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In an uncertain world, there is one thing that you can control, and that is your preventative dental care routine. Practising good oral care is key to avoid emergency dental appointments for toothaches and other problems.

Tooth Brushing and Flossing

Remember to brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes each time, using a soft-bristled toothbrush with a head is small enough to reach right to the back of your mouth. Use dental floss or interdental brushes or a water pik to floss between your teeth every day.

Mouthwash

You don’t need to use mouthwash if you have a good brushing and flossing routine. However, if you want to use one, make sure it is alcohol-free and perhaps look for a brand that contains fluoride for additional protection.

Mouth Ulcers

Many people develop mouth ulcers and especially when under stress. Make a saltwater rinse by dissolving a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water and regularly use to help your mouth ulcers heal and to relieve discomfort. If your mouth ulcers persist for more than two weeks, contact us for help and information.

Snacking

Snacking can harm your dental health. Try to eat regular, balanced meals and if you do want a snack, enjoy it as part of your main meal. Good hydration is essential for oral health so make sure you drink plenty of water.

For decades it was thought that diseases affecting the mouth were completely separate from those affecting the body. However, we now know that oral health and particularly periodontal disease is closely connected to systemic health. Periodontal disease or gum disease is now linked to serious systemic conditions including Type II diabetes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease amongst others. It can also adversely affect pregnancy.

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory condition affecting the tissues surrounding teeth and which occurs when bacteria in the mouth build up in dental plaque, usually because of poor oral hygiene. The body’s inflammatory response to this bacterial buildup can destroy the tissues around your teeth, eventually leading to tooth loss. There are several stages of periodontal disease, ranging from reversible gingivitis to chronic periodontitis.

One of the most common symptoms of periodontal disease is bleeding gums, and these open wounds allow bacteria in the mouth to enter the body. Once these bacteria get into the bloodstream, they can travel virtually anywhere, and oral bacteria have been found in arteries of patients with cardiovascular disease. Periodontal disease can make conditions like diabetes harder to control and may increase the chances of developing Type II diabetes.

The good news is that periodontal disease is avoidable with good oral hygiene to reduce plaque buildup. Regular dental visits allow us to detect signs of this disease early when it is still reversible.

We know dental emergencies can be painful and often frightening, but we are here to help and make every effort to see people in discomfort or pain quickly. Some situations are more urgent than others, for example:

• Severe toothache
• Gum or facial swelling near the affected tooth
• Jaw injuries
• Knocking out or loosening a permanent tooth
• Bleeding that fails to stop after applying gentle pressure for fifteen minutes

If you do lose a tooth, store it in a little milk and come and see us immediately as we might be able to save the tooth. Swelling affecting your mouth or face can be relieved using a warm saltwater rinse made by dissolving a teaspoon of salt in a mug of water. However, you must still see a dentist urgently as you could have a severe infection that may even become life-threatening.

Other situations might be unpleasant, but may not need emergency dental care and include:

• Losing a filling or crown
• Cracking or breaking a tooth where there isn’t severe pain
• Food trapped between teeth
• Damaging or breaking braces, a retainer or nightguard

We are still open for dental emergencies. Contact us for more detailed advice over the phone, and we can get you booked in to see our dentist.

Every March the world celebrates Oral Health Day and this March it falls on the 20^th. We think it’s an excellent opportunity for all of our lovely patients to think about their oral health for a moment and to consider if it could be improved. During this month, our dental team here at One Smile have all pledged to inspire our patients to take the best possible care of their oral health, although this is something we strive to do year-round!

Why is Good Dental Health Important?

Every day your mouth must do amazing things, letting you bite and chew a variety of foods comfortably, allowing you to talk and smile with others, hopefully with the confidence of knowing your teeth look their best. Unfortunately, many people do not enjoy good oral health and have problems like gum disease and tooth decay which can be easily avoided with the proper oral care. Having excellent oral health also protects your overall health, reducing your risk of developing serious health problems that include diabetes and heart disease.

We’d like to encourage you to book your dental checkup and hygiene appointment with us here at One Smile, whether you need to visit us this month or later in the year. Our caring dental team can help you manage your oral health effectively so you can maintain a healthy smile more easily year-round.

An Easter egg hunt is a very traditional part of any Easter celebration, but planning the perfect hunt takes a bit of thought.

Hide Craft Eggs or Chocolate Eggs?

Instead of hiding chocolate eggs this year that are quickly melted or squished or eaten by the family dog, why not hide colourful craft eggs or Easter themed knickknacks? These can always be swapped later for chocolate eggs or other Easter goodies.

Decorating Real Eggs

Get the kids involved with decorating real eggs. First, prepare the eggs by making a tiny hole either end to drain out the white and yolk. Real eggs can be decorated in numerous ways by being painted, dyed or with wax.

Making Age-Appropriate Clues

When planning your Easter egg hunt, make sure any clues are age-appropriate, for example, a picture of the hiding place is all that’s needed for little bunnies while older children can cope with more challenging clues.

Make a Note of Where You’ve Hidden the Eggs

It’s worth making a note of where you have hidden the eggs to make sure they are all retrieved. It’s surprisingly easy to forget!

Set Boundaries

Before beginning your Easter egg hunt, make sure your children know where they can go and which areas are out of bounds, so everyone stays safe.

