Posts tagged “bad breath”

Why Tongue Cleaning Is Good For Oral Hygiene In The City Of London

February 16th, 2013

The tongue is the main home of any bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria living on the tongue are likely to spread to your gums and teeth, even whilst you are brushing the teeth.

The back of the tongue is where as much as 80% of bad breath starts – this can then lead to gingivitis and tooth decay developing gradually. The importance of tongue cleaning cannot be emphasised enough as a way of preventing severe dental health problems. It should be incorporated into your regular oral hygiene routine.

Bacteria can get stuck in the teeth

The tongue has grooves and ridges which can lead to bacteria getting stuck in them. As the day goes on, the bacteria will then attach to the surrounding gums and teeth.

A tongue cleanser is a good solution for getting rid of surplus bacteria and halting the development of any issues with your dental health in the process. It will eliminate bacteria that could harm your mouth, and keep breath smelling good at the same time.

The Tongue Detox Cleanser

The Tongue Detox Cleanser is one specialist tongue cleanser that is simple to use. It is made of plastic with a covering of minty, antibacterial material. It is flexible and can be scraped over the tongue’s surface, getting rid of food debris, bacteria and any other film or dead cells that are causing bad breath.

The Tongue Detox Cleanser should be used every day in order to reduce the risk of bad breath and promote a good overall level of oral hygiene.

It can also be used to stop ‘smoker’s breath,’ which is caused by a film layer accumulating on the tongue. The Tongue Detox Cleanser works to remove this and leave smokers with fresher breath. If you would like more information on our tongue cleaner then please contact the team at Devonshire Square Dental Studio in central London.

The Importance of Dental Hygiene for Patients in the City of London

July 7th, 2012

Maintaining a good oral hygiene routine will benefit more than just your teeth, if the mouth is healthy then the body will usually follow suit. In addition giving you clean, fresh smile it can work towards preventing tooth decay, bad breath and other associated oral conditions.

What should I do on a daily basis?

It is important to brush twice a day and floss every night. The reason flossing is best done in the evening is to ensure that all the days food debris is removed before you go to sleep. If this is left it can begin to rot and cause decay in between the teeth. You must also remember to clean your tongue on a daily basis, usually in the morning. A little known fact is that around 90% of the mouths bad bacteria can be found at the back of the tongue. This is where the root cause of most cases of bad breath comes from.

What about the gums?

Whilst brushing you should take a little time to gently massage your gums with the tooth brush. This will increase the blood flow to the gums and help keep them healthy and ward off gum disease. Healthy gums keep the plaque and bacteria on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away, unhealthy gums allow the bacteria and food debris to get inside and this can lead to decay, gum disease and tooth loss.

Professional cleaning

Regardless of how good your oral hygiene maybe it is recommended that your teeth are professionally cleaned at least once a year. During this cleaning the surfaces will be properly cleaned and polished and a high pressured jet of water will be used to clean below the gum line. This action helps clear out plaque and bacteria that have sunk below the gum line and helps prevent gum disease and tooth decay.

Bad Breath Remedies Are Not Far Away for Patients from London

March 3rd, 2012

Bad breath is an embarrassing problem for many patients from London. It is medically called halitosis and can occur due to poor dental habits or due to other health conditions and the issue can get worse depending on the type of food you eat along with other unhealthy habits.

Avoiding food that cause Bad Breath

When you eat, the food is digested and is then absorbed by the blood and transported to the lungs, which can then lead to oral odors. So if you ate raw onions, garlic or other strong odor food, then brushing, flossing and even mouthwash would not help. It’s true that right after you use the mouth wash you will feel that the odor is gone, but it’s a temporary effect and within no time your mouth will smell bad again. Avoiding foods with strong odors can significantly reduce bad breath.

Don’t miss out on healthy dental habits

In the absence of regular brushing or flossing, particles of food can remain accumulated around the teeth and the gums. These accumulated food particles will facilitate the growth of bacteria between the teeth, on the tongue and around the gums and will subsequently cause bad breath. Stuck food particles can also cause bad smells, especially if you are using a denture, so make sure to brush at least twice every day and floss at least once a day to keep the bad breath away.

Chewing tobacco and smoking are also major reasons for bad breath, reduced sensitivity of the tongue, stained teeth and irritated gums, so avoiding tobacco-based products will surely reduce bad breath.

