Spitting out toothpaste and noticing blood in the sink can be a worrying experience. As can noticing the taste of blood in the mouth but it can be due to a number of reasons. In most cases this is easily treated and will eventually make your teeth and gums stronger and healthier.

The main cause of bleeding gums is gum disease. In its milder form this is known as gingivitis, but when it becomes more serious it is called periodontitis. It occurs when the gums are covered and attacked by plaque and bacteria. These release acids, which gradually erode the gum tissue and cause irritation and infection. This can often cause the gums to bleed as a result of being weakened by an infection. This kind of bleeding gum acts as an indicator that you need to start paying more attention to your dental hygiene.

The gums can also bleed if you have recently started to floss or pay more attention to your dental hygiene. Flossing for the first time will stimulate areas of the gums around the base of the teeth that may not have been cleaned for a long time. They will be very sensitive and may bleed as a result of coming into contact with the dental floss. This will usually stop after a few days of flossing as the gums become cleaner and firmer.

However, there is a more serious side to bleeding gums. In some extreme cases, bleeding gums may be the result of oral cancer. If the bleeding is otherwise unexplained this could be a sign that something is seriously wrong. If you are unsure why your gums are bleeding i.e you haven’t recently started to floss for the first time, then it is always important that you visit a Molesey dentist for a check up. The chances are it will be nothing serious but it is always better to be safe than sorry

Dental checkups are probably more important than a medical check up, especially as a medical check up will often not involve an inspection of the teeth, says a Shepperton dentist. They are usually every six months, unless you are having an ongoing problem that will often require more frequent visits. At the check up you will have your teeth carefully inspected; using special lighting and magnification the dentist will be able to identify any common problems. These can be tartar build up and gum damage, both of which are common in everyone. By getting a dentist to see your gums and teeth every six months, you will be better equipped to fight tooth decay and especially gum disease. Gum disease can lead to prematurely lost teeth and other medical conditions. Heart disease and diabetes have both been linked to bacteria which are released into the blood stream through gum disease. Sugar and fats that are prevalent in food stuffs are the main cause of gum disease, which by the way is not reversible. Your dentist will also be able to advise you on the most important device you have in your dental arsenal; Oral Hygiene. Most people actually brush and floss their teeth the wrong way, using the wrong brush, your dentist will have a Hygiene Nurse in the practice that will be happy to advise you on the correct procedure. Start at an early age and keep up the habit of regular half yearly visits to your dentist, and you`ll enjoy trouble free teeth for most of your life. Look on it as being a preventative method of expensive treatments and time in the chair, we all hate going to the dentist, but these days it isn`t that bad and almost pain free.

Many of us go to the gym or exercise regularly to keep our bodies in the best shape possible. However, the increasing number of patients developing gum disease and tooth decay in the UK would seem to suggest that we are not paying the same attention to our teeth. Many people seem to think that just a cursory brush of the teeth twice a day is enough to keep the teeth clean and healthy but this really isn’t the case.

Effective oral hygiene is really important to help you avoid dental health complications in the future. Just a few extra minutes a day could make the difference and help to prevent any unnecessary damage to your teeth and gums. Weybridge dentists recommend brushing your teeth twice a day for three minutes. Ideally this should take place after meal times, as this is when plaque is at its most damaging. Effective brushing will remove plaque and bacteria from the surfaces of the teeth, limiting the damage caused by enamel erosion from plaque acid. This will help to prevent decay, infection and ultimately tooth loss. You should ideally use a brush with soft bristles for the best cleaning and so as not to irritate gum tissue.

It is also very important to floss at least once a day. This helps to remove plaque from between the teeth and from around the base. These are areas that are notoriously very difficult to clean with a normal toothbrush. Flossing also helps to remove food particles that are trapped in between the teeth that attract bacteria and can be the cause of bad breath.

It may also be a good idea to use a tongue scraper a few times a week to rid the tongue of harmful bacteria. This will also help to prevent unpleasant bad breath. Most importantly however, you must remember to visit your dentist regularly for a check up appointment. Seeing your dentist every six months will help to keep your teeth and gums as healthy as they can be, giving you a life free from dental complication.

