Looking after the health of your teeth is very important. Not only does dental health affect the way your teeth and smile appears to others but it also acts as an indicator of overall health. People with unhealthy, damaged and infected teeth are at a much greater risk of having other health complications statistically.

The most obvious way of looking after the health of your teeth is by brushing and flossing regularly. This removes the plaque and bacteria that build up on the surface of the teeth and cause problems. London dentists recommend that you brush for at least three minutes, twice a day. This will remove sufficient amounts of plaque, while flossing will remove plaque and trapped food from the small gaps between the teeth.

However, dental hygiene of this sort, while important, is not always enough to ensure your teeth stay clean and healthy. It is also very important that you keep up regular six-month dental appointments with your London dentist. They will be able to check for the first signs of dental decay or infection that you may not have been able to prevent. They can also treat these initial symptoms, preventing the problem from getting any worse.

London dentists are also trained to look for the signs of more serious problems during dental check ups. This includes spotting the signs of oral cancer, which can be very serious and fatal if not treated early enough.

The bottom line is however, that the more often you visit your dentist for a check up, the healthier your teeth will be and the less likely you will need any kind of treatment in the future. This will save you both time and money, and help to keep your teeth looking clean and healthy.

Misaligned teeth can really spoil the appearance of a smile. Even if the teeth are in really good condition, being clean and white, if they are not straight it is instantly noticeable. When it comes to your teeth, to look their best, everything has to be right. Now, you can obviously clean your teeth to keep them clean and white, and even use whitening treatment to improve the colour, but what can you do if the teeth are not straight? The answer is to use orthodontic straightening treatments, commonly known as braces.

For many years, the world of orthodontics was dominated by the fixed metal, or train track brace. This is a tried and tested brace proven to be very effective. However, it did have some fairly obvious drawbacks. Firstly, the brace had a significant aesthetic impact, with its prominent metal brackets and wires, you could spot a fixed metal brace from a mile away. They also were uncomfortable, frequently causing patients irritation and discomfort, and all of this could last as long as three years.

Thankfully, over the last decade there has been an explosion in the way orthodontic treatments have been designed. Nowadays, a lot more attention is focused on making the treatment work for the patient and not the other way round. Braces such as Invisalign, Inman and the Six Month Smile are discreet, fast acting and use a lot less force to move the teeth into the desired position. For every patient there is now a brace to suit them and their needs. For a full range of the treatments available, make an appointment with your London dentist. They will be able to make an assessment about the condition of your teeth and their alignment and tell you which brace system will work best for you.

If you play any kind of sport that involves physical contact on a regular basis you may be able to reap the safety rewards of wearing a mouth guard. You may not realise but playing any sport with a moving ball, speed or physical contact could be putting your teeth at serious risk and one of the best ways to protect them is with a mouth guard.

Nearly half of all the cases of knocked out, cracked or broken teeth occur as the result of sporting injuries. These injuries could for the most part have been prevented if the patient had been aware of the risks and protecting their teeth. Mouth guards work by cushioning the blow and also spreading the impact around so that one area does not suffer localised damage. Obviously mouth guards are worn in high-contact sports such as boxing and martial arts but they are also necessary for ball sports such as rugby, football and anything that involves high speed or fast moving, unpredictable objects.

You may think that wearing a mouth guard for a game of football is slightly over cautious but consider the alternative; a ball or an accidental elbow in the mouth and three teeth are knocked out. As well as the considerable pain of the trauma, the teeth will then need to be replaced with costly dental restorations such as dental implants or bridges. Each one of these can cost several thousand pounds and will need to be replaced several times over the course of a lifetime. Each of these treatments will last several hours and involve some pain and discomfort. Eating will always be a worry because you don’t want to break your new dental work. Does this sound better than wearing a mouth guard for ninety minutes now and then? Thought not. See your Central London dentist to have a mouth guard fitted.

The brightness of your smile is just as important as the condition and alignment of your teeth. Whiter teeth make us look younger as it is a subconscious sign of youth. They also make you and your smile look healthier. However, discolouration and staining can easily happen and when it does, it is almost impossible to remove with traditional cleaning methods. Coloured foods such as red wine and tea, smoking tobacco or simply just age can all dull the appearance of the enamel and make the teeth look old and unhealthy.

