Sensitive teeth

11/2/2016

Why do we get sensitive teeth?

Sensitive teeth or a sensitive tooth can be caused by many different things. Each of your teeth has a blood and nerve supply which enters the tooth at its apex which is hidden at the end of the tooth root in your jawbone. The nerves feed information back to your brain about eating, chewing, clenching and more. Unfortunately there are lots of pain nerve fibres in your tooth. The nerve tissue is covered by the dentine which is less hard than enamel and is made up of lots of tunnels which are intimately connected to the nerve fibres and so this part of your tooth is sensitive. This is usually covered by the rock solid enamel which the nerve supply cannot penetrate.

tooth dentine

As you can see therefore, anything that exposes the dentine of the tooth or otherwise irritates the nerves inside your tooth has the potential to cause tooth sensitivity or sensitive teeth.

Below are all the main causes of Sensitive teeth along with why they cause tooth sensitivity. The second table details how to treat each form of tooth sensitivity:

Baby Teeth

31/1/2016

When do baby teeth appear?

baby teeth

The first baby teeth can appear any time between birth and 3 years old. They usually erupt into the mouth in a specific order with the front incisors first followed by the first molars at the back and then the teeth in-between to follow; but this can vary between different children. Sometimes children get little white cysts on their gums which resemble teeth starting to erupt but are not. These are termed Epsteins pearls, they do not require treatment and will disappear after a few weeks.

Periodontitis

29/1/2016

What is Periodontitis?

Your teeth are supported by your jaw bones and by ligaments connecting your teeth to the jaw bones. Your gums then lie on top of the jaw bones.

The area of jaw bone supporting each tooth along with the ligaments are termed the Periodontium . Inflammation and break down of this area is called periodontitis or periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease - signs and symptoms

The inflammation of this Periodontium is reversible but the damage done by the inflammation is not reversible and so can be catastrophic to your teeth and can cause early loss of teeth. Signs and symptoms are:

1. Bleeding gums as often a later stage of gingivitis
2. In smokers, the gums may not bleed which can mask the severity of the condition
3. Sore gums or painful gums
4. Gum recession (receding gums) due to erosion of the underlying supporting tissues
5. Sensitive teeth as a result of the gum recession (receding gums)
6. Possible food trapping
7. Possible abscesses in the gums.
8. Black spaces appearing between your teeth (black triangles)
9. Bad breath/halitosis
10. Loose teeth
11. Drifting and Spreading out of teeth where they have lost their support

Gum disease

20/1/2016

Gingivitis

Gum disease is known as gingivitis in the dental world. This is because gingivae means gums and "itis" means inflammation. So in the same way that Arthritis is inflammation of your joints, gingivitis is inflammation of your gums.

Signs of Gum Disease

The gums become inflamed (red and swollen) when they are irritated. This will usually be due to the bacteria in plaque on your teeth or from trauma or other items becoming lodged in your gums.

The gums have an immune response to the bacteria or foreign items and therefore become red and swollen. They will become increasingly fragile, bleed easily and look and feel sore

There is a specific type of gum disease called Acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis that is caused by a specific bacteria and will cause very sore gums along with a disgusting taste and smell. This is an extreme case of gingivitis and can be very damaging to your gums unless you see a dentist quickly.

Wisdom Teeth

19/1/2016

wisdom tooth

Wisdom teeth, lower third molars, lower back molars or number 8 teeth are your very back teeth. They erupt into your mouth usually between the ages of 17 and 25 but can be earlier or later. With regard to having wisdom teeth you will fall into one of the following categories

1. Wisdom teeth don't ever develop
2. Wisdom teeth develop but never erupt (enter) into your mouth (may cause pain or be unaware)
3. Wisdom teeth develop and partially erupt into your mouth (may cause pain or not)
4. wisdom teeth develop and fully erupt into your mouth (may cause pain or not)

Quite often there is not enough room for the wisdom teeth to erupt fully into your mouth, in which case they may only partly erupt into your mouth and stay this way, or not erupt at all and stay hidden beneath the gum level.
The lower wisdom teeth are more likely to cause problems than the upper wisdom teeth. They are also often more difficult to extract/remove when they do cause a problem than the upper wisdom teeth.

