Wisdom teeth are third molars that appear behind your second molars, usually between the ages of 17 and 25. While most adults have four wisdom teeth, it isn’t uncommon to have less, or even none at all.

Wisdom teeth can commonly cause pain and discomfort when they grow, affecting the neighboring teeth and growing in ‘sideways’. This is often because there is not enough space for them to grow into your mouth at a healthy angle, and often results in them only being able to emerge partially into the mouth – this is what we call an impacted wisdom tooth.

If you find your wisdom teeth are causing you pain and discomfort, your London dentist will be able to prescribe you with painkillers to ease the problem. If your wisdom teeth are growing in at an angle, you may want to think about having them extracted.

Impacted wisdom teeth can cause all sorts of problems, aside from the pain. They can trap food and bacteria in and around them, leading to increased tooth decay or gum disease, and potentially more problems in the future.

Wisdom tooth extraction is a routine and common procedure for dentists, and saves patients a lot of the pain and discomfort of having impacted wisdom teeth. It’s important to follow after-care instructions from your dentist if you do have a tooth removed, otherwise you could suffer from ‘dry socket’, a painful aching sensation in your jaw. However, in most instances the post-surgery discomfort will last no longer than two weeks.

If you are suffering from wisdom tooth pain and think you could benefit from either painkillers or tooth extraction, don’t hesitate to ask your London dentist about the procedure.

Your temporomandibular joint, or the TMJ, is the joint in your jaw. There is one TMJ on either side of your jaw. It’s a very important joint, and is used every time we chew, eat and speak.

Because of the location and nature of the TMJ, it’s a joint that interests multiple disciplines, including dentistry and neurology. If you think you might be having problems with your TMJ, see your London dentist, who should be able to refer you to a specialist if necessary.

TMJ dysfunction can happen in many different ways – but often, TMJ disorders share similar symptoms. You might feel pain around your jaw, but also around your head, neck and ears. You might also find your jaw feels restricted, and mandible movement may cause you significant pain. TMJ dysfunctions can affect your ears and hearing too. Many patients report earache and hearing loss.

One of the most common TMJ dysfunctions is what’s called disc displacement. This is when the articular disc slips out of place in your jaw, causing painful friction and grinding. If you have any reason to think you might be suffering from a TMJ dysfunction, you should see your dentist immediately. They can be very painful, and treatment is often necessary.

If a lot of gum is showing when a person smiles, this might be referred to as a ‘gummy smile’. While gummy smiles are actually a normal and healthy attribute to a person’s facial structure, a lot of people feel self-conscious about having a gummy smile, and seek to have it ‘corrected’. Luckily, some simple procedures exist that can vastly reduce the amount of gum showing when smiling.

Gummy smiles can be treated in a few different ways. Patients with only a mildly gummy smile can have their gums lifted with dental veneers. This is a natural way to lift the gums up to a more natural height by affixing veneers to the teeth to allow for a big, healthy smile.

More severely disproportionate gums may require surgical repositioning of the upper jaw, which can take up to two months to heal. While it’s a lengthy process, the results of jaw repositioning can be huge, especially for those who feel their self-esteem is negatively impacted by their gummy smile.

While gummy smiles are in no way indicative of oral health problems, many people feel that they directly hinder their self-confidence, and cosmetic correction of gummy smiles is a common treatment offered by many dentists.

Ask your London dentist for more information about gummy smile correction at your next check-up to see if the treatment would suit you.

Many people don’t realise how important it is to clean their tongues. Tongue-cleaning should be a regular part of your oral hygiene routine, alongside flossing and brushing your teeth.

The tongue’s warm, rough surface is the perfect environment for bacteria to form and grow. Getting rid of the bacteria lowers your rate of tooth decay and reduces your chance of having bad breath. Most bad breath is caused by poor oral hygiene and is actually quite easy to fix.

Cleaning your tongue on a regular basis should help to reduce bad breath. You can either do this with your toothbrush or buy special tools. Some modern toothbrushes even include a rougher surface underneath the brush head for the purpose of tongue-cleaning.

