pregnantIt goes without saying that pregnancy is one of the most stressful times of a woman’s life, with all manner of changes and accommodations occurring to her body.

And while dental treatment is obviously going to be lower on your list of priorities than usual, the team from CK Dental Practice in Bristol feel there are a few things you’ll need to know while you’re expecting.

Keep tabs on your gums

The hormonal charge running through your body is going to impact on a lot of things, and in certain cases, your gums are more likely to bleed.

This isn’t necessarily a danger sign for you (and certainly not for your baby), but it does create a greater chance of gum inflammation and open you up to gum infection, which could cause you dental problems in the long run. It could also mean your health isn’t as good as it could be, so don’t ignore the warning signs.

Keep on top of your dental hygiene

Another by-product of hormonal change in the gums is an accelerated build-up of dental plaque, meaning that you may have to step up your dental regime.

Can I have local anaesthetic during pregnancy?

While you’re probably not going to want to indulge in extensive dental work during this phase of your life, you (and your baby) have nothing to worry about should you need a correction or two.

For starters, local anaesthetic is precisely that: a procedure that focuses on the desired area, and not an injection into the bloodstream, so your baby won’t be affected at all.

What treatment should I avoid?

The only treatment that dentists stay away from during pregnancy is the use of mercury amalgam fillings – although there’s no evidence that they’re a health risk, they’re still not recommended, just to be on the safe side.

Banane-A-05_croppedWe’re all more concerned about keeping our teeth as gleaming as possible these days; like most practitioners, CK Dental practice in Bristol provides a teeth-whitening service.

And there are an ever-increasing range of products available over the counter. But is it possible to bypass all that and create a homemade solution?

You’d certainly think that was the case after a cursory glance at the internet, which now contains a welter of articles promoting the use of a bewildering range of recipes and quick-fixes designed to knock the stains from your smile.

So let’s take a look at the ingredients in these ‘hacks’ and see if any of them actually work – and if there are any hidden dangers in using them.

Baking Soda

Certain normal toothpastes use it as an ingredient, so a concentrated dollop of it mixed into a paste has got to be more effective, right? Well, not exactly: high levels of baking soda are highly abrasive when brushed against the teeth, and can play havoc with their enamel coating.

Lemon juice

Great for getting nicotine stains out of your fingers – but an absolute no-no for teeth, due to the high levels of acidity. And combined with baking soda, it’s the worse-case scenario for tooth enamel.

Oil

Be it olive, sesame or sunflower, the practice of oil-pulling (swishing a teaspoon or two in the mouth for 20 minutes) isn’t going to hurt your teeth. But it’s not going to remove the stains, either.

Banana skins

Some people are hugely excited about the properties of banana skins, packed as they are with teeth-whitening potassium, magnesium and manganese, but rubbing them onto the teeth over a period of time doesn’t really do much.

If you’re looking to un-stain your teeth, your first port of call should always be your dentist. The team at the CK Dental practice in Bristol are well-versed in the dos and don’ts of teeth whitening, and can recommend a proper and manageable regime as well as treatment that works.

child at beachThe school holidays are here, and those with kids probably have enough on their plate already. But with the possible exception of December, this time of year can be the most problematic for your children’s’ dental health, with more snacking, lax dental care and cold, fizzy distractions. Bristol’s CK Dental Practice offers the following tips to help keep the plaque away this summer…

The most important meal of the day

With no school to go to, the lie-ins get longer this time of year. So if your kids are getting up later and sorting out their own breakfasts, make sure you’re not driving them towards quick fixes that could bring on tooth decay.

Sugary cereals are an obvious no-no, but white breads are also notorious for raising acidity levels in the mouth – wholegrain bread is better. The best options are yoghurt (not only low in sugar, but also contains healthy bacteria), dairy produce (for the obvious calcium boost), and non-citrus fruits.

Avoid fizzy drinks

It’s the time of year when fluid intake rockets up – so be prepared and steer your kids towards tooth-friendly drinks like ice water and milk.

