How you treat tooth decay in London SE1 depends a lot on how bad the situation has got. First of all you need to know how to spot the problem and there are a few signs here that you can look for: if your teeth feel pain when you are chewing or when drinking hot or cold drinks are sure indications that you have a problem. Of course, if this is happening at home, then there is a pretty good chance you have been neglecting to visit your dentist regularly, because any signs of tooth decay would have been picked up on during your bi-annual check-up. When you feel these pains, it means that your decay is just about retrievable because you are at the junction of reversible pulpitis. It means that the decay has not yet found its way inside the tooth and the problem solved with a filling. It is only when the pulp in the tooth has become infected that the treatment becomes a little more complex. The pulp will need to be removed, as will the roots, then filled and crowned, if you have any chance of saving the tooth- even then, you have seriously halved the life of the tooth by allowing it to get to this stage. The best way to avoid all of this is to prevent it from ever occurring at the start, and there is no reason why between you and your dentist, tooth decay should ever get to dangerous levels.

Children are beautiful things and it can be the proudest day of your life when a stork flies one onto your doorstep in south east London- but you better strap yourself in for a turbulent ride and be prepared to look after your ‘little cherub’. As they grow it is just so important how you look after their health by how you feed them and it is also important how you look after their dental health as well. Every child is at risk from tooth decay the moment pop into the world so it is vital you have a game plan in your back pocket and enlist the practice of a fine pediatrician in the early days. All children go through such turmoil with their teeth up until their teenage years and then by this time, they should be able to care for themselves. You are going to have to nurse them through the teething period, then you are going to get them around their secondary teeth coming through- how you teach them to look after their teeth at this stage will stick with them forever. But you don’t get off that lightly, because then they may have to wear braces in their early teens. Then the icing on this dental cake is that you may have to watch them deal with their wisdom teeth as well. You had them and no one ever said it was going to be easy but look after the lovely little rascals, and they will, hopefully thank you for it later in life- that’s the plan.

There are enough products in the shops of South East London to help you look after your teeth and maintain a great level of oral hygiene. In fact, it’s because of these products and better awareness of using them, that some dentists are advocating just one check-up a year to some of their patients. But of course this doesn’t work for all of us, which is why we should take control of making regular appointments at the dentist. Against all our best efforts to keep our mouths clean, we only need to take our eye off our teeth for 12 hours for bacteria to grow, plaque to set in, followed by tooth decay and gum disease. Visiting your dentist regularly can help combat these problems. Only by an x-ray can early signs of tooth decay be identified and resolved with a simple filling. Your dentist can also clean your teeth of any plaque or tartar by giving you a scale and polish. But you can also take advantage of other things at a dental check-up. You can discuss any problems you may have had since your last visit and discuss any treatments you may need to have in the future; also, it’s a great time to talk about any cosmetic treatments you are considering. By keeping close contact with your dentist, combined with your own hygiene at home, there is every chance that your teeth should be with you for life.

If during your average day in London’s SE1, you’ve started to noticed that a tooth has become sensitive to temperature change, it hurts when you bite down on it, it’s become discoloured and/or the gums have become inflamed around it, chances are you may be suffering from a little tooth decay. Now, tooth decay can lead to some very serious issues in the mouth if left unchecked- worse case scenario is an abscess that in some cases can be life threatening, or complete tooth loss and a very unhealthy mouth, but if it is nipped in the bud when detected, the tooth can be saved. Decay affects the pulp in the tooth and spreads into the roots and this will require root canal treatment. Now there are many horror stories surrounding this procedure, from torturous life-long pain, to total decapitation! In reality, the treatment is no more worse than a simple filling- thanks many to modern dental techniques and can be done using a simple, local anaesthetic, though it’s not pretty reading: essentially, the decayed pulp has to be cleared out of the tooth and then the roots removed from inside the tooth, either by drilling or laser treatment. Once done, the tooth can be filled or have a crown fitted. It won’t save the tooth indefinitely, but will prolong its life for up to a further 15 years, if looked after and reduce the chances of further infection throughout the mouth.

