Ocean Clinic Takes Dentistry Into The 21st Century

Dr. Nina King joins Ocean Clinic to offer an advanced field of dentistry known as prosthodontics. We asked her for the low-down…

What is prosthodontics?

“Prosthodontics deals with the replacement of missing teeth and the related mouth or jaw structures by prostheses. It involves a bit of everything; dentures, implants, crowns and bridges. There is a huge cosmetic side to it but it also looks at how everything functions based on a healthy foundation. We make sure everything works well together, as a whole.

“After dental school, I did an additional seven years of formal postgraduate training in England and qualified as a UK registered specialist in 2006 from the Royal College of Surgeons, London.”

So, is prosthodontics a more holistic specialty in dentistry?

“Yes. Unfortunately general dentistry sometimes focuses on individual things rather than looking at the whole picture. A simple example is a tooth that keeps chipping or breaking. We might just keep repairing the tooth instead of looking at why it’s happening e.g. the bite is too heavy on that tooth and they need to replace some of their missing teeth.

“When things are done in bits and pieces, rather than holistically, the patient can eventually reach a tipping point where they’re getting pain in their jaw joint or where they’re unable to eat, and often that’s when they come to me. Some of the stuff I do is quite complicated because I may need to replace a lot of failed dentistry that the patient previously had.”

How do you help patients from a cosmetic perspective?

“A lot of patients come to me because they’re getting married or they’re applying for jobs and want their teeth to look their best. Or it could be a more embarrassing problem, such as not being able to go for a meal with their partner in public because they have loose dentures that fall out.

“As well as implants and bridges, I work with all types of veneers, including prepless veneers (the most well known brand is Lumineers). The beauty of no-prep veneers is we don’t take anything away from the tooth. They’re really great for making small changes, such as colour changes.

“For tooth whitening, we’ve switched over to a system called Opalescence Boost. We don’t use the whitening lamp as we’re recognising now that the heat from the lamp, although it accelerates the process, can also dehydrate the teeth a little bit and cause more sensitivity.”

You have recently returned to Spain from Dubai. What brings you back?

I previously ran Oasis Dental Clinic in Marbella but then the opportunity arose to take a two-year contract in Dubai. It was working in a very established group of dental practices and also teaching in a post graduate university, which really interested me. I’d always planned to come back to Spain at the end of the contract.

Why have you chosen to join Ocean Clinic?

I’ve known Dr. Kaye professionally since he opened Ocean Clinic and we have become friends. We have similar values and ethics in terms of taking care of people and going the extra mile. I think it’s so important. It’s not just about the treatment that we deliver; it’s everything that comes with that treatment. The environment of Ocean Clinic, the staff, the professionalism and quality of care, are second to none and it has a great reputation as a result.

“We’ve actually been discussing the partnership for a number of years because what I do very much links into what they do here. The smile plays a huge role when it comes to facial aesthetics, so dentistry complements the offering very well. The idea is that everything is in-house - either patients come to me after having surgery, or they see me first and then decide to have a surgical procedure to further boost their confidence.”

What do you hope to bring to Ocean Clinic?

“I am really focused on delivering great aesthetics and want to take dentistry a bit more into the 21st century. I have made investments in new technology and now have some great equipment that allows me to cut out involvement of the dental laboratory. Digital scanning means certain types of crowns and bridges can be made in-house. So, instead of having a temporary crown put on and then coming back in a week or two for the final labwork, patients can have the work completed in a single visit.

“I’m very interested in seeing patients who’ve had large back fillings that are breaking down or need replacement crowns because this technology is just amazing for that.”

To make an appointment to see Dr. Nina King contact Ocean Clinic Marbella on 951 775 518.