Making sure your teeth are clean and healthy is very important, but it is important never to forget how important it is to look after your gums. Gum disease is responsible for more tooth loss in the UK than tooth decay and gum disease has recently been established to be a major contributing factor to heart disease and even strokes.

Keeping your gums clean is a simple matter of removing plaque. Plaque is a filmy substance that sticks to teeth releasing acid which erodes tooth enamel causing decay. It also sticks to gums destroying tissue and causing infections we know as gum disease. Most gum disease is mild and can be treated with improved cleaning but if it becomes the more serious periodontitis it can require tissue removal and hospital treatment.

The gums can be cleaned easily by angling the toothbrush at a forty–five degree angle when brushing. This gently clears gums of plaque and food debris which cause disease. Flossing below the gum line also helps to remove bacteria and food trapped in small pockets between the gums and teeth.

It is also important to make regular visits to a Central London dentist who can examine teeth for the first signs of gum disease and carry out thorough cleaning. Don’t get caught out by gum disease, as it can be a painful and unpleasant experience and one that is easily avoided.

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.

Few things are less attractive to members of the opposite sex than bad breath. It seems to signal a complete unawareness and total disregard for personal hygiene. Although, the fact is that we have probably all suffered from bad breath at one time or another. Many people think that bad breath is caused by internal digestion problems but this is only true in a fraction of cases. Over 95 per cent of cases of bad breath are caused by bacteria in the mouth and can easily be cured with better oral hygiene.

Bad breath is mostly caused by decaying food matter trapped between the teeth or in the grooves of the tongue. Because the spaces between the teeth are hard to clean with a regular brush, food can get lodged there. If this happens, bacteria begin to break down the food, releasing nasty smelling sulphurous compounds, which are carried out on our breath. The same process happens on the grooves of the tongue where it is too spongy to be cleaned effectively with a brush.

The way to deal with these problems is to remember to floss and use a specially designed tongue cleaner. Flossing reaches the parts of the teeth that normal brushes can’t. The wire goes in the tiny spaces between teeth to free up lodged food and remove plaque. A tongue cleaner or scraper removes some of the millions of bacteria that live on the moist, warm surface.

If you or a loved one suffer from bad breath, it is always a good idea to see a Central London dentist who can offer advice on more effective cleaning and isolate the exact source of the problem. There is no need to suffer in silence or live with the anxiety of bad breath any longer. By making a few simple changes and visiting a dentist you could have clean fresh breath all the time.

Having healthy teeth isn’t a gift, it isn’t a lucky thing either, it is a by-product of having a healthy attitude to oral care. That attitude is best taught when someone is a child; eating habits and dental hygiene are an important part of our education. We teach our children the rights and wrongs of life, so if we exclude dental care we aren’t doing our jobs properly as parents. There’s an old saying that goes “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for life”, what great wisdom there is in that saying. If we take the literacy of that and apply it to dental and oral care, we will be doing our children a great service. Not only will they have their teeth longer, but we won’t have to sit outside the dentist room so often, while they get treatment that could be avoided with a little common sense. Eating the right food isn’t only good for our diet, but it is also good for our teeth. When we eat food we chew it first, and in this process we produce saliva that helps us swallow and break down the food into energy. However, this process also produces bad bacteria that damage our teeth, often beyond repair. Teeth aren’t only just for childhood; they can be for life if we use a little common sense, and an early learnt routine of oral care. Oral care isn’t just about brushing, flossing and mouth washes, it is also about healthy eating and keeping bad bacteria to a minimum. Fish, fresh fruit and vegetables as well as sugarless drinks will help us to keep tooth decay to a minimum, as well as those expensive dental bills as adults.

The old adage that prevention is better than cure is nowhere more true than when it comes to your teeth. The most important weapons in the war against dental decay, gum disease and tooth loss is effective cleaning and regular six-month dental check ups.

Dentists recommend that patients brush their teeth twice a day for three minutes using an appropriate brush and the correct toothpaste for their teeth. Brushing helps to remove plaque, which is a filmy substance that builds up around the tooth enamel. Plaque is made up of bacteria and other debris that attacks enamel, eventually breaking it down and causing cavities. If a dentist does not repair these cavities they will penetrate to the root of the tooth causing pain and eventual tooth loss. Plaque can be removed by normal brushing but if it is not it will turn into tartar which cannot and will require a dental hygienist to remove it.

