Category: Blog

What is standing in the way of you having a beautiful, strong, healthy smile? In this month’s blog we look at four of the biggest threats to your oral health and how you can safeguard your smile for the future.

Plaque

Until it is brushed or flossed away, plaque builds up on your teeth. If left it can lead to gum disease, tooth decay and in the long run tooth loss.

Plaque is a sticky film that builds up on your teeth. Technically speaking, it is a microbial biofilm that contains a range of bacteria strong enough to continue thriving in the dark crevices of the mouth.

Any foods or drinks containing carbohydrates can trigger the formation of plaque, especially those with high sugar content like fizzy drinks, chocolate, cake, and sweets. As you chew, carbohydrates combine with the natural bacteria in your mouth to create plaque.

Plaque’s acidic base slowly eats away at your tooth enamel. This is why cavities are considered the first warning sign of plaque damage.

In order to keep your teeth healthy, it is important to schedule regular scaling and polishing with the hygienist. The hygienist will remove any plaque and calculus build up, will provide advice on lifestyle factors that may be affecting your oral health and will help you put together an oral hygiene routine that will keep your teeth looking their best in between appointments.

Teeth Grinding

Millions of people grind their teeth and night, also known as bruxism and may not even realise that they are doing it. They may be coping with the symptoms like tooth sensitivity, headaches, and jaw pain, without realising the cause.

Night-time teeth grinding is difficult to identify as it occurs completely subconsciously while you are asleep. Chronic clenching and grinding place so much pressure on the muscles, tissues, teeth, and other structures around the jaw, symptoms can be felt long after the grinding stops.

A few of the most common bruxism symptoms include the following:

• Jaw pain and stiffness
• Sore gums
• Sensitive or broken teeth
• Clicking jaw joints
• Chronic dull headaches
• Earaches
• Flat, short, or blunt teeth surfaces

If left untreated tooth grinding can wear down your teeth, cause breakages and leave you in chronic pain. If you have been experiencing any of the common symptoms, as your dentist to examine your mouth for signs of teeth grinding at your next appointment.

Misaligned Teeth

Most people want to straighten their teeth for the aesthetic benefits, but there are many important dental health benefits to fixing crooked teeth.

Common misalignment issues like crowding, spacing, and poor bite make it difficult to perform a thorough oral hygiene routine, meaning you are at increased risk of developing gum disease and tooth decay.

Gum Disease

There are many different reasons that the bacteria in your mouth might gain too much power: smoking, poor oral hygiene, and a high-sugar diet are just a few common causes. This very quickly can progress to gum disease.

The following are all symptoms of gum disease:

• Bad breath that doesn’t fade even after brushing or drinking water
• Bleeding gums
• Pain when chewing food
• Loose or wiggling teeth
• Increased tooth sensitivity
• Receding gums
• Unexpected tooth loss
• Multiple cavities and infections

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms it is important that you book an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the damage caused by gum disease isn’t limited to your mouth. It also has serious implications on the rest of your body as well. Researchers have been studying the link between gum disease and cardiovascular disease for decades. Statistics indicate that people with gum disease are two to three times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular problems.

Stop The Threats to Your Dental Health Now

By contacting your dentist, keeping your appointments every six months, and receiving any treatments or procedures your dentist suggests, you can restore health and balance to your smile.  Call Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre, today on 01622 682 029 to schedule your appointment and put yourself on the path to better oral health.

For many people when the dentist mentions the word root canal treatment, they reel back in horror. In this month’s blog we look to bust some of the most common myths about root canal treatment.

• Root canal treatment is painful!

The perception that root canal treatment hurts started decades ago when root canal treatment was painful. Today with the advances of modern technology and better anaesthetics,  root canal treatment is no more painful than having a filling. Recovery times are just a few days and post appointment discomfort should be minimal. Normally root canal treatment is able to relieve you of the toothache you are experiencing. Yes, that is right root canal treatment relieves pain.

• Root canal treatment requires multiple visits!

