Category: Gum Health
Over the past month we randomly surveyed our patients to find out what they really wanted to know about oral hygiene. Here are the top 5 queries you raised…
- What can I do if I have sore or bleeding gums while at home?
If you have sore, swollen gums or if they bleed when you brush your teeth it might be the early sign of gum disease. It is vital to make an appointment to see your dental hygienist or a dentist for a thorough gum health examination. Your clinician can then advise you on the best course of action to reduce and/or reverse the effects of gum disease. It is important to maintain as good oral hygiene as possible until you see you your hygienist or dentist.
- I brush my teeth twice a day and I still wake up in the morning with bad breath. What can I do to help this?
Poor oral hygiene, gum disease, tooth decay, or mouth infections can be causes of bad breath. Diet as well as tobacco and alcohol use may also be factors in causing bad breath. First of all it is important to visit your dental hygienist or a dentist if you develop a bad breath. Your dentist or dental hygienist will be able to find out the main cause of bad breath and help to eliminate it.
- My kids hate brushing their teeth. What can I do to encourage my kids to take better care of their teeth?
Let them copy you. You can buy them the same colour toothbrush as you have, which maybe more entertaining for them. You can also let your kids try brushing your teeth and then you can brush theirs to make sure they are actually clean. If you make it look like fun, the kids will want to do it 🙂
It is also good to get your kids used to visiting the dentist and hygienist from early on. This will get your child used to the noises, smells and surroundings and prepare them for future visits. It will also give them the chance to focus on learning about their teeth in an appropriate environment.
- There are so many electric brushes available now. Which one is the best?
In my opinion there is no best brush. It all depends on patients’ needs and individual choices.
Brushing with an electric toothbrush can help you keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy. It is important to make sure you choose the right one. Prices can vary from as little as £10 to over £200. They can be rotating, pulsating or sonic brushes. So how do you choose the right one? It depends on:
- Expert recommendation to suit your teeth from your hygienist or dentist.
- Size – make sure the brush head gives you easy access to all surfaces of your teeth.
- Effectiveness – rotation/oscillation is traditionally the most effective for brushing but new vibrating or sonic movement brushes have been proven to be very effective as well.
- Likability – if you enjoy using your toothbrush, you are more likely to use it all the time.
- Battery life – if you travel a lot battery life could be very important.
These days, you can get electric brushes with wifi or blue tooth connectivity. These are meant to increase your engagement in your tooth brushing, prompting you on things like brushing time and pressure. These are all well and good, but it does not replace the self motivation needed to ensure you are brushing you teeth properly.
- I do a lot of exercise and sports and consume high sugar foods and drinks to replenish my energy. How can I best protect my teeth?
Drinking sugary drinks and consuming high sugar foods can contribute to tooth decay. However, those who consume more sugar than average can still maintain healthy teeth. Here are a few tips that can help prevent cavities for sugar lovers:
- Drinking plenty of water and ensure your mouth is not dry. Saliva or water neutralises the acid on your teeth (particularly after eating/drinking sugars).
- Brushing your teeth more often especially after consuming sugary drinks or snacks or at least make sure to rinse your mouth out with water.
- Use fluoride mouth rinse to remove as much sugar as possible.
- Chewing sugar-free gum can help you increase the production of saliva and removing any sugar coating on your teeth.
- If possible choose less sugary snacks like fresh fruits.
The key to protect your teeth from cavities after eating sugary foods is simply to prevent the mouth from remaining coated in the acid-forming sugars found in sweets and energy drinks after eating/drinking.
For more information about hygiene treatment at Aura Dental, check out our website at auradentallondon.com or get in contact to book your hygiene appointment with Justina
Looking for dentists in St. John’s Wood? Aura dental are taking on new patients all the time and would love to hear from you! We are a highly skilled dental centre based in St. John’s Wood and have dentists to suit everyone!
How often should I see my dentist?
