Our Blog

Your Child’s First Visit

Key Advice

Use fluoride toothpaste
Keep sugar to mealtimes
Visit us for regular check-up appointments

First Visits

We feel your child’s first visits to our practice are among the most important they will make.

It is often because of a bad experience early on that older children become worried about visiting a dentist. That’s why we make every effort to make sure these early experiences here are just right.

What To Expect

We encourage you to register your child with the Practice as soon after birth as possible. This allows us to enrol you on our Childsmile programme and work with you, at this crucial early stage, to help prevent dental decay and gum problems from occurring. It also lets your child get used to the strange surroundings and meet out Team in a relaxed way whilst we answer any questions you may have. It helps us spot problems early and this can avoid the need for teeth to be taken out at a later stage.

Understandably it takes some children longer to get used to their surroundings than others. Don’t be worried if, at these initial appointments we don’t manage to look in your child’s mouth. It’s more important these visits are pleasant ones and that they are taken at each individual child’s pace.

Registering Your Baby Or Child

It’s never too early to register your child. We recommend you register your baby as soon after birth as possible. This not only ensures early availability of introductory visits but also access to our out of hours emergency service and our Childsmile programme.

Older Children

We to ensure that visits as easy as possible for all children. Your child may need treatment when they first visit our practice and we try to take this slowly with a few shorter appointments initially. We spend time gradually introducing instruments and treatments and progressing as far as possible, at the individual child’s pace.

Preparing Your Older Child

You can play an important role in making these visits a success. Before attending with your child explain to them who they will meet and what will be expected of them. There are children’s books available which many parents find very helpful in doing this. Preparing your child with a positive picture is an invaluable help to us.

Young Patient's General Guide

Key Advice

Use fluoride toothpaste
Keep sugar to mealtimes
Visit us for regular check-up appointments

Brushing Tips

Children's teeth need to be brushed twice daily, after breakfast and last thing at night.

Begin brushing when your baby's first tooth appears, usually around the age of 6 months.

Use a soft dry brush with a small head so it's easy to get into the more difficult areas and we recommend changing it every 3 months.

It is best to help children up to the age of 7 to make sure inside outside and biting surfaces of their teeth are cleaned properly. Children under this age don't have the skills to do it properly themselves yet. Proper brushing takes at least 2 minutes.

Your Child's Sugar Intake

Our advice is to cut down the number of times a day your child has sugary foods and drinks. If the child is to consume these, please try to give them to the child only at mealtimes.

Sweetened drinks in baby bottles encourage decay to form very quickly within your baby's teeth. Therefore juice should be well diluted and given in a feeder cup or beaker. These are more likely to cause a problem if given at bedtime, during the night or as comforters for long periods of time.

Watch out for hidden sugars on labels, these include glucose, syrup, fructose sucrose, dextrose, maltose concentrated fruit juice, and honey. These all harm children's teeth. A hidden sugars guide can also be found on our website.

Try replacing chocolate, sweets, ice-cream, biscuits, cakes and sweet drinks with fruit, raw vegetables, cheese, crisps, crackers, bread, milk and water.

Fluoride Toothpaste

It is best to use fluoride toothpaste to clean your children's teeth. It strengthens teeth and makes them more resistant to decay. A small pea sized amount is plenty.

Encourage your child to spit out after brushing, but not rinse with water. This removes the fluoride left to work on your child's teeth after brushing.

Dental Visits

We feel this is the most important aspect of caring for your children's teeth.

Every child is different and visiting us regularly gives us the chance to detect, and take necessary action to prevent, dental problems.

Post Extraction Aftercare

Key Advice

Always remember that a clean mouth heals more rapidly than a neglected one.
Do not take alcoholic stimulants or smoke for the next 24 hours.
Rest for a few hours but do NOT lie down.
Sleep with head raised above the height of the body.
Do not be alarmed if small fragments of bone are felt because these are the edge of the socket and will be absorbed and disappear.
Some discomfort after extractions is normal and its’ intensity varies from person to person. We recommend that you take a dose of anti‐ inflammatory pain killers within one hour of the procedure and expect continue these for the following 48 – 72 hours. Do not exceed the stated dose. If the pain is severe, consult us.
On the day after the extraction, a warm saline mouthwash may be used to bathe the wound. Do not rinse out the mouth. Take a level teaspoon of salt and add it to a glass of warm water. This may be carried out after each meal until healing is complete.

