Feeling fresh on waking in the morning itself is energizing, at the same time bad breath can ruin our whole day. This is a very common condition affecting people living in London W1 irrespective of their age and gender. Bad breath, halitosis, or fetor oris is a condition where an unpleasant odour comes out of mouth while exhaling. It could be due to different reasons. Generally, bad breath occurs due to some conditions of mouth, tongue, gums, or teeth. The commonest cause is improper oral and dental hygiene. Sometimes it could be due some disease conditions affecting the respiratory tract such as sinusitis, tonsillitis, chronic lung disease, or other systemic conditions such as diabetes, liver, kidney diseases, etc. Sometimes, this could be psychological too. Here, the person has a delusion that he has bad breath, which actually is a misconception and is referred to as pseudo halitosis. If you have the habit of taking garlic, onion, coffee, tobacco chewing, or smoking, these things can develop bad breath lasting for a few hours. Sometimes, it could be due to xerostomia i.e. dry mouth, which results from mouth breathing, or due to some conditions affecting salivary glands. Improper functioning of salivary glands can lead to reduction in the production of saliva, which is very important in keeping the mouth clean and moist. Halitosis can be scientifically diagnosed using Halimeter, which is a sulphide monitor that detects the quantity of sulphide in the exhaled air. Other diagnostic tests available in London W1 include BANA test, gas chromatometry, and beta galactosidase tests. The important thing we have to remember is to avoid natural causes of halitosis such as food items that cause bad odour, quitting smoking, coffee drinking, etc. Maintaining good oral hygiene is of prime importance, as food items collected in the mouth would decay due to the action of numerous bacteria in the mouth producing foul gases. During sleep, our mouth is not protected by saliva, as salivary secretion decreases during sleep. Hence, proper brushing and cleaning before and after sleep is very important in maintaining oral hygiene. if you suspect halitosis even with good oral hygiene, you should visit your dentist as soon as possible, to determine the proper course of treatment and if needed a referral to your physician for further evaluation. The treatment depends on the primary cause, which causes the complaint. If you have sinus infection or cough with expectoration of foul mucus, that can result in bad odour from mouth. In most cases, it is not easy to find the exact cause, hence general measures such as proper brushing of dentures or teeth and cleaning back of the tongue with gentle brush or scraper to remove the collected bacteria are very important. Gargling with a good mouthwash also helps you keep the breath fresh. If there is any gum infection, we have to treat it completely. Drinking adequate quantities of water, eating nutritious breakfast, good oral hygiene, gargling with mouthwash, chewing sugar-free gum, eating carrots etc. may help to reduce the condition.
Archives for June, 2008
As fresh as a flower in LondonW1-Good oral hygiene tips
June 21st, 2008Have custom made mouth guards-Smile Protector of London W1
June 21st, 2008
Are you going on vacation and want to go for ice-skating or mountain biking, or intend to participate in motor sports? Then don’t forget to take your mouthguard while packing your bags. You would need a mouth guard or gum shield to protect your teeth and gums from injuries from concussion. These are covers, which give protection to teeth, gums, lips, and jaws from injury while participating in contact sports. These are available in three different types such as readymade or stock mouth guards, boil and bite types or mouth adapted, and custom-made. If you are using the readymade type it is unlikely that it will fit your mouth comfortably and might feel very bulky, but are available in most of the supermarkets in London and are pretty cheap too. The boil and bite types give a much better fitting. They can be fitted to your teeth as they are made of thermoplastic and can be moulded when hot with fingers and gives better protection for the teeth. Custom-made ones are the best variety of mouth guards. These are specially made for you according to the imprint of your teeth taken by your dentist and moulded as per your specifications. These are a bit costlier than the other types. This mouthguard is manufactured by your dentist’s lab professionals. The first ever mouth guard was made by a British dentist for boxers to protect their teeth, which was later modified by a Canadian paediatric dentist. Apart from the use as guards, they are useful as splints for treating bruxism and temporomandibular joint disorders. They are widely used in some chemical treatments such as bleaching or teeth whitening also. Mouth guards help us avoid chipping or breakage of teeth, and even loss of teeth. During sports activities in schools and playgrounds, it has become mandatory to use mouth guards as these can be worn by both adults and children. We can use it even while we are wearing braces or brackets, which are also protected from breakage. We must clean the mouthguard regularly with cold water and check it for wear and tear. Before and after use, it should be brushed using toothpaste and toothbrush, and rinsed with mouthwash or water. It can be preserved in porous containers and kept in cool places. We should avoid exposing them to high temperatures and direct sunlight. They also need occasional cleaning with soap and water. When we visit our dentist, we have to take our mouth guard without fail to get it checked regularly by our dentist, so that if there is any general wear or holes, it can be replaced.
