Tooth decay is the process by which teeth are broken down by a substance called plaque and are exposed to pain and infection. Tooth decay is caused by a number of factors but can be prevented fairly easily with improved oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist.

The first stage of tooth decay occurs when plaque, a substance rich in bacteria, gradually starts to erode the protective layer of tooth enamel that coats the teeth. This initially leads to dental cavities which, if not repaired either with a filling or a dental crown, will eventually penetrate to the centre of the tooth and allow an infection to damage the pulp and sensitive dental nerve. Tooth decay can be very painful as the dental nerves are extremely sensitive but it can also lead to wider health problems because oral infections are able to spread easily and even enter the bloodstream where they can affect the heart.

Brushing and flossing effectively at home removes plaque from the surfaces of the teeth and the small gaps between them and around the base. This limits the damaging potential of the plaque and cuts your chances of suffering from tooth decay. However, it is possible to suffer from tooth decay even if you practice oral hygiene to a high degree. This is the reason it is so important to see a Central London dentist every six months for a check up. Catching tooth decay in its earliest stages is very important for preventing further damage. The timely treatment of tooth decay could save you from a lot of pain and also the potential costs of dental treatment in the future. A half-hour appointment every six months could save you a lot of unnecessary suffering and expense so make an appointment to see your dentist today.

When it comes to the health of your teeth, it is never more true that prevention is better than cure. This is what has led dentists to adopt an approach to treatment called preventative dentistry. It aims to stop any dental problems occurring in the first place rather than attempting to treat them when they arise and it has proved to be very effective.

The first stage to preventative dentistry is to make an appointment with your London dentist. Together, and also working with a dental hygienist, you will devise a plan to keep your teeth in the best possible condition. Then the dentist will address any dental problems you may currently be suffering from. This will include treating any gum disease or tooth decay that could potentially cause damage. Once all this treatment is carried out you will need an appointment with the dental hygienist for the next stage of the process.

This involves cleaning all the teeth to a very high standard, removing any tartar or plaque and even removing stains. Using a process called scaling and polishing, the hygienist will get your teeth in the best possible condition. The next stage of the process is then down to you. Your dentist and hygienist will have devised a cleaning plan that you are required to stick to for the best possible results.

By following the hygiene plan closely you will give yourself the best possible chance of avoiding any dental problems in the future. As always, you will need to return to the dentist every six months at least for a check up to monitor your progress. Any adjustments can then be made to your treatment plan.

If you want to look after your body and stay healthy you need to eat healthily and do plenty of exercise. This will keep your body in the best possible shape and fit to fight off disease and infection. When it comes to the health of your mouth, maintaining a good standard of oral hygiene will have the same effect.

Dental problems such as tooth decay and gum disease are caused by plaque and bacteria that build up in the mouth on the surfaces of the teeth and gums. This plaque releases acid that erodes the protective layer of tooth enamel around the teeth and irritates the gums causing infection.

The most effective way to prevent this happening is to brush your teeth twice a day and floss. This removes the bacteria and plaque, keeping the enamel free from attack, the teeth free of food particles, which attract bacteria and the breath fresh. City of London dentists recommend that you brush your teeth for at least three minutes twice a day, using a soft bristled brush at a forty-five to degree angle in favour of the gums. This will remove the majority of the bacteria responsible for enamel erosion and stimulate the gums to keep them healthy.

Flossing is equally as important as brushing as it helps to remove bacteria from the difficult to reach places in between the teeth and around their base. Normal toothbrushes find it very difficult to clean these areas and it is often in these paces where the decay takes hold.

It is also important for your oral hygiene to regularly visit the dentist for a check up. Every six months is the standard amount of time you should leave between check ups in order to give you the best chance of avoiding dental disease.

We all know the importance of good oral hygiene and are probably aware of the consequences of not maintaining it as we should. Yet the fact that tooth decay is on the increase and that 90% of us will experience gum disease at some point shows that we should be doing more.