If Excessive Bleeding Occurs

Avoid all exertion.
Do not use facial packs or rinse mouth.
If there has been more than one extraction, clean the mouth with tissues and see which part of the mouth is bleeding.
Use the sterile gauze provided (or some damp cotton wool if you run out) to make a small compress, place on the bleeding point, sit up and bite on it, DO NOT LIE DOWN. Maintain this position for 10‐15 minutes and repeat treatment if necessary.
Consult the surgery if excessive bleeding occurs for more than a few hours

Caring for dentures

Key Advice

If you have an old set, keep them safe in a rigid container such as a soapbox. Keep plastic dentures in water if possible to prevent them drying out. Remember to change the water regularly, and to disinfect the dentures before using them if required.
Remove your dentures after every meal and give them a thorough cleaning. This is especially important if you have some of your own teeth, which will also need to be thoroughly cleaned to stop the food getting trapped around them where they are in contact with the denture. Any proprietary denture cleanser or toothpaste is suitable, although be careful with metal frameworks, as most proprietary cleaners advise against using them on metalwork.
It is better to remove your dentures at night / while you are asleep if possible.
Disinfect the dentures once a day by soaking them in diluted Milton for at least 20 minutes. (Do not soak metal framework dentures in Milton)
Please attend for regular check-ups. 6 monthly if you still have some of your own teeth left and annually if you wear full dentures. (We still need to screen your gums, cheeks, and tongue regularly to ensure that they are healthy).

Guide to Hidden Sugars

Key to Hidden Sugars in Popular Foods

Most of us are aware that an excessive intake of sugar is bad for us. It not only damages your teeth but can also have serious implications for your general health. It may for example, increase your risk of developing diabetes or becoming obese.

Whilst food manufacturers have a legal obligation to list any sugars contained within their product, the information they provide can often be misleading. You may think that you don’t have a lot of sugar in your diet because, for example, you don’t eat sweets or take sugar in your tea and coffee. Beware! Sugar is often present in foods under a different guise. Names used include: – honey, dextrose, fructose, corn syrup, galactose, lactose, polydextrose, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, maltodextrin, turbinado sugar. For more information about food labelling please refer to our first practice newsletter which can be found here.

We have provided you with a table of some popular foodstuffs and their sugar content over the page. If you have any queries please feel free to discuss them with a member of our team.

Biscuits Sugar Content

Cakes Sugar Content

Desserts Sugar Content

Soft Drinks Sugar Content

Cereal Sugar Content

Auces & Pickles Sugar Content

Confectionery Sugar Content

Spreads Sugar Content

Hot Beverages Sugar Content

Soup Sugar Content

Tinned Veg Sugar Content

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for sugar is a maximum of 6 teaspoons per day. This includes sugar incorporated into foodstuffs and drinks.

Maintaining healthy gums

Gum disease describes swelling, soreness or infection of the tissues around the teeth. It causes destruction of the tissue and bone that support your teeth and, if left untreated, may loosen them to the point where they fall out.

The primary cause of gum disease is plaque, an adhesive layer that forms from food debris. When plaque is not removed it hardens up into tartar (calculus) – an ideal home for the bacteria which cause gum disease. We refer to the combination of plaque and the bacteria living in it as Biofilm. Tartar and Biofilm build up are not ideal as the bacteria contained in them secrete toxins that cause infection and destroy the gums and bone that support the teeth. In addition, your body produces substances that destroy infected gum and bone as well as killing the bacteria.

Most people suffer from some form of gum disease, however, the disease develops slowly in most people and it can be slowed down to a rate that should allow you to keep most of your teeth for life. Unfortunately, because gum disease progresses painlessly, most people do not notice the damage it is doing and over a number of years the bone supporting the teeth can be lost. The longer the teeth are left untreated, the more complex treatment can become.

Please note that gum disease may sometimes be present without any symptoms and most people feel no pain.

Symptoms of gum disease include – Bleeding while cleaning your teeth, red/reddish gums, swelling, unpleasant odour/taste from the mouth, loosening of the teeth, receding gums and exposure of the neck of the tooth

Regular dental check-ups are very important as this is where your gum condition can be assessed and, if necessary, treated. Regular professional periotherapy combined with your home care will help maintain a clean and healthy mouth. This will improve your appearance, help you keep your teeth and give you fresh breath. There are also several general health benefits too as gum disease is related to your general health in several ways:

Treating Gum Disease

The first step in the treatment of gum disease is to have tartar removed professionally by a dentist, hygiene therapist or hygienist (periotherapy). Hygiene therapists and dental hygienists are specially trained to work with dentists in providing dental health care and especially preventing disease. They will work with your dentist to provide care tailored to your needs.

