Trick or treat? It’s that time of year again when sweets are calling…

Good dental habits HalloweenWith Halloween comes all kinds of fun and excitement, ranging from pumpkin carving and dressing up, to spooky stories and trick-or-treating. But, even once Halloween has been and gone, the legacy of the ‘treats’ from trick-or-treating live on. Whether your children have come home with hoards of sweets they have procured from the neighbours or if you stocked up for trick-or-treaters and have got lots left over, the chances are your house might be looking a lot like a sweet shop at the moment.

Here’s some ideas from CK Dental in Bristol on how to keep Halloween fun while keeping your teeth a bit more healthy….

Make fun substitutions

Instead of a bag of sweets, think more creatively about what ‘treats’ might look like. Stickers are a great alternative, cheap, fun and a big hit on the playground. Especially if they happen to be sticker packs that your little ones can swap with their friends.

Bubbles and balloons are another good party bag offering that would substitute for sweets nicely. Children love blowing bubbles, especially younger ones. At this time of year, it’s very easy to pick up some ghoulish-themed bottles of bubbles or some black and orange balloons which will keep them entertained for ages.

This can extend to other Halloween dress-up items, like some witches fingers, a set of vampire teeth, a (pretend) spider, a plastic eyeball or two….these items can be picked up very cheaply at supermarkets and discount stores and kids will have great fun customising their outfits with them.

Make sure you’re still encouraging good dental habits

Although these spooky substitutions will help reduce sugar intake, they won’t evade the problem entirely, so be prepared to embrace the fun of trick-or-treating and make sure you reiterate the importance of a thorough teeth brushing session once the sweets have been consumed. Also, bear in mind that if your children have acquired a lot of sweets these may need to be consumed over a number of nights. If this is the case then make sure to explain that this is all part of the Halloween hangover, and that having sweets after tea is not to become a habit, otherwise you may find it is hard to break!

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Babies and toddlers – how to avoid tooth decay by giving sensible snacks

tooth decay in childrenAll parents out there will understand, relate to or remember the transition from milk to solid foods. The weaning process. This can be an exciting time or this can be stressful, and everyone crosses their fingers that their baby will not turn out to be a fussy eater.

For some parents whose little darlings are picky with what they eat, they may fall into the trap of giving them food/snacks that they like, just because they are pleased that they are eating something. It’s worth remembering though that bad habits can start young, and if you want your child’s teeth to remain healthy for as long as possible, here are some snacks that you may wish to avoid.

Some snacks to be mindful of

  • Dried raisins – these are a handy, convenient snack that appear healthy (they’re fruit right, so must be good for infants?). Although they do contain vitamins and are great for helping babies develop their fine motor skills, the ‘pincer’ motion, they are very sticky and can become attached to milk teeth. The natural sugars within the raisins then can damage the teeth unless they are brushed thoroughly.
  • Fruit juices – although they are definitely a healthier alternative to sugary, carbonated drinks, fresh fruit juice contains natural acid which can wear away the delicate enamel of new teeth.
  • Flavoured milk – although most babies will continue having milk before bed for several years, try to keep this natural and unsweetened. Adding flavours to milk undoubtedly means adding sugar, and unless you’re planning on brushing their teeth again before they go to sleep, this means that overnight their teeth are at risk of decay. Even if these are marketed as suitable for babies, that does not mean that they are necessarily good for their teeth.

The best kind of snacks you can give your children are raw vegetables such as carrot sticks and cucumber, or fresh fruit such as orange segments and bananas. Snacks such as rice cakes and toast are also good for plugging the gaps between meals.

Getting into good habits early

Just remember, even if your little one doesn’t have a full set of milk teeth yet, you should be brushing their teeth twice a day for up to two minutes per clean. This will be hard for the very youngest babies, so don’t worry if it’s only a short brush before they aren’t willing to cooperate any longer. Regular brushing helps babies and toddlers associate this as part of their regular daily routine.

And also make regular trips to your dentist part of your routine. In shocking figures released earlier this year, the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons pointed to a 24% rise in the number of tooth extractions on children under four over the last decade.

Professor Nigel Hunt, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), said: “When you see the numbers tallied up like this it becomes abundantly clear that the sweet habits of our children are having a devastating effect on the state of their teeth. That children as young as one or two need to have teeth extracted is shocking.  It’s almost certain that the majority of these extractions will be down to tooth decay caused by too much sugar in diets.”

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Worried about visiting the dentist?

Many people have anxieties about things in life, some of which are perfectly rational and others are more about fears of the unknown or unexpected. These fears can range from things like spiders and creepy crawlies, to visiting health practitioners like doctors or dentists.

