3 Simple tips to stop your kids teeth from rotting this summer…

Schools out and the kids are ruling the roost! As parents, we know how sometimes you just need to keep our little darlings quiet for just a moment. We reach for a sugary treat be it a lolly, a biscuit or chocolate bar. It’s easy to slip into bad habits over the summer. But here are our top 3 ways to keep ahead and keep the kid’s teeth decay-free this summer.

1) Don’t forget to brush!
During the school holidays, your regular routines can slip and things you would usually do are easily forgotten. But please don’t let toothbrushing slip. Brushing your teeth last thing before bed and at one other time during the day with fluoride toothpaste is one of the best ways to prevent dental problems for your children.

2) Don’t snack all day!
Give your kids food at the right time so they have all the three essential meals and fall to snacks and in-between meals less often. Hunger can often be a reason for falling to sugary treats so a good way to combat it and help them avoid sugar is to give them full balanced meals at meal-times.

Also, avoid frequent sipping on juice or pop. This can be disastrous when it comes to their teeth. It doesn’t allow the ph of the mouth to stabilise meaning their little teeth are under constant attack. Encourage sipping of water through the day and if the juice is a must then limit to mealtimes.

3) Don’t reward them with sweets!
This is an easy trap for many to fall into. Sweet treats used to be just that – treats! Treats would maybe be a weekly thing. It has now turned into a daily ritual. Consider treats that you or relatives could replace for the sugary ones.

The warmer months and laid back days can mean frequent sipping on juice or pop. This is a disaster when it comes to their teeth. It doesn’t allow the ph of the mouth to stabilise putting the teeth under constant attack. Encourage sipping of water through the day and if the juice is a must then limit to mealtimes only.

Sadly Leicester children have the worst teeth in the UK according to an NHS survey. Twelve-year-old children in Leicester have the highest rate of tooth decay in England. The latest figures found 45.3% of 12-year-old children in the city have experienced tooth decay, compared to an England average of 17.5% in 2008/09.

If your child needs a dental health check-up then please take a look at our children’s services here

Sun, sand and selfies!

The holiday season is finally upon us and there is no better time to perfect your selfie-taking skills. We want all of our patients celebrating their beautiful smiles with a selfie this summer! Selfies are a fun way of documenting a moment in time and sharing a moment with those you’re connected to.

Here’s how you can take the perfect summer selfie!

Lighting Lighting lighting!

Lighting really is everything when it comes to the perfect selfie! Snap your pic outside on the beach or on your balcony. No one looks good with a shadow cast all over the face.

For that extra bit of special glow take advantage of the golden hour. The golden hour is the period of daytime shortly after sunrise or before sunset, the daylight is redder and softer than when the Sun is higher in the sky.

Relax!

Relax into your selfie. The best selfies are always fun and lighthearted so relax into it, pull a daft face smile big and laugh loud!

I like to move it, move it!

Snap away whilst laughing and moving around. As well as moving yourself move your arm to different positions. Review the photos that you like the most and then snap away again focusing on what looked best in your last set of selfies. The best selfie-takers are the celebs and they report taking as many as 500 – yes 500 photos before selecting one that they like. Even the fussiest person would probably find 1 they like in 500!

Filters!

A photo doesn’t always capture the magic of the moment or the true beauty of a person. That’s why we have filters! Apps like Facetune can help to smooth away wrinkles and even brighten your smile! But take it easy you don’t want people to not recognise you. Inbuilt filters can change the colour and hue of your photo. Experiment with them and see if they help to capture the magic of the moment.

Set the scene and use props if necessary

Holidays provide the perfect backdrop for selfies! The scenery can really help to make your selfie sparkle so make use of the beautiful backgrounds, pretty flowers and sparkly water. You can add interest to your selfies with the use of holiday props such as sunglasses, hats, cocktails and fun pool inflatables!

What it means for our patients – Gold Membership of the British Dental Association Good Practice Scheme.

The BDA scheme is designed to recognise high standards of care, excellent teamwork and commitment to providing a positive patient experience and the gold standard represent 15 years of adhering to the high standards set out by the British Dental Association.

We are one of the first dental practices in Leicester to achieve Gold Membership of the British Dental Association Good Practice Scheme. President of the BDA Dr Barry McGonigle said: “Gold Membership is a symbol of a decade of commitment, hard work and dedication; all practices honoured with the award should be very proud.”

