It’s not often that something comes along for dentists in the city of Leeds that not only gives them a certain amount of chic, cool and kudos, but is spot on for the customers too. Stand up CEREC and take a bow! We live in an extremely ‘want it now’ society and this treatment delivers it ‘now’. When it comes to hiding the age of your teeth (and you with it!), more and more of us, are turning to cosmetic dentistry to save our bacon and turn back the years. Veneers have always been a popular choice as they cover everything up, from gaps and receding gums, to discoloured, worn and cracked teeth. They have also spawned a range of hybrids such as Lumineers- all designed to do the same job. Crowns and bridges also get your mouth in to shape beautifully. Thing is, it normally took about 4 weeks to complete all of these treatments because the parts had to be sent off for from some lab miles away. Not anymore! With CEREC, these parts can be made whilst the dentist is getting you ready for your fitting. You go in, have a couple digital photo’s taken that are fed into a machine, that then manufactures your parts on the spot. 2 hours later, you hit the streets smiling like a film legend. Perfect if you have a pressing engagement scheduled for that day. Best of all, any problems with the fitting can be rectified on the spot and it costs as much as the as the old 4 week long treatments.
One of the problems with correcting a crooked set of teeth is the time involved with the treatment, which has been proven to put people off from even bothering in the first place, especially those who, pardon the pun, are a little long in the tooth? Well those of you in Leeds, who have ‘bucked’ or twisted teeth at the front of the mouth, sit up and take notice, for there’s an aligner available that will blow your mind. It’s called the Inman and it rocks….literally! This sensational little device works painlessly by gently keeping your teeth on the move, because while it applies pressure on the outside with a barely noticeable wire, a spring activated bar reverses the pressures on the inside; it rocks your teeth into place! And this device has an added bonus of being removable. Imagine the freedom that affords when having a meal, socialising for a couple of hours and cleaning your teeth! It’s not an expensive treatment either, considering the engineering that goes into this device and the way it works. After the treatment a retainer will have to be worn for a while, usually whilst you sleep or when you’re alone to prevent the treatment from reversing itself. But if you are still stubbornly unsure about going down this avenue, then maybe this little fact will make you wake up and see the light. The treatment is complete, done and dusted in as little as…..wait for it……6 weeks! The Inman rocks alright!!!
In the days when fluoride first came to light, along with many new treatments around then, they were thrown onto the open market as the new ‘must have’, without proper research done to see if there were any side affects attached. However, on the whole, fluoride has come through, pretty much unscathed. But as good as it’s track record is, it does have some ‘alarming’ qualities too, which is why some dentists in Leeds are turning to less toxic products to treat their patients with, especially children. Kids love to eat toothpaste and swallow more than they should. This can be quite dangerous, as too much fluoride in the bloodstream can discolour teeth and leave unwanted deposits in the brain, which is why many children’s toothpastes are fluoride free. Yet the use of fluoride still notches up wonderful successes in dental treatments. It’s invaluable for promoting minerals and hardening enamel in teeth, and fighting decay by keeping saliva levels up-which is important for killing off acids and bacteria in the mouth and hence keeping plaque and gum disease at bay. All this is possible because all forms of products associated with oral hygiene have some level of fluoride in them. In a modern world, there is enough information at hand to make a logical, informed decision for yourself and of course you have your dentist. But like anything in life, everything done in moderation is going to be fairly harmless in the long run…isn’t it?
Living and working in the city of Leeds can be exciting but at the same time, very stressful, and stress is one of those modern problems that’s easy to overlook- and it throws up side affects that you may not notice at first. One such problem is teeth grinding and it’s an important issue to get under control, for it can cause all manner of problems throughout the upper body. A lot of pressure is put on the joints between the upper and lower jaws, but if this starts to suffer from overload, it can cause damage to the ears, the head neck, and the upper back; teeth grinding can compound the problem so there is a great need to get your stress and behaviour managed. It’s important to identify daytime stresses so that you have a chance to unwind in the evening before you go to sleep, for it’s here that most of the grinding will take place. A dentist can always supply you with a mouth guard, but that will only protect the teeth; the physical grinding will still continue and so will the pressures on the jaws. Before you go to sleep, it’s important to prepare yourself and learn to relax. You should avoid any form of caffeine and opt for herbal teas before bed; baths with essential oils, the burning of herbal oils, reading and ‘chilling out’ to calming music are excellent ways to de-stress. If you have any issues with this problem, it’s important to seek out advice from your dentist.
A lot of people in Leeds live alone these days, that’s not to say that they aren’t happy with the arrangement, but it does make them vulnerable when it comes to problems that occur in the body while they sleep. You may not know if you snore, which is fine, because you don’t have a long term suffering partner that has to deal with it. But irregular sleeping patterns can lead to serious health issues. One of the symptoms is tiredness and extreme fatigue throughout the day, which may indicate the presence of sleep apnea. The heart, lungs and heart monitor each other as you sleep and rely on communication. Break the cycle and the system is in danger of shutting down altogether. Which is why it’s important to keep the airwaves free from blockage, because as soon as the air stops getting to the brain, it panics and sends emergency signals to the heart to pump more blood and air around the body. If any of these elements break down and the breathing stops, so will the heart, which then becomes life threatening. You can cope with irregular breathing when awake, because you are conscious of the problem. When you are asleep however, you are reliant on your heart, brain, lungs that in turn rely on the intake of air into the body. Breathing problems can be addressed by consulting with your dentist who may well prescribe a device to enable you to breathe more freely. This is also important for the flow of saliva in the mouth too, keeping your mouth and teeth in a natural state of flux to aid your breathing.
At some point in our lives, at least half of us in central Leeds will come up against gum disease and though it can be stopped, it’s not considered to be reversible. Usually caused by poor diet and oral hygiene, or a poor immune system, gum disease is a very destructive agent to the mouth and the rest of your body (it’s linked to blood disorders and heart disease). When plaque and tartar build up around the teeth, the gums can become infected. Early signs are bleeding, weeping or receding gums, and loose teeth. Gum disease can be tackled at home through general oral health care, antibiotics or herbal remedies. But it may require help from your dentist to deep scale around the teeth to remove plaque, and plane to remove bacteria from inside the root; whatever you do to treat the problem, it requires constant attention, as it can easily return. If the problem is allowed to go further though, it can lead to tooth decay and even tooth loss. This again, depending on how bad it has become, is normally treated at the dentist, with fillings or root canal treatment. One of the sure fire ways of fighting gum disease and tooth decay, other than regular brushing and flossing, is to make sure you see your dentists at least twice a year. They can pick up on any problems quickly and then treat them.
It’s hard to believe that some of the products that we buy over the counter in Leeds, that we believe to promote the health of our mouths, can actually have the opposite affect and make our breath worse. One of the causes of bad breath is the drying up of saliva in the mouth, saliva being the main component in the fight against bacteria. Bacteria breeds, it becomes pungent, and can then lead on to gum disease and tooth decay that also give off bad odours. Certain whitening toothpastes contain baking sodas, sodium lauryl sulfate
