Category: Patient-information

Dental workers are particularly at risk of hand dermatitis because of continuous glove use and frequent washing of hands. In all, it can affect up to one in three healthcare workers.1 Hand dermatitis is a general term describing three different skin reactions: irritation; delayed hypersensitivity; and immediate hypersensitivity.

Seek help

If you suspect hand dermatitis or latex allergy seek medical advice from your medical practitioner, local occupational health expert or dermatologist. This is particularly important if you think you may have become sensitised to latex. Latex allergy can be potentially life-threatening and expert advice must be sought immediately.

You’ve probably heard someone refer to their “sweet tooth” as their reason for loving sugary treats. But is there really such a thing? While it’s not an actual type of tooth, it turns out that your cravings for sugary foods might be more than just your preferences.

Vitamins, Minerals and Your Teeth

Proper nutrition is beneficial for your whole body, including your teeth and gums. By ingesting the right vitamins through food or supplements, you can help protect your oral health. Here are five essential vitamins for teeth and gum health.

1. Calcium

Calcium isn’t just good for your bones, it’s good for your teeth, too. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) explains that calcium helps form and maintain healthy teeth.

2. Phosphorus

Phosphorous is another important vitamin for healthy teeth. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that besides calcium, you have more of phosphorous than any other mineral in the body, and most of it is in your teeth. It’s necessary for the maintenance and repair of all the body’s tissues. When it comes to your mouth, phosphorus works with calcium to keep your teeth strong.

3. Vitamin D

Vitamin D plays a big role in keeping your teeth healthy. This micronutrient tells your intestines to absorb the calcium you’ve eaten and moved it into your bloodstream. Delta Dental explains that without enough vitamin D, your body will leach calcium out of your bones.

4. Vitamin C

While many vitamins are good for your teeth, others, like vitamin C, are good for your gums. According to the Mayo Clinic, vitamin C is needed for the formation of blood vessels and other key tissues that support your teeth. The nutrient is also important for healing. When people have severe vitamin C deficiencies, they can experience bleeding gums. That’s how important vitamin C is to your gum health.

5. Vitamin A

You may have heard that vitamin A is good for your eyes, but it’s also great for your mouth, explains the NIH. It helps form and maintain tissues like teeth and mucus membranes.

If you’re thinking about dental implants to replace a missing tooth or teeth, the chances are that you may have some questions. Are they the best option for you? Are dental implants expensive? Are you a suitable candidate? Will your dental implants look natural?

Dental implants look like a natural tooth

Once a dental implant is fitted with its prosthetic tooth, the result looks completely natural. The prosthetic tooth sits flush to the gum line, so no-one will be able to spot which are your real teeth and which are restorations.

Dental implants behave like a natural tooth

One of the greatest benefits of dental implants is that they behave like natural teeth, providing a strength and function that is unrivaled by other restorations. Because the dental implant itself is anchored firmly in your jaw bone, much like a natural root, it gives the false tooth stability.

Dental implants can prevent bone loss

One of the side effects of losing a tooth is that you also begin to lose bone mass around the missing tooth site. This is because there is no longer a root there to encourage the ossification/strengthening of the bone. By placing a dental implant in your jaw bone, it stimulates new bone growth through a process called osseointegration. This can help to prevent future bone loss.

Dental implants support your facial structure

Following on from point 3 above, it’s a bone loss that can give people with missing teeth a sunken, aging appearance around the mouth that goes on to impact the structure of the whole face. By helping to keep your jaw bones strong, dental implants can help to preserve your facial structure.

Dental implants are long-lasting

Like your natural teeth, with the right care, dental implants have the potential to last a lifetime.

A dental abscess is a collection of pus that can form inside the teeth, in the gums, or in the bone that holds the teeth in place. It’s caused by a bacterial infection.

An abscess at the end of a tooth is called a periapical abscess. An abscess in the gum is called a periodontal abscess. Dental abscesses are often painful but aren’t always. In either case, they should be looked at by a dentist.

It’s important to get help as soon as possible because abscesses don’t go away on their own. They can sometimes spread to other parts of the body and make you ill.

Plaque is a film of bacteria that coats your teeth if you don’t brush them properly. It contributes to gum disease and tooth decay. Tooth brushing stops plaque building up. Try to make sure you brush every surface of all your teeth.

When should I brush my teeth?

Brush your teeth for about 2 minutes the last thing at night before you go to bed and on 1 other occasion every day. Your dentist or hygienist may give you more advice based on your own dental health and needs.

The purpose of orthodontic treatment is to make the best of your teeth.

This includes straightening your teeth so you’re able to care for your teeth and gums more easily, and improving your bite so you can eat more comfortably. And your smile will benefit, too.

Treatment almost always involves using braces to straighten crooked, crowded or protruding teeth, close gaps between teeth, and correct the bite so the top and bottom teeth meet when the mouth is closed.

Bad breath is a common problem that can cause significant psychological distress. There are a number of potential causes and treatments available.

What causes bad breath?

There are a number of things that can cause bad breath. It’s usually the result of poor oral hygiene. If bacteria build up in your mouth, the toxins produced can cause your breath to smell.

Bacteria break down pieces of food in the mouth and may release an unpleasant-smelling gas. Any food trapped on your teeth – particularly between them – is broken down by bacteria, which may cause bad breath.

Persistent bad breath can sometimes be a sign of gum disease. Eating strongly flavored foods, such as onions and garlic, can also cause your breath to smell, as can smoking and drinking alcohol.

People who have bulimia go through periods where they eat a lot of food in a very short amount of time (binge eating) and then make themselves sick, use laxatives (medication to help them poo) or do excessive exercise, or a combination of these, to try to stop themselves gaining weight.

As the weather gets colder, you’re more likely to get canker and cold sores. These two conditions are commonly mistaken for one another.

Although they’re not the same, both canker sores and cold sores have similar triggers and treatments. It’s important to understand the difference between canker sores and cold sores so you can effectively treat them. But if we break it down, we see that they are two different conditions, with similar causes.

Your mouth is an incredible measure of the health of your body’s immune system. Let’s take a closer look at the differences so you can find relief faster.

What Is Tooth Decay?

It’s actually pretty simple. Decay (or softening of enamel) happens over time and the result is a cavity—a defect left in the tooth. Teeth are covered with a hard, protective top layer called enamel. But once the enamel is weakened by acids produced by bacteria, a pit or cavity is formed in or on the tooth surface.

What Causes Cavities and Tooth Decay?

Tooth decay occurs when foods containing carbohydrates become trapped between teeth and are not completely removed with brushing and flossing. The plaque bacteria generate acidic by-products that eat away at the tooth enamel, slowly creating holes in the teeth called cavities. Without treatment, these holes can grow larger over time and may even destroy the whole tooth.