Taking up the Fight Against Bad Breath in Central London

May 16th, 2012

Bad breath is not a pretty thing to suffer from if you live in a busy, bustling and socially demanding place like central London. It can also make you an outcast and there is nothing worse than being alone in a city so you try to fight the problem the best you can. The first port of call should be your dentist to see if there is anything obvious going wrong with your teeth and gums. Tooth decay and gum disease can give off pungent smells, as can your tongue if bacteria are not removed from it, so you should address these problems as well as changing the way you look after your teeth when you are at home. What you put in your mouth, i.e., nicotine and alcohol can greatly reduce the freshness of your mouth so these need to be cut out, at least until your breath recovers. Diet is important too, a healthy body equals a strong healthy mouth so it is important that you are on top of the game and keep your immune system strong. Always keep your mouth hydrated, drink lots of water and chew or suck on sugar-free sweets to aid the hydration process: avoid caffeine and heavily sugar based drinks; wherever you are, ensure your teeth and gums are clear after eating as food will quickly spread bacteria. If the problem still continues after trying all of these things, you may require tests from your doctor, as the problem may relate to your body as opposed to your mouth.

 

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The Damage from Gum Disease in West London

May 14th, 2012

If ever there is a gruesome issue you should try to avoid and fight at all costs in west London, should it show signs of arising, it’s gum disease. This can cause devastation throughout your mouth and if allowed to carry on over a period of time, it will start to damage your heart by leaking toxins into the blood. There is only cause of the problem and it begins as ever with plaque. This is the catalyst of all problems in the mouth and if it runs riot, tooth decay and gum disease are hot on its heels. Of course, poor oral hygiene doesn’t help, nor does skipping dental appointments. Early signs are blood on the toothbrush after brushing; you may also start to notice bad tastes in your mouth which means that the problem has started and you should act vehemently to halt the disease. It starts with a dental visit to your hygienist to ascertain how bad the issue is and then draw up a plan to fight it. Advanced gum disease may require deep cleaning by your dentist in order to clean the pockets of your gums and the roots of your teeth, and then you need to change your cleaning regime. From herbal medicines (which are unique in the fight against gum disease) to general cleaning techniques, throw everything you can at the disease. Then you should also take a look at yourself and your habits. Fast food, smoking and drinking feed gum disease so if you can at least cut down on these and vastly improve your diet, your body will respond by keeping your gums healthy too. After all, do you really want to wander into the realms of bone and tissue grafting?

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The Flexible Amalgam Filling in Central London

May 11th, 2012

Amalgam fillings have been used around central London for a very long time now and like anything else that keeps going in the face of new technological advancements, the reason for their longevity is because they work damn well. These fillings are a made up of a mixture of metals- copper, silver tin and mercury and though the colour (grey) may be a little off-putting in the mouth, nay, completely unfashionable right now, amalgam fillings can last you for a very long time. They are also robust, taking all the grinding and chewing forces that you can throw at them and are the cheapest option on the market to fight tooth decay with. However, as well as the fashion stakes, there are possible health issues being raised about whether amalgam should be used as a filling at all. 50% of the alloy is mercury, a very toxic and very poisonous metal and this is what is raising the fears about its use: some countries have already banned amalgam fillings. Dentists are starting to turn towards white ceramic and resin based, even gold fillings to replace amalgam ones. Aside from the gold ones though, the others are very weak and cannot handle the stresses that go through the mouth daily, compared to amalgam. They also have a tendency to shrink on cooling that makes them prone to falling out; replacing amalgam fillings can also weaken the tooth. Like anything else, you should get all of the facts before ripping out your old fillings, or indeed having them in the first place. Voice your concerns to your dentist if you are worried about any topic to do with the health of your teeth and the treatments you have.

