Find out about dental hygiene
Abscess / Brush / Cheese / Drinks / Erosion / Floss / Gum disease / Halitosis / Injury / Jaws / Kissability / Looks / Mouth guards / NHS dentistry / Oral cancer / Plaque / Questions / Regular checkups / Saliva / Tobacco / Ulcers / Virus / Wisdom teeth / X-rays / Youth / Zzzzz
This is an infection in the bone at the end of the root of a tooth (tooth abscess) or in the gum (gum abscess). It usually causes a swelling and can be very painful. You will need to see a dentist as soon as possible. A tooth abscess can be treated by draining the infection through the tooth. Your dentist may also prescribe antibiotics. If left untreated it may lead to the loss of the tooth.
Brush your teeth and gums thoroughly twice a day with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Use a gentle circular movement to remove the plaque. Your toothbrush should have a small to medium sized head with nylon bristles. This will need replacing as soon as the bristles appear splayed (on average every two to three months).
Eating a small piece of cheese after a meal can help protect your teeth from decay by neutralising harmful acids.
Squash and fizzy drinks contain lots of sugar (a can of fizzy drink contains about seven teaspoons)! Any type of sugar can lead to tooth decay. Milk and water are the safest drinks for teeth. However, if you do drink squash and juices, choose "sugar-free", and dilute them as much as possible (see also erosion).
This happens when teeth slowly dissolve if in contact with acidic foods or drinks. Even diet fizzy drinks, squashes or fruit juice are quite acidic and can cause erosion if taken too often. It's best to try and keep these to mealtimes when the extra saliva helps to neutralise the acid. You can cut down the damage by drinking through a straw so the drink doesn't touch the teeth so much.
This is specially packaged thread or tape that is used to clean between the teeth, where your toothbrush can't reach. Flossing can be difficult to do at first, so ask your dentist or hygienist to show you how.
Most people have some gum disease. It is caused by plaque collecting on and below the gum line. The first signs are red, swollen gums that bleed on brushing, and bad breath. It is not usually painful at this stage.
Early gum disease (gingivitis) can be cured (and prevented) by good thorough brushing to remove the plaque. If your gums bleed, don't panic, keep brushing the problem areas gently and this should soon stop. If left, the problem can get worse and affect the bone around the roots (periodontitis), causing the teeth to eventually loosen. You may also develop a painful gum abscess.
It is important to see your dentist as soon as you notice a problem.
This is the name for bad breath. The commonest causes are gum disease and tooth decay so see your dentist for advice and treatment. It can also be caused by smoking or by eating certain foods (such as garlic). There may be other non-dental causes such as stomach problems, tonsillitis or sinus problems.
Injuries to teeth are best prevented - for example by wearing a mouth guard during contact sports.
If you break a tooth and the root is okay, your dentist may be able to repair it with a tooth coloured filling or with a crown ("cap"). If an adult front tooth is knocked out in one piece you could improve its chance of being saved by the following quick action:
If it's clean, hold it by its crown (the part normally seen in the mouth) and not the root (the pointed bit) then gently push it back into its socket (the right way round). Hold it in place by biting on a clean, rolled up handkerchief and go straight to the dentist.
- If it is dirty, don't wash or scrub it, but gently and briefly rinse it in milk or cool water (not too cold) before pushing it into the socket. If you can't put it back, then either store it in milk or keep it in your cheek (don't swallow it!) so it's bathed in its own saliva and go straight to a dentist.
- Baby teeth should not be re-implanted (an adult front tooth is usually through at around six years of age).
We have two jaws. The upper is called the maxilla and the lower the mandible. Each adult has 32 teeth, 16 in each jaw (which includes the wisdom teeth) whereas a child only has 10 teeth in each jaw.
Healthy teeth and gums and fresh breath improve your kissability! An attractive smile increases your kissability rating even more! Did you know it takes 17 muscles to smile and as many as 43 to frown. So go on - smile! It's much less effort than you think!.
Not happy with your smile? Ask your dentist about different types of cosmetic treatment, such as veneers or crowns. Veneers are made of porcelain and fit over the front of slightly prepared teeth like false finger nails.
Remember that cosmetic treatment can be expensive and is not always available on the NHS so check out the prices first.
It is a good idea to protect your teeth during contact sports by wearing a mouth guard. Ideally these should be custom made by your dentist to fit over your top teeth. They can be made in a variety of colours to represent your team perhaps. You can also buy ready to mould mouth guards from sport shops, although these do not fit as well as those made by your dentist to fit your mouth exactly. However, they are still useful and better than no protection. (See also injury.)
Everyone is entitled to dental care on the National Health Service (NHS). However, finding an NHS Dentist may be difficult. NHS dental treatment is free for the following people:
- under 18 years
- under 19 years if a full time student.
- pregnant or have a baby under one year (bring proof of exemption with you)
You may be entitled to free or reduced charges if you are on some benefits. Ring the Benefits Enquiry Line on 0800 882200 for further information.
You can ring NHS Direct on 0845 4647 for examples of dental charges and details of dentists accepting NHS patients.
Each year around 3,800 new cases of mouth cancer are found in the UK. More than 1,700 people die from it. If found early, there is a good chance that it can be treated. The longer it's left the less chance of it being cured. The warning signs to look for are:
- an ulcer that doesn't heal after about 10 days
- a red or white patch that does not go away
- an unusual lump
If in doubt, see your dentist.
