http://www.londonroaddental.co.uk
Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Saturday, 27 August 2016
Dentist in Chippenham - Visiting a Hygienist
Advice for patients visiting the hygienist
What is a hygienist?
A hygienist works with a dentist to help patients care for
their teeth. The role is a combination of a clinician, treating and preventing
gum (periodontal) disease and decay (caries) and a communicator/educator,
teaching and motivating patients to care for their own teeth and gums.
Hygienists are specially trained for this work, doing a
course/degree at a school of dental hygiene accredited by a university and the
General Dental Council.
What does a hygienist do?
Clinical Tasks
The hygienist’s prime role is to prevent and treat
periodontal disease, whilst working to a treatment plan written by the dentist.
Each patient needs to be monitored according to his/her periodontal disease
pattern to ensure it remains stable. At this surgery, at the initial visit the
hygienist will carry out a basic examination to assess your periodontal health
status and use a fine instrument to measure and chart the depth of any
‘pockets’ around your teeth, not everyone may have them. She will then carry
out a range of professional cleaning tasks specific to each patient’s
particular requirements. She may also apply particular medications and
solutions to the mouth and gums to kill bacteria and prevent gum disease. Your
hygienist will then develop with you a maintenance programme for your mouth to
keep it as clean and healthy as possible.
For children, the hygienist can help by cleaning and
polishing the teeth, as well as carrying out some specialist treatments, such
as the application of fissure sealants, a plastic coating which prevent decay
occurring. Or fluoride applications.
Advice and Education
The hygienist can advise you on a range of oral health
procedures tailored for your needs, and demonstrate how to carry them out
effectively. These include:
- ·
flossing
- · brushing
- · interdental cleaning
- · subgingival (below the gum) cleaning
He/She can also recommend the most suitable products to
carry out these procedures. The hygienist is also qualified to advice and help
with more general issues concerning oral health, such as dietary advice or help
in giving up smoking. Often the hygienist is the first health professional
spending time with patients discussing these issues.
Wednesday, 24 August 2016
Gum Disease
Periodontitis is simply inflammation of the gums and the supporting bone (alveolar bone) surrounding the teeth. It is a very serious infection that can lead to lasting damage to the tissues causing the alveolar bone around the teeth to slowly be lost.
Causes of Periodontitis
Periodontitis often begins with the build up of plaque on the teeth. Plaque is the sticky substance that forms from the sugars and starches in food and the bacteria present in your mouth. Regular brushing removes plaque from your teeth but it reforms quickly – at various rates depending on diet and intake but within 24 hours.
Plaque that remains on your teeth for an extended period can turn into a hard substance called calculus. Calculus creates a bed for bacteria to grow on and can irritate your gum line. Hardened calculus cannot be removed simply by brushing and requires dental treatment to remove. It also makes the periodontal condition much worse by impeding effective cleaning.
Inflammation caused by the build up of plaque and calculus causes gaps to appear between the gum line and the teeth. These gaps or pockets then fill with further deposits of plaque, calculus and bacteria.
The bacteria in your mouth release endotoxins which also causes irritation of the gums. It's common symptoms are bleeding gums, tooth mobility, gum recession, bad breath and occasionally suppuration (pus) around the gums.
Left unchecked these pockets grow and begin to wear away your gum tissue and eventually your bone. If too much bone is lost then teeth can become loose, dislodged and eventually fall out.
Risk Factors
There are a wide number of contributing factors that can cause periodontitis. The most common are lack of proper oral hygiene, poor diet and smoking. Smoking increases periodontitis by an enhanced factor of over 7 times. There are also a number of other potential risks that can lead to worsening periodontitis including genetic factors,stress, lowered immune system as the result of other medical treatment, age, diabetes and certain medications.
Effects of Periodontitis
The most common result of untreated periodontitis is tooth loss. However periodontitis has also been linked to a number of other afflictions including strokes, respiratory problems and coronary artery disease (Angina and Heart attacks) – as the bacteria in your gum line can potentially enter the bloodstream and travel to other areas of the body. It can also significantly worsen diabetic control.
Treatment
If treated in its early stages periodontitis can be easily treated. The most common treatments will involve deep cleaning of the teeth to remove plaque, calculus and empty the gum pockets of bacteria. After treatment you will need to maintain a strong oral hygiene routine to prevent reoccurrence. In severe cases surgery may be required to more thoroughly clean out pockets. If untreated you may also require dental implants to replace teeth lost from periodontitis.http://www.londonroaddental.co.uk
Periodontitis is simply inflammation of the gums and the supporting bone (alveolar bone) surrounding the teeth. It is a very serious infection that can lead to lasting damage to the tissues causing the alveolar bone around the teeth to slowly be lost.
