Braces can help to radically improve the appearance of a smile. Not only do they align and straighten teeth but they can also improve bite and profile altering the appearance of more than just the teeth. However, braces can cause other problems in the mouth, especially if they are of the fixed bracket variety. Certain parts of braces such as wires and elastic ties can attract bacteria and brackets and palates can trap food particles which can be breeding grounds for bacteria.

If teeth are not cleaned sufficiently when wearing braces they can leave patched areas when the brackets are removed at the end of treatment. Therefore it is very important to keep teeth clean when you are wearing braces. This involves sticking to a cleaning regime very diligently and one that may be more vigorous than for people without braces. If teeth are not kept clean during orthodontic treatment it can cause dental decay and gum disease that may be very difficult to treat because of the braces. This can increase the damaging power of these conditions.

Central London dentists recommend that patients undergoing orthodontic treatment try to clean their teeth and braces four times a day, after each meal and before bedtime. This helps to remove food trapped in the brace and any bacteria that may have accumulated. It is also recommended that brace wearers floss at least twice a day. Carrying floss and a travel toothbrush with you can help you to remember to clean your teeth even if you are not at home. Your diet can also help to keep your teeth clean. By avoiding sugary foods during orthodontic treatment and eating more fresh fruit and vegetables you can help to keep your teeth healthy. Also, you will need to keep up your six monthly dental appointments.

Patients with very badly discoloured teeth are very often ashamed of their condition, which can severely affect self-confidence and undermine self-esteem. It can cause a reluctance to smile or even be in social situations for fear of being noticed but there are several things you could do to improve their appearance.

Cosmetic bonding and teeth whitening are two options for whitening discoloured teeth. Teeth whitening can be dramatic but it can also be fairly ineffectual depending on the condition of your teeth. Dental bonding covers discolouration but can look unrealistic and uneven. By far the most dramatic and successful way to restore the appearance of white teeth is to use dental veneers.

Veneers are porcelain tooth caps that are cemented over the top of original teeth. They can be made from porcelain that compliments your facial tones and are incredibly thin to retain the translucent appearance of tooth enamel. Some of the latest veneers available on the market are as thin as a contact lens and require little or no enamel preparation prior to fixing.

Modern technology has made it possible to design and fit a set of veneers in only one appointment with a Central London dentist making it possible to have a smile you can be proud of the very same day. Veneers vary in price depending on the nature and quality of treatment but can you really put a price on a beautiful smile.

Foods that are healthy and good for your teeth are not surprisingly the foods that are healthy and good for the whole body. It is a similar story for foods that have a bad effect on your dental health, as they tend to be bad for your whole body also.

Obviously foods that are high in sugar are very bad for your teeth as they encourage the production of plaque acid in the mouth that causes cavities. Eating foods with a high sugar content, or even chewing sugar-rich gum can be very bad for the teeth. Although it must be said that brushing or rinsing your mouth with water immediately after eating sugary foods does limit the effect of the sugar. Parents who are concerned about their children’s teeth could encourage their children to eat sweets immediately after dinner and then to brush their teeth to limit the impact. After all, we all know how hard it can be to stop kids eating sugary food altogether.

Foods that are good for the teeth unsurprisingly include dairy food such as milk and cheese. Dairy products have a low pH and have the effect of neutralising acids that cause damage to teeth. Dairy products are also calcium rich which helps to make teeth stronger. For people who have a sweet tooth, fruit is an excellent way of getting your sugar hit and still getting a lot of beneficial vitamins and anti-oxidants. The same is true of vegetables during the main course as they are full of vitamin A, which is essential for the formation of enamel. City of London dentists can give you more information about what foods are good and bad for your teeth and can help you to draw up a tooth-friendly eating plan.

Sometimes, when teeth are damaged to such an extent, they cannot be repaired using ordinary dental bonding and this can put the patient at risk of further pain and damage. On these occasions it is necessary to protect the integral structure of the tooth using a dental crown. In the past dentists have been more reluctant to use crowns for several reasons. Firstly, because they took so long to make (up to three weeks) and even then were often poorly fitting. Secondly, they required the removal of otherwise healthy enamel to be able to fit over the top of the damaged tooth, which was an irreversible procedure. However, with the advent of certain modern technology, dental crowns are now a lot easier to fit than you might have thought.

