Posts Tagged ‘brushing and flossing’

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Leeds dentists emphasise the importance of flossing

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

The purpose of brushing and flossing is to reduce the number of bacteria in the mouth that feed on food particles left over from eating. Bacteria feast on this food debris producing acids which cause damage to the enamel of the teeth, breaking it down and attacking the sensitive centre of the tooth. As if this wasn’t bad enough, bacteria and decaying food matter also cause over 90 per cent of cases of bad breath.

This collection of bacteria and decaying food is more commonly known as plaque. This can easily be removed by effective cleaning which involves brushing and flossing. Brushing removes plaque from the surface enamel of the teeth and gums but brushes are often unable to reach the more difficult spaces in the mouth that are breeding grounds for bacteria. People who brush but do not floss are exposing their teeth to the damaging effects of these bacteria. Some people equate brushing without flossing to having a bath and only washing two thirds of your body, such is the importance of flossing.

Leeds dentists recommend therefore that you should floss your teeth at least once a day to remove the plaque and trapped food from between the teeth and below the gum line, both places regular brushes are unable to clean. Cleaning below the gum line removes plaque which can build up in pockets destroying gum tissue and eventually loosening teeth. Leeds dentist can demonstrate the most effective way to floss teeth at your next check up appointment to help give your teeth the most complete protection.

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Central Leeds dentist discovers the cause of embarrassing bad breath

Saturday, January 9th, 2010

Suffering from bad breath can be very embarrassing as it can be very difficult to disguise. It often leads to a loss of confidence and the avoidance of social situations altogether but it is relatively easily treated. Over nine out of ten cases of bad breath are caused by poor standards of oral hygiene which if improved could mean an end to horrible halitosis.

Bad breath is often caused by sulphurous smelling bacteria that thrive on decaying food matter caught between teeth and on the surface of the tongue. This smell is then carried out on the breath. By removing this food matter, usually trapped between teeth, by flossing and brushing thoroughly, you should be able to limit the effects of bad breath.

Many people resort to using anti-bacterial mouthwash, which while they do kill bacteria, also limit the production of saliva, the body’s natural defence against bad breath. This can cause the bad breath to come back as bacteria are again allowed to thrive. Some mouthwashes may work for certain types of mouth but it is always a good idea to consult a dentist.

If you have tried improving your oral hygiene by better brushing, flossing and perhaps even using a tongue scraper, and nothing is working, you can always pay a visit to the dentist. A Central Leeds dentist will examine your mouth to look for other possible causes, which may include gum disease, or in the worst case an infected tooth. If there is no evidence of an oral cause the dentist may be able to refer you to see if you are one of the ten per cent of cases where the bad breath is caused by internal issues.

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Oral health treatment at City of Leeds dentist helps overall health

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Just as the eyes are the window to the soul, the mouth is the window to the rest of your body. Conditions in the mouth can speak volumes about the overall health of the body. The health of your body and the health of your mouth are a lot more connected than you may think.

The connection between the two is a two way process as often the first sign of a health condition will be noticed in the mouth, conversely oral health conditions can also have an effect on the whole body.

The human mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria as the moist and warm conditions are perfect for them to thrive. It is possible to keep these bacteria under control with an effective oral health regime, including daily brushing and flossing. Saliva production is also key to a healthy mouth but sometimes these defences may not be enough or are not working well enough to prevent the growth of bacteria. This can cause gum disease, which in severe cases is known as periodontitis, which results in dangerous infections being released into the blood stream through the oral cavity. These oral infections have a strong link to heart disease as they can cause a narrowing of the arteries putting pressure on the heart. Further research indicates that these infections can have damaging effects on other areas of the body.

Other conditions that occur in the body can also be noticed in the mouth which can lead to a quicker diagnosis. City of Leeds dentists are trained to treat oral health conditions and spot the signs of wider health problems occurring in the mouth. So regular dental check ups could benefit the health of more than just your teeth.

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Top tips on dental care from City of Leeds dentist

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

Taking care of your teeth can be simple and straightforward if you diligently follow advice from dentists on how best to look after teeth generally, and more specifically from your own dentist about your own individual hygiene needs.

The most obvious form of dental care is that which we can practice at home. Brushing and flossing, as well as using other products like inter-dental brushes or tongue scrapers help to limit the amount of bacteria in the mouth. This helps to keep plaque acid to a minimum, protecting your teeth and gums from decay and keeping your breath fresh.