Space maintainers help to keep straight teeth of CentralLondon children
June 21st, 2008
Most children lose their primary teeth or milk teeth by the age of 6 or 7, and in that position develop bigger permanent teeth naturally. As it is a gradual process, they don’t require any special care to fill the space left by their predecessors. If the child loses just a single tooth, that space is maintained by the other teeth, which are in position. But if the child loses its teeth early, maybe due to caries, trauma, or some congenital causes, it would become necessary to keep the space open. When the child loses many teeth together, the remaining teeth may drift into the place to fill the gap and when it is time for the permanent teeth to come, there won’t be enough space for them to come properly and they can come as crooked and/or crowded, which may later require orthodontic treatment. As these misaligned or crowded teeth are very difficult to clean, they can cause dental caries. In central London, dentists solve this problem of shifting of baby teeth with the use of space maintainers, either removable or fixed. The removable space maintainers can be removed and cleaned by the child and can be replaced. These are made of stainless steel and are custom made according to an impression of the child’s mouth. This type is useful in older children who can understand and act according to the dentist’s directions. Removable spacers with artificial tooth on them are also available, which are useful in cases where too many teeth are lost and are highly visible. This is also recommended only for older children, as it requires proper care. If your child has lost teeth from both sides of lower jaw, the spacer can be placed using a lower lingual holding arch. If the molar is not developed, which gives support for fixed space maintainer, another appliance is used which is known as distal shoe appliance. Here, the arm of the appliance is inserted under the gum to keep the space from closing. Space maintainers have to be checked frequently and must be removed once the permanent teeth are ready to erupt. Your child should be instructed to clean the space maintainer regularly by brushing. They should also maintain proper oral hygiene. They should not eat chewable candies, popcorns, and gum. It is also important that kids should not press the space maintainer with tongue or finger, which can dislodge and become hazardous with the risk of swallowing or inhaling. In case of fixed space maintainers, they are cemented to the mouth. They require proper followup to check for the development of the permanent teeth and also to maintain the health of the gum. If the space maintainer is not removed by the time the permanent teeth are ready, it can arrest the eruption of the tooth. While wearing the space maintainers, children can face some difficulty in talking and eating, but that passes off with practice. Therefore, it is ideal to care and keep the baby teeth until the permanent teeth erupt.
Bleeding gums, Bad breath get your teethDeeply cleansed in West London
June 21st, 2008
Plaques and tartar are very common in young adults of west London, which is the main source of infection affecting the gums and teeth. Though regular brushing and flossing are effective in preventing the formation of plaques, once it has formed any amount of brushing and flossing would not help removing it. For this you would need the help of a dentist or dental hygienist, who will do a deep cleaning of your teeth removing the plaques and tartar that have accumulated over time. By deep cleaning, your dentist means scaling and root planing of your teeth, which is a very common conservative procedure used in treating periodontal diseases. Even if you don’t have any gum or teeth infections, you can undergo this procedure as a preventive measure. If you have any inflammation of gum or periodontal tissue, your dentist might recommend scaling and root planing as the first step of treatment plan. This is a conservative procedure to remove the thickened calculus, which is also known as tartar, and plaques are removed along with bacteria collected below the gumline. Sometimes, your gum might have developed pockets where bacteria collect leading to gingivitis, periodontitis, and later tooth loss. Hence, when you visit your dentist, he will check for presence of gum pockets using a periodontal probe. If it can go beyond 3 mm depth, it means you have gum pocket and it could trap plaque and bacteria inside. Therefore, it is better to do scaling and root planing to remove the plaque and tartar from the tooth surface by scaling. The scaling procedure requires numbing the area of work and your dentist would be using some strong local anaesthetics for that purpose. For scaling dentists in London, use sonic or ultrasonic scalers and hand instruments such as periodontal