Halloween is around the corner, what child doesn’t like to dress up and “trick or treat” all the neighbours, in their search for some sugary delights.
Children love getting lots of candy treats! But whilst this is a fun time of year, eating too many sweets is a horrifying thought for our teeth.

So our friendly team at Highfield want to give you some good tricks, on how to treat your teeth well this Halloween.

* Make sure you brush your teeth at least twice a day, morning and night.

* Have your sweet treats, along side a main meal, this limits the amount of sugar attacks on your teeth. Continually eating sweets throughout the day is a tooth’s worst nightmare!

*Avoid sticky sweets as these can get stuck in your teeth and stay there for longer, which gives the bacteria more time to harm your teeth.

(And that goes for Mum and Dad too… we know you like to feast on the children’s goodies too).

Have a fangtastic Halloween!!

So far, we have been looking at all things “gums” from defining gum disease, causes, risk factors, treatment, and things to expect after having gum treatment.

In this blog we are looking at the consequences of not having gum treatment as well as impact of smoking on gum disease.

The consequences of not having gum treatment include:

1) The disease could get worse than it was

2) Teeth could become loose with gaps appearing between the teeth and teeth drifting

3) Bad breadth which could get worse

4) Teeth and gums could become painful

5) Increased likelihood of losing teeth early

It is worth bearing in mind that sometimes extraction (removal of teeth) may be an acceptable alternative in cases where the disease is severe.

There is the option of exploring replacement for these teeth from dentures, bridges or dental implants as deemed appropriate by your dentist.

Dental implants and bridges are only recommended if the gum disease is no longer active.

It is usually more challenging adapting to replacement teeth especially with eating.

SMOKING AND GUM DISEASE

Smoking has an impact on gum disease.

We usually advice Smoking cessation for those who do.

There are organisations that can assist and offer help with quitting Smoking.

Please speak to your dentist for more information on this.

Smokers who carry on with this habit are:

1) More likely to develop gum disease

2) Find that the gum disease may deteriorate at a much quicker rate

3) The gum disease is less likely to get better after treatment

4) Smokers may also notice a higher tendency for relapse following gum treatment.

Please visit the British Society of Periodontology ( BSP) for additional information and resources.

Many thanks for stopping by!

Martina

At Highfield dental we are constantly evolving to provide our patients with the best possible service we can offer. So we have made a few changes over the last few months to make your experience here the best we can.

Firstly we have introduced online booking for dental appointments, this can be done through our website, or if we send your dental reminder, this will give you a unique link for you to book in at a time that suits you, along with a gentle email reminder of your appointment a few days before with a dedicated patient portal link to complete your medical history’s and forms all in the comfort of your own home.

As you come in to the practice for your appointments, you will notice that one of our changes is our reception desk has relocated, we have now made way for a brand new surgery on the ground floor for Mr Patel, along with a ramp from the road to provide an easier access into the practice.

You will also see a few new happy faces around the practice and on reception, as sadly one of our long term staff members has now retired and they are now currently enjoying a well deserved rest.

This comes as a great loss to the practice and I am sure to our patients as well, but don’t worry we’ve got this covered, we are currently training our new reception team to continue to give you the best possible service you have always been accustomed to.

We are so lucky to have such lovely patients, and we are so appreciative of the kindness, support and patience from you all during our changes.

By Clare N.

Hello Everyone!
We have so far looked out what causes gum disease, the risk factors, what gum treatment involves
and the benefits of having gum treatment.

In this blog we would be looking at what to expect after you have had gum treatment (periodontal
treatment) carried out.

The following may occur following gum treatment:
1) The gums are likely to bleed more initially but not to worry.
Keep cleaning the teeth effectively and this would improve2) As the gum become healthier, they shrink and spaces may appear between the teeth known as ‘black triangles’.
The teeth may also appear longer.
3) As the gums shrink the teeth become more sensitive hot, cold or sweet things.
Usually this gets better in a few weeks but you may need to use a sensitivity toothpaste or have
other treatments to help with this.
4) Ongoing maintenance of the gums is required with regular checks up and hygiene visits every
three months.

Please feel free to contact your dentist for more information.

In the next blog I would be exploring the consequences of not having gum treatment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Martina

Hello there!

Many thanks for stopping by at our practice blog.

We have been looking closely at gum disease in the previous blogs and we do hope you have found the information useful.

My last post was on what the treatment of gum disease involves.

However today we will be looking the benefits of having gum treatment.

Gum treatment makes for healthy gums all round.

The benefits are summarised as follows:

1. Greater confidence from having a fresher mouth.

2. The gums stop bleeding and are no longer sore when you brush them.

3. It helps eliminate bad breadth.

4. Teeth become less wobbly.

5. Less discomfort when you eat.

6. The ultimate goal is to keep the teeth as long as possible.

It is worth bearing in mind that the success of the gum treatment depends significantly on how well you clean your teeth and on how your gums respond.

Brushing the teeth thoroughly twice a day, cleaning effectively between the teeth and paying regular dental visits are good habits to adopt for life.

Do hope you have found this post useful.

In the next post we will be examining the results of having no treatment.

Martina

Tooth grinding and clenching habits often occur durring sleep, habits such as chewing finger nails or chewing ends of a pen/pencil.

Acid erosion- This can be excessive amounts of acidity in your diet- fruit based beverages, fizzy drinks, alcohol consumption or from stomach acids as a result of health issues.

Abraction – is tooth wear visible on the sides of teeth near the gum line, seen as a notch or v shaped edge worn from the surface. Often caused by a combination of grinding, erosion and aggressive hard brushing techniques.

Tooth wear – weakens the structional integrity of the tooth, this results in the risk of tooth fracture, sensitivity and tooth decay.

Regular dental checkups will identify areas ofweaknesses, the rates of wear and carries. We can then formulate a treatment plan to restore and protect worn areas and advise on preventing further tooth wear.