Toothache

14/1/2016

What is Toothache?

dental pulp

Your tooth has a nerve supply and a blood supply (called the dental pulp), much like any other organ or tissue of the body. If this is irritated by trauma, decay or any other means then an inflammatory response occurs inside your tooth.

If you get an inflammatory response on your skin for example the area will become red and swollen and your skin will stretch. As your tooth cannot stretch, pressure builds up inside the tooth which causes pain.

Dental Abscess

An abscess is essentially a collection of pus (dead tissue and bacteria). If you get toothache due to inflammation inside your tooth, this inflammation eventually forces the blood supply to be cut off to the tooth and the dental pulp dies.

This dead tissue and its by products eventually leave out of the end (apex) of the tooth and form a gathering of pus beneath the tooth. This is why you may get a swelling, the tooth feels high or raised and it is sore to bite on.

Dental Implants

10/1/2016

Dental Implants are essentially titanium screw threaded components that are placed into your jaw bone to replace a root of a tooth. Occasionally they will be made out of other materials.

The implant, once placed, often requires some additional bone adding (a graft) around it in order to ensure its long term stability and an aesthetic result.

In order to access the bone where the implant is to be placed, once the area is numb (with local anaesthetic) the gum is cut and a flap of it is raised and held out of the way whilst the implant is placed into the bone.

straumann

straumann implant

Dental Veneers

2/1/2016

What are veneers - Very thin layers of tooth coloured porcelain or tooth coloured filling material which are used to improve the appearance and/or function of a patients teeth. Dental veneers like veneers of any other kind usually just cover a layer on the visible surface of the tooth although they may overlap the edge of tooth and onto the back of tooth depending on the circumstances.

What materials are veneers made out of - they are made out of feldspathic porcelain usually which has a proven track record for veneers and can give an excellent lifelike appearance when done well. Alternatively they can be made out of high quality direct composite resin material. This is when they are made directly in your mouth as opposed to in a lab but these are very difficult to get looking as good as porcelain veneers unless your dentist is very experienced with this type of material.

Tooth Fairy

2/1/2016

tooth fairy

The argument for the existence of the tooth fairy is a lot like the argument for the existence of Santa Claus. Our views change dramatically as we age.

As very young children, we are too young to understand what it is all about. we are learning the intricacies of walking and talking so an age old debate is far from our grasp at this stage.

As we begin to become increasingly aware at the age of 3, we have all of our deciduous (baby/milk) teeth, and may start to hear about the tooth fairy from our parents and older siblings. We now begin to look forward to the day our first tooth falls out. It is a new feeling and a magical emotional time. We get excited about the idea if the tooth fairy however we are too young to appreciate what she he stands for.

Dental Insurance and Dental Plans

29/12/2015

Who are they for?

Those wanting to pay dental fees via a regular monthly amount rather than often unexpected unplanned lump sums
Those looking to move to private dentistry and away from NHS dentistry
Those looking for peace of mind with regard to emergency dental treatment and dental cover when abroad
Those struggling to pay dental bills or potentially struggling to pay dental bills

Here we will look at the different types of dental plans that you can have and the main companies offering them in the UK, we are not affiliated with any companies and so will not recommend one over another but will give you the facts for you to make your own informed decision and hope we can help!

Root Canal Treatment

18/12/2015

Root canal treatments seem to have more stigma attached to them than any other dental procedure. You will often hear people say "Oooh a root treatment, that's painful" or "I remember having a root canal done and it was excruciating".

This is not true! They really are not that bad and for those of you who really cannot tolerate the idea then you can always have some sedation to relieve your anxiety

Video showing Root Canal Treatment Procedure

Importance of Brushing Teeth properly!