scalers and curettes. By using these instruments dentist would blast off the hard rock like tartar with the vibrating blunt metal surface of the instrument while frequently cooling the area with a spray of water, which would remove the debris from the procedure. After scaling the root surface including the area below the gumline, root planing is done to smoothen the rough surface by removing the rough cementum and dentine along with calculus and microorganisms. Once the surface has become smooth, the gums can easily heal without any irritation and attach to the tooth surface effectively removing gum pockets. The smooth surface makes it difficult for microorganisms and plaque to develop. You might have some sensitiveness for two or three days after the procedure, hence you should avoid exposing your teeth to extreme temperatures. Till your gums heal properly, you may experience some bleeding or pain while brushing and flossing for which over-the-counter pain killers are helpful except aspirin, which will increase bleeding. But do remember to keep the followup appointment with your dentist and maintain proper oral hygiene
Have your gummy smile shapped by west london dentist
June 21st, 2008
Do you feel like covering your mouth while smiling and don’t want others to see your gummy smile? Cheer up!! Visit your dentist and get an instant relief to your problem and show off your beautiful smile in minutes. And that too without any pain. The procedure is gum recontouring or gum shaping. In west London, this procedure is now available in almost all the cosmetic dental clinics. Gum shaping is generally done to correct gummy smile. Here the teeth might be perfect the only distraction would be the excessive gum revealed during smile, which makes the smile less attractive. This makes the person feel less confident. In gum reshaping, the dentist will correct your gumline to an aesthetically symmetric position by gum lifting. Generally, the gum margins should be about 3 mm from the bones and the gum lines of all the teeth should have proper symmetric appearance. The lateral incisors should have a little lower gumline than their neighbours, of about 1 mm. During your visit to your dentist, he will evaluate the condition and plan the course of treatment. He might suggest a gum lifting or maybe, gum recontouring. This is done by sculpturing the gingival line using laser. This procedure takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete and generally is pain-free giving you an instant solution to your gummy smile. This procedure is also useful for people with unhealthy gums and those having gingivitis. During this procedure, a small amount of gum tissue is removed to expose the teeth to make it look a little longer. Before the procedure, your dentist may apply a gel or use a local anaesthetic to numb your gums. Then using a beam of light, your gum is sculptured by removing a small amount of gum tissue. Here there is no bleeding and hence, no need of any stitches as the blood vessels are closed immediately with laser. After the procedure, there may be a slight inflammation of the gum tissue for a few days, which can be relieved by over-the-counter medication. Sometimes your bone may also need to be reduced along with the gum tissue to get the desired perfection. Otherwise, the gumline could regrow to its original position. As the procedure uses laser, general surgical complications such as wound infection, bleeding, etc. are avoided as the laser kills germs and sterilises the area and closes the blood vessels enhancing faster wound healing. After this procedure, there may be slight tenderness for a few days, which resolves with over-the-counter pain medication.
Oral hygiene tips in West London for healthy teeth and gums
June 21st, 2008
Do you have sensitive teeth? Gums that bleed while you brush? Or are you concerned about your bad breath? Here are some tips to gain better oral hygiene. These tips are easy to implement and don’t require expensive lotions or any other modern equipments.Gum bleeding If you have a problem of bleeding of gums whenever it is slightly irritated, you should reconsider the way you brush for proper oral hygiene. You can follow a gentle up-and-down brushing motion without exposing the sensitive roots of your skin. Don’t brush too harsh to remove plaque or tartar as it will damage the tooth and gums.
Sensitive teeth You can use specially designed tooth brushes to tackle sensitive teeth. Instead of using cold water to rinse your teeth in the night after brushing use warm salted water. This oral hygiene tip will make a big difference in your life.
Bad breath Bad breath is a direct result of bad oral hygiene. You can use a mouthwash to tackle this problem. Drink plenty of water. This will prevent dryness of your mouth. Always clean your tongue with tooth brush you brush.