Here at CK Dental Practice in Bristol we understand that some people are particularly nervous about visiting the dentist, for reasons such as:

  • Uncertainty about what might be required as treatment for my teeth
  • Extractions – will I be told I need a tooth removed?
  • What will the dentist think of my teeth? Will I be judged?
  • Has it been too long since my last visit – what will the dentist find?
  • Will treatment require an injection in my mouth?

Do any of these concerns sound familiar? If any resonate with you, then you’re not alone, but nor should you really worry too much about a trip to see the dentist. Dentists are not here to judge, they’re here to help. Treatments are also wide ranging, and even though tooth extraction may be a course of action recommended for some oral issues, this is not often as scary as it sounds.

Treatments here are as safe as if you were in hospital, but in the comfort of your local practice

CK Dental offers General Anaesthetic Services particularly aimed at nervous dental patients, so if you need treatment that requires an anaesthetic, then just put yourself in the hands of the experts. Your procedure will be performed in a relaxed setting, with a practitioner who will be able to put you at ease during the treatment.

Faster access to treatment

Not only that, if you’re suffering from toothache from a tooth that needs to be removed, the NHS waiting times are quite lengthy – currently, patients are waiting between 22 and 52 weeks for an NHS appointment. This is a long time to wait with a painful tooth. CK Dental can offer a much faster solution – patients can expect to be seen in their clinic within one week and treatment can usually be arranged for between two to four weeks. This includes those requiring a general anaesthetic.

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Pulling teeth: reasons for dental extraction

tooth extraction under general anaestheticPatients understandably want to avoid having a tooth extracted and dentists, too, will do everything possible to save a biological tooth, but sometimes a tooth extraction is the best option and, in many cases, is unavoidable. Removing a significantly damaged or decaying tooth will be required to save the surrounding teeth and ensure optimal dental health.

  1. Severe damage or decay: Whether it’s the result of injury or trauma to the tooth or because of severe decay and infection in the gums, a tooth may need to be removed to prevent further damage. At CK Dental we always adopt a conservative approach and it may be possible to restore the natural tooth, utilising a crown or a filling. If these options are not suitable, then removal of the damaged tooth will take place and a dental implant used to replace the missing molar.
  2. Smile alignment: Some patients will have a very crowded jawline and the teeth fail to align properly. Orthodontics is the dental practice of correcting tooth alignment, typically with braces, but sometimes teeth need to be removed to allow the remaining teeth to become properly aligned. Often, more than one tooth will need to be removed – one from both sides of the mouth – to maintain symmetry and balance of the bite. In this instance, dental extraction will take place first and then we can begin the process of aligning the teeth.
  3. Abnormal development: Sometimes teeth fail to erupt through the gums or become impacted and this is most often seen with the wisdom teeth.

For most patients, tooth extraction can be performed in a dental clinic without any need for anything more than local anaesthetic injections to numb the area. However, for severely impacted teeth or for patients that are suffering from extreme dental anxiety, then a general anaesthetic can be the best option and many dental surgeries are not able to offer this option. At CK Dental in central Bristol, we can carry out dental procedures under general anaesthetic, safely and effectively, in a hospital environment.

Current NHS waiting list times for teeth extractions are growing and, in some areas, patients can be waiting for 22 weeks and up to a year, often suffering discomfort and pain in the meantime. At CK Dental, we can usually see a patient in clinic within a week and, from there, arrange an appointment for a tooth extraction under general anaesthetic within two to four weeks.

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Brushing children’s teeth

brushing children's teethAny parents out there will know that getting children to brush their teeth can sometimes be challenging. Parents are encouraged to brush their children’s teeth from the minute the tiny milk teeth arrive, and anyone who has tried to inset a toothbrush into an unwilling baby’s mouth while it is clamped firmly shut will agree that juggling with jelly is probably easier.

The importance of establishing good dental health routines is crucial, though, as new research shows. A recent study from the University of Cardiff has found that one in seven toddlers has tooth decay. The researchers analysed 1,400 parents and 25% failed to start brushing their children’s teeth from a young age. The author of the study, Maria Morgan, said: “People don’t realise that you should start that early. We are having some children at five, six or seven who are having five, six, seven, eight, nine teeth removed in one go.”

Although we understand it’s not easy to start this routine, as babies grow into toddlers and then into small children, things should improve. If you’re still finding resistance, here are some helpful hints and tips to help your children establish a good oral routine from an early age.

Make it a shared activity

Brushing your teeth at the same time your child is brushing their teeth is a great idea. Children love to mimic their parents, so if they can watch you doing it, they are more likely to want to have a go themselves. A lot of young children also like looking at themselves in the mirror, so why not sit with them in front of a mirror while they’re brushing too.

It doesn’t have to be serious

Dance around, hum while you’re brushing, have a race to see who can brush the fastest for 20 seconds… anything you can do to make the tooth brushing fun and entertaining will certainly appeal more to your little ones than standing over them in the bathroom nagging them to clean their teeth.