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Stopping Teeth Grinding in Central London

May 10th, 2012

If you suffer from a lot of stress as you try to get by in the busy world of central London, you may well be doing yourself a lot of damage which may become very serious in the future when the damage comes to light. One of the problems caused by stress is teeth grinding, yet you probably would know you are suffering from it for a long time. This condition comes from the lack of ability to relax after a heavy day and if you take that pent-up stress to the bedroom with you, you may well being getting a poor night’s sleep, as well as grinding your teeth too. If your teeth and jaws are starting to ache in the morning, it is a sign you are having a problem, but if your jaws start to click, even lock in place, or your teeth look worn, you have a serious problem. It is imperative that this disorder is stopped straight away, otherwise you will do untold damage to your upper body- from your teeth to your neck. A dentist can prescribe you some form of mouth-guard to save your teeth, as well as rebuilding really damaged ones, but that doesn’t get to the core of the problem- stress. Stress needs to be defused in order to stop the grinding; if you identify that you suffer from a problem, your dentist can help guide you towards stress counselling and maybe anger management courses that will isolate issues behind your stress, teach you ways to unwind and relax before your head hits the pillow and hopefully stop you grinding your teeth.

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Battling Against Dental Disease in West London

May 10th, 2012

Dental disease- a killer to your teeth and gums and if you are not careful, to you as well. It is always an on-going battle to fight in West London to look after your teeth and gums because problems can get out of hand so quickly and between you and your dentist, you both need to be on your toes to fight any problems as soon as they show their hand. All problems start with plaque, the one thing you must try to stop forming in your mouth at all costs, because if will not only create acids on the surface of the teeth but harden into tartar where the teeth meet the gums. This can be thwarted with good cleaning from you and your dentist at this point, but if you miss it and allow the process to develop further, tooth decay will set in and disease will infect your gums; again you may get lucky here and only need a filling, but if you are suffering from bleeding gums post-brushing, they will need treatment. More development and you are putting the longevity of your teeth at serious risk. Root canals will be called for as well as some serious work below the gum-line. In the end of this journey, your teeth will simply drop out and you many suffer from damage to the bones in your jaw. But from gum disease comes a poisoning of your bloodstream causing infection in your heart and liver which can cause them to stop operating over a prolonged period. The products and your dentist are there to stop this from happening- use them!

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Treating Tooth Pain in London W1

May 9th, 2012

Tooth pain can be tedious and halt you in your tracks as you go about your day in London W1 and there are many causes of the problem; in all situations however, it can cause you discomfort and so you need to get it checked out by your dentist as soon as you can to avoid the problem escalating. One of the biggest contributors behind tooth pain is poor hygiene; problems multiply fast in the mouth and before you know it, you could be facing tooth decay, the most common form of tooth pain in the mouth and could even cause more pain should an abscess form- only a filling or root canal treatment can stop the agony from continuing. Another common cause is teeth grinding, an issue that normally comes from stress during the day and the constant clenching and grinding of the teeth can cause the teeth to ache- this should be rectified as soon as it is identified, for this can do untold damage to you head and neck. Recession of the gums from disease can start to make the roots of the teeth susceptible to temperature change, promoting shooting pains throughout the teeth- recovering from this can be quite complex depending how advanced the issue is; better oral hygiene and herbal remedies may save the day but if it is bad, the gums may require deep cleaning or at worst, you may need tissue grafting. Tooth eruption such as wisdom teeth can be freakishly painful until they finally break through the gums as can chipped or cracked teeth. In all cases, you can take painkillers or use soothing gels to dampen the pain until you can get diagnosed and helped by your dentist.

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Crowns by CEREC in London W1

May 9th, 2012

If you have suffered from tooth loss and opted for a dental implant to fill in the gap, or, even suffered from dental decay and have had to have root canal treatment done, you will need to have a crown of some sort fitted to retain the look and health of your mouth. Normally this procedure would have taken some weeks to complete because the crown would have to be made in a laboratory far, far away. But technology in dental surgeries around London W1 has done away with all this waiting nonsense so that you can now have you crown fitted in an hour! CEREC is a wonderful new system that embraces new technology- cad/cam; the cad is for design and the cam is for manufacture and all of this is done with the aid of a computer. Essentially, you are checked out on the spot and measured up with some digital imaging, and with all of the data at the disposal of the dentist, it is fed into the computer to design your fitting. Once the computer and your dentist are happy, the design is fed straight into a machine that will mill out your fitting from a small block of material, (today it is normally zirconium based for strength), and your fitting should be ready in around 15 minutes. It can now be placed into position in your mouth; the beauty at this point is that if there is a problem, it can be solved on the spot and rectified to fit. There truly is no more waiting with this treatment.

