This sometimes overlooked service can be of real benefit to our Ashby, Burton and Swadlincote patients
It is widely understood that you should see a dentist every six months or so for a general checkup. This makes sense as not only can we monitor the general health of your mouth but any treatment that is needed can then be carried out at an early stage, usually meaning that less extensive treatment is required. Of course, accidents can happen and you may require an interim emergency appointment, but a regular six monthly check up is an excellent way to help keep your teeth and gums healthy.
There is also another appointment that you should keep every six months, and one that an increasing number of patients of Alexandra Dental Care are doing and that is seeing the oral hygienist. There are a few misconceptions about the role of a hygienist and it can sometimes be thought of as an ‘optional extra’ rather than an important part of your overall health care.
Why see a dental hygienist?
There are many ways that a hygienist can help you have the healthiest mouth that you can. Their role consists of two parts; an educational one and a practical one.
A visit to see the hygienist is quite a relaxed one and some time will be spent discussing your general oral health care. This can include things like how well you brush your teeth, along with suggestions on how to improve this. You may also be encouraged to use floss and we may demonstrate how to do so correctly. It may also include a discussion on your lifestyle choices such as diet, smoking and alcohol consumption. Dental hygienists are not there to ‘moralise’ but the reality is that some choices, such as smoking, can have a terrible impact on your teeth and gums and it is important that the patient understands this so that they can make an informed choice as to whether to continue smoking or make an effort to stop.
The other part of the hygienist role is more practical and largely consists of a treatment known as a ‘scale and polish’. This is used to clean the teeth of tartar, or ‘calculus’, a hardened ‘crust’ that consists of bacteria and minerals. Because it is hard, it can’t be removed through regular brushing and will continue to build if not removed manually. It also forms a rough surface that makes it easier for bacteria and staining products to stick to. This can lead to gum disease as well as causing additional surface staining of the teeth.
What then, does a scale and polish procedure consist of?
The scale and polish procedure
How to avoid a root canal procedure (and why you shouldn’t be concerned if you need one….)
Most of us are probably familiar with the words ‘root canal’ but most likely not what it actually entails. Even though the ‘horror stories’ about this treatment are greatly exaggerated, it is definitely something that should be avoided if possible, predominantly for the health of your teeth.
So what actually causes root canal infections? There are a number of ways in which this can happen, but essentially it occurs when bacteria finds its way through the enamel and dentin parts of the tooth and enters into the root canals where the soft pulp, including the nerves, is stored.
Protecting your tooth
The best way to maintain healthy teeth of course is to make sure that you keep them clean and have a regular examination at Alexandra Dental Care. Patients from the Burton, Swadlincote and Ashby area who do this should hopefully avoid the need for a root canal procedure, but this can never be guaranteed unfortunately.
Tooth decay occurs when bacteria enters the tooth through the compromised enamel. Providing that you see your dentist in time, it is usually enough to remove the decaying material and fill the tooth. This should prevent it spreading further into the root canals of the tooth. The longer you delay treatment, the bigger the chances are that the decay and bacteria will spread so make sure you have your teeth checked regularly.
A cracked tooth is another common cause and especially if the crack is nearer to the root, the infection can occur before you even notice any symptoms of tooth decay. Just because a tooth doesn’t initially hurt after an accident, such as from a fall; if your teeth have suffered an impact, do make sure to have them checked by one of our dental team. This is a good way of reducing the risk of any infections of the root canal.
How will you know if your root canals are infected?
If you are looking for your best possible smile, dental veneers might be the answer….
As we approach the warmer months and we start to think of summer holidays, we are also likely to think about how we can look our best for them as well as the other social gatherings that often occur when the weather is nicer. New clothes can be bought of course and other things are relatively straightforward to give us a boost. Even the best clothes and hairstyles though can be spoiled if your teeth are stained or even cracked or chipped.
All teeth will discolour with age and this is just a physical fact of life. Discolouration can happen at any stage of our life if we eat or drink things that stain our teeth, but after a certain age, the dentin part of the tooth that lies below the enamel surface starts to darken in colour and this inevitably shows through the translucent enamel, giving our teeth a dull and often yellowing appearance.
Teeth whitening
The most straightforward treatment to rectify this is to have your teeth professionally whitened. This is one of the most popular cosmetic treatments that we provide for our Ashby and Burton patients at Alexandra Dental Care. It is certainly an excellent technique, being both non-invasive and repeatable when necessary, but it can’t rectify all visual problems that can occur with our teeth.
Some of us may have teeth that are chipped or have fine cracks in the surface of the enamel. Whilst these might not be deep enough to cause problems like decay, they can be quite visible and even a teeth whitening procedure may not hide them. Chipped teeth may be even more noticeable with whiter teeth as people are more likely to pay attention to a whiter smile.
So, what can you do to improve imperfect teeth?
