There are a few things you can do to that may help reduce the pain without having to leave your house.

Pain from tooth

• Anti-inflammatory tablets (NSAIDs)

Anti-inflammatory tablets (NSAIDs) can reduce the sensitivity. A combination of ibuprofen and paracetamol has been found to be beneficial if you can take them both. However, patients who have confirmed COVID-19, or believe to have COVID-19 should take paracetamol in preference to ibuprofen. Please take in accordance to instructions on the packet.
Tip: Don’t stop taking the anti-inflammatory when the pain stops (or it will come back again).

• Desensitising toothpaste

Desensitising toothpaste such as Sensodyne repair and protect or Colgate sensitive pro relief can help. Don’t rinse after use of toothpaste.

• Anaesthetic gel

Anaesthetic gel such as Orajel applied to the area can help to numb the pain.

• Keep your head elevated

Keep your head elevated at night when you lie down to go to sleep, the blood pressure in the tooth can increase which increases pain. An extra pillow can help keep your head elevated when you sleep.

• Saltwater Rinse

Saltwater works to reduce dental bacteria by creating an acidic environment as you swish it around your mouth. It can also help to dislodge bits of stuck food that may be causing pain, helping with managing tooth pain.

• Cold Compress

Sometimes tooth pain can lead to swelling. A cold compress can help reduce your swollen face and can also offer some temporary pain relief. It is especially effective when you have a chipped tooth or one that was knocked loose. However, if red gums and a fever accompany the pain, there may be an infection, and you should call us.

Tip: Never put heat externally on your face as this can draw the infection into the tissues in your face causing external swellings.

Pain from gums

If there is bacteria or food debris trapped between the gum and the tooth, this can cause pain.

• Clean the area

Thoroughly clean the area with floss or a Te-Pe interdental brush. You could put Corsodyl Gel onto the brush to help clean the area.

• Rinse thoroughly

Rinse thoroughly with Corsodyl mouthwash can help (but Corsodyl will stain your teeth so we don’t recommend this for long term use).

Pain from ulcers

Mouth ulcers can be a sign of underlying medical conditions, so if they don’t heal within two weeks, please get them checked by a dentist.

To reduce the discomfort, you can try:
• Anaesthetic gel such as Orajel
• Warm salty mouthwash
• Corsodyl mouthwash (max. 1 week use)
• Soft diet
• Painkillers

• Gengigel can be effective as well as soothing the pain

How to manage pain from broken teeth

If a tooth or filling has chipped or cracked, this can cause sensitivity from the tooth being exposed or pain to your tongue from sharp edges.

The sensitivity can be reduced by rubbing a de-sensitising toothpaste onto the tooth or placing a temporary filling material over the broken corner (Toofypegs Dental Temporary Repair Kit) until a more definitive filling can be placed.

It may be a few more weeks before we can provide ‘normal’ dental care, however, we are available over the phone to help with any of your dental needs so please don’t be afraid to contact us.

Stay safe!

From the Guildford Dental Practice Dental team

From us at Guildford Dental Practice, we wish you a happy new year! And with the new year comes new resolutions, so why not make your resolution to improve your oral hygiene! Here are ideas that you can adopt in the new year:

1. Look after your gums

Flossing and brushing your teeth is a sure way to prevent gum disease. Brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste helps with effective plaque removal, and flossing in between will remove any food caught in between your teeth, all while helping maintain healthy gums.

2. Make regular visits to the dentist

Making routine visitis to your dentist every 6 months ensures that any hard to reach plaque that has built up on your teeth is removed, leaving you with cleaner and fresher feeling teeth, all while helping you have fresher breath. Visits with your dentist can also make sure you have no potentially harmful problems related to your teeth.

3. Stop smoking

Quitting smoking tobacco can not only help with improving your overall physical health, but your oral hygiene will also improve. Smoking causes yellowing of teeth and leaves your breath smelling of tobacco, but by quitting smoking for the new year, these problems can be solved.

4. Invest in your teeth

Perfecting your smile can be something you wish to achieve over the year, whether that be having crowns, fillings or implant work done to maintain your teeth, or having a whitening treatment to give you a boost of confidence.

5. Eat more healthy foods

Eating more fruits and vegetables while cutting back on sugars will not only help your physical health, but also your oral health, preventing tooth decay along with brushing your teeth twice a day. Cutting out fizzy drinks is also another thing that you can cut out of your diet to help improve your oral hygiene.

By adopting just one of these habits, or even all of these habits, you are sure to go into 2020 with a beautiful smile.

Dentophobia, more commonly known as a fear of dentists, is one of the most notorious phobias in society. With 9-20% of the American population avoiding their regular checkups due to their fears, the risk of disease and decay is far greater. This is particularly dangerous for patients who already have poor oral hygiene, meaning the health of their teeth deteriorates rapidly. Other aspects of a person’s health can also be impacted, as there are links between heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Typically, the phobia can arise from an unpleasant experience with a previous dentist or associated with past treatments that have been painful and/or had implications. Treatments for phobic patients typically involve more gentle dentistry and giving information on treatments in a gentle manner. More extreme treatments given include light sedation, to give the patient a more effective way to combat anxiety.