9/12/2015

Why Not Brushing Your Teeth Properly will Ruin Your Life

1. Health - If you don't brush your teeth then you will get gum disease which can cause diabetes and halitosis (bad breath). You will get decayed teeth leading to constant toothache and jaw ache this can lead to life threatening cellulitis and death. You will get bleeding gums, problems when eating, the stigma of wearing dentures when still young and as a result decreased confidence leading to many more serious problems.

2. Career - As your confidence will be affected by early loss of teeth, bleeding gums, bad breath or having to wear dentures you will give off a poor image at job interviews; you will need time off work to visit the dentist or time off work to visit the hospital which could otherwise have been avoided. People with clean teeth have been shown to excel in their careers whereas those without lag behind.

3. Economy - At the very least your dentist will have to brush your teeth for you or have to treat you with costly health service treatments and get paid to do it. If you are a health service patient then your dentist will be paid by the government largely which will contribute to government debt which can lead to further debt and a need to raise taxes which could be your taxes!

4. Income - Your overall income is affected by reduced career prospects as a result of reduced confidence among other reasons. Your income is also indirectly reduced by increased taxes as described above.

5. Wealth - If you manage to still have a reasonable income whilst not brushing your teeth properly then this will soon be wiped out by the extra expense you will end up paying in unnecessary dental bills as these will need to paid first before you can have the cosmetic treatments that you have been saving for!

6. Relationships - Not only will your reduced confidence reduce your chances of success in relationships but your bad breath, missing teeth, poor fitting dentures, bleeding gums, reduced income and increased time spent at the dentist will have a massive effect on your happiness in a relationship

Now Lets look at this in a Positive way:

Electric Toothbrush heads

28/1/2015

Oral B electric toothbrush heads can become quite costly if bought on the high-street but they do not have to be. We have looked at the different Oral B toothbrush heads as well as their direct competitors/imitation heads and compared them so you know what to get next time you're looking for an Oral B electric toothbrush head to replace your current dog eared one!

Generally amazon is your best bet as they will have the cheapest price on both Oral B electric toothbrush heads and imitation heads (unless you are buying hundreds from a wholesaler!)

Here are our top picks and a direct comparison after our dentists used them on the same electric toothbrush:

General Dental Council (GDC)

21/1/2015

Who are the GDC (general dental council) and what do they do?

GDC

The GDC, general dental council are a council funded by the registration fees of dentists and other dental professionals who's aim is supposed to be to protect patients. There has been a lot in the press lately from the British dental association and other sources about whether they are actually doing their job properly and it has caused quite a rift between the council and dentists. The main issue in the latest news is that of reports showing that the GDC, based in Offices in London were very inefficient in the way they managed cases and as a result raised the registration fee for dentists from £576 a year to around £900 per year to make up for their shortcomings.

The GDC produce guidelines for dentists to follow as well as deal with complaints/fitness to practice proceedings from patients or dentists about dentists or other dentists. They advertise for patients to complain to them but often do not make patients aware that the best course of action is almost Always to contact your own dental practice directly. Often potential complaints and problems can be dealt with simply and easily just by talking to your dentist or practice manager about your concerns. The GDC are there for when a local resolution cannot be met and they will manage legal cases on patients behalf against dentists, usually for what is deemed negligence.

Accessing the dentist

8/1/2015

PART 1 - MANAGING ANXIETY
PART 2 - MANAGING COSTS/FEES
PART 3 - MANAGING RELATIONSHIP WITH DENTIST

There are many reasons why you may feel unable to access your dentist or a dentist to attend to your dental needs but really there should be none. The following are the most common reasons we see and how we have found patients have dealt with them:

