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March 17th, 2012
A dental emergency is something that no-one is able to foresee but, like any emergency, if you can remain calm and know ahead of time the correct steps to follow, you are best placed for handling it correctly and minimizing long term damage. In many dental emergency situations the steps you take immediately can have significant consequences. It may be the difference between saving or losing a tooth or teeth.
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March 8th, 2012
Why would I need a dental extraction?
There are a number of reasons for an extraction.
1) If a tooth is too decayed and broken down to fix
2) If restoring the tooth is not in the best interest of your overall mouth
3) If the tooth is too loose (due to gum disease) to recover
4) To relieve overcrowding.
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March 3rd, 2012
Gaps from missing teeth, whether due to trauma or extraction, are something that nobody wants.
Missing a tooth or teeth not only impacts your appearance (especially if the gap is at the front) but will also affect you in other ways. Your remaining teeth are vulnerable to drifting, it may cause problems with how you chew, your speech can be affected and it can even affect the appearance of your face.
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February 23rd, 2012
Why would I need a filling?
A filling is required when there is a cavity (hole) in the tooth. A hole can occur for several reasons.
1) Decay- when sugars and/ or acid have been allowed to build up and attack the enamel of the teeth
2) Abrasion- when the a specific area of the tooth has been worn away
3) Erosion- when the enamel has begun to dissolve due to the direct effects of acid on the tooth. This can be seen for example if you consistently eat lots of citrus fruits or suffer with stomach acid reflux.
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Feb 18, 2012
Dental Whitening
A bright, white smile is an asset for anybody, professionally and personally. White teeth are associated with youth, as well as cleanliness and health.
You may have noticed as you get older that your teeth have changed colour; they lose some of their whiteness and started to take on a more yellow/ brown or grey colour. This is normal and comes with aging, as the tooth enamel becomes worn and less translucent due to tiny micro-cracks and the dentine inside the tooth becomes thicker and darker.
Dental whitening (or ‘bleaching’) is a cosmetic procedure which uses hydrogen peroxide to change the colour of teeth and help return you to a whiter smile.
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February 9th, 2012
I have tooth ache. Why?
Toothache can be due to a cavity, tooth sensitivity, gum disease, an infection at the end of the root or a fractured tooth. These different problems often have different symptoms and each require treatment in the appropriate way.
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February 4, 2012
One of the key points of healthy teeth is getting into good habits early. This way children will grow up always following the basic steps of good dental care and seeing their parents and siblings all following the same good practices.
It’s important to know that if you follow the correct steps, dental disease is largely preventable. And preventing dental disease means preventing dental pain, complex dental procedures or potential tooth loss for your child.
So, lets start at the beginning…..
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January 26th, 2012
How often should I brush my teeth?
In general you should brush your teeth twice a day, in the morning and last thing before you go to bed at night. The morning brush gets rid of that ‘morning breath’ taste and smell and the night brush removes plaque and food debris that has accumulated over the course of the day.
It may be suitable to brush during the day as well, particularly if you are eating or drinking a lot of sweet things. However, be aware that too much brushing can wear away the tooth enamel and weaken your teeth. This is particularly important as leaving teeth uncleaned overnight allows the sugars from the food in your mouth to turn into acid. It is this acid that can cause dental decay and cavities.
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January 21st, 2012
It’s never wasted time to stop and review how the choices we make in our lives impact on our health and well being. After the excesses of the holiday period New Year is a time when many of us might start a diet, try to reduce our alcohol consumption or increase the amount of exercise that we take.
January is also a good time to have a think about our dental health and consider if the current practices we and our family are following are ideal in ensuring that our teeth and gums are staying in great shape. It can be all too easy when we are busy with work and family life to slip into bad habits and neglect some of the basic steps involved in maintaining good dental health.
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December 22nd, 2011
Tips for Healthy Teeth at Christmas Time
Christmas is a time where we all want to celebrate the season, kick back a bit, enjoy a break and treat ourselves and our loved ones. For most of us this includes indulging in rich party foods, candy, chocolate, Christmas dinner and the odd Christmas tipple (or two!)
I’m certainly looking forward to my Christmas lunch, mulled wine and mince pies!