Losing some or all of your teeth is not a very pleasant thing to happen. Whether it is due to some kind of physical trauma or as the result of tooth decay or gum disease, it can be the source of great anxiety and embarrassment. Having missing teeth can also have repercussions for your health, as gum tissue can be worn away leading to further suffering. For most patients with missing teeth, the only real alternative is to have a set of dentures fitted. This will not only restore the aesthetic appearance of the teeth and face but will also allow patient to eat, drink and talk without difficulty.

The idea of dentures may not suit some patients but modern dentures are far improved from the unrealistic and unwieldy dentures of the past. There are also new methods and ways of keeping your dentures attached in the mouth that remove the anxiety of loose dentures common to many wearers.

A good fitting set of dentures should really fit without the need for additional support. Loose fitting dentures are often due to gum erosion so some patients may opt to have a series of mini-implants to act as a base onto which to clip the dentures.

Dentures should be cleaned just like natural teeth, with a brush, and are usually removed at night. If you are considering wearing dentures as the result of losing some or all of your teeth, make an appointment to discuss your possibilities with a Surbiton dentist. Making the right choice of dentures will help you to put behind you the anxiety of losing teeth and allow you to move on with your life doing all the things you used to be able to do with your own teeth.

How long has it been since your last dental check up? If it has been longer than six months, you may be putting the health of your teeth at risk. Molesey dentists recommend that patients should see their dentists every six months to keep their teeth as healthy as possible.

Looking after your teeth is very important as it can prevent painful and costly tooth decay and gum disease, which can be a source of great stress and anxiety. Effective dental care begins at home with brushing and flossing. This is important because it helps to remove plaque and bacteria from the surfaces of the teeth and gums. If left to develop, plaque will start to release acids that erode the protective layer of tooth enamel and irritate gum tissue. If left untreated, this will cause further dental problems such as abscesses and infections, which may be very unpleasant.

However, even the best home oral hygiene routine needs to be supplemented with the advice and care of a dentist. During a check up appointment, your dentists will examine your teeth and gums for the signs of decay and disease. They can carry out any necessary treatment. It may also be a good idea to have a deep clean appointment with a dental hygienist to remove any plaque that has hardened to become tartar.

Dentists will also be able to check for any other oral health problems such as the very nasty oral cancer. Spotting the symptoms of oral cancer early can give you a much greater chance of beating the disease. Dentists will also look for any other signs of oral complications including enamel erosion and damaged teeth. They can also highlight problems areas and provide you with essential dental care information.

Gum disease is extremely common in the UK, affecting roughly three quarters of all adults above the age of 35. This shocking statistic is backed up by another one in the fact that gum disease, not tooth decay, is responsible for more lost teeth in the UK. These are worrying facts and made all the more concerning that gum disease is becoming more common among younger patients, especially teenagers who are not cleaning their teeth sufficiently.

There are two types of gum disease that are categorised by the severity of the symptoms. Gingivitis is the milder form of the disease characterised by irritated or sore gums, and in some cases, bleeding gums. This can mostly be addressed by improved cleaning methods, which will prevent any further damage. However, if gingivitis is left to worsen and not addressed by attention from the dentist and improved cleaning, it will become periodontitis which is a much more serious concern. Periodontitis has symptoms ranging from infected tissue, receding gums and loose teeth. It needs to be treated with special medical attention that can include anti-biotics to kill the infection and even hospitalisation in severe cases.

If gum disease is not spotted early by a Surbiton dentist and treated accordingly it can result in tooth loss, and with nearly half the people in the UK over the age of 45 having lost at least one tooth it is clear that we may not be taking the threat seriously enough.

The message is clear. To protect our gums and teeth we must do more to keep them healthy by cleaning them properly and keeping up regular appointments at the dentist.

It is an unfortunate probability that many of us will end up wearing dentures at some point during our lives. Whether it be due to some kind of physical trauma from a head injury or because of tooth decay or gum disease, it is common to loose teeth as we get older. However, denture technology has come a long way since the traditional unrealistic dentures of our grandparents’ generation.

Modern dentures are manufactured to be more realistic and to fit the mouth more accurately. Dentures should ideally be kept in place by suction alone but this is sometimes not the case. Many people resort to wearing denture adhesives to hold dentures in place, which can be messy and unpleasant. But there is an alternative to denture adhesives that can provide the necessary degree of reassurance.

Mini-implants are a series of small titanium screws which are anchored directly into the jawbone and act as a solid and permanent base to attach the dentures. Like larger implants, which are used as anchors for single teeth replacements, mini-implants are a very secure and realistic way to attach artificial teeth.

