Do you sometimes think that when you smile, too much of your gum shows? You might want to consider what gum contouring could do for your smile. It’s a quick and easy treatment that’s available from many dentists in the City of London.

Gum contouring involves your dentist using a laser to sculpt your gum into a smooth contour that’s proportionate to the size of your teeth and mouth. Despite involving lasers, it’s a straightforward treatment that can usually be completed in just one visit to your dentist – and the results will be visible immediately.

Gum-contouring is also a relatively painless process – the laser quickly seals up the wounds it creates, meaning that the recovery time after the procedure is minimal. Some patients feel a little discomfort around their gums for a short period after the treatment, but this can be easily managed with painkillers.

After-care is important following gum contouring treatment. Most dentists will insist you don’t smoke after the procedure, because it will stunt the healing process and put you in more discomfort. It’s also essential to keep your teeth clean, but if your gums are too sore to brush, mouthwash provides a suitable alternative.

Gum contouring is becoming more and more popular in the UK as people follow their desires to create the perfect smile. Speak to your dentist for information, and to find out where you can have gum contouring treatment in the City of London.

Dental bridges are false teeth that attach to neighboring teeth as a replacement for one or more missing teeth. They are called bridges because they attach to the sides of the neighboring teeth, bridging them together. Bridges consist of a false tooth and two crowns to anchor the tooth in place.

Many people get bridges to improve their appearance – missing teeth, particularly at the front of a mouth, can be unsightly and look unattractive. But bridges also serve many practical purposes. They help to prevent food debris getting lodged in the gap, and thus lower your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. They also help your speech, and support the teeth on either side of the bridge, which otherwise may become chipped or damaged.

There are three kinds of dental bridges that your dentist could fit you. The most common is a traditional fixed bridge, which consists of a fixed false tooth between two porcelain crowns. If the gap to be filled is between the front teeth or between two very healthy teeth, you may simply be given a resin-bonded bridge, and cantilever bridges will be used in gaps which only have teeth to one side.

Dental bridges can last between 10 and 15 years provided they are well maintained. Good oral hygiene, including brushing your teeth and flossing regularly, will help to keep your dental bridges in good condition.

If you think you might benefit from having a dental bridge fitted, see your City of London dentist for advice and information about what kind of dental bridge will suit you.

Dry mouth is a condition which affects the flow of saliva in your mouth and makes your mouth feel dry, sticky and raw. If you frequently feel thirsty, have problems swallowing and chewing, or develop sores in and around your mouth, you might be suffering from dry mouth and should see your dentist as soon as possible.

Dry mouth doesn’t just make your mouth and throat feel dry – it also affects your oral hygiene. Saliva acts as a cleanser in your mouth, washing away bacteria and fighting decay. Sufferers of dry mouth might find that they accumulate plaque more quickly and are therefore more at risk from infections, tooth decay and gum disease.

Dry mouth arises for a variety of reasons. It can be a result of other medical conditions including diabetes, and often is a negative side-effect of medication. Medications for your heart, blood pressure, or depression may be the culprit, and you should speak to your dentist if you think this is the case.

Otherwise there are a variety of ways to treat dry mouth. You should drink plenty of water and try to breathe through your nose, rather than through your mouth. Sucking on sugar-free sweets or chewing gum can help to stimulate saliva flow. If your dentist feels that you need treatment, he may suggest an oral rinse to restore mouth moisture, or prescribe you medication that stimulates saliva production.

Having dry mouth is not just uncomfortable, it has negative effects on your oral health, and should be treated as quickly as possible to prevent more serious problems like tooth decay and gum disease.

If you think you might be suffering from dry mouth, give your City of London dentist a call today.

Dental calculus is another word for what most people might refer to as tartar. It’s a form of hardened dental plaque which results from the build-up of minerals from plaque and saliva on your teeth.

To prevent plaque developing into tartar, it’s best to brush your teeth twice daily and floss a few times a week. If tartar, or dental calculus, is allowed to remain on the teeth, it can cause chronic infection and inflammation, both of which are painful and damaging to your dental health. It’s also one of the leading causes of tooth decay, which can lead to tooth-aches and, potentially, tooth removal. Tartar that develops above the gum line can also lead to serious cases of gum disease.

The only way to remove dental calculus from your teeth is to see your dentist about treatment. Your dentist will clean your teeth through a method known as a scale and polish, which will remove built-up plaque and tartar from your teeth. In more serious cases, your dentist may employ an ultrasonic cleaning device to clear away large amounts of calculus build-up.

Having your teeth cleared of plaque and calculus will not only prevent the destructive effects of these damaging bacteria, but will also make it harder for plaque and calculus to accumulate again. The rough surface of dental calculus is the ideal environment for the formation of further bacteria, meaning that without treatment, you can quickly be caught up in a downward spiral.

Even while maintaining good oral hygiene, having your teeth cleaned professionally on a semi-regular basis will help you to keep damaging bacteria at bay. Ask your City of London dentist for more advice and information about dental calculus on your next check-up.

If you’re looking for an alternative to braces that doesn’t cause you the inconvenience and embarrassment of traditional braces, your answer is here – invisible braces.

Invisible braces offer the same results as traditional braces, but without any unsightly consequences. With invisible braces, life goes on as normal – you needn’t lose any self-confidence. They work very similarly to the way traditional braces work, by applying constant pressure to the teeth in order to re-align them. However, invisible braces do away with the metal bars, and instead achieve this through a small, invisible tray.

The benefits of invisible braces go above and beyond just the aesthetic reasons, too. They are far more accurate than traditional metal braces when it comes to re-aligning your teeth, allowing your dentist to plan exactly what your smile will look like at the end of the process.

