6 Ways To Make Your Teeth Sparkle This New Year

Recent surveys have shown that a bright, white smile can help to make someone appear younger and more attractive. Your smile is often the first thing a new person will notice when they meet you, so why not make 2017 the year you ensure that your teeth are in the best possible condition.

1. Hygienist appointments

The dental hygienist specialises in preventative dentistry, in particular the treatment of gum disease and other periodontal conditions. The hygienist will thoroughly scale and polish your teeth to give your smile a lift.

Advantages

• The hygienist will be able to polish your teeth to remove food and drink stains
• Regular scaling and polishing helps to keep your teeth and gums health by removing plaque and calculus that can build up and cause gum disease.
• Demonstrations on effective tooth brushing can help you to remove plaque without causing tooth wear and receding gums keeping your teeth bright in between appointments

2. White Fillings

White fillings can now be used in nearly any tooth in your mouth. A white or composite filling is made up of a mixture of glass particles, synthetic resin and a setting ingredient.

Advantages

• Once in your mouth, no one will be able to notice white fillings as they blend seamlessly with your natural teeth.
• White fillings are usually light cured, which is where a bright light is used to harden the composite mixture and set it. This means that you will be able to eat and drink as normal as soon as the anaesthetic wears off.
• White fillings can be bonded to your tooth and this means once applied the tooth will often be stronger than they were before.

3. Dental Implants

Dental implants can help to restore your smile, replacing gaps caused by missing teeth. Dental implants can be used to support either crowns, bridges or dentures depending on the number of teeth to be replaced.

Advantages

• Dental implants are the next best thing to healthy natural teeth. Restoring a lost tooth so it looks, feels, fits and functions like a natural tooth.
• Teeth restored with dental implants are teeth that let you, not your teeth, lead your life
• A face without teeth can sag and appear sunken and sad. Dental implants allow you to maintain the natural shape of your face and smile.

4. Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening is an effective and affordable way to enhance the appearance of your smile. Teeth Whitening can help to give your teeth back their sparkle by removing stains caused by food, drink, smoking, ageing and medications.

Advantages

• Teeth Whitening is an excellent way to improve your appearance. Having a beautiful smile is now within the reach of anybody who wants it.
• A whiter smile tends to minimise the appearance of facial wrinkles, giving way to a more youthful and energetic appearance.
• Teeth Whitening can help to boost a person’s self-confidence

5. Teeth Straightening

Teeth straightening can have a dramatic impact on the appearance of your teeth and smile, no matter what your age is. There are a wide range of teeth straightening procedures available and your dentist will be able to advise on the best one to suit your needs.

Advantages

• Teeth straightening can help to improve your confidence and self-esteem, allowing you to achieve things you never thought were possible.
• Teeth straightening helps your gums to fit more securely around your teeth and in the long term this can help to reduce the risk of teeth loss.
• Teeth straightening and properly aligning the bite, reduces discomfort and wear caused to your mouth and jaw.

6. Smile Makeover

A smile makeover uses a number of different cosmetic dental treatment to completely change the appearance of your teeth and smile. A smile makeover takes into account your facial appearance, skin tine, hair colour, teeth, gums and lips to develop your ideal smile.

 Advantages

• Patients have confidence in their new smile which spills over into social and work related situations.
• It is possible for dramatic results to be achieved in relatively few appointments, so a smile makeover can be a great way to prepare for an important event.
• Teeth that have been straightened, repaired and replaced are easier to keep clean. By maintaining a good oral hygiene routine, you can help to keep your teeth looking their best for years to come.

What are you waiting for? Call West Wickham Dental Practice today on 0208 776 1188 to book your consultation and start your journey to a sparkling smile.

10 Things To Avoid To reduce Tooth Staining

We all want to ensure that our teeth stay as white as possible so in this blog we look at 10 things you should avoid to help reduce the amount of staining on your teeth.

Wine – Red and white wine are acidic drinks that contains tannins, most commonly thought of as being in tea. This gives the drink the potential to cause a large amount of staining on your teeth.

Wherever possible try to intersperse glasses of water in between the wine, not only will this help to reduce any potential hangover the following day, it will also help to reduce the level of staining of your teeth.

Tea – Like wine, ordinary tea is rich in stain promoting tannins. Many dentists say that staining from tea can be an even bigger problem than staining from coffee which is low in tannins.

If you can’t bear the thought of giving up your morning brew why not consider switching to an herbal, green or white tea which have all been shown to have much less staining capacity.

Fizzy Drinks – Not only do you need to be concerned with the dark coloured fizzy drinks which have the ability to stain your teeth, lighter coloured drinks are sufficiently acidic that they promote the staining of teeth by other foods and drinks that you may have at the same time. Also fizzy drinks are often drunk cold and this has the effect of causing teeth to contract, making them more porous and easier to stain.