Easter is a time when there are all sorts of tasty treats around and lots of gatherings and events to attend. It’s a shame not to indulge, but with a bit of thought, you can look after your teeth and have your cake and eat it too.

Choose Your Sweets Carefully

If possible, avoid sticky and hard sweets that are more likely to damage your teeth. Sticky candies are difficult to remove when you brush and floss your teeth while hard sweets can easily chip or crack your tooth enamel if you bite down. Also, hard sweets take longer to dissolve, maximising the time your teeth are exposed to sugar. Chocolate is always a better choice because it melts very easily and is more quickly rinsed away by saliva.

Wait before Brushing

Don’t brush your teeth immediately after eating something sweet but wait at least half an hour. Initially, the acid produced by mouth bacteria weakens your tooth enamel, softening it, so it’s more easily damaged if you brush your teeth immediately. Waiting allows the pH levels in your mouth to normalise, re-hardening your tooth enamel and reducing the damage caused by sugar and acid.

Rinse with Water

Immediately after eating, it’s helpful to rinse your mouth with water because this helps to neutralise acids, restoring a normal pH more quickly while washing away loose food particles.

Many parents assume their child won’t need to see a dentist until they have a complete set of milk or primary teeth, but this isn’t the case. The sooner your kid sees a dentist, the greater the chance they will grow up with good oral health and cavity-free teeth. It is important to establish your kid’s “dental home” while they are still very young, so they get accustomed to seeing a dentist regularly for preventative care. Ideally, they should have their first dental visit by age one or soon after they get that first precious tooth, whichever is sooner.

Advantages of Establishing a “Dental Home”

Our team at One Smile all love seeing kids and treat them like family, and we will make sure your little one feels as comfortable as possible during all their visits. Dental education is extremely important to us, and we can chat with you about how best to care for those brand new teeth and offer advice on how to avoid childhood tooth decay. We can provide nutritional advice, as your child’s diet plays a very important role in keeping teeth strong and cavity-free. Our dentist can also help with other issues like thumb sucking. We work with you, and with your kid as they grow up, providing all the knowledge and professional care needed for a healthy smile for life.

Knowing you have fresh breath is a great feeling and can considerably boost self-esteem and self-confidence. Ensure your breath remains fresh and that you are pleasant to be near with our easy tips.

Brush and Floss More Frequently

Plaque bacteria build up over tooth surfaces and can soon smell bad. Brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing once-a-day is a simple way to remove these bacteria, freshening your breath and reducing the risk of dental disease.

Use Mouthwash

Mouthwash is a nice way to freshen your breath further but choose with care. Opt for a brand that is alcohol-free and which contains helpful ingredients like fluoride and an antibacterial agent.

Clean Your Tongue

Your tongue can trap nasty smelling bacteria, old food particles and dead skin cells. Brush it gently with your toothbrush or buy a proper tongue scraper.

Avoid Foods Known to Cause Bad Breath

The biggest offenders are onions and garlic, but brushing and flossing afterwards won’t eliminate your bad breath. This is because once ingested, products from these foods enter your bloodstream and are eventually breathed out through your lungs. It can take up to 3 days for this to happen and during this time you just need to be patient. The best solution is to avoid these foods or to make sure loved ones and friends share them too.

Vitamin D is crucially important for good oral health. If you are deficient in this vitamin, it could increase your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. One of the first signs of a vitamin D deficiency is an increase in cavities and bleeding gums, which is why it’s critical not to ignore any problems with your dental health. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the importance of vitamin D for dental and overall health.

What Is Vitamin D and What Is Its Function?

Surprisingly, vitamin D isn’t a vitamin at all but is instead a group of hormones. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium efficiently, ensuring you have healthy teeth and bones. It prevents serious diseases like osteoporosis and Ricketts. If your vitamin D levels are low, your body can only absorb between 10 and 15% of the calcium in your diet. Having a healthy level of vitamin D can help protect heart health and your immune system responses, hormone regulation and even brain cell growth.

How to Get Enough Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is also known as the sunshine vitamin because one way to boost your levels is to sit in the sun for 15 minutes each day, ensuring your face and arms are exposed. Other good sources of vitamin D include milk, fish and eggs.

If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, it’s worth knowing that there are better times to indulge or to schedule your sugar hour. As a rule of thumb, it’s better for your teeth if you eat sweet treats immediately after a main meal or as part of the main meal. There’s a very good reason for this as every time you eat something sweet it stimulates oral bacteria that attack tooth enamel by producing acid. The more frequently you eat something sweet, the greater the time your teeth are exposed to these acids, and eventually, these acids cause such significant erosion it creates cavities. The secret is to minimise the time your teeth are exposed to acid and to make sure you can clean your teeth thoroughly afterwards.

However, here is another thing you may not have considered as it’s better to wait at least half an hour after eating before brushing your teeth. It takes at least this long for acidity levels in your mouth to normalise. If you brush your teeth too soon, you brush softened and weaker tooth enamel that is more easily damaged, even by a toothbrush. While you wait, rinse your mouth with plain water or chew on cheese. Cheese contains calcium and other helpful ingredients that strengthen teeth, and it stimulates saliva production, helping to normalise pH levels in your mouth more effectively.