A natural looking smile is worth saving. Our Surbiton dentists offer some tips that can help.

In the USA, April is ‘Save Your Smile’ month. Whilst this doesn’t exist in the UK, we thought that it was a good idea anyway, and that we would share some advice based on that, with patients of the Confidental Clinic.

Much of the American campaign seems to revolve around wearing protective headgear when playing American football but we believe that the campaign should extend beyond that!

Face and mouth protection

Given the focus of the USA campaign, we probably shouldn’t ignore the real risks to our teeth when we take part in certain sports. Some, such as boxing or rugby, involve significant risk to the teeth and it makes common sense to wear a mouthguard during these activities. Most sports will contain an element of risk though, and whilst there may be less contact, there is still a real possibility of being hit in the mouth by a stray cricket, football or even hockey ball. Patients who take part in these, and similar, activities, may wish to consider some form of mouth protection too.

Maintaining healthy teeth

Some of us may require cosmetic dentistry to help us get to a stage where we are happy with our smile, whilst others may be born lucky and have a naturally attractive smile. Whichever is the case, once this has been attained, it doesn’t mean it will always remain that way, and we need to be conscious that if we don’t look after our teeth, what was once an attractive smile may eventually be anything but.

The most obvious thing to say here is that all patients need to maintain good oral care, both at home and with the assistance of our Surbiton family dentists. Consistent brushing and flossing should be an essential component of this, as should regular appointments, approximately every six months, with the hygienist.

When things go wrong

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Can we really kick our sugar habit, for better general and oral health?

The vast majority of us will eat sugar on a daily basis, most of us probably in larger quantities than is good for us. Even if we don’t add spoonfuls of sugar to our tea, coffee or morning cereal, sugar is everywhere, hidden in ready made products and often ‘disguised’ using names such as fructose and sucrose.

In today’s Confidental Clinic Surbiton blog, we take a look at how and why we consume too much sugar, the damage that it does to our teeth and overall health, and finally, some advice on how to kick the sugar habit.

Why do we eat too much sugar?

Sugary foods are almost always a popular choice with young children. For some, this taste carries on into our adult years, even if we don’t eat quite as much of it as we thought we might do, once we had the freedom to. It may be that some of its appeal is simply holding on to childhood memories, but it is also true that sugar is ‘hidden’ in many foods and drinks; even savoury ones in many cases, leading to us consuming it ‘accidentally’ in many instances.

The coffees that we buy from coffee shops can be very high in sugar too, sometimes exceeding NHS guidelines for daily consumption in just one drink. ‘Sports’ and high energy drinks are also high in sugar and seem to be gaining in popularity these days.

The reality is that sugar, to most of us, tastes great, so why is there a problem?

Our health

The rise in consumption of sugar has contributed, along with high fat foods, to an obesity epidemic. Over time, this is likely to lead to an increase in illnesses such as diabetes and heart problems, and, despite medical advances, it is quite possible that life expectancy will fall in the years to come unless this issue is addressed. As dentists, we see many of our Surbiton patients that need fillings or extractions due to an over consumption of sugar. Although a good cleaning and flossing regimen will help to minimise this, if you eat too much sugar, you will almost certainly eventually need dental treatment.

How to kick the sugar habit

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Tooth extraction aftercare advice from your Surbiton dentist.

Thanks to modern dentistry, there are now a wide range of treatments available that can be used to restore a damaged or decayed tooth, and ultimately, enable the patient to keep the natural tooth for many years to come. Sometimes though, this is not possible, or if it were, the prognosis is so poor that it is simply better to remove the tooth altogether.

Most of us will have teeth extracted with no problems. Occasionally though, a dry socket can follow the procedure. When it does, it can be quite painful and you will need to see the dentist. In today’s blog, we take a look at how and why you should try to avoid a painful dry socket.

