London cosmetic dentistry

Posts Tagged ‘plaque’

How to look after your Gums in the City of London

Saturday, October 29th, 2011

Like the rest of your body in the city of London, the mouth is a complicated institution that relies on you being able to ensure that you doing your best to look after every tiny corner of it. The gums are one of those special little elements that add to the make-up of the mouth. They house your teeth and protect them from such horrors like plaque and tooth decay. But they are a very fragile entity and rely on you looking after them with good oral hygiene. The real dangers to your gums come from plaque and tartar, heavy medication, dry mouth and an eclectic and wayward lifestyle and as soon as you start being complacent about the way you look after your teeth, you are putting your gums at danger to disease. If you have a good dentist in your corner and look after your mouth, you should be able to care for your gums; they respond well to a good old fashioned clean, but also a bit more on top. Herbal remedies are beautiful if they are worked gently into the gums as this tends to keep the blood flowing nicely and keeps the gums in a state of joy. And if you know the joy of a having a good massage and how it feels afterwards, then apply this principle to your gums, and with a few choice products and good advice from your dentist, and your teeth will last you forever and your gums will last forever too- look after them and they’ll look after you.

Plaque and Periodontal disease- be warned in Central London

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

It’s very easy to get fed up in central London with dentists and adverts hammering home the message of how to look after your teeth- how to clean your teeth, what to clean them with, when you should clean them….on and on. But, there is a very real reason involving the danger to your health why you should sit up for moment and listen. Get oral hygiene right and pay regular visits to your dentist and you will be avoiding the horrible catalyst that, if left to develop can leave your mouth and the rest of you in horrible tatters- plaque. This develops quickly and then forms tartar around the teeth. If this continues, it can lead to the breakdown of the tissues that support the teeth, cause gum disease and tooth decay- periodontal disease. Caught early and if you look after your teeth through using all of these great products you see in adverts, you will never have any problems and you should be able to avoid these perils- ignore and you are facing catastrophe: you will be putting the health of your mouth and your body in the hands of the Devil and in the end, you’ll be having to foot-up for some very expensive restorative treatments and be in danger of losing your teeth altogether. Ask your dentist about your teeth and your oral hygiene if you have any doubts but overall, please, keep up regular appointments.

Dentists in the City of London warn patients about the links between plaque and gum disease

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

Plaque is not just a bothersome substance when it comes to teeth. It also has a profound effect on gums when it is exposed to them. As such, taking the right care of your mouth is doubly important because it means not just saving your teeth from erosion but also stopping gum disease. Often misunderstood, gum disease can cause teeth to be lost and is something that it is worth doing your best to side step if possible.

The good news is that gum disease is pretty easy to avoid if you follow the simple processes of maintaining good oral hygiene. The thing to remember is that plaque left on the gum line of teeth will cause the gums to become inflamed. Bear this in mind when brushing so that you are removing plaque from those particular areas of teeth as well. But make sure that you are not over compensating and brushing too hard because this can damage the gums.

Flossing is vital too because plaque, not to mention food debris can easily hide in the gaps between teeth. Once there it can do immense damage, not only to teeth but to the gums also. Regular brushing is unlikely to be able to remove the plaque and debris from the tight gaps between teeth and, without flossing, the plaque there can start to cause the inflammation that heralds gum disease. By pulling medicated dental floss between your teeth you will be doing the best job to remove plaque from those sensitive areas.

Your City of London dentist will tell you that healthy gums are a shade of pink. Any reddening or swelling should be reported to your dentist immediately.

The battle against plaque: let London dentists be your ally

Friday, July 15th, 2011

The main enemy of those who want to have a set of healthy teeth and gums is an acidic substance known as plaque. It is the main cause of common dental hygiene issues but, thankfully, is easily dealt with by following a simple set of advice and enlisting the help of your local dental professional. Read on to find out how you can effectively combat plaque.

