Dental Care During Pregnancy

It's important for you to take good care of your teeth and gums while pregnant.

Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that increase the risk of developing gum disease which, in turn, can affect the health of your developing baby.

Below are some tips to help you maintain good oral health during pregnancy.

1. Tell your dentist if you are pregnant, as this will effect any treatment that may need to be carried out and usually X-rays are not taken during pregnancy, unless absolutely necessary.

2. Keep your regular dental health assessment and hygienist appointments, it is more important now than any at any other time because pregnancy causes hormonal changes that put you at increased risk for periodontal disease and gingivitis (bleeding gums).

3. Pay particular attention to any changes in your gums during pregnancy. If tenderness, bleeding or gum swelling occurs at any time during your pregnancy, talk with your dentist as soon as possible.

4. Follow good oral health practices at home to prevent and/or reduce oral health problems.

·     If at anytime you are concerned about your oral health, one of the team here at Absolute Dental will be happy to answer any questions or offer a complimentary oral health advice appointment.

One Size does NOT fit all! The best dental products for YOU, by Absolute Dental

In most areas of life one size does definitely NOT fit all and this also applies to dental products. 

There is a plethora of choice between toothbrushes, toothpastess, mouthwashes, floss - the list is endless!!!!

 

 

 

At Absolute we love  the challenge of finding the best products for you so that your regime is very personal to your oral health. 

 

Three reasons why our choice of alternative products are important:

 

1. Necessity

We know and understand the benefits of fluoride in our dental products  and why some patients will choose fluoride free, but there are some medical conditions particularly pertaining to kidney function which contraindicate the use of fluoride. 

 

There are some brilliant products available now which are fluoride free including the kingfisher range of toothpastes, Bio repair and Spry xylitol toothpaste which has the great benefit of containing one of our best natural defences against plaque - xylitol.

 

2. Efficacy

One size definitely doesn't fit all in the mouth and we have a tremendous range of both manual toothbrushes - some with a battery in the handle, battery operated a and electric toothbrushes. 

There is a great diversity in the different  types of electric toothbrushes available and these are just a few of the more popular brands you will find in Absolute Dental, your local chemist and supermarkets.

• Oral b Braun  oscillating pulsating .  This brush works in a 3D action and the oscillation helps to remove the soft plaque from the tooth surface and the pulsating action breaks down the sticky protein layer  that the plaque initially  lay down on the tooth surface. This means the whole process has to start again and it takes much longer for plaque to reform.

• Philips Sonicare. This brush works by producing sonic waves of energy whilst using a gentle back and forth motion when brushing. It is particularly helpful at cleaning  around crowns, bridges and implants.

• Colgate/Omron.   This brush is unique as it is the only one which changes the way it brushes depending on the angle you hold the brush at. It uses Omron technology and the concept is very similar e.g. to an app on your mobile phone for a compass where you are changing the angle of the phone. 

 

Interdental cleaning is just as important as toothbrushing and to get the plaque off every surface of every tooth every day we often need a great variety including the following;

• Floss - either on its own or on a floss holder

• Superfloss  for bridges and implants

• Interdental brushes e.g. Tepe brushes which have a wire core and bristles all of the same length

• Denti brushes which are made of rubber and are tapered which helps fit between various spaces

• Single tufted brushes - these  are hugely multifunctional from cleaning under the gum into pockets to cleaning behind lower front teeth which may be crowded.

• Waterpiks which have been becoming more popular in recent years and can be used both above and below the gum line. 

• Airflossers. This is a Philips product which produces a powerful  burst of air and water and can only  be used above the gum line. It is very useful for tight spaces in between teeth and where access is difficult.  

 

3. Personal preference

We are unique and we all have our "favourite's" when it comes to dental products whether its toothpaste,  mouthwash or sugar free chewing gum. At Absolute we will always endeavour to find the most suitable products for you because there are always choices and alternatives!

 

Maureen

Bad Breath - Causes and Cures from Absolute Dental

We know that sometimes our breath doesn't smell as fresh as we would like it to and  for some people, certain breath smells can be early indicators of other conditions. When people suffer from bad breath they often experience embarrassment and lack of confidence, which can be very debilitating.

