It has become extremely popular in the United States as it is able to restore your teeth to what dentists call B1, the whitest possible tone of tooth colour. It doesn’t matter how stained or dull your teeth have become Enlighten tooth whitening can restore them. They use special trays filled with whitening gel. These trays are tight fitting to stop saliva interfering and ensure that maximum contact between teeth and gel is maintained during the treatment.

A mould will be taken of your teeth so that the trays can be specially constructed for your unique mouth. Once you have the trays they will need to be worn, with gel, for every night for two whole weeks. After the fortnight, you will see your dentist for a forty minute appointment and the main treatment is over. The Enlighten team recommend, however, that you continue wearing the trays for one night out of every forty to get the very best results.

If you have dull or stained teeth and are interested in restoring the brilliance of your smile, contact your Central London dentist and ask about Enlighten tooth whitening.

However, one of the really cruel things about bad breath is that it is very hard to know if you are suffering from it. Therefore you need to be aware that by not brushing and flossing properly each day, you could have bad breath that everyone notices except you.

In almost 90 per cent of cases, bad breath is caused by oral problems. While in some cases it may be to do with digestion issues, it is always worth exploring the most simple explanation first and in this case it is due to bad brushing of the teeth. Bad breath is caused by food particles getting caught in the teeth. Bacteria then breeds on these particles and release foul smelling gases as they decompose. This is then carried out on the breath causing the problem. The simple solution therefore is to remove these food particles by brushing and flossing twice a day. Then the bacteria will have nowhere to breed and your breath will stay fresh.

Your Central London dentist will be able to tell you more about how best to clean your teeth and what you need to do to avoid bad breath. Treating bad breath really is that simple in most cases despite what the thousands of internet sites promising miracle cures may say.

The first stage of a dental infection occurs when insufficient brushing or flossing allows a cavity to develop in the tooth enamel. The enamel is the hard outer covering for the teeth which protects it from damage. Plaque and bacteria erode this layer over time and causes small holes to appear. This allows bacteria to penetrate to the central part of the tooth that contains the dental nerve. This is where the infection happens and how the tooth comes under risk of falling out.

Once an infection has started, the body will attempt to fight back by producing an excess of white blood cells. This will bombard the bacteria and attempt to kill the infection. This produces the pus that swells up in the gum tissue around the tooth causing the abscess. These abscesses can be very fragile and susceptible to bursting. This will spread the infection around the mouth to other areas and even into the bloodstream. It is therefore very important to have the infection treated before it gets to this stage. A regular six monthly appointment with a London dentist will ensure that the problem does not get to this stage and will treat any early signs of infection.

Plaque is a filmy substance that sticks to the surface of the teeth. It contains a large amount of bacteria, which feed on food particles that are trapped in the mouth, especially sugar and starch that is contained in sweet food. When this bacteria begins to break down it releases acids, which cause the tooth enamel to disintegrate.

When this starts to happen, holes begin to develop in the tooth enamel called cavities. If these holes continue to grow they will eventually penetrate through the enamel and into the more sensitive inner part of the tooth. Once this has happened, the dental nerve and pulp at the tooth’s centre are exposed to plaque, bacteria and dental infection. This can be painful and unpleasant and will eventually lead to the destruction of the tooth.

Thankfully, dental decay is easily prevented with a strict and efficient regime of dental hygiene. This involves brushing and flossing twice a day for the recommended amount of time. This will help to remove bacteria from the teeth before it has the chance to cause any significant problems. It is also possible to treat dental decay at various stages with fillings, inlays or dental crowns. These all strengthen the natural defences of the teeth making it harder for plaque to do any damage. Your City of London dentist is also instrumental in helping you avoid dental decay, as they are usually the first people who will notice that your teeth are suffering.

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.

There are many teeth whitening systems available at Central London dentists but they all follow much the same format. A specially designed tray is made to fit the individual’s teeth and then filled with the special whitening agent. This contains hydrogen peroxide, the active ingredient that penetrates into the tooth enamel and gradually turns it white, including any patches of staining or discolouration.

Teeth whitening treatments vary in length according to the needs and budget of the patient. It is possible to have simple half hour appointments but for more effective results you may want to consider a more comprehensive treatment. It is possible to achieve results of up to ten shades whiter in some cases, but regardless of the type of teeth you may have, it will be possible to improve the appearance of your smile.

