You have to credit technology and the people who are sweating away behind the scenes to make sure that all walks of life are filled with remedies and solutions to the minutest of problems. If you want the best example of this, just delve into the world of modern dentistry around in Leeds right now. Who’d have thought fifty years ago, that we would talking about sorting out our teeth in our own homes- ourselves! Enter into the arena home bleaching kits. There is a large array of products to buy that enable you to bleach your teeth at home, in your own time. Whitening toothpastes are very good these days, so it would be useful to check these out first to see how your teeth and gums react to mild bleaching agents. The next, again, milder technique is a bleaching pen, which allows you more finite control over what you whiten. But if you are willing to throw yourself in the deep end, then go and invest in a full kit that will supply you with a bleaching tray and the bleaching agent. All you do is fill the tray with the bleach, fix it against the teeth and then remove it after half an hour; and the results? Well if you consider that the popularity and demand for these kits is on the increase, it speaks volumes for how effective they are. And if you need another carrot dangled in front of your nose, check out the price of these kits, for they start at around £20!
Gum disease is a dangerous condition to have, not only for the teeth and gums, but for the organs in the body that keep us going. Normally if we have problems such as weeping, bleeding and swollen gums, we’d naturally go running to the nearest dentist in Leeds and expect them to ‘mend’ us. Of course, they will give it a damn good go; they will treat you for plaque and tartar and repair your gums the best they can, this may involve tissue and bone grafting and deep cleaning and scaling- the modern way. Ironically though, the modern dentist is not all about cut, drill and stitch, this new breed are equally aware of the benefits and value that herbal remedies offer, in conjunction with the mechanical treatments, to dentistry and the fight against gum disease. Gums have their own agenda and need attention just as much as your teeth do. They need soothing and massaging when gum disease is in town and there are some great ways of doing this. When you floss, dip the thread into some tea tree oil first and then work it into the gums and if you massage some aloe-vera into the gums afterwards, it soothes and reduces inflammation. If your gums are sore, clove oil will improve the pain threshold no end. But the king of herbal remedies for gums is Echinacea that is great for the teeth, the gums and the immune system. If you put a few drops in some warm water, swish and then swallow, you are really giving you gums a fighting chance of beating disease.
Teeth and body, body and teeth- all of the parts that build up body’s constitution bounce of each other so if you keep your body healthy in the city of Leeds, you will keep your teeth healthy too. A good diet will keep everything functioning as it should, your immune system will be strong, and this will be reflected in your teeth and your smile. However, start abusing your body and you start putting your teeth at risk. It’s a vicious circle- bad food in, bad body, back into the mouth and bad teeth. More disturbingly, if your mouth develops gum disease, this can then start poisoning the blood, that flows into the heart and other organs and after time, they will lose the will to fight. Gum disease has also been linked to osteoporosis and diabetes that will then turn around and affect the mouth again. Getting the message? Another damaging health link between the body and the teeth is that of bruxism or teeth grinding. If you suffer from this condition, you are not only damaging the jaw joint, but effectively, promoting problems such and ear and headaches, neck damage and complications in the upper back. The body is a compact, complex and complete unit and each part of it relies on the other parts to function. Keep your mouth healthy and watch what you put in it, and your body will react accordingly.
Ever get the feeling that people are avoiding you and recoiling away when it’s your turn to speak? Yes? Well then, have you ever considered that it’s not what you say, but the smell that comes with it? Bad breath is a real problem in central Leeds that has to be recognized and then eliminated, for you own sake, and to fight it, you may have to prepare yourself for a change in how you live your life. For a start, how’s your diet? Because if it’s poor, you could be diminishing your immune system- the very thing that maintains saliva levels in your mouth. How’s your oral hygiene? Because if you are falling behind with that and dental visits, you could be allowing rotting food to fester between your teeth, and promoting plaque and gum disease in the mouth and none of these are going to be aromatic to the nostrils. Do you smoke and drink a little more than you should? You definitely need to get to a dentist as soon as possible to discuss these issues. Sure they can repair the damage to your teeth and gums, but the point is you need to change. With all the above addressed, you can then focus on the hygiene side of the mouth. There are products available to address bad breath, especially formulated mouth-washes, but there are also some cracking herbal remedies flying around to help calm the mouth down and return your breath to an acceptable level.
There has been a lot written about the effectiveness of mouth-washes. Generally, it errs on the side that they are an unnecessary luxury that can actually do more harm than good to some people. But everyone is different in Leeds and as we know from all walks of life, it’s a case of horses for courses, and to dismiss mouth-washes as unnecessary might extremely premature. Most of them contain alcohol and salts, which are proven to be an enemy of bacteria and anything that attacks bacteria, can only be good for the mouth. Mouth-washes tend to be herded into two categories, therapeutic and cosmetic. Therapeutic ones work to fight plaque and gum disease, with plaque, the wash will contain ingredients that are proven to help in the buildup and removal of plaque, and with gum disease, the wash will contain oils, even herbal ingredients, that help to soothe the gums and help regenerate them. Cosmetic mouth-washes help beat dry mouth and bad breath, moistening the mouth during the rinse and promote saliva levels in the mouth. Basic mouth-washes often contain some elements of fluoride, the one element that can put minerals back into the enamel of the teeth. As well as this, flushing your mouth after eating is also a healthy way of removing sticky foods, breaking them down as it goes. Mouth-washes- unnecessary?
From a very early age we are taught to brush our teeth every day to keep our teeth clean and healthy and if you get the right brush and paste combination that suits you, it should be enough. But is just brushing your teeth enough in Central Leeds? Pointers from dentists in the area would say no. The rules attached to oral hygiene are to primarily ensure bacteria and plaque are removed from the mouth, and both of these emanate from food deposits left in the mouth. Certain foods adhere to the surface a lot more than others, get in between the teeth and are more difficult to remove with regular brushing, which is where flossing, inter-dental brushes and mouthwashes come in. Tiny brushes and floss can be worked gently between the teeth to remove these problems from between the teeth and backed up will a good mouth-wash you have the complete oral hygiene program at your disposal. On the subject of bacteria, it’s not just the teeth and gums you should concentrate on, the tongue and the roof and floor of the mouth, also harbor bacteria so these should be cleaned as well, especially the tongue, and most brushes have a facility to stroke the surface of the tongue with. If you are unsure about the way you brush and floss, your dentist can give you pointers on you technique.