What does membership to the Good Practice Scheme mean for our Leicester patients?

It means that we are totally committed to supporting patients towards achieving and maintaining good oral health. Achieving the best possible outcomes for our patients depends upon the skills and professionalism of the whole dental team.

Good Practice Scheme membership means that:

1. We will work with you to provide care that meets your needs and wishes. We will explain what we are proposing to do and tell you about any significant risks. We will explain options and cost so that you can make an informed choice about your care and we keep all information about you confidential

2. We look after your general health and safety whilst you are receiving dental care by undertaking risk assessments and managing any potential hazards at our premises. Infection control and cleanliness is also essential for safety and we follow current guidelines on preventing cross infection

3. All our staff are given training in practice procedures, staff members responsibilities are clear and staff take part in continuing professional education to keep their skills and knowledge up to date

4. Our practice working methods are reviewed regularly and we ask patients for their views on our service in order to identify any opportunities for improvement.

Take a look at all of the high standards we set at our Leicester dental clinic…

5 ways your teeth show your age and how you can stop them!

As we age so do our teeth. It makes sense as you know your Granny and Gramps’ teeth look quite different from yours (real teeth or not!). However, it isn’t something we necessarily think about or ponder the question ‘hmmm how can I keep my teeth looking youthful?’.

Let’s discuss the 5 ways that your pearlies are showing your age and advice from our Leicester dentists on how you can keep them looking youthful.

1) Ageing – Worn Down Teeth

As we age teeth can become more worn due to general wear and tear. However, for some, they may be grinding their teeth excessively. This generally occurs when they are sleeping and as a result, many people are unaware they do it. Bruxism is the medical term for this type of teeth grinding. Whilst Bruxism can affect you at any age it is most common in 25 – 44 year olds. Stress, drinking alcohol and caffeine can worsen the symptoms.

There are a few things you can do to check if you suffer from this. First, ask your partner if they have noticed you grinding your teeth (most people discover this way!) also, take a look at your teeth in the mirror are the edges of the teeth flat? Take a close look at your canine tooth as this is should be generally more pointy but gets worn down over time from tooth wear and grinding. You can also ask your dentist at your next appointment. In our Leicester dental practice, this is something we always monitor and discuss with our patients.

You can reduce the chances of your teeth becoming overly worn by keeping lifestyle factors such as stress, smoking, drinking and caffeine to a minimum. Discuss potentially wearing a guard to protect your teeth at night with your dental practitioner.

2) Teeth Get Darker As You Age

This happens for a few reasons, we. Firstly the stains from what we eat and drink build up on the teeth, they become more ingrained as we get older (think of your favourite tea mug). There’s also of course smoking and drinking red wine which is notorious for causing heavy staining and discolouration.

Secondly, it’s caused by the thinning of the outer tooth surface – the enamel which is generally whiter which shows the underlying dentine which is a more yellow shade. Also with ageing, the tooth lays down more dentine, which reduces the translucency of the tooth, making it appear darker.

There are several things you can do to help this. You can be careful with the food you eat and drink and you most definitely should stop smoking. You can reduce staining by drinking or rinsing with water afterwards, using a reputable fluoride toothpaste which helps with daily stain removal (Colgate Total Whitening) and using an electric toothbrush – we love the Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush.

You should be mindful about enamel erosion and wait at least an hour after eating or drinking before brushing or you could be brushing away the whiter tooth enamel. Finally, be careful about consuming acidic foods and drinks e.g. sipping lemon water.

Consider professional teeth whitening. Home tooth whitening can be fantastic for lightening the teeth. You usually carry out the treatment each evening for around 14 nights. You can see the improvement daily so you can always stop the treatment if you’re teeth become as light as you would like. It’s important to note that teeth whitening only works on teeth and will not lighten dental fillings, crowns or veneers.

Young Adult Teeth

Older Adult Teeth

Take a close look at the images above can you see the different ways that the smile has aged?

3) Ageing and Receding Gums

Gum tissues do naturally recede with age but it is often our own handling of gums that does the most damage. Overzealous brushing (or scrubbing!) can damage the gums, particularly for the delicate area where the teeth and gums meet – the gum margin.