Teeth whitening is a relatively painless procedure of carried out in surgery by a dentist. They will be able to use all the necessary safety equipment to protect your soft tissue form the possible dangers of contact with the peroxide. Some patients do notice a slight increased sensitivity in the 48 hours after treatment but this will usually be mild and disappear soon after.

Tests found that mouthwashes were effective at disguising the odour from anything from ten minutes to two hours but then the smell would return. Mouthwashes undoubtedly kill bacteria, but they also destabilise the natural production of saliva. As saliva is the body’s natural defence against bad breath, this can mean that the mouthwash is actually prolonging the problem.

The real key to eliminating bad breath is by more effective brushing and flossing. This not only removes plaque and bacteria, but also the food particles on which they thrive. This keeps bacteria levels low so they can easily be controlled by saliva.

Mouthwashes can be effective for controlling bacteria in certain situations. This is especially true after certain dental procedures that can be susceptible to post-surgical infection. However, your City of London dentist will tell you when this is necessary. Mouthwashes certainly still have their place in the fight against decay and disease, but you must remember that they are no substitute for good oral hygiene. A good mouthwash can be used as an addition to an effective brushing and flossing routine but not as a substitute for it. Ask your dentist for more details of when it is appropriate to use mouthwash and which particular brand would be most suitable for your teeth.

This is why it is so important to make sure you see a Central London dentist every six-months. Your dentist will be able to examine your teeth to make sure that you are not missing any crucial spots where plaque is getting the upper hand. After all, it is almost impossible to know if you if you are cleaning all parts of your teeth thoroughly. You dentist or the dental hygienist will then be able to carry out a deep clean using techniques called scaling and polishing, if it is required. This involves using a small scaling hook to remove any plaque or hardened tartar that poses a threat to your tooth enamel. Scaling can be a little uncomfortable but is rarely anything more than that.

Once the teeth have been thoroughly scaled they can then be polished using a mechanical rotating polisher. This removes any residual plaque from the surface of the teeth. This makes the teeth smooth and makes it more difficult for bacteria and plaque to stick to them. In this way scaling and polishing are used as preventive dentistry measures, returning your teeth to the cleanest state they can be and leaving it to you to see that they stay that way. Effective cleaning and polishing can leave your teeth feeling very clean and give them valuable protection against future dental problems.

Better dental hygiene starts at home with more effective brushing and flossing. Dentists recommend brushing twice, for three minutes a day. Your dentist will be able to recommend a suitable toothbrush and paste for your teeth. Flossing is equally important to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

Your Central London dentist will also be able to offer you a preventative dentistry treatment. This involves an initial appointment with the dentist to assess your teeth for any potential problems. These will then be treated accordingly, making sure to repair any damage to the teeth and gums and highlight potential future problems. Once all your teeth have been repaired and checked, a dental hygienist will undertake a thorough deep clean with scaling and polishing. This will remove any tartar or plaque that remains on your teeth before polishing them so that it is harder for plaque to accumulate in the future.

Your dentist and hygienist will draw up a new dental hygiene plan for you to address any possible concerns and help to keep your teeth and gums free of decay and disease. It is then up to you to stick to the plan as closely as possible and make sure your teeth are kept as healthy as possible. Preventative dentistry is like starting again with a clean slate. Your teeth will be made as healthy as they can be and by working with you dentist you will hopefully be able to keep them that way.

Over 90 per cent of all cases of bad breath are caused by poor standards of oral hygiene leading to bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria build up on decaying food matter trapped between teeth and in the grooves of the tongue. This decays releasing a nasty smelling sulphurous compound, which is carried out on the breath. This is the source of the condition also known commonly as halitosis. This bacteria can be easily removed by effective brushing and flossing. Brushing twice a day at least, with a suitable brush and paste helps to remove bacteria and trapped food that cause bad breath. Flossing is equally important in removing the food and bacteria from parts of the mouth hard to reach with a brush such as between teeth and below the gum line.

It may also be a good idea to use either a tongue cleaner or an inter-dental brush to remove even more bacteria. By following this advice and also remembering to see a Central London dentist every six months for additional cleaning you can easily help prevent bad breath and live your life confident in the knowledge you are not the person everyone is talking about.