Disability and cannot get to the surgery
Disability and no wheelchair access at your current dentist
Work during the week and cannot get time off work
Can't get children out of school to come and see the dentist
Can't get to dentist yourself as a result of looking after children or babies
Can't get registered with a dentist and so cannot access dental treatment

dentist disabled

Any other problems with access ask our dentists here

Poor Relationship with the Dentist

26/12/2014

PART 1 - MANAGING ANXIETY
PART 2 - MANAGING COSTS/FEES
PART 4 - ACCESSING THE DENTIST

There are a number of reasons why there may be a breakdown in relationship between a patient and a dentist, these include:

1. Bad treatment experience with particular dentist
2. Felt rushed during previous appointments
3. Felt uncomfortable discussing options with dentist or pressured into accepting expensive treatment plans
4. Did not trust dentist for one reason or another
5. Put off by other areas of the practice, leading to a poor view of the practice even if got on well with dentist.

Dental Charges

21/12/2014

PART 1 - MANAGING ANXIETY
PART 3 - MANAGING RELATIONSHIP WITH DENTIST
PART 4 - ACCESSING THE DENTIST

Welcome to part 2 of this overcoming barriers to dentistry section, here we will discuss the different factors regarding cost and fees for dental treatment and how you can manage these or be helped to manage these in order to make sure you can attend the dentist and have the treatment you want or need.
We will not go into how best to overcome other social factors such as working hours, picking up and dropping off children etc as this will be covered in part 4

Dealing With Anxiety

18/12/2014

PART 2 - MANAGING FEES/COSTS
PART 3 - MANAGING RELATIONSHIP WITH DENTIST
PART 4 - ACCESSING THE DENTIST

There are a number of ways in which patients can be anxious of going to the dentist and often, especially in adults patients may say they are too busy to attend appointments when in reality it is the anxiety being provoked that is the real reason for not attending. Consider a few examples and think if you can relate to any of these

dental anxiety

Dental Xrays

17/12/2014

dental OPG

Why Dentists take X Rays

To find tooth decay, damage to the bones supporting the teeth, and dental injuries (such as broken tooth roots).
Find teeth that are not in the right place or do not break through the gum properly.
Find cysts, solid growths (tumours), abscesses.
Check for the location of permanent teeth growing in the jaw in children.
Plan treatment for large or extensive cavities, root canal surgery, placement of dental implants, and difficult tooth removals.
Plan treatment of teeth that are not lined up straight (orthodontic treatment).

DENTAL TOURISM (Dentistry Abroad)

3/12/2014

For those of you that don’t know; dental tourism is the act of going abroad for less expensive dental treatment, this is a booming industry in the UK amongst other countries and in many cases can mean you patients can get good quality dental treatment for half of the cost you would pay in the UK.

There are so many dental practices out there offering cheap dental treatment if you travel abroad that many people don’t know where to start looking or what to expect.

A simple google search for dental tourism Hungary and dental tourism Poland brings up hundreds of websites for dental practices all offering treatments for half the cost of what you would pay in the UK but ...

How can you decide what to have done, where to go and whether it is too risky or not?

dentistry abroad

Many practices are even offering packages where you get a two week holiday as part of your dental package in that country and still all for cheaper than your dental treatment plan in the UK.
It almost sounds too good to be true

Here are some links to google searches for dental treatment abroad:

http://www.kreativdentalclinic.co.uk/budapest_implant_cost.php?kdcpc=search&gclid=CPXz4Omip8ICFfMZtAodlF8Aow

http://www.smilesavershungary.co.uk/?gclid=CMbApYCjp8ICFVDKtAodGi4A6A

Silver (amalgam) fillings Vs White (composite) fillings

23/11/2014

Amalgam

What you may call silver or metal fillings and what dentists call amalgam restorations have been around for many years. Many people have lots of these fillings in their mouths and there has been much debate about their safety in the past but despite this lots of these are still placed in the UK. read this article and in particular the conclusion on mercury and other amalgam issues if you are at all concerned.

silver filling

This photo shows three Amalgam Restorations (silver fillings) after polishing

Amalgam fillings have a good track record with many patients having had them in their mouths for twenty years without need for replacement. They are strong, hardwearing and will not wear away the teeth that they are biting against any more so than your natural teeth would. They are cheaper for the patient not only as the materials are generally less expensive to buy but they generally take less time to place than white (composite) fillings

The disadvantages of amalgam fillings are that they do not add any strength to the tooth they are being used in, they are used to replace the decayed tooth substance so as the tooth decay does not progress. Large amalgam fillings may be difficult for the dentist to carve into the original tooth shape although there are many dentists that can do this very well!