Also receding gum lines are often caused by gum disease. This condition begins with dental plaque, a sticky substance that contains bacteria, mucous and food debris – is left on your teeth. Often missed by brushing along the gum margins and in between the teeth – an area where your toothbrush can’t reach.

By visiting our Leicester oral health team regularly they can advise you on the correct and most effective routine for you and spot signs early to prevent them from becoming problems.

Other warning signs your brushing too hard is that your toothbrush is flayed or you are using an electric toothbrush but instead of letting the brush do the work you continue to use it as a manual toothbrush and are moving it around as opposed to letting it glide over your teeth.

4) Ageing and Missing Teeth

Tooth loss seems to accelerate in the older years. The most common cause for this is gum disease. But it can also be due to teeth becoming decayed or heavily filled over the years.

It’s important to get tailored advice from your dentist about replacing missing teeth. Even if you just lose one tooth it can be detrimental to your teeth. If there is a space where your tooth was it could lead to your other teeth moving (a popular phrase in dentistry is – teeth like to have neighbours!). There is likely something going on that may affect your other teeth, so get advice and stop things from progressing.

Every tooth in a man’s head is more valuable than a diamond. ~Miguel de Cervantes

5) Ageing and Discoloured or Old Fillings

Often dental patients mistakenly think that fillings last forever. Sadly this isn’t true. All fillings will have to be replaced at some point. Old fillings can really age the teeth that are visible when you smile. When fillings are old they can have leaky margins (where the filling connects to the tooth) this can attract staining and also harbour plaques and debris causing more extensive problems.

Getting your fillings checked regularly is very important. Our modern Leicestershire dentists are focused on prevention rather than restoration. Dental X-rays are a useful tool for your dental team to check and areas they can’t visibly see such as between the teeth and underneath your fillings.

Take a look at how our Leicester dental team can help to keep your mouth healthy and your gums in great condition…

Direct access to our Leicester Hygienist…

Do I have to see a dentist before seeing a hygienist? There was a change in legislation several years ago which means that patients can now see a dental hygienist without a referral or recommendation from their dentist.

Dental hygiene is a key element of good oral health and improved access to dental hygienists should help to improve standards of oral health and reduce the risk of hygiene-related diseases, such as decay and gum disease.

By seeing our dental hygienist and therapist in Leicester and following their treatment and advice you will:

• Minimise your risk of tooth loss
• Reduce the risk of developing gum disease
• Reduce the risk of developing tooth decay and need for fillings
• Minty fresh breath and sparkly clean teeth
• Better overall health and wellbeing

It is also good news for nervous patients who may delay visiting a dentist due to dental phobia as they may feel more comfortable seeing a hygienist than a dentist. Regular hygiene sessions can help to reduce the need for more complex treatment.

Even if you have strong, healthy teeth, seeing your hygienist will help to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Hygienists are able to provide a much more intensive clean than brushing at home; hygiene sessions remove all the plaque and bacteria from the mouth, leaving your teeth glossy and smooth and your mouth clean and fresh.

Find out more about our hygiene services…

National Smile Month Campaign

It’s National Smile Month, a month-long campaign designed to create more public awareness about oral health. Smile Essential Dental Practice in Leicester along with thousands of other individuals and organisations

The campaign aims to promote 3 key messages:

• Brush your teeth last thing at night and on at least one other occasion with a fluoride toothpaste.

• Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks.

• Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

National Smile Month isn’t just about education and stressing the importance of a healthy mouth. The key to the success of the campaign is that we have lots of fun whilst doing it!

By taking part in National Smile Month Smile Essential, are helping to create a healthier, happier and smilier world. The campaign channels positivity and promotes the true value of a smile, not only for its benefits towards physical health but mental wellbeing too.

Our teeth have such an important role to play in our lives. They help us chew and digest food, they help us to talk and speak clearly and they also give our face its shape. A smile also has other day-to-day benefits. It can give us greater confidence, as well as influence our social lives, careers and relationships.

National Smile Month is our chance for us to take a fresh look at our current oral health and make any necessary changes required.

Over recent years, more evidence has been gathered suggesting that poor oral health also puts you at an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, dementia and complications during pregnancy.

The best way to maintain great oral health is to:

• Brush twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste

• Clean in-between your teeth once daily with floss or interdental brushes

• Visit your dentist regularly

• Chew sugar-free gum after eating or drinking, especially sugary foods, to help protect your teeth and gums in between meals.

