As children we were always told of the wonders of Fluoride in the water, but is it really that important in an age when we drink so much bottled water asks a City of London dentist. The simple answer is yes, and the main reason for that is that Fluoride is a natural element that is one of the most common found in all water supplies. Even bottled water has it, so it doesn’t matter if you only drink designer water, you`ll still get the natural protection from it. It works both in our blood system and on the surface of the enamel that our teeth are coated in. When we eat and drink we are putting bacterium in our mouths, this is fine most of the time as this is needed by our digestive system to help break down the fat and sugar that our body needs. In the blood, fluoride helps to keep bad bacteria under control and then take it out of our bodies in our urine. On the teeth it neutralises the acid that bacterium produces; it contains natural alkaline properties that stop acid from wearing away our enamel. If we fail to keep acid under control it will crack our teeth and allow bacteria into the inner chambers, this will decay the teeth and we will lose them before they have served their time. The infections also cause us a lot of pain, lost days off work and expense at the dentist, and all for the sake of a natural product that nature has cleverly put into water to protect our teeth. All in all Fluoride is an essential part of our Oral Hygiene program, it isn`t put into water as most people think. As mentioned it is a natural element prevalent in all water supplies. So, you can carry on using Fluoride water without worrying about the urban myths that the government puts it in against our wishes.

We all buy Oral Care products and we all use them, but just how good are they and do they really do what they claim to do asks a London dentist. Most of the products we buy these days will contain the usual suspects, so to speak, these are chemicals that claim to cure our oral hygiene problems. The truth in some cases is that many of these products actually do more harm than good, and we should really look at natural ways to keep our teeth and breath fresh and clean. Sucking on mints will just load your mouth with sugar or some kind of artificial sweeteners, these will in the long term help to breed bacterium which will in turn produce acid, acid that will eat away at your teeth enamel and cause you tooth loss and infections. This is all because we think that sucking a mint will cure our bad breath. Mouth washes will contain chemicals that are suppose to neutralise the bacterium that causes bad breath, however all they`ll usually do is to give your mouth a minty wash out and remove bacterium that ordinary tap water will remove anyway. All water contains the natural element Fluoride, this is an alkaline element that will kill off bacterium and stop acid from eating away your teeth enamel. Many tooth pastes claim to whiten your teeth, this can only be accomplished if you spend a lot of hours grinding away the discolouration. There are no strong chemicals in tooth paste that can bleach your teeth. Bleaching is a tried and tested method of teeth whitening. Most tooth pastes that claim this contain an abrasive that will just take off your top layer of enamel if you use it enough times. The best way to clean breath and healthy teeth is flossing, brushing and constant water washes, especially at night when the saliva glands stop working

Orthodontics has undergone something of a revolution in the last ten years. There are a number of new straightening tools on the market to suit the needs of all patients. One of the latest and most impressive is called the Six Month Smile braces, so called because it aims to straighten teeth in only six months. Thanks to new braces such as Six Month Smile, many patients are finally changing the way they feel about wearing a brace.

Many patients have been put off in the past because of the unsightly appearance of braces but the Six Month Smile brace has taken a modern approach addressing and improving these issues. Still retaining the straightening power of a traditional fixed metal brace, the Six Month Smile brace has tried to give it more of an aesthetic twist.

Maintaining the same amount of power without using the same amount of force is the key to the Six Month Smile’s success in providing a more comfortable straightening experience. They have also designed the brace to have clear fixed brackets and tooth coloured wires, making it seem a lot less imposing in the mouth, one of the main complaints against old fixed braces. In fact, it is quite hard to see the Six Month brace unless standing very close to the patient.

Many patients therefore find that the Six Month Smile causes far less disruption to their life than they had previously imagined. More comfortable and less visually intrusive but still capable of producing stunning straight teeth and a beautiful smile, ask your Central London dentist about the very latest in orthodontic straightening.

A dental crown is a `cap` that fits over a tooth, it’s called a crown because it fits like a hat says a City of London dentist. If you have a problem with a tooth that needs a crown, then it is most likely to be a cracked tooth. This can be the result of an eating accident or a fall, it may be that you need one to finish off a root canal treatment. This is where the entire inside of the tooth is drilled and scraped out, then it is treated with a light to kill off any bacteria. The hole is then filled with a hard material to strengthen it and a crown is placed over the top to protect and seal it in place. A cracked or chipped tooth will need to be fixed as soon as possible, or the result will be infections, a lacerated tongue or worse. Dental cement is used to wipe over the cleaned out crack, then a crown will be placed over the crack to seal it in. If the crack is on the front of the tooth, then the crown will sit on the entire front of the tooth. A new method of making crowns is now available at many dental surgeries, it allows the dentist to do the job in just one visit. It’s called the CEREC method and is a machine that works on a 3D program controlled by a computer. You will be able to see your new crown even before it is made. The dentist will take digital photos and scan them into the machine, this then works out the dimensions of the crown and recommends a blank for the job. This is loaded into a milling machine that sculptures the crown while the dentist prepares your tooth to accept it. Within around 30 minutes max, you could be having a crown fitted onto the treated cracked tooth.

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.