There are a small proportion of patients that will be allergic to one or more of the alloys in the material which if so will usually cause a white patch on the gum or cheek next to the filling. If this happens they should be replaced with a different material

white filling

This shows a high standard example of amalgam restorations that have been replaced with composite restorations

Amalgam fillings do not bond to your teeth, they just fill the space where tooth is missing and so small cavities/holes need to be made so as when amalgam is packed into them it is held in. If this is not possible then sometimes small pins are placed to hold the filling in place but this is not ideal and in these cases a less damaging and more suitable option would probably be a bonded onlay whether it be metal or white (which in the case of an onlay would be porcelain) see onlay page for an explanation

So if you need small to medium sized fillings and you are not bothered about colour then amalgam may be the most cost effective choice, although use your own judgement in each case as well as your own dentists advice.

Fees vary greatly depending on the type and size of fillings as well as the experience of the dentist. A composite filling may range from £40 - £250 or more depending on the size; an amalgam from £30 - £150 depending on the size and onlays/crowns/veneers as discussed before from £300 - £1000 or more depending on materials, location and whether you need additional items such as extra models, visits to the lab for shade matching etc. If you have a query about a fee, your dentist will most likely be happy to explain what is involved and why the fee is set at what it is or you can always ask a dentist here. Amalgam restorations will be available from health service dentists at the health service fee and composite restorations may also be available on front teeth on the health service at health service fees. It may be worth asking about a private alternative if you are a health service patient but would like the best or most aesthetic treatment possible

White Fillings

White composite fillings take longer to place than silver fillings as they are generally placed in small increments and then require polishing afterwards. This means a medium sized filling which would take 20 minutes in amalgam may take 45 minutes in white composite filling material and so the fees will reflect this and the increased material cost. Some Dentists are more experienced than others when it comes to placing composite/white fillings and some have a special talent in making them look very realistic even under magnification! Others may not be quite as artistic but all dentists should be able to place an aesthetic white bonded filling which will match the colour and shape of your tooth closely.

The drawback with white fillings is that the area they are placed needs to be completely dry in order for them to stick onto your teeth properly. This is why many dentists will place a big rubber sheet around your tooth called a rubber dam to keep the area dry, others may use cotton wool rolls and suction but if the area cannot be kept dry throughout the entire procedure then this filling will not stick properly and it will not last. This may be why your dentist suggests crowns, onlays or amalgam fillings in very back teeth that they are struggling to keep dry whilst working on.

white filling

Example of a typical composite restoration repairing the cavity in this tooth

Now for white fillings/restorations - these bond to your tooth and are white and so can look very realistic. There are very few people allergic to the materials used for these and they should be the go to option for teeth with small to medium sized cavities/holes/fractures. Again these can sometimes be difficult to replicate the shape of the missing tooth they are replacing but really this depends on your dentists experience with the material and what they have found to work best in their hands. for smaller fillings it should generally be white composite filling material but in larger fillings they may suggest a lab made onlay instead if they feel this will be more cost effective for yourselves in the long term and give you a better result.

NAVIGATION
HOMEPAGE
MISSING TEETH
DENTAL ANXIETY
REPAIRING TEETH

MOST READ
THE TOOTH FAIRY
BABY TEETH
GUM DISEASE
DENTAL CHARGES

RESOURCES
DENTAL A-Z
ASK A DENTIST

Disclaimer: all advice and tips are the opinions only of our fully UK qualified dentists and we are not affiliated with any products or brands in particular.