Dental phobias may be inherited from our parents says a West London dentist. For hundreds of years no pain relief was available to the patient of a dentist, and it may well be that this inherent fear gets passed down. The phobia is less apparent these days, and that could be down to a generation of people who have experienced the advances in dental care. There is a difference between an anxiety, a fear and a phobia, the basic difference is that an anxiety is a fear of the unknown, a fear is a feeling of vulnerability that affects people in many situations and the dentist is one such example. A phobia is quite different from the other two in that it is a fear of a known situation, the generation that grew up after the founding of the Health Service in the 1950s experienced a state granted dental service that wasn’t customer friendly. Dentistry has always been a professional on the peripheral of the medical professional, and as such it hasn’t had the research or scientific advances that the general medical professional has enjoyed. Thankfully today the old image of the dentist with the blood splattered apron and the evil smile is a thing of the past. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s school dentists sent us to sleep using gas, nick named `Laughing Gas` it certainly didn’t live up to its name. It sent the patient to sleep with a metal plug keeping the mouth open, when the patient woke up the pain was immediate and often severe. Thankfully today we get a gel on the gums so we don’t even feel the needle, then after the treatment the pain is still numbed for many hours, by the time the numbness is gone a few tablets will generally ease us through the full recovery. Dental phobia is slowly being eased from our genes, and it’s not a day too soon.
Archives for January, 2010
Dental phobia explained by a West London dentist
January 25th, 2010Dental veneers; a London W1 dentist explains the facts and myths
January 23rd, 2010
Almost everyone has a veneer in their house, usually in the form of a piece of furniture. It is a sliver of natural wood that is fitted and polished over less inferior woods to make it appear as if the whole piece is solid. That is exactly what a tooth veneer is as well says a London W1 dentist, usually a patient will consult their dentist to see if a veneer will cure a problem they have with a tooth or a whole row in some cases. These problems can be anything from a discoloured tooth to a misshapen or even chipped one. The dentist will examine the tooth and see if it is a good candidate for a veneer, they may recommend a crown instead. If the patient is a good candidate then a mould is made of the tooth, from this the veneer is sculptured and coloured to fit over the problem tooth, and also to fit in colour wise with the other teeth. A fitting is then done to make sure all is fine, and some fine tuning may be necessary to make the veneer more natural. Then the dentist is ready to fit it, they will skim a top layer of enamel off the offending tooth and simply cement the veneer onto the tooth. If the veneer becomes damaged by a crack or chip, then it is easily replaced as it can not be repaired in most cases. The cost has come done a lot in recent years with more people opting for this simple solution to dental problems. Little or no discomfort is felt either during or after the procedure, the patient may feel a little strange with the new tooth, so to speak, but the mouth will generally get used to it after a few days, all in all a simple and quick solution to what used to be a major dental problem.
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Gum disease control; is it a parental role problem asks a City of London dentist?
January 21st, 2010
In a recent interview a City of London dentist advocated that poor oral care which leads to avoidable gum disease, and the advanced Gingivitis, could be eliminated by early year’s parental guidance and control. We teach our children so much in early life to protect them in later life, but we often concentrate on the popular subjects, and leave out some equally important ones. Good oral care and control of bacteria in the mouth is just as important a subject to teach as say; birth control and a sensible attitude towards sex. With the internet now available to almost everyone in the U.K. it is so easy to go on line, and see graphic pictures of the damage gum disease does to our teeth and gums. These pictures should be a thing of the past, but sadly they aren’t and gum disease in our advanced society is on the increase. Teaching our children at an early stage will allow them to develop good oral hygiene habits; this will drastically cut down the visits to the dentist, and mean that their teeth will last longer. Flossing is easy to teach, as is rinsing the mouth and brushing, make it a fun thing that mum and dad can do together with the children. Children like to learn fun things, and a `best smile and shiny teeth` contest will make them see the importance of having healthy gums and nice teeth. They may also be put off taking up the tobacco habit in adolescence if they realise that by smoking they will increase their chances of gum disease, bad breath and early tooth loss. They say it’s never too late to learn a life lesson, well isn’t the opposite even better, it’s never too early to learn one either, especially one that will benefit us all our lives.
