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.

Gum disease is as prevalent in London, as it in the U.S. Gum disease, or gingivitis, happens when bacteria and dental plaque create an inflammatory response in the gums that cannot be protected by the body’s personal immune reaction. Clinical symptoms of gum disease consist of localized redness, swelling, bleeding, heat and/or visible pus in the area of the mouth that is infected. Gum disease can be categorized into two different types: 1) gum disease that is influenced by local factors (e.g., bacteria and plaque), and 2) gum disease that is influenced by local factors, and modified by host influences. Gum disease is reversible if caught and treated soon enough. However, if left untreated, gum disease can progress to periodontal disease (i.e., periodontitis). Gum disease is classified as periodontal disease once there is loss of tooth attachment to the surrounding tissues, e.g., periodontal ligament, gums, and/or oral bone.
The bacteria that are responsible for causing gum disease and periodontal disease, are usually those that are classified as anaerobic (i.e., they do not like oxygen). These bacteria release an abundance of detrimental by-products, and these by-products cause an inflammatory reaction. Periodontitis can cause loss of periodontal tissue, formation of periodontal pocket(s), tooth loss, which can go unnoticed until its later stages when pain occurs due to abscesses, bleeding gums, and/or bad breath. Your diet can also be affected by gum disease, due to your inability to eat without pain.
There are several treatment options and combinations of treatments that can help to both prevent and treat gum disease. You should be brushing and flossing your teeth regularly to remove any bacteria and plaque on your teeth. You should also visit your dentist regularly in order to receive regular examinations that can identify gum disease, and to also receive regular teeth cleanings and teeth scaling as needed. If your dentist recognizes a severe gum problem, you will most likely be referred to a periodontist (i.e., a gum specialist). If your gum disease has progressed, further scaling and root planning may be required, along with the correct antibiotic regimen(s), and possibly gum and oral bone surgery. So, make sure you take care of your gums.

London dentists say that “dental caries can be prevented by good oral hygiene and regular professional care, and can be effectively treated by adequate brushing and flossing of the teeth and by the use of fluoride based oral care products.” Mouth rinses, gels, and toothpastes, when used in conjunction with toothbrushing and flossing, are probably adequate to deliver the needed preventive measures. If the carious lesion reaches the underlying dentin layer of the tooth the dentist in London will treat it. The dentist will place a filling (amalgam or composite) to restore proper functioning of the tooth.
The role of fluoride in caries prevention has been extensively documented. The decrease in dental caries that occurs after adding fluoride to the water supply is by and large accredited to the fluoride molecule being substituted for hydroxyl molecules in the tooth enamel, forming fluorapatite in the place of hydroxyapatite. Fluorapatite is less acid soluble than hydroxyapatite, causing enamel to demineralise more slowly when under attack by plaque. Fluoride containing enamel also remineralises more quickly between the times it is being bombarded with sugar. This does not explain all of the mechanisms of action of fluoride.
More recently the spotlight has shifted to deleterious effect on fluoride on tooth development. The prevalence of fluorosis in infants and young children is increasing. The increase in fluorosis among infants and children in both fluoridated and non-fluoridate communities has led to the following recommendations: 1) the use of low-fluoride water in infant formulas; 2) adult supervision of children during brushing; and 3) rigid fluoride application standards when administering fluoride supplements to children. Nonetheless, community water supply fluoridation is the most effective way to prevent dental caries.
When neutral 1.0% sodium fluoride was used on a daily basis by high risk adults (i.e., those with mouth dryness after jaw carcinoma radiation), the finding was minimal to zero dental caries. Children, aged five to six years were treated with 1.2% F- fluoride gel versus a placebo gel twice daily, and the children receiving fluoride showed approximately 40% caries reduction when compared to the placebo group after a 2 year period; S mutans (the bacteria that causes decay) were also lower. Thorough cleaning with the fluoride paste significantly reduced the streptococci (sanguis, mitis, and mutans), preventing colonization of these bacteria. Higher fluoride paste doses (i.e., 5%) instantly stop these bacteria. Also interesting, is that fluoride levels of 1-5 ppm stopped oral streptococci at low pH levels. These doses are commonly found in people using fluoridated oral care products and/or fluoridated water. For more in depth prevention measures, visit your London dentist!

No one really likes visiting their London dentist but it’s really necessary that you do get a check up done atleast once in six months. The main reason for this is that gum disease is a really insidious condition which has no major symptoms until the disease has advanced to a very bad condition. Here’s how it starts!The formation of soft and hard deposits on the teeth surface is really common and occurs for everyone. But most of the time with proper care plaque is not allowed to accumulate. But irregular brushing and poor oral hygiene can result in plaque accumulations which are infected with bacteria starting gum diseases. The plaque that slowly hardens over time and collects at the gum line is then called as calculus or tartar. Plaque or tartar now houses colonies of bacteria which infect the adjoining gums to cause gingivitis or gum inflammation. This infection can spread into the bone and can cause peridontitis.

If you do not catch this condition immediately for treatment, it can lead to loss of teeth, loose teeth or shrinking gums. Proper brushing techniques and flossing will help a lot to remove plaque formation. Oral health is also very important especially in pregnant women and in diabetic patients. People in this category are more susceptible to develop serious gum diseases. Other than loss of teeth, gum disease can cause serious inflammations in heart valves. The bacteria in the infected teeth can spread into the blood stream while chewing or eating and then reach lungs and other organs to cause serious infections.