Dental veneers
Covid has meant a delay in seeing a dentist for many. For anxious patients, this can be a real problem….
Covid had many negative effects, with severe illness and even death amongst them. It has affected many areas of our lives and may do, at least to some extent, for some time to come. Although dentists across the UK are now getting back to something like normal, there are still patients who haven’t seen their dentist for some time due to the restrictions that were put on practices at the peak of the pandemic. Inevitably, for some, this will mean the need for treatments that could otherwise have been avoided. For nervous dental patients, the very thought of this can be enough to fill them with fear.
The real danger is that patients who are afraid of seeing a dentist may decide that after not visiting for a long time, and especially if they have had no obvious problems, simply decide not to go anymore. Whilst this might seem understandable, it is a ‘head in the sand’ approach that will almost inevitably backfire at some point in the not too distant future. For those considering this approach, we hope that the following advice from our Alexandra Dental Care dentists will be helpful.
Should you stay away?
The simple answer to this is ‘no’. Dental appointments are not there to scare you but are a necessary step to ensure that you maintain a healthy mouth. Dentistry is not just about preventing tooth decay, though it does, obviously, include this. It is also about problems like gum disease which, aside from oral care issues, has increasingly been linked with other serious medical illnesses such as heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, and also to check for any possible indications of oral cancers. Early detection is key in both of these issues and starting treatment as soon as possible should bring about the most positive outcome for the patient.
Even leaving aside these important issues, almost everyone who has neglected their teeth will tell you that they really wish that they hadn’t. Aside from any discomfort caused by toothache etc, having a poor set of teeth can take a lot of enjoyment from your life. From difficulties in eating certain foods to a lack of confidence in smiling, poor quality teeth can have a significant negative impact on your life, and one that is quite unnecessary with regular care.
That’s all very well, but I’m scared….
Ensure that your teeth are healthy before you go away on holiday or you could run into problems!
We are probably being a little premature and over excited at seeing some springlike weather just starting to creep in, but we also know that this is the sort of thing that can trigger people to start booking a holiday abroad for the summer. After all, it’s fair to say that we probably all need one after the last few years!
There are obvious things to consider when booking a holiday such as hotels, things to do for the kids etc, but one thing that we often don’t think about is the health of our teeth. Good oral health is important at any time, of course, but if something goes wrong when you are in another country, it can cause additional problems that are less easily resolved than when you are at home.
A spoilt holiday
The most obvious problem caused when you have a dental health issue on holiday is that it can really spoil your break. Whilst some issues may only be inconvenient and perhaps cause you to eat only softer foods, others, such as a raging toothache, can totally distract you from all the things you were looking forward to and ruin your holiday completely. A bad toothache on day one can leave you wishing the rest of your holiday away so that you can see your own dentist to get it treated.
Dental care abroad
Lost teeth and loose dentures can be a thing of the past….
We all hope to keep our own teeth for as long as possible, and certainly during our more active years. A gap in the teeth, where visible, is not really socially acceptable these days and tooth loss in this area often means that we resort to that best known tooth replacement method, dentures.
Nowadays, dentures are certainly better than they used to be and can look reasonably realistic. Some are even made to be flexible and move with the mouth. Ask anyone who wears dentures though and most will tell you something about the downsides, ranging from how they sometimes fall out to those who can live with them but admit they are less stable than they would like them to be.
As we can’t yet regrow teeth that have been lost and are unlikely to be able to do so at least for the foreseeable future, this leaves anyone with missing teeth, in a bit of a dilemma. Leaving a gap is not an option but dentures don’t seem that great either. So what to do?
Bridges
A dental bridge is one option available to our Ashby, Swadlincote and Burton patients and these do offer better stability than most types of dentures. They do, however, mean that healthy teeth have to be shaped so that replacement teeth can be secured in place. It is understandable that many people don’t want anything done to their healthy teeth and so shun this method.
So what other options does this leave for patients of Alexandra Dental Care?
Dental implants
Helping our Burton and Ashby patients achieve straight teeth smiles in shorter time
Orthodontics, or dental braces, as they are often more widely known, have come a long way since the days when the only option available were the metallic braces that were very visible as soon as you opened your mouth. There is now a wider choice to select from with most offering a great deal more discretion than previously. At Alexandra Dental Care, we offer a choice of some the most commonly used orthodontic systems and in today’s blog, we are going to focus on one of these which is known as the ‘Six Month Smile’
Not all braces are appropriate for all treatments. Some are designed to correct all of the teeth including those at the rear which are less visible. For many people though, the key reason to have their teeth straightened is that their teeth currently leave them with a crooked looking smile that they are unhappy about. Rather than use straighten all of the teeth then, some, like the Six Month Smiles system, focus on the front teeth that are most visible when we smile. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as ‘cosmetic orthodontics’.
How quickly do they straighten teeth?