The hidden dangers of soft drinks If you have a habit of drinking soft drinks, it can seriously affect your oral hygiene. Most of the vitamin fortified fruit juices and soft drinks contain sugar and acids. This is causing a serious treat to our oral hygiene. So as a part of a good oral hygiene you should visit your doctor regularly. Remember your teeth are precious.
When counting your personality, your oral hygiene also matters. So make sure you have regular visits to the dentist to get your teeth in line.
Wrong brushing techniques One of the major causes of tooth decay in London W1
June 21st, 2008
Did you know wrong brushing techniques lead to tooth decay? Tooth decay in children is mainly due to improper brushing techniques which are then carried over to adult hood. Introducing your child to a pedodontist in London W1 is always a good idea and children can be encouraged to learn proper brushing techniques to save their teeth. Do you know proper brushing two times a day will help to prevent tooth decay and gum disease?Wondering how you can improve your brushing techniques? Proper dental care starts with selecting a good tooth brush. Start the process by selecting a soft-bristle brush to remove plaque and food particles. This is very important as this is where the tooth decaying bacteria thrive. There are many varieties of brushes available in the market. Try to replace your brush every two to three months. The tooth paste you use also matters a lot in your dental care. Depending on the condition of your teeth there are many kinds of tooth pastes available in the market. There are tooth paste for cavities, gingivitis, tartar, stained teeth and sensitivity.
When you brush there are some brushing techniques you should follow about brushing.
• Use half-tooth-wide strokes of brush to clean the outer and inner surfaces of the teeth against the gum line.
• Hold the brush flat and brush back and forth for the chewing surfaces of the teeth.
• You can use gentle up-and-down stokes by tilting the brush vertically for inside surfaces of front teeth.
• Some brushing techniques are there to brush your tongue as well. Use a back-to-front sweeping motion to brush your tongue. This will help you to remove food particles and clean the mouth.
Proper brushing will cost you only two minutes.
Cental London dentists teach the correct way to use mouthwash
June 21st, 2008
Many people use mouthwash as a part of their dental hygiene. And it definitely helps to cut out bad breath and other dental related problems. But do you know exactly what a mouthwash is and what it contains? Are you wondering how to use it effectively to protect your teeth? Here are some tips and facts about mouthwash and their use.Most of the mouthwashes and rinses are designed to be used only after brushing. And if you ask your dentist in London he’ll tell you why. Only a proper tooth brushing technique can remove the food ingredients from your teeth. Mouthwash just acts as a mouth deodorizer with a few additional helpful ingredients to control bacteria in your mouth. But its absolutely necessary to keep you teeth clean with a tooth brush.
There are different types of mouthwashes available in the market.
• Fluoride rinses are very useful to protect against cavities by making the enamel harder.
• Anti-plaque rinses contain ingredients which help to loose and detach plaque from tooth surface as well as the gum line.
• Smoker’s mouthwashes also are available in the market. These will remove tobacco stains from the teeth and mouth.
• Desensitizing mouthwashes are used to control teeth sensitivity and have to be used in conjunctions with desensitizing toothpaste.
Gargle with a mouthwash for 30 seconds. Then spit it without swallowing. Preferably brush your teeth first and then start gargling with a mouthwash. If you are using a medicated mouthwash then it’s a good idea to avoid eating food for at least 30 minutes after the mouthwash. You can use your mouthwash more often. But limit its use to once a day for children as the major ingredient of all mouthwashes is alcohol. If you are using mouthwash to control your bad breath do it only on a short term basis.
What do you need to know about mouth cancer in West London.
June 21st, 2008
Oral cancer is a form cancer that can occur in any part of the mouth or around the mouth. Most of the oral cancers have its beginning in the tongue and some from the floor of the mouth. Man who is older in age seems to be the predisposing factor for oral cancer. Tobacco smoking and consummation of alcohol will further increase the risk of oral cancer. The sixth most common occurring malignancy in the world is the oral and the pharyngeal cancer.
The mouth cancer foundation of UK reported 7696 cases of mouth cancers in 2004, a large number of them died a year later. The mortality rate for mouth cancer is high despite treatment. The death rate can be as high as 50% with treatment. The high death rate is because most of the mouth cancers are discovered late. Research in UK revealed that every 3 hours there is a person died from oral cancer. Recently it was found that more young people in London are getting mouth cancer.
