Getting your kids enthused about their dental health!

Here at your local Chelmsford dentist we have lots of tricks and approaches to getting children comfortable and even excited about their dental health.

However, much of the work occurs at home, and a strong day-to-day brushing routine established from an early age makes for a happy, healthy smile into adult life.

There are lots of ways to help young children feel positive about their oral health, but today, we want to highlight one very special way, through the story of the tooth fairy. Dr Hiten Pabari, specialist peridontist at Blue Sky Dental, explains how the team achieves this.

This magical character can really be a very handy tool when it comes to getting your child excited about keeping their teeth in good condition. Want to know how? Take a look at these 3 handy tips so you can use the story of the tooth fairy to help your kids care for their smile every day:

1. Start Building The Magic Early On

The story of the tooth fairy should be established early on, so that the child has a certain level of excitement about the first tooth loss and the first visit from the tooth fairy. Watching cartoons and films including the tooth fairy character, is an easy way to get them introduced to the story. You could also reference the tale during tooth brushing times, and when you are helping your child become accustomed to the dentist.

2. Make The First ‘Visit’ Special

When the first tooth falls out, the first tooth fairy visit should be an exciting and positive experience. Take your child to pick out a box or a pouch for their tooth to go in and get them to write a note or draw a picture for the tooth fairy to establish a connection. As well as a treat in exchange for the tooth, they should also receive a note from the tooth fairy telling them to brush and clean their teeth, and also leave a little something to help with tooth care, like some character toothpaste. When they tell you all about what they got in the morning, use the excitement as a platform to establish day-to-day oral care enthusiasm, so the next tooth is healthy and clean for the tooth fairy!

3. Include The Dentist In The Magic

Read more ›

Your Secret Dental Health Hero!

Sugar free gum helps with freshening breath, helping the mouth feel clean after food, moistening the mouth and it just tastes nice doesn’t it? Do you also know that sugar free chewing gum helps aid your dental health?

Sugar free chewing gum is a bit of a hero in the dental world, and yet, many people don’t realise exactly how much it can do for dental health. Here at your local Chelmsford dentist we want to give you plenty of Q&As about sugar free chewing gum so you’re clued on up on this amazing secret oral health hero:

What Is Sugar Free Chewing Gum?

Sugar free chewing gum is just like normal chewing gum but with sweeteners in it, instead of sugar.

Why Is Sugar Free Chewing Gum Good For Dental Health?

Sugar free gum has no sugar in it, so it does not contribute towards tooth decay. It also helps provide protection for your teeth after you have eaten in two ways. One way is to simply aid in breaking away food debris so it doesn’t stick to teeth and create an acid attack after eating. It also helps you produce more saliva which washes away food debris and bacteria, and also has natural acid defenses in it.

Bad Breath Elimination

Read more ›

Using bone augmentation and tissue regeneration at Blue Sky Dental.

We all like to have nice looking teeth, and, providing that what we can physically see appears to be in good health, we are generally happy. Like an iceberg though, much of our teeth and their supporting structures actually lie hidden, in this case beneath the gum line. Providing that we do look after our teeth and gums well, with effective home cleaning and supported by our Chelmsford dental hygienist, all should be well. For those who don’t though, problems could well lie ahead.

Periodontitis

One of the leading causes of tooth loss is not decay but gum disease, and particularly its most advanced form, periodontitis. The most significant danger of this disease is not the soreness or bleeding of the gums, but the fact that it can start to destroy both the gum and the bone tissue which secure our teeth in place.

Once periodontitis takes hold, it is very possible that you will need to have a ‘deep clean’, performed by a specialist. This is an invasive treatment which cleans right down to the roots of your teeth and the surrounding bone tissue. Whilst this may help to resolve the immediate problem, very often the bone will have been already affected to the point where teeth may have started to become loose.

Bone grafts

Depending on each individual case, it may be possible for our Blue Sky Dental Team to rebuild this supportive bone using a bone graft, or bone augmentation as it is also known. This procedure involves the removal of a small piece of bone tissue from another part of the patient’s body, or alternatively, artificial bone material may be used. This is then placed in the area where the bone has degraded, and is allowed to bond securely with the natural bone; in effect, helping the body to heal itself. If necessary, tissue stimulating proteins may also be used in order to encourage the healing process.