• Wait an hour after eating or drinking anything before brushing as then enamel will be softened and you could be brushing away tiny particles.

• Avoid snacking and try to only have sugary foods and drinks at mealtimes, reducing the time your teeth come under attack.

National Smile Month Competition!

We are celebrating National Smile Month, a month-long campaign between 13 May and 13 June 2019.

National Smile Month is the largest and longest-running campaign to promote good oral health and share positive messages and engage others to develop and maintain a healthy mouth and smile they can be proud of.

During this month dental and other health professionals and organisations, try to highlight three key messages, all of which go a long way in helping us develop and maintain a healthy mouth.

  • Brush your teeth last thing at night and on at least one other occasion with a fluoride toothpaste.
  • Cut down on how much sugary food and drink you have, and how often you have them.
  • Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

Ultimately, the aim is to help us achieve good physical and mental wellbeing by improving our oral health.

To coincide with National Smile Month we are running a competition for our patients to share a photo on Facebook using the smiley station we have set up in our reception area.
To take part snap and share a selfie at our ‘smiley station’ and share on Facebook tagging us @smileessential and we will share on our Facebook Page.
Our team are on hand to help you take a photo and show you how to tag us. Please follow our page for updates and if you don’t see your photo on our timeline drop us a message so you don’t miss out on your chance of winning the fabulous Fortnum and Mason hamper!
All entries will be placed into a hat and the winner picked at random on the 13th June and announced on Facebook. Please follow our page for updates and if you don’t see your photo on our timeline drop us a message so you don’t miss your chance of winning the fabulous Fortnum and Mason hamper.

Terms and Conditions

This competition is open to Smile Essential Patients only, the last day people can take part and upload their smiley selfie is Wednesday, June 12th , we cannot accept entries after this date, it is the patients responsibility to ensure that they tag us correctly, we will share all patients ‘smiley selfies’ unless inappropriate on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SmileEssential/), therefore patients can check we have seen it by looking on our Facebook page and looking for their photo, in the event we have not shared it and the patient still wishes to take part they may message the photo to our page and we can share that way. The photo remains the property of the person sharing it and they have the responsibility to ensure any permissions required to take an image of any person/persons in the selfie photo have been sought by the person sharing and tagging us to take part in the competition. The competition closes on Wednesday 12th June and the winner will be announced on Thursday 13th June 2019. There is only one prize which is the hamper, the prize cannot be exchanged and there is no cash alternative. The prize must be collected from the practice within 6 weeks of winning.

Go to our Facebook page…

Keeping your teeth bright and white at home…

If you’ve started to notice your teeth aren’t as white as they could be maybe you need to tweak your home dental care routine. Now we’re not promising these tips will lighten your teeth by several shades. You’ll need our professional Enlighten whitening for that. But a few home tweaks could certainly help you brighten up your smile a little.

Invest in an electric toothbrush we love the Phillips Sonicare. It can help to remove surface staining which could lighten your teeth by a shade a two! An electric toothbrush is more efficient at removing the daily stains that build up on your teeth causing them to discolour.

Team your new Sonicare toothbrush with a good whitening toothpaste. Now don’t be confused whitening toothpastes don’t whiten your teeth. They do, however, help to remove some surface staining. We recommend using a reputable brand such as Colgate Total whitening. Whitening toothpaste and polishes should be used caution. Some toothpaste are too abrasive and could actually damage your teeth if used too frequently or you use a particularly harsh paste.

Watch your diet! It isn’t just teas, coffees and red wines that stain teeth. There are many drinks and foods that can stain your teeth. Juices such as blackcurrant, currys, fruit teas, beetroot juice, green tea, balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. The best way to avoid your teeth discolouring is to eat only white foods! But seriously, life is for living! One way to have your cake and eat it (please don’t eat too much cake it really is bad for your teeth) is to drink water with limit stain-causing foods and keep up with the Sonicare and toothpaste.

Clean between your teeth. Clean teeth are bright teeth. Plaque has a yellow appearance and if you’re not following a vigorous oral health regime you may be leaving some plaque behind.

All of these tips will help to keep your teeth white and in tip-top condition. However, if you want to lighten your teeth by several shades then you may want to have a look at our professional whitening. This is a two week home whitening programme using customised whitening trays and an in-office laser whitening treatment at the end of the whitening course. Your teeth will achieve the lightest shade on our natural tooth shade guide – B1 and that’s guaranteed.

