What Happens To Your Teeth When You Are Ill?

by dentalmediaPosted on August 7, 2020 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

Chelmsford dentist, Bhavin Bhuva, explains some of the problems that can arise

In normal times, the majority of us will take fairly good care of our teeth. We will brush them both morning and night in an attempt to avoid tooth decay and the often accompanying toothache. This is a good start, although there is usually room for improvement; the addition of regular flossing being a good case in point for many folk.

What happens when we are ill though, and our normal routines are disrupted as we feel too ill to look after ourselves as we should? Even as we start to get better, we may find that we are still very tired as our bodies slowly recover and it could be some time before we return to our normal tooth friendly routine.

With the talk of a ‘second wave’ of the coronavirus and the fact that winter colds and flus are probably not as far away as some of us might wish, Blue Sky Dental have decided to take a look at the possible damage that our teeth can suffer during illness, so that our patients are forearmed with the relevant knowledge.

Dehydration

When we have a heavy cold or flu, we often sweat a lot and also sneezing is common as our bodies try to fight the virus. Although this is unpleasant, it does serve a purpose. Especially if we feel ill though, we may be reluctant to move from bed or the sofa to get a drink to rehydrate ourselves. Unfortunately, this will result in a dry mouth which, as we have noted before, provides a perfect breeding ground for the potentially harmful bacteria in our mouths. This could lead to both gum disease and tooth decay if allowed to continue.

Do try to have some water nearby so that you can have a drink without having to leave your sick bed. Although soft drinks may be tempting to give us some energy, these are best avoided due to their sugar content.

Vomiting

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Your Morning Tooth Care Regime – Getting It Right

by dentalmediaPosted on July 27, 2020 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

Starting the day right helps to improve tooth and gum health

When our alarm clock goes off in the morning, making sure that we look after our teeth well is possibly the last thing on our mind, especially if we’ve hit the snooze button and are running late for work. This can be a stressful and hurried time of the day if we don’t leave enough time but it is also an important time for our teeth and gums.

There are a number of actions that we take, or don’t take, at this time of the day that can make a big difference to how healthy our mouth is.

Our Blue Sky Dental team offers a few insights into how a few small changes to our morning habits can have a positive impact on our oral health.

Start the day with water

This is a very simple thing that we can do to get the day off to a good start. Try to have a glass of water at your bedside and drink it when you first wake up. Many of us don’t drink enough water and doing this is a helpful start. Whilst your other morning liquid intake may consist of a pot of tea, it is worth considering that tea can be mildly diuretic and whilst initially refreshing, can also contribute to dehydration (and contribute to stained teeth!)

A word of caution here; some people encourage the addition of fresh lemon juice to the water. Whilst this offers some additional taste, it could lead to tooth damage as lemon juice is relatively acidic and potentially harmful to the enamel.

Teeth cleaning

You may think that because you haven’t eaten anything overnight, cleaning your teeth in the morning is an ‘optional extra’. This is far from the case though as bacterial deposits will have collected on your teeth and in the gum pockets whilst you slept. These bacteria are significant potential contributors to both tooth decay and gum disease and therefore, your morning brushing of the teeth is very important.

Should you brush before or after you have breakfast? There are a range of opinions on this but we feel that if you allow yourself plenty of time so that you can eat first and leave a little time for the enamel to harden afterwards, before brushing your teeth, that is probably ideal. You can then leave for work with clean teeth and gums. On the other hand, if you are a ‘rusher’ in the morning, it is probably better to brush before you eat to make sure that it is done and not forgotten because you are in too much of a hurry.

There is generally no need for our Chelmsford patients to floss in the morning as long as you do so before you go to bed, although if you wish to do so, it may be beneficial.

Your breakfast

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The Adverse Effects Of Snacking On Your Teeth

by dentalmediaPosted on May 19, 2020 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

Chelmsford dentist, Bhavin Buva, discusses oral health problems arising from this increasingly common habit.

There was a time, not so long ago, when most of us would eat three regular meals a day, usually sitting around the table with our family. There might occasionally be small treats in between, but by and large this was our routine eating habit for many years.

Nothing stays the same though and the rise of readily available and easily cooked ready meals and snacks means that many of us now eat at different times to the rest of our family, with some even preferring to avoid ‘mealtimes’ and instead, tending to snack throughout the day.

A recent study by the Oral Health Foundation has revealed that the tendency to snack has increased by 38% since the nation went into lockdown due to the Covid-19 situation. There are obviously general health implications here, but also implications for our oral health as we will discuss now.

Types of food

Although it is possible to live largely on convenience meals and live reasonably healthily if we make the right choices, many of us probably don’t. We probably tend to go for the familiar rather than try out healthier options. Unfortunately even many savoury ready meals are high in sugar content, whether for preservation or taste purposes. An occasional ready meal will make little difference in the greater scheme of things but with these making up a significant part of the diet of much of the population, the increased amount of sugar consumed is likely to see a rise in cases of tooth decay and gum disease, including amongst our Blue Sky Dental patients.