How often you need to see your dentists in St. John’s Wood really depends on the current health of your teeth and gums. An average recommendation is that your visit your dentist at least once a year in order to have a check-up and possibly a clean if needed. For people whose dental health isn’t as good as it could be, a dentist may require you to visit more frequently, say every six or every three months.
When you have a dentist in St. John’s Wood they will be able to examine you and advise on how frequently you will need to visit them. Children under the age of 18 will need to be seen at least once a year, as their teeth, gums and jaw continue to grow over time, and dentists will want to make sure that they are growing in the correct way.
What happens during a dental check-up?
At each check-up, dentists will do some or all of the following:
- Examine your teeth, gums and mouth in general
- Ask you about your general health and any problems you’ve had with your teeth, mouth or gums since your last visit.
- Ask you about your diet and give you advice on your diet, smoking and alcohol use, and teeth-cleaning habits.
- Discuss any treatment you may need and arrange a date for your next visit.
A check-up is your opportunity to talk to your dentist about anything you have been concerned about, perhaps bleeding gums or pain in a tooth, and it will allow them to take a better look at those problem areas to check that everything is okay.
So don’t leave it too long before you visit your dentists in St. John’s Wood. Contact Aura Dental today to make an appointment with one of our dentists, or for more information on any of the services we offer.
Did you know that dentists don’t just play a vital role in protection your oral health, but also in looking after your general health and wellbeing, too? Aura Dental in St John’s Wood offers a full range of general dental services for all the family, from toddlers whose first teeth have just started to emerge to older people in need of tooth replacements.
Our St John’s Wood dentists also provide special, customised care for particular groups, including pregnant women, teenagers, those who have weakened immune systems and are more at risk of gum disease, and people who have lost all of their natural teeth.
Think about dentists and you probably envisage friendly clinicians checking out the health of your teeth and gums. Healthy teeth and gums are vital to maintaining good overall health. Gum disease has been linked by numerous studies to a range of general health conditions, including heart and lung disease and low birth weight or premature birth for babies whose mothers suffered from a severe form of the condition.
When you come to our St John’s Wood dental practice for a general check-up, your dentist will perform a thorough clinical examination and will address any oral health concerns. Dentists can spot the very early signs of conditions such as gum disease and tooth decay, often before you’ve noticed anything yourself. The dentists at our St John’s Wood practice will also use x-rays as needed to check inside the teeth and below any existing restorations such as fillings or crowns.
Dentists are also able to spot early warning signs of mouth cancer. We will screen for mouth cancer as part of your standard dental check-up at our St John’s Wood clinic. Oral cancers can occur anywhere in the mouth and still have a high ratio of deaths to number of cases diagnosed, so if your dentist spots anything untoward they will refer you immediately to a hospital consultant for further investigation.
We also offer emergency dental appointments at our St John’s Wood clinic. We will always try to get you in to see one of our dentists on the same day when possible.
Periodontal disease can happen to anyone, but diabetics are at greater risk of the same. Although most people are unaware that gum problems are a complication of diabetes, such cases are common. In fact, statistics show that 1 in 3 diabetic patients would likely suffer from gum disease at some point over the course of their struggle with diabetes.
Diabetes and Gum Disease: The Missing Link
There are many ways diabetes increases the risk for gum disease. The primary contributing factor, however, is poor blood sugar control. Diabetics have increased amounts of glycated proteins or lipids in the body, which are the very elements that compromise periodontal health. Although the exact link is still unknown to science, health practitioners have many theories.
The first one is that glycated substances severely affect the body’s defence against foreign elements, like bacteria. As diabetes weakens the immune system, patient then face heightened risk for infections and eventually, periodontal disease. The second theory is that heightened levels of glycated substances increase inflammatory response in the location of infection, which in this case is the gums and surrounding tissues.
Another possible link between diabetes and gum disease is the thickening of blood vessels. Blood vessels are responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to different parts of the body and transporting waste products away from these tissues.
As diabetes causes blood vessels to thicken, proper flow of nutrients and removal of harmful toxins gets compromised. This again contributes to a weaker resistance against gum and bone tissue infection.