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Why floss? By a Central London dentist
January 18th, 2010
Flossing was devised to eliminate plaque build-up, plaque is the dead bacteria that forms into tartar around the base of teeth. This tartar prevents the effect that brushing has on the teeth, without that protection our teeth will become brittle and break off before they are due to. Getting plaque removed every 6 months with a dental clean up is fine, but by then the damage is already irreversibly done. Flossing, says the Central London dentist, is done for an important reason and that reason is a preventative one. Imagine a corner of your garden being invaded by aggressive wild pigs, if they aren’t moved on they will destroy your garden, if when they die you leave the carcass to rot it will smell and cause more damage, as will all their natural waste if not removed daily. Now bring in the RSPCA to move them on and the problem is solved, a healthy smelling corner of your lovely garden is recovered to the satisfaction of all. Now, let’s think of flossing in that same way, the floss is the RSPCA and twice a day it moves the problem (pigs) on. Simple isn’t it, so why aren’t we doing it enough? Its mostly down to a lax attitude to our oral care, we are sometimes so engrossed in our day that we forget. Now at least when you next see a meal, you’ll remember that vision of the wild pigs and be reminded to floss your teeth at least twice a day. Drinking water and brushing after each meal is also a good way to keep bacteria build up at bay, carry a few flossing and tooth pick sticks with you in future. It takes just a few minutes to clean between the teeth after a meal.
Preventing Heart Disease With Oral Hygiene by a London W1 Dentist
January 16th, 2010
Not many people are aware of recent research that associates heart disease and even strokes with poor oral hygiene. A lax regime in oral care leaves the blood low in Lipoproteins, research shows that this disorder is a leading factor in hardening of the arteries. A London W1 dentist says that although this isn’t a direct cause of heart disease, it certainly doesn’t help. The hardening causes a narrowing and this restricts the blood flow which in turn leads to high blood pressure. There seems to be a lot of conflicting views on the subject, some researchers are also advocating that strokes, and even diabetes is exasperated by the lack of good oral hygiene. The dentist goes on to say that although research is incomplete, he would always advise his patients to have a good, well advised method of oral hygiene. Every dentist has an advisor on duty, and they are there to prevent problems rather than push up the bill. Getting back to Lipoproteins, these are a very important part of the blood make up; they carry and distribute water and fat around the body. This is an important part of the functions that keep our body healthy, if there is a lack of Lipoproteins in the blood then that can have a knock on effect. Diabetes is also affected by the lack of this protein. Bad oral hygiene kills off the good part of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Protein (LDL), both of which serve to carry naturally produced proteins from one organ to another. If the proteins aren’t absorbed by their receptacle organ then the organ will experience problems, this leads to many of the diseases which together can cause a heart attack. All this can be prevented by spending a little more time on brushing, flossing and making sure that our gums are healthier.
Why Dental Hygiene is Crucial for Overall Health Dental Checkups by a West London Dentist
January 15th, 2010
A dentist in West London has spoken out about the importance of due diligence in oral hygiene, and follow up dental checks. Just being regimental in your daily care of your teeth and gums isn’t enough to ensure that you keep disease at bay, a patient needs to still have regular check-ups, at least 6 months apart, to ensure that the risk and progress of any dental and gum problems are minimised. We’ve all heard the expression “Its not Rocket Science”, and dental hygiene along with regular check-ups certainly do come under that category. At a check up your dentist will follow a set routine of checks; these will include looking at the gums which are a protective layer that cover the most sensitive part of a tooth. The base of a tooth is also important as it is here that bacteria will have the most devastating effect on the enamel. Gum disease is not curable; it is only possible to keep the progress at bay. This is best done with excellent oral care on a daily basis. However, this needs to be combined with those twice yearly check-ups. At the check up the dentist will remove any tartar build up that even the most rigorous of brushing, flossing and mouth washes fail to combat. Many people simply follow the advice of their dentist and that is most commendable, but you also need to speak to your dentist about any other problems you may be having. These can include sporadic spells of sensitive teeth, bleeding from the gums, infections that last a few days or longer, ulcers or anything that occurs during the 6 months interval. Make a note of it and tell the dentist when and how often the problems occur, they may be good at their profession, but dentists don’t do `Mind Reading` as part of the training!
Dental implant Q and A with a Central London dentist
January 14th, 2010
Q. What exactly is a dental implant?
A. it is an artificial tooth designed to replace one tooth that has become damaged
Q. What advantages does an artificial tooth have against a natural one?
A. It is designed from new by a Dentist, it solves all the problems the original tooth had
Q. What sort of problems are they likely to be?
A. Replace missing teeth caused by decay or trauma. Like plastic surgery can improve your nose or eyes or eliminate wrinkles, a dental implant can give you a perfect looking, fitting and usable tooth
Q. Is it as expensive as plastic surgery?
A. when it comes to our teeth price shouldn’t be a problem, fortunately dental implants aren’t too expensive like plastic surgery, which often needs to re-done every few years. A dental implant should last you for decades. As a dentist in Central London said recently “we are not as expensive as London”.
