Bad breath will lose you friends, and even business if your job involves face to face selling, says a London SE1 dentist. Yet the solution to bad breath is often a simple change to your oral hygiene program, although you`ll need to identify the cause first to make sure. The most common cause of bad breath is a poor method and a lax attitude to keeping your teeth clean and free from food deposits, these deposits fed the bacteria which causes the bad odour in the first place. In the night while we sleep, acid production builds up due to a dry mouth and bacterial activity. That acid breaks down the enamel on our teeth and wears away our gums, this allows disease to infect the gums and they recede. The bacteria that lives in our mouth is constantly reproducing and causing us all sorts of problems, bad breath is a sure fired sign of this. To keep that acid down we have to more careful what we eat, cutting out excessive sugar and fat will help a lot as these feed the bacteria. Brushing with the correct brush and in the correct manner will also help to keep food deposits in the mouth down, as will flossing. Flossing is the most underrated part of oral hygiene and is more important than brushing. Flossing every time we eat will help to keep bad breath at bay, so keep a flossing stick with you and just spend a few minutes using it every time you eat.

An Invisalign Brace is so called because it is almost invisible to the eye, says a London SE1 dentist. The brace is a newly designed all in one device, that encapsulates all the basic principles of a brace in the traditional manner of how they work. The unique thing is that they are changed every two weeks and are made according to calculations given by a computer program, very space age indeed. Digital pictures are used to set the program in motion, they are scanned in and used to make a 3D CGI film, computer generated image, the film shows the brace maker how to set the springs and pulley devices that are built into the device. It is a self contained piece of technology and is set into a gum shield to hold it all together. This one is designed to straighten both back and front teeth, unlike the Inman Aligner which is only good for front teeth. The other great innovation is that they are removable for cleaning your teeth and eating. This makes it especially good for anyone who needs to lose the brace for face to face meetings. The progress is followed each fortnight by the patient and the dentist via the 3D film which takes them through the whole process and lets them also see the end result. New bone grows behind the teeth to hold them in their new position, this is done by agitating the jaw line which produces new bone and deposits it behind the teeth as they move position.

When a tooth is lost early it is a bit of a blow to us and can leave us feeling down in the mouth, says a South east London dentist. We want to fill the gap left as soon as possible and almost every time we will be offered dentures, the problem is that not many people get along with dentures and they look at alternative methods of a false tooth. A popular method is a Dental Implant which was devised through extensive research in the 1950s; an implant is a false tooth that sits permanently in position anchored to the jaw bone just like a real tooth. A plate is inserted under the gum and screwed down to the jaw bone; the Titanium plate then becomes part of the jaw as the bone fuses with it over a period of a few months. The plate is pre-drilled with holes that are a screw has been cut into, and after the plate fuses the gum incision is reopened and stems of Titanium are then screwed into the holes. When the incision has healed the dentist will call the patient back and place the false Porcelain teeth onto the stems to complete the procedure. The patient now has a new tooth in the gap that needs no special care, unlike a denture that needs fixing and sterilising every day. It is a long procedure, but it is a one off and a `forget about it` one too. Once in the patient soon forgets they even have one.

Far too many people don’t take oral hygiene seriously enough these days, bad breath and constantly infected gums are the result of this lax regime says a London SE1 dentist. The best way to healthier teeth is through a simple, but disciplined program of brushing, flossing and rinsing. Flossing is the best thing you can do, but we don’t do it often enough and that’s a shame as it is the best way to keep down the production of oral acid. Yes, we do floss in the morning and at night, but it is during the day when we don’t floss that acid is produced in huge amounts. The times that mostly damage our teeth are during the day and at night, when we sleep and eat fast food, it is then that saliva is not produced and acid cannot be neutralised. That`s why our breath smells so badly in the morning. We need saliva to swallow, and to neutralise acid build up that is produced by oral bacteria. In the daytime we eat snacks and fast foods, it’s a sign of the busy times we live in, and that is good news for the bacteria, but bad news for our breath, gums and teeth. Drinking water during the day, and at nigh, will go a long way to neutralising acid that damages your gums and teeth; it is also good for taking toxins out of the body on a regular basis. Brushing also needs some attention to detail as most of us brush the wrong way, ask at your local dentists or chemists for information on brushing correctly.

The Inman aligner is a self contained brace that realigns the teeth in adults that have problem teeth, says a South east London dentist. The units are pre-prepared and changed every two weeks to make sure they keep working on the teeth. From digital photos an orthodontist and a computer programmer will feed the information into a program to get the pressure points and design, and then make a series of braces to do the job. One by-product is a 3D computer generated film that shows the entire procedure, so the patient and dentist can keep a track on progress. The patient has the braces changed every two weeks to keep up the pressure as part of the course; the unit is similar to a gum shield and contains all the springs and pressure wires to do the job. The brace can be taken out for eating and cleaning or just for a rest, unlike conventional braces. As long as they aren`t out for any longer than 4 hours per day, it is fine to pop them out and then back in. With all the bits hidden on the inside anyway, it looks just like a clear gum shield except for a thin bar across the front that holds it all together. It is great for moving front teeth, but doesn’t work too well on the back teeth, for that you`ll to use the Invisalign Brace which is so called because it is almost invisible by not having the thin bar running across it, although it works in the same way.

