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Archive for the ‘oral hygiene’ Category

You Can Avoid Dental Decay in the New Year

Thursday, December 15th, 2016

At this time of year, many of us start thinking about making resolutions. Perhaps you want to give up smoking or make more an effort to hit your 5 portions of fruit and vegetable a day target. If you’re looking for inspiration, why not make it your aim to improve your dental health? Here are some easy ways to avoid dental decay in 2017.

Brushing tips

Brushing your teeth is a really easy way of preventing decay, but you have to do it right to get the best results. Brush for at least 2 minutes, and make sure you cover every individual tooth. Move the brush right to the back of the mouth to clean your moles, and don’t forget to brush along the gum line. Don’t be too vigorous when you’re cleaning; if you brush too hard, you will damage your enamel. We recommend using fluoride toothpaste; fluoride is a mineral, which helps to strengthen the enamel and reduce the risk of cavities.

Healthy eating

Many cases of dental decay are linked to sugar consumption. Today, we consume more sugar than ever before. Sugary foods increase the risk of decay because they cause bacteria in your mouth to release acids. These acids weaken the enamel. Once the enamel is damaged or worn, there’s a high risk of cavities. Try and avoid eating foods like sweets, chocolate and biscuits on a regular basis. Fizzy drinks are also another common offender. It’s particularly important to avoid sugary and acidic foods and drinks between meals.

Visiting your dentist

If you visit your dentist on a regular basis, you have a much lower risk of developing decay and gum disease. Dentists are trained to spot the early warning signs of decay, and they can act to make the situation better. Placing a filling, for example can help to prevent an infection spreading throughout the tooth. We recommend regular check-ups every 6-12 months. If you have toothache, or you’ve started to experience severe sensitivity, arrange an appointment as soon as you can.

Tags: brushing your teeth, christmas, dental decay
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Give Your Teeth Their Healthiest Christmas Yet!

Monday, December 12th, 2016

Christmas is the most wonderful time of year for most of us, but when it comes to your dental health, there are risks. During the festive period, we tend to relax our diets and indulge on all kinds of traditional treats. This Christmas, spare a thought for your teeth and gums, and give them the healthiest Christmas yet. All you need to do is bear these simple tips in mind:

Book a routine check-up: if you haven’t been to the dentist in the last 6-12 months, now is an ideal tie to make an appointment before Christmas. Nobody wants to spend the festive period missing out on the fun because they’ve got toothache. When you see your dentist, they will carry out a series of checks to make sure that your teeth and gums are healthy. If there are problems, they can be treated. If you have signs of decay and gum disease, for example, leaving them can result in serious damage.

Avoid snacking: it’s tempting to graze all day at Christmas time when there are bowls of nuts and crisps scattered around, and family-size tubs of chocolate on offer. Snacking doesn’t just ruin main meals. It also increases your risk of dental disease. When you eat, bacteria release acids that attack your enamel, making it soft. It takes time for the enamel to reharden. If you’re snacking, this means that your enamel never has chance to recover, and there’s a real risk of cavities forming. Try and stick to eating at mealtimes.

Eat in moderation: it’s understandable to go a bit crazy at Christmas time, but try and moderate your intake of sugary foods and drinks. There are plenty of savoury delights that you can enjoy instead. One simple way of reducing your sugar intake is to swap fizzy drinks for sugar-free versions. Fizzy drinks are acidic, so if you are drinking diet versions, use a straw, and drink a glass of water or milk afterwards.

Keep up with your normal oral hygiene regime: at Christmas time, we tend to go into holiday mode and slack off a little. It’s fine to enjoy a lie-in, but don’t relax your oral hygiene regime. It’s essential to clean your teeth twice a day every day for at least two minutes each time.

Tags: Christmas Dentistry, dental health, oral health, routine check-up
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How to Give Your Mouth Its Healthiest Winter Yet!

Monday, November 14th, 2016

Winter is here and it’s time to start taking care of yourself. Nobody wants to spend the holidays nursing injuries or miss out on the festivities because of toothache. This winter, why not make an extra effort to keep those teeth and gums healthy? Here are some top tips to help you keep dental woes at bay.