Effective oral hygiene can be achieved in two ways. Firstly, by proper cleaning of teeth at home with brushing and flossing and secondly, by going to the dentists every six months for a check up. Brushing and flossing remove plaque and bacteria from the mouth that cause tooth decay and gum disease. Plaque is a filmy substance that coats the teeth and releases acids, which erode the tooth enamel. If this is allowed to continue it will eventually penetrate to the sensitive central part of the teeth and cause an infection. Not only will this be painful but it could also result in tooth loss. By brushing and flossing you can keep your teeth free from as much plaque as possible helping to reduce the chances of enamel erosion. There are other ways of keeping your teeth clean such as inter-dental brushes and tongue scrapers also help to remove harmful bacteria from the oral cavity. Ask your Central London dentist how best to look after your teeth.

Brushing and flossing don’t just keep teeth clean but they can also help to prevent bad breath. Food particles that are stuck in the teeth attract bacteria which release foul odours. This is the cause of most cases of bad breath and is quite easily dealt with by stepping up your oral hygiene.

Finally, remember to visit your dentist on a regular basis. They can address any issues that are nor being dealt with by teeth cleaning and treat the first signs of any decay or disease, as well as checking for oral cancer.

Prevention is better than cure. This is especially true when it comes to looking after your teeth. Dental problems can be particularly nasty and unpleasant, as well as costing you a lot of money to treat, but for the most part they are completely avoidable with better dental care.

Better dental hygiene starts at home with more effective brushing and flossing. Dentists recommend brushing twice, for three minutes a day. Your dentist will be able to recommend a suitable toothbrush and paste for your teeth. Flossing is equally important to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

Your Central London dentist will also be able to offer you a preventative dentistry treatment. This involves an initial appointment with the dentist to assess your teeth for any potential problems. These will then be treated accordingly, making sure to repair any damage to the teeth and gums and highlight potential future problems. Once all your teeth have been repaired and checked, a dental hygienist will undertake a thorough deep clean with scaling and polishing. This will remove any tartar or plaque that remains on your teeth before polishing them so that it is harder for plaque to accumulate in the future.

Your dentist and hygienist will draw up a new dental hygiene plan for you to address any possible concerns and help to keep your teeth and gums free of decay and disease. It is then up to you to stick to the plan as closely as possible and make sure your teeth are kept as healthy as possible. Preventative dentistry is like starting again with a clean slate. Your teeth will be made as healthy as they can be and by working with you dentist you will hopefully be able to keep them that way.

The important thing about treating tooth decay is that the earlier it is carried out, the easier it is and the more successful it will usually be. Dental decay is not a condition that will ever improve of its own accord. Enamel will never grow back once it has been removed and once the process has started it will only worsen making the situation more serious.

Patients can prevent tooth decay by effective and regular brushing and flossing and by paying regular visits to the dentist. However, if decay does happen it is usually accompanied by a toothache as the sensitive dental nerve is exposed to extremes of hot and cold and other stimuli. Early stage treatment of dental decay involves filling the cavities caused by plaque eroding the protective enamel. Filling material used to be commonly made of silver amalgam but due to controversy about its safety and metallic appearance in the mouth it is increasingly being replaced by composite bonding, which is tooth-coloured. The dentist will first clean the cavity and remove any infected material or bacteria that is in there. The cavity is then filled and set hard to protect the tooth.

For larger cavities it may be necessary to use a porcelain inlay as bonding can become brittle in large areas. The inlay will be cemented into place using bonding. For even larger damage and root canal treatments it may be necessary to cover the whole tooth exposed above the gum with a ceramic dental crown to offer a larger degree of protection. If you suspect dental decay or are suffering from a toothache, make an appointment to see a Central London dentist for treatment.

When your teeth or gums become infected it can be a very uncomfortable and unpleasant experience. Bacterial infection takes hold in teeth and gums that are suffering from decay. When the tough enamel is penetrated by dental decay it exposes the sensitive cavity at the centre of the tooth, where the nerve is located. This can then become infected leading to toothache and dental abscesses.

When a tooth is infected in its root, the bacterial infection irritates the extremely sensitive dental nerve causing toothache. When the body fights back it produces excess white blood cells to kill off the infection. These can sometimes build up in tissue around the infected tooth causing a small abscess. This can be very painful and can be prone to bursting which can easily spread the infection.

