Your teeth are important, use a dental professional.

Taking responsibility for looking after our own teeth and gums is important. Daily cleaning and flossing are essential if you want to avoid common problems like decay and gum disease. When it comes to having treatment though, the expertise required should not be underestimated, and even the most straightforward procedures should be carried out by one of our Burton dentists.

Unfortunately, it does seem that some people are taking matters into their own hands and are attempting to treat themselves, sometimes even for more advanced treatments like teeth straightening! Of course this is a very bad idea and below we look at some of the most common examples of DIY dentistry that can go horribly wrong.

Teeth whitening

Anybody who has searched the internet for ways to whiten their teeth at home, will have found millions of results. Many of these are duplicated, leaving perhaps a few dozen ideas. These include some very strange ones such as using strawberries to whiten your teeth, to the downright dangerous ones involving household bleach. The latter especially should be avoided and could cause very serious injuries or even worse. Most DIY teeth whitening treatments though fall into the categories of ‘do not work’ or ‘may potentially cause serious damage’. Many use natural ingredients that may appear safe; lemon juice being a classic example. Unfortunately, even seemingly innocent ingredients like this can strip the enamel from your teeth, causing irreparable damage.

Replacing detached restorations

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Could the World Cup really lead to damaged teeth?

For the game tonight against Belgium, England fans can relax. We are going through to the qualifying stages anyway and whilst a win would be nice, any result will do. The real pressure, of course, comes when we reach the knockout stages. Despite England having, on paper, a relatively ‘easy’ game next round, some of the games so far have shown that the ‘smaller’ teams should not be underestimated.

At Mike Allen’s Dental Practice, we know how much some of our Burton patients love football, and no doubt many will be glued to their TV watching England play. For them, we offer some advice to help them keep their teeth healthy as the nerves kick in.

Bruxism

Perhaps this is a little tongue in cheek, as most teeth grinding occurs whilst we sleep. However, particularly tense occasions, such as football games can cause us to grind our teeth quite hard. Especially if your teeth have been weakened through too many fillings, it is possible that your teeth could crack, or even break altogether. If this does happen, you should make an emergency dental appointment to see us as soon as you can.

Accidents

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Our Burton dentist takes a look at the wide selection of toothpastes now available

Anybody who watches TV can’t help but have noticed the seemingly increasing range of toothpastes that are being marketed. It appears that there is a different toothpaste for every possible problem. The question though is do they work?

In today’s blog, we take a look at some of the different types of these toothpastes that are advertised and offer our advice.

Teeth whitening

Teeth whitening toothpastes are perhaps the most widely advertised, and why not? It makes sense that most people would like to have their teeth as white as possible and brushing with a whitening toothpaste seems to be a win-win situation. The reality though is that these toothpastes are only allowed, in law, to contain a very limited amount of hydrogen peroxide, the whitening active ingredient. This is very low in whitening toothpastes. Compare that with the much higher amounts that dentists are allowed to use and it is not hard to see which is most effective. Our verdict, harmless but don’t expect great results.

Gum disease

It is good news that people are now more aware of the problems that gum disease can cause. There are now some very good gum disease toothpastes on the market which contain active ingredients which help to minimise the bacteria which contribute to gum problems. Our verdict; worth buying but remember that you do still need to see the hygienist as well on an ongoing basis.

Sensitivity

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Certain groups are at particular risk of this problem.

It is probably not a subject that many of us like to think about, and we hope that you aren’t eating as you read our latest blog. The truth is though, that regular vomiting can have a serious effect on your teeth, even going so far as to destroy the enamel if this happens over a period of time.

Whilst occasionally being sick should do little long term damage to your teeth, providing that otherwise you look after them well, there are two categories of patients who may experience this particular problem more frequently.

Mums to be

We have mentioned before that, during pregnancy, the changes in hormones in your body mean that gum disease is more likely than normal. This is not the only problem during this time though.

Although some women are little troubled by it, morning sickness is a major problem for many and a long period of frequent morning vomiting can cause damage to your teeth. As you are sick, stomach acids pass over the teeth. This is quite a corrosive substance and can soon strip away some of the protective enamel that helps to prevent decay and damage to the inner sections of your teeth.

Eating disorder sufferers

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Even if your tooth looks healthy, if it is wobbling, then something is wrong.

The only teeth that we have in our lifetime which should wobble, are our milk teeth when they are almost ready to come out. This is entirely natural, but once they have been replaced by our adult teeth, this should not happen again. Indeed if it does, there is something wrong that will require professional dental attention.

There are a number of possible causes of a wobbly tooth, each of which might require different treatment.

A blow to the tooth

If your tooth is wobbling following a blow to it, such as from a football, or even a fall, it is possible that you may have damaged the tooth and possibly also the jaw bone holding it in place. Depending on the extent of any damage to the bone, this may rectify itself within a few weeks as the bone regenerates. You should ALWAYS have the tooth checked though and never presume that this is what will happen, It will depend on a number of factors and the dentist at Mike Allen’s Dental Practice will be able to advise you about this in more detail, following an examination.

Even where the tooth will eventually recover on its own, it may still need to be treated for any breakages or root canal trauma.

Gradual wobbly teeth

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