Their main roles are to remove existing build ups of tartar, flush away/disrupt the Biofilm and assist you to develop the most effective routine for maintaining your own oral hygiene. This is usually pain free. However, if you do experience some discomfort the hygienist can eliminate this with the use of local anesthetic or by changing the method of periotherapy. You are more likely to experience discomfort if there has already been a lot of damage done by gum disease or if your gums are inflamed and it is therefore very important that you let the clinician know at the time so that some pain control can be given. It is very important that we remove these deposits to help you keep your gums and teeth healthy for life.

You may experience slight discomfort or sensitivity to hot and cold for a few days after treatment, especially if large deposits of tartar have been removed from below your gums. Mild analgesics will relieve this if required and your dentist or hygienist may also recommend special gels or toothpaste to minimise this.

The hygiene therapist’s most important role is to help you find the best way to keep your teeth, and the spaces between them, free of plaque buildup (Biofilm) in future. This will include:

• Twice daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste after breakfast and before sleep, for a minimum of 2 minutes each time.
• Once daily cleaning of the spaces in between your teeth as demonstrated by your dentist or hygienist.

The dentist and hygiene therapist may also suggest changes to your diet and habits (e.g. smoking) to help reduce the risks of gum disease. Occasionally, other chemical treatments may be suggested to help decrease the number of harmful bacteria present.

Periodontal disease is never “cured”. If, however, you keep up the home care you have been taught, attend regularly for checkups and cleaning and inform your dentist and hygienist of any changes in the condition of your gums, any further loss of bone should be very slow and it may stop altogether.

Key info

Smokers are up to 7 times more prone to gum disease than non-smokers.
Diabetics are more prone to gum disease and uncontrolled infections can make it more difficult to control their blood sugar levels. They have to work much harder than non-diabetics do to maintain healthy gums.
Recent studies have shown that people with gum disease may be at increased risk from coronary heart disease.
Some drugs used to control heart conditions and epilepsy can make you more prone to developing puffy, swollen gums that are more difficult to keep clean. Your dentist or hygienist can advise you on these.
People who suffer from blocked noses and have to breathe through their mouths frequently are more prone to developing gingivitis, particularly on their upper front teeth, If you suffer from this you will need to work harder to keep your gums healthy.
People who take steroids, particularly inhalers, will also need to work harder to keep their gums healthy as the steroids dampen down their immune response and stop them fighting gum disease as well as people who don’t need to use them.

Acidic Drinks Guide

If you drink acidic drinks frequently, you are at risk of eroding the enamel on your teeth and causing dental decay. To minimise any possible damage limit your intake of acidic drinks – pH 7 is neutral. Any figure lower than this is acidic. The lower the number the more acidic, and therefore, damaging the drink may be.

Key Advice

Try to drink mainly still water if possible.
Dilute fresh fruit juices/diluting juices as much as possible.
Try and limit fizzy juices/herbal teas and other drinks below pH 3.9 to one glass/can per day if possible
Do not clean your teeth straight after drinking acidic drinks (Preferably wait 1/2 an hour).
There is some evidence to suggest that chewing sugar free gum helps your mouth neutralise acids quicker and may, therefore, minimise any damage done.

Tooth Whitening Guide

A Guide to Tooth Whitening

There are several different methods of tooth whitening available. Tooth colour is genetically determined and everyone’s teeth have a natural biologic limit as to how "white" they can become, dependent on skin tones and other factors. Once you reach this limit, no amount of bleaching will lighten them more. Some people will, therefore, experience a better result than others.

Generally we prefer to use a Custom made tray system and special bleaching pastes for external tooth bleaching although for individual teeth which have been root treated and become discoloured an internal bleaching method may also be appropriate. Your Dentist will advise you which method they feel is most suited to your needs.

Materials Used

Bleaching of the teeth is accomplished by wearing custom made bleaching trays filled with a bleaching gel. These trays are made of thin, clear vinyl and most patients find them comfortable to wear and sleep with. They are designed to be a "snug" fit and often have special gaps or reservoirs on the outer side of each tooth to be bleached. These reservoirs hold the bleaching paste.

The kit you will be given will include a custom made tray, storage case for the tray and several syringes of bleaching paste.

Tooth Whitening Theory

The active ingredient in the bleaching paste is carbamide peroxide. It gives off oxygen, which penetrates the teeth to lighten the colour.

It is the custom made trays that are the primary reason this type of bleaching works so well. They allow room for excess bleach and help provide a seal at the gum line. The trays in "Do it yourself" kits do not have these reservoirs and because they are "one size fits all" they don’t seal the bleach in place. This means that the paste is washed out of the tray very quickly by your saliva, decreasing the depth of the whitening and possibly damaging your gums with the excess bleach.

