Dentist in Sharjah

Who you will see

Most dental problems are handled by a general dentist. Some need a specialist, and this department has three — which is unusual for a hospital dental unit and worth understanding, because it determines what can be treated here rather than referred elsewhere.

A general dentist handles check-ups, cleaning, fillings, root canal treatment, simple extractions and crowns. This is the majority of dental care.

An orthodontist specialises in straightening teeth and correcting bite problems — braces and clear aligners, for children, teenagers and adults.

A prosthodontist specialises in replacing missing or damaged teeth — implants, crowns, bridges, dentures and full-mouth reconstruction. If several teeth need rebuilding and the result has to fit together, this is the specialist for it.

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon operates on the mouth, jaws and face — impacted wisdom teeth, surgical extractions, jaw joint problems, facial injury and corrective jaw surgery.

You do not need to know which one you need. Come for an assessment and you will be directed appropriately.

When should you see a dentist?

• Toothache, sensitivity to hot, cold or sweet
• Bleeding gums, swollen gums, persistent bad breath
• A chipped, cracked or broken tooth
• A lost filling or crown
• Pain or clicking in the jaw joint
• Difficulty chewing
• Missing teeth you want replaced
• Crooked or crowded teeth, or a bite that does not meet properly
• Mouth ulcers lasting more than two weeks
• A routine check-up, even with no symptoms

Mouth ulcers or white patches lasting more than two weeks should always be examined, particularly if you smoke or use shisha or chewing tobacco. Most are harmless. The examination exists to identify the few that are not, while they are still easily treated.

Dental emergencies

Come in the same day for:

• Severe toothache that painkillers are not controlling
• Facial swelling, especially with fever — this may be a spreading infection
• A tooth knocked out by injury
• Uncontrolled bleeding after an extraction
• Trauma to the jaw or face

A knocked-out adult tooth can often be saved if you act fast. Handle it by the crown, not the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline — never scrub it. Put it back in the socket if you can, or keep it in milk, and get to a dentist within the hour. Time is the deciding factor.

Facial swelling with fever is not a dental inconvenience — it is an infection that can spread. Do not wait for a routine appointment.

Check-ups and cleaning

A check-up every six months is the standard recommendation, and your dentist may advise more or less often based on your gum health, decay risk and whether you smoke.

The point is that dental disease is painless until it is not. Decay produces no symptoms until it reaches the nerve. Gum disease produces no pain until teeth loosen. By the time something hurts, the cheap fix has usually passed.

Professional scaling removes hardened plaque that brushing cannot reach — the deposit that drives gum disease.

Fillings and root canal treatment

A filling repairs a cavity before it reaches the nerve. Tooth-coloured composite is standard.

Root canal treatment is needed when decay or injury has reached the pulp inside the tooth. It removes the infected tissue and seals the canal, saving a tooth that would otherwise be extracted.

Root canal treatment has an undeserved reputation. It is performed under local anaesthetic, and for most patients the procedure itself is comparable to having a filling. The severe pain people associate with it is the pain of the infection that made it necessary — which the treatment relieves. Fear of this procedure causes people to delay until the tooth cannot be saved.

Extractions and wisdom teeth

Teeth are removed when they cannot be saved, or when wisdom teeth cause recurring problems.

Not every wisdom tooth needs removing. Many sit perfectly well and cause nothing. Removal is indicated for repeated infection, decay that cannot be restored, damage to the neighbouring tooth, or cyst formation. An impacted wisdom tooth may need surgical removal by the maxillofacial surgeon.

Replacing missing teeth

Implants are titanium posts placed in the jawbone to support a crown. They are the closest replacement to a natural tooth and do not require altering the neighbouring teeth. They need adequate bone, good gum health, and treatment takes several months from placement to final crown.

Bridges span a gap using the adjacent teeth for support — faster than implants, but the neighbouring teeth must be prepared.

Dentures, partial or full, remain the practical option where multiple teeth are missing or implants are not suitable.

Your prosthodontist will explain which applies to your mouth, what each costs, how long each lasts, and what is involved in maintaining it. Beware anyone who recommends implants without discussing the alternatives.

Braces and aligners

Orthodontic treatment is not only for teenagers — adult orthodontics is now a substantial part of practice.

Fixed braces handle the widest range of problems including complex bite corrections. Clear aligners are removable and far less visible, but they are not suitable for every case, and they only work if worn the required hours per day. An aligner in a drawer moves nothing.

Treatment typically runs 12 to 24 months depending on complexity, followed by retainers — which are not optional. Teeth move back without them.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery

Surgical extractions, impacted teeth, jaw joint (TMJ) disorders, facial trauma, cysts and lesions of the jaw, and corrective jaw surgery for bite problems that braces alone cannot resolve.

Gum disease — and why it is not only about teeth

Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, and it is largely preventable.

It also runs both ways with diabetes: poorly controlled blood sugar worsens gum disease, and gum disease makes blood sugar harder to control. Given how common type 2 diabetes is in the UAE, this connection matters more here than the usual advice suggests. If you are diabetic, tell your dentist, and tell your physician you are being treated for gum disease.

Children's dentistry

First dental visit by around the first birthday, or when the first teeth appear. Early visits are about familiarity and prevention rather than treatment.

Decay in baby teeth is not harmless — it causes pain, infection, and can affect the adult teeth developing beneath. Fluoride application and fissure sealants are simple preventive measures with good evidence behind them.

Cosmetic dentistry

Whitening lightens natural tooth colour. It does not change the colour of crowns, veneers or fillings, which is why a whitening result can look uneven if you have existing restorations — something you should be told before starting, not after.

Veneers are thin facings bonded to the front of teeth to change shape, colour or alignment. They usually involve permanently removing some enamel, which makes them irreversible. Any dentist recommending veneers should explain that clearly.

A dentist who tells you a cosmetic treatment will not achieve what you are picturing is giving you the most valuable part of the consultation.

Cost and insurance

Dental cover in the UAE is frequently limited or excluded entirely, and it is the most commonly misunderstood part of a health policy. Many plans cover emergency treatment only. Orthodontics, implants and cosmetic work are usually excluded.

Ask for a written treatment plan with costs before starting anything extensive. Contact us on 06 599 7777 to check what your policy covers.