It’s never too late to turn the tide on poor oral health.
Hopefully, even in these troubled times, our Canterbury patients are still making sure to look after their teeth as well as they can.
The upcoming weeks may be a challenge for many of us and some potentially harmful habits may result from our dramatic change in lifestyle and routine.
Boredom might be a problem for many people and, especially if you are using the time to watch a lot of TV and films, reaching into your chocolate and sweet supplies might be very tempting.
A lack of regular routine may also mean that we skip cleaning our teeth if we are used to doing it before we leave for work and are no longer doing so. The usual ‘rules’ for healthy teeth apply. Please watch what you eat and clean and floss your teeth regularly.
With a little luck, this period of relative isolation should be short, but oral health neglect often lasts for much longer. This may be due to a poor understanding of oral health care or even a fear of visiting the dentist. However badly you have looked after your teeth though, it is never too late to start to return them to better health. At Bradley and Partners Dental and Implant Clinic in Canterbury, we offer a range of treatments that can be used to restore your teeth following a long period of neglect.
Hygienist services
Even if you look after your teeth well, some bacterial and mineral deposits will build up in places around the teeth and gum line. If you have neglected them, this will be much worse. Along with any obvious and noticeable problems such as bad breath, you could also be suffering from gum disease. This is not only be unpleasant for the patient, with sore and bleeding gums a possibility, but in its advanced stage, can cause teeth to become loose and even fall out. This is due to damage to the supportive bone structure.
Our hygienist can help to reverse this if caught early enough, with a straightforward and non-invasive treatment called a ‘scale and polish’. This removes the tartar from the teeth and gum line. However, if the disease has reached below the gum line, you may also need to see a suitably qualified dentist for a deep clean, below the surface of the gums.
Since opening in 1880, our Canterbury dental clinic has seen many changes including, of course, members of staff. The methods of treating patients will have changed dramatically in that time as well; something that our patients would definitely appreciate if they could travel back in time!
As parents, we do the best that we can when our children are younger, to make sure that they look after their teeth well. We encourage (and probably ‘nag’ a little) to get them to brush their teeth both morning and night.
Where once, physical activities were largely found at organised sports clubs, seeing someone jogging along the road or cycling as exercise is a very common occurrence these days. Add to that, those that go to gyms or exercise at home on fitness machines and it seems that some of us at least, are seeking a healthier lifestyle than before.
From a very young age, we are taught by our parents to brush our teeth well. The way that we do this will change over time as techniques develop and new technologies, such as electric toothbrushes, come into being.
It is not only the start of a new year, but the start of a new decade too, and what better way to go into this new era with a smile that you are proud to show off to the world. You may think that your current smile is a long way off this at the moment, but cosmetic dentistry can really change it for the better and often boost your confidence too!
Christmas is just around the corner and it’s a great time of year when we can get together with family and friends. Many of us will probably let our hair down a little more than usual and perhaps suffer the consequences the next morning!
For most people, a trip to the dentist twice a year for a checkup, combined with brushing their teeth at home, is the extent of their oral health care regime.
You may not have given too much thought to Christmas yet, or perhaps just started to get ready, buying in food and maybe a few Christmas presents as well.