You might presume that the answer to this is in the name, but the truth is that the amount of time it will take depends on each individual situation. The ‘six months’ in the name is actually an average and you may well find that your treatment can be completed even more quickly. You may be thinking that even six months seems a long time, but do remember that you can’t apply too much pressure to move a tooth otherwise you risk significant damage. It is also worth remembering that full mouth teeth straightening can take two years or more.
How does it work?
February 14th isn’t so far away. Now is a good time to work on achieving a whiter smile!
The first ‘major’ event for some of us, following the Christmas and New Year festivities, is Valentine’s day. Whilst this probably won’t affect everyone who is reading this blog, there will be some, no doubt, who are wondering what to do to make this a special occasion and what they can do for themselves to make it a day to remember for their other half. Whilst some things like red roses and romantic dinners still stand, that doesn’t mean that you can’t add to that by impressing them with a brand new, whiter, smile.
Unfortunately, there isn’t really a great deal that you can do about your stained or discoloured teeth solely with improved home care. Whilst there are ‘at home’ teeth whitening kits that are available, some will be less effective due to legal restrictions on the amount of whitening ingredients allowed in these products. Only teeth whitening treatments provided directly by a qualified dentist will enable you to reach the whiteness you hope for.
Why bother?
You might ask why you should bother, especially if you have been with your partner for a while now. They will, of course, have become used to your teeth however stained or discoloured they are. Whilst this might be true, it can only be a positive thing to do something that will help put a little extra ‘spark’ into your relationship and a whiter smile can certainly help to do that.
In addition to the above, having a whiter smile can make you feel more positive and confident about yourself. No more trying not to smile in front of others because you have unsightly teeth. Many patients of Alexandra Dental Care that have had this procedure have found that this is an unexpected bonus, on top of having a visibly more attractive smile, following the treatment.
Surface staining
If the surface of your teeth doesn’t feel smooth, you are more likely to suffer from discolouration
Tooth enamel erosion is quite a big problem in today’s world, but why is that? Well, the abundance of foods and drinks that contain high levels of sugar and acidic elements means that most of us are at a real risk of it. When the enamel of a tooth becomes eroded, it can eventually allow bacteria to enter into the centre of the tooth, and it is at this stage that problems like tooth decay and root canal infections can occur. Even before this stage though, it can cause problems for those who are keen to keep their teeth as white as possible.
The enamel surface of our teeth should be quite smooth. If you run your tongue along them and they have a rough feel to them, it is likely that this is caused by one of two problems. The first, retrievable, the second less so. In today’s Alexandra Dental Care blog we will take a look at what these causes might be and what our Ashby and Burton patients can do about it.
Tartar build up
One thing that can cause a rough tooth surface is when a buildup of tartar occurs. This is a combination of bacteria and mineral deposits which form a rough film on the surface of the teeth. This rough surface then attracts staining products more easily, trapping them in the tiny pits and craters that it forms. Over time, deposits from substances such as tea or red wine become trapped and give our teeth a stained appearance.
The good news is that this needn’t be too problematic as long as you take good care of your teeth. Regular brushing and flossing is essential of course, but if you don’t already, you should also consider seeing the dental hygienist at Alexandra Dental Care every six months or so. They will provide a scale and polish which is a professional cleaning of your teeth that removes these built up deposits, leaving your teeth both healthier and nicer looking.
Enamel erosion
It’s never too late to look at improving your oral health!
Although it is traditional to make New Year resolutions around the turn of the year, we hope that you will allow us a few days grace to make a few suggestions that we feel will be beneficial to you in your efforts to have a healthier mouth in 2022. Some of these suggestions are very simple things that you can do at home, whilst others involve the professional help that we can provide at Alexandra Dental Care.
We encourage you to remember that your teeth don’t ‘heal’ in the same way that many other parts of our body do and the best thing that you can do is to prevent damage occurring in the first place. Where damage has already occurred, our Burton, Swadlincote and Ashby patients can be assured that we are on hand to help you restore them.
Without further ado then, here are some of our top suggestions to help you have healthier teeth and gums in the new year.
Check your ‘equipment’
What better time to reassess your dental equipment than the start of the new year? The most obvious thing to check is the toothbrush. Whilst we will all, hopefully, have one, the chances are that it has seen better days. A brush with worn bristles will not do the job of cleaning your teeth and gums as it should. If your bristles are worn, usually around three months maximum, it is time to replace it. The same applies with an electric toothbrush, where you need to change the head around the same period of time.
Do you have dental floss? If not, you should. Flossing between your teeth will help to remove bacteria and food that has become trapped. Only around one in five of us currently floss and it is perhaps no coincidence that it is the parts of the teeth that can’t be easily reached with a toothbrush where decay often starts. If you have some old floss lurking at the back of the cupboard, it is probably better to replace it for the best results.