Brushing is ideally performed twice a day after meals, using a suitable brush and technique. A City of Leeds dentist can recommend suitable products and advise about effective brushing. Flossing helps to clean the parts of the teeth the brush misses, again stopping the build up of plaque-forming bacteria.

Of course, even the strictest oral hygiene regime needs to be accompanied with regular trips to the dentist. Every six-months is the recommended time scale but this can be adapted by your dentists depending on the condition of your teeth. Dentists can check for unseen signs of decay, as well as performing small procedures to further protect your teeth. Dentists can also advise you on other smaller, but no less important ways to keep your teeth healthy such as drinking water after eating and chewing sugar-free gum. By making a few small adjustments to your routine you could help to keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime.

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Cure embarrassing bad breath with Central Leeds dentist

Monday, December 21st, 2009

When it comes to personal hygiene, without question one of the most common and unpleasant qualities is bad breath. Having breath that smells can be very unpleasant for others and make you significantly less attractive to the opposite sex. What most people don’t realise however, is that in over 90 per cent of cases, bad breath is caused by poor standards of oral hygiene and easily treated.

The smell itself is caused by decaying bacteria or food matter that is stuck between the teeth and in the grooves of the tongue. This releases nasty smelling sulphurous chemicals which are carried out on the breath. These bacteria and chemicals can easily be stopped with more effective brushing and flossing. If you are unsure about the proper oral hygiene methods you can ask advice from a Central Leeds dentist who can instruct you how to properly clean your teeth.

The two most important factors are brushing twice a day for three minutes with a suitable brush held at a 45-degree angle to the teeth. This removes bacteria and food from the surface of the teeth, helping to prevent bad breath. Flossing the gaps between the teeth removes other debris that is hard to reach with a normal brush and cleans below the gum line.

Other dental hygiene tools may be used such as inter-dental brushes or mouthwash but it is always a good idea to consult your dentist before using these products. In some cases mouthwash can remove some of the saliva production from the mouth making the problem worse.

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Maintain good oral hygiene with regular check ups from Leeds dentist

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

Maintaining a good standard of oral hygiene can help keep teeth and gums healthy for life, reducing the risk of dental decay and gum disease and saving you from the pain and cost of dental treatment in the future. Oral hygiene is usually understood to mean keeping a clean and healthy mouth by regular brushing and flossing and by keeping up regular six-month check ups with the dentist.

Regular and effective brushing and flossing helps to remove plaque. This is a filmy, bacteria-rich substance that produces acids which erode the tooth enamel causing dental decay and eventually tooth loss. Plaque that is not removed by brushing and flossing also hardens and turns into tartar which cannot be removed by conventional cleaning methods and will need to be removed by a dentist using a process called scaling.

Other problems that can occur by not maintaining a good standard of oral hygiene include gum disease, also known as gingivitis. Gum disease is characterised by an inflamed and irritated gum that can be painful and even begin to bleed. Eventually gum tissue will start to shrink away from teeth exposing the vulnerable root. Gingivitis will eventually become the more serious periodontitis if left untreated. This is a more serious form of gum disease which may require antibiotic treatment or even surgery. Gum disease has also been linked to heart disease.

Tooth decay and gum disease can cause years of painful and costly dental treatment which can all be avoided by a few minutes a day of effective cleaning. Good oral hygiene can also help to prevent the 90 per cent of cases of bad breath caused by bacteria allowed to grow in the mouth.

Eating habits can also affect oral hygiene with food with a high concentration of sugar being particularly damaging to teeth. Low sugar food and food such as fruit with a high fibre content stimulate saliva production which helps to keep teeth healthy.

It is also important to regularly visit the dentist for check ups. Dentists can undertake thorough teeth cleaning and offer advice on how best to maintain good oral hygiene. A Leeds dentist will also be able to treat the first signs of any tooth decay or gum disease and help to keep your teeth strong and healthy.

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Avoid painful tooth decay with effective cleaning and visits to Leeds dentist

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

Tooth decay is a degenerative condition that takes place in the oral cavity involving the break down of tooth enamel. The destruction of this enamel leads to holes, known commonly as dental cavities, which can lead to more serious dental concerns like infections, abscesses and even tooth loss.

