The two most important weapons in the fight against dental disease are brushing and flossing. By taking the extra few minutes each day to properly brush and floss your teeth you could save yourself a lifetime of complicated, painful and costly dental procedures. It sounds like a fairly straightforward deal but many patients do take dental hygiene for granted.
Unlike the rest of the body where disease can strike at any time and can be unpreventable, almost all forms of dental disease are caused by our own oral hygiene deficiencies. By failing to brush and floss regularly we allow plaque to build up in the mouth. Plaque is a filmy substance made up of bacteria and other debris such as food particles. This acidic film breaks down the protective layer of tooth enamel that coats the teeth and causes cavities. These cavities penetrate to the heart of the tooth where infections can take hold in the incredibly sensitive inner part of the tooth. This can lead to toothache, abscesses and eventually tooth loss. All of this can be prevented by stopping the build up of plaque in the first instance. Effective brushing with a suitable brush and paste can remove the majority of plaque.
Another concern if plaque is allowed to build up is tartar. This is a hardened form of plaque that cannot be removed by conventional brushing and will need a dentist to remove using a process called scaling. Tartar also attacks enamel and leaves brown/yellow stains on the surface of the teeth.
It is hard for brushes to reach all parts of the mouth, such as the difficult gaps between the teeth. Plaque can build up here and food particles can get stuck. If these food particles start to decay they release foul smelling sulphurous compounds which are the cause of over 90 per cent of cases of bad breath. By flossing each day you can remove these particles and prevent the build up of plaque in these hard to reach places.
By brushing and flossing properly, and by making sure to visit the a central Leeds dentist every six months you will be able to keep your teeth clean and free form any nasty and painful dental problems.
More than 8 out of 10 of us have some form of gum disease, and yet 99 per cent of these cases exhibit no signs of the disease. For others with more serious cases of gum disease, bleeding gums is one of the most obvious signs that something may be wrong. Gum disease is seen by many to be fairly trivial, but this could definitely prove to be a mistake. Gum disease, or gingivitis as it is also known, can lead to tooth loss and even heart disease. It can also be symptomatic of a wider systemic illness. Over 90 per cent of all diseases in the body have some kind of oral manifestation, with bleeding gums being one of the more serious.
Ankylosis of the teeth is when a tooth fuses to the jawbone preventing it from erupting at the normal rate. Although the exact cause is unknown it can fairly commonly be seen in the lower primary molars. This can cause a series of problems when the adult teeth begin to merge. Because it has not emerged correctly the tooth will appear submerged which also cause the incorrect positioning of the other teeth.
When tooth enamel is breeched, either as the result of tooth decay or some kind of dental trauma, bacteria infiltrates the tooth and attacks the pulp at its centre. This causes an infection in the heart of the tooth that will slowly kill the tooth and spread to other areas of the mouth, if not treated. The body’s natural defence against the infection is to bombard it with white blood cells. This creates a substance called pus that will then gather around the infection causing a swelling called an abscess.
Despite having a reputation as one of the most feared and painful dental procedures, a 
Patients who are suffering from certain dental conditions may be referred, by their regular dentist, to an oral surgeon. An oral surgeon is a dentist who has further extensive training in operating procedures and anaesthetics. They perform surgery that is either too complicated or too specialised to be carried out in a normal dental surgery.
Oral cancers can be very aggressive, so early detection is vital to successful treatment. You are twice as likely to suffer from oral cancer if you are a man, with men over the age of 45 being particularly at risk. Lifestyle choices also play a significant part in increasing chances of oral cancer, with smokers being a massive 600 times more likely to contract oral cancer than non-smokers. The links between oral cancer and alcohol consumption are also very strong, especially when consumption is higher than the recommended weekly amount. However, it is still important to remember that even no-smokers and lifetime teetotalers are at risk from oral cancer.
Dental 
Braces are never a nice thought. A mouthful of uncomfortable and conspicuous looking metal is not ideal but comes as part of the sacrifice of having 
The jaw joint is responsible for carrying out everyday activities such as chewing, biting and talking but occasionally problems arise with the joint or associated muscles which lead to conditions known as TMDs (temporomandibular disorders). Sometimes mistakenly referred to as TMJs, TMDS can be very painful and irritating to sufferers. The exact cause of many TMDs remains unclear, which makes it hard for dentists to treat and even harder to prevent.