There’s been a lot of talk about children’s dental health in the media lately, since it was revealed that there was an 11% rise in the number of children admitted to hospital in 2013-14. However, it isn’t all bad news and a lot of the children we see here at our Bristol dental practice have very healthy teeth.

So, here are some facts to give you hope, as well as some that will help you to keep your kid’s dental health in check:

1. The earlier the better when it comes to visiting the dentist

Children should be taken to the dentist as soon as their first baby teeth appear, to get them used to the experience, and to help you as a parent find out the right things to do to keep your child’s teeth healthy. The earlier they have their first dentist visit, the more relaxed they are likely to be about it in future.

2. The number of children with plaque has decreased by 10% in ten years

This is great news and means that the majority of parents are paying serious attention to their children’s oral health. A good teeth-cleaning regime twice a day and regular visits to the dentist can do wonders – at this rate, plaque in children will be totally eradicated by 2079!

3. Many ‘healthy’ drinks contain more sugar than you think

OK, this isn’t quite such a positive one, but it’s good to keep on your toes when it comes to children’s sugar intake, and if you pay attention to the sugar content of their drinks it could keep you away from our Bristol dentist practice for all but the most routine of appointments! Some apparently ‘healthy’ fruit juices have been found to contain more sugar than the equivalent amount of Sprite, so it might be worth sticking to milk or water as much as possible.

4. Good dental health doesn’t cost the earth…

With a tube of toothpaste costing around a pound and lasting several weeks, and toothbrushes available at a price of £1.50 or less, even those families on a low income can afford to keep their children’s teeth healthy. And a little expenditure now can help to avoid costly dental work in future.

5. English children have the healthiest teeth in Britain

This is a cheerful thought to send you on your way – a recent survey found that children in England have healthier teeth than their Welsh or Scottish counterparts. Keep up the good work, mums and dads!

Recent guidelines from the Royal College of Surgeons have recommended that parents supervise their children brushing their teeth up to the age of fourteen. The advice comes in response to reports that nearly 26,000 children were admitted to hospital with tooth decay in 2013-14, a rise of 11% since 2011.

Many parents and children think that 14 is too old to be watched over during toothbrushing, so what is the answer? Here at Bristol dentist clinic CK Dental, we think that correct toothbrushing is vital to avoid tooth decay and gum disease, but parents should be able to make their own judgement as to whether their children need to be supervised. Perhaps watch your child brush their teeth a couple of times, to ensure they are doing so correctly, before leaving them to their own devices.

So, what should you be looking out for if you are watching them?

Brush for two minutes

If you or your child struggle to know exactly how long two minutes is, try investing in an electric toothbrush, which will buzz to let you know when the time is up. The two-minute time period is the time most dentists agree it should take to clean your teeth really thoroughly.

Brush every tooth

Encourage your child to divide their mouth into four sections – top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right – and brush each for around thirty seconds. Remind them to brush the backs of their teeth as well as the front.

Don’t brush too hard

Whilst it’s important to brush your teeth thoroughly, brushing too hard can damage the enamel of your teeth and erode the gums. You can tell if your child is brushing their teeth too hard, as they will be wearing out toothbrushes quickly. Encourage them to rest the brush lightly on the surface of the teeth, and sweep not scrub.

For more information on the correct way to brush your teeth, or to check whether your child is showing signs of tooth decay, make an appointment at Bristol dentist clinic CK Dental today.

Summer is in full swing now and most of us have upped our liquid consumption to help us cool down and avoid dehydration on hot sunny days. We all know by now that water is the healthiest choice – it has countless benefits for our general health and can help us stay looking slimmer and younger for longer – but did you know that drinking water is good for your teeth, too? Here at Bristol dentist practice CK Dental, we try to encourage our patients to drink as much water as possible. Here’s why:

Sugar free

It may seem obvious, but being free of sugar of any description means water offers a great alternative to juices, squash, fizzy drinks or even milk when it comes to your teeth. Sugar has an acid effect on teeth, eroding away the enamel and eventually causing plaque and tooth decay. Drinking water instead of sugary drinks can help avoid this.

Flushing away food

If you drink water after eating, it helps to wash your teeth clean of any food or sugar residue. Obviously drinking water is not an alternative to toothbrushing, but if you are out and about and unable to brush your teeth, drinking a glass of water after eating sugary foods can help limit the damage to your teeth.

Drink more!

With all its health benefits, you would think we would all be drinking water whenever possible, but studies show that very few of us manage the recommended two litres a day. If you want to up your water intake and enjoy the positive effect this can have on your teeth and general health, try starting each day with a large glass of water – often, this can encourage you to drink more over the course of the day.

If you want to find out some other tricks to keep your teeth healthier, make an appointment with Bristol dentist clinic CK Dental today.

Free parking for dental patients in Clifton is available at the Nuffield Hospital The Chesterfield in Clifton Bristol.

