HOW WILL I REPLACE A MISSING TOOTH??

HOW WILL I REPLACE A MISSING TOOTH??

If you have lost a tooth then there are several options available to you:

1.     Do nothing:- If you decide to have a gap then this is obviously the cheapest and quickest option. But beware that the teeth around the gap will drift slightly and may tilt also. This can make teeth harder to clean and make them more susceptible to decay. Also the tooth that what biting against the lost tooth will have nothing stopping it from growing into the gap slightly. This can also make cleaning harder.

2.     Denture:- This is only really a desirable option if funds are limited and/or you are replacing multiple teeth. Dentures are difficult to get on with initially and make it far harder to keep you mouth clean.

3.     Bridge:- A bridge utilizes the teeth either side of a gap. These teeth are prepared in a similar way to crowns. A lab will then produce a bridge that will be 3 (or more) porcelain teeth splinted together. This is cemented over the prepared teeth to bridge the gap. This is a permanent option and if it is planned, prepared and looked after properly can last a long time. Beware though that it is damaging for the adjacent teeth as they have to be prepared and trimmed back (irreversible damage) in order to place the bridgework.

4.     Implant:- Implants are the gold standard method for tooth replacement. It involves minor oral surgery to place a titanium implant screw into the bone at the site of missing tooth. This is then allowed to heal and for the bone to integrate with the implant (usually 3-6 months). After this time an implant crown is placed so that tooth is replace. Implants have a very high success rate and mean that you do not have to cut into adjacent teeth, as with bridgework, in order to replace teeth. They are the most expensive of all options.

The above options are not always available to everyone. It is best to have a full assessment with your dentist to decide which option is best for you.

David Hurst BDS (Lon)

Do you hate the dentist?

Do you hate the dentist?

Throughout my career I have found that the greatest battle for patients is overcoming their fear or anxiety of the dentist. “I hate the dentist!” is often how I am greeted, most often shortly followed by “no offence!”. None taken, we’ve just met so I seriously hope that it is not personal otherwise I may need to take a long hard look in the mirror.

It’s the dental treatment you hate, not the dentist. This usually stems from historical treatment that was either painful or pretty uncomfortable. This can sometimes be accompanied by a grumpy and uncaring dentist making the whole experience fairly poor. Dentistry as a profession has come on leaps on bounds in the last few decades and it continues to advance at a huge rate thanks to increased research and development along with technological advances. Dentistry, and us Dentists, are more than aware that a visit to the dentist can fill you with dread but we also know that the experience should be painless and not cause nightmares or sleepless nights.

The most common fears will be the expectation of pain, needle phobia, the noises, the sensations of a dental drill and the fear still lingering from a previous “bad visit”. The advances mentioned before can greatly help to reduce your fears and hopefully make them vanish in time. For example, modern dental anesthetics should be highly effective and thus eradicate any feeling of pain during a dental procedure. Even the administering of the anesthetic should be relatively pain free with the use of topical anesthetic gel, something your dentist may refer to as numbing gel. Some dentists may own a device that will self administer the anesthetic in a very slow controlled manner so that it is highly effective to the single tooth you are having treated but more importantly can barely be felt. This will go a long way to help you overcome your needle phobia.

The fact will then follow that if you have adequate numbness of the area you should feel no pain and nothing to fear. But the noise is horrible? Sounds like nails down a blackboard? Modern dental drills are becoming more and more quiet making them more tolerable but even then you should take along your music MP3 player and listen to this to help relax you and take away the noise.

These are all wonderful ideas and will most definitely help but the main thing for you to find is a dentist you trust and one you feel comfortable with. This should go without saying but dentists are only human and we all cant like everyone. It important to do some research not only online but more importantly from word of mouth speak to friends and relatives to ask if they have a dentist who they use and recommend. It will go a long way to making you feel happier about your visit in the chair.

There are no treatments in dentistry that should be associated with pain, including root canal therapy and wisdom teeth extractions, although post operatively these may bring some discomfort, your visit to the dentist should be pretty much without pain. If a patient comes to me initially petrified of what is to come, I see that as a challenge to prove them that it is not only not as bad as they expect but actually nothing to worry about at all. It can take several visits before this can be achieved but usually it is. If all else fails and someone is just too phobic then you can always request treatment under sedation so, under a controlled environment, you take the appropriate medications to help relax you. This though should be a last resort.