Fruit juice can be an absolute nightmare for your child’s teeth and should be restricted to meals. The same goes for cordials: keep them to the low-sugar variety. Remember, eating fruit is far better for your child’s teeth than drinking it.

Keep on top of the brushing regime

Your kids may be in the habit of brushing during school time, but can easily forget about it when they’re off school – and the more lax schedules of the summer holiday could lead them to drop their dental duties. Make sure they don’t.

Get them checked out at the dentist

This is a perfect time of the year to do this, because they won’t be missing any school time, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to correct any problems they’ve developed, and they’ll be getting a timely reminder of how important it is to take care of their teeth.

holidayHoliday season may be in full swing, but there’s no rest period for dental emergencies – and there nothing worse than developing one during your time off, especially when you’re abroad. Here are a few things the team from CK Dental Practice in Bristol believe you should be aware of…

Does your travel cover include dental treatment?

Almost all of us take out travel insurance without thinking about it these days, and for obvious reasons. But in a survey conducted a few years ago by the British Dental Health Foundation, a mere 12% of Brits surveyed knew for sure that their insurance covered emergency dental work, while 55% admitted they didn’t know.

While most travel insurance policies do include dental emergencies, some don’t – so make sure you check the fine print or ask in advance.

Are you having extensive work on your teeth?

If you’re midway through a prolonged course of treatment and your holiday is going to get in the way, always consult your practitioner – they may recommend you hold off from certain procedures until you get back, suggest certain ‘quick fixes’ that can be done in advance, and advise on dental dos and don’ts while you’re away.

Is your toiletries bag properly stocked?

If you’re worried about potential dental disasters flaring up while you’re away, it pays to be prepared. If you have problems with fillings, pick up a temporary filling kit from the chemists.

While you’re there, stock up on desensitising toothpaste, as chances are you’ll be consuming acidic fizzy drinks and wine than usual. And when you’ve arrived, look for some antiseptic mouthwash to counter any gum infections that might arise.

What if I have a dental problem while abroad?

If it’s a minor problem, like a missing crown or a lost filling, and you aren’t in discomfort, it’s perfectly fine to put off treatment until you get home. If that’s not an option and you need immediate treatment, make doubly sure you keep all receipts.

dentist-676421_960_720Here at CK Dental practice in Bristol, we have recently added dental treatment under general anaesthesia to our list of services. This is suited to patients who are extremely nervous of visiting the dentist – sometimes known as “dental phobic” patients.

One question that we get asked a lot at our Bristol dental practice is what sort of dental work can be performed under a general anaesthetic, so here we are going to attempt to answer that as comprehensively as possible.

Essential routine care

Because general anaesthesia does carry some risk, you are unlikely to be offered cosmetic or non-essential routine dental treatment under a general anaesthetic.

However, if you need a filling or extraction, or other routine dental care that the dentist feels it would be detrimental to your oral health to ignore, then this can be performed under a general anaesthetic – within the same building in which CK Dental is housed: Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield – for your comfort.

More complex procedures

Often, when patients are severely dental phobic, they have avoided visiting the dentist for a prolonged period, and their dental health has suffered as a result. In this situation, more complex dental work may be required – root canal treatment, or even implant placement if the teeth have deteriorated too much to be saved.

General anaesthesia for dental treatment presents the perfect option for these patients, allowing the dentist to rectify these problems without any discomfort for the patient, who is unconscious throughout and just wakes up after surgery to find all their dental problems solved.

All the staff here at CK Dental practice in Bristol are trained to a high level in dealing with extremely nervous patients, so we take pains to put you at ease from the minute you set foot in our clinic and throughout the examination process.

If you are dental phobic and would like to know more about dental treatment under general anaesthetic, please contact us.

hand over mouthWithout seeing the patient in person and performing a thorough examination of the teeth, it is difficult to advise on the correct course of treatment. However, there are a few treatments offered here at our Bristol dental practice which can deal with one or both of these problems.

Teeth straightening

If by “uneven” you mean your teeth are crooked, then the Invisalign invisible braces system might present a good treatment option. Using a series of customised invisible aligners, each of which is worn for between two and three weeks, the Invisalign system effectively straightens your teeth without anyone needing to know you are wearing a brace.