It is also very important to floss everyday. Flossing cleans the spaces in between the teeth that cannot be cleaned by regular brushing, where plaque can build up undisturbed. Flossing also cleans below the gum line, another hard spot to reach with a regular toothbrush. Brushing and flossing are the front line defence against dental problems and should prevent most dental disease. However, brushing and flossing alone are not sufficient to prevent all dental concerns. It is crucial that patients visit their dentist every six-months so that they can check for the first signs of any problems. Even the most ardent of brushers may still be susceptible to tooth decay and catching it early really can save a lot of pain and financial burden in the future.

Dentists are also trained to examine patients for the signs of other oral concerns such as cancer. Oral cancer is a particularly virulent form of the disease but has an 80 per cent survival rate if caught sufficiently early. A City of London dentist will examine for the signs of oral cancer as part of a regular check up and can take a swab of any suspicious looking material.

Maintaining a good standard of oral hygiene could save you a lifetime of costly and painful dental problems. Most dental issues are easily remedied at early stages but treatment becomes more and more difficult the more advanced the problem. A few minutes spent brushing and flossing each day, combined with a twenty minute check up every six months from a City of London dentist could be all it takes to keep your teeth and gums healthy for life.

Nowhere is it more true that prevention is better than cure, than when it comes to dental health. Unlike the rest of the body where disease and illness can affect you regardless of your lifestyle, your dental health depends more or less entirely on your standards of oral hygiene. Whilst it may not seem that important to keep your mouth clean, ask any sufferer of gum disease or tooth decay and they will tell you the pain and stress caused by these conditions are a very serious business.

Dentists advise that you brush your teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening before bed, using a brush with appropriate bristles for your teeth. They also advise that patients floss at least once a day. This is crucial to maintaining a good standard of oral hygiene which can help to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

If teeth are not correctly brushed, a filmy substance called plaque builds up around them. Plaque is full of bacteria, which attack the enamel of the teeth, breaking it down and causing cavities. If a cavity penetrates to the root of the tooth, it will erode the pulp and eventually lead to a painful infection. This can spread to other parts of the mouth and will eventually lead to tooth loss. Bacteria in the mouth can also cause painful gum disease, also know as gingivitis, which is an infection of the gums. This can cause gums to bleed and bacteria to enter the bloodstream and spread to other areas of the body.

The mouth is one of the dirtiest places on the human body, with over 500 million bacteria calling it their home. If it is not properly cleaned this bacteria will thrive in these perfect conditions causing all of the above problems and more.

It is also important to note that nearly 90 per cent of cases of bad breath are caused by poor standards of oral hygiene, particularly a lack of flossing, which helps to remove food particles from between the teeth. If left, these particles break down releasing foul smelling sulphurous compounds which cause bad breath. So not only are good standards of hygiene important for health, but also for your social life. A London dentist will be able to offer advice on how best to maintain good oral hygiene and prevent a whole range of painful and costly dental procedures.

Bleeding gums caused by poor dental hygiene can end up causing heart disease according to health professionals.

People who don’t brush their teeth correctly, or who don’t floss regularly enough, often suffer from bleeding gums. It is thought that this might provide an entry to the bloodstream for the hundreds of millions of bacteria that call your mouth their home. This could result in an increased chance of heart disease and even a heart attack.

The mouth is one of the dirtiest places in the human body when it comes to bacteria. Allowing the bacteria into your blood stream from the mouth can be very dangerous. Once in the blood it sticks to the platelets, the cells responsible for coagulating to heal cuts and wounds. Once bacteria have attached themselves to the platelets it can cause blood vessels to become blocked which is obviously bad for the heart.

The only treatment for this kind of bacterial blockage is an aggressive course of antibiotics. But as bacteria become ever more resistant to modern antibiotic medicines this form of treatment is becoming less and less effective.

The one sure-fire way of beating this form of heart disease is prevention. Maintaining a healthy standard of oral hygiene can limit the number of dangerous bacteria in the mouth and ensure that they have no pathway into the bloodstream. Dentists in Central London recommend brushing teeth at least twice a day to help prevent the build up of plaque, the filmy substance around the teeth that is the breeding ground for bacteria. Flossing at least once a day can also help to destroy plaque, and kill bacteria.