More and more London dentists are using CAD/CAM technology. This stands for computer aided design/computer aided manufacture and has revolutionised the crown making and fitting process. Dentists are now able to use 3D cameras and digital x-rays to create an exact image of the patients mouth on a computer. They can then use this image to design a perfectly fitting crown before instructing the computer-guided mill to sculpt the new crown from a single piece of porcelain. As if this wasn’t impressive enough, it can take as little as six minutes to mill a new crown from a single block of porcelain. This technology has addressed the time factor of dental crowns and it also has a solution for the enamel removal problem. Because the new crown is carved from a single piece of porcelain it is very structurally strong and therefore very thin. This means that far less, if any, enamel needs removing prior to fitting a new crown.

The results possible using this new technology are astonishing. Porcelain can be chosen to match the exact colour of the patient’s teeth so that the crown looks incredibly real. If you are suffering with damaged teeth but have always been put off by the idea of a crown, maybe it’s time you took another look.

Brushing is the first line of defence against tooth decay and gum disease and if performed properly is an effective barrier against both. However, it would seem by the levels of decay still happening in the UK that many people are still not brushing their teeth correctly, or for long enough.

Bacteria in the mouth attach themselves to tooth enamel using their sticky outer membrane. If the bacteria are not removed by effective brushing they can build up forming a plaque acid. This acid erodes the protective enamel of the tooth causing cavities that lead to infection and eventually tooth loss. Brushing twice a day for three minutes with an appropriate brush and paste can remove plaque forming bacteria keeping your teeth clean and strong and your breath fresh.

Dentists recommend that you brush at a forty-five degree angle to the teeth pointing the brush towards the gums. This way the gums are also brushed clean from bacteria and debris, but it is important not to brush the gums too hard as gum tissue can be eroded. It is also important to floss your teeth at least once a day to remove bacteria and food debris from places a toothbrush can’t reach. Brushing without flossing is the equivalent of only cleaning two thirds of your teeth.

It is important to remember to change your toothbrush every six months as bristles become bent and flat and do not provide a thorough clean when overused. Central London dentists can advise you which is the most suitable brush for your teeth at your next appointment.

A dental phobia is a severe fear of the dentist that is characterised by extreme emotional responses at even the prospect of going to the dentist. Technically a phobia is defined as an “irrational severe fear that leads you to avoid the subject completely”. Exposure to the specific stimulus, in this case the dentist’s surgery, provokes an immediate anxious response which in its severest form takes the form of a panic attack. This can have serious effects on the individual’s life and can certainly prevent them receiving the dental treatment that they need.

Fear of the dentist is very common, with many people experiencing some kind of anxious response when in the surgery. However, there are several different categories of severity that determine the fear ranging from mild fear to anxiety to phobia. For patients with dental phobia even a regular check up can be an extremely traumatic experience.

There are several common causes of dental phobia with a previous bad experience being the most notable. A painful procedure or particularly unsympathetic dentist (they are out there!) can put a patient off the dentist for life. Other common causes are a fear of lack of control, oral intrusion or transferred fear (this is when an anxious patient convinces a child that the dentist is something to be feared even though the child has had no previous bad experience).

There are ways to overcome dental phobia, which usually involve confronting your fear with the aid of various relaxation techniques and a greater degree of information about the procedures. City of London dentists recommend that nervous patients speak to their dentist who will explain the exact nature of the procedure. It is most important to remember that you are not alone and have no reason to feel embarrassed.

For patients who have badly worn, discoloured or unevenly spaced teeth the very latest in veneer technology, Lumineers may be able to restore the cosmetic appearance of their teeth.

Veneers are thin porcelain shells that are cemented over the top of existing teeth to enhance their cosmetic appearance. In the past having a veneer fitted involved the need to remove a substantial amount of enamel form the existing tooth in order that the tooth could accommodate the veneer.

Thanks to Lumineer technology, veneers are now so incredibly thin that only minimal tooth preparation is required prior to fixing. Manufactured by Cerinate, Lumineers are about the same width as a contact lens and are so thin that they are even completely removable. They are also able to fit over existing dental work which means that painful and uncomfortable removal work is not needed before fixing a Lumineer veneer.

