Parrock Street Dental - Official Blog » decay

No problems with same day root treatments and cerec crowns

Parrock Street Dental Care — Sun, 29 May 2011 19:22:10 +0000

Amanda is a very nervous patient who had not attended for a while. she had 3 very broken teeth which she had been told would need removal. With modern cerec 1 visit crown computer aided design technology we were able save these teeth and restore them with root treatment and crowns in one appointment whilst she watched a movie.

Brushing and Flossing Techniques

Parrock Street Dental Care — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:19:05 +0000

It is very important to invest in a good toothbrush to help maintain effective brushing and prevent gum disease. There are so many toothbrushes on the market, it can be difficult to know what to buy. We advise that any electric rechargeable toothbrush will suffice.

There are 5 simple steps that you can use for effective brushing.

1. Always look in a mirror whilst brushing. It sounds so simple but many people do not use a mirror and hence cannot see where they are brushing and so miss cleaning certain areas.

2. Use a methodical approach, concentrating on one tooth at a time.

3. Make sure that you brush the outside, inside and biting surfaces of the teeth.

4. Try to begin brushing in a different place everyday to ensure that you do not neglect any particular area.

5. Toothbrushing should last for at least two minutes (A good tip is, if you listen to the radio in the morning you should brush for the duration of 1-2 songs).

Flossing techniques

Some people say that they spend a long time brushing their teeth and therefore they do not need to floss, this is not the case. Although the bristles of a tooth brush are fine, collectively they are still to thick to get in-between the teeth effectively. It is very easy to forget that teeth have more than two surfaces and they all need the same care and attention, especially as food can get trapped in-between teeth and if left it can cause decay/ carries/cavities. The only way to remove this is by flossing.

1. Take about 50cm (20inches) of floss and wind the ends around your middle fingers, leaving a short distance between them.

2. Using your thumb and first finger, gently move the floss between your teeth and wrap in a C shape around the tooth.

3. Guide the floss to where the tooth meets the gum, but take care not to damage the gum by flossing too vigorously

4. Then move the floss up and down the tooth. During use the floss spreads out for more effective plaque removal.

Inter-dental Brushes

Inter-dental brushes are small pocket sized brushes that are available to buy in different sizes. A dentist would recommend what size is best for the pateint, and some people are advised to use two different sized brushes corresponding to the size of the gaps between teeth. Tepe brushes are great as they come with a lid and can be kept in your pocket incase you are going out for a meal and you have a tendency to get food trapped in certain areas.

For the ultimate feeling of a fresh mouth, don’t forget to use a tongue scraper as your tongue harbours many bacteria that can cause bad breath.

Should you need any further advise on brushing and flossing techniques, speak to one of our team members who will be happy to help you.

Kent dentist explains the effects that soft drinks have on teeth

Parrock Street Dental Care — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:39:14 +0000

This is a very important topic that I feel should be addressed as many people are not aware of the effects soft drinks have upon the health of your teeth.

Without being too technical teeth are made from dentine and have a protective enamel around the tooth to stop it from being decayed.

However when, soft drinks mix with the natural bacteria in the mouth it forms a type of acid, which overtime brakes down the enamel allowing the tooth to become decayed and sensitive.

As a dentist it is very easy to recommend patients that they should avoid soft drinks and drink water instead, but in reality it can be very difficult to resist the temptation of drinking soft drinks, so therefore I recommend a few easy tips to help minimize soft drink- related damage to teeth.

Use a straw when drinking soft drinks as it may help reduce the contact between your teeth and the beverage.

Don’t brush your teeth straight after drinking your soft drink as the enamel is weaker due to the acid from the drink.

Don’t sip a soft drink over a long period of time as you are at risk of increasing the exposure to acid and the risk of damage leading to tooth decay. So for example if you have a can of soft drink, don’t take a sip an hour as your constantly exposing your teeth to the acid, drink the drink in one sitting.

Parents and guardians are advised that babies and toddlers should not be given soft drinks or even the sugar free kind in a bottle as children have a tendency to keep the bottle in one place in the mouth (front of the mouth) and even though they may not have any/all their teeth, they are at great risk of having tooth decay. The forming teeth can become rotten becoming blackened and loose as they grow.

It is very important that you see a dentist regularly so that they can help maintain the health of your mouth and teeth.