Well there is more than a slim chance that you may be suffering in central London from bad breath and what is so sad, especially if you live alone, is that unless some comely friend has the guts to point out the fact that your breath stinks, you may never be aware of the problem until you sit down again in front of your dentist- because they will certainly point it out.

Bad breath can be caused by so many factors, but the problem generally arises from two areas, the mouth and further into the stomach area of the body. The mouth relies on good oral hygiene but take this away whilst coupling it with some pretty seedy habits such as smoking and drinking, and you are already going to risk tooth decay and gum disease, which can give off some pretty pungent aromas.

Combine these with having a poor diet, and you will be offending one of your body’s greatest assets- your immune system. This can lead to your mouth drying out and leaving you bereft of saliva- the natural defence against oral decay and bacteria. This can be attacked in many ways, so you should work out a way, with your dentist, to change your habits and lifestyle.

If you have done everything and still you breathe like a shark, then the problem could be gastric, indicating more serious scenarios going on inside of you and an appointment with your doctor may be necessary.

This is why you will find a lot of aromatherapy being used in dental surgeries these days. Dentists will always have a battle against phobias in their patients, which can make it difficult to administer treatments with precision, but although this is rapidly on the decrease and the use of aromas such as lavender in the surgery and beforehand in the waiting room, can induce relaxation.

Lavender is top of the tree for this and it has been proven that whenever it has been used before treatment, it tends to break the anxiety or panic in a patient as it tends to break the concentrated fear and move the mind-set to a different place.

It also allows the patients to relax more and get the best treatment that is available- what do you think of when you smell lavender, where does it take you? Try it and see and then realize that ten minutes have past before you get back to what you were doing before you picked up the scent!

Losing a tooth in an accident is akin to losing an appendage, but because of the wonders of modern science, such losses can be reunited with the body again. However, there is a time limit before this becomes impossible to do and of course it depends on how far from treatment you are. But let’s just say you are in the area when you lose a tooth.

Now, the socket will start to dry out once the bleeding has stopped and essentially, you have around an hour before it becomes impossible to pop the tooth back in the mouth, preferably by a dentist or doctor. During this time, the socket needs to be kept hydrated, because after an hour, the cells in the gum will die and then reject any chance of the tooth being put back in.

Then of course, there is the tooth itself. If you have managed to find it, you must at all costs avoid touching the roots and ensure that it is clean of dirt by rinsing in water or milk and then put it back into the socket ASAP. This will allow the cells to regroup in the socket and then regenerate around the tooth.

This is of course is possible if you are at home, but if you are in a street, you should place the tooth under your tongue amongst natural saliva and then get to the dentists or to the hospital.

Losing a tooth is not always a problem, as long as you know what you are doing.

Fluoride re-mineralizes the enamel and strengthens the teeth against plaque and acids that lead to tooth decay and so, it is naturally added to drinking water and you will find it in most dental products that you buy today. But for all of its boasts over the years, there is a rumbling going on that actually fluoride does more damage than good in the long run.

There are areas in the world that do not use fluoride at all, yet there are less reported cases of tooth decay and caries in these places as opposed to westernized areas. Fluoride does stave off caries, but it doesn’t prevent them altogether and its over-use can lead to fluorosis in the teeth making them weak and vulnerable to decay, making dental costs higher.

It has also been proven that fluoride is more toxic than lead and arsenic- probably a good reason to cut down on it as this constant ‘poisoning’ by using it, not only affects the teeth, but the brain and heart too.

There are alternative products you can buy as well as natural spring water, but fluoride has become popular because it helps to fend off decay from the type of food and drink we consume in the West so if you stop using it, you should also consider looking at your diet as well.

Bruxism or teeth grinding in layman’s term is a very dangerous condition to have and seeing as the problem is borne out of a lot of stress related factors, there is a very good chance that you might have problems in a place as demanding as London’s W1. The first signs of it may become apparent when you start suffering from jaw or earache and the jaw itself clicks when you open and close it. Left unattended, the problem could cause damage to the neck, interfere with the spinal chord, and cause problems in the upper back. You will also be doing untold damage to your teeth- which although can be countered by having a mouth-guard fitted, will not get to the bottom of the problem behind why you are grinding teeth in the first place. It normally arises from stress and anger which you may be contending with throughout the day, and it doesn’t help if you do not know how to unwind when you get home. Solving this will require you to take up a stress and anger management course- to first attend to why you get worked up so much and then teach you how not to. Then you can be taught how to relax as well. By doing so you are truly saving your teeth and jaws from serious complications in the future.

