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.

Hello Everyone!
I do hope you have found our posts on gum disease helpful?

We have so far looked at ‘how you can tell if your gums are healthy’, as well as, ‘who can get gum disease’.

Am sure you might have been asking ‘so how then can gum disease be treated?’

Well, we finally get to answer that question in today’s blog. How exciting!

What Does Gum Treatment Involve?

The aim of treatment is to reduce bacteria around the teeth and prevent the disease from getting worse.

Generally, though, treatment cannot replace the support your teeth have already lost. The treatment of gum disease is a combination of a significant amount of home care in
addition to some treatment offered by your dentist and hygienist.

Treatment are as follows:
1) Being taught the best methods to clean the teeth and gums to remove plaque. Gum treatment will only work if you clean the teeth at least twice a day to an extremely
high standard.
2) You need to clean daily between the teeth twice daily with interdental brushes or floss if the gaps between the teeth are too tight for interdental brushes.
3) You should use a small headed toothbrush preferably an electric toothbrush which your dentist can recommend to you.
4) Arrange visits with your dentist or hygienist to remove the tartar above gum level.
5) Bacteria below gum level will need to be removed by the dentist or hygienist via a deep clean (periodontal treatment). You can ask for an injection to numb the gums to make the procedure more comfortable for you.
6) Mouthwashes can help with a mild form of the disease but unfortunately it can mask a more severe form of the disease.
The most effective way to control the disease is via mechanical removal of plaque.

Martina

Dental decay is the most common non-infectious disease in the world.

It is the most common reason for hospital admissions in 5 to 9 year old. It can affect general health, can cause pain and infection.

However it is largely preventable.

Sugar is one of the major causes of tooth decay. Limiting both the frequency and amount of sugar we have in our diets can help with prevention. We have to eat healthily, avoid fizzy acidic drinks and limit free sugars in our diet to maintain good oral and overall health.

Free sugars are any sugars that are added to food or drinks either by manufacturers or ourselves. It also includes sugars that are already present in honey or syrup and fruit juices.

Please ask your dentist for further information, diet analysis and diet advice customised to your needs.

Rifat

Hi there!

It is me again and I must quickly add- still quite enthusiastic about gums!

I really appreciate you stopping by at our practice blog.

In my last post I focused primarily on how we can identify any red flags that may point to the presence of gum disease.

In this blog we are looking at ‘who can get gum disease.’

We had established in the previous post that gum disease is caused primarily by bacteria in plaque and if not removed properly through effective brushing and interdental cleaning it will lead to gum disease.

However, there are some risk factors associated with gum disease.

Most people can get a mild form of gum disease known as gingivitis, but some people are more susceptible to more aggressive forms of the disease.

Severe gum disease especially if it occurs at a young age can run in families.

There are a few factors that put people at a higher risk of developing gum disease.

They include:

• Diabetes especially if poorly controlled
• Smoking (possibly including e-cigarettes)
• Poor diet lacking in Minerals and vitamins.
• Stress
• Obesity
• Certain medications

If any of the above applies to you, please book an appointment, and speak to one of our dentists so that you can be given the appropriate advice.

In my next post I will delve into more details about the link between some medical conditions and some medications on gum disease.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Sincerely,

Martina

Hi there!

Thank you so much for stopping by at our practice blog today.

My name is Martina and I am one of the dentists at the practice.

I am super excited to be posting something that is especially important today- gum disease!

So a quick question- how are your gums doing?

Just before you answer that question let us look at some facts about gum disease:

• Did you know that gum disease despite being widespread can be prevented and treated if detected early enough?
• Did you also know that gum disease (also known as periodontal disease) is caused by bacteria that collects around the gum as plaque?

The plaque needs to be removed by brushing and cleaning the teeth twice a day.

If the teeth are not cleaned properly the gums start coming away from the tooth forming pockets that allow the plaque to go down the gum line.

Over time the bone support around the teeth is destroyed, the gums shrink and eventually the teeth become wobbly and fall out.

So back to my previous question, how are your gums doing?

There are some particularly useful ways to tell how your gums are doing:

1) Do they bleed?

2) Are they red or swollen?

3) Do you sometimes notice a bad breath?

4) Are there spaces beginning to appear between your teeth?

5) Are your teeth becoming loose or moving position in the mouth?

6) Are your gums receding?

7) Are you starting to get sensitivity to hot and cold things?

The above may be pointers or red flags that may indicate gum disease.

If you are noticing any of these then you need to call and make an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible.

We will be more than happy to discuss, examine you and offer some advice on management.

In my next blog I will be talking about who can get gum disease.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Sincerely,

Martina

Please click on the link below for information on the importance of oral hygiene and maintaining healthy gums.

This link provides information on how gum health can reduce Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes risk.

INFOGRAPHY-Perio_Cardio_01

Everyone wants to have a celebrity smile and whitening your teeth is a great way to achieve this.

Tooth whitening should always be carried out by a trained dental professional, here at Highfield Dental all our dentists are happy to advise you and carry out tooth whitening to help you achieve that sparkling smile safely and effectively.

If you are concerned about tooth whitening sensitivity our dentists will happily advise you on how to manage this when you have your initial consultation.

 

So, If you’re not happy with the colour of your teeth or you have a special occasion and you want to wow your friends and family then why not contact our friendly reception team, on 01689 823786 to discuss and book a consultation to achieve that dream smile.

Dear Patient,

We trust you and your family are all well and thank you for your patience and understanding through this difficult time.

 

We are excited and pleased that we can now see our patients once again.

Our highest PRIORITY is the safety of our patients and our staff, and to ensure this, there have been some operational changes that we are implementing.

We appreciate your patience as we may need to…..

• Cancel appointments at short notice (if there are issues with unpredictable circumstances e.g. PPE supply, staffing, government advice etc.)

 

• •  

• Delay certain treatment procedures

 

• •  

• Rebook appointments if you or the dentist is running late.

 

• •  

• Operate on a reduced scale to comply with rules on maintaining social distancing within the surgery.

 

 

• Operate a rota system with the dentists as a result you may not always see your regular dentist.

 

 

Thank you for your cooperation

Dear Patients,

In the current climate I feel that it is only right to reassure our patients what procedures we already have in place and what further measures we have put in place to protect you and our staff from the virus.

We have increased the cleaning of our high traffic areas such as door handles, floors, light switches etc.

We have hand soap and anti bacterial hand gel available in our treatment rooms and bathroom and we encourage everyone to use these before and after your treatment.

As was the case before this outbreak, our dentists and staff follow the infection control protocols which are of the highest standards.

We are also discouraging hand shaking between each other.

I know some may be concerned about visiting our practice but I am following the guidelines provided by the Public Health Department at the moment and we are remaining open and are taking the relevant precautions.

If you are feeling unwell with a cough and/or temperature then we are very happy to move your appointment to a later date or until you are over the virus. This does still need to be done 24hour before your appointment so that it can give us a chance to fill the appointment with someone who is on the waiting list or in need of an appointment.

We wish all of you the best during these tough times and we shall be here providing quality dental treatment to you, our valued patients.

Yours faithfully,

Salil Patel

Principal Dentist