A medical condition call xerostomia, commonly known as dry mouth, is also a major cause for bad breath. In the absence of saliva the mouth is unable to neutralize the toxins released by the bacteria found in the plaque and is unable to remove all the dead cells accumulated on the cheeks, gums and tongue. If not removed, these cells will decompose and cause severe bad breath. Xerostomia can be caused due to problems with the salivary glands, regular breathing from the mouth and side effects of regular medication. In case of xerostomia you can increase the intake of water and drink at regular intervals. In case it does not help, you will then have to consult a dentist.

Your London dentist informs you of the benefits of chewing sugar free gum for dental health

September 30th, 2011

Chewing gum is an unusual food because it does not contribute any nutritional value and hardly contains any calories – however, sugar-free gum does have oral health benefits. Many people assume that chewing gum is bad for your health, but sugar free chewing gum is actually endorsed by many dentists due to it helping prevent cavities.

Fresh breath

Chewing sugar-free gum after meals can help to stave off unpleasant odours and keep your mouth smelling clean and fresh. Chewing gum is especially beneficial if you have eaten foods with a strong odour, such as onions, spicy food or garlic. Chewing gum can also help to keep your mouth feeling fresh between brushing.

Preventing cavities

Clinical studies have proven that chewing sugar-free gum can help to prevent cavities because it stimulates saliva production, which blocks the harmful plaque acid attacks. Plaque acids are produced when the bacteria in plaque reacts with sugary and starchy foods, which then weakens the enamel surfaces of the tooth and leaves the teeth vulnerable to damage and decay. Studies have shown that the most beneficial time to chew gum is around 20-30 minutes after eating.

Remineralisation

Chewing gum stimulates saliva production and this helps to clear starchy food deposits out of the mouth and promotes remineralisation of tooth enamel. Remineralisation helps to prevent decay.

Healthy gums

Chewing gum encourages saliva production, which keeps the gums moist and also stimulates the gums and this helps to keep them in healthy working order.

Cleaning Your Tongue – An Easier Business Than You Thought!

April 1st, 2011

Many people neglect their tongue when they clean their mouths, either simply from not knowing it should be cleaned or from not knowing the correct way to clean it. Many people simply don’t see the point in thoroughly cleaning their tongue, but it is actually strongly recommended by dentists.

It is advised to brush your teeth multiple times a day to dislodge plaque and food debris from your teeth and gums, and to prevent tooth decay and gum disease, amongst other things. In comparison, the smooth surface of your tongue makes it hard for plaque to take root and it is often washed away by saliva. As such it isn’t as necessary to clean your tongue as often in regards to preventing gum and tooth decay.

So why should I clean my tongue?

The main reason it is advised to clean the tongue is to prevent bad breath. Although it is very hard for plaque to get a foothold on the tongue, bacteria that can cause bad breath is often found at the rear of the tongue, towards the throat; although not dangerous in the same way as plaque, this can lead to very poor smelling breath if it is allowed to build up.

How should I clean my tongue?

Using a regular tooth brush on your tongue at the same time as you brush your teeth is an effective and simple way of getting rid of bacteria. When you brush your tongue you don’t need to put too much force behind it, this could cause more severe damage than good. Because the area mostly affected by this bacteria is the back of the tongue, using a toothbrush can sometimes make you gag. To stop this, specifically designed tongue cleaners, known as tongue scrapers, can be bought from many drug stores or supermarkets, many dentists can also provide them.

Looking for a London dentist? City of London dentists are here to help.

Anyone who is suffering from bad breath should clean their tongue on a regular basis if they are not already doing so as it is one of the leading reasons for bad breath. It should also be remembered that the best way to go about this is to clean the very back of the tongue, using either a tooth brush or a tongue scraper.

Beat bad breath thanks to your London City dentist

March 4th, 2011

Employing proper tongue cleaning techniques can instantly freshen breath

Morning breath is only ever acceptable in the morning, in that space of time between waking up and heading to the bathroom to brush your teeth, but every day, a reported 45 percent of people in the world suffer from chronic bad breath, or halitosis.

Halitosis is caused by a combination of certain foods, dry mouth and bacteria found in the mouth. Most halitosis is a result of bacteria found in the mouth. The best way to treat bacteria-caused halitosis is with thorough cleaning of the entire mouth.

A variety of products exist to help keep halitosis under control including mouth wash, chewy, breath mints and toothpaste. Utilising these tools and incorporating another tool, the tongue scraper is a proven method for eliminating halitosis.