A little treat every now and again can help

Although we wouldn’t recommend bribing children to brush their teeth, setting up a rewards-based plan for slightly older children could work nicely. If they get a full week’s worth of tooth brushing points then maybe this could be rewarded with a weekend treat to celebrate how well they have done.

Here at CK Dental practice in Bristol we want all parents to be aware that children’s dental hygiene is no different from adults, they should be brushing their teeth at least twice per day for around two minutes per go. If you can get a routine established with your children nice and early this should help ensure that tooth brushing is something they regard as a normal and necessary part of their daily routine.

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Understanding why people have different bites and how this can affect your teeth

under bite treatmentIf you’re one of the lucky ones, you may have been born with a perfectly straight set of teeth that fit together seamlessly. If, like many people, you may feel like your adult teeth were thrown into your mouth at random, then this may be because of issues with how your ‘bite’ is working.

In orthodontic terms, your ‘bite’ is the term for how your teeth sit together when the top and bottom teeth are shut together. If your bite is not aligned correctly then this can mean that your teeth don’t look neat and tidy, they might stick out or may become worn down by unnatural contact with other teeth in your mouth. The three main issues with a person’s bite are as follows:

  • Under bite
  • Over bite
  • Cross bite

Under bites

This is where the teeth in the lower jaw sit in front of the upper jaw. Under bites are often hereditary and they can be caused by overdevelopment of the lower jaw or underdevelopment of the upper jaw. They can affect people’s confidence and also cause speech problems.

Over bites

When people have forward, protruding teeth, this is often due to an overbite. This is where the top teeth are pushed out in front of the teeth below, meaning that they meet at an unusual angle or in some cases the top and bottom front teeth don’t meet at all. People can feel very self-conscious of an overbite, as teeth can look extremely prominent. Overbites can also result in wear and tear on the lower teeth and sometimes discomfort in the jaw bone.

Cross bites

This is where one tooth (or several teeth) slots behind or in front of other teeth when most of the others are aligned correctly. This can be unsightly if it occurs at the front of the mouth, and it can also cause unnatural wear on the teeth that are misaligned. More often than not, a cross bite occurs with a top tooth slotting behind a tooth on the bottom row.

Here at CK Dental Practice in Bristol, we can effectively treat under bites, over bites and cross bites. There are many different treatments ranging from braces to full jaw operations, so if you are worried about your bite, or the bite of your child, get in touch to discuss what options are available for us to help you.

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Regulated by the CQC – what exactly does this mean?

 

You may have noticed that on our CK Dental home page there is a banner showing that we are regulated by the Care Quality Commission, commonly known as the CQC. This is something we’re proud of, especially as we are meeting all CQC national standards, but unless you work in a CQC-regulated profession, it may not be clear what this is. So, here’s what it means to be relegated by the CQC.

CK Dental and CQC regulation

The Care Quality Commission is an independent regulator of health and social care, whose remit is to ‘monitor, inspect and regulate services that provide health and social care’. As part of this remit, the CQC ‘make[s] sure [dentists, and other regulated professionals] meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find, including performance ratings to help people choose care’.

 

Some professions receive CQC ratings, whereby different providers are ranked against one another. Dental practices are not rated and ranked in this way by the CQC.

Information via a variety of sources

The CQC uses different data collection methods to regulate dentists, including developing close working relationships with the practices themselves, gathering feedback from patients and receiving reports from CQC inspectors.

In consulting with the public, the CQC is keen that it gives a voice to those who are using the services. By encouraging open dialogue, they believe they can really get to the heart of what’s important to the service users, and ideally ensure that there is a ‘you spoke, we listened’ attitude taken to any thoughts, suggestions or concerns raised.

If there is a problem that is identified, then findings, recommendations and suggestions for improvement are published so that dental practices are fully accountable for how they run and the way in which they are managed. All findings and recommendations are available within the public domain, ensuring high levels of transparency.

Wider reading – have a flick through the report

As all reports are available in the public domain, if you’re interested in reading the full CQC report on CK Dental Practice, please click on the link here to see how we did.

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How long does a tooth crown fitting take?

dental crownA ‘crown’ is a cap that is fitted in top of an existing tooth to improve its overall appearance. Usually a tooth crown fitting is an option if there has been a problem with the tooth, for example if it has become damaged, broken or discoloured. Unlike a filling, a crown covers the whole of the affected tooth and sits seamlessly along the gum line.

A crown is usually recommended if the problem is too significant to be fixed with a filling or another more superficial method of fixing the problem.