With the advances in technology, it is possible for root canal treatment to be completed in as little as one or two visits. Many root canal treatments can be completed in one appointment while some cases require two or three visits due to the infection and inflammation. Often people think that an extraction is a faster option, which may be true, but you will then need to attend for a bridge, a dental implant or denture treatment to fill the missing gap, meaning it can actually require much more time in the dental surgery.

• An extraction is a better alternative!

Keeping your natural teeth for as long as possible is very important for proper eating and chewing functions. Root canal treatment can also provide a less expensive option than having the tooth extracted and replaced with a bridge, a dental implant or denture.

• Root canal treatments are not often successful!

This is not true. Root canal treatment has about a 95% success rate. The tooth and gums will need to be kept healthy with good oral hygiene to ensure that the natural tooth lasts a lifetime without further treatment.

• Root canal treatment causes illness ! 

This was a rumour started by Dr Weston Price in 1910. His researched claimed that endodontically treated teeth could leave patients susceptible to infection and illness. Dr Price’s research has been criticized and proven to be flawed. Having root canal treatment does not increase your likelihood of illness or disease. There is no medical evidence that confirms a link between root canal treatment and the cause of other illnesses. In fact, root canal treatment aims to remove bad bacteria from the mouth and prevent reinfection. This means that root canal treatment is designed to fight off illness and infection. Not cause it!

At Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre you can be safe in the knowledge that you will always receive the highest possible level of care, in a relaxed and calm environment, ensuring that you can keep your teeth as healthy as possible for as long as possible. If you would like more information or have any questions do not hesitate to ring the surgery on 01622 682 029.

It is important to ensure that you start to brush your child’s teeth from the moment their first tooth appears to ensure that you can start to build healthy habits that will last a lifestyle.

The team at Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre has some simple to follow steps to ensure that your child’s smile lasts a lifetime. By putting in place a good oral hygiene routine you can ensure that you protect your child’s oral health for the future.

• Brush teeth twice a day

It is important to ensure that you brush their teeth twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste and soft bristled, small headed toothbrush, before bed and at one other time during the day.

• Supervise children until at least 7 years old.

It is important that you supervise your child while they are toothbrushing to ensure that they do not miss any areas. Using disclosing tablets once a month can also help to give your child a clear understanding of any areas that they may be missing.

• Spit don’t rinse!

After toothbrushing just spit out the toothpaste. Do not rinse your mouth as this will wash away the fluoride protection.

• Reduce the amount and frequency of sugary foods and drinks.

It is important to keep sugary foods and drinks for mealtimes, helping to protect your child’s teeth from frequent sugar attacks that can lead to tooth decay.

• Wear a mouthguard when playing sport.

Ensuring your child wears a mouthguard while playing contact sports can help to protect your child’s teeth and jaw from damage.

• Consider fluoride varnish applications.

Fluoride varnish provides extra protection against tooth decay when used in addition to brushing. Fluoride varnish is a pale-yellow gel that sets quickly when applied to children’s teeth using a soft brush. The varnish sets quickly, has a pleasant taste and a fruity smell. Scientific studies have shown that fluoride varnish gives added protection to teeth against decay when used in addition to brushing teeth regularly with fluoride toothpaste.

• Attend for regular dental appointments.

It is important that you attend for regular dental appointments as soon your child’s first tooth appears. By starting visits at a young age, you can reduce the risk of dental fear. Your dentist will then be able to advise you on how often you should be bringing your child in for routine dental appointments.

If you would like to find out how to ensure your child’s teeth last a lifetime, call Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre, today on 01622 682 029 and book your children’s dental appointment today.

 

Are you missing a number of teeth? If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having several missing teeth, you may find that you are experiencing a great deal of frustration and loss of confidence as a result. Missing teeth can be a contributing factor to several other dental health problems and can also have significant effects on your overall well-being.

While dentures are a tried-and-true solution for many patients who are missing multiple teeth, they do not always deliver the level of comfort or confidence that leads to complete satisfaction with your treatment. Fortunately, advancements in dental science and technology have led to the development of a better solution for the replacement of multiple teeth that delivers far greater results and many advantages over other treatment options. This solution is known as All-on-4.

