Dental Health Care and your lifestyle

Dental Health Care

For our dental health care, avoiding snacking in between meals on sugary food is essential if we wish to prevent tooth decay. It is best to consume chocolate, sweets etc immediately after meals. Teeth will then have fewer attacks from plaque acids and the enamel will have time to be 'repaired' on a micro level by minerals in the saliva.

Tooth Decay

Fruit juices are an excellent way of getting one of our five recommended portions of fruit and vegetables a day; however they are naturally sweet and acidic. Whenever possible, drink through a straw and /or dilute with plain water. Fizzy (carbonated) drinks are acidic with or without sugar added, so they are an obvious danger to tooth enamel, even fizzy water. So drink only at meal times or not at all. Do not swish, as this will help to avoid tooth erosion.

It is best not to brush your teeth for at least an hour after anything acidic. Acid in foods and drinks affect the tooth surface by micro 'softening', so sweeping a brush over the tooth surfaces will remove micro enamel, which could eventually lead to sensitivity.

Smoking

More than 2,000 cases of oral cancer are reported each year in the UK with smoking being one of the key causes.

The effects of smoking on oral health

The most significant effects of smoking on the oral cavity are:

Wound Healing

The use of tobacco influences the rate at which wounds heal in the mouth. Thus, healing among smokers is slower and less successful following oral surgery or after extractions.

Gum Disease

Smokers are between 2.5 to 6 times greater risk of gum disease and tooth loss than non smokers.

Dental Implants

There is a wealth of evidence to suggest that smoking is detrimental to both the initial and long term success of dental implants.

Smell, Taste, Touch

Smoking has been shown to affect both taste, smell and touch sensation, affecting the tongue's ability to sense the presence of harmful plaque on the tooth surface.

Cosmetic

Tobacco stains can penetrate into enamel, dental restorations and dentures, creating unsightly brown and yellow darkening of the teeth.

The health benefits to our mouths of quitting are:

After 48 hours

• Senses of taste and smell are greatly improved
• The stale smoke odours on the breath disappear

After 3 months

• The risk of further gum disease has reduced significantly
• Tobacco-related patches in the mouth disappear
• Tooth staining begins to reduce

After 5 years

• The probability of contracting mouth, throat and oesophageal cancer has been reduced by 50%

For help quitting smoking, call the NHS Smoking Helpline - 0800 169 0169

Diet in Dentistry

A well balanced diet is essential to maintain our physical, mental and dental health.

What do we mean by a well balanced diet?

This is based on the five commonly accepted food groups, which are:

• Bread, cereals and potatoes
• Fruit and vegetables
• Milk and dairy
• Meat, fish and alternatives
• Foods and drinks containing fat and sugar

Encouraging everyone to choose a variety of foods from the first four groups every day will help ensure that we obtain the wide range of nutrients our bodies need to remain healthy.

Foods in the fifth group contain fat and sugar. Fat helps us absorb certain vitamins and essential fatty acids; it is advisable that fat be eaten in moderate amounts.

Although aiming to achieve this balance every day, it is not necessary to achieve it at every meal.