Nearly 20 per cent of us will suffer from the uncomfortable condition dry mouth at some point in our lives. It is caused by a drop off in the production of saliva in the mouth. Saliva’s role in the mouth is often underestimated. More than just moistening and cleansing, it is integral in aiding the body to taste, chew and digest food and helps to protect the oral cavity and lips form bacteria and fungal infection.

Dry mouth can often be an indicator of a wider systemic problem in the body that can be caused by a variety of factors. Medicinal side effects are one of the top reasons behind dry mouth. Treatments prescribed for high blood pressure, anxiety and allergies all include dry mouth as a side effect. In fact nearly 80 per cent of the most commonly used medicines cite dry mouth as a possible side effect.

Dry mouth can occur as the result of numerous physiological and psychological conditions. Diabetes and AIDS can be the cause as can depression and stress related conditions. An autoimmune condition known as Sjögren’s Syndrome, which causes a general dryness throughout the body is also one of the most common causes for dry mouth.

Dry mouth can also be the result of the natural ageing process. As we get older, the body tends to produce less and less saliva, although this s possibly more of a contributing factor than an actual cause of the condition.

Dry mouth can be combated by making small adjustments to your lifestyle. Drinking less alcohol and caffeine and avoiding tobacco products all together will make a significant difference. More effective brushing, flossing and overall dental hygiene will also reduce the risk of dry mouth. A City of London dentist will be able to asses the likely causes of dry mouth for each individual and make suggestions on how to alleviate this uncomfortable and unpleasant condition. There are also a number of drugs they might prescribe if natural adjustments aren’t working.

Your London dentist has a lot of experience at treating impacted teeth. Impacted teeth are teeth that have not erupted fully or not erupted at all into the oral cavity This is usually caused by; teeth crowding, a misaligned tooth or teeth, another tooth blocking the eruption of the impacted tooth, or the tooth being attached to bone and not being able to erupt into the mouth. Wisdom teeth are the teeth most often to be found to be impacted. Usually when the dentist views a panoramic X-ray, they can tell if a tooth is impacted or not. It seems that the lower wisdom teeth are more often impacted than the upper wisdom teeth. This is usually due to the lack of space in the lower dental arch. Impacted teeth almost always require removal, due to their ability to continue to grow and form cysts, and cause other more serious problems. Retaining this impacted tooth can also cause crowding of the erupted teeth, and if they impinge on the cementum of an adjacent tooth and a root canal may be required. This is due to the enamel being harder than the cementum and dentin of the tooth. Partially erupted teeth can also have a piece of gum tissue over them and food and bacteria can be trapped underneath the gum tissue, causing an infection. This infection should be treated before the tooth is removed. So, visit your London Dental Clinic for help with your impacted teeth!

A night guard is usually used by your London dentist to treat teeth grinding or bruxism. This has been the method of choice for a long time. You probably don’t even know that you grind your teeth. This usually occurs while you are asleep. It is not until your dentist tells you or possibly your partner hears you grind at night that you are aware of it. Some reasons why you grind your teeth include mal-positioned teeth, and tooth/teeth and/or skeletal discrepancies between your upper and lower jaws. Children usually grind their teeth while sleeping. This is primarily due to the arrangement of their baby teeth or when they have their adult teeth erupting into their mouths, and they are looking for a comfortable place where their teeth will meet each other. Following the eruption of secondary teeth into the oral cavity, this grinding usually stops. Your London dentist will perform a complete oral examination of your teeth and gums, take dental X-rays, and make study models of your teeth. They will then recommend their treatment. Grinding may not seem like a large problem to you, however if left untreated, it may result in more serious problems down the road (i.e., jaw, mouth, neck, face, and back pain). Defective fillings, missing teeth, misaligned teeth, and defective crowns/bridges, along with ill fitting removable full or partial dentures, can change your normal bite and cause you to grind your teeth while searching for a suitable resting place for your jaws. Your London dentist may opt to perform an occlusal equilibration, however may not do so until the wear and grinding patterns are shown on your night guard. So, actually, these night guards serve as both diagnostic aids for your dentist and treatment for teeth grinding for you. If a specialist is required to correct your teeth grinding, your London dentist will make the proper referral. .Visit your London Dental Clinic to see if you are grinding or if you need help correcting the problem.

