Get advice on oral hygiene issue from Liverpool dentists

Having a healthy mouth has many benefits. The ability to eat, drink and talk without discomfort is something that many of us take for granted but can easily be compromised if oral hygiene is allowed to slip.  Oral hygiene is not just about looking after your teeth. Your gums need to be taken care of too, especially as gum disease is actually a greater cause of tooth loss than dental decay itself.  Thankfully there are a number of simple ways in which you can ensure good oral hygiene.

The most important thing to do to make sure that your teeth are in good health is to guard against the build up of plaque.  Plaque is a substance that forms on the teeth after sugary and starchy foods have been eaten.  It attacks the enamel (the durable coating of teeth). Once compromised then cavities can form and you will experience sensitivity when you eat and drink.

Being sure to brush and floss at least twice a day is the most straightforward way to ensure this isn’t happening but it is important to pursue a healthy and balanced diet too.  Brushing and flossing regularly should also take care of your gums but it is worth being vigilant for signs of the gum diseases which affect so many people in Britain.  Red spots on the gums or sensitivity while eating or drinking substances which are especially hot or cold can be signs that gum disease is taking hold.

A recent study compared the effects of fizzy drinks on teeth to those of class A drugs and found the results to be similar! Some critics have questioned the results of this study, but the fact that it was even entertained by an academic researcher should give some idea of how serious the effect of fizzy drinks can be on teeth.

How does this happen?

Well the classic answer is to do with amount of sugar in fizzy drinks: The bacteria present in your mouth love to feed on sugary and starchy food. They then use these foods as fuel to produce plaque and acid, both of which cause tooth decay and other undesirable dental effects. The acid, in particular, attacks the enamel, and these attacks will occur every single time you have a starchy snack or sugary drink. It doesn’t end here, however. Fizzy drinks often contain acids within them which start these attacks prior to bacteria churning through the sugar! These acids also lower the pH of your saliva, thus allowing bacteria to multiply on your teeth and cause further damage!

Diet vs. Original

Think diet fizzy drinks make much of a difference? Standard, sugary soft drinks pack a double wallop by first weakening enamel and then having their high sugar content penetrate the tooth. Diet drinks simply weaken enamel and then let bacteria from other foods do the major damage.

Visible effects

Your teeth, after continued fizzy drink abuse, will look different as your enamel will be damaged. They won’t look as white as they had been and may appear translucent at the edges, or possibly more yellow as more dentin will be visible through your thinned enamel. The top surface of your tooth may also appear dented, curved or uneven.

Less visible effects

As you have less enamel than usual protecting the lower echelons of your tooth, you may feel more pain, irritation or general discomfort when you are chewing or drinking hot or cold liquids.

Lessen the impact

Want the odd glass of a soft drink? If you can, drink it through a straw (thus avoiding more of your teeth). Drink it quickly (as more sipping means more exposure to acid) and rinse your mouth when done. Chewing sugar free gum after also helps increase saliva production and raises the pH in your mouth. For more information on oral hygiene why not get in touch with us at Liverpool Dental Spa.

Oral hygiene improved thanks to advice from Liverpool dentists

Having a healthy mouth has many benefits as oral conditions such as gum disease and tooth decay can be painful and lead to tooth loss.  In an image conscious world, this is definitely something to avoid.  If it doesn’t get that far, poor oral hygiene can still cause bad breath and staining to the teeth.  If your teeth and gums aren’t functioning properly it makes eating, drinking and talking much more difficult.

Healthy mouths are clean, free of debris and include pink gums.  Poor oral hygiene can lead to pain in the gums and sometimes bleeding.  Your teeth might have brown or yellow deposits on them and your mouth might feel sore when you eat.  These early indicators of poor oral hygiene are worth knowing because they can be relayed to your dentist who can advise you on how to stop them getting worse.

Dentists recommend that you spend about three minutes brushing your teeth twice a day using fluoride toothpaste, which will help to strengthen enamel, your teeth’s natural defence.  You should also be sure to floss to stop plaque building up between teeth where it is hard for brushes to reach. Plaque is a major cause of poor oral hygiene because it allows acids in some of the foods you eat to attack enamel and eventually cause painful cavities in your teeth.

Looking for a cosmetic dentist? Liverpool dentists are here to help

Make sure you visit your Liverpool dentist every six months so your mouth can be thoroughly checked for any signs of poor oral hygiene.  The fact is that many of the symptoms of poor oral hygiene can seem quite innocuous but if they are allowed to worsen they can lead to serious problems like tooth loss.