However, there is something that can be done to reverse the discolouration process. Zoom teeth whitening is one of the most popular whitening systems around and offered by City of London dentists as a standard treatment. This has changed from about twenty or even ten years ago when teeth whitening was solely the preserve of the rich and prohibitively expensive for the rest of us.

However, Zoom is now affordable and available with treatments starting from as little as sixty pounds. There are many different strengths and lengths of treatment that can be adjusted to suit your needs. Maybe a short one-hour whitening is all that is required or perhaps your discolouration is more serious and needs an extensive two-week daily whitening. Whatever the problem, your dentists will be able to recommend the most appropriate form of treatment.

Zoom works by applying a substance called hydrogen peroxide to the surface of the teeth. This penetrates the tooth enamel and bleaches and discolouration or stained areas. This will give the teeth a more even, white appearance. Zoom uses a special heat lamp to accelerate the whitening process.

Teeth whitening is suitable for most patients and is relatively risk free with some people only feeling a mild discomfort similar to sensitive teeth.

There are few pains in this world like dental pain. If you have ever suffered from a really bad toothache caused by an infection, or even a damaged tooth as the result of an accident you will know just how excruciating and debilitating the pain can be. There are a couple of main reasons why dental pain is so bad. Firstly, the pain is right inside your head and there is little you can do to relieve it (or at least it seems that way). Secondly, dental pain is caused by the aggravation of the dental nerve, which is located at the centre of the tooth. This is a very sensitive nerve that is connected to other nerves in the head.

When suffering from dental pain it may seem like there is no end to pain and no relief to be had. This is not true. Although the pain may be severe there are several things you can do to make it better. The first thing you must always do when suffering from any kind of dental pain is to see a dentist as soon as possible. London dentists are on hand to treat dental emergencies whether during practice hours when they will fit you in, or out of hours when an on call dentist service will be available for emergencies. They will be able to perform any emergency dentistry that is required and offer pain relief in the form of medication.

Home relief from pain can include using a ice cube applied to the painful area. This will help to numb the pain as will taking over-the-counter pain medication such as paracetemol, but in all cases these are no substitute for seeing a dentist and receiving the necessary treatment.

It is one of the most common diseases in the UK with over three quarters of adults suffering at some point in their life. It can be the source of great pain and has been linked to causing heart problems and even fatal heart attacks. Yet this problem is often ignored or dismissed as not being serious. Even more astonishingly, this disease is easily treated and in most cases completely preventable by taking a few easy steps each day.

Gum disease is often overlooked as a serious dental problem but dentists for years have been trying to emphasise the importance of looking after your gums as well as your teeth. Gum disease occurs when plaque and bacteria build up on the gums and begin to irritate the tissue. This ultimately leads to an infection that will cause redness, soreness and will spread quickly to other parts of the mouth. Because the soft tissue in the mouth is linked to the bloodstream, the infection can also easily pass into the blood and travel to other parts of the body. This can cause a narrowing of the arteries and ultimately lead to high blood pressure and heart issues.

Gum disease can be prevented easily by brushing and flossing your teeth more regularly and more effectively. Central London dentists recommend that you brush your teeth for at least three minutes twice a day using an appropriate brush. This will remove plaque and bacteria and keep the teeth and gums clean. It is also important to maintain your six-monthly appointments with your Central London dentist who will be able to monitor the gums for any sign of disease and offer the necessary treatment.

Dental pain caused by an infected tooth can be very unpleasant and at times excruciating. This is because dental infections happen when the tough outer part of the teeth is broken down exposing the very sensitive inner part of the tooth, which contains the dental nerve. This nerve will then be attacked by bacteria and infected matter, causing the sensation of pain.

Once a tooth is infected there are several ways of treating it depending on the severity of the infection. If the infection is caught and treated early it may be possible to treat with a course of antibiotics. At the other end of the scale, if the infection is so serious it can not be treated effectively, your City of London dentist may need to remove the tooth altogether.