Teeth whitening

For discolouration, the obvious choice is teeth whitening. Here at CK Dental practice in Bristol, we use an at-home whitening system, using a special customised tray that is created from an imprint of your mouth.

Carried out as a night time treatment over a period of around a fortnight, teeth whitening in Bristol can provide an even, predictable whitening of the teeth, which lasts for between one and two years. Results can be topped up to maximum whiteness in just one or two nights at minimal cost.

Dental veneers

“Uneven” does not always mean crooked – in some cases, the teeth are of uneven lengths, perhaps due to bruxism (teeth grinding), or because of chips or breakages of the teeth. If this is the case for you, then dental veneers might present the best treatment option – solving both your problems at once.

Dental veneers are made from very thin layers of porcelain, which are permanently bonded to the surface of the natural teeth using a special adhesive. This allows us to create a perfectly white, even smile, using minimally invasive techniques.

To book a consultation and find out which of these treatments is most suitable for you, please contact us.

dentist appointmentIf you haven’t been to the dentist in a while, you may have forgotten what happens during a routine dental appointment. And – particularly if you are feeling a bit nervous about going to the dentist – it can be helpful to know what’s in store.

So, here’s a brief rundown of what you can expect during a dental check-up here at CK Dental practice in Bristol.

Filling in a medical history form

If it’s been a long time since your last visit to the dentist, you will probably be asked to fill in a form about your medical history. This is usually a fairly simple tick-box exercise and shouldn’t take too long. If you are unsure about any of the questions, the receptionist or another member of staff will be happy to help.

Meeting the dentist

Once it is time for your appointment, either the dentist or a dental nurse will come out to the waiting room and show you the way into the clinic.

The dentist will then introduce himself and may ask you some questions about your dental health routine – how often you brush, floss etc – as well as your eating habits and other lifestyle factors that might affect your teeth, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.

All of this is intended to give the dentist an overall impression of your oral health, but if you feel uncomfortable and would like to skip this part and go straight to the examination itself, then it is important to say so and the dentist will be happy to comply with your wishes.

A visual examination

The dentist will need to look inside your mouth to get an idea of how healthy your teeth and gums are. To do this, he will need to recline your chair back and shine a light into your mouth. He will then use a small mirror to check each of your teeth and the surrounding gums. He is looking for plaque, cavities and other signs of decay, as well as checking whether you have all your teeth.

Here at CK Dental practice in Bristol, we understand that some people have a fear of the dentist’s chair. If this is you, please do say so at the outset and we will do our best to keep you as comfortable as possible during the examination – it may be possible to check your mouth using a small mirror while you sit in a normal chair, for example.

It may well be that the dentist has to use instruments to allow him to examine your mouth thoroughly. If that is the case, he will always explain to you beforehand exactly what he is going to use and why.

X-rays

Once every year or so, the dentist will need to take an x-ray of your mouth. This allows him to check for any problems below the foundations of the teeth, or inside the tooth itself.

You will be asked to bite down on a small tab, while the dentist uses an x-ray machine to take a series of photographs of your mouth from several angles. The machine itself looks a bit like a telescope, and is held on a mechanical arm. The process is usually over within a matter of minutes.

If you haven’t been to the dentist for a while and are nervous about your appointment, please contact us to find out what we can do to put you at your ease in our Bristol dental clinic.

We all know the importance of brushing our teeth thoroughly, twice a day, but do you know the best way to do it?

Here, the team from CK Dental practice in Bristol explains the most effective way to brush your teeth if you want to reduce plaque and save yourself from having to undergo expensive and invasive dental work in future.

For a really thorough clean, most dentists recommend using an electric toothbrush, but you should be able to get good results from a manual brush if you follow these tips.

Set a timer

The two minute rule is more than just a guideline. You really should brush your teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day, aiming to spend 30 seconds on each of the four sections of your mouth – upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left.

If you do use an electric toothbrush, it will probably have a built-in timer that will tell you when your two minutes is up, but if you are using a manual brush, it can be useful to have a clock, or even an egg timer close to hand. Egg timers are particularly useful for children.