Oral hygiene tips

Good oral hygiene decreases your risk of developing dental diseases dramatically. Take care to set aside at least two minutes every morning and evening to brush your teeth. If you struggle with timing, set a timer on your phone or watch. When you’re brushing, be gentle. If you brush too firmly, you can damage your enamel. Floss daily to remove any food debris and bacteria you may have missed with your brush. We recommend using fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride helps to strengthen your enamel and protect you from cavities.

Dental checks

If you haven’t been to the dentist for a while, now is the time to call up and make an appointment before Christmas. Nobody wants to miss out on opening presents or eating a turkey dinner because they’ve got troublesome teeth. Check-ups only take a few minutes, but they’re so important. When you have a routine check, your dentist will look for any potential warning signs of dental problems, including oral cancer. You won’t feel any pain, and regular checks will reduce your risk of needing intensive treatment dramatically.

Eating habits

Winter is a time we tend to indulge, especially over the festive period. It’s good to treat yourself from time to time, but spare a thought for your teeth and gums. Always wait an hour after eating to brush your teeth, and avoid eating between meals. If you fancy a mince pie on Christmas Eve, have it straight after a meal. Use a straw when you’re drinking, and try and opt for sugar-free drinks.

Tags: dental check ups in liverpool, healthy teeth, hygiene, oral health liverpool
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How to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Healthy

Wednesday, October 12th, 2016

At Liverpool Dental Spa, we aim to encourage healthy habits from an early age. We offer a comprehensive range of children’s dental services and we are always on hand to offer advice to help children achieve confident and happy smiles and remain free of troublesome cavities and toothache.

Oral health should be a priority for children and we are eager to provide care for children from an early age in order to reduce the risk of oral health diseases and promote good oral health habits as early as possible. Research confirms that children who see a dentist on a regular basis are less likely to experience dental difficulties in childhood and adulthood than those who rarely see a dentist.

Our routine check-ups are designed to be simple, pain-free and quick and we go the extra mile to help children learn and to ensure that they have lots of fun while they are with us. We chat to kids about their teeth and gums and why it is important to look after them and we explain why it’s necessary to go to the dentist every six months. We will always be happy to answer questions and we can also offer advice to parents with regard to diet and nutrition and oral hygiene at home.

In addition to routine dental check-ups and treatment for issues, such as cavities, we also offer preventative dental services for children, including fluoride varnish and fissure sealant treatment. Both these treatments, which are completely painless, are effective measures for fighting tooth decay.

Decay is one of the most common preventable childhood illnesses and these preventative measures can really make a difference. Fluoride varnish treatment is incredibly simple and we apply the varnish to the surface of the teeth; it helps to make the enamel stronger and to offer protection from plaque acids. Fissure sealant treatment involves creating a plastic sealant, which forms a protective cover over the surface of the tooth to prevent bacteria and food getting trapped in the pits and cracks, which are known as fissures. The process is simple and it only takes a few minutes.

Tags: children's check ups liverpool, Children's dentistry, Children's dentistry City of Liverpool, dental check ups for children
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How to Scare off Gum Disease and Tooth Decay

Friday, September 16th, 2016

If you don’t brush your teeth, plaque will form in your mouth. If plaque is left to its own devices, it will eventually harden in to tartar. Tarter is a tougher beast to remove than its infant stage and, once it has formed along your gum line, the plaque it conceals will quite happily excrete harmful poisons which will, in turn, inflame your precious gums. Predictably, your gums don’t like this and will in fact recede from said poisons. This can then affect surrounding bone tissue and, because your gums have shrunk away, eventually lead to tooth loss. Not nice, eh?

Okay, I’m a little worried now. What can I do about it?

Look at that first sentence: ‘If you don’t brush your teeth…’ All this pain and palaver can easily be prevented provided you brush your teeth regularly. The ‘two times a day for two minutes’ brushing mantra should have been ingrained into your psyche long, long ago… Flossing, rinsing with mouthwash and attending periodic dental check-ups are also beneficial, but the brushing is really your absolute first line of defence against gum disease.

The time and the place

Now might be a good moment to raise one ill mentioned fact: Brushing at certain times can actually cause a little damage. These times, however, aren’t concrete; they are in fact relative to your eating. The acid present in many foods and drinks can soften your tooth enamel, meaning that brushing immediately after can in fact help in wearing down your tooth enamel! Thankfully, if you wait an hour after eating before brushing, you should have nothing to worry about.