In general, intraoral conditions like insufficient dental hygiene, periodontitis or tongue coating are considered to be the most important causes for halitosis in 85% of cases.  Plaque bacteria are constantly building up on all areas of the mouth including areas such as the tongue and the throat.

Some of the anaerobic bacteria in the mouth produce substances called volatile sulphur compounds. There are actually several VSC's and each one has a distinctive smell. 

Consequently, bad breath from different people does not always smell the same! 

However, distinct smells of the breath have long since been a reliable indicator for certain diseases and conditions. 

Familiar examples include:

• Diabetes - where ketosis causes an odour of overripe apples.
• Renal diseases frequently produce a fishy smell of amines and ammonia.   
• Dental or liver diseases have the cabbage-like odour of organic sulphides. 

Recently researchers at the University fo Virginia have revealed that breath tests can be a useful method to help the diagnosis of other conditions  such as asthma and people who suffer with cystic fibrosis have highly acidic breath.  

What can we do to help prevent halitosis?

At Absolute one of the first most important things we do is to listen to your concerns as you may have noticed a less pleasant smell coming from a specific area of your mouth or your other half may have commented that your breath is not as fresh as it was. Alongside this we do ask you to complete a form to help us to find out if there may be other elements in your general health which may be responsible for halitosis and may include some of the conditions noted above. 

If we establish that  these odours are plaque related, our challenge is to find out where from  and why. If we notice that decay may be present we need to refer you back to your dentist but also to find out why the decay happened in the first place and what we can do in the future to prevent a repeat occurrence. 

When the halitosis is caused by the build up of plaque we work really hard to remove any deposits from those areas  for you and help you to find the best way of removing plaque really thoroughly every day to help prevent the build up re-forming. Apart from really thorough cleaning, we have found  several really helpful products on the market now which help combat the effects of volatile sulphur compounds and these work by binding chemically to the tissues in the oral cavity to neutralise gases and eliminate bad breath.  

Always feel that you can talk to any of our team about bad breath, never feel embarrassed about this as there may be a very easy solution!!!

What do Hygienists and Therapists do? An Absolute Dental Guide

The role of your hygienist or therapist is a very diverse and multi-functional one. What we aim to achieve is really successful preventive dental care, minimising the need for dental treatment, supporting your existing dental work and ensuring confidence that you have a healthy mouth, fresh breath and a positive future for your mouth. 

It all comes down to three elements:

1.  Measuring your dental health by  identifying areas of health, periodontal disease, caries, and tooth wear and any lumps, bumps or inflammation around your mouth. 

2.  Monitoring your dental health by comparing the above information at every visit. Some of our more in depth recording eg periodontal pocket charts are done at different intervals in response to your level of gum health. These charts are a great way of identifying if there are any underlying medical conditions such as diabetes which may be undiagnosed. 

3.  Managing your dental health by working out the best skills, tools and techniques you need to remove plaque from every surface of every tooth every day!

There are also great benefits to your general health. Research shows that untreated or undiagnosed gum disease leads to an increased risk of heart disease and strokes. It also increases the risk of diabetes and plaque bacteria have been linked to arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, low birthweight and premature babies,  kidney disease and osteoporosis. This list is not exhaustive and it is one of the reasons we ask you about your general health when you attend for appointments. 

These conditions are further proof of why we  think that focusing on your dental health is so important. 

Whenever you visit one of our hygienists/therapists we need to find out what concerns you may have about your dental health or if you have noticed any changes to your mouth.  We know that the mouth is a very diverse  environment and change  happens due to any  number of different factors including everything from which toothpaste you are using to any changes in your general health including any medications you may be taking.   We know there are several factors that can influence what happens in your mouth and it is very important that  we can keep you safe and healthy whilst you are in our care. 

Outside the mouth  we are constantly looking for ways to  improve our services by taking part in continuing professional development such as courses and on line learning,  keeping you up to date through our blogs and Facebook contributions too.