Frequently asked questions

The clinic is in Dhahran, in the Eastern Province, on Prince Muteb Road, and its short national address is EAMA2415. Its Google Maps listing can be opened from the contact page to find the nearest route.

The clinic is open Saturday to Thursday, from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and closed on Friday. The evening hours allow patients to attend after working hours. Booking ahead by phone or WhatsApp on 0538588580 is preferred, so that a suitable time can be arranged.

Appointments are booked by phone or by WhatsApp message to 0538588580. The booking form on the home page may also be used: it opens WhatsApp with a ready message containing the patient’s name and the treatment requested, and a time is then agreed. The website itself stores no patient data.

Three dentists work at the clinic, and which of them treats a patient depends on the treatment required. Dr. Abdulrahman Binyahya is a general dentist and the clinic’s founder, with 7 years of experience. Dr. Mohammed Abdullah works in preventive and restorative dentistry and in root canal treatment, with about 15 years. Dr. Ziyad Abdulkarim is an oral and dental surgeon with about 20 years, and handles surgery, dental implants, impacted-tooth extraction, veneers and laser gum surgery.

The clinic offers nitrous-oxide (laughing-gas) sedation alongside the local anaesthetic used for extractions, root canal treatment and surgical procedures. The gas is breathed through a small nose mask and helps the patient relax; the patient stays awake and breathing normally, and the effect fades within minutes of the gas being stopped. The dentist decides whether it is suitable after reviewing the patient’s health and level of anxiety, and it does not suit every case: a blocked nose, for example, can rule it out. Mentioning it when booking allows time to be set aside for it.

The digital panoramic X-ray unit is in the clinic, and the image is taken at the same visit. It shows both jaws and the teeth in a single frame, and the dentist plans a surgical extraction or a dental implant on it, reading the position of an impacted tooth and how close it lies to the nerve. The dentist requests it when the case calls for it, not at every visit.

The cost is set after the examination, and no price is published on this website; for enquiries, call 0538588580. It varies with the case: the number of visits, the treatment the dentist recommends after the examination and the X-ray, and whether one step has to come before another. What the treatment plan covers is explained to the patient before it begins.

Insurance cover is confirmed with the clinic directly, by phone or WhatsApp message on 0538588580 before the appointment, as this website does not publish a list of insurance companies. The cost of treatment is set after the examination and the X-ray in every case, and is explained to the patient before treatment begins.

A root canal can be completed in one visit in suitable cases, and the examination and the X-ray show whether a case is one of them. An abscess, severe inflammation or complex canals may make a second visit necessary. The canals are cleaned and shaped electronically with rotary instruments, driven by a motor rather than by hand.

Root canal treatment is carried out under local anaesthetic, and what the patient usually feels during it is pressure more than pain. Sensitivity on chewing for a few days afterwards is expected and usually eases with the pain relief the dentist prescribes. If pain worsens or swelling appears, a review is needed, as that may point to inflammation requiring assessment.

Root canal re-treatment means reopening a tooth whose canals were treated before, cleaning and disinfecting them, and filling them again. Dr. Mohammed Abdullah reviews the examination and the X-ray, then determines whether the tooth can be kept. Not every tooth can be re-treated: a fractured root, or the loss of much of the tooth’s structure, may make extraction the more appropriate option.

A tooth needs root canal re-treatment when pain or swelling returns, or an X-ray shows inflammation around the root after earlier treatment. Inflammation can return if bacteria remain in a canal that was not cleaned, or reach it through a leak beneath an old filling or crown, or if the tooth fractures after treatment. The cause is identified from the examination and the X-ray before any decision is taken.

Molars usually need a crown after root canal treatment, because the tooth has lost part of its structure between the decay and the opening of the canals, and is more liable to fracture. The dentist assesses what is left of the tooth and where it sits in the mouth, then determines whether a filling is sufficient or a crown is required. Crowns are among the fixed prosthetics provided at the clinic.

Eating should be delayed until the anaesthetic has worn off, which usually takes a few hours, so that the cheek or tongue is not bitten unnoticed. It is advisable to chew on the other side and to avoid hard and sticky food until the final filling or the crown is fitted, because until then the tooth is more liable to fracture. If pain continues or swelling appears, calling the clinic is better than waiting for it to settle.

Root canal treatment is carried out by Dr. Mohammed Abdullah, who has about 15 years in preventive and restorative dentistry and more than 4,000 documented successful root canal cases. He also works on acute dental pain, advanced root canal treatment, and the re-treatment of root canals that were not successful the first time.