The most effective way to solve dental anxiety is to give proper education to the youth and adults who aren’t yet informed on proper healthcare and how to avoid diseases that require more intense treatments. Providing comprehensive and less stressful treatment from a young age builds a solid base to a person’s comfort when visiting the dentist.

In most people’s oral hygiene routine, flossing isn’t a common task for many. Despite all dentists and dental hygienists advising their patients to floss everyday, many still don’t do it.

Without flossing, a person can miss cleaning around 35% of their tooth surface. Some people also don’t have big enough spaces in between their teeth for the bristles of their toothbrush to get in between, meaning less of the tooth surface is cleaned. Flossing also helps to maintain healthy gums, reducing risk for periodontal diseases. Reducing the risk for periodontal disease means patients are more likely to keep their adult teeth and require less work to maintain their oral hygiene. A common early sign of gum disease is bleeding of the gums during brushing and/or flossing. However, flossing everyday can quickly resolve this bleeding, showing signs of healthier gums.

Some tips for effective flossing are listed below:

1. Grip the floss rightly, so there is no slack, between your forefingers and thumbs, allowing for around an inch of floss to be used.
2. When flossing, use a gentle rocking motion to manoeuvre the floss between your teeth. Effective flossing doesn’t have to be aggressive.
3. Ensure to floss the back surface of your last tooth, despite it not having a tooth next to it.
4. Work in a strategic way throughout the mouth to avoid missing any teeth. E.g. Start at the right of the top of your mouth and work your way around to the left.

There isn’t much clarity as to what the differences in the treatments offered by NHS clinics and privately owned clinics unless external research is conducted by the patient. The most common preconception of private dental care is that it is more expensive, however this isn’t necessarily always the case.

In terms of restorative dentistry and preserving the teeth the patient already has, treatments don’t have much variation in terms of whether the clinic is public or private. The main differences between these two types of dental care is with the amount of time allocated per patient. With NHS clinics, there is such a large clientele that it may be harder to book an appointment, resulting in longer waiting times for an appointment. With private clinics, there is a lot more freedom in choosing when you would like an appointment and for how long the appointment will need to last.

The main purpose of NHS dental treatment is to treat patients as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Treatments from the NHS are also centred around functionality of the teeth, rather than the aesthetics of the mouth. This means that for any cosmetic treatments, a dentist from a privately owned clinic will need to carry out these treatments. As a result of private clinics offering cosmetic-based treatments, higher quality materials may also be used to achieve the best looking teeth possible. All in all, privately owned clinics have much more freedom when it comes to the materials and labs they use, as they have no government funding that they need to stick by.

Despite there being slight differences between the two types of clinics available, the main aim of both public and private dental care is to help people with any problems concerning the teeth find appropriate treatment so that it doesn’t affect their day-to-day life.

When he’s feeling under the weather, dentist Dr. Kazem says one thing always helps him feel a little more like himself. “Brushing my teeth when I’m sick actually makes me feel better,” he says. “My mouth feels clean, and in a way, I feel like my health is starting to improve.”

When you have a cold or the flu, taking care of your body is your top priority—and that includes your mouth. “It’s important to take care of your dental health all year round, but especially when you’re sick,” Dr. Kazem says.

Here are some simple ways to care for your dental health when you’re not feeling well: 

Practice Good Hygiene

When you’re ill, you know to cover your mouth when you cough and don’t forget to keep up your dental and toothbrush hygiene as well.

According to the CDC, the flu virus can live on moist surfaces for 72 hours. “The number one rule is not to share your toothbrush anytime, but especially when you are sick,” Dr. Kazem says.

You also probably don’t need to replace your toothbrush after you’ve been sick. Unless your immune system is severely compromised, the chances of re-infecting yourself are very low. “But if you’re still in doubt, throw it out,” says Dr. Kazem. “Especially if you’ve had your toothbrush for 3-4 months, when it’s time to replace it anyway.”

Choose Sugar-Free Cough Syrup

Make sure to reead the label before you pick up a bag at the pharmacy with an eye to avoid ingredients like fructose or cough syrup. “Many cough drops contain sugar, and it is like sucking on candy,” says Dr. Kazem. “Sugar is a culprit when it comes to cavities.” The longer you keep a sugary cough drop in your mouth, the more time cavity-causing bacteria has to feast on that sugar, which produces the acid that can leave holes in your teeth.

Swish and Spit After Vomiting

One unfortunate side effect of a stomach flu, among other illnesses, is vomiting. You might be tempted to brush your teeth right away, but Dr. Kazem says it’s better to wait. “When you vomit, stomach acids are coming in contact with your teeth and coating them,” he says. “If you brush too soon, you’re just rubbing that acid all over the hard-outer shell of your teeth.”