Plaque is an acidic substance that is formed in the mouth every time you eat. It is the foods which produce the most plaque which one has to wary of though. Foods containing a high amount of sugar and or starch are the one to look out for as they create more plaque. The plaque then sets on the teeth and, unless it is removed, it will start to break down the enamel layer which protects the sensitive interiors of your teeth. As well as this, plaque causes gums to become diseased if it is not removed from the gum lines of teeth. This is itself a major cause of patients actually losing their teeth.

You can remove plaque by brushing your teeth effectively with a brush that is fit for purpose and a suitable tooth paste. Be sure to floss as well so that plaque is cleared from the hard to reach spots between your teeth. Being careful about what you eat and when can make a difference too. Consuming a sugary item just before bed without brushing your teeth is not a great idea because the plaque will have all night to work away at your teeth.

Enlist the help of a London dentist and allow them to monitor your mouth. They are able to spot if there is excess plaque in the mouth and help you to remove it properly before it starts decaying your teeth.

Don’t compromise the health of your gums, say Central London dentists

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

As all of the different parts of your mouth work together to stay healthy and retain high levels of functionality, it is not a good idea to neglect one part of the mouth. Doing so will have repercussions for the general health of the mouth. This is the case with your gums because failing to keep them healthy can actually negatively affect the health of your whole mouth.

Gums are sensitive to the acidic plaque which is formed after you eat and drink. Plaque causes them to inflame and eventually they can recede and some of your teeth themselves might fall out. So keeping your teeth clean is actually about the health of your gums as well the actual teeth. Plaque on the gum line of teeth has to be removed.

One of the places where plaque often escapes without being removed is in between teeth. This is why it is vital to floss. Gum disease might start off as a fairly benign set of symptoms including reddening of the gums and greater sensitivity to different temperatures in food and drink, but the inflammation can spread to the bones which hold teeth in place. At this point, tooth loss becomes a palpable risk.

Visiting your Central London dentist every six months is a central part of the fight against plaque and keeping gums healthy. Dentists are trained not just to look out for your teeth, they are also experts in the wellbeing of your gums. As such they can spot the early signs of gum disease and offer you the appropriate advice that will restore your gums to health. The good news is that the basic form of gum disease – gingivitis – can usually be reversed by following some simple advice.

Tooth decay and how to treat it with Central London dentists

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

With a diligent routine of home care for your mouth, dental decay should not be something that will need to concern you in your life. But sometimes your standards can slip because of a difficult personal time, or general health issues. Dental decay then becomes something that has to be dealt with by a trained, dental professional. Over many years they have built up an arsenal of techniques to restore teeth to health and functionality that have begun to decay.

Tooth can start to decay if they are subjected to too much plaque over a prolonged period of time. The hard, outer layer of your teeth – this is called enamel – is usually very resilient but cannot withstand too much acidic plaque. Once the enamel is worn away or a small hole is created, the inside of the tooth is exposed and decay can start to foment.

Once holes appear in the enamel they must be filled. In their small form they are called caries and if slightly larger they are known as cavities. They can be rather painful because once the enamel is compromised the nerves inside your teeth are exposed to hot and cold food and drink even breathing in cold air on a chilly day.

Your dentist can fill them in using cosmetic bonding. This is a development from the days of metal fillings. Cosmetic bonding utilises malleable, tooth coloured dental composite that is much easier to work with and produces and much more aesthetically pleasing finish. If you think that dental decay is starting to take hold in your mouth, don’t hesitate in going to see your Central London dentist. It will not just stop of its own accord; it needs to be dealt with.

City of London dentists are valuable allies for parents trying to keep their children’s teeth healthy

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Every good parent wants their child to have the best possible start in life so that their offspring can be happy and healthy. Taking care of teeth is of paramount importance because any damage sustained to teeth will affect the child for the rest of their life. We only get one set of healthy teeth so it is worth taking care of them, but for young children the responsibility rests with their parents or guardians.

Plaque is as much of a concern for children as it is the rest of us. Everything ought to be done to ensure that plaque doesn’t take hold, causing dental decay and or gum disease. But trying to get children to brush their teeth can be nothing short of a nightmare. You can’t brush their teeth for them forever so it is essential that you encourage them to do it themselves. Brightly coloured tooth brushes featuring cartoon characters can be helpful, as can give them incentives.