Top tips for brushing

This seems basic, but make sure you cover all areas of the mouth. Be thorough! Plaque can get anywhere. When brushing, rest the bristly head of the toothbrush at an angle against your gum line and move the brush in a tiny, circular motion. Make sure to brush each tooth separately (both outer and inside surfaces) and ensure to keep the brush at angled as this will help target the gum line. When brushing the tops of your teeth, you also move the brush in a similar circular motion; you just keep the brush vertical this time!

Tags: brushing your teeth, gum disease Liverpool, gum disease prevention liverpool, oral hygiene liverpool
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The Ultimate Cleaning Experience

Monday, June 20th, 2016

Nothing feels better than smooth, clean teeth and what better way to celebrate the first day of summer than with a clean bill of oral health? We encourage our patients to maintain good oral hygiene at home, but nothing beats the feeling of an intensive cleaning treatment. Our expert hygienists will give your smile a healthy glow and banish harmful bacteria to help you lower the risk of decay and gum disease.

What do hygienists do?

Dental hygienists are experts in oral hygiene. They provide a range of hygiene and preventative treatments, which help to lower the risk of oral diseases and keep the teeth looking strong, healthy and shiny.

Our dental hygienists play a very important role in the treatment of gum disease, but a visit to the hygienist can be beneficial for all patients – even those with good oral health! For patients who have a high risk of gum disease and those who have been diagnosed with severe gum disease, regular hygiene sessions can help to prevent the condition from getting worse.

Hygiene treatments

Our hygienists provide a range of services for patients of all ages, including preventative treatments, cleaning treatments such as scale and polish and gum disease management. Our hygienists are also available to offer advice about oral hygiene and teeth cleaning and to help with issues such as healthy eating and giving up or cutting down on smoking.

Why is dental hygiene so important?

Good dental hygiene is important for keeping your teeth and gums healthy, but it also plays a role in maintaining good general health. A number of studies have now suggested a connection between oral and general health and gum disease has been found to increase the risk of general health conditions, including strokes and heart disease, as bacteria from the mouth is able to travel through the bloodstream, contributing to harmful effects in other areas of the body.

Tags: Dental hygienist clean Liverpool, hygiene, oral hygiene, oral hygiene liverpool
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The Relationship Between Oral Health and Weight Loss

Wednesday, June 8th, 2016

It may seem odd to link oral health and weight loss, but many of the foods that contribute to weight gain also increase the risk of oral health problems. Choosing to lose weight can therefore also improve your oral health as well as your general health.

Eating and oral health

Your body relies on the foods you eat to get all the nutrients it needs to function properly. Some foods are much more beneficial than others, while eating certain foods on a regular basis can increase the risk of health complications. Foods that are high in sugar increase the risk of oral health diseases, including tooth decay and gum disease, because they cause bacteria in the mouth to produce harmful plaque acids that assault the defensive enamel exterior of the teeth. Once the enamel is damaged, it cannot be regenerated and so the tooth is left susceptible to damage and decay.

Eating a lot of sugary foods also increases the chance of weight gain, as these foods are often high in calories and if you take in more calories than you use, this leads to weight gain. Foods that are high in sugar include cakes, biscuits, sweets and chocolate. Studies have also shown that poor oral health is linked to an increased risk of serious health problems, including heart disease and strokes, both of which are also associated with obesity.

Losing weight

Losing weight is notoriously difficult, but it can be done and the winning formula is very simple. In the vast majority of cases, eating fewer calories and increasing the sum of exercise you do will help you to lose weight. Healthy eating is very important as a good, balanced diet will provide your body with all the vitamins and minerals it needs. A good diet should include foods from all the major food groups, including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fruits and vegetables. The bulk of your diet should be made up from complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, cereals, bread, rice, pasta, fruit and vegetables.

Most people enjoy a sweet treat now and again but it is important to keep an eye on the amount of sugar you consume, as taking in large amounts of sugar will damage your teeth and increase the risk of developing serious illnesses such as diabetes.

Tags: healthy teeth, oral health, oral health liverpool, weight loss Liverpool
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The Importance of Keeping Your Teeth Healthy and Clean

Tuesday, May 24th, 2016

Brushing your teeth helps to keep your smile looking healthy and bright, but there is so much more to teeth cleaning than this, and research has revealed that looking after your gums and teeth is more important than ever before.