All-on-4 offers a more effective way to replace your missing teeth as fewer dental implants are required than traditional methods. This process can be planned intricately such that you walk out with temporary fixed dentures, made from a resin, which puts less pressure on yourdental implantsas they heal, on the same day. These will be replaced by a final set of dentures 6-9 months later.

All-on-4 dentures are fixed in place and should act just like natural teeth in terms of appearance, chewing and comfort. There is no risk of them slipping out of place when you are talking or eating. If looked after carefully, your dental implants should last for at least 10 years. You will need to return to the dentist for regular check-ups and maintenance.

Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre uses the best, tested and approved dental implants materials to ensure the best possible for your All-on-4 dentures.

There are a number of benefits of choosing All-on-4 dentures to restore your smile including:

• Treatment time is drastically reduced – All-on-4 dentures can be completed in one day, unlike traditional dental implants that can take 3-6 months.
• All-on-4 dentures are suitable for patients with jawbone loss – your dentist will perform a complete 3D scan prior to treatment to plan exactly where the dental implants should be placed.
• All-on-4 prevents bone loss – All-on-4 is effective in minimizing the effect of bone loss since the dental implants are affixed directly to the jawbone and act in a similar fashion to the roots of natural teeth.
• Cost effective – All-on-4 dentures are cheaper than traditional techniques that may require as many as 8-10 dental implants.
• All-on-4 gives greater self-confidence – All-on-4 gives a complete set of natural-looking teeth connected securely and comfortably, enabling you to enjoy all your favourite foods, and a great variety of food and drink, without worry.

If you would like to discuss our All-on-4 dentures treatment please get in touch today on 01622 682 029 to book a consultation and find out how our expert team at Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre can help you reclaim your smile.

Sweetened beverages have become a treat that many people have every day. Drinking high-sugar soft drinks is most commonly associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain, but these can also have an impact on our dental health and smiles.

When you drink fizzy drinks, the sugars contained interact with bacteria in your mouth to form acid. This acid attacks your teeth. Both regular and sugar-free fizzy drinks also contain their own acids, and these attack the teeth too. With each swig, you are starting a damaging reaction that lasts for about 20 minutes. If you sip all day, your teeth are under constant attack.

There are two main dental effects of drinking fizzy drinks: acid erosion and cavities.

• Acid Erosion

Acid erosion begins when the acids in fizzy drinks encounter the tooth enamel, which is the outermost protective layer on your teeth. Their effect is to reduce the surface hardness of the enamel.

While sports drinks and fruit juices can also damage enamel, they stop there.

• Cavities

Fizzy drinks, on the other hand, can also affect the next layer, dentin, and even composite fillings. This damage to your tooth enamel can invite cavities. Cavities, or caries, develop over time in people who drink fizzy drinks regularly. Add in poor oral hygiene, and a lot of damage can occur to the teeth.

How can I prevent damage to my teeth?

The obvious solution? Stop drinking fizzy drinks. But many of us just cannot seem to kick the habit. However, there are things you can do to lessen the risk of damaging your teeth.

Drink in moderation – Do not have more than one soft drink each day. Just one will do damage enough.

Drink, don’t sip – Sipping gives the bacteria more time to eat the sugar and to create cavities. Drink quickly to give your body time to wash away the bad stuff. Try to drink sweetened coffees, teas, or fizzy drinks in one sitting instead of sipping on them over a longer amount of time.

Rinse your mouth with water afterward – Flushing your mouth with some water after drinking fizzy drinks will help wash away any remaining sugars and acids and stop them from attacking your teeth.

Wait before you brush – Despite what you may think, brushing immediately after you have a fizzy drink is not a good idea. That is because the friction against the vulnerable and recently acid-attacked teeth can do more harm than good. Instead, wait 30 to 60 minutes.

Use a straw – This will help keep the damaging acids and sugars away from your teeth.

Get regular dental appointments – Regular check-ups will identify problems before they worsen.