Dental implants and bone grafts

Read more ›

Do you need to see your local Chelmsford dentist if you have them?

It probably goes without saying that mouth sores are not very pleasant! They can be unsightly and may also be somewhat uncomfortable. They are rarely serious though and will usually soon go with some lifestyle adjustment or relatively minor treatment.

If you have one that is particularly problematic though, or if you have them often, it would be a good idea to pop along to Blue Sky Dental to have them checked out. This is important to make sure that there are no more serious underlying causes.

Mouth sores can be caused by a number of factors, such as thrush or it may even be a common cold sore. They can also be caused by bacterial infections that could have implications for your oral health.

Orthodontics

Especially if you are wearing a conventional style ‘wire and brackets’ dental braces, even a cosmetic one such as the Six Month Smiles system, you should have your mouth checked to make sure that there are no associated problems.  Soreness may be caused by the additional difficulty in cleaning your teeth when wearing this type of appliance; so if you are concerned about this aspect of wearing a dental brace, you may wish to discuss with us the option of wearing a removable system such as Invisalign.

Cracked or broken tooth

Read more ›

Even a ‘healthy diet’ can pose challenges to keeping our teeth and gums healthy.

There has never been so much choice about what we have available to eat. Whether a meat eater, vegetarian or somewhere in between, there are an array of foods in the shops that would astound our grandparents and those who lived through war time rationing. Although food trends come and go though, eating wholefoods has been popular for a number of years now.

The benefits of wholefoods are well known, high fibre and better balanced nutrition being the main ones. With a healthy diet such as this, it might surprise some of our Chelmsford patients to know that even this diet may cause some specific problems for your teeth and gums.

Stone ground bread and muesli

Using the technique of stone grinding is a long established practice in the production of whole foods. This involves the grinding of grains between large stone grinders. This is effective, but, from time to time, tiny fragments of stone may also break off and enter the food. Even with additional process to get rid of any stones, it is inevitable that a few will find their way into the final products. As we are happily chewing our way through a healthy slice of bread or muesli, that small stone can cause devastating damage as we bite down hard on it. Broken teeth, or at least significant chipping, are likely consequences. If this happens to you, make sure to have one of the dentists at Blue Sky Dental examine your teeth as soon as you can.

Fibre sticks in gums

Read more ›

If your daily habits are harming your teeth, it is never too late to change!

Looking after our teeth and gums is an ongoing process. Whilst the hygienist at Blue Sky Dental can give your teeth and gum line a thorough clean, this will be less beneficial if you don’t take care of them in between visits.

Whilst some things that we do can cause immediate damage, such as opening bottles with our teeth, most habits have a gradual effect on the health of our teeth and gums. With the help of our local dental team, and a reversal of some of these habits, you will not be far away from having a much healthier mouth.

Below, we look at some simple and cumulative ways that you can start to turn the tide towards having healthy teeth and gums.

Smoking – Simply, stop. This is a dangerous habit, and you probably already know that. Help is now widely available and stopping smoking greatly reduces the risk of periodontitis and oral cancers.

Alcohol – Try to reduce your alcohol consumption and remember, if you have been drinking, to drink plenty of water before going to bed so that you stay hydrated.

Read more ›

With the tournament due to start, our Chelmsford dental team look at how your teeth could be at risk.

Aside from the obvious jokes about grinding your teeth whilst watching England play, events such as the World Cup can lead us into habits that we don’t usually follow. Although the tournament only lasts for a few weeks, it is sufficient time for the health of your teeth and gums to start to deteriorate if you are not careful.

At Blue Sky Dental, we believe that our patients should always be aware of the consequences of their actions when it comes to whole mouth care. Even a relatively short period of time of neglect could have a significant impact on your teeth.

Alcohol

Perhaps one of the biggest threats to teeth and gums during events such as these is alcohol. Especially where groups get together to watch a game, there is probably a good chance that a fair amount of alcohol could be consumed. This not only increases the risk of accidents, such as a miss-aimed punch in the air when a team scores, but also has longer term implications, especially for gum disease. Regular alcohol consumption and the subsequent dry mouth, provides for a growth in the number of potentially gum harming bacteria. If the teeth are not cleaned well and you do not drink enough water to stay hydrated; by the end of the World Cup, gingivitis could well be starting.

Cleaning your teeth

Read more ›