Causes of Periodontitis
Periodontitis often begins with the build up of plaque on the teeth. Plaque is the sticky substance that forms from the sugars and starches in food and the bacteria present in your mouth. Regular brushing removes plaque from your teeth but it reforms quickly – at various rates depending on diet and intake but within 24 hours.
Plaque that remains on your teeth for an extended period can turn into a hard substance called calculus. Calculus creates a bed for bacteria to grow on and can irritate your gum line. Hardened calculus cannot be removed simply by brushing and requires dental treatment to remove. It also makes the periodontal condition much worse by impeding effective cleaning.
Inflammation caused by the build up of plaque and calculus causes gaps to appear between the gum line and the teeth. These gaps or pockets then fill with further deposits of plaque, calculus and bacteria.
The bacteria in your mouth release endotoxins which also causes irritation of the gums. It's common symptoms are bleeding gums, tooth mobility, gum recession, bad breath and occasionally suppuration (pus) around the gums.
Left unchecked these pockets grow and begin to wear away your gum tissue and eventually your bone. If too much bone is lost then teeth can become loose, dislodged and eventually fall out.
Risk Factors
There are a wide number of contributing factors that can cause periodontitis. The most common are lack of proper oral hygiene, poor diet and smoking. Smoking increases periodontitis by an enhanced factor of over 7 times. There are also a number of other potential risks that can lead to worsening periodontitis including genetic factors,stress, lowered immune system as the result of other medical treatment, age, diabetes and certain medications.
Effects of Periodontitis
The most common result of untreated periodontitis is tooth loss. However periodontitis has also been linked to a number of other afflictions including strokes, respiratory problems and coronary artery disease (Angina and Heart attacks) – as the bacteria in your gum line can potentially enter the bloodstream and travel to other areas of the body. It can also significantly worsen diabetic control.
Treatment
If treated in its early stages periodontitis can be easily treated. The most common treatments will involve deep cleaning of the teeth to remove plaque, calculus and empty the gum pockets of bacteria. After treatment you will need to maintain a strong oral hygiene routine to prevent reoccurrence. In severe cases surgery may be required to more thoroughly clean out pockets. If untreated you may also require dental implants to replace teeth lost from periodontitis.http://www.londonroaddental.co.uk
At London Road Dental Practice Chippenham we find that home tooth whitening works very well using low dose whitening agents to keep any sensitivity to a minimum. It takes approximately 2-3 weeks after the trays have been constructed.
We supply you with everything that you need to make teeth whitening as straight forward as possible. Our teeth whitening solutions do not damage teeth and has been found to be very predictable. A top up for a few days may be required every 6 months or so.
Teeth whitening is often a better solution than veneers or crowns to whiten teeth.
The British Dental Association give the following statement on Tooth Whitening:
1. Whitening is safe
If carried out by a trained dental professional, whitening is perfectly safe. Based on their knowledge of your oral health your dentist will discuss with you the options available, decide if tooth whitening is appropriate for you and develop an overall treatment plan that gives the desired result.
You'll get to see on a chart what shade your teeth are before the treatment and what shade you're likely to achieve. At the end of the treatment the dentist will show you the actual result so you can understand how effective it was. You will also see when you look in the mirror!
2. Only trained dental professionals can whiten teeth
It is illegal for anyone other than dentists or their teams to carry out teeth whitening. Anyone else offering teeth whitening (e.g. beauticians, hairdressers, and salon staff) won’t have the right training and knowledge, could permanently damage your teeth and gums and can’t help you when something goes wrong.
3. The preferred option
Whitening won't remove the surface of your teeth or change their shape. It’s often a better option than alternatives, such as veneers, because it doesn’t involve permanently altering the tooth’s structure and is easy to look after.
4. Selecting the right option for you
Your dentist is trained to know what whitening products will be safe for your teeth and gums. Products provided by non-dentists often do not have enough safety data and evidence to support their use; this can result in burned gums and/or blistered lips or even more serious consequences. Using products that are not appropriate for you will produce poor results.
5. How it works
A carefully-controlled concentration of bleach is applied to your teeth using specially-made trays that fit in your mouth. Your dentist will be able to discuss with you the level of whitening you want and give you an idea of how many treatments you may need to achieve the shade you’re after.
Like hair and skin, teeth vary in colour. Some are yellower or darker than others, even when they are quite healthy. Teeth tend to get darker as people get older. Teeth sometimes become darker if their roots have been damaged or diseased and the 'nerve' has died.
6. What to expect
You may experience some sensitivity for a short time during your treatment but this is normal and will soon fade away after completion.