Q. Is it painful, during the procedure and afterwards?
A. Not especially so, pain management methods these days are quite incredible. All most patients suffer is a little discomfort for a few days while the mouth heals, and they adjust to the new tooth
Q. What is the procedure exactly? Please be as graphic as necessary
A. It isn’t that graphic at all, first an X-ray is taken of the jaw, and a mould made of the gap left by the removal or loss of the old tooth. A tooth is made to fit exactly into the gap. A hole is drilled into the jaw . The new tooth is then simply screwed into the plate. It really is that simple and only leaves a little discomfort.
Preventing gum disease by a City of London dentist
January 13th, 2010
Prevention is better than a cure every time says a City of London dentist. Gum disease is a by-product of modern living and a lax attitude to the problem. Once a disease of the gums like Gingivitis gets a hold, it is almost impossible to eliminate, the best your dentist can hope to do is to slow down the progress of the disease. Tooth loss is just one aspect of it, once the bacteria starts eating into the gum itself it will then expose the part of the tooth it protects. That vulnerable part of the tooth starts to collect plaque quickly and the damage is done, often resulting in a premature loss of an otherwise healthy tooth. This is often due to a lax attitude in simple oral care, flossing twice a day, mouth washing with a good solution, using the correct brush and actually brushing in the correct manner can all make it difficult for bacteria to breed in the mouth, eliminating the worst kinds of gum disease. Gingivitis is the worst that most people suffer from, and this is a very advanced case of periodontal disease. Soreness, constant bleeding and infection will follow, along with more frequent and longer visits to that place we all hate, the dentist’s chair. Why do we do it, why do we suffer all this when a little change to our oral care habits would stop it almost completely? There is only one word to explain it…laziness. There I’ve said it…laziness, if being lazy lost us money or our good looks and charm, then we’d do something about it, but because we treat oral care with contempt we then suffer later on. Your dentist is there to help you with preventive measures as well as treatment, take a little time on your next visit to have a chat about gum disease prevention.
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Handling dental emergencies; advice by a London W1 dentist
January 12th, 2010
If you have a dental emergency then you are well advised to have numbers to hand. Dentists are the same as a G.P. in certain respects regarding out of hours and in hour’s emergencies. Making sure you have numbers on your mobile as well as in your home phone address book, is a good start. You would also be well advised to know before hand where the surgery is, if you have a Sat-Nav then get the address post code pre-programmed in. If not then go online to AA route planner and print off the route, its very simple and will save you panicking when you or a friend are in pain. Using some common sense will alleviate the stress that many dentists have to also contend with when dealing with an emergency. The London W1 dentist knows only too well the added pressure of treating a patient who is stressed out by getting an appointment, and then getting to the surgery. An emergency can be anything from a toothache to a seriously chipped tooth, for a toothache there are some very old remedies available to hand in every kitchen. First wash your mouth out with warm water and remove any food lodged around the tooth by flossing. If you have any Oil of Clover then apply it to the tooth using a baby bud, this will usually do the trick temporarily. If you don’t have that then improvise by mixing some salt and pepper together into a paste, with a drop of water, again apply it to the tooth using a baby bud or your small finger. The heat produced will alleviate the pain. Chipped teeth are a different matter, and will often need immediate attention by a dentist to avoid more expensive treatment later on.
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Diabetics need to take extra care in dental hygiene says a West London dentist
January 11th, 2010
Diabetes is bad enough to contend with, but not many people are aware that it brings increasing dental problems to the patient. A dry mouth is what a diabetic usually experiences as a warning that their sugar levels are high, a dry mouth is a perfect breeding ground for germs that cause gum and periodontal diseases. A West London dentist recently warned his diabetic patients of the extra care they need to take, especially with their oral care routine. A high sugar content in the blood system is a symptom of Diabetes; it is caused by a lack of insulin in the body. The body produces insulin naturally and feeds it into the blood, the insulin then attaches itself to glucose (sugar) and fats, then it opens the doorway into muscles and organs to feed them energy. If the insulin is not there the fats and glucose cannot enter the body’s vital organs to feed them, and so it stays in the blood, building up to dangerous levels. When we get an infection in our mouth and the gums bleed, the bacteria accelerates in its evolution by feeding on the high levels of sugar in the blood. So, first things first, if you’re diabetic get your sugar levels under control with a healthy diet, and the correct medication. Take extra care with oral hygiene by flossing more often and rinsing the mouth with water, drinking at least 4 pints of water a day will also help to keep down both your dental and diabetic problems. Fresh fruit and vegetables, brown bread and sugar free products are all useful in keeping the body healthy, and your diabetes under control by combating the breeding of bad germs in the mouth, your teeth will last longer, and the visits to the dentist will be reduced.