Prevention of Oral Problems
Diabetics with poorly controlled blood glucose levels are more susceptible to serious gum diseases and tooth loss. Prevention, however, is possible. The most important step is to control blood sugar levels and maintain good oral hygiene.
Brush your teeth after eating, but not immediately after, because brushing too soon may damage the enamel. Use a toothbrush that has soft bristles and avoid applying excessive force when cleaning teeth. Make sure to visit your dentist regularly as well; inform them about changes in your condition and about any medication you are taking. With this, experts will be able to monitor your oral health more effectively.
For more information about periodontal diseases, refer to our blog page or visit our clinic today. Our dental team will be more than happy to attend to your dental needs.
The human body is a collection of systems; what happens in one part will affect the others. When you have a problem with your gums and teeth, chances are the rest of your body will mirror its effects.
Periodontal conditions can affect the rest of your body in a rather simple fashion. The bacteria found in your mouth may find a way to make it into the bloodstream.
Below is a rundown of diseases and conditions linked to gum diseases:
The American Academy of Periodontology found that there is a connection between periodontal diseases and cardiovascular conditions. Those suffering from gum diseases have greater odds of suffering from a heart attack.
While the relationship between gum disease and dementia is not causation, the bacteria from the mouth can get into bloodstream, reach the brain and worsen the disease. Researchers propose that bacteria causes the death of nerve cells.
Periodontitis during pregnancy increases a woman’s odds of giving birth sooner than expected. Women whose pregnancies are at less than 37 weeks are at risk. If you are expecting, we advise you to have your gums checked and your pregnancy closely monitored.
More often than not, diabetics have gum problems. The reason behind this is the high glucose level in their blood. Bacteria feed on sugar, and this causes them to flourish and become difficult to curb. Things may get worse if you are a heavy smoker or your medication contains some components that may cause high blood pressure.
Gum diseases can increase risks of different diseases and complications. If you are concerned about your dental health and the well-being of your body in general, we strongly encourage you to have your gums and teeth regularly checked. Contact us today or visit our other pages to learn more about our dental services.
When people think of oral hygiene, they only focus on keeping their teeth white and preventing tooth decay. Gum health is often overlooked and only gets attention when the pink tissue starts to bleed or gets inflamed. Some even ignore gum inflammation, thinking it will get better on its own.
If you are one of those people who overlook gum health, you could be at risk of tooth loss, gum disease or breathing complications. Find out more about the other serious repercussions of ignoring gum health.
Bone and Tooth Loss
Serious gum disease can lead to bone loss around your teeth, preventing them from becoming unstable. As the disease progresses, it will break down connective gum tissues and destroy bone. In fact, gum or periodontal disease is the most common reason for tooth loss among adults.
Progressive and chronic gum disease can affect many pregnant women. If you are carrying a child and suffering from this disease, you are likely to develop gestational diabetes and deliver a premature or low-birth-weight baby. This is why oral hygiene and gum care is more important when you are pregnant.
Heart Disease and Stroke
Several studies show that gum inflammation can raise your risk of stroke and heart disease. This is because gum disease increases the inflammation throughout the body, which can lead to cardiovascular problems. You are also almost twice as likely to have coronary artery disease.
When you have periodontal disease, you are more likely to inhale germs that can result in lung infections. This is because of the excessive bacteria breeding in your mouth. If you have pre-existing lung problem like chronic pulmonary disease, gum disease may also make it worse.
Blood Sugar Control Issues
When you have diabetes, you are at more risk of developing periodontal problems. Gum disease will also make it hard for you to control diabetes. It is alarming for severe conditions, as it can put you at increased risk for diabetic complications. Fortunately, getting the gum disease under control can also help control diabetes.
Don’t let gum disease compromise your oral health and overall health. Follow a good oral hygiene routine and be sure to schedule regular dental check-ups. Browse through website today and find out how we can help keep your oral health in its prime condition.