If you want, you can buy a tongue-cleaner or a tongue-scraper, which will be available from most good pharmacists. These are roughly-textured tools to run over the surface of your tongue, removing dead cells, bacteria and food debris. Pressure needn’t be applied, and it should be a quick and easy addition to your oral hygiene routine. Don’t forget to wash your mouth out after you finish, to remove any remains of the substances from your mouth.

It’s important that you clean your tongue regularly to maintain its beneficial side effects and keep your breath smelling fresh – start today, and you’ll see the benefits in no time. Consult your London dentist if you have any queries about how to most effectively clean your tongue.

Dental bridges are a form of false teeth that can be fitted into gaps of one tooth or more. They are called ‘bridges’ because they attach to the neighbouring teeth on either side of the gap, ‘bridging’ the space between them.

The most obvious reason that someone might want to have a dental bridge fitted is cosmetic: gaps between teeth look unattractive and unsightly, particularly when they are located at the front of the mouth. Dental bridges are a durable, realistic form of false tooth that help a lot of people to regain their smile after an injury or infection has left them with a missing tooth.

However, there are a lot of other good reasons to have a dental bridge fitted. Firstly, the gaps between your teeth can accumulate food debris and bacteria that are difficult to clean with a tooth brush. Bacteria and food debris are both contributing factors to tooth decay and gum disease. Dental bridges block the gaps between teeth, and mean that you should be able to thoroughly clean your teeth with just a usual routine of brushing and flossing.

Secondly, a dental bridge between teeth supports and strengthens the neighbouring teeth. When you lose a tooth, the teeth to either side of the gap become vulnerable to extra pressure and may easily become chipped or broken. Having a dental bridge fitted will support these teeth and reduce their level of risk.

Dental bridges won’t take up your time – they’re as easy to keep clean as the rest of your teeth – and they look just like normal teeth. If you think you could benefit from having dental bridges fitted, make an appointment with your London dentist for advice and treatment.

Hypnosis is generally considered to be a state of consciousness defined by enhanced suggestibility. While proper scientific study of hypnosis is still in relatively early days, the results have been promising, and indicate that hypnosis is effective, alongside more traditional methods of anaesthetic, in reducing the pain and stress of difficult dental surgery.

When an individual is under hypnosis, many people refer to this state as a ‘trance’. They lack an acute awareness of the outside world, and have their attention focused on a fixed thing. This trance state has many beneficial uses in dentistry.

It can be used to control a strong gag reflex – some patients will find having dental surgery very difficult due to an involuntary reflex triggered the invasive nature of the work. Hypnosis can distract the mind and prevent this from happening. Hypnosis has also proved successful in treating various ‘bad habits’ associated with oral health, including teeth-grinding.

It’s natural to be wary of hypnotism, given its mysterious nature – even experts don’t completely understand how it comes to be so effective. However, if your dentist is qualified in practicing hypnosis, or employs a qualified professional, you can be assured that the technique is completely safe.

Individuals who have suffered severe trauma in the past may want to avoid hypnosis, and contrary to what many people think, it isn’t always advisable to use on those with a dental phobia. However, this will vary between individual cases. If you think your oral health might benefit from hypnosis, speak to your London dentist for further advice.

Fluorosis is a disorder brought about by consuming too much fluoride at a young age, usually between the ages of around 3 months and 8 years. Overexposure to fluoride during this period causes the development of fluorosis in teeth that aren’t yet fully visible in the mouth.

We consume fluoride from a variety of sources. Most of the UK’s water supplies are already mildly fluoridated, and most modern brands of toothpaste contain fluoride. Fluoride supplements are also available for people concerned that they might be fluoride deficient. Children should avoid swallowing fluoridated toothpaste, and you should check with your dentist before giving your children any supplements, or taking any yourself.

Fluorosis causes white, yellow and brown spots to appear on the enamel of our teeth, sometimes darkening with age. Primarily a cosmetic problem, fluorosis often bothers a lot of people who are concerned that the discolouration looks unsightly and unattractive. This might be the case if your fluorosis is present on front teeth, such as your incisors. Sometimes, cases of fluorosis are only really visible to your dentist.