Inadequate brushing or flossing can lead to cavities or gum disease (gingivitis) which can cause weakened gums to bleed and recede. Shutting this door once and for all could save your life and help you have a healthy heart, and for a few extra minutes a day, that really can’t be bad.

Next to brushing, flossing is the most important method of maintaining healthy teeth and good oral hygiene. Millions of bacteria can live in the gaps between your teeth, especially on particles of food that are lodged there. Flossing is crucial in removing these particles that are breeding grounds for nasty bacteria which can cause tooth decay, bad breath and other assorted oral health problems.

If these areas are not regular cleaned the bacteria will eventually produce acid, which will eat into tooth enamel and cause cavities. It will also produce foul smelling sulfurous compounds which are the major cause of embarrassing bad breath.

The bacteria live in a substance called plaque, which is made up of mucus and other debris. Brushing can get rid of plaque but often misses harder to reach places such as between the teeth and below the gumline. Flossing regularly can ensure that these harder to reach areas are kept clean and prevent the build up of plaque.

If plaque is not removed by brushing or flossing it will eventually harden into a substance called tartar which can only be removed by a dentist. If tartar is left to build up it can produce nasty toxins which can cause gingivitis, a disease that causes painful irritation of the gums. Eventually, this can lea to the erosion of the bone structure that hold the teeth in place and will result in tooth loss. There is a also evidence to suggest that flossing regularly can prevent oral cancer and other cancer in the body.

The American Dental Association recommends flossing the teeth at least once a day. For advice on how to floss your teeth properly consult your London dentist who can show you how to protect your smile for a lifetime.

Oral hygiene is very crucial to oral health maintenance. At your London Dental Clinic, the dental hygienist will teach you how to properly care for your teeth and gums. Good oral hygiene practices should begin at a very early age, and a dental hygienist will demonstrate proper teeth and gum brushing, and also flossing. Then they will watch you brush and floss, and aid you in making any changes in your brushing and flossing routines. Plaque is the sticky material on your teeth that needs to be removed every day, at least twice a day. You should have a set of goals for yourself that include keeping your mouth clean, odourless, and healthy. Proper oral hygiene will help to prevent cavities, gum problems, and periodontal disease. The dental hygienist will also review your diet and obtain a dental caries index, and make some suggestions about your diet and habits that you may need to look at. So, visit your London Dental Clinic to learn how to perform proper oral health.

Here are some pointers. Use a soft or medium bristled toothbrush. Hold your brush so that it is comfortable in your hand. Place a small amount of toothpaste on the brush, wet it, and place it against your teeth and gum at a 45 degree angle, and move it back and forth in a vibrating motion. Make sure that you brush all of your teeth on both the outsides and insides. The brush should be held in a vertical position to brush your front teeth on the insides. Then scrub the biting surfaces of your teeth, and floss your teeth (even behind your last teeth, as plaque also forms there). Brush for at least 2 minutes at a time and at least twice daily.

The dental hygienist is a very integral part of the London treatment team. They help you to keep your mouth healthy. They are specially trained to clean your gums, and guide you in the prevention of dental caries and gum disease. Proper oral hygiene is the foundation of keeping your mouth healthy. Good oral hygiene needs to be addressed from a very early age, and our hygienists are very kind and work all age groups. During your initial visit to the hygienist, they will perform an intraoral examination of your mouth, and chart any gum irregularities and tooth decay. The dentist will then re-perform the examination as a double check. That way our dental team is sure that nothing is missed. The hygienist will then get the go ahead to clean your teeth and gums. Depending on the extent of your dental plaque/calculus, this could take one or two visits.

The dental hygienist, will also show you how to keep your teeth and gums clean, and your mouth healthy. They will evaluate your brushing and flossing methods, and help you to make any needed adjustments. This way you can help to remove plaque bacteria from your mouth, and maintain good oral health. Plaque is that sticky material that adheres to your teeth. The goals are to keep your mouth clean, odourless, and healthy. More specifically, to prevent further problems in your mouth due to dental caries, gum disease, and periodontal disease. The dental hygienist will also review any necessary dietary changes and lifestyle changes that need to be addressed. Therefore, it is important for you to make an appointment and come in and see our dental hygienists and dentists here in London.