Soft drinks are not a healthy choice, but they are a popular one. If you have to drink soda, do it in moderation and protect your dental health in the process.

If you would like to book a routine dental appointment, please contact Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre on 01622 682 029 today!

Dental implants are now the most popular treatment to replace a missing teeth and are the closest possible restoration to having your natural teeth back.

Dental implants are designed to be a permanent solution to tooth loss and they can last between 20 and 30 years. However, their lifespan depends entirely on how well you look after your teeth and your oral hygiene.

In this month’s blog we have some top tips to keep your dental implants looking their best

1. Good oral hygiene

Although the titanium screw and the ceramic crown on top are resistant to decay, the teeth and gums surrounding the dental implant are not. This is why very good oral hygiene is essential.

To ensure your dental implants functionality and longevity, they need to be looked after just as a natural tooth would, which means daily cleaning and flossing. You should brush with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day for at least two minutes and clean interdentally daily.

2. Lifestyle Choices

Lifestyle choices such as excessive smoking and heavy drinking can have a dramatic effect on how long your dental implants last.

3. Injury or Damage

Sometimes, dental implants have a limited lifespan due to circumstances that are beyond your control. While dental implants are a permanent treatment option, the ceramic crowns are not indestructible. If you use your teeth as tools to open things like bottles or plastic packaging, you are not only risking damage to your dental implant but also your gums and your natural teeth as well.

4. Medical Conditions

Certain pre-existing medical conditions can also affect how long dental implants last. For example, conditions such as diabetes or a weakened immune system can impact on the effectiveness of your treatment and also how long your dental implants will last before they need to be replaced. Both diabetes and a compromised immune system can make you more susceptible to infections and can cause your body to take longer to recover and heal.

5. Regular dental appointments

It is important that you attend for your routine dental and hygiene appointments to keep your dental implant looking its best. Just because your teeth are artificial does not mean that you shouldn’t attend regular dental check-ups. During these appointments, not only will your dentist assess your oral health, but they will also be able to check for any issues with your dental implants. Cracks or damage to the crown can be identified quickly, and your dentist will discuss with you the best way to fix any issues.

Regular hygiene appointments will also help to keep your teeth and gums as healthy as possible, ensuring that your dental implants last as long as possible. During your hygiene appointments, you will be shown how to properly care for and clean your natural teeth and your dental implants.

While brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste is absolutely essential for good oral health, there are certain areas that a toothbrush cannot reach. This is why interdental cleaning has a big part to play when it comes to keeping our teeth and gums healthy, removing plaque and trapped food that if left may lead to tooth decay and gum disease.

1. Reduce the risk of bleeding gums.

Many people who suffer with sensitive or bleeding gums may be tempted to avoid interdental cleaning for fear of making their bleeding gums worse. But in fact, interdental cleaning can improve the health of your gums, thereby helping to prevent them from bleeding. The fact that your gums are bleeding is the first sign for gum disease developing (which is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults in the UK), making it even more important that you continue with your interdental cleaning.

2. Reduce the risk of tooth decay.

Food particles can become caught in between teeth in areas that brushing alone will not reach. If left this food will begin to be broken down by the bacteria in you mouth leading to gum disease, bad breath and tooth decay. Interdental cleaning helps to remove any food trapped between teeth, keeping your teeth looking their best.

3. Other Health Benefits

Daily flossing does not just keep your teeth healthy – practicing good oral hygiene contributes to your health in other ways, too. In fact, there is an increasing amount of evidence linking periodontal disease to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, strokes, poor pregnancy outcomes and even dementia. Looking after the health of your gums through a good oral hygiene routine is even more important than ever.

What should I do first?

Brushing may come before flossing in the dictionary, but it should not when it comes to our oral hygiene routine. Interdental cleaning loosens bacteria and food debris from between the teeth, which allows brushing to be much more successful at removing plaque. The fluoride in your toothpaste is also better able to do its job in protecting your teeth if the plaque particles are removed first.

If you would like to find out more about how interdental cleaning can help to improve your oral health, do not hesitate to contact Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre on 01622 682 029 to book an appointment with our hygienist today!