Therefore it is important to educate the people in UK especially those in the city like London about early detection of this disease. One of the effective ways is to create self awareness about mouth cancers. Regular self examinations of oral cavity can lead to early identification.
Below are some of the symptoms that may lead to oral cancers:
1. An ulcer or sore in the mouth that does not heal after 3 weeks.
2. A sore throat which last more than 2 months with/without treatment.
3. A swelling or lump that is felt or seen in the mouth or around the neck for more than 3 weeks.
4. A pale or whitish patch on the tongue, inner cheek or on the gums.
5. Persistent difficulty in swallowing liquid.
6. Persistent hoarseness of voice for 2 months especially those who smoke and drink alcohol heavily.
7. Experiencing difficulty in moving the jaw and loose teeth.
8. Feeling that something is inside the throat while swallowing.
9. Sensation of numbness in the mouth or some part of the tongue.
10. One sided mass felt in the nostril with blood stained discharge.
Please visit your dentist or doctor when the above symptoms are noted.
You can further reduce the risks of suffering from oral cancers by doing the following:
a. Eating a healthier diet with less fat, less red meat, plenty of vegetables and fruits.
b. Avoid smoking or chewing tobacco.
c. No excessive alcohol drinking.
d. Regular dental check up at yearly interval.
Early detection equates better cure rate and thus higher chance of survival. There are many modes of treatment for oral cancer. These include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Sometimes effective treatment may use a combination of these treatments
Is the water in central London being enriched with Fluoride
June 21st, 2008
Fluoride is found to be the trace element that is needed to keep teeth healthy. Ever since this fact was made known the business of adding fluoride into dental care products boomed. We are able to find toothpastes and even some mouthwashes with fluoride. Some countries even add fluoride into drinking water. However studies also showed that too much fluoride can cause mottling of the teeth. So how much fluoride is too much. Is the fluoride contains in the natural foods sufficient to ensure healthy teeth?
When there are so many evidences against water fluoridation, why there are still so many countries still continue the process of water fluoridation? Is there any hidden agenda lurking in these 50 years of fluoride controversy? Are the authorities around the world still use Sodium Fluoride (NaF), a deadly poison with no effective antidote at low levels in their water fluoridation? Why despite knowing that human only need a trace amount of organic Calcium Fluoride (CaF2) to build healthy bones and strengthen teeth which is found in the natural foods still continue the water fluoridation with non-organic Sodium Fluoride? Sodium Fluoride a water-soluble poison to the body has a cumulative effect of causing brittle bones and teeth when exceeded the required amount.
A great number of evidences showing that water fluoridation did not reduce dental cavities against the 50-60% reduction of the dental decay in the four studies of fluoridation-In Grand Rapids, Michigan; Evanston, Illinois; Newburgh, New York; and Brantford, Ontario.
Below are some researches discoveries about fluoridation:
1. In1988 Mark Diesendorf, a health researcher in the Human Sciences Program at Australian National University had found that dental cavities were as great in non-fluoridated as in fluoridated areas by comparing the results from 24 studies of un-fluoridated districts in eight countries.
2. In 1965 Robert L. Glass of Boston Forsyth Dental Centre, noted that after more than 20 years of fluoridation, the reduction of dental decay were only minimally for Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Newburgh, N.Y., as that of the entire U.S., which then was about 33% fluoridated.
3. The Journal of the American Dental Association recorded that the decline in dental cavities in the U.S. and other Western industrialized countries were about the same in both the fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities.
4. The many cases of skeletal fluorosis throughout the world (India, China, Africa, Japan, and the Middle East) from drinking naturally fluoridated water.
Fluoridation of drinking water is the greatest case of scientific fraud of the 20th century. It is an evil form of mass medication with lies, greed and deception. It is not justified to treat a non-life threatening disease by using a highly probable toxin sodium fluoride. Why trying to kill the small fly (dental decay) with a shotgun (sodium fluoride)? Educated people of the London please see that you are no longer be fooled by the fluoridated water.
