant cases carefully, using 3D imaging to guide the approach and reduce risk wherever possible. That said, this is surgery, and some risk comes with the territory no matter how well it’s planned.

Before surgery, you may need to change or pause certain habits — smoking is a big one — and sometimes those changes need to happen well ahead of time so your mouth is in good shape for the procedure. To protect your result long-term, we may also suggest some lasting changes to diet and habits. What applies to you specifically is something your dentist will talk through with you.

Worth knowing first
Implants and All-on-X are sometimes done alongside other procedures — such as adding bone or creating space in the upper jaw — so an implant can sit securely. Those carry their own risks, which we’ll cover with you if they’re relevant.

Any dental treatment carries some risk. We’d encourage a second opinion from another suitably qualified practitioner before you proceed, and we want you asking questions throughout. There may be other options worth exploring.

Treatment usually runs across three to six visits depending on complexity. Expect to ease off your normal routine for the first few days, and depending on how your body responds, you may need a little extra time to rest and recover. Healing is personal and varies from one person to the next, with most people settling within a couple of weeks. Looking after your implants and prosthesis is essential and ongoing — your practitioner will set up a maintenance plan that can carry costs beyond your initial treatment.

Surgical risk

• Any surgery carries risk, and that’s heightened when we’re working close to important structures.

Upper jaw

• In the upper jaw, implants often go into softer bone and sit near the sinuses.
• Possible complications include bone fracture, an implant that won’t stay stable, or accidental entry into the sinus.
• These can mean further procedures — straight away or down the track — at additional cost.

Lower jaw

• In the lower jaw, implants are often placed near nerves that supply feeling to the lip, chin and tongue.
• Surgery or post-operative swelling can press on these nerves and change or reduce sensation in the lip, chin or part of the tongue.
• This is uncommon and usually temporary when it does happen — but there’s a small chance it can be prolonged or permanent.

After surgery

• Sometimes how stable an implant will be in the existing bone is hard to predict.
• If an implant isn’t stable enough, we may not be able to attach your prosthesis straight away.
• In that case we might use a temporary removable appliance during healing instead of a fixed temporary one.
• Once an implant has properly integrated into the bone, it’s considered fixed.
• Implants do sometimes fail. A failure means the implant hasn’t bonded with the bone, or has come away from it — and this can happen due to biological factors that can’t be predicted.
• You might not feel or notice a failed implant yourself, which is exactly why regular checkups every four to six months matter.
• A failed implant needs to be removed and replaced. If there isn’t enough bone to place a new one, further procedures may be needed.

Recovery, and what to expect

• Swelling is normal after surgery and can come with discomfort or pain, usually managed with medication and usually short-lived. Swelling often peaks around day four before easing — though everyone’s recovery looks a little different.
• Some bleeding is expected, and it’s not unusual to bleed for 24 to 48 hours afterwards.
• Pain and discomfort are expected and can last a couple of weeks. Take your prescribed medication as directed — everyone’s pain threshold is different, and we’ll manage yours accordingly.
• You can usually get on with daily life, but avoid strenuous activity for 24 to 48 hours, as it can restart bleeding and add to swelling. Sport and the gym are best left for up to ten days.
• Feeling tired or run-down in the first 12 to 24 hours is common. Rest is usually the best thing for it.
• Smoking seriously harms healing. It can cause the whole treatment to fail, or lead to infection and other complications.
• You can eat and drink afterwards — we’ll suggest cool, soft foods to start.
• You may need time off work or your usual activities. It’s worth having someone around to help, especially if you’ve had general anaesthesia. Your dentist and the anaesthetist will go through the specific anaesthesia risks with you.

Worth knowing first
Wisdom teeth don’t always need to come out — but when they’re impacted, crowding other teeth, repeatedly getting infected or hard to keep clean, removal is often the sensible call. Whether yours need to go is something we’ll assess properly, including with X-rays or 3D imaging, before recommending anything.

Any dental treatment carries some risk. We’d encourage a second opinion from another suitably qualified practitioner before you go ahead, and we want you asking us whatever you need to. Depending on your situation, there may be other options — including simply monitoring the teeth over time.