Tooth decay is caused by a build up of a filmy, sticky substance called plaque. When combined with the millions of bacteria that live in the mouth, plaque releases acids which erode tooth enamel causing cavities. Plaque can be removed by effective brushing and flossing, but if left it will transform into a harder substance called tartar. Tartar is impossible to remove with normal cleaning and needs to be removed by dentist using a process called scaling.

Tooth decay is not only increased by poor standards of oral hygiene. Maintaining a healthy diet and eating and drinking food low in sugar can help to keep decay to a minimum. Sugary foods increase the production of plaque acid that is the main cause of decay.

Tooth decay can be treated at several stages depending on the seriousness. Mild decay can be treated by increasing cleaning and oral hygiene. Larger cavities will need to be repaired with a dental filling. This is when the dentist removes any decaying enamel and uses a composite resin to fill the cavity. The resin is then set hard to protect the enamel from any further erosion. Large cavities are sometimes filled with ceramic inlays for an extra degree of structural protection.

If tooth decay has occurred to the point that the centre of the tooth is infected, a dentist will need to perform a root canal procedure. This involves drilling a hole into the tooth to allow the dentist to remove the infected material. Once the centre of the tooth and nerve are clean, the dentist will fill the root canal with medicine before sealing the tooth with a filling and possibly a dental crown. Root canal procedures are quite unpleasant and should be avoided if possible. The best way to avoid root canal treatment or any form of tooth decay is to properly brush and floss your teeth and keep up regular appointments with a Leeds dentist. By staying on top of tooth decay you could save yourself a lot of pain and money in the future.

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Whiter teeth with Enlighten form Leeds dentist

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

It is a fact of life that as we get older, just as our hair turns grey, our teeth also begin to lose their natural colour. Just like greying, this affects some people more than others, but all of us will suffer from gradually discolouring teeth in our lives. The introduction of teeth whitening has been able to halt this process and even reverse it. No longer prohibitively expensive, teeth whitening is now offered by most dentists as a cheap and easy cosmetic procedure, and can now even be carried out in the comfort of your own home. The home Enlighten tooth whitening system is one of the first to genuinely and safely provide whiter teeth.

Teeth become stained when a filmy substance called pellicle builds up on the enamel. With time this gradually begins to stain the teeth. Conventional brushing and flossing can remove pellicle, but once the enamel itself becomes stained it is not possible to clean by brushing. There are certain foods that are more likely to stain teeth than others with red wine and coffee being particularly big offenders. Other lifestyle choices can also effect teeth discoloration with all forms of tobacco products being very harmful to the tooth enamel. But it must be said that even the most abstemious person will still suffer from tooth discoloration

When stains have affected the enamel, whitening becomes the only option to return the teeth to their natural colour. This involves using a substance containing hydrogen peroxide which bleaches the teeth removing any stains. Enlighten gels are used in special trays that fit around the teeth covering them. These trays can be worn for long periods during the day for more effective whitening and can even be worn during the night time. Enlighten is able to lighten teeth by up to ten shades if used correctly and is specially designed to reduce sensitivity, which can be a common side effect of tooth whitening procedures. Ask a Leeds dentist about the Enlighten tooth whitening system at your next appointment.

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Brushing and flossing advice from Central Leeds dentist

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

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.

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Central Leeds dentist prevents bleeding gums

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

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.

If you do have bleeding gums your first action should be to see a dentist immediately. They will be able to ascertain whether the bleeding is due to gum disease or whether it is rooted in something more serious. If it is gum disease what can be done about it? Well, the first line of defence begins at home with more effective brushing and flossing. Flossing is particularly good for gums as it cleans below the gum line, somewhere ordinary brushing finds hard to reach. Make sure you use a high quality toothbrush and some dentists will also recommend mouthwash. Keeping plaque at bay is the key to having healthy gums. Gum disease is nearly always reversible so it is never too late so start keeping high standards of oral hygiene.plaque

Bleeding gums is quite a serious problem and an indicator that the gum disease is taking hold. The bleeding is caused by tartar build up irritating the gums and causing them to rupture and bleed. Tartar is hardened plaque that cannot be removed by conventional brushing and flossing at home, so it is always vital to see the dentist if you have bleeding gums. In very serious cases of gum disease, it may be necessary for the dentist to prescribe anti-biotics and in some circumstances even remove some of the gingival tissue.

If your gums are bleeding or you suspect that you may have gum disease visit a Central Leeds dentist as soon as possible.

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