In the fight against the plaque which can damage your teeth and gums, fluoride is a substance that can help. Plaque attacks the hard coating on teeth known as enamel. Fluoride can help strengthen enamel, lessening the likelihood of cavities forming and tooth decay occurring.

Fluoride is found not just in many tooth pastes but also tap water itself. Studies have shown that consumption of fluoride can reduce levels of tooth decay by between forty and sixty per cent. It is not without controversy, however. Some have suggested that it can be harmful to humans and campaigns exist to stop governments adding fluoride to the water supply.

Young children who consume too much fluoride over a period of time can develop a condition called dental fluorosis. This can occur if a large amount of fluoride tooth paste is swallowed too. Bu this is a rare condition and the three hundred million or so people around the world who drink tap water fortified with fluoride every day seems to be compelling evidence that fluoride is beneficial rather than harmless.

Children under two ought not to use tooth paste containing fluoride however. Once over that age, fluoride has been proved to be crucial in the development of strong teeth which are more able to cope with the fight against plaque. If you find out that your area does not have as much fluoride in the tap water then you might want to consider taking fluoride supplements to help strengthen your teeth.

Your London SE1 dentist can give you plenty more advice about fluoride, help you choose the right tooth paste and decide when is appropriate to expose your young child to it.

Tooth decay is the disease which is the most common cause of pain in patients, say a dentist from SE1 in London. It usually starts off in early life and quickly gets a grip to follow us all through our teens and adulthood. The most disturbing thing is that it is so easily prevented if an Oral Hygiene regime is taught and adhered to from an early age. Tooth decay is caused mainly by the build up of acid that is prevalent in bacteria and food deposits that sit in between our teeth, the build up eats away at the enamel and gets in between fillings and cracks in our teeth. This is especially damaging to young teeth and is now the most common cause of mouth problems in the world. It’s a big problem to solve as it mostly occurs in children and is often associated with a bad diet. As parents and relatives of children we buy them sweets which contain all the wrong things for their teeth. Sugar and bad fats are the most deadly of them and these are the worse enemies of our teeth, they all have acids in them which cause cavities that need filling, then the bacteria and acid gets into and below the fillings. Tooth ache follows and the only real way to eliminate the problem is a root canal treatment, and more fillings. Using a fluoride toothpaste and teaching the children to floss and brush properly, will go a long way to preventing the decay that will follow them through life. It takes just a few minutes a day to keep the decay away, but the regime must become a habit or the whole process is worthless. The old saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away should be applied to flossing and brushing, for these two simple applications will indeed keep the dentist away.

Dental hygiene is the process of keeping your teeth and mouth clean and healthy by following a correct brushing and flossing routine. The third and possibly most important factor is maintaining regular visits to the dentist every six months for dental check ups.

Brushing and flossing help to prevent the build up of plaque on the enamel surface of teeth. Plaque is a sticky, bacterial substance that releases enamel damaging acid causing tooth decay and gum disease. The purpose of dental hygiene is to use good brushing and flossing techniques to remove this plaque and prevent it turning into harder, immovable tartar. This will result in healthy, debris-free teeth surrounded by healthy pink gums that are not sensitive and a mouth that smells nice.

Teeth that are not clean and healthy are often prone to painful or bleeding gums, bad breath, yellow or brown stains on the teeth and teeth that become loose over time. These are all quite unpleasant conditions that can be easily remedied with better dental hygiene. Ignore these problems and they become worse and can eventually lead to painful periodontitis, tooth decay and eventually tooth loss.

In addition to brushing and flossing it may be necessary to use mouthwash or fluoride to protect your teeth but it is only recommended to use these products under advice from a South East London dentist. The dentist can also advise patients which toothpaste is most suitable to use and what brush is most suited to your teeth. Seeing a dental hygienist can also help to improve the overall quality of your dental heath.