How to Look After Your Teeth

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If you're the kind of person who makes do with a quick 30-second brush with a 3-year-old toothbrush once a day, then you're storing up some serious dental issues for later life. This is Dr James' step-by-step guide to how to look after your teeth and the warning signs you should be looking for in your mouth.

Brushing sounds easy, but too many of us do it wrong. Teeth should be brushed with a small, circular action. Try and brush in an ordered sequence and it

Tooth decay is caused when a sticky substance called plaque collects in crevices and gaps in the teeth - most commonly around the gums and any grooves or holes in the teeth. Plaque is made up of decaying food, saliva and bacteria.

Left untreated, the plaque forms into tartar, which can

Electric toothbrushes are a great way of making your job easier, as they do the circular action for you, meaning that you can concentrate on covering each and every tooth. Make sure you brush for 2 minutes. Divide your mouth into quarters and spend 30 seconds in each quarter.

Gingivitis is caused when the gums are inflamed, resulting in them becoming red and swollen, especially where the teeth meet the gum. In addition to being sore, they often bleed during brushing and flossing. Gingivitis is normally caused by a build up of plaque and early treatment by your dentist or hygienist can completely solve this problem.

Flossing can help to prevent the beginnings of gingivitis by removing debris from the mouth. You need to use about 30cm of floss, winding the excess around your middle fingers to ensure it stays taut. You can place it over your first fingers when reaching your back teeth, and your first finger and thumb when doing the front.

Ease the floss between your teeth and gently saw from side to side whilst dragging the floss up and down between your teeth. Make sure that you also curve the floss around each tooth and below the gum line to reach all trapped debris.

Often neglected, the tongue is really important as it traps bacteria that can cause gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath. Cleaning your tongue with a scraper or a brush should reduce the bacteria in your mouth and help keep you breath fresh.

Regular brushing and flossing can prevent most decay, but if it is advanced then a filling may have to be used - but if it is too advanced then a crown might have to be fitted. If the decay is very deep it may damage the nerve of tooth, then a root canal treatment will be needed.

Teeth are naturally an off-white colour, but many people find that their teeth yellow with age, or get stained by drinking coffee or red wine. Smoking can also stain the teeth, so regular brushing and professional cleaning at a dental hygienist are important in keeping your teeth from yellowing extensively. It is possible to have teeth whitened using a professional bleaching technique. This can be done at home using custom made guards or in-surgery, known as

Images supplied courtesy of The London Smile Clinic

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dear sir or madom i had to have all of my teeth out five years ago as i was told that i had mouth cancer but it wasent untill i had all of my teeth out i was told that there was no singe of mouth cancer but now i suffer quite a lot with mouth alcers but thay do not clear up proppley and i end up with extra skin flaps where the alcers have been and it stops me from eating propley and it is getting me down very badley is there a way of haveing the extra flaps of skin cut out and plus i have got part of my bone missing at the top of my mouth due to a accerdent i had when i was 15 years old and have never had it put right could you please help me as im at my witts end. yours fathully miss g b

Posted on 5 Nov 2009 23:51 by georgina
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hiya this sounds rely stupid but it actually happend i walked into a shop and brought a pack of skittles (taste the rainbow)and the first 1 i ate of the packet chipped my back tooth rely bad so i had to throw the rest in the bin lol oh and i was wondering how can you make your teeth stronger ive tried drinking loads of milk and that doesnt work so i tryed brushing my teeth 3 times a day that is not eather i dont eat many sweets or chocolate eather what can i do????

Posted on 23 Oct 2009 02:55 by james
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hi this happened when i ws around 9 or 10 years old i ws eating alot of sweets at the time and my lower molar went purple, a very bright and light purple but when the tooth dropped out the big tooth is perfectly fine i was just wondering if that is normal.

Posted on 26 Aug 2009 11:15 by Lara
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Hi, I'm 22 and have been to the dentist only twice in my adult life. I saw my mum after a treatment she had and she was all swollen and bleeding which is when my phobia started. I went when I was 18/19 because I was scared of losing my teeth if I didn't! I've had a 1 filling and periodontal gum disease treatment and I was so proud of my progress even though it was so hard for me. Now i've found out I have 2 lower impacted wisdom teeth which need to be surgically removed. The top two might be ok but they have moved my teeth due to over-crowding and my dentist suggests having them all out. Now I feel like all my progress has been shattered because the thought of surgery has been so traumatic, i've even more scared than before. I am sometimes in pain from them and I'm terrified they will start to decay and cause me more problems long term. I really need some help to get through this, I'm in tears as I type this.. I feel so depressed and just wish I wasn't scared anymore. I think of nothing else and even dream about it. Please help!

Posted on 24 Aug 2009 13:26 by Charlotte
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HI, i'm 15 and both of my front teeth have weird yellow stains on them and they cant be removed unless i use cosmetic surgery! the dentist said the only way of getting rid of them is to put a crown on or enamel replacemnt.

please help as i dont know what to do? they say im too young to have surgery.

Posted on 17 Aug 2009 20:08 by joe
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im 16 and i have white spots on my two big front teeth and i dont know the cause of them, whats the cause?
Also my denist says im not allowed braces as my teeth will decay because they are not strong enough to hold braces.. is there any way i can gte braces or help my teeth?

Posted on 17 Aug 2009 14:46 by Catherine
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Hi im 19 years old, an my teeth are get really bad. every time i go to the dentist an they fix's my teeth an there's always another problem after. and as im get older im ending up with no teeth and there yellow and i got a tooth that is back and i got loads of holes because the always falling out and this is making me really sad and depressed. can you help me please?

Posted on 17 Aug 2009 00:58 by cedella
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i am 17 and my teeth used to be white and clean but now, the sides look pale yellow and the two front tooth are white. i have read aticles about using beverly hill whitning toothpaste but i have not tried it yet. i have tried using lemon on my tooth but the GP said it is not advisable. what do you recommend?

Posted on 14 Aug 2009 18:12 by Christal
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Hi im 15 and im interested in brain surgery. I watched a program and there is a thing that if you get electric shocks in your teeth or jaw when you brush your teeth or drink something or move your jaw. its caused by a blood vessle coming in contact with a nerve in your brain. it can be very painful. but its likly that you have healthy teeth :). just see your docter. its not a big opperation either. by the way, dont get worried by reading this. im only 15 and dont really know what im talking about. :)

Posted on 10 Aug 2009 01:38 by lucia
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when i was younger i fell on my face i had five stiches and my bottom teeth are all crooked now i brush twice aday but there is still brown on the bottom i am 29 years old is it to late to have braces on them.

Posted on 7 Aug 2009 21:20 by kevin
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