Poor oral hygiene doesn’t just give you bad breath it also increases your risk of tooth pain, sensitivity, cavities and gum disease. We actively recommend sticking to a smart daily oral hygiene routine at home and visiting your dentist for regular check-ups to keep oral diseases at bay and ensure you teeth look bright and clean.
The importance of good oral hygiene
Great oral routine is not just important for your oral health; it also plays a role in your general health. Numerous research studies have established a link between gum disease and a higher risk of heart problems or strokes and so keeping your mouth clean is really important. Good hygiene will also prevent bad breath and help to keep your smile looking healthy.
A great oral hygiene routine
A good daily oral hygiene routine will help to protect your teeth and gums and keep your teeth gleaming. All you need is 5 minutes a day to give your oral health a massive boost. We recommend brushing twice, every day, for at least 2 minutes in the morning when you wake and 2 minutes in the evening after a meal. It’s important to reach into the corners and to brush every surface of every tooth when you clean your teeth and to make sure you brush for long enough. If you think you aren’t brushing for long enough, you can buy a brush with a timer, set a timer on your phone or watch or even brush along to a song.
In addition to brushing, flossing is really important. Flossing involves passing dental tape, known as floss, through the gaps between the teeth and it helps to target areas that trap food, such as the gum line and the narrow gaps between the teeth.
Dental hygiene sessions
We highly recommend our dental hygienists and encourage al our patients to see a hygienist on a regular basis. Hygiene treatments are intensive and they give the mouth a really thorough clean. Not only will you teeth look and feel amazing, but your risk of decay and gum disease will also be lowered.
It’s probably safe to assume that most of us know how to keep our teeth clean in the city of Leeds, but it’s also a fact that, cases of people suffering from tooth decay, throughout the country, is on the increase. If you want to keep your teeth healthy, it’s essential to maintain a program of good oral hygiene and if your have any doubts about this, you should consult your dentist. The basic principles have never been in doubt- clean, twice daily with a suitable brush and a fluoride based toothpaste, rinsing and flossing after eating, and a bi-annual dental check-up. But this is only scratching the surface of keeping your teeth clean. It’s also important to understand what we are putting in our mouths- some foods are acidic and sugar based, and are the main causes of tooth decay. It’s important to make sure these foods are removed from mouth correctly. Small brushes, flossing, dental gum and mouthwashes are a great source of back-up to the general cleaning process and are always useful to have at your disposal- especially as we get older and gaps appear between the teeth. As well as all these tips, it is also handy to remember that over cleaning can be detrimental to teeth and should be cleaned in moderation Once you have mastered a technique and regime that suits you, you shouldn’t have a problem keeping your teeth clean.
It can be quite disconcerting in Leeds to look down on your tooth brush to see blood after cleaning. It doesn’t mean the end of the world, but can indicate that you may have a little bit of a problem. It could be as simple as using a too harder brush or that you are brushing far too hard. But to be safe, it is important to seek advice from your dentist, because it could lead to more serious problems. The mouth is very fragile and can be easily affected by lifestyle- diet, smoking, drinking and stress, which makes regular check-ups all the more important. Bleeding gums can also result from bad oral hygiene and can indicate the early signs of gum disease. If bacteria and plaque is allowed to build up and not removed, it can lead to sore gums and at worse receding gums and tooth loss. Further down the line, it can lead to heart, respiratory and digestion problems. A simple visit to the dentist should be enough to nip the problem in the bud. Plaque and tartar can be removed quite easily and it is also the time for you to get advice from your dentist on how to maintain oral hygiene at home; what brush, paste and mouth washes to use and maybe, finally take advice on how you live your life and what you put into your mouth.
For some reason, the evil legend that is the root canal still tends to strike fear into its prey and once the victim has had the excruciating treatment, pain ensues for months. Sound familiar- well it does to most dentists in the city of Leeds! In all reality, a simple look on the internet could dispel any myths that surround the procedure. The reason for having a root canal stems from bad oral hygiene, allowing plaque to develop and form cavities. If the tooth is to be saved, then the cavity must be cleared of decay, the roots removed and the gap that’s left filled. In times gone by, the tooth would have been ‘pulled’ and here lies one of the myths that surround root canals. If a tooth is causing pain, an extraction is not only considered to be less painful, but cheaper too (the truth is, a root canal is no more painful than a filling). But removing a tooth (when it needn’t be) leads to all sorts of problems. The surrounding teeth can suffer trauma, start to move and become loose, leading to gum disease and infection. Another myth that stems out of this treatment is based on other people’s experiences, like that of your parent’s in the bad old days, “my god! This is what I’m in for!” If in this modern world, you still listen to gossip, believe in fairies, monsters and death by root canal, maybe a little research and a consultation with your dentist will dispel such myths, allowing you to sleep at night with the light out and get out more.
Unless you are planning on a lifetime role as a witch in Macbeth, decaying teeth are not only unsightly, but they can give rise to serious health problems, according to a dentist from central Leeds. Children are prone to tooth decay, as teeth grow and new ones come through and where plaque is allowed to form. The problems usually start with bad oral hygiene- the lack of brushing, bad diet, smoking and heavy drinking, which is why a bi-annual visit to the dentist is important in countering any signs of decay. Plaque is the catalyst for tooth decay. This can be removed by brushing and flossing, but if allowed to build up, it will turn to tartar, from which cavities or caries start to form. It doesn’t happen overnight; it can take months, even years for the problem to arise, but when it does, it has a knock-on affect. Infection can set in leading to gum disease, periodontivis and eventually, tooth loss. Spotting it early on is important and an x-ray or radiograph will pick up any signs of a cavity forming. Depending how advanced the problem is, treatment will be required immediately to remove any decay from the teeth in order to save them. This is done by a root canal that removes any dead tissues and roots from the tooth and then filled- sometimes capped.