Veneers were devised as a solution to cosmetic teeth problems; they are no good for teeth that are infected or seriously damaged says a South east London dentist. Gum disease cannot be cured or covered over by a veneer, but many other problems are solved by the use of conventional veneers. They are made for each tooth individually to ensure a good fitting, this is done by taking digital pictures of the rogue tooth and then scanning them into a computer, this information is then available in 3D to a dental technician who will make the veneer. They are made from a tough formula containing the clay Porcelain, this material is hard wearing, and can be colour coded so the veneer fits in with the other teeth around it. Your dentist will need to prepare the tooth first to accept the veneer; they do this by first taking off the enamel on the front. As the tooth is most likely damaged on the front, or discoloured, it makes little difference to the tooth. The thickness of the veneer will determine the amount taken off, but once it is taken off it never grows back. When the veneer wears out or becomes discoloured, it is easily replaced, but unless the tooth is lost entirely it can only be replaced by another veneer. The procedure is quite painless and all you`ll suffer is a little discomfort for a few days as your mouth and tooth get used to the new covering, it can be used normally after that.

Many of us tend to think of veneers as the answer to cover up discoloured teeth, but they have a lot more going for them these days says a South east London dentist. Cracked teeth, a chipped tooth or even a misaligned tooth can all be covered by a veneer. Veneer design and technology has come a long way in the last few years alone, and they are still often the cheapest and most effective method of covering up embarrassing problems. The main types are Porcelain Veneers and Lumineers, with Porcelain Veneers being the ones that we are more familiar with. In order to have them fitted you have to have some enamel taken off the tooth, this amounts to about the same thickness as the veneer and it never grows back. They last from 5 to 15 years and then they are easily replaced with new ones; they discolour around the 10-15 year mark. They are very affective and the tooth can be used in the normal way, it is also kept clean in the usual manner and your usual visits to the dentist are still needed. With Lumineers the story is much different; they are made from a fairly new formula and are much harder wearing than conventional veneers. Because of this they can be made much thinner, the advantage here is that no enamel is taken off the tooth and the procedure is reversible in the future. They also last longer and it is estimated that they will last up to 20 years in most cases.

Dental Implants aren`t that complicated, although they do take a good few months to have them fitted as the process involves a lot of work and waiting. A South east London dentist says that many people who cannot get on with dentures, find that the time and investment in dental Implants is well worth it in the end though. They were developed in the 1950s in British and Swedish universities, but it wasn’t until the early 60s that the first successful operation was carried out in Sweden. It involves inserting a Titanium plate under the gums and then screwing it down to the jaw bone. That part is usually done under a local anaesthetic; it is the next part that takes the time. The idea behind Dental Implants is that the new tooth, albeit a porcelain one, integrates with the bone of the jaw and the whole thing becomes part of the jaw. What happens is that the body produces new bone that covers the plate over a period of 3-6 months. Once that is done, posts are screwed into pre drilled holes in the plate, and then the new tooth is slide over the post to complete the procedure. What the patient ends up with is a new tooth that won`t become infected inside; will be hard wearing and a permanent part of the mouth. You can use it like a normal tooth and you care for it in the same way as your natural teeth. 6 monthly check ups will keep tartar away and if the tooth gets damaged it can be easily replaced in a few weeks.

When we sleep our mouth is a hive of acid producing activity, this acid rots the teeth and gums, and causes bad breath. However, it is all avoidable says a South east London dentist and all it takes is a little forward planning and discipline. We tend to think of our teeth cleaning regime being first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and to an extent that is true. At night our saliva gland is also resting and so the acid in the mouth isn`t being neutralised enough, in the dark hours our teeth suffer the most damage, and so does our bad breath problem. Everyone has bad breath; it is a fact of life and one that is easily brought under control without expensive sprays and loads of mints. Flossing is the most underrated way of bacteria control in the mouth, the very bacteria that is in all our food. When food gets trapped in between our teeth the acid producing bacteria feeds of it and that damages our teeth enamel. Simply flossing properly will go a long way to preparing for brushing which will also remove food debris. We also need to do this during the daytime, especially when we have a snack that contains sugar and fats. There are many reasons for bad breath, but the most common is acid production, it is also the easiest to keep under control. Drinking just plain ol` water throughout the day will also keep your liver, kidneys and other organs in peak condition, as well as neutralise acid and stop that damage and bad breath.

A root canal is a very skilful procedure in dentistry, but thanks to modern day technology and training procedures it is now a routine procedure for most dental surgeons. A  London SE1 dentist says that although it involves quite a lot of work, it is thankfully painless and usually quite affective. We have an inner chamber in our teeth, and through hairline cracks and gum infections bacteria gets into that inner chamber and breeds. The problems it causes are not only painful, but also ongoing. Your surgeon will deaden the tooth and then drill out all the inside of the tooth to get to the chamber itself, once there they will scrape out any obvious bacterial infection. The next stage involves an intense light that is shone on the area to kill off any bacteria still lurking. The hole is then coated with an anti-bacterial spray and filled with a special mix that will harden like your natural enamel. That usually cures the problem within, and then your dentist can look at ways to stop this happening to other teeth, this is usually just a simple matter of you changing your routine of oral hygiene procedures to ensure that you keep infections down to a minimum, the cracks will be covered by the inner filling. Root canal work can save a tooth that would otherwise be lost early; it is also cheaper to have this done than to lose the tooth and have it replaced with an artificial one.