It is a pretty open and shut case that most of us busy types in west London do our absolute best to maintain our oral hygiene in the time we have to ourselves during the day. But in a busy environment as the city, you could be forgiven for forgetting to look after your teeth constantly and even putting back the odd dental appointment, but you may not find your mouth so forgiving when things start to go wrong, and by skipping appointments, your dentist won’t be able to diagnose and repair the problems and the worst condition is gum disease which acts as a springboard to even more serious conditions. The gums are delicate and require lots of TLC to keep them healthy, but if they pick-up a disease, they can decline very quickly, leading to tooth loss. If your gums bleed or weep after cleaning, you will need to turn your hygiene around and watch what products you are using, especially alcohol based mouthwashes. Turning to herbal remedies can re-stimulate life into the gums and by rinsing your mouth with salt water will help stop the bleeding from your gums. But you really do need to get along to the dentist for further advice on stopping the problem. The can deep clean the teeth below the gum line and keep a close eye on any further development in the disease. But it’s beatable and often reversible if you’re willing to apply yourself to the scenario.

It is very easy to hit the panic button and go overboard when something starts to go wrong in our mouths in central London. We can quite easily get carried away and try to rectify the problem overnight by throwing all of the dental products on the shop shelves at it- as it is when we discover we have bad breath. But what a situation like this needs is not a knee jerk reaction but a calm plan and a cool head in order to reverse it. Things need to be worked out, such as your diet and lifestyle. Then you need a hygienist to come in and analyse the state of your mouth, repair you and then inform you where you have been going wrong in the past. There is a pretty good chance that gum disease is involved in some way and has been contributing to the cause of your bad breath by helping to dry up the saliva in your mouth. By throwing an over zealous attack at the problem with dental products can only lead to further problems, you need subtlety not ferocity. Some of the agents that you find in toothpastes can add to the drying out process so you need to be careful at what you choose, and harsh brushing needs to stop as well as you can do more damage than good to the gums. The worst things you can use though are alcohol based mouthwashes as these only mask the smell whilst the alcohol heaps further dryness to the mouth and gums.

If you a one of the unlucky ones to suffer from halitosis in west London, one of the causes of it may be linked to gum disease as well. Bad breath is a complex issue to sort out; it can be caused by bad diet, bad lifestyle and bad oral hygiene and all of these issues have to be looked into, as if something smells bad in the mouth, it could mean that something is drastically wrong somewhere within you. But one of the major causes of this is having a parched mouth which can leave your mouth very vulnerable to gum disease and this alone can leak toxins into the mouth and leave pungency in the air: the saliva is life’s natural defender against bacteria and without it, said bacteria is free to run amok. Throwing the obvious products at the problem can help with keeping your mouth clean, but they won’t address the problem of dry mouth overall, though they will help ease the gum disease. Once you have got the balance fired up again with your diet and curbed your bad habits a little, it will kick start you immune system and slowly the saliva will return. In the meantime, it is important to regenerate the fluid in your mouth by drinking lots of water, chewing lots of sugarless gum and sucking on lots of sugarless sweets as well- anything that will hydrate the mouth. Nipping the gum disease in the bud can also be aided with such alternatives as aloe vera, Echinacea, tea tree oil and clove oil: if worked into the gums by dropping your floss into the oils before hand can help sooth the gums and regenerate blood flow. Massaging the gums is also a good way to put life back into your gums.

When you check-in for your twice-yearly MOT with your dentist in west London, they will look for any signs of gum disease and tooth decay and then attend to the problem to ensure that your mouth remains healthy. However, if you are showing signs that your teeth and gums are having problems, then they will sign you over to a hygienist to have a proper clean. What a hygienist will do is to get in deep and personal with your mouth and give your mouth a very intimate clean. This will involve scaling at first to remove any tartar from around the base of the teeth. But after that, they will delve below the gum line to ensure that your teeth are clean to the root. This may need repeating on regular occasions because as soon as problems such as these arise, you are going to have to keep on top of the problem and work hard to ensure your teeth and gums remain healthy and free of disease. Once your hygienist is satisfied with the scaling, they will also administer a damn good polishing in order to keep the surface of your teeth smooth in order to stop the build up of foodstuffs that lead to the build up of plaque. Just by having these two treatments done regularly, you will ensure that you give you teeth a chance to survive.

One of the ways you can ensure that you care for your teeth in the city of London is to be aware of what food you are putting into your mouth. For a start, having a good, strong and healthy diet will help to give your immune system support and this will in turn, reflect in the way your teeth grow, in essence, good food equals good teeth. But on the front line that is your mouth itself, certain foods can have more harmful affects on your teeth than others. Citrus fruit juices, although good for your body, can be very acidic on the teeth and burn into the enamel. Stodgy, high-starched foods such as potatoes and other root vegetables adhere strongly in and around the teeth and if not removed, can soon start releasing acids that help the build up of plaque. It is also the same for sugar based foods and drinks and too much of these can lead quickly to tooth decay. You need to find the perfect balance between what you eat and then how you clean your teeth and gums afterwards to ensure these bacteria do not get a foothold in your mouth. A good cup of black or green tea after a meal will help to neutralise the bacteria that forms plaque, as does cranberry juice which also strengthens your gums. It is all about being sensible and no-one is suggesting you can’t have a blow out with a fine curry or a Chinese, but if you know what you are eating, you can tailor your cleaning to remove the residue of such foods with the right techniques.