PREVENTION
In this Wiltshire dental practice, we are serious
about Prevention. Are you really serious about avoiding false
teeth? Here are six facts:
- More people lose teeth due to gum disease than to dental
decay. Gum disease is widespread, progressive and mostly
painless.
- Certain groups of people are prone to gum disease.
- There are important links between gum disease and these
conditions:
- heart disease
- stroke
- bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia
- diabetes
- smoking
- alcohol abuse
- poor diet
Please note:
Sufferers from gum disease have twice the risk of fatal
heart attack than those with healthy gums. They also have
a greater risk of respiratory diseases. Pregnant women
with gum disease are more likely to have a premature or
low birth weight child or have a miscarriage.
- Smoking and alcohol use are linked to oral cancer.
- Most patients are unaware that there is a disease process
progressing in their mouths, because there is usually no
pain and no obvious loosening of teeth until very late stages.
Your dentist can detect early stages of the disease and
help you.
- Too many patients don’t take us seriously until
the disease is obvious enough to cause them to notice. By
then, it’s getting almost too late…
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| Your
six teeth are probably very important for you. Maybe
they secure or stabilise a denture? Maybe they are
your best teeth for biting? Perhaps loss of one
would necessitate a new dental arrangement to be
provided for you? |
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They are precious. Keep them while you can. We can help you
to maintain them as long as possible.
Those who do leave it till they have a problem almost invariably
say they won’t leave it to chance ever again. All that
happens is that disease, which often is "quiet" in
the mouth, develops unnoticed by the patient until it reaches
a point where help from the professionals to cure pain is suddenly
required. The emergency case has to be seen at the Practice’s
chosen time and it often entails further visits.
Please let us examine your mouth regularly, normally 6 monthly
and no longer than 12 monthly. Please take notice of our recommendations
– we want the best for you, as do you.
SEE OUR HYGIENIST at this Devizes dental practice who
is highly trained and qualified. She is an important member
of the team who works closely with the dentist in the treatment
and prevention of gum disease and maintaining a Fresh Breath
Programme for you.
In a friendly informal way, she will both guide and advise you
and also carry out prescribed cleaning and maintenance. She
can give valuable advice on cleaning methods and even dietary
advice if needed. She is happy to see a small group of children
in the holidays for a fun preventive session that they can enjoy
rather than dread.
Legally, the Hygienist only treats her patients under the prescription
(or direction) of the dentist. Hygienists in the UK are permitted
to carry out a wide variety of simple treatments under prescription.
The patients must be examined by their dentist not less than
every 12 months in order to keep the prescription to the Hygienist
valid and accurate, because the patients’ tissues will
be constantly changing over time.
Bad breath is a common problem amongst non-attenders and tackled
for you as part of a Preventive Plan.
Prevention is the most important treatment we provide for you
since it empowers the patient with the means of achieving and
maintaining their teeth and gum health in their best state.
Regrettably, patients generally put a low value on Prevention,
perhaps because they have not grasped just how important it
is. Having got this far, you know it has high value for you.
Minimal problems. Lower dental costs long term. Easier visits.
You want those for yourself. Don’t you?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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| Because
it’s a legal requirement that the dentist
prescribe for you the treatment that the Hygienist
is to provide for you. She can’t be responsible
for spotting problems as they arise. Please see
the dentist at least once every 12 months, but preferably
every 6 months for a really effective prevention
plan. |
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| Our
Hygienist is very gentle and caring. She knows what
it’s like having a cleaning. She will take
notice if you say you’re uncomfortable, and
act on it to improve matters for you. Your friend
may well have had a very neglected mouth with a
delicate gum condition. In such cases, we would
be treating her gently, breaking her in as it were
over at least two or three appointments to ensure
discomfort was kept to a minimum. |
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Bite
into an apple – any blood on your fruit? Blood
when you brush? Teeth wobble a bit? Longer in the
tooth than you were? Funny taste when you suck your
gums, and we don’t mean fruit gums.
We inspect your gum health and advise you at your
routine Exam appointment. |
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| We
would have to advise you that your Hygienist visits
cannot continue. We are obliged to act in the best
interests of our patients. |
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FRESH BREATH – HEALTHY MOUTH
How often have you noticed that someone can be close to you,
speaking to you, and you just want to avoid his breath because
it’s faintly unpleasant at the least or foetid at worst?
But your breath is always fine isn’t it? No-one says
anything so it must be OK. Heard that one before?
Especially in those over 35 to 40, the tendency to unpleasant
odours can be due to bacterial action on specks of debris
between your teeth and under gum level. So you just brush
– right? Well, you can try, and you can spray deodorisers
in your mouth and so on. But the odours will creep back.
So what can you do? Come to us. We will help you manage any
breath problems, and we can give advice, even if it’s
not of mouth-based origin.
Early or late gum disease is often around
in breath problem cases. Trouble is, do you know gum disease
when you see it? Can you feel it? Most people have absolutely
no idea that they have either a gum or breath problem.
Those who are aware of their bad breath have got really
bad breath. Do you want to wait until then?
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Tobacco stain behind lower teeth – a common problem.
Fresh breath?
The Hygienist will solve that along with a good cleaning. |
95% of bad breath or halitosis is caused by bacterial action
in the mouth. Complex chemical changes occur and smelly volatile
sulphur compounds (VSCs) are produced.
TRY THIS: Lick the back of your wrist. Wait 30 seconds.
Sniff gently. If there is a whiff of bad breath, it is revealed.
OR: Run some dental floss through a back
tooth space. Remove carefully. Put under nose (yours preferably)
and sniff.
It is no good just camouflaging with a nice minty spray, rinse
or whatever. You must get to the real cause. And the cause is
mouth bacteria plus trapped debris, even just tiny amounts.
Learn how to manage the problem efficiently with some help from
us on a regular basis and some daily DIY. Easy prevention.
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| A
surprising proportion of the population has bad
breath (or halitosis) and is unaware. Generally,
we are too polite and feel embarrassed about mentioning
bad breath to our acquaintances at work, to our
friends, and not often enough to our immediate family. |
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Bad breath may be due to food and tobacco use. More cases, though,
are due to bacterial activity. Mouth sprays and medications
only hide the cause.
We can help you cure or manage it. Easily.
Online
leaflets: If you want general information on
a condition or treatment, go to the British
Dental Health Foundation's web site where they
have over 40 online leaflets.
Online Resource: Want to find out about dental
treatment? Want to know how to look after your teeth
better? Visit the new BDA
Smile web site.
3D Education:
Learn about dental anatomy, conditions, treatments
and good oral health with the BDA's cutting edge 3D Educational
web site. |
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