It isn’t just the main meals that give cause for concern as much snacking is also taking place between meals. Perhaps, during lockdown, this is largely caused by stress or just simple boredom. Things may return to normal when this is all over but snacking can be a habit that can linger. Doing this for any length of time is likely to cause dental problems, especially as so many snacks tend to be on the sugary side.

It isn’t just the fact that these foods contain high levels of sugar that is the problem though. The regularity with which we eat them is an issue in its own right.

Acid buildup

All foods will cause some degree of harm to our teeth and gums if they are not kept clean. Brushing and flossing are an essential part of this but our mouths are continually managing the amount of bacteria, sugars and acids present by washing them away with saliva.

This is something that happens all of the time, but when we snack, rather than leaving significant gaps between our meals, there is simply insufficient time available for the saliva to do its job effectively before we eat again. This means that our teeth and gums are coming into regular and almost constant contact with harmful substances.

Even with more tooth friendly foods, this can cause a problem over time; with typical snack foods such as sweets, crisps and biscuits, the amount of sugar consumed is significant. Problems like tooth decay, sensitivity and even gum disease can soon follow.

Can you snack in a tooth friendly manner?

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Stress Resulting From Coronavirus Concerns

by dentalmediaPosted on April 29, 2020 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

The impact of stress on our teeth and our overall oral health

How are you coping with the ‘lockdown’? Perhaps it hasn’t made a huge difference to your lifestyle if you were already working from home, or perhaps you miss the daily office banter with your work colleagues and your friends and are feeling lonely and isolated.

That said, there are likely to be few people who the current situation will not affect in some way or another. Whilst some people might find that staying at home has brought benefits, the reality for others may be very different altogether.

The general daily challenges of staying at home, whether alone or with the children can be hard enough. Combine this with the daily news of deaths and tragedies and it isn’t too surprising that many people are reported to be feeling significantly more stressed than usual.

Stress and your oral health

In today’s Blue Sky Dental blog, we are going to take a look at the impact that stress can have on our teeth and gums and offer some suggestions that our Chelmsford patients might find useful to help reduce it.

Bruxism

One of the most significant impacts that stress can have on our teeth is when we grind them together. Although this can happen when we are really angry and ‘gnash’ our teeth together, it is more likely to occur whilst we sleep, perhaps as a form of outlet for our stress. The fact that it happens when we are asleep makes it much more difficult to control of course and only reducing our general stress levels is likely to ease this problem.

Ongoing bruxism can cause a number of problems for our teeth and the most dramatic of these is when teeth break or shatter under the sheer force. This is perhaps more likely to happen with teeth that are already weakened or compromised and breakages of this nature are relatively rare.

More commonly, tooth grinding will cause enamel to wear down. As the enamel protects the inner part of our teeth, when this has been compromised decay is more likely, as is significant tooth sensitivity when we eat or drink hot or cold foods and drinks.

Over consumption of non tooth friendly foods

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Coronavirus Lockdown – Now And Looking Ahead

by dentalmediaPosted on April 17, 2020 Posted in Advice — No Comments ↓

Keeping teeth healthy now and in future

We now know what many of us have expected for a little while; that the current ‘lockdown’ situation is to be extended for at least another 3 weeks. What happens after that will depend on trends and the general direction of the virus. It does still mean though that your Chelmsford dental practice remains closed until further notice and only urgent emergency dental advice can be given out by most UK dentists at this time.

We encourage patients, in this difficult time, to make sure that they look after their teeth as well as they can. A lost filling or a minor toothache can’t easily be treated at present, but if it occurs, it will make things even more difficult than they already are.

In today’s blog, we offer some suggestions for keeping your teeth healthy as well as taking a look towards the future when we are able to open again. Currently, we do not know when that might be, but rest assured, we will keep you advised as the situation changes.

Some basic oral healthcare tips

Regular brushing should be carried out. If your routine has changed because you are no longer going to work or college, try to find a new regular time slot for your morning brushing so that you don’t let it slip. Brush well, for 2 minutes using a fluoride toothpaste. Make sure to angle the brush so that it reaches beneath the gum line and clears away food debris and bacteria. Also please make sure your bristles aren’t worn as well and if they are, change the brush or head.

Add flossing to your routine if you don’t already do this. It is a great way to remove food and bacteria that a toothbrush finds difficult to reach. There are many instructional videos available online so use this time wisely and try to improve the way that you care for your teeth and gums.

Avoid eating too much sugar. We might be tempted to eat more chocolate, sweets and cake if we are feeling anxious about staying in all of the time. Sugar is known to cause tooth decay though and avoiding a toothache at this time, as far as possible, is very wise.

Coming out of the lockdown restrictions

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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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