Get the position right

It isn’t necessarily about brushing your teeth as hard as you can – in fact, brushing too hard can damage the enamel of your teeth and erode your gums – but about getting the angle of the brush right, so you remove all food particles and plaque-causing bacteria.

When brushing the inner and outer surfaces of the teeth, you should hold the brush at about a 45 degree angle and use short, gentle strokes, remembering to target the gum line where most food gets trapped.

For the chewing surfaces, hold the toothbrush flat against the tooth and brush backwards and forwards using slightly longer strokes.

For the insides of your front teeth, use just the tip of the brush to brush gently upwards and downwards.

Don’t forget your tongue

Food particles can get caught on the surface of your tongue, so it’s important to brush the surface of your tongue from back to front, using long sweeping strokes, to remove these particles along with any bacteria, freshening your breath.

To check up on how effective your toothbrushing routine is, why not book a routine dental exam here at Bristol dental practice CK Dental.

Cracked_tooth_lateral_periodontal_abscessBreaking a tooth can be a traumatic experience, particularly as it usually happens as a result of a fall or a blow to the mouth. Once the initial shock has subsided, however, the cosmetic impact of a broken tooth can also be a lot to deal with.

So, what can you do if you’ve broken a tooth? The team here at CK Dental practice in Clifton, Bristol, have come up with some tips to help you deal with the problem as quickly and effectively as possible.

First things first: call the dentist

A broken tooth is a dental emergency, so you need to call your dentist straightaway. S/he will then be able to assess the damage and let you know the best options available to mend your broken tooth as quickly as possible.

Here at CK Dental, Bristol dentist Cornelius Krause says there are three main types of broken tooth from a knock to the mouth:

A chipped tooth

A chip in the tooth’s enamel or the surface of the tooth is unlikely to be a major problem. It can be an annoyance, however, so depending on the severity of the chip your dentist may use filling material to even it out, or just polish the area smooth. For a more permanent cosmetic option, dental veneers might be a good choice.

A broken cusp

The cusps are the pointed, chewing surfaces of the teeth. If these are broken, it will impact on the practical use of your teeth, so some dental work will definitely be required. It may be possible to repair the damage using filler material, but often a dental veneer or crown will be needed.

A serious break

A serious break in a tooth is one which causes the nerve to be exposed. This will cause some pain, and there will often be blood involved. If you have a serious break in your tooth, you may need root canal treatment on the exposed nerve, as well as a crown on the tooth to allow you to chew food normally.

If you have broken a tooth recently and have not seen a dentist about it, please contact us to find out how we can help.

girl-1208307_960_720The vast majority of people undergo routine dental treatment without the need for sedation of any kind, but here at CK Dental practice in Bristol, we are aware that for some people going to the dentist is not just a routine event.

We have all heard of the concept of being afraid of the dentist, but for people with dental phobia that fear is very real, and that’s why we decided to offer dental treatment under sedation here at our Bristol dentist clinic.

For some patients, however, they have other anxiety-related conditions which mean they have built up a tolerance to the drugs used for conscious sedation. For others, the fear of the dentist is so deep-rooted that any level of consciousness during the procedure is too much to cope with.

For those patients, general anaesthesia is a fantastic option, allowing them to undergo any necessary dental work without the trauma of seeing it happening.

Don’t you have to be in a hospital to have a general anaesthetic?

Yes, and that is why CK Dental is so well placed to offer this service. Our dental practice is located within the Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield in Clifton, which means our dental phobic patients can undergo dentistry under general anaesthesia, without having to enter an unfamiliar environment.

Do you do anything else to put dentalphobic patients at ease?

The whole team at CK Dental is trained and experienced in dealing with patients who are more than usually nervous about visiting the dentist.

This means that we are able to recognise when a patient is feeling anxious and work to remedy the situation. We do this by creating a very calm, warm and welcoming environment, by explaining all procedures in full before any dental work is undertaken and by helping you to talk through your fears.

If you are nervous or anxious about visiting the dentist, why not give the CK Dental team a call to find out how we can help you to get your teeth back on track.