Alongside our Cosmetic Dentistry, Teeth Straightening, and Dental Implant services the team at Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre also offer a full range of General Dentistry treatments including regular check-ups, fillings, and Dental Crowns. If you are considering having a crown fitted, repaired, or replaced it is likely that you’ll have lots of questions about the treatment process and caring for your teeth afterwards. One of the most frequent questions we get asked is how long do dental crowns last?

Dental Crowns sit over teeth like small caps and are used for a wide variety of reasons. Much like fillings, they are one of the options we use to repair and protect damaged or decaying teeth from further harm.

Dental Crowns can also be used to fix cosmetic dentistry issues by covering crooked teeth helping to give you a whiter, brighter smile. Broken, chipped or visibly damaged teeth can also be improved with the use of dental crowns, and our expert team can talk through all the options available to you in your initial consultation session.

• How should you look after your Dental Crowns?

Crowns are used as a treatment to protect damaged teeth or improve your smile, and we often get asked if they are permanent. On average dental crowns can last for up to 15 years or more with the right aftercare. You do not actually need any specialist treatments to look after your crown, unless it becomes damaged, and you can usually treat it just as you would a natural tooth.

Regular teeth brushing twice a day and daily flossing will help to maintain the condition of the crown as well as benefiting your overall oral health. You should also continue to attend regular dental check-ups with your general dentist and hygienist. Your dentist will be able to advise you on how best to look after your teeth and how to keep your crown clean.

Even though crowns can last up to 15 years, this does not mean that they are indestructible within that time frame. Like your regular teeth, dental crowns are susceptible to chipping, cracking or increased wear and tear if they are not looked after properly.

• When should you replace a Dental Crown?

Dental Crowns are a long term solution it’s important that you attend regular dental check-ups so your dentist can check the signs and symptoms that indicate when your crown is coming to the end of its natural lifespan. If you have chipped, cracked, damaged or dislodged your crown, then it will need to be repaired or replaced .This is to ensure that the tooth underneath continues to be protected and does not sustain any further damage or decay.

While crowns cannot decay because they are made of ceramic, the tooth underneath can. If your dental crown was created and fitted to protect a damaged or decayed tooth, then you need to make sure that you follow all your dentist’s advice to keep the crown, tooth and gum line clean and healthy. A build-up of plaque could cause the tooth underneath to start, or continue, to decay. If you notice any tenderness or swelling from your crown or the tooth it is covering, please arrange to see your dentist as soon as possible to avoid the problem becoming more severe.

• Find out more!

As you can see, Dental Crowns are an excellent treatment option to strengthen and protect any damaged teeth and give you back your smile confidence. There really is no straight forward answer to the question of how long dental crowns last because it varies so greatly from person to person. But by following the guidance of your dental team and practising great oral care at home you can make sure your crown and your natural teeth stay healthy and secure.

If you would like to discuss our dental crown treatments please get in touch today on 01622 682 029 to book a consultation and find out how our expert team at Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre can help you reclaim your smile.

When it comes to taking care of your smile, there are a number of misconceptions that can cause damage to your oral health. In this month’s blog the team at Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre look to dispel some of these myths.

Myth 1 – The harder you brush the cleaner your teeth will be.

Brushing too hard or using a toothbrush with stiff bristles can damage your oral health by eroding the enamel that protects teeth and causing the gums to start to recede. Here at Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre we advise that you always use either a soft or medium bristled toothbrush or an electric toothbrush to help protect your teeth and gums from toothbrush abrasion.

Myth 2 – Interdental cleaning is not necessary.

Brushing alone only reaches around 60% of tooth surfaces. Using interdental cleaning aids such as floss, floss picks or interdental brushes, help to reach those surfaces in between teeth that brushing alone misses. Food and bacteria left between teeth, can give off a bad odour, causing bad breath and if the bacteria are left to multiply can cause gum disease and tooth decay. Make sure you use interdental cleaning aids daily to keep your smile looking its best.