Immediately following extraction

When a tooth is extracted, as you would expect, the area from which it has been removed starts to bleed, sometimes quite markedly. To simply leave it to bleed until it heals itself would be fairly unpleasant (and messy) for the patient, and so we take action to stop this flow as soon as the tooth has been taken out. Whilst, in a few more complex cases such as some wisdom teeth extractions, stitches may be required, this usually isn’t the case with relatively straightforward extractions and a gentler method is used to stem the blood flow. To do this, we place a piece of sterile gauze on the area. This is then kept in place for just a few minutes to allow a blood clot to form. It is this which starts the healing process of that area.

When we are happy that a clot has formed, you will be free to leave our Surbiton dental surgery. Just in case the clot does becomes dislodged, we will also provide some spare gauze for you  to repeat the process. If this problem continues though; whilst you can also use a clean handkerchief for this purpose, you should contact the Confidental Clinic to let us know and potentially allow us to take a look to make sure that there isn’t an underlying problem.

Why do blood clots become dislodged?

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Even the smallest chip in a tooth should be examined by your dentist.

One of the most common types of damage caused to a tooth, other than  tooth decay, is a chipped tooth.

This can happen in a number of ways; from biting something harder than expected, grinding your teeth or even due to a fall or an accident. Sometimes, the chip may be quite large, but others may be quite small and seem almost irrelevant. Whatever the size though, you should always make an appointment to allow one of our Surbiton dental team to take a look at it.

Even a small chip in a tooth can have an effect on the health of your tooth, and mouth. Here are some possible solutions to correct it.

Leave the chip?

Sometimes, it may be better to do nothing when the chip is very tiny indeed. This is not a decision that the patient should take though, without consulting a dentist first. Even the smallest chip can cause problems by cutting or grazing the cheeks and tongue. Not only can this be sore, but may also lead to infections too. If the chip is causing no other problems, but has a sharp edge that causes this, your dentist may simply smooth off the sharp edge for you.

Composite bonding

If the chip in the enamel has not caused the underlying dentin layer to become exposed, an alternative to smoothing off any sharp edges, would be to use cosmetic bonding. This is a resin based material that can be shaped and used to restore the appearance of a chipped tooth, smoothing off any rough edges in the process. It is not as strong as enamel though and its use may be dependent on the strain that particular tooth edge may be subject to within the mouth.

White dental fillings

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Surbiton dentist, Dr Minesh Patel explains how this increasingly common problem can impact your oral health.

Stress appears to be a symptom of living in the modern world. Whilst stress has probably always been around (where will the next meal come from? etc), there is little doubt that, with modern technologies and a busy life, it is perhaps not surprising that it is a problem that is on the increase.

Not all stress is bad. We can leverage on it to help achieve our aims and goals, but where it becomes overwhelming, we may no longer be able to control it and illness may follow. Stress has been associated with heart attacks and other serious condition, but it can also have a significant impact on the health of our teeth.

Comfort eating

When we are highly stressed, few of us will reach for a carrot stick to help us over it. Most of us, if we are honest, will reach for something that we find most comforting. This can often be something that is very high in sugar. Chocolate is a popular choice and is also believed by some to offer mood lifting qualities. Whether it does this or not, the sticky and sugary chocolate that becomes stuck to your teeth is certainly not going to do them any good.

Gum disease

Some researchers have found that when we are stressed, our body’s ability to produce immune cells to fight against bacteria are reduced. This means that we are less capable of fighting against the bacteria in our mouth that can contribute to gum disease. This reduction in our immunity means that gum disease is more likely, especially if the stress is due to an ongoing situation, rather than a one off event.

Another ‘stress factor’ that may increase the risk of gum disease is that some of us may turn to either, or both, cigarettes and alcohol. Whilst this may potentially relieve some of the stress, it is likely to lead to a dry mouth which is a major contributor to gum disease. These habits may also lead to other more serious issues, such as mouth cancers, if they continue.

TMJ and Bruxism

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