The "Do it yourself" kits also tend to be acidic in order that the bleach works faster, because they cannot achieve the amount of time or the concentration necessary. This acid will damage fillings, crowns and any exposed root surfaces. The whitening pastes supplied by the Practice have NO acid in them and will not damage your teeth or fillings in this way.

In addition to whitening, the oxygen released by our system also deep cleans the tooth, removing microscopic debris from between the crystals of tooth structure. After bleaching, these "pores" are cleansed and open. These open pores are of great significance and we will talk about them later.

Directions For Use

Bleaching needs to be done for a minimum of 2 hours per day and for ease may be done overnight. The whitening paste may cause a temporary inflammation and soreness of the teeth and gums and although there are steps which can be taken to minimise this, described later, it is possible to take mild anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as ibuprofen, if necessary.

Brush your teeth immediately before each bleaching session. This is crucial as proteins in your saliva coat your teeth very quickly after brushing and may inhibit the bleaching agent. If you normally have teeth that are sensitive to tooth brushing, cold or sweet use a sensitive tooth formulation instead of your normal toothpaste.

Squeeze a small amount of paste, as directed by your dentist onto the inner side of the outer wall of the tray (i.e. the side that will touch the fronts of the cheek and lips sides of your teeth) Once the tray is seated gently push the tray back against the teeth to establish a seal at the gum line.

Excess paste may ooze out from under the edge of the tray. This can be gently removed with a cotton bud. If you have used too little paste you will see open voids in the reservoirs not completely filled with paste. DO NOT remove the tray, there is enough paste to start the bleaching process but use slightly more paste next time.

Leave the tray in place a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.

When you remove the tray, rinse your mouth out with tepid water. Very hot or cold water may be slightly uncomfortable. Rinse your tray out gently in COOL water. You may give it a gentle scrub with your toothbrush to remove excess used paste.

Everyone is slightly different and depending on your teeth you may need to use the paste for 2-8 weeks (Occasionally longer for patients with tetracycline staining). Your dentist will advise you on this at your review appointments.

You will usually have review appointments at 2 week intervals but if you have any concerns in the interim please contact us.

What to Expect

Your teeth and gums may become sore and sensitive during and a few days after bleaching. Mild anti-inflammatory painkillers such as Ibuprofen or Paracetamol will help this. The sensitivity usually decreases after 1-3 days. Occasionally your dentist may recommend that you use a sensitive brand toothpaste or alternate with a fluoride gel if sensitivity persists.

You may notice that your teeth may develop white spots, the colour may look too opaque or chalky, or the tooth nearest the gum line may look dark. Do not worry. This will even out, usually about 2 weeks after you stop bleaching.

You may also find that your lower teeth do not lighten as quickly as the uppers. This is because the lower teeth are smaller and the reservoirs are, therefore, smaller. Thus, there is not as much surface area in contact with the paste. To compensate for this you may want to use the last syringe on your lower teeth only, for a few nights longer than the upper if you feel it is required. The lower front teeth have thinner enamel than the uppers. The underlying dentine is yellow and tends to shine through the thinner enamel more. Your lower teeth may never, therefore, lighten up quite as much as the uppers and may appear slightly darker than the other teeth. This is OK – it’s normal and looks natural.

maintaining your new white tooth colour

It is normal for all natural teeth to darken with time. Research shows that 74% of patients will stay "colour stable" for up to 18 months after bleaching and that over 60% of people maintain their colour for 3 years. The lightened teeth can be touched up periodically if required. You may wish to use your bleaching trays for one night every six months to maintain your colour. Rembrandt Age Defying Toothpaste or Rembrandt Dazzling White toothpaste may give some additional protection against darkening. They use Papaya extract and not abrasives to deep clean the teeth. Unfortunately, these toothpastes are still quite difficult and expensive to come by in the United Kingdom at present. In the interim we would suggest you use a mild, non-abrasive toothpaste i.e. not a sodium bicarbonate, current whitening or smokers toothpaste as the abrasives dull the tooth surface and also roughen it so that stain accumulates more easily.

Other Important Info

During the 2 weeks after bleaching stay away from staining foods and drinks e.g. Coffee, tea, red wines, deeply coloured foods such as Kormas and Tikkas. The open "pores" due to the deep cleaning effect of the oxygen that we mentioned earlier may fill up with these stains and decrease the success of the bleaching. If possible when drinking a staining beverage, use a straw. Keep smoking to a minimum, as this will compromise the end result too.

Store the bleaching trays safely in the container provided. Keep them away from heat, as this will distort them.