Our state of the art dental practice CK Dental is offering free onsite parking for our patients.

We are welcoming our private patients in the lower ground floor in air conditioned facilities.

You will be welcomed at the ground floor by a member of the team and tea and coffee are available for you.

Please make an appointment and find out how we can help you.

Looking forward to welcome you as a new patient soon.

Alternative dental care can show us various options to look after our teeth differently. A study published in the Daily Mail has shown that swilling your mouth with coconut oil as part of your oral health routine can benefit the health of your teeth and gums. The report – originally published in a Nigerian medical journal – claims that the practice can reduce plaque and gum disease, whiten teeth and boost the immune system.

Is it just hype?

Here at Bristol dentist practice CK Dental, we are always interested in anything that can help improve oral health. However, we would advise our patients against using coconut oil in place of their usual brushing and flossing routine.

The study was very clear that participants performed the ‘oil pulling’ ritual as part of their usual oral hygiene regime – alongside brushing and flossing. Although the results were positive, more studies would need to be seen for us to recommend this as everyday oral healthcare.

What’s the best thing to do to keep my teeth healthy?

The most important things that you can do to ensure that your teeth and gums remain in the best possible health are to visit a dentist regularly and to brush and floss your teeth twice a day.

At our Bristol dentist practice we are aware of all the fads that come and go in the dental world, but brushing and flossing have never wavered! If you really want to make a change and invest some money in your teeth, the best thing you could do would be to sign up to our Denplan scheme (click here to get in touch for more info), to ensure you never have to miss another dental appointment for cash flow reasons.

Long-term gain

One other important thing to remember about oil pulling is that whilst this study does show an improvement in the short term, the long-term effects of the practice have not been investigated. Until more evidence is forthcoming, we here at CK Dental recommend sticking with what you know: brush and floss twice daily, and visit your dentist regularly!

Dental practice in Bristol CK Dental  welcomes you to the new home to enhance your smile in the most gentle and caring manner.

As British summertime really gets into swing, perhaps now is the time to think about how best to set off your golden glow… with bright, white, healthy teeth, of course!

Here at CK Dental in Bristol, we offer a range of procedures to make sure your teeth are looking their best this summer – from a basic hygiene appointment to porcelain veneers. Here’s why:

Dental hygiene appointments

Even when you clean your teeth religiously twice a day, it’s hard to avoid the build-up of calculus, which will eventually become plaque. Visiting the hygienist regularly means you can give your teeth a really thorough clean, leaving them looking and feeling healthier than ever.

Tooth whitening

If you want to go one step further, why not consider our at-home whitening kit? Come into our Bristol dentist practice to have a mould of your mouth taken, and we will then present you with your own personalised kit to get whiter teeth in just two weeks!

Porcelain veneers

If your teeth need more than just a spot of TLC – perhaps they are chipped from an accident, or worn down through teeth-grinding – then you may wish to consider porcelain veneers. We can cover your existing teeth with thin porcelain veneers, to create the appearance of a full set of beautiful, white, healthy teeth.

So if you’re looking for the perfect complement to your summer tan, why not pop into our Bristol practice and find out what we can do for you. First things first: book an appointment with our dentist, Cornelius Krause, to ensure your oral health is as good as it can be and assess which of the above options is most suitable for you, and then set a date for your teeth transformation.

Looking for tooth whitening in Bristol? Summer is finally just around the corner, and while many people will be worrying about slimming down to look good on the beach, it is worth remembering that a bright, beautiful smile can hide a multitude of sins.

Multiple surveys have shown that the smile is the feature that most attracts the opposite sex, so why not make that top of your to-do list when it comes to getting beach ready? Here at Bristol dentist clinic CK Dental, we offer a number of treatments that can help, from basic check-ups and hygiene appointments, to cosmetic dentistry. Perhaps the quickest fix for a sparkling smile is teeth whitening.

How does teeth whitening work?

Here at CK Dental, we use a home whitening kit that works over a period of about two weeks – perfect as a last-minute treatment before heading off to exotic climes. At your first appointment, Bristol dentist Mr Krause will take an imprint of your teeth, which will be used to create your customised whitening tray. You will then be given this tray to take home with you, along with some whitening solution, and will use this overnight for two weeks.

What sort of result can I expect?

Results from tooth whitening treatment are usually predictable, and Dr Krause will be able to tell you at your initial appointment what sort of whitening you can expect to achieve. Additionally, if at the end of the fortnight you wish for an even brighter smile, it can be topped up to maximum whiteness over just a couple of nights, and at minimal cost.

Is it safe?

Yes, tooth whitening is extremely safe and effective – this particular treatment has been in use for over 10 years and millions of people have had their teeth whitened, with complications being extremely rare.

If you think you’d like to concentrate on getting your smile ready for summer – meaning you can slow down on those ab crunches! – give the team at CK Dental a call to book in your initial consultation.

Tips to look after your children to have healthy teeth.