A tooth crown fitting is usually done over at least two separate appointments with your dentist:

  1. On the first visit the preparatory work is done, which can involve shaping the existing tooth so that it is ready to receive the crown. Once this is done your dentist will then take a mould of the tooth so that a crown can be made that fits it perfectly. The mould is taken by inserting a ‘putty’ into your mouth and taking an imprint of your tooth. It might feel a bit strange, but it is a quick process and the putty doesn’t have an unpleasant taste. You’ll often be given a temporary crown at this stage to wear while your permanent crown is being crafted.
  2. The second appointment is generally a minimum of two weeks after the initial one. This is because it takes time to create a perfect crown – it needs to be perfectly shaped and match the colour of your other teeth. If you and your dentist are happy with the look and feel of the permanent crown then this will be attached with strong adhesive (‘dental cement’). This cement is extremely hard wearing and (assuming it is looked after correctly and does not suffer a severe knock/impact) your crown will be attached for many years.

So overall, considering the longevity of a crown and the improvement that it can make to your smile, the process to have a crown fitted is pretty quick.

If you have a damaged tooth and feel that a crown would improve how confident you feel about your teeth, get in touch with the team here at CK Dental in Bristol and we can arrange an assessment for you. If other fixes are not suitable (fillings, cleansing, whitening etc) then we can arrange for you to be booked in to have a crown fitted.

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Understanding what ‘receding gums’ are and what to do about them

receding gumsGum disease takes various forms and is actually very common. Many people suffer with it – in fact some of these people won’t even realise that their gums are in need of attention. The term ‘receding gums’ refers to the condition whereby the roots of your teeth start to become visible instead of being neatly covered by your gums.

What causes receding gums?

Gum can begin to recede when you don’t look after your oral health well enough and plaque is allowed to build up on your teeth. Plaque is a breeding ground for bacteria, and it’s these bacteria that get into the gums and cause problems. Other factors that can contribute to this condition include overzealous tooth brushing, using a toothbrush that has very hard bristles, smoking, diabetes and hormonal changes (such as those that occur during pregnancy and the menopause). Some of these causes can be managed, others are much more challenging to address.

Knowing what to look out for

The tell-tale signs that your gums are receding are if your teeth begin to feel more sensitive than normal (although this can be symptomatic of various things) and also if your teeth begin to look a bit longer. If this is caught early and the symptoms are not too serious then it can be treated.

Here at CK Dental Practice in Bristol, we would recommend an intensive professional cleaning treatment as the first step to see if this alleviates the problem. In some instances, the gums may have become infected, and if this is the case there will also need to be a course of antibiotics to rid your gums of the infection.

In very serious, advanced cases, gum surgery may be required to help rectify the problem.

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Teeth whitening pens – gimmick or great idea?

A recent advert for a ‘teeth whitening pen’ caught our attention, so here at CK Dental we have been investigating what this is. Is it something that people can really benefit from or it is simply a fad and something that is more of a gimmick than a good innovation? Let’s investigate….

Apparently the whitening pen is to be used as part of your daily brushing routine, and within three weeks your teeth can expect to be three shades whiter. The dental pen claims to contain a whitening gel that begins working straight away to lighten the appearance of your teeth: “Apply the whitening pen directly to teeth. No waiting, no rinsing. Its stay on formula deeply whitens your teeth.”

Is the tooth whitening pen safe for my mouth?

According to the manufacturers, this dental pen is completely safe and is very unlikely to cause any discomfort in your mouth. They say that if you have particularly delicate gums then you may experience some slightly tingling and a slight sensitivity, but this should pass quickly. If you apply the whitening pen to your teeth and this does cause pain or discomfort then stop using this straight away and if the pain does not subside, seek a dentist’s opinion quickly.

So does it really work?

Interestingly, consumer feedback seems to be positive, with feedback sites suggesting that then pen is indeed true to its word: “After using for 7 days I have noticed remarkable results and am very happy with the purchase. Will definitely recommend”. However, at CK Dental we provide an at-home teeth whitening system using trays that are worn at night. Our chief concern with the teeth whitening pens are that they just won’t be effective rather than dangerous.

These over-the-counter products typically contain a much lower percentage of  hydrogen peroxide than the tray system that dentists can provide. A tray will also keep the bleaching agent in contact with the surface of the teeth and away from saliva that can wash it away.

It is also important to remember  that even though inventions such as this may indeed be able to increase the whiteness of our teeth, this is no substitute for regular check-ups with your dentist and a good dental hygiene routine. If you’re brushing twice a day for at least two minute per brush then this will ensure that your teeth and gums are kept as safe as possible from harmful bacteria and plaque that can build up if overall dental hygiene is poor.

Whitening products such as a dental pen can indeed help with the shade of your teeth, but there are also other ways to try and keep teeth whiter. These include reducing intake of liquids that can stain your teeth (such as red wine, tea and coffee) and stopping smoking, as nicotine will also cause discolouration.

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