Dentists can treat fluorosis through various methods, including tooth bleaching and microabrasion, both of which are commonly used to deal with mild staining. Porcelain veneers are also a popular treatment when the case of fluorosis is more serious.

Fluorosis is not as serious a matter as many others simply because it doesn’t really pose a risk to our health. However, it can have serious effects on self-esteem and confidence. If you feel that your fluorosis is affecting you, don’t hesitate to ask your London dentist about it – the solution is just around the corner.

During times of economic recession it’s easy to think that cutting back on dental care is a sensible option. The truth is that doing this will damage your own finances as much as it will damage your oral health.

It’s true as well that health should be a priority and one of the last things we cut back on during hard times, and your oral health is just as important as the rest of your body. But cutting back on dental care can be a big risk financially, too.

Regular dental check-ups ensure that any problems are caught early, and stop you from having to pay the bigger fees associated with more serious problems. For example, if you let too much calculus build up on your teeth, this can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, either of which could require costly surgery to have the tooth removed.

If anything, it’s during times of stress and pressure that it’s most crucial we keep our health in check. Stress is well-known to cause bruxism, otherwise known as grinding the teeth, which can erode the enamel of your teeth and leave a tooth exposed. Also, cheaper diets often contain higher levels of sugar, which contributes to tooth decay.

You don’t have to spend a lot to keep your teeth in good condition. One way you can save money without damaging your health is by looking for bargains and offers on toothpastes and brushes.

It should be clear that maintaining oral health is very important all of the time – not just in times of economic boom. Spending a few pounds on check-ups and maintenance now could save you hundreds in the future. Make sure you attend regular check-ups with your London dentist at all times.

Floss is a thin ribbon of nylon or plastic used in conjunction with a toothbrush to clean and remove harmful bacteria from the mouth. Most dentists will recommend that you floss at least three times a week, but if you can floss daily, the results will be even better.

Flossing removes plaque and particles of food from places that your toothbrush won’t reach – between teeth and under the gum line. Accumulated plaque can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, so flossing regularly is very important.

Having cleaner teeth doesn’t just keep them protected from decay. It also improves their appearance and gives them a healthy shine. Getting rid of decomposing food debris stuck between your teeth will also help you to avoid bad breath.

There are a lot of different kinds of floss and sometimes it can be difficult to know which kind to use. If you have wide gaps or dental bridges between your teeth, dental tape or ‘wide floss’ is advisable. The differences between waxed and unwaxed floss are minimal, and for many people it comes down to personal preference.

Many people who aren’t used to flossing don’t see it as necessary, but more and more dentists are saying that it should be part of any regular oral hygiene routine. If you aren’t sure where to start, or how to floss, see your London dentist for advice.

Oral cancer refers to any kind of cancer that develops in the mouth, including the lips, the gums and the tongue. Most oral cancers begin either in the tongue or the floor of the mouth, but they can spread further into the mouth and to other parts of the body, including the neck and lungs.

Oral cancer can be life-threatening, and it’s important to be aware of its risks. You are more at risk of developing oral cancer if you use tobacco, either by smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes, or just by chewing it. Tobacco is thought to be the primary cause of many oral cancers.

People who drink alcohol are also more at risk than those who don’t, especially those who do not exercise proper moderation in their drinking. If you have a personal history of head and neck cancer, which is any cancer that develops in the head and neck area, you may also be more likely to develop oral cancer.

It’s important to detect oral cancer early to prevent it from spreading through the lymph nodes. Your dentist should check your mouth for cancer during your usual check-ups, and you can keep an eye out for its symptoms yourself.

White and red patches inside your mouth are a common sign of oral cancer. Other indications might include earache, pain when swallowing, and blood in the mouth. If you have any of these, you should see your dentist immediately.

Oral cancer can often be confirmed and diagnosed after a small tissue sample is taken. Your dentist or doctor will then find out what stage your cancer is in, and take an appropriate course of action. Depending on how advanced the cancer is, treatment could involve radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or surgery.

Oral cancer is a serious and deadly illness, and all precautions should be taken to prevent it. If you see anything that might be indicative of oral cancer, see your dentist in London immediately.