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Archive for the ‘oral hygeine’ Category

Leeds Dentist Stresses the Importance of Oral Hygiene

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

A Leeds dentist was talking about the dropping standards of oral hygiene amongst the patients that he sees in his clinic. The unfortunate part is that most people do not know how badly they are affecting their health by neglecting this aspect of their lives.
There is more to oral hygiene than just preventing tooth decay and bad breath. These are certainly two things that can be prevented if you brush your teeth regularly, but lack of oral hygiene can have even worse consequences. At the very least you will have to face bigger dental bills since you will have no option but to go in for procedures such as root canal treatments if your teeth have rotten too much to be saved with a simple filling. Your love life and even profession can suffer as a result of this since people will be put off by your bad breath.
You need to brush your teeth at least twice a day and you also need to keep it clean in between meals at least by rinsing with water. Flossing is also very important, and so is a six month check up with a dentist. Avoid sugary drinks and foods in between meals and never make the mistake of sleeping without cleaning your mouth.
If you do not clean your mouth regularly, plaque will build up, leading to tartar formation which can eventually cause heart disease.
Oral hygiene is very easily done if you are disciplined in your habits. Make these changes before it is too late.

Oral Hygiene and how to achieve it. By a Leeds dentist

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Every dentist surgery has a dental hygiene nurse; their job is to advise you on the best ways to prevent dental problems. Yet, not many patients actually ask their advice says a Leeds dentist. Oral Hygiene is the most important job we perform each day, if carried out properly then it will keep infections and bad breath away. It will also save us time in the dentist chair and money. There are 24 hours in a day and for the whole of that time out mouths are a hive of activity, most of it working against our teeth. At night our saliva gland sleeps when we sleep, saliva not only helps us swallow food, it also neutralises oral acid that is produced when bad bacteria feeds off fat and sugary debris that is trapped in between our teeth. Throughout the day that bacteria is feeding and producing acid that wears down the enamel on our teeth, so it is important we keep our mouths clean and watered all day and night. Tartar is a by-product of this process and is generally removed when we have our 6 monthly check ups, but in between visits it is eating away at our teeth. Before we brush we need to floss the teeth, this will loosen up the debris and any residue that is left from the night time. Then a vigorous brushing will loosen more, and finally a good rinse will remove the final bits. Throughout the day you can keep acid down by constantly swigging just plain water.

Bad Breath! Is it curable? A Leeds dentist gives their advice

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Bad breath, if you`re lucky can be simply down to odorous foods eaten earlier on, if you`re not so lucky it can be down to a poor dental hygiene regime says a Leeds dentist. Some dental patients are even diagnosed with unrelated diseases that can be a cause of poor breath. If you`re diabetic or suffer from a liver disease then this can be the cause, but for most of us it’s a case of a poor hygiene plan. At every dental surgery there is a dental hygiene nurse, and their job is to give that extra after care to patients, especially in preventative dental matters. Start by consulting them, and in the meantime try these simple, but affective ways of cleaning your teeth and keeping acid and bacteria production down. Flossing is the most understated method of clean teeth that is available; it will loosen up and remove the food debris that causes acid. So, start off the day with a good flossing, get floss that suits you as well, ask the people in the chemist to recommend one. After that, brush your teeth vigorously and don`t forget those nooks and crannies. Then rinse your mouth with a good, not a cheap, mouth rinse, and carry with you a tooth pick and floss stick. Every time you eat something, floss and pick, then rinse with water. This will keep acid at bay, and with it the bacteria that causes bad breath, chewing mints will just temporarily hide the problem. Also drink water throughout the day as this too will help.

Leeds dentists stress the importance of children’s oral hygiene

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

The oral health of your child is of very great importance and significance as it can affect the health of their teeth for the rest of their lives. It is our responsibility as parents to ensure that we do all we can to look after the health of our children’s teeth to give them the best possible start in life.

No parent ever wants to see their child in pain or discomfort but by neglecting their oral health you could be setting your child up for a future of dental pain and complications. Problems with our teeth are rarely instant but instead increasingly build up and worsen over time. By failing to ensure our children are practising good methods of oral hygiene and making sure they visit a Leeds dentist every six months you could be allowing tooth decay and gum disease to get the upper hand.

Dentists advise that you take an active interest in teaching your children how to effectively clean their teeth. Try not to force your children to clean their teeth as this could cause resentment but instead try and turn it into a game or reward them for doing it well. Instilling good oral hygiene habits when they are young will hopefully stay with them as they grow.