London dentists advise that several herbal remedies help with oral care. Tea Tree Oil (melaleuca alternifolia), bloodroot, and propolis extract will be discussed. Tea tree oil (melaleuca alternifolia) has been found to have antiseptic, fungicide and bactericide effects. Its efficiency against oral bacteria has been reported, and it has also been found to be effective in treating thrush and herpes in the oral cavity. Mouth rinses containing essential oils have been shown to significantly reduce both gingival inflammation and gingival bleeding when compared to fluoride containing toothpastes. Sanquinaria extract is a mixture of benzophenanthridine alkaloids derived from Sanguinaria Canadensis L. (bloodroot). When Mexican Sanguinaria extract (1 mg/ml) was used twice daily as an oral rinse for 2 weeks, without allowing any toothbrushing, the results demonstrated that Mexican Sanguinaria extract significantly reduced gingivitis, and concluded that Mexican Sanquinaria extract in oral rinse can be used as an adjunct in gum disease therapy. Other extensive clinical trials using oral rinses and toothpaste products containing Sanguinaria extract have shown its effectiveness in reducing plaque build-up and gingivitis. Other studies using a combination of sanquinaria extract and zinc chloride also showed excellent results. It has been suggested that the zinc ion may provide a mild enhancement of sanguinaria effectiveness against gingivitis. A 20% ethanol Propolis extract was compared to antifungal agents such as nystatin, clotrimazole, econazole, and fluconazole in a study designed to assess the susceptibility of Candida albicans (which causes thrush). Propolis extract was as effective as nystatin in reducing C. albicans, and was significantly more effective than the other antifungal agents used in this study. Full denture patients that used a propolis extract also showed a decrease in C. albicans. These three herbal remedies have been shown to be effective in helping several oral diseases.

The world of dentistry has now reached a milestone with the introduction of laser treatments. These treatments have been found to benefit patients through its precision and power to lessen the pain associated with these procedures. Based on research, the need for sutures dropped because of laser treatments. It also aids in the clotting of blood thus less bleeding. It causes less pain therefore less anesthesia needed. Wounds have a higher rate of healing, with tissue regeneration and minimal damage to nearby tissue structures.

Laser treatments are also seen to be employed in other procedures such as the removal of benign tumors, which was not even possible before. Cavities can be detected earlier to aid in its quick removal and treatment. Drilling during filling procedures can be replaced by dental lasers to lessen the need for anesthetic. It can even repair damaged blood vessels and nerves found in the oral cavity. It can also bleach teeth and treat tooth sensitivity. For aesthetic purposes, it can also expose the structure of healthy teeth that are often covered by the overgrowth of gum tissue.

There are still a lot of uses of laser in dentistry that are waiting to be discovered not only in London but in other parts of the world as well. It has made a big change in how oral cavity disorders can be treated, not only faster but more effectively and efficiently as well. I am personally looking forward to more discoveries that the laser can do, although there may be one thing it cannot do, which is to finish a pile of paperwork.

Yes that’s right! In an increasingly consumer product driven world,London marketers and advertisers are willing to use any number of tricks to sell their products and this seems like one of them!Tooth Soap is being touted as the herbal, all-natural alternative to conventional toothpaste! And that’s not all it also won an obscure Editor’s Choice Award of The NaturalNews.com Network, site. According to the manufacturer, Tooth soap offers the best alternative to conserve health, and environment by using pure soap without any additional artificial ingredients. Further more the naturally prepared liquid tooth soap is prepared with organic ingredients like extra virgin olive oil and essential oils to produce a wide variety of flavors like citrus, peppermint and chocolate.

Although the product sounds really attractive, I’m really confused. Is it healthy to use soap inside the oral cavity and on what basis did the Editor of the NaturalNews.com Network select his product? Does it really clean the teeth and how effective is it?

Until someone answers those questions, I don’t really advise any one to use liquid tooth soap!

I’ve had a mouth full of fillings done when I was very small and all of them are silver amalgam. Granted they are very ugly to look at but they are hardy and don’t cause any problems .But the recent research ahs proved to be shocker with the FDA of London stating that almost all silver amalgam fillings are dangerous for your health. This is a drastic diversion from the stand which the FDA had maintained for several years that the silver amalgam filling material is completely safe for use in the oral cavity.Silver amalgam fillings have long been a mainstay of all dentists as they are cheap, easily done and very hardy. But there have been whispers for a long time from alternative medical practitioners about the ill effects of the mercury which is used to make the silver amalgam so pliable. On June 2nd,a class action suit filed by dentists and consumer groups was won by the consumer advocate groups and the FDA has now changed its tune 360 degrees. Research has been around since 1926 stating that mercury in silver amalgam fillings can be dangerous for patients and the fact has been reinforced by many dentists who are no longer using the material as a restorative inside the mouth. Dentists are now pretty confused and it’s the duty of the FDA to provide detailed guidelines on what will be the safest way to use this material inside the mouth.