Instead, swish with water, a diluted mouth rinse or a mixture of water and 1 tsp. baking soda to help wash the acid away. Spit, and brush about 30 minutes later.

Stay Hydrated to Avoid Dry Mouth

When you’re sick, you need plenty of fluids for many reasons. One is to prevent dry mouth.  Not only is it uncomfortable—dry mouth can also put you at greater risk for cavities. The medications you might be taking for a cold or flu—such as antihistamines, decongestants or pain relievers—can also dry out your mouth, so drink plenty of water and suck on sugarless cough drops, throat lozenges or candies to keep that saliva flowing.

When it comes to your mouth and your body, one beverage is always best. “The safest thing to drink is water,” Dr. Kazem says. “Sports drinks might be recommended to replenish electrolytes when you’re sick, but drink them in moderation and don’t make them a habit after you’ve recovered because unless they are a sugar free version, they contain a lot of sugar.”

You might also want something to warm you up. “When you have a cold or the flu, you may want something comforting to get through it, like tea,” he says. “Try not to add sugar or lemon if you can avoid it. Sugar can helps to fuel cavity-causing bacteria, and lemon is acidic. It’s something to keep in mind once you’re feeling 100% again, as well.”

Be sure to look out for our next blog(s) via social media such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

Whilst we already know that air pollution is both bad for the environment and us, for a number of reasons such as putting ourselves at risk of asthma and other diseases as well as the bad overused use of fossil fuels!

It’s also fact that smoking, drinking and oral sex have all been linked with increasing the chances of having oral cancer.

So whether you are a smoker yourself, or are in an environment where passive smoking is common (inhaling others’ smoke through the nasal passage rather than smoking to yourself), you must ask yourself if these are habits you want to continue if you wish to have a long-lasting life.

The same goes for drinking! If you are a regular drinker then this applies to you also, found in multiple case studies such as the research that has been conducted in Taiwan and other countries that can be found here https://www.dentistry.co.uk/2018/10/16/high-levels-air-pollution-linked-oral-cancer/

If you’re worried you may have any diseases, dentists are qualified to check for some! Why not come visit our Guidlford dentists at Guildford Dental Practice and receive an examination which will identify any imperfections in your teeth, and inform you of any diseases!

 

Be sure to tune in for our next blog and follow our twitter at https://twitter.com/GuildfordDental or our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/guildford.practice/ and even follow our Instagram!  You can find links to these at the bottom of our website.

Xylitol chewing gum should be substituted for the chewing gum you use these days for a number of health reasons.

Since xylitol slows demineralization and enables some rebuilding of the enamel, it assists in the prevention of new cavities from forming and over time can reverse tooth decay that already occurred. Studies have shown that using xylitol five times per day is very effective at preventing caries. (https://xylitol.org/healthcare-professionals/professional-dental-info-about-xylitol/)

We know cavities are parts of teeth where decay has been present, and that is what creates a visit to your dentist! It’s also been proven xylitol has 40% less calories than sucrose meaning quicker blood absorption potentially helping towards reducing hyperglycemia – an excess of glucose which can ultimately lead to diabetes.

The only concerns of xylitol that we know to date is that excessive use for 3 or more years can lead to tumors in some cases and that xylitol can cause diarrhea.

We hope you found this blog interesting, if you have any questions or requests on an article tweet us at https://twitter.com/GuildfordDental or Instagram DM us at https://www.instagram.com/guildforddentalpractice/ 

 

 

A study tells us that ‘changes in oral microbes may lead to gum disease, heart problems, and cancer.’

Whilst we all know the most well known problems that come along with alcohol, and alcohol addiction especially, such as liver failure and other health risks, new research shows that drinking alcohol can imbalance your oral bacteria and make yourself more prone at risk for a variety of diseases.

Depending on how many units of alcohol you drink per day/week, this can impact your oral microbes which can then lead on to further serious worries, such as gum infection, cancer or cardiovascular disease.  To prove this a study from a NYC Professor claimed “Particularly, we found that beneficial bacteria disappeared, and several inflammatory bacteria contents increased in heavy alcohol drinkers.”.

This is why it is important to know your limits on alcohol and not to binge drink! In 2017, among those who had drink alcohol 27% were classed as binge drinkers in the week before being interviewed for a study. That is 16% of all adults aged 16 or over in Great Britain.  For men this was defined as eight units or more on the heaviest drinking day and six units or more for women.

It is important that you evaluate how much you drink and decide whether you are within the health and safety regulation for units, or if you are drinking far too heavily against the advised consumption! In the long term this can reduce your visits to the dentist and ultimately, the main factor, prevent any ongoing issues in the future such as cancer, cardiovascular disease or any other problems that come with excessive drinking!