Myth 3 – If your gums bleed, stay clear

The reason that your gums bleed when brushing is inflammation, caused by a build-up of plaque or bacteria. If you notice any bleeding when you brush or floss it is important that you are even more thorough with your oral hygiene routine to help remove the build-up of plaque or bacteria. Over time with careful cleaning the gums will become healthier, and the bleeding will stop.

Myth 4 – It is important to rinse your mouth after brushing.

It is important to spit, not rinse after brushing. This enables the fluoride in your toothpaste to continue working on your teeth promoting enamel mineralisation. Fluoride promotes the formation of a compound called fluorapatite, which is very close to compounds that occur naturally in your teeth. Fluorapatite incorporates itself into the enamel, strengthening your teeth against cavities. Rinsing your mouth immediately can remove helpful fluoride.

Myth 5 – You do not need a dental check-up if you are not in pain.

With many dental issues, you do not necessarily feel pain right away. If you leave going to the dentist until you start to notice symptoms it will require much more complex treatment to rectify them. If you wait until a cavity hurts, you could end up needing a root canal or extraction but with regular check-ups the problem could be fixed with a simple filling. By attending for regular routine dental appointments the dentist is able to find problems up to 7 years before they cause you pain.

If you would like to find out more about how common misconceptions could be damaging your dental health, do not hesitate to contact Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre on 01622 682 029to book a consultation appointment today!

A dental hygienist is a specially trained member of the dental team who focuses on the treatment of gum disease and on oral hygiene instruction.

The hygienist will perform thorough scaling of your teeth to remove any plaque or calculus present which is left can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. They will also advise you on the best way to care for your teeth in between your appointments. They will give you focused advice to help care for dental implants, teeth straightening appliances and may also suggest that you try to give up smoking. Smoking will have a detrimental effect on your teeth increasing the risk of gum disease and staining.

• How often should I see the hygienist?

How often you should see the hygienist will depend on the health of your teeth and gums. It may be necessary for you to attend for appointments every three months to begin with while the hygienist gets any gum disease under control. Provided you are maintaining a good oral hygiene routine in between appointments visits should then drop to every four months and eventually every six months.

• Benefits of seeing the hygienist.

There are several benefits to seeing the hygienist and they include:

• Demonstrations on effective tooth brushing techniques to remove plaque without causing tooth wear and receding gums.
• Discussions on the latest oral hygiene products.
• Advice on the best aid to clean in-between teeth.
• Detailed explanation of the causes of gum disease.
• Removal of plaque and hard calculus deposits.
• Discussion on the secondary factors that cause gum disease, for example smoking and diabetes.
• Discussion on how gum disease could affect or complicate other health problems, for example heart disease.
• Prevention of tooth decay and erosion
• Diet advice on how to reduce sugary and acidic food and drink.
• Advice on fluoride and apply fluoride varnishes to help remineralise early signs of tooth caries.
• The removal of food and drink stains.
• Changing red and inflamed gums to a healthy pink.
• Stopping gums from bleeding when brushing.
• Preventing teeth from becoming mobile and drifting.
• Preventing unpleasant tastes and bad breath caused by the damaging bacteria in the mouth.

 

• Do I need to see the dentist first?

New regulation has recently come into effect which means that you no longer need to see the dentist prior to booking an appointment with the hygienist. It must however be noted that a visit to the hygienist is not an alternative to seeing the dentist. You will still need to see the dentist for your routine appointments and the hygienist will refer you to the dentist if they notice any problems or if you require treatment which is outside of their training.

• What should I do in between hygienist visits to improve the health of my teeth and gums?

In between visits to see the hygienist you should maintain a good oral hygiene routine. This includes:

• Brushing your teeth twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste
• Be sure to change your toothbrush every three months or sooner if it becomes worn.
• Clean in between your teeth using interdental aids such as floss, interdental brushes or woodsticks.
• Aim to cut down the number of sugary foods and drinks you have throughout the day and where possible limit them to mealtimes.

So why wait call Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre on 01622 682 029 and book an appointment with the hygienist today!