Whitening Your Teeth at Home Summary

The safest way to keep your teeth white at home is to remove daily staining by using a good electric toothbrush, a whitening toothpaste and avoid stain-causing foods and drinks. If you would still like whiter teeth than maybe it’s time to try professional tooth whitening.

Your teeth whitening questions answered!

Does teeth whitening work?

Professional teeth whitening carried out by a dentist can lighten your teeth by several shades. This method of whitening works. Over the counter whitening kits and toothpaste remove minimal superficial staining, so are less effective.

Does tooth whitening at the dentist work better?

Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most effective materials for whitening teeth. In the UK only dentists can provide products containing or releasing more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide up to 6% hydrogen peroxide. Over the counter products are generally much weaker and ineffective at lightening teeth.

How long does it take to whiten teeth?

Up to 14 nights or 1-hour dependant on the treatment. Generally, professional whitening treatments from the dentist fall into two categories – home and in office. Home whitening takes around 2 weeks wearing customised mouth trays each evening. The other option is in office whitening which takes around 1 hour.

How long does tooth whitening last?

The effects of whitening are thought to last up to 3 years if you don’t carry out maintenance treatments. Over time teeth will get darker again due to staining and lifestyle factors such as smoking. You can maintain the effects of whitening with regular top-up treatments.

Does teeth whitening hurt?

Whitening your teeth can cause them to become sensitive. This sensitivity is usually intermittent and will disappear when you have completed whitening your teeth. There are products which can help ease tooth sensitivity during the whitening process.

Will tooth whitening damage my teeth?

Whitening carried out correctly under the professional guidance of a dentist will not harm or cause any damage to your teeth.

Does whitening work for everyone?

Whilst teeth whitening works for the majority of people it’s important to note that it doesn’t work for everyone. Some teeth are too deeply stained or otherwise resistant to the effects of whitening gels. Whitening also won’t lighten dental work such as fillings, crowns etc.

How much does it cost to get your teeth professionally whitened?

In the UK teeth whitening ranges from £199 to £500. Often the biggest cost is the initial outlay of the customised trays and whitening kit. Following the initial treatment costs, your teeth will require regular top-up treatments using the whitening gel these cost approx £50 per year.

Is it worth getting your teeth whitened?

Professional teeth whitening can be an effective way to improve the aesthetics of your smile. Lightening your teeth by several shades. A brighter smile is often seen as an attractive trait.

Which is the best tooth whitening?

For the best teeth whitening treatment you need well fitting whitening trays (similar to mouthguards but much thinner) and a quality whitening gel containing hydrogen peroxide. The trays stop the gel leaking into the mouth and stops the gel becoming diluted with saliva.

Have more teeth whitening questions? Contact us here and send us your teeth whitening questions…

Brush up your routine…

Most of us know that taking care of our teeth is now more important than ever. We want to ensure our teeth not only look great, but our breath is fresh and our mouth healthy. With this said it is easy to fall into bad habits that’s why we thought we would share some tips from our Leicester dentists to keep you on track with that winning smile.

• Brush your teeth last thing at night and don’t have anything else to eat or drink after that. You should also brush your teeth at least one other time during the day. You should always use a fluoride toothpaste when brushing your teeth.

• Clean between the teeth. This can be done by either flossing or using interdental brushes. You’ll be surprised at just how much food and plaque you will find squashed in between those gnashers!

• Quit smoking. Our Leicester dentists advise that it will help to reduce tooth staining, gum disease, tooth loss, and in more severe cases mouth cancer.

• Change your toothbrush every two to three months or sooner if it becomes worn. Toothbrushes aren’t as effective when they are worn they also harbour bacteria. If you stock up on spare toothbrushes then it’s easier to keep on top of swapping.

• Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

• Chew sugar-free gum after eating or drinking, especially sugary foods. This helps to protect your teeth and gums in between meals.

• Wait an hour after eating/drinking before brushing. The saliva is more acidic after eating/drinking which makes the enamel softer. Brushing could cause unnecessary abrasion.

• Avoid snacking and try to only have sugary foods and drinks at mealtimes. Constant snacking increases the time your mouth is acidic and teeth under attack. Try to just stick with water between meals.

Need to arrange a dental appointment at our Leicester clinic? Get in touch here…