7. Over the counter kits might not be safe
The products you can buy online or from high street shops often fail to declare the precise chemicals used so it’s very difficult to assess their safety. Because of this they should not be considered safe. These products won’t produce the same good results you can expect by visiting your dentist.http://londonroaddental.co.uk
We supply you with everything that you need to make teeth whitening as straight forward as possible. Our teeth whitening solutions do not damage teeth and has been found to be very predictable. A top up for a few days may be required every 6 months or so.
Teeth whitening is often a better solution than veneers or crowns to whiten teeth.
The British Dental Association give the following statement on Tooth Whitening:
1. Whitening is safe
If carried out by a trained dental professional, whitening is perfectly safe. Based on their knowledge of your oral health your dentist will discuss with you the options available, decide if tooth whitening is appropriate for you and develop an overall treatment plan that gives the desired result.
You'll get to see on a chart what shade your teeth are before the treatment and what shade you're likely to achieve. At the end of the treatment the dentist will show you the actual result so you can understand how effective it was. You will also see when you look in the mirror!
2. Only trained dental professionals can whiten teeth
It is illegal for anyone other than dentists or their teams to carry out teeth whitening. Anyone else offering teeth whitening (e.g. beauticians, hairdressers, and salon staff) won’t have the right training and knowledge, could permanently damage your teeth and gums and can’t help you when something goes wrong.
3. The preferred option
Whitening won't remove the surface of your teeth or change their shape. It’s often a better option than alternatives, such as veneers, because it doesn’t involve permanently altering the tooth’s structure and is easy to look after.
4. Selecting the right option for you
Your dentist is trained to know what whitening products will be safe for your teeth and gums. Products provided by non-dentists often do not have enough safety data and evidence to support their use; this can result in burned gums and/or blistered lips or even more serious consequences. Using products that are not appropriate for you will produce poor results.
5. How it works
A carefully-controlled concentration of bleach is applied to your teeth using specially-made trays that fit in your mouth. Your dentist will be able to discuss with you the level of whitening you want and give you an idea of how many treatments you may need to achieve the shade you’re after.
Like hair and skin, teeth vary in colour. Some are yellower or darker than others, even when they are quite healthy. Teeth tend to get darker as people get older. Teeth sometimes become darker if their roots have been damaged or diseased and the 'nerve' has died.
6. What to expect
You may experience some sensitivity for a short time during your treatment but this is normal and will soon fade away after completion.
7. Over the counter kits might not be safe
The products you can buy online or from high street shops often fail to declare the precise chemicals used so it’s very difficult to assess their safety. Because of this they should not be considered safe. These products won’t produce the same good results you can expect by visiting your dentist.http://londonroaddental.co.uk
Tuesday, 16 August 2016
London Road Dental Practice are dentists based in central Chippenham, Wiltshire, located at 1A Blackcross, Chippenham, SN15 3LD.
Our Dentists aim to provide the best quality predictable good dental care in a relaxed environment for patients of all ages. We also receive referrals from practices in Chippenham, Calne, Melksham, Bath and Malmesbury for specialist treatments such as dental implants and gum treatments. We offer treatment privately and also on a monthly DPAS plan that allows better budgeting of costs. In addition, we have a very small NHS contract.
Our Dentists aim to provide the best quality predictable good dental care in a relaxed environment for patients of all ages. We also receive referrals from practices in Chippenham, Calne, Melksham, Bath and Malmesbury for specialist treatments such as dental implants and gum treatments. We offer treatment privately and also on a monthly DPAS plan that allows better budgeting of costs. In addition, we have a very small NHS contract.
Patients that are nervous of dental treatment have found our friendly manner welcoming, putting everyone at ease. In addition, the surgery ceiling televisions with relaxing themes are a welcome distraction making the treatments seem to finish a lot quicker.
Our view is that we treat our patients as individuals (and as how we would like to be treated). Our findings and treatment options will be clearly explained in plain English to make it easier to understand.
Without this, we feel you are unable to make decisions that you are comfortable with and that are cost effective.
In addition to good general dentistry, implants, periodontal (gum) treatment and sedation, we also offer a range of other cosmetic dental services such as tooth whitening and orthodontics. Our dental membership plan makes quality dentistry very affordable and easy to budget for with transparent costs.
We give a detailed treatment estimate and use high quality materials and products taking our time to produce lasting results. As a preventative practice, we allow patients from other practices to see our dental hygienists directly for their dental hygiene treatment under the direct access scheme.
It’s your mouth and we would like you to know what is happening and all the available options to give you a beautiful and healthy smile. We aim and strive to be the best dentists providing good dental care in Chippenham 🙂http://londonroaddental.co.uk
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