It is well known that nearly half of Australians do not visit the dentist. This is a staggering fact and one that profession has a duty to put right. I hope that with time, greater care and education people will no longer fears us as they have. We go through extensive training to get where we are and we have a professional obligation to continue our training throughout our careers. Remember we are only there to help you.

David Hurst BDS (Lon)

DOES MOUTHWASH CLEAN YOUR TEETH?

IS MOUTHWASH ANY USE WITH CLEANING TEETH?

A mouthwash can be therapeutic and a good aid in keeping your teeth and mouth clean but on its own will not do the job. To have a thoroughly clean mouth you should brush properly twice a day for at least two minutes and floss at least once a day. If you decide to also use a mouthwash then use one containing sodium fluoride to help protect your teeth from decay. If you have a sore mouth due to problems with ulcers, gum disease or oral surgery then you can use a mouthwash containing chlorhexidine but only short term (5 days) as it can cause bad staining of your teeth. Another option in this case is good old salt water!

David Hurst BDS (Lon)

MY GUMS ARE BLEEDING – WHY?

MY GUMS ARE BLEEDING – WHY?

If your gums are bleeding it is a sign of a problem. This will be due to fact that you have an inflammation in your gums and when you brush them you are breaking the tiny blood vessels in your gums and the result is bleeding.

Now this may be something very minor and easily resolved. This is usually gingivitis when there has been inadequate cleaning of your teeth and as a result plaque bacteria have accumulated causing the inflammation. If you immediate enter into a good oral hygiene of brushing and flossing then a few days this will settle right down.

If this is not the case and the gums continue to bleed and be sore then it may be the marker of a more advanced gum disease. In this case visit your dentist so they can accurately diagnose what the problem is.

David Hurst BDS (Lon)

Pregnancy and Dentistry

Pregnancy and Dentistry

If you are pregnant then your body goes through huge changes. Your eating habits change. You may suffer from dreaded morning sickness. Your hormones are all over the place.

It is common for certain things to change with your mouth and teeth also. Your gums may often bleed if pregnant. This is known as pregnancy gingivitis. It is important to continue to brush and floss regularly and to visit your dentist and hygienist regularly.

If you are suffering from morning sickness and have reflux or vomiting then your teeth will have a huge acid attack. Gastric acid is extremely harmful to teeth. If you do vomit then its very important that you do not brush your teeth immediately afterwards as this is only working the acid into the teeth. Ideally rinse your mouth thoroughly with a fluoride mouthwash or failing that just water. You can then brush your teeth approximately 30 minutes after you were sick. Doing this will minimize any potential erosion of your teeth.

Cravings for certain foods are often common when pregnant. If your cravings are for sweet foods or drinks then try and keep in mind the damage they can do to your teeth and if eaten too frequently then damage may occur.

Visit your dentist regularly whilst pregnant. If you require and treatment then it is usually 100% safe whilst pregnant and have any local anesthetic or xrays is perfectly ok. Remember that xrays are of a very small dosage of radiation and are all aimed at your teeth and not near your abdomen.

Despite all the above it is always imperative that you take the advice from your dentist who will know you and treatment options best.

David Hurst BDS (Lon)

The Importance of Flossing

The Importance of Flossing

The one thing people can’t be bothered to do or never get round to. Cleaning in between their teeth. Happily you will brush your teeth but often ignore flossing, still thinking your teeth and mouth are clean.

Trust me, a toothbrush, regardless how top of the range, will not clean in between your teeth. In fact by not flossing you have only cleaned 2/3rds of your teeth surfaces. In between the teeth resides bacteria and food particles. If left this will lead to bacteria attacking the teeth and cavities. The number of cavities I see in otherwise clean mouths is phenomenal and this could have been easily prevented by spending 1-2 minutes once a day flossing.

The bacteria left behind will also lead to odours and bad breath. Next time you floss, smell it afterwards. You will understand what I mean.

I look in a lot of mouths everyday and its instantly clear if a patient flosses or not. The gums are healthy and pale pink, don’t bleed and there is no halitosis. Surely we all want our mouths like this? Also, these mouths are nearly always without decay and the patients probably have never lost a tooth. Sound good? Then floss!

David Hurst BDS (Lon)