Toothache and abscesses can both be prevented with increased cleaning far before it gets to this stage. Effective cleaning removes plaque, one of the main causes of tooth decay, this means that enamel is kept strong and healthy and infections cannot penetrate to the centre of the tooth. If the infection has taken hold it is essential that you visit a London dentist as soon as possible. A dentist can remove the infection, possibly using a root canal treatment, before filling the cavity and sealing it with a dental crown. Dentists are also trained to remove abscesses without spreading the infection to other areas of the mouth. It is important to remove any infected matter as it can cause tooth loss and has strong links to heart disease and even strokes.

Making sure your teeth are clean and healthy is very important, but it is important never to forget how important it is to look after your gums. Gum disease is responsible for more tooth loss in the UK than tooth decay and gum disease has recently been established to be a major contributing factor to heart disease and even strokes.

Keeping your gums clean is a simple matter of removing plaque. Plaque is a filmy substance that sticks to teeth releasing acid which erodes tooth enamel causing decay. It also sticks to gums destroying tissue and causing infections we know as gum disease. Most gum disease is mild and can be treated with improved cleaning but if it becomes the more serious periodontitis it can require tissue removal and hospital treatment.

The gums can be cleaned easily by angling the toothbrush at a forty–five degree angle when brushing. This gently clears gums of plaque and food debris which cause disease. Flossing below the gum line also helps to remove bacteria and food trapped in small pockets between the gums and teeth.

It is also important to make regular visits to a Central London dentist who can examine teeth for the first signs of gum disease and carry out thorough cleaning. Don’t get caught out by gum disease, as it can be a painful and unpleasant experience and one that is easily avoided.

Children need strong and healthy teeth when they are growing up to help them develop strong and straight teeth when they are adults. Tooth decay can begin at a very early age and can cause a whole series of dental problems later in life. This early tooth decay, also known as baby bottle decay, is often caused by giving children too many sugary drinks.

The sugar contained in many drinks such as fruit juices, baby formula and even milk can encourage the growth of bacteria that causes plaque. Plaque is a filmy substance that surrounds the teeth and causes the break down of tooth enamel. There are several easy tips to help avoid baby bottle decay that if followed can help your children to develop healthy teeth.

Avoid giving your child drinks with a high sugar content. Breast milk is far better for your child’s teeth than formula as it contains less sugar. As your child gets older, try to give them water rather than juice or milk. Try to remember to remove the bottle when the child has fallen asleep and try to teach children to drink form a cup as early as possible. Try to discourage your child from prolonged use of a dummy and never dip the dummy in honey or sugar to get them to use it.

Always encourage your children to clean their teeth and begin to floss at an early age. London dentists can give you more advice on how best to clean your child’s teeth and can recommend which products will be most suitable. Children should visit the dentist every six months just like adults to ensure their teeth develop as healthily as possible.

Taking good care of your teeth is a simple and effective way of looking after them and keeping them healthy for life. By following just a few simple rules you can keep your teeth free of decay and gum disease and keep your breath fresh. But it is amazing how many people are unaware of how to clean their teeth properly and the trouble this can cause.

Dentists recommend brushing your teeth twice a day for at least three minutes using a brush with appropriate bristles (too hard can be damaging, too soft can be ineffectual) and suitable toothpaste. A City of London dentist can recommend both of these products at a routine check up. By brushing at a forty-five degree angle to the teeth you are also cleaning the gums helping to keep them healthy. Again, a dentist can show you the best way to brush.

It is also crucial that you use dental floss on a daily basis. Not flossing is like having a shower and only washing two thirds of your body. Because food and bacteria can get stuck in hard to reach places and between teeth this often means that decay starts in places you cannot see. That is why it is crucial to floss everyday to remove this matter from difficult to reach places. Decaying food mater caught between teeth is also responsible for 90 per cent of cases of bad breath, which can be prevented with flossing.

Other cleaning tools such as tongue scrapers and inter-dental brushes, as well as mouthwashes, can be recommended by your dentist at your next six-monthly appointment, which is the most fundamental way of keeping your mouth healthy.