If you suffer from halitosis, you should brush your teeth at least twice a day with a toothpaste that contains fluoride, dentists suggest. In addition, brushing your tongue will help with halitosis. You can do this with your toothbrush or with a tongue scraper. Tongue scrapers can be purchased individually or they can be found on the undersides of some toothbrushes.

Thorough and regular flossing will also help prevent halitosis as this will remove lodged food that has been wedged between your teeth. Mouthwashes with low alcohol content and that contain chlorine dioxide are also effective at eliminating halitosis, as is paying a visit to your dental hygienist frequently.

Tongue cleaning is a proven method for eliminating and preventing halitosis as it directly removes bacteria from the mouth. When cleaning your tongue, you should clean as far back on your tongue as you can. Be advised, this may make you gag the first few times you do it, but over time, your gag reflex will lessen.

As discussed, you can purchase a tongue scraper to aid in removing bacteria from your tongue. A tongue scraper is a plastic strip that can be fashioned to form a loop. You place the loop on your tongue and pull gently, scraping it across the surface of your tongue until it comes off. It will bring any bacteria present on your tongue with it. Repeat this step until you have removed all the bacteria you can. Finish the process by thoroughly rinsing your mouth with mouthwash.

Looking for a London dentist? City of London dentists are here to help.

Halitosis, although a common problem, does not have to be your problem. Consider implementing the methods discussed and thoroughly cleaning your tongue to eliminate and prevent halitosis.

Bishopsgate London dentists advise on maintaining good oral hygiene

October 27th, 2010

Oral hygiene improved thanks to advice from Bishopsgate London dentists

Having a healthy mouth has many benefits.  Oral conditions such as gum disease and tooth decay can be painful and lead to tooth loss.  In an image conscious world, this is definitely something to avoid.  If it doesn’t get that far, poor oral hygiene can still cause bad breath and staining to the teeth.  If your teeth and gums aren’t functioning properly it makes eating drinking and talking much more difficult.

Healthy mouths are clean, free of debris and include pink gums.  Poor oral hygiene can lead to pain in the gums and sometimes bleeding.  Your teeth might have brown or yellow deposits on them and your mouth might feel sore when you eat.  These early indicators of poor oral hygiene are worth knowing because they can be relayed to your dentist who can advise how to stop them from getting worse.

Dentists recommend that you spend about three minutes brushing your teeth twice a day using fluoride toothpaste which will help to strengthen enamel, your teeth’s natural defence.  You should also be sure to floss to stop plaque building up between teeth where it is hard for brushes to reach.  Plaque is a major cause of poor oral hygiene because it allows acids in some of the foods you eat to attach enamel and eventually cause painful cavities in your teeth.

Looking for a cosmetic dentist? City of London dentists are here to help

Make sure you visit your Bishopsgate London dentist every six months so that your mouth can be thoroughly checked for any signs of poor oral hygiene.  The fact is that many of the symptoms of oral hygiene can seem quite innocuous but if they are allowed to worsen they can lead to serious problems like tooth loss.

Improve your oral health with advice on chewing gum benefits from London dentists

October 8th, 2010

London dentists advise on chewing gum benefits to enhance oral hygiene

Fresh breath is not the only benefit that chewing gum can give you.  It is an activity that can really help your oral hygiene.  It is one of the simplest ways to achieve increased production of saliva which helps to protect your teeth from being damaged by build ups of plaque.

Having fresh breath can increase your confidence in social occasions by ensuring that you are not worried about the smell of your breath while talking and smiling.  Chewing gum is an easy and convenient way to achieve this and can be pleasurable by increasing saliva production and combatting any uncomfortable sensation of having a dry mouth.

When you eat sugary and starchy foods, the acids which are produced in the mouth form into plaque.  Plaque breaks down your teeth’s natural defence, enamel and can lead to cavities and painful tooth decay.  Saliva is another of your mouth’s natural defences as it neutralizes these harmful acids.  You can produce saliva by chewing gum.

Another chewing gum benefit is that it actually helps to clean your teeth.  Of course it is no substitute for brushing and flossing but you might find yourself in a situation without access to your brush and chewing gum will be the next best thing for after dinner at a party, for example.  The activity of chewing means that some debris will be moved from the teeth and gums and plaque finds it more difficult to form.

Chewing gum also helps teeth to retain a degree of whiteness by preventing stains from taking hold.

Looking for a cosmetic dentist? City of London dentists are here to help

Your London dentist can advise you which of the chewing gums on the market are best for enhancing your oral hygiene.

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