Gum disease and general health

Studies have shown that oral health has a connection with general health and researchers have discovered that oral health issues, especially gum disease, can increase the risk of serious medical conditions. In studies conducted in the UK and America, researchers have found that poor oral health can increase the risk of strokes, heart disease, diabetes and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Gum disease has also been linked to an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and premature birth.

The importance of oral hygiene for good oral health

The best way to keep oral health problems at bay is to adopt a good daily oral hygiene regime. Regular brushing removes food debris and bacteria from the teeth, preventing the formation of plaque. Plaque is a sticky film that adheres to the tooth surfaces and the gum line, increasing the risk of gum disease and dental decay.

Good oral hygiene also helps to keep bad breath at bay and ensures that your teeth feel smooth and look white and healthy.

Preventing oral health problems

It’s really easy to maintain good oral health and you only need to dedicate 5 minutes per day to your oral health routine to notice the benefits. Brushing twice a day and flossing helps to rid the mouth of potentially harmful bacteria, thus reducing the risk of gum disease, decay, bad breath and discolouration.

Watching what you eat can also make a huge difference to oral health. Foods that contain sugar and acidic foods and drinks are bad news for your teeth because they can cause enamel wear. This is because the bacteria in your mouth feed on sugars and this causes them to release acids that attack the enamel outer layer of the teeth.

Another great way to reduce the risk of oral health issues and boost the appearance of your smile is to see your dentist for regular routine check-ups. Seeing a dental hygienist is also really beneficial, especially if you are prone to plaque or tartar build-up, you have a high risk of gum disease or you suffer from bad breath.

Tags: gum disease Liverpool, oral health, oral health liverpool, oral hygiene liverpool
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How to Make Brushing Fun for Your Children

Wednesday, May 18th, 2016

It is quite an exciting time for both children and parents when kids start to learn how to take on more responsibilities. Starting off with their first steps and words, then onto potty training and later learning about general and dental hygiene, a child can progress quickly and thoroughly if they have a good teacher.

It doesn’t have to be a chore!

A general rule of thumb is to brush your children’s teeth until they are seven years of age and then show them how to do it themselves. There are many ways to make something as mundane as brushing teeth entertaining for your children. The best way to teach them how to take care of themselves is by making the chore fun!

Another approach to encouraging your children to brush their teeth correctly is to create a positive environment. When you show enthusiasm, your child will follow suit, so why not entertain while you brush, by tap dancing, singing, or making jokes? You could also find a radio or CD player that plays their favourite music, as a reward for brushing their teeth.

Enhance their enjoyment of teeth brushing, by turning it into a number game, counting up to ten for each part of the mouth they clean. This will also allow them to know when the tooth brushing will end and thus they won’t become as restless and fidgety, wondering when the chore of tooth brushing will be over.

The key to teaching your children great hygiene practices is to make it fun. You can make your own technique, tweak it to their personality and observe the results!

Tags: Children's dentistry, Liverpool children's oral health, oral health liverpool, oral hygiene liverpool
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Everything You Need to Know About Brushing and Flossing

Thursday, May 12th, 2016

Although having a check up with your dentist every six months is hugely important, it is just as vital that you take excellent care of your teeth and gums at home in your everyday life. In order to do this you should pursue the recommended regime of brushing and flossing that will help to keep gum disease and tooth decay at bay.

Brace yourself to brush

You should brush your teeth at least twice a day to stop the build up of plaque. Plaque forms from the sugary and starchy foods we eat and attacks the enamel that protects our teeth. Just brushing your teeth once a day will not be enough, as plaque takes four to twelve hours to form. An even better solution is to brush your teeth after every meal, especially if it was particularly sugary or starchy.

The truth is in the toothpaste

Fluoride toothpastes are ideal because they actually help to strengthen enamel. You ought to brush for about three minutes and use a soft-bristled brush. An overly vigorous technique or an especially hard brush can damage your gums and, in time, wear down your enamel and leave your teeth more exposed.

Fabulous flossing

Flossing is important too because it reaches and cleans parts of your mouth that brushes cannot. Floss is made from thin nylon or Teflon and is pulled between the teeth to remove plaque and debris which can form there too. If you are not a regular user of floss and begin using it you find your gums become a little sore or even bleed, but this will pass.

Tags: brushing your teeth, flossing, inter dental brushing liverpool, oral hygiene liverpool
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