However, in most cases this is not the case and the tooth can still be treated effectively using a root canal treatment. This involves the dentist drilling down into the heart of the tooth and removing any infected material. They will then clean the cavity before filling it and sealing the tooth with a dental crown. This will protect both the functionality and aesthetic quality of the tooth.

Root canal treatments have a very fearsome reputation, largely because of the pain associated with dental infections and because of the use of the dentists’ drill. In reality, the procedure brings an end to the horrible pain of dental infection and protects the teeth from further damage. It would seem that the root canal gets a slightly harsh treatment in the public consciousness and if carried out properly should be no more painful than a filling or any other standard dental procedure.

We all get anxious sometimes about certain things. It is just part of being human however unpleasant it may be. However. Being afraid or anxious about something that is going to benefit your health in the long run is not just unpleasant but also slightly irrational, but then that is the definition of fear.

Dental anxiety, or phobia, affects a surprisingly large part of the population to some degree. In a recent survey, over 90 per cent of the British public admitted to some fear of the dentist. This fear, in most cases, will be slight and easily overcome with the knowledge that they are receiving the right dental treatment to look after their teeth. But for some people, the idea of going to the dentist is simply too much and the fear wins out over the need for treatment.

This can often lead to an exacerbation of dental health problems ironically increasing the need for dental treatment. The main causes of these dental phobias are usually traumatic experiences during childhood. Of course, what many patients don’t realise is that dentists have come along way since the days of their childhood. Modern dentists are trained to help relax anxious patients. This may involve using relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises and even aromatherapy. Lavender oil has been found to be particularly useful when it comes to relaxing patients immediately prior to an appointment.

For some patients just talking to a City of London dentist is enough to help them overcome their fears. By doing this they learn exactly what is going to happen during treatment removing the fear of the unknown and also developing a personal relationship and trust with the dentist. No matter how serious your phobia, you can overcome it and receive the right treatment for your teeth.

Playing sport can result in all sorts of injuries that often require you to wear safety equipment. This could be a helmet, gloves or even shin guards. It is also very important to remember to protect your teeth when playing any sport that involves speed, balls or high levels of impact.

The most effective way of protecting your teeth is to wear a mouth guard. It is possible to buy a generic mouth guard from a sporting goods shop but dentists recommend that you always have one fitted professionally for the maximum level of protection. A central London dentist will be able to fit your mouth guard in an appointment that will last about half an hour. This will be especially designed around your teeth and will spread the force of any impact preventing damage to teeth.

The main risks of not protecting your teeth are that they will be chipped, cracked or even knocked clean out. Not only will these incidents be very painful but they can also spoil the appearance of the teeth and require often very costly dental treatment to repair them. In the case of knocked out teeth, a dental substitute such as a dental bridge or dental implant can run into thousands of pounds, which seems like a bit of a waste when a mouth guard will only set you back a tiny fraction of that.

If you want to protect your teeth from damage during sport, make an appointment with a Central London dentist to have a mouth guard fitted.

Often mistakenly attributed as a symptom of a wider condition, TMJ is the collective name for a series of muscle and joint complaints that affect the temporomandibular joint around the face and mouth. TMJ limits movement of the jaw and causes pain. The condition is poorly understood which often leads to misdiagnosis and patients having to wait many months or even years before they are properly treated.

TMJ can affect as many as one ten people at some level but only a tiny fraction of these people receive the treatment that they need for the condition. Unfortunately, the main characteristic of TMJ is pain. Other symptoms include limited or difficult movement of the jaw, ringing in the ears, dizziness and stiffness. In most cases TMJ will only be mild and the symptoms temporary. It will often clear up on its own and require no further treatment but for those patients affected by a chronic case of TMJ, life can become very difficult. It is necessary, if you think you are suffering from TMJ to make an appointment to see a Central London dentist as soon as possible.

Even though there is no standard diagnostic test for TMJ, Central London dentists will be experienced enough to spot the tell-tale signs and make a diagnosis. In most cases TMJ is caused either by genetic predisposition or as the result of a minor misalignment of the teeth. The dentist will attempt to correct the alignment and alleviate the pain to allow for a speedy recovery.