Rotary instruments clean and shape the canals electronically, more evenly than hand instruments usually allow. The laser is a supporting step that helps reduce the bacteria inside a canal; it does not replace cleaning it mechanically. The dentist chooses what each tooth needs after seeing the shape of its canals on the X-ray.

Impacted teeth, including wisdom teeth, are removed by Dr. Ziyad Abdulkarim, an oral and dental surgeon with about 20 years of experience. The first step is a digital panoramic X-ray taken in the clinic, showing how the tooth lies and how close it sits to the nerve; the extraction itself is then done under local anaesthetic. No decision to extract is taken before the X-ray has been read.

A simple extraction is for a tooth visible in the mouth, lifted out with instruments and without a cut in the gum, while a surgical extraction requires a small opening in it. A surgical extraction may also involve removing a little bone or dividing the tooth, followed by stitches, and it is the usual route for impacted teeth or teeth broken at the gum line. Both are carried out at the clinic, and the dentist determines which the case needs after the X-ray.

Wisdom tooth removal is carried out under local anaesthetic, and what the patient usually feels during it is pressure and movement more than pain. Once the anaesthetic wears off, pain and swelling for a few days are expected, and usually ease with pain relief and cold compresses as the dentist directs. The dentist explains the aftercare instructions, because following them reduces pain, swelling and the chance of the socket becoming infected.

A wisdom tooth needs removing when it causes pain or repeated gum infection around it, decay in itself or in the tooth beside it, or when it lies impacted in a way that harms its neighbour. A healthy wisdom tooth that came through in position is not removed merely because it is there, and regular review is enough. The examination and the panoramic X-ray settle the question.

Pain and swelling usually peak in the first two to three days, then subside gradually over roughly a week. How long they last varies with the difficulty of the extraction and with the patient’s general health. If pain increases after the third day, bleeding continues, or a fever develops, the clinic should be called on 0538588580. If symptoms become severe outside opening hours, a hospital emergency department is the right place.

Soft food, cool or lukewarm, is advised for the first few days: yogurt, laban, lukewarm soup and mashed potato, chewed on the other side. Hard and spicy food, hot drinks, straws and smoking are to be avoided, as is forceful rinsing in the first 24 hours, because it can dislodge the blood clot that protects the socket. Where the dentist’s instructions differ from this list, those instructions apply, as they were written for the case itself.

Laughing-gas sedation is available during an extraction alongside the local anaesthetic, and the dentist decides on its suitability according to the patient’s health and level of anxiety. The gas is breathed through a small nose mask and helps the patient relax; the patient stays awake and breathing normally, and the site is still numbed with a local anaesthetic as usual. Questions about health and medicines come first, because the gas does not suit every case.

Immediate implants are possible in suitable cases: the implant is placed at the same visit, directly after the tooth is extracted. This depends on the quantity and quality of the bone and on the socket being free of active infection, and it is decided by Dr. Ziyad Abdulkarim after the digital panoramic X-ray. It does not suit every case; waiting for the socket to heal first may be the more appropriate option.

Dental implants are placed under local anaesthetic, and what the patient usually feels during the procedure is pressure more than pain. Mild soreness, swelling or light bruising may follow for a few days, and usually eases with pain relief, cold compresses and adherence to the aftercare instructions. The extent of this varies with the number of implants and how complex the case is.

Placing the implant itself takes a single visit, while the period up to fitting the final tooth usually runs from three to six months, depending on the case. The reason is that the implant needs time to fuse with the jawbone, and that period cannot be shortened. Dr. Ziyad Abdulkarim sets out the timeline for each case after the examination and the X-ray.

An implant may last many years with good care, though its lifespan differs from person to person and cannot be set in advance. It depends on oral hygiene, on avoiding smoking, on chronic conditions such as diabetes being controlled, and on regular review visits. The crown fitted over the implant may need renewing in time, which is a separate matter from the implant beneath it.

Dental implants are usually possible for a patient with diabetes when blood sugar is well controlled; when it is not, healing slows and the risk of complications rises. The dentist therefore asks about general health, blood sugar readings and medicines, and may request a report from the treating physician or liaise with them before surgery. The decision is taken after the examination and the X-ray.