One of the biggest causes of mouth cancer is smoking (see tobacco). People who drink heavily are also more at risk.
This is the creamy coloured coating that collects on your teeth, dentures and braces. Everybody has plaque, as it forms continuously. It should be brushed away at least twice a day.
Plaque contains lots of bacteria, which feed on any sugar in your mouth (from food, drinks, medicines). The bacteria turn this sugar into acid, which rots the teeth, making holes (tooth decay).
Plaque + sugar = acid = decay.
Plaque can also cause gum disease.
Don't be afraid to ask your dentist about anything you are worried about that concerns your mouth e.g. diet, brushing, smoking, treatment choices and charges. He/she is there to help you and will also need to ask you questions about any medical conditions you may have or medicines you are taking. It is important to be honest as this information may affect the type of treatment you can safely have.
All this information will be strictly confidential.
These are important so that your whole mouth can be monitored and the right dental care provided. Even if you have no teeth you should still have a check once a year. This is so that early signs of mouth cancer can be spotted and any problems with dentures can be sorted out.
This is your body's natural defence against tooth decay. Saliva helps to neutralise the acid formed from sugar to reduce the chance of decay. It takes anything from 20 minutes to two hours to do this, so cut down on the number of times you have sugary foods or drinks to give your teeth a chance. You can increase saliva flow by eating fruit or by chewing sugar-free chewing gum. Saliva also helps to lubricate your food, making it easier to swallow.
If you have reduced saliva (dry mouth), this could be due to certain medications, some medical conditions (e.g. diabetes), stress or other causes. Don't be tempted to drink lots of squashes or suck sweets. It's better to sip water and use sugar-free sweets or gum. Ask your dentist or doctor about artificial saliva.
A thin smear of Vaseline on your gums and lips helps to stop them drying out, especially if you mouth breathe.
Smoking or chewing tobacco can cause a whole range of problems in your mouth.
The worst is mouth cancer, which can kill. Over 90% of people with mouth cancer smoke or chew tobacco. Other problems include stained teeth; bad breath; early wrinkles around eyes and mouth; poor sense of taste; poor healing after tooth extractions.
It's never too late to stop smoking or lessen your chance of getting these problems.
You can get free, confidential advice on quitting smoking from the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0 169.
Most people get mouth ulcers at some time. These are uncomfortable and may be caused by a rough edge to a tooth, filling or denture, or you may be stressed or "run down".
Most ulcers are harmless and clear up after about 10 days. If not, it may be a sign of some other medical problem or even mouth cancer. It is best to get any ulcer checked by a dentist or doctor if it lasts longer than ten days, or if you get them often.
A number of viruses can affect your mouth, one of the commonest being the cold sore virus. Although most of the population in the UK carry this virus, not everyone gets cold sores. If you are one of the 12 million who suffers from cold sores, it's useful to know what might trigger an attack. It could be caused by a cold or flu; stress; bright sunlight; or simply feeling run down.
Most people feel a tingle on their lip before a cold sore appears. This soon develops into a blotch that swells to form one or more blisters, which can be painful. The blister then breaks to form an unsightly sore. This then dries to form a scab.
You can usually stop the cold sore getting past the "tingle" stage if you use a cold sore cream that contains the antiviral agent aciclovir as soon as you feel that first itch. Your doctor or dentist can prescribe this cream, but it is also available without a prescription - so ask at a chemist. Even if you don't use the cream until the cold sore has appeared, it can still speed up healing. A cold sore is very infectious and can spread easily so if you have an attack:
- don't rub your eyes
- wash your hands after touching the sore
- avoid kissing
- avoid sharing a towel, cutlery or cups
These are the third (and last) molar teeth at the back of each jaw. They may appear any time from the age of about 17 onwards. Many people do not have enough room for these teeth to come through as the human jaws have gradually become smaller. This means that these four teeth may be completely hidden in the jaw bone and often cause no problems at all.
Sometimes the teeth partly come through and become stuck (impacted) and it is then that they may cause problems, such as aching jaws, swollen gum around the tooth or difficulty opening the mouth.
Your dentist may then decide that one or more of these teeth should be removed.
These are useful for your dentist to see problems before they are noticeable in your mouth, or in hard to see areas. These include early tooth decay; decay between teeth; abscesses; impacted wisdom teeth; some gum problems; bone problems; missing teeth that should be forming; and some mouth cancers.
It is important that teenagers and young adults keep up their regular dental checks as they become less dependent on their parents to organise this.
Young people have money to buy their own food and rather than stick to mealtimes, they often tend to graze on snacks, which are usually high in sugar. The number of times sugar is eaten or drunk is more important in causing tooth decay than the amount of sugar, so snacking several times a day on sugary foods is more likely to lead to tooth decay than if there were a little bit of sugar at mealtimes only. This group will often sip from cans of fizzy or sports drinks through the day. These are usually high in sugar but are also quite acidic (see also drinks and erosion). It is like bathing your teeth in a sugar and acid bath - the teeth don't have a chance!
Remember, NHS dental treatment is free for the under 18's and full time students under 19 years.
Never go to sleep without brushing your teeth. The bacteria in plaque can work on any sugar left in your mouth to cause decay without being disturbed by saliva or your tongue.
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