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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Some things about being a dentist that you might not have considered!

by dentalmediaPosted on October 18, 2019 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

A lighthearted look at the working life of a dentist.

Have you ever thought about becoming a dentist? You might possibly view us as being people that you would like to avoid as much as possible (in our professional role of course), but have you ever wondered what the life of a dentist is really like and why we do it, and the the things that we notice that you think we don’t?

In today’s blog, we are going to try to give a view of what inspires us to become dentists, how we achieve that and some other little things that we learn along the way.

Why become a dentist?

The reasons why people choose a route into the dental profession are many. This applies with our Blue Sky Dental team in Chelmsford as it almost certainly does at other practices across the country.

Some people may just think ‘money’. It is true that dentistry can offer financial rewards, although there are many sacrifices that have to be made for this as we will see later on.  Some people also continue in a profession that their parents started, sometimes taking over the family business. Others may have experienced significant dental problems themselves when they were younger are are determined to help others have healthier mouths. Although individual reasons do occur, very often it is a combination of factors that lead people to choosing a career in dental care.

Getting into dentistry

Before you can advance to dedicated dental studies, you will need to have some relevant A level qualifications. These are usually in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics and maths. This is only the start. Whilst 4 year courses are available for those with previous qualifications, most people have to attain a bachelor degree following a period of 5 years of intensive studies. This is actually a very popular degree and competition for a place is very high. Once you are qualified, you will then be able to practice general dental care.

Studying doesn’t always stop there though. For some, further studies will need to be undertaken if you wish to, for example, place dental implants. This can take another three years of study due to the complexity of the procedure. There is also ongoing training needed throughout our working lives as new technologies come along and new medical evidence is found.

Working as a dentist

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