Dental implants are placed by Dr. Ziyad Abdulkarim, an oral and dental surgeon with about 20 years of experience, who has supervised more than 1,000 implant surgeries. Every implant is planned on the digital panoramic X-ray taken in the clinic, and immediate implants are available in suitable cases.

The cost of a dental implant is set after the examination and the X-ray, and no price is published on this website; for enquiries, call 0538588580. It varies with the number of implants, the state of the bone, the type of restoration fitted over the implant, and whether a tooth has to be extracted first. What the full plan covers is explained to the patient before treatment begins.

In-clinic whitening supervised by a dentist is considered safe for enamel in cases suited to it. The dentist examines the teeth and gums before starting, and the laser whitening unit is then used. Because the gel acts on enamel alone, fillings and crowns keep the shade they already have and may need replacing to match the new one. Temporary sensitivity for a few days afterwards is common.

A whitening result usually lasts from several months to a year or two, and it differs widely from one person to another. Coffee, tea and smoking bring the staining back sooner, daily care delays it, and a touch-up session may be needed after a time. A regular cleaning at the clinic helps the new shade last longer.

A veneer is a thin shell bonded to the front of a tooth to adjust its shape or shade, while a crown covers the whole tooth. A crown is the option for a weak, broken or root-canal-treated tooth, whereas a veneer is primarily a cosmetic choice and does not suit a tooth that has lost much of its structure. Dr. Ziyad Abdulkarim designs veneers at the clinic, and has completed more than 1,000 of them.

Cosmetic fillings are tooth-coloured fillings, usually made of composite resin, used to treat decay, rebuild small chips and close narrow gaps between the front teeth. The shade is matched to that of the tooth. They are carried out by Dr. Mohammed Abdullah, who has placed more than 10,000 cosmetic fillings. A large fracture, or the loss of much of the tooth, may call for a crown rather than a filling.

Laser gum contouring is carried out under local anaesthetic, and the discomfort afterwards is usually mild and lasts a few days. It is used to adjust the gum line, as with a gummy smile or where the gum sits higher on one tooth than on another, and the laser helps reduce bleeding during the procedure. Dr. Ziyad Abdulkarim performs it after assessing the gums, and gum inflammation, where present, is treated beforehand.

A cleaning comes before whitening in most cases, because removing tartar and surface staining first is what makes the result even. The dentist examines the teeth and gums and may advise treating decay or gum inflammation beforehand, since whitening is not carried out on a decayed tooth or on inflamed gums. Cleaning and whitening are a single service at the clinic, and the two steps are arranged over one visit or two, as the dentist sees fit.

A child’s first visit is advised within six months of the first tooth appearing, and before the first birthday. An early visit detects decay at its beginning, makes coming to the clinic familiar before the child needs treatment, and lets parents learn the brushing and diet instructions early. The clinic’s evening hours fall after the school day.

Laughing-gas sedation is available for children who are difficult to treat because of anxiety or limited cooperation during the visit. The child breathes it through a small nose mask and settles; the child stays awake, responds to the dentist and hears what is said. The dentist decides whether it is suitable after reviewing the child’s health and discussing it with the parents.

Laughing-gas sedation is a common approach in children’s dentistry and is considered safe when a dentist supervises it with the equipment made for it. Its effect fades within minutes of the gas being stopped, and the child then breathes oxygen for a few minutes. It does not suit every case: a blocked nose or certain respiratory conditions can rule it out, which is why the dentist asks about the child’s health before it is used.

A decayed baby tooth usually needs treatment, because it holds the place of the permanent tooth and lets the child chew and speak until it is due to be replaced. Left untreated, decay may lead to pain and abscess, and may harm the permanent tooth developing beneath it. After the examination and the X-ray, the dentist determines whether treatment is possible or extraction is more appropriate.

A child is prepared by talking about the visit beforehand, calmly and in ordinary words, without mentioning pain or needles. What a child hears in advance shapes what the child expects, and a dental visit should not be used as a threat or a punishment. Early, regular visits make the clinic familiar. An appointment at a time when the child is rested and neither tired nor hungry is preferable. Laughing-gas sedation is available where it is needed, after the dentist’s assessment.

A child with a gum abscess should be seen by a dentist as soon as possible, because a swelling or abscess on the gum is a sign of infection that does not clear on its own. An appointment can be arranged by calling 0538588580. If the swelling spreads into the face, a fever develops, or the child struggles to swallow or breathe, going straight to a hospital emergency department is the correct step, without waiting for the appointment.