When enjoying a fizzy drink try to use a straw as this reduces the amount of drink that comes into contact with your teeth.

Pasta Sauces – Due to their acidity and bright red hue, the tomatoes in most pasta sauces can leave your teeth vulnerable to staining.

Eating dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale and spinach beforehand creates a protective film over the teeth and reduces the tomatoes staining effect. Why not opt for a green salad as a starter?

Balsamic vinegar – Balsamic vinegar although a healthy salad dressing, can darken your teeth. This is due to its natural dark colour and the fact that it will stick to teeth.

Whenever you have a salad with balsamic vinegar, be sure to include a crunchy lettuce; chewing the lettuce will help clean the staining balsamic vinegar from your teeth as you eat.

Dark Berries – Blueberries, Blackberries, Cranberries, Cherries and other intensely coloured fruit also have the potential to cause stains. This is true no matter what form they come in whether juices, smoothies, pies or cakes.

Curry – curry’s deep pigmentation can yellow teeth over time.

Whenever you have curry, try to mix in fresh fruits and vegetables that prevent stains such as apples, carrots, cauliflower and celery.

Smoking – Smoking tobacco can cause teeth to become discoloured.

The only way to ensure that you reduce this form of staining is to quit smoking.

Certain Medication – Some medication can cause staining to your teeth over time.

If this is something you are concerned about talk to your doctor, they may be able to recommend alternatives that do have the staining ability.

Poor Oral Hygiene – The key to keep your teeth stain free is to ensure that you have a good oral hygiene routine.

Brush your teeth twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste and clean your teeth inter-dentally daily. You should always wait to brush your teeth until one hour after eating otherwise you may brush away tiny particles of the softened tooth enamel, which in the long term can expose the dentine below which is a yellow colour, which will add to any staining present.

Treatment for teeth staining

Here at West Wickham Dental Practice if you are worried about staining why not book an appointment with one of our highly trained dentist or hygienists. They are able to perform deep cleanings to remove any staining present on your teeth. They will also be able to advise you on the best oral hygiene products to ensure that your teeth stay pearly white in between visits.

If you would like more help and advice on how our hygienist can help to remove the staining present on your teeth book an appointment online, or call West Wickham Dental Practice today on 0208 776 1188

Teeth whitening is an effective way of lightening the natural colour of your teeth without causing any damage to your teeth and gums. Tooth whitening can effectively lighten stains caused by foods, drinks and smoking. It can also improve stained teeth caused by some medications and the general ageing process.

The Law on Teeth Whitening

In 2012 new regulations where brought into effect, stating that teeth whitening is a dental procedure and as such should only be carried out by qualified dental professionals. This means that any beautician, hairdresser or salon staff offering tooth whitening will not have the necessary knowledge or training and are actually breaking the law by offering tooth whitening.

Regulation was also bought into effect to limit the strength of the whitening solutions used. Dentists can use solutions up to a maximum of 6% hydrogen peroxide whereas over the counter products and kits can only contain 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. This would be considered too low to have any noticeable effect on the colour of your teeth. So if you are looking for a safe and effective way to whiten your teeth consider asking your dentist at your next appointment.

At Home Tooth Whitening

Here at West Wickham Dental Practice we are able to offer at home teeth whitening

You will first need to attend the surgery for a consultation prior to starting your teeth whitening treatment. Our experienced dentist will be able to explain the sort of results that you can hope to achieve and the time frame for you to start to see results. She will also explain how the tooth whitening solution will only brighten the natural colour of your teeth. This means if you have crowns, veneers, bridges or dentures the whitening process will not affect the colour of these. This means it may be necessary to remake any dental restorations following whitening treatment so that they continue to match seamlessly with the new, brighter colour of your teeth.

Treatment

The dentist will first take impressions of your teeth. These are then used to create bespoke whitening trays. The dentist will show you how to apply the whitening gel to the trays and will explain how long and how often you will need to wear the trays depending on how quickly you are looking to get results.

Side Effects on Teeth Whitening

You may experience some sensitivity while you are whitening your teeth but this should subside within a couple of days of completing treatment. It may be a good idea to use a sensitive toothpaste during this time. Long term there are no negative side effects to teeth whitening and it can help to improve the health of gums.

We would expect the results to last for around 2 years although most people will have a top up treatment every six months.

If you would like more help and advice on getting a brighter, whiter smile book an appointment online, or call West Wickham Dental Practice today on  0208 776 1188

Teeth Whitening- Guide London

Wondering how teeth whitening works? Below is a brief guide with all the essential information on Teeth Whitening. Teeth whitening is one of the most popular cosmetic dental treatments in West Wickham, Bromley and London in general.