What do you do to make sure you have sweet breath? Do you brush regularly and floss as well as use a mouthwash? Does all this really work for you?No! Well here are a few tried and tested traditional methods to get your breath squeaky clean with natural ingredients sourced from London stores.
• Fresh coriander leaves are readily available online and all you have to do is get the fresh seeds and use them as a chewing gum. Instant freshness!
• Powder the peel of a pomegranate and then dry it to use as a tooth powder to clean teeth with.
• Dissolve about two teaspoons of baking powder in a glass of water and use as a rinse to clean out your mouth.
• Drink at least ten glasses of water a day to flush out yours system and mouth of accumulated debris.
• Clean your tongue too everyday. You don’t really need to get something special but simply scraping the tooth brush on your tongue is more than enough to get your tongue clean of the clinging bacterial colonies.
• Try to avoid potent foods like garlic and onions late in the night. Small fibers of these can linger in your mouth causing fermentation over night.

I’m always ready to admit that I’m the eternal skeptic but this really blows my mind here! Can holistic dentistry really be good for the patient or is it just another scam dreamed up by savvy practioners to milk you out of your hard earned money? I don’t really know but I usually carry a healthy disbelief in any thing new so I decided its time to research this new fad thoroughly before it takes the world and London by storm! Here’s what I learned!• Dentists who practice the “holistic” or “biological” type of dentistry claim that the body can be moved away form the state of disease by making sure that the body is perfectly healthy and well. If the body remains healthy there will be no cavities.
• Many dentist may use useless and difficult to understand tests like badly chosen diagnostic tests, prescriptions for costly dietary supplements or even homeopathic products, some may even recommend a plastic bite appliance, removal of perfectly good amalgam fillings as well as the removal of perfectly good root-canal-treated teeth.
• A few really dubious tests which can be done are hair analysis, or a detailed dietary analysis, several blood chemistry screening tests as well as muscle strength testing. None of these tests are recommended for use with dentists and some of them are not even recognized by scientists as legitimate.
• A few hundred dentists also claim mercury filings are toxic can cause health problems like sclerosis, headaches, chronic diseases, as well as mental and emotional stress. Some times they recommend removal of these fillings and replacements with other filing materials.

Kaitlin came complaining to me, “Hello Doctor! I am surprised to see cavities in teeth of my 3 year old kid.”I know that children’s dental health is one area that most families and parents today need to focus on. These days I am treating more and more younger patients having cavities in their primary teeth. So I gazed the young lady’s anxiety.

First off, I appreciated her for being a parent that she is. I know of many parents that ignore the same problem assuming that it is only to the baby teeth and that they eventually will fall out resulting in better teeth. However, they are not aware of the fact that it is far from truth. Dental experts like me would know that cavities at such age would result in several complications including loss of tooth/teeth at early age, development of crooked teeth, speech and hearing problems, and most of all poor confidence and self-image. In fact a child as young as 1 year old should make its first visit to dentist and brushing should start from 2 years of age and supervised till 6 years when the child is learned to do it on its own. I explained to the anxious mother about several factors that are contributing to this increased problem, such as an upsurge in the sugary snacks and increased use of water that is non-fluoridated. I also told her that today’s children spend little time than required for brushing.

As a dental care specialist I tried to convince her of the fact that it’s not an easy feat to imparting dental hygiene to kids of that small age but one can always try by all means to take this challenge. I gave Kaitlin some handy tips and asked her to follow them diligently and reassured her that her child will not be one to visit me frequently.

Floss regularly right from age the kid started to show eruption of first two teeth.

Emphasized on the importance of flossing the molars, as they lay closely spaced to one another than the incisors or canines.

Parents’ supervision and assistance while brushing is essential until the kid attains age of 6. Here, parents should educate their kids of right technique of brushing teeth.

Change brush once every 3 months. Additionally, change the brush if the child suffered a throat infection.

To make brushing a fun event go for kid-friendly paste flavors and give a brush that is adorned with their favorite toon characters.

Last, every parent to stand as example than mere educator. Brush two times daily. Gargle after every snacking.

Kaitlin left my room convinced.

The deposits of foods may easily get stuck in between your teeth while you have food. This deposit is difficult to remove with the help of a normal toothbrush available in any store across London. But, the unwanted plaque and debris are likely to cause severe dental decay and gum diseases if not addressed on time. As the normal brushing fails badly here, you may be required to use an interdental brush to remove these debris or food particles. Interdental brushing would help you clean all spaces between your teeth.

An interdental brush is small in size, and thus can be easily held between your thumb and fingers. You can find it in various sizes and designs and is easily available in almost all leading stores. You may need to test more than one interdental brushes to find out which one of them you can use to efficiently clean your teeth.

An interdental brush has an extended handle and a brush portion. The handle of the interndental brush comprises main body, which is made of elastomeric material. As a result, the brush is extremely soft and thus reduces the risk of experiencing pain or damage while cleaning teeth. Its tiny bristles easily remove debris and plaque, which are difficult to remove using any other normal toothbrush.

You can select a suitable-sized interdental brush from a reputed store in London. While brushing your teeth, you should refrain from forcing this brush between your teeth. You must use a finer brush between front teeth as it would help you clean the space between your teeth in a better way. Just gently pull out the brush while plucking with all harmful plaque and debris. You must repeat the process of inserting and pulling out debris with your interdental brush several times until you are fully satisfied.

  You should use a larger brush with larger head to clean the larger spaces around the back of the mouth. Never forget to rinse the brush properly with clean water in the end.  Interdental brushing ensures complete oral hygiene to the user. Moreover, with its regular use you can easily remove food debris and keep your teeth sparkling clean for the rest of your life.