Lumineers have also been manufactured to have a translucent appearance that mirrors that of real tooth enamel. This makes Lumineers the most lifelike and realistic veneers on the market, something that veneers have been criticised for in the past. Representing a major step forward in the world of cosmetic dentistry, Lumineers are increasingly becoming the favoured choice of veneer for dentists and patients alike. Ask a London dentist about what Lumineer technology could do for the cosmetic appearance of your teeth.

Dental fluorosis is the state of the teeth that arises owing to over exposure of the teeth to fluoride in the initial stages of tooth development. The initial stages of tooth development are the most sensitive and problem prone stages in an individual and generally occur between the ages of 3 months to 8 years. This is the period when parents are supposed to take extra care of their child’s teeth since the initial stages are instrumental in deciding the future make up of an individual’s mouth. Hence it is best that you consult your London dentist for a complete knowledge of the methods that you must follow for your child.

Dental fluorosis are most commonly seen to occur as tiny white specks that are not much visible but severe cases involve black and brown stains. The aesthetic appeal of the teeth is not the only reason why you must take measures to prevent fluorosis. Cracking and pitting of teeth are some of the common problems that stem from dental fluorosis. One of the most common modes of exposure is fluorinated water.

The process has been around for several years wherein the water that comes to your home is added with a certain predetermined safe amount of fluoride. This was implemented with a view to reduce the number of dental ailments since fluoride is one of the main elements that help prevent it. Of late there have been several controversies wherein organizations were accused of adding more fluoride than the safe level. There were also complaints that they were using sodium fluoride when they were supposed to use calcium fluoride which is required in small quantities. Hence visit your dentist to counter fluorosis at an early stage.

Xerostomia or the more widely known dry mouth is a common ailment that most individuals suffer from. It is characterized by lack of saliva in the mouth which hampers activities that involve basic jaw movements.

It also has a significant effect on the speech of the person wherein the talking becomes slurry and the individual is unable to express himself properly. Even if he does mange to talk well, he will be grinding his teeth later on to subside the pain. A dentist in the City of London reasoned that dry mouth is basically due to absence of saliva in the mouth which extremely common among smokers.

The causes of dry mouth cannot be generalized since it may arise due to several reasons which are different for every other patient. Halitosis and cavities are the most commonly seen effects of dry mouth since the saliva, which normally forms a protective layer over the enamel is absent thus exposing it.

Major causes of Xerostomia are dehydration, Sjogren’s syndrome, diabetes, anxiety, medications etc. Elders as well as children are equally susceptible to the dry mouth syndrome and good oral care is the only way out.

The treatment for dry mouth involves mitigating the symptoms and the associated pain. Patients who have undergone chemotherapy are also reported to have dry mouth. Sugarless fluids, chewing xylitol containing gums and using carboxymethyl cellulose saliva substitute mouthwash works wonders.

The bottom line is that if you take good care of your teeth, you can say goodbye to Xerostomia.

If you have a knocked out tooth, you will need to get to a dentist as quickly as possible. As may be expected, there are some things that you can do in order to increase the likelihood that the tooth can be saved. This includes making sure that you understand what you will need to do before you arrive at the dentist office.

Interestingly enough, your London dentist is likely to tell you not to clean the tooth. While you may think of a tooth as a solid object, it is more of a hard shell. In addition, the tip of each root has a hole in it that acts as a conduit for blood vessels and nerves. When a tooth is knocked out, these vital connections are damaged. In most cases, your dentist will know how to clean the tooth properly in order to preserve as much connective tissue as possible.

Even though you can obtain a kit for knocked out teeth, it may be best to simply place it back in the original socket. Your dentist will take some extra time to clean any debris from that area. Depending on the situation, you may also need an antibiotic in order to ensure you do not develop an infection. Typically, even if the bone heals around the tooth, it may absorb the roots. As a result, the tooth may fall out at some point.

There is no question that having a tooth knocked out can be extremely traumatic. In many cases, if you take some simple precautions after the tooth is knocked out, your dentist should be able to restore it. Unfortunately, there will be times when it is not possible to save a tooth. Nevertheless, you should try to see if your dentist will be successful.