This solid base can provide a great deal of reassurance for denture wearers concerned about embarrassing loose dentures. Mini-implants will last a lifetime if properly maintained and are very resilient to damage. They will be attached by a Surbiton dentist over the course of several appointments spread over several weeks or months, but the long-term security achievable are more than worth the fitting procedure.

Smoking can have a massive detrimental effect on your health in general and specifically on your oral health. It is responsible for causing oral cancers, gum disease and tooth decay and cavities. Smokers are far more likely to have dental problems and loose teeth than non-smokers.

Patients may see a dentist more regularly than a doctor and as dentists will be able to see visible evidence of smoke damage, they can play an important role in helping patients to kick the habit. Most smokers suffer from periodontal disease at some point, as well as other dental problems, and a dentist is well placed to offer advice about how to avoid these problems by quitting. By giving up, patients greatly increase their chances of having healthy teeth.

Dentists are increasingly receiving training in smoking cessation, meaning that they will be able to serve a dual role of dentist and cessation councillor. Using their unique position they can warn patients about the dangers of smoking to their oral health and can offer advice on the most successful ways to give up. They will also be able to inform patients about the greatly increased further health risks of smoking such as heart disease and lung cancer. The state of a smoker’s teeth might be indicative of this further damage and the brief consultation with a dentist can help to make them aware of this fact.

Sunbury dentists are trained, or receiving training, in smoking cessation. They are taking advantage of their unique position and regular contact with patients to offer the most effective and up to date methods of quitting. Hopefully they can greatly improve patients’ dental health and health in general.

Times of financial hardship can be incredibly frightening, especially when the evil spectre of job losses rears its ugly head. Whether you are one of the unlucky ones or even if you’re just one of the people dreading the phone ringing with the bad news, cutting back on spending becomes an immediate priority. Any unnecessary spending has to go, there is no place for luxuries. For some however, dental check-ups are included in the list of non-essential items that can be sacrificed. While this might save money in the short term, in the long run this could be a very dangerous and costly strategy.

Dental check-ups are crucial in the fight against tooth decay and gum disease. One missed check up could mean that it is a year or more between visits to the dentist, which is plenty of time for the onset of tooth decay. This could cause problems such as cavities which may require fillings, root canals or even crowns which are all costly and possibly painful dental procedures.

This is especially true for children. Although shelling out for several children to visit the dentist, children’s teeth change very quickly and missed appointments could result in having to shell out for several sets of fillings, which will be far more costly.

It may seem that a dental check-up is a non-essential expenditure, especially for those who are unemployed or struggling during these times of hardship, but a small investment in your teeth now could end up saving thousands in the future. Look after your teeth now and they could last a lifetime, neglect them and you could pay the price. Dentists in Shepperton are available for appointments to help prevent costly and painful tooth decay.

It is estimated that roughly 70% of bacteria present in the average human mouth live on the surface of the tongue. Thriving on the protein-rich areas of the tongue they multiply rapidly and are then transported around the rest of the mouth by saliva. The bacteria contribute significantly to periodontal problems such as tooth decay, gum disease and recession, and even tooth loss. Bacteria on the tongue are also one of the major contributing factors to halitosis or bad breath. When the bacteria decay they release volatile sulfurous compounds that release a foul odour that causes bad breath.

Bacteria on the tongue has also been linked to a number of larger systemic problems that can occur in the body including cardiovascular problems, pneumonia, osteoporosis and has been attributed to causing diabetes. Dental health professionals and other physicians have linked the bacteria on the tongue to these wider problems and emphasise the importance of a clean tongue as a major factor in oral and general well-being.

Tongue cleaning devices have been used since ancient times and form a significant part of both Chinese and Indian natural medicine. Modern tongue cleaners can help to remove some of the 500 million types of bacteria that can live on the average human tongue, fungi such as candida (the cause of oral thrush), as well as decaying food debris caught in the grooves of the surface.

Tongue cleaning can also help treat the 90% of cases of halitosis which are said to originate on the tongue. Surbiton dentist can provide you with further information about the use of tongue cleaners and when it is appropriate to use them. Regular tooth brushes are often not sufficient for thorough cleaning of the spongy surface of the tongue. Dentists recommend using a specially designed tongue cleaner.