Of course there is a time after your child is born when they are unable to look after their teeth themselves and the duty falls upon you, the parent. Leeds dentists can advise the best way to look after your child’s teeth by cleaning the gums and teeth with a wet gauze and gently starting to brush when the teeth are ready.

It is also important to ensure that your kids are not eating too much sugary food, which could be excessively damaging their teeth. Try to avoid buying them sugary drinks and sweets, which are very bad for their teeth. Your dentist can provide you with more information about the foods most suitable for healthy teeth.

Find out the causes of bad breath at Central Leeds dentist

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Bad breath can affect all of us at certain times. It can be particularly embarrassing and difficult because it is almost impossible to know if you are suffering from it. This is why so many people are anxious and resort to all sorts of lengths to make sure their breath is fresh. Just search the internet to see how many different cures and secret remedies are available if you part with your hard earned money. There is certainly a lot of money exploiting people’s anxieties and fears.

It is important to know the truth about bad breath before you start throwing your money around. There are several causes of bad breath but over 90% of the cases of bad breath that occur originate in the mouth. It is possible for bad breath to be caused by internal problems but this is something that should be looked into when all else has failed. It is more likely that your bad breath is being caused by poor standards of oral hygiene or insufficient appointments at the dentist.

Food debris that is trapped in the hard to reach places in the mouth, such as between the teeth and in the small pockets around the base of the teeth and gums is the perfect place for bacteria to accumulate. This then begins to decay and releases a nasty smelling odour, which is carried out on the breath. This can be remedied by more effective brushing and flossing, making sure the teeth are free from food particles and as much bacteria as possible.

The other major cause of bad breath is the unpleasant odour released by diseased gums. This is very distinctive but can be easily treated by a Central Leeds dentist and again with more effective cleaning. Make sure you always brush your gums as well as your teeth as this will remove plaque and bacteria that builds up there and causes gum disease.

Importance of oral hygiene explained by Leeds dentist

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

There are many reasons why dental hygiene is very important. Firstly, the mouth is the gateway to the rest of the body. All food goes in through the mouth and it is also used for breathing. Having an unhygienic mouth can expose your body to many bacteria that can live in the mouth if not properly controlled. It is also true that the smell given off by this bacteria can be carried out of the mouth by breathing giving you the unpleasant condition of bad breath. For these reasons, it is important to keep the mouth as clean and fresh as possible.

There are obviously dental reasons for keeping all parts of the mouth clean as well. Teeth and gums can become surrounded in a bacteria-rich substance called plaque if it is not removed. This reacts with the decaying bacteria to release acids that cause a breakdown of the protective enamel layer of the teeth. This is the first step towards tooth decay, infection and ultimately tooth loss. Plaque that builds up on the gums causes irritation and periodontal disease. This can be particularly nasty, causing the gums to bleed and exposing the blood stream to further infection. There is an established link between gum disease and heart disease so there is a real reason to keep your teeth and gums as clean as possible.

Apart from the obvious and serious health consequences you also have to consider the financial cost of poor oral hygeien

Take good care of your teeth with help from Leeds dentist

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

Taking good care of your teeth is very important. If you look after your teeth well, they will last you a lifetime but the consequences of ignoring dental hygiene can result in pain, expensive treatment and embarrassing dental conditions. From an early age we are all taught how to clean our teeth and the very good reasons for doing so, but often as people get older they become complacent or forget to look after their teeth as well as they can. Leeds dentists are urging all patients to care more for their teeth and can offer tips at check up appointments, as well as looking for any signs of decay.

The best ways to look after your teeth are to clean them effectively and to see a dentist for a check up every six months. Good oral hygiene involves the routine brushing and flossing of teeth. This will remove bacteria and plaque, which will limit the threat of tooth decay and gum disease. Dentists say you should brush twice a day for at least three minutes. Use a soft-bristled brush for maximum effect. Flossing is also very important as it removes food and plaque form the more hard to reach areas, such as between the teeth.

However, even the most dedicated oral hygiene routine can still come under attack from the menace that is decay. This is why it is so important to see a dentist as often as every six months. This won’t give the decay any chance to take serious hold so treatment can be carried out before the problem has become too severe. Dentists will spot the early signs of decay and can help you to alter your routine to defend against it.

