Welcome to Affinity Dental Clinic, a specialty dental clinic located in Damansara City Mall, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.
Specialties
Root Canal Treatment
Many people dread root canal treatment (also known as endodontic treatment). However, modern root canal treatment is a mostly painless process. If the case is suitable, root canal treatment can even be completed in a single session. This would mean less time keeping the jaw open, less time spent in the dental chair and fewer injections.
A root canal treatment is needed when the nerve of the tooth (known as the pulp) becomes infected, causes pain, or becomes necrotic (dead). During root canal treatment, an access cavity is drilled through the tooth in order to access the root canal system of teeth. The inflamed or infected pulp is removed and the roots are carefully cleaned, disinfected and sealed.
The use of an operating microscope can help in locating all the canals and detecting cracks by providing magnification.
During the root canal procedure, a few x-rays will be required in order to ensure that the canals are properly cleaned and sealed. In a small percentage of difficult cases, a 3-dimensional x-ray may also be necessary.
Teeth that have undergone root canal treatment tend to be weaker and may fracture over time, which can render the root canal treatment futile. Thus, onlays or crowns are recommended to protect the teeth (especially premolar and molars) that have undergone root canal treatment.
Implants
What are implants?
Dental implants are titanium screws placed within the jaw bone to replace missing teeth.
To replace your missing tooth with a dental implant, a thorough examination of the bone and teeth around the missing tooth will have to be performed. An implant of the correct length and width will then be selected and surgically placed into the bone at a correct angulation. The gum and bone around the implant will then be allowed to heal for a short period of time to allow the implant to be accepted by your body. Once the implant is firmly integrated into your bone, a crown can then be fabricated on top of the implant to replace the missing tooth.
We are proud to offer Straumann® dental implants to our patients. Straumann® is a leading manufacturer of dental implants, and their products are known for their exceptional quality and durability. We are committed to providing our patients with the highest quality care, which is why we exclusively use Straumann® dental implants.
Bone Grafting and Socket Preservation
After a tooth is extracted, the amount of bone surrounding the region where the tooth used to be will be reduced. This is because bone is naturally resorbed by the body when not in functional use.
Socket preservation is a procedure to reduce bone loss after tooth extraction. Artificial bone graft is packed into the socket immediately after extraction. This procedure has been proven to minimise bone loss and avoids the need for a bone graft surgery at a later time. It is advisable to obtain good advice before extracting your tooth.
Sometimes, the bone around teeth may have already been lost, leaving insufficient bone for implant placement. This may be due to the destruction of bone caused by gum (periodontal) disease, or a tooth that has a severe infection.
In these cases, a procedure known as bone grafting can be carried out. Artificial bone particles can be packed into the area and covered with a membrane to allow bone cells to populate the area to form bone.
The success of an implant depends on the quality and the quantity of your bone. Good bone quality allows implants to be firmly anchored for many years to come.
Crowns and Onlays
What is a crown?
A crown is an artificial ‘cap’ or ‘helmet’ that covers the entire tooth after removal of existing decay.
What is an onlay?
Onlays are often referred to as partial crowns. When a tooth is too damaged to support a normal filling but not damaged enough for a crown, you end up with something in between the two, that is a ‘partial crown’, also known as an onlay.
What is the difference?
Making a full crown may sacrifice more healthy tooth structure than required. Having said that, the retention of a crown is superior to that of an onlay.
Modern dentistry places a lot of emphasis on being as minimally invasive as possible. Preservation of tooth structure is now seen as more important than the durability of the restoration. Tooth structure that is removed with the drill is permanently lost whereas typically, dental restorations can be replaced easily. This is the reason onlays are popular nowadays.
When is it needed?
Both crowns and onlays serve to protect the remaining tooth structure from deeper cracks. For patients with severe attrition or with a history of cracked teeth, onlays/crowns are often advocated even before cracklines appear, as they can reduce the amount of future damage done to the tooth and the pulp (nerve) of the tooth.
All back (posterior) teeth that have undergone a root canal treatment will require an onlay or a crown. This is because root canal-treated teeth are more fragile and have a higher risk of fracture.
What materials are used?
The main categories of of materials for crowns and onlays available are:
- all-ceramic materials (which are highly aesthetic)
- gold
- porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM)
- base metal alloys
The material of choice is selected on a case-by-case basis.
Gum Treatment
Before treatment 
After treatment
Gum treatment (also known as periodontal debridement) is the main treatment for gum disease. It is performed by removing debris accumulated on the roots of your teeth, deep beneath the gums. The calculus (hardened plaque) around the roots of your teeth are the main source of bacteria.
Gum treatment is performed by firstly numbing the teeth that need to be cleaned. The root surfaces are then disinfected and cleaned with specific instruments to remove calculus and bacteria so that healing of the gums and surrounding tissues may occur.
It is normal to expect bleeding immediately after cleaning and teeth may feel more sensitive in the first few weeks after gum treatment.
Your teeth will then have to be reviewed and maintained regularly at 3-6 month intervals to ensure that the health of your gums are properly taken care of.
It is important to meticulously clean your teeth and gums every day as prescribed by your periodontist. Regular dental visits alone without undertaking oral hygiene measures at home will result in failed gum treatment and progression of gum disease.
About Us
Affinity Dental Clinic is a dental specialist clinic previously known as Saw Endodontic Clinic. Our expertise lies in dealing with various aspects of root canal treatment, such as conventional root canal treatments (straightforward and complicated cases) and in re-treating failed root canal treatments (including retrieval of fractured instruments within the root canal system).
We routinely carry out root canal treatments in a single visit whenever possible. There is no difference in the success rate of root canal treatments carried out in a single visit versus multiple visits. A single visit root canal treatment decreases the anxiety of our patients and increases the comfort of our patients.
While root canal treatment is the core of our clinic, we also take pride in other aspects of dentistry offered by our team of dental specialists. This has enabled us to approach cases from a multi-disciplinary view in order to deliver optimum treatment planning and results.
Our ultimate aim is to deliver dental treatment of the highest standards to you.