We trust that you will be delighted with the results of your tooth lightening treatment. Do not wear the trays any longer than recommended by your dentist as due to the natural biologic limitations of your own tooth shading you will not be able to achieve a "whiter" result without placing some sort of indirect restoration. Your dentist will advise as to what is best for your situation.

If there are any queries please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dental Problems and What to do...

There are a number of reasons why you might need the help or advice from us between visits. Some are more serious than others. We have listed some of the more common problems people encounter along with some recommendations about what to do.

Mild Toothache or Temperature Sensitivity

Keep extremes of temperature away from your tooth. Try taking a painkiller, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Contact the practice to make an appointment in the next week – as you may, for example, need a new filling.

Keep extremes of temperature away from your tooth. Try taking a painkiller, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. Always check first that you are able to take the medication concerned. Contact the practice to make an appointment in the next week – as you may, for example, need a new filling.

Severe Toothache

Severe toothache keeps you awake at night and is very distressing, there may also be some swelling – painkillers will help. If you can take it, Ibuprofen is best, but may not take away the pain entirely. Please cross check against any other medications you may be taking and with any advice you may have been given by your doctor before taking pain relief.

Contact the practice during working hours and we will see you as soon as possible. Out of hours, an emergency dentist is available for advice, see end of this section for details.

Pain After Having a Tooth Out

Your dentist will advise you to take painkillers after having a tooth out because the gum and bone around the extracted tooth will be sore when the local anesthetic wears off. Swilling out with a warm salty mouthwash the day after having your tooth out will help keep the area clean. Brush your other teeth as normal.

Occasionally the socket may not heal correctly and you may get a “dry socket”. If this is the case you will usually experience severe toothache 2 to 3 days after having your tooth out. You need to contact the practice and have the socket dressed. Please ring during surgery hours and we will see you as soon as possible.

Bleeding After Having a Tooth Out

Sometimes the gum and bone around an extracted tooth may continue to ooze a little blood for some time after taking a tooth out. This often looks worse than it is as it mixes with your saliva. Try to leave the area alone and do not rinse out too much. Sit quietly and sleep with an extra pillow. On the night of the extraction do not drink alcohol as this raises your blood pressure. If your mouth is very obviously bleeding from the site where the tooth was removed, you need to apply pressure to the area with the sterile gauze pack we gave you, or a clean, rolled up cotton handkerchief. Do this for at least 20 minutes. Once the bleeding stops, follow the suggestions above.

If the bleeding does not stop contact the practice during surgery hours and we will see you as soon as possible.

If this happens out of surgery hours use the emergency number for advice.

Crowns that have Become De-cemented

Sometimes the gum and bone around an extracted tooth may continue to ooze a little blood for some time after taking a tooth out. This often looks worse than it is as it mixes with your saliva. Try to leave the area alone and do not rinse out too much. Sit quietly and sleep with an extra pillow. On the night of the extraction do not drink alcohol as this raises your blood pressure. If your mouth is very obviously bleeding from the site where the tooth was removed, you need to apply pressure to the area with the sterile gauze pack we gave you, or a clean, rolled up cotton handkerchief. Do this for at least 20 minutes. Once the bleeding stops, follow the suggestions above.

If the bleeding does not stop contact the practice during surgery hours and we will see you as soon as possible.

If this happens out of surgery hours use the emergency number for advice.

Sore or Bleeding Gums

This is a very common problem that can be controlled by thorough brushing and flossing of your teeth on a daily basis. Our hygienist will be able to advise you.

Occasionally the gums around wisdom teeth get infected and are very sore. Corsodyl mouthwash if you have any, or a hot, salty mouthwash will help. Gums can hurt due to an abscess, so if any problem persists contact the practice to arrange for a dentist to examine you.

Lost Fillings or Chipped Teeth

Please contact the surgery and an appointment will be offered to you over the next week. If it is causing you a lot of pain we will see you as soon as possible.

Broken teeth in children, especially new adult teeth, should be attended to promptly. Please call the surgery straight away if your child has an accident and breaks or chips a front tooth

Tooth Trauma

If a tooth is knocked out completely do not panic. If possible, find the tooth and if it is clean push it back into the socket, and attend the practice promptly. Try not to touch the root of the tooth if possible. If it is not clean or you cannot replace it, store the tooth in milk or just inside the mouth of the child who has lost the tooth, (Cheek side of their back teeth). This will help to keep it clean and stop it drying out.

Go straight to the practice during surgery hours, ring ahead if possible. The quicker the tooth is replaced the more chance it has of surviving. Teeth pushed out of line also need prompt attention.

If the accident happens outside of surgery hours use the emergency number.