Get that dentist clean feel with scaling and polishing at Central Leeds dentist

Friday, May 7th, 2010

The clean feeling you get after you have been to the dentist is hard to beat and almost impossible to recreate at home, no matter how hard you try to clean your teeth. That is because dentists are experts and able to use special tools and techniques to get your teeth as clean as they can possibly be. This will almost always involve techniques called scaling and polishing.

Scaling is the process of using a small, sharpened hook to scrape the plaque and tartar away from the surface of the teeth. Plaque builds up around the surface enamel of the teeth and causes erosion, which leads to cavities, the main cause of tooth decay and infection. Plaque can be removed at home with brushing and flossing but if allowed to remain will eventually become tartar. This is an ugly yellow-brown substance that discolours the teeth and also continues to erode the enamel. Tartar can be removed by scaling, which not only returns the teeth to a whiter, more natural and healthy colour, but also protects them against further damage from erosion. The dentist or hygienist will carefully scale all the areas of the teeth, removing built up plaque and tartar by scraping it loose. This may sound a lot more unpleasant than it actually is and is in fact an almost completely painless procedure.

After the teeth have been fully scaled they can then be polished. This involves buffing the surface of the teeth with an electric cleaner. This not only makes the teeth look much better, but also leaves them very smooth and more difficult for plaque to cling to. This can be carried out as a one off procedure or part of a wider smile makeover. Ask your Central Leeds dentist for more information about scaling and polishing.

Dental hygiene could keep your whole body healthy say City of Leeds dentists

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

The oral cavity can be an indicator of overall health. Many diseases that affect the body are first visibly noticed by an examination of the mouth. This explains why doctors always examine your tongue during check ups and when looking to make a diagnosis. But it can also work the other way round. Your overall health can be affected by the health of your mouth.

In fact, we often tend to look at our bodies as a set of distinct parts but in reality it is an incredibly complex and intricate system where all parts are interconnected and affect each other. This means that any problem affecting the oral cavity can also have effects on other parts of the body. This is especially true of the mouth because it acts as a gateway to the rest of the body.

Dental problems such as dental decay and gum disease are caused by bacteria and plaque building up in the mouth. If this is not cleaned well enough it will begin to remove tooth enamel and irritate the gums. If these issues are addressed soon enough, they can be easily treated but many patients think that dental problems will clear up on their own. This could be very dangerous because if infection us allowed to take hold, either in a decaying tooth or in the gum tissue, it can easily spread to other parts of the mouth and even enter the bloodstream.

Recent medical findings have proved that oral infections can be responsible for heart disease and could even be the cause of heart attacks. This is obviously a very serious health consequence of poor oral hygiene but one that could be very important to be aware of, especially if you are otherwise at risk. Other health consequences are also common, especially for patients suffering with chronic conditions such as diabetes or other immune deficiencies.

Looking after your teeth with effective oral hygiene and regular check ups with a City of Leeds dentist could keep your mouth and your whole body free from disease and in a healthy condition.

Central Leeds dentist explains why you should be flossing daily

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Central Leeds dentists are always stressing the importance of flossing to all patients at dental check ups. This is because despite all the evidence that points to the benefits of flossing, there is still only a relatively small percentage of people who actually do it. Nearly everyone brushes their teeth, but many people are perhaps wrongly convinced that this enough.

Just what is it that makes flossing so important? Whereas brushing cleans the flat surfaces of the front and back of the teeth, removing plaque and bacteria that build up after eating, there are many areas in the teeth and around the gums that are very difficult to reach with a conventional brush. This particularly applies to the areas between the teeth and around the base of the teeth in the gap between the gums. These areas are very susceptible to attack from bacteria and plaque, which if not removed will eventually begin to erode the enamel and irritate the gum tissue.

If this is allowed to happen, tooth decay and gum disease will usually follow and this could result in a series of very nasty dental problems. These will then require treatment, which can be unpleasant and very expensive. By brushing, and importantly, flossing correctly every day for a few minutes, you could help to make this a significantly less likely possibility.

Flossing at least once a day with an appropriate floss will help to remove food particles stuck between the teeth. These are breeding grounds for bacteria and can also cause unpleasant bad breath. Flossing around the base of the teeth stimulates the gums and removes trapped food from the small pockets between the soft gum tissue and hard tooth enamel. Ask your dentist at your next appointment about the importance of flossing and ask them to demonstrate the correct technique to avoid damaging your gums.