Invisible braces are also quicker and more convenient than metal braces. You can easily take them out to eat, brush your teeth and floss, and as they can otherwise be left in almost constantly, the re-alignment process takes just months – in comparison to the years usually required by metal braces.

If you think your teeth aren’t as straight as you’d like them to be, then the process needn’t be as uncomfortable as it once was – and in just a few months you could have a whole new you. Visit your City of London dentist today for advice and information about having invisible braces fitted.

Fighting Teeth Grinding in the City of London

One of the dangers that affect lots of people in a busy place like the city of London is stress and it can be very damaging to your health, but it also can be destructive to your upper body via your teeth. There are many ways to deal with stress, from anger management to mastering the art of relaxation before you go to bed, otherwise, it can lead to teeth grinding and overtime, lead to some pretty nasty damage around your upper body. Sure, your dentist can prescribe you a gum-shield to stop you damaging your teeth, but if you don’t get your stress under control, you will still be biting your teeth together throughout the night- the obvious signs of this is an aching jaw in the mornings, which will inevitably lead to damage in your jaw joints, and fatigue because you have not slept well; over time, your jaws will start to click, you may suffer from tinnitus and you will be damaging your neck and upper back. Should it ever reach this stage, you may not only require restoration to your teeth in order to protect the mouth’s bite, but you may need surgery to your jaws and neck as well, which doesn’t make pretty reading at all. The remedy is to ask your dentist to help you with the problem if you become aware of that you are suffering from this condition.

Fighting Disease in the Mouth in the City of London

One of the major problems with the mouth is that things can go wrong quickly and get out of control before you know it in the city of London, so you have to be on your guard everyday in order to give yourself a chance of avoiding the horrors that can crop up. This means you have to be on top form with your oral hygiene at least twice a day with your brushing, flossing and rinsing. You must also ensure to maintain regular visits to your dentist because if things do start to go wrong, they can be halted in their tracks before they get to the next level. In the early stages, a dentist can clean your teeth of tartar and if need be, administer a filling. However, if plaque and tartar are allowed to develop, they will each away at the gums and your teeth’s enamel causing gum disease and bad tooth decay. At this stage, the fight becomes more complex for you and your dentist, which may involve complex procedures such as root canal treatment and deep scaling and polishing. At home the way you look after your teeth will need to change as well and your products will require the use of herbal products as well to stop the conditions worsening. If you go beyond this, then you are in the last chance saloon which could involve bone and tissue grafting. It’s a horrible spiral to get yourself into, so you would be advised to get your preventative dentistry right from the beginning.

Shameless Veneers in the City of London

You know, you should really try to keep in with your dentist in the city of London, especially as you get older and your teeth start to get a little jaded, for by doing so, you may be able to fill up the cracks and gaps that are making your teeth look and feel ancient and rekindle your youth. And one of the most versatile and durable treatments around is the fitting of veneers to hide the shame of what lies beneath. Most are made of porcelain, though resin is just as good an alternative. With the porcelain veneers, your teeth are first de-enameled and then an impression is made of your teeth; from this your veneers are made and then cemented onto the surface of the teeth for an immaculate look that will take you breath away and turn back the years. With a resin veneer, resin layers are built up on the surface of the tooth and then sculptured for the desired effect. In certain places, this procedure can be done in an hour, meaning you walk away with a whole new look. Prices are reasonable and payments can be spread over a period of time to suit your pocket and if you look after your veneers, you are good to smile for up to twenty years- now that is an option to consider and, not leaving you feeling so old now?

Herbal alternatives to Gingivitis in the City of London

Dentists can come out with all guns blazing in the city of London, eager to show off all of their latest toys and technology to treat you with and yes that is fantastic for you the patient. But amongst all of these laser wars and in-depth ‘have it all done’ now machinery, there is an element of ignoring the alternatives which could be just as affective, and even if you ask a ‘modern’ dentist, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised to discover that they are also great supporters of herbal remedies- especially in the fight against gingivitis or gum disease. Gum disease means that your teeth and gums are at risk but it can be treated with some immaculate herbal alternatives. Firstly, it is important to up the vitamins in your body through supplements and by eating the right foods, as this will help to strengthen your immune system and keep the saliva flowing in your mouth. Secondly, alternative herbs can be used when it comes to that time when you brush and floss your teeth: a drop of tea tree oil or Echinacea on your brush and floss helps to take the heat out of inflamed gums, and if your massage your gums as well in these, it can help to stimulate the blood vessels into life again. Cloves, licorice root, calendula and sage are also very effective on the gums when mixed with Vitamin E or baking soda and then applied to the gums. Probably the easiest way to help in the fight against gum disease is salt- mixed with water for rinsing or applied to a brush it can shop your gums from bleeding within days.

Mouth-washing in the City of London

The dentist industry is forever coming up with new fangled ways to get you to put your hands in your pockets and buy the latest dental products on the market, and if you take a look around you the next time you go out shopping in the city of London, there are dozens to choose from in the shops: some work fantastically, some not so but they all do some sort of job for you. However, as research goes on, some of these products tend to get questioned as to whether or not they do any effective job at all and one that is always being questioned about its validity is the mouthwash. Once you’ve brushed and flossed, you should naturally rinse afterwards- now, the argument here is, if you have already cleaned you teeth with a plaque busting brush and relevant toothpaste, is there any real need for an anti-septic mouthwash as well, or are they just a way to con you out of more money. There is no doubt that some of these do help in the fight against bacteria in the mouth and do give you that crowning after brushing. But the real advantage of a mouthwash is when you don’t have a brush with you after eating, say when you are out, and by gargling with one of these can help break down the acids and sugars in your mouth, especially if you have a little inter-dental brush to hand as well to clear the food away first. They also leave your mouth feeling fresh as well; most products have there use, and if using a mouthwash works for you, then use one- they certainly aren’t going to do you much harm.