Children’s Oral Health Care When Off School

by dentalmediaPosted on April 3, 2020 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

This extended break could lead to younger children falling out of their usual routine.

During the current Coronavirus/Covid-19  situation, many of us will have our children at home for longer than we originally anticipated.

Although there is a possibility that schools may go back before the summer holidays begin, this seems increasingly unlikely.

It can be difficult for parents to keep their children entertained at home and sometimes we have to get creative, and the same applies when it comes to encouraging them to continue to look after their teeth when they are out of their usual routine.

Blue Sky Dental believes that it is important that our Chelmsford patients take time and care to make sure that their children look after their teeth well during this difficult time. Below we offer a few simple suggestions to help you to help them keep their teeth and gums healthy.

Don’t overindulge their sweet tooth

Nearly all kids enjoy eating sweets. This is likely to be even more the case when they are bored of sitting around, unable to play with their friends. Although it is important that we look after our children’s mental well being at this time, perhaps allowing more leeway than usual, it is still important that we don’t allow them to over indulge.

By all means, let them have occassional treats, but do take care to restrict the amount of sugary foods that they eat. You might think that you are helping them to get through the boredom, but sugar has no sympathy and will cause tooth decay at this time, as at any other.

If they are getting bored, try to come up with some creative ideas, based on what you know they like, whether that be mermaids or dragons. Colouring competitions or ‘dress up’ can be fun, and you can join in too. Perhaps use sweets as a reward for these activities rather than allow them to dip into the sweet jar as they wish.

Make sure they clean their teeth

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Coronavirus And Your Dental Appointments

by dentalmediaPosted on March 16, 2020 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

Current advice from Blue Sky Dental in Chelmsford.

The spread of the Coronavirus has reached a point where few of us can be unaware of it. It may not have reached the level in the UK that it has in some other countries but this could well change in the near future. Patients should listen to advice given by experts, such as washing your hands well for 20 seconds, but it can also be difficult to avoid the more sensationalist and even false news as well.

It is understandable that some of our Chelmsford patients will be concerned about the virus in general, and may be particularly concerned about both catching and spreading it if they go to see their dentist. This is understandable, but as things currently stand, we believe that there is no reason to cancel your appointment unless you believe you may have been infected or unless the Government advises. In today’s blog, we look at some of the dental related issues around the Coronavirus.

Cross infection Control

Cross infection is always a small risk when you receive dental treatment but great care is taken to keep this to an absolute minimum. Dentists will always wear face masks and protective gloves whilst performing any procedure, including check ups. Both of these are used for one time only and then carefully disposed of.

All multi-use equipment is thoroughly sterilised after being used on each patient and any viruses that linger will be killed during the process.

Our dental practice is always thoroughly deep cleaned and although we always do make sure this is done well, the Coronavirus has obviously highlighted the need to do this extremely thoroughly.

It is not just the surgeries which are cleaned. The waiting room and all other areas are kept clean as well, minimising the risk of infections being passed on when you visit our Chelmsford practice.

How real are the risks?

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Taking Care Of Your Teeth Over The Christmas Holidays

by dentalmediaPosted on December 11, 2019 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

Oral care is important all year round, but this time of the year can pose some special challenges!

Perhaps the forthcoming election has distracted us a little, but it won’t be long before most of us will be looking forward to Christmas as a break from work and time spent with friends and family becomes even closer.

At this time of the year, most of us let our hair down a little, with diets and exercise regimes often going out of the window, even if only for a week or two. We all deserve this of course, but some things that we might let slip could have longer term implications. This is the case if we don’t look after our teeth over the holidays, for example.

In today’s Blue Sky Dental blog, we will take a look at some of the potential pitfalls of this time of the year and how you can make sure that you come out the other side with your teeth and gums in good health.

Watch the sugar

Christmas is a time of excess, and one of the things that most of us consume in this way is sugar. Whether it be in the festive puddings or the boxes of chocolates that end up in our Christmas stockings, most of us will probably double (or more) our intake of sugar at this time of year.

We are realistic enough to know that this may not change, but we would encourage our Chelmsford patients to at least try to minimise any increase in your sugar intake. Instead of reaching for chocolates as we watch TV, try to have alternatives available. Nuts, crispy vegetable dips and small pieces of cheese make for much tooth friendlier snacks.

Smoking

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Oil Pulling, Chewing Gum And Other Dental Ideas

by dentalmediaPosted on November 27, 2019 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

Brushing and flossing are essential for healthy teeth and gums. Some people, though, may look to other methods, but do they work?

Sometimes it seems that no matter how much we, at Blue Sky Dental,  try to convince people that they need to look after their teeth by the simple methods of brushing, flossing and seeing a dentist and hygienist regularly, a few people always seem tempted to continue to look elsewhere for further, and often alternative, advice. Much of this advice comes via the internet and whilst we would once have had to actually search for this information, much of it now comes directly to us from social media, whether that be through friends sharing or promotions from celebrity influencers.

Because there is so much of this type of information now widely available, we thought that we would take a look at some of the more popular ones, from the good to the potentially harmful.

Oil pulling

Although this does seem to have taken something of a back seat more recently, it still has its adherents. Coconut oil is often, although not exclusively used. The practice stems from an Indian folk tradition and was widely believed to have benefits for your teeth and gums.

The theory is that by ‘swishing’ the oil around the mouth for usually between five and twenty minutes, it will not only pull pieces of food that have become trapped between the teeth, and on the gums, but bacteria too.

Whilst this practice may offer some benefits, it is probably no more so than if you swilled water around the mouth for a similar amount of time. There are also potential drawbacks too. A mouthful of oil can taste quite unpleasant, and especially if you accidentally swallow some, you may feel sick. Dehydration, sore jaw muscles and excessive thirst are also not uncommon in people that practise this method.

Chewing gum

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Comfort Eating And Other Dental Health Pitfalls Of Colder Weather

by dentalmediaPosted on November 15, 2019 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

Advice for our Chelmsford patients regarding the winter months ahead

It probably doesn’t seem that long ago when we were warning you about the risks to your teeth of summer does it? The cold drinks and ice creams potentially damaging our teeth were discussed in this blog but those days probably seem a long time ago now, especially with the recent heavy rain that the country has experienced.

The colder winter months are certainly here to stay for a while, and though ice creams may be well down the agenda, there are still plenty of things to watch out for if we want to keep our teeth strong and healthy during winter.

Take care with what you eat

Especially if we spend a large amount of our time outdoors, our bodies require energy to keep us warm. Although we can reduce the energy intake during the warmer months, eating salads and light meals, when the colder weather comes, we tend to reach for those which provide more energy.

These high energy meals don’t have to be harmful for our teeth, with stews and hearty soups being a good example. Especially where we are time poor though, we are very likely to go for convenience foods that are quick and easy and require just a few minutes in the microwave.

Although the quality of the food may vary from product to product, if you take a look at the labels, you will find that most of them contain sugar, and often in relatively high quantities. These ‘hidden’ sugars are just as bad for your teeth (and your weight) as the sugar that you see if you put it in your tea or coffee. Whilst making your own meals is best, if you really don’t have the time, make sure to check the labels and choose the meals that are lowest in sugar.

Cakes and biscuits

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