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Bridging a Hole in Central London

May 8th, 2012

Dental bridges have been with us for years in central London, reliably plugging up holes left by a lost tooth, and the truth is, they are very good at what they do. As well as this, new technology, new techniques and new materials have helped to make them even stronger and reliable than before. In layman’s terms a bridge fills a hole and there are two reasons to replace a lost tooth; the remaining teeth and the health of your mouth are vulnerable to further infections along the way, but the other reason is purely for vanity, but also essential if you work in job that demands you look at your best. The type of bridge you need depends on where you need it, but they are generally wired in then covered with resin- in the case of attachment to a single tooth or, they are cemented in- in between a row of teeth. But their cause and still, their popularity has been helped by dental advances. Some bridges can be anchored down further by attaching them to a mini dental implant first before cementing; the material from which they are made these days are extremely strong, making the bridge very durable and resistant to the forces that go through the mouth. You don’t have to wait long to have one fitted either- with techniques like CAD/CAM and CEREC, you can be in and out with your new ‘teeth/tooth’ in a couple of hours.

 

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The Use of Amalgam Fillings for Improved Smiles in Central London

April 30th, 2012

4541412_blogThe most commonly used form of dental filling in Central London is amalgam. These are silver coloured fillings, which are normally used in the treatment of the rear teeth. They are made from mercury, silver, tin, copper and other trace metals.  For aesthetic reasons the use of this type of filling has lost its popularity in recent years. However, it is still used in rear teeth fillings, as it is more durable than the white alternative.

The recent controversy with mercury-based fillings has lead to more and more people asking for an alternative. Although it is recognised that amalgam fillings can leak mercury into the mouth the amounts vary, as does the stance on the health risks it may present. Due to this controversy some countries such as Norway, Denmark and Sweden have banned the use of amalgam fillings altogether.

Many dentists in the UK still support the use of amalgam fillings. This is simply because they are easier to use, cheaper and last on average twice as long resin composite fillings. It would appear that the advantages versus disadvantages of amalgam fillings are close. Some patients would rather not take the risk and thus ask for resin composite fillings, while others do it simply for aesthetic reasons.

If you would rather not have silver filings, you will need to speak to your dentist to see what alternatives they can offer you. As well as resin composites there is the option of gold fillings, glass ionomers and porcelain, however the latter is much more costly and not available on the NHS. It is worth discussing the options thoroughly with the dentist and looking at the pros and cons of the options before making a final decision.

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Teeth Straightening for Winning Smiles in the City of London

April 27th, 2012

3943593_blogCrooked or misaligned teeth can be a source of considerable embarrassment for some people and can have an effect on their overall self confidence and willingness to smile around people.  The good news is no matter what your age there is a treatment that is suitable for you in order to straighten out your teeth.

In the City of London there are many dental practices and cosmetic surgeries that can offer you a wide range of solutions. Although traditional braces are still used, there are other alternatives that are more suitable for adults. There is the Lingual brace, which works the same as the standard brace but is fitted to the back of the teeth.  Invisalign, which uses clear plastic aligners to slowly move the teeth, rather than wires and the Inman Aligner is a mix between standard and invisible.

There is also what is known as Six Month Smiles, which use tooth coloured wires and only focus on the teeth that are shown when smiling. Unlike the usually 18 to 24 months the average treatment time is just six months. Veneers are another option and although they will not actually straighten your teeth they will give the illusion of straight teeth.

If you have any concerns about your teeth and how they affect your ability to smile make an appointment to see your dentist. They will be able to examine the situation and give you a number of alternatives that will give you the results you want.

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