Restricting the amount of sugary snacks that they eat is also advisable, especially if you are having difficulty getting your son or daughter to brush their teeth. Dental sealants can be a useful tool because it provides youthful teeth with an extra layer of protection against the plaque which can attack enamel.

Get your child comfortable with being in the dental surgery so that it becomes a lifelong habit for them. Dental phobia can form in children if you pass on negative attitudes about the dentist to them. It is not a good idea to get your child into a position where they don’t want to see the dentist and, as such put themselves at risk from oral ailments. With their teeth developing, it is imperative that your City of London dentist keeps an eye on how they are coming through.

Getting your teeth up to scratch with your Dentist in Central London

Saturday, May 28th, 2011

Modern oral hygiene products are incredibly affective these days and getting better to the point where one day, we may never need to visit a central London dentist again…one day. In the meantime, our dentists are a fantastic back up to our misgivings if something goes wrong, which is why regular visits should be seen as a luxury, rather than a chore. How many of us can honestly say we really know what we’re doing when we clean our teeth, getting into the places that we need to? That’s why we have dentists, because they do! To stop the evils that can affect the mouth in the long run, things like plaque and tartar that need to be checked first, and a dentist can do this effectively with a scale and polish. With more modern technology, a modern dentist can de-scale your teeth in many ways. Traditionally they would scrape the teeth, now they can air blast or aluminum blast the plaque away from the teeth. Lasers or ultra-sound are used too- this is down to the preference of your dentist and also what is best for your teeth. Naturally, this is followed by a polish to ensure your teeth are smooth enough to treat again, should the problem re-occur.

Cleaning your Teeth whilst wearing braces in Central London

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

One of the problems behind wearing a fixed brace over a long period of time is maintaining the health of your mouth and keeping it free from bacteria. Anyone who has worn one in central London will tell you that you have to be extra vigilant when cleaning a fixed brace. It’s the perfect haven for food to get stuck and bacteria to grow and if it’s not removed, it can quickly turn into gum disease and decay. When you have one fitted, your dentist should advise you on how to keep your brace clean and also clean it on each check-up, but in the outside world, you’re on your own. There are specially designed floss and tiny brushes to get in and around the metalwork and teeth to back up the normal brushing techniques. Using toothpastes and mouth-washes that have ingredients designed for especially for plaque removal, will also prevent any build up of bacteria; there also a dye available that will highlight plaque around the teeth. Cleaning your brace at first will take a while at first and a lot of patience to get right, but once you’ve mastered it, it will ensure that your teeth are beautiful and healthy when the brace finally comes off.

London dentists help patients with their flossing technique

Monday, May 9th, 2011

The fact that there are such high rates of gum disease in the United Kingdom provides a worrying piece of evidence that just not enough people are flossing their teeth, or if they are, they are not doing it well enough. If you have not flossed before then it might seem like a daunting task and you might believe that you will not be doing it correctly. When you brush your teeth you can feel whether you have done it properly by running your tongue over your teeth, but the beneficial effects of flossing are more subtle and not as immediately noticeable.

The aim of flossing is to remove potentially damaging plaque from between your teeth where it is just as at home as one the surfaces if your teeth. This is vital in the fight to stop dental decay and also gum disease, which actually causes the most instances of tooth loss amongst British adults. The good news is that dental floss is easily available from super markets and pharmacies and is very cheap too.

You should floss after you have brushed by tearing off a manageable length of the floss from the container in which a roll of it is housed. Then pull the floss between the gaps of your teeth, gently moving it back and forth and up and down to rid the area of plaque. Many people are put off after just a single attempt at flossing because it can often causes light bleeding from the gums. This should not carry on after the first few goes as your gums become hardened to the process.

If you have any questions about flossing, your London dentist will be able to answer them and help you to become an expert in a part of your dental hygiene that is very important and beneficial.