A recent report in the national press has shown that over a quarter of children in the UK have some level of tooth decay, with ‘poverty’ and ‘sugar’ cited as the most likely causes. Here at Bristol dentist practice CK Dental, we were shocked to hear that so many children’s teeth are given this unhealthy start, so we wanted to offer a few tips to help you keep your children’s teeth healthy, without breaking the bank.

Cut back on sugary drinks

We know this is easier said than done, but if you can try to keep sugary drinks to a minimum it can make a big difference – when a child drinks a glass of juice or squash, they are literally bathing their teeth in sugar.

If your child refuses to drink water on its own, try diluting fruit juice with water to reduce the amount of sugar they are getting per drink.

Only offer sweet foods as pudding

If you eat sugary foods immediately after a meal, the damage done to your teeth is kept to a minimum, as your mouth is already producing saliva to help wash the sugar away. If you can encourage your child to drink a glass of water immediately after pudding, this will help too.

Brush thoroughly twice a day

Children can be resistant to brushing their teeth, so try to make it fun, rather than a battleground – there are some toothbrushing apps that can be downloaded onto smartphones or tablets to help with this.

Most chemists or supermarkets sell novelty children’s toothbrushes, in the shape of animals or with pictures on of children’s favourite characters, which can be used to make the whole process more appealing. Make sure you are using a fluoride toothpaste and just use a pea-sized amount (or less if you are using a toothpaste that is not specifically designed for children).

If you would like to have your children’s teeth checked over, please give our Bristol dentist clinic a ring to make an appointment.

Dental phobia treatment options in the uk are limited. The newspapers have been full of stories over the past week about Angie Barlow, the mother who superglued her own teeth in place because she was so terrified of going to the dentist.

Angie’s fear stemmed from her mother’s throat cancer, which was picked up on by a dentist at a routine dental check, but dental phobia is a very real problem which can have many causes, or indeed no cause at all – the definition of a phobia is ‘an irrational fear’.

The result of Angie’s DIY dental treatment was that 90% of the bone in her jaw was lost and, when she did finally visit the dentist, they had to remove most of her remaining teeth and insert titanium pins to attach implants to her skull – a prospect that even the most dentist-friendly of us would find less than appealing.

What can be done about dental phobia?

Here at CK Dental, Bristol dentist Cornelius Krause is passionate about helping patients to overcome dental phobia. This can be achieved in many ways, the most important of which is to acknowledge the fear and try to make patients feel as comfortable as possible – by talking through the phobia and offering reassurance.

Conscious sedation

Another, practical way in which we can offer reassurance to dental-phobic patients is to offer conscious sedation when dental work needs to be undertaken. This is a form of sedation where patients are in a semi-conscious state throughout treatment.

Unlike with a general anaesthetic, recovery is quick and you can return home shortly after treatment, but it allows you to relax fully for the duration of the procedure. Patients often have only a very faint memory of the procedure itself, which makes for minimal anxiety in the future.

Relax – you’re in safe hands

If you suffer from dental phobia, and are worried that your dental problems may be getting out of hand as a result, give the team at our Bristol dentist clinic a ring today to find out how we can help.

Smile makeover treatment in Bristol for improved confidence is a treatment at CK Dental. According to a recent article in the Daily Mail, one in four Brits refuse to smile in photographs because they are ashamed of their teeth, and 42% of people surveyed said their teeth were the first thing they would change about their appearance.

We Britons have always had a bad reputation when it comes to our teeth, but that really needn’t be the case any longer. Here at Bristol dentist clinic CK Dental, we have seen hundreds of patients go from shame to pride about the state of their teeth.

And while teeth whitening, crowns and dental implants all have their place when it comes to bringing your smile back, there’s one treatment that is head and shoulders above the rest:

Invisalign invisible braces

The main culprit for causing embarrassment about your teeth is a crooked smile. And while braces have long been around to help resolve this problem, if you weren’t lucky enough to have them as a child, there is something unappealing about the idea of having a mouthful of metal as an adult.

Invisalign presents the perfect solution to this problem: an invisible braces system that realigns your teeth without anyone needing to know you are undergoing orthodontic treatment.

How does it work?

When a patient decides to go ahead with Invisalign treatment at our Bristol dentist clinic, the first thing we do is make an appointment for you to have a thorough consultation with our dentist. This will involve a full orthodontic assessment and – assuming that the dentist feels Invisalign is the appropriate treatment for you and that you are still happy to go ahead – a mould of your teeth will be taken so that your personal brace system can be made.

How long does treatment last?

Just like with traditional braces, treatment can last anywhere from six months to a couple of years, although sometimes Invisalign can work faster than traditional brace systems. You will be presented with a series of aligners, which need to be worn in sequence, each for around 2-3 weeks. This helps to gradually and subtly reposition your teeth.

If you would like to know more about Invisalign and find out how it can help you regain the confidence to smile in photos, please contact us to book a consultation.