How straightforward removal is depends a lot on the tooth — how it’s sitting, how deep it is, and how close it is to nerves or the sinus. Some come out simply; others are more involved and need a surgical approach. Most people plan for a few quieter days afterwards to recover, and healing varies from person to person.

The procedure and recovery

• Expect some swelling, bruising and discomfort afterwards. This is normal, usually peaks in the first few days, and generally eases within a week or so — though everyone heals at their own pace.
• Some bleeding is expected, and it’s not unusual to ooze a little for the first day or so.
• Pain is to be expected and managed with medication. Take what’s prescribed as directed.
• You’ll likely want to ease off normal activity for the first few days and avoid strenuous exercise for a little longer, as it can restart bleeding or add to swelling.
• We’ll suggest soft, cool foods to start, and you’ll need to keep the area clean carefully while it heals.

Dry socket

• Sometimes the blood clot that forms in the socket is lost or doesn’t form properly, exposing the bone underneath. This is called dry socket, and it can be quite painful. It’s more likely if you smoke, so we’ll ask you to avoid it, and it usually needs a visit back to us to manage.

Nerve involvement (lower wisdom teeth)

• Lower wisdom teeth can sit very close to the nerves that supply feeling to the lip, chin and tongue.
• Removing them — or the swelling afterwards — can affect these nerves and change or reduce sensation in the lip, chin or tongue.
• This is uncommon and usually temporary when it happens, but there’s a small chance it can be prolonged or permanent. We use imaging beforehand to understand exactly where these nerves sit and to plan around them.

Sinus involvement (upper wisdom teeth)

• Upper wisdom teeth can sit close to the sinus. Occasionally removing one creates a small opening between the mouth and sinus.
• Most of these heal on their own, but a larger one can need further treatment to close properly.

Infection and other risks

• As with any surgery, there’s a risk of infection at the site. Following your aftercare instructions carefully helps keep that risk down.
• Nearby teeth or existing dental work can occasionally be affected during removal.
• Very rarely, the jaw can be left weakened in the short term where a tooth was deeply impacted.

Reactions and anaesthesia

• Rarely, people react to anaesthetic or the materials used. Tell us about any allergies or medications beforehand.
• If your removal is done under sedation or general anaesthesia, those carry their own risks, which your dentist and the anaesthetist will discuss with you. You’ll need someone to take you home afterwards.

Whitening is a cosmetic treatment that lightens the colour of your teeth, helping with the staining and discolouration that builds up from food, drink, smoking and simply getting older. We do in chair whitening in the clinic under professional supervision, and send you home with a kit for topping up over time.

Any dental treatment carries some risk, and not everyone’s a candidate for whitening — a proper assessment with a dentist comes first. We’d encourage a second opinion from another suitably qualified practitioner before proceeding, and we want you asking questions. There may be other options worth considering.

Whitening is generally very safe, but results genuinely vary depending on your teeth, any existing dental work, and your lifestyle.

Before you whiten
Healthy teeth and gums make all the difference to your result, so we’ll always recommend a check-up and clean first.

During and after
Food and drink — For around three days, it’s best to steer clear of anything darkly coloured: tea, coffee, red wine, bolognese, tomato and beetroot-based sauces, curries and soy sauce. (And no, a straw or watering it down won’t get you off the hook.)

How long it lasts — Whitening isn’t permanent. How your teeth respond, and how quickly they pick up colour again, comes down to your habits and the natural character of your teeth. Some people notice things fading after three to six months. Your take-home kit is there to help you keep on top of it.

Sensitivity — You may feel some sensitivity during or after — often a sharp response to hot or cold. It’s usually temporary and settles on its own.

Most in chair whitening is done in a single visit, whilst the custom take home trays are usually anywhere from 7-14 days of at home use. You may need to adjust a few habits to get the result you’re after, and your dentist may suggest continuing at home. Looking after your oral health afterwards is essential, and your practitioner will talk you through a maintenance plan, which can carry costs beyond your initial treatment.