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

To find an NHS Dentist in your area use the NHS Service Finder

Find out more about National Smile Month

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hi is it true that if you eat strawberry's it makes your teeth white and how can i get my teeth to be straight?

Posted on 23 Jul 2010 02:58 by Maisy
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hey I brush my teeth twice a day and use a mouth wash but Ive got really bad sensative teeth . Ive never had a bad comment off the dentist and they are in good shape and ive tryed alot of different toothpastes but nothing works HELP

Posted on 19 Jul 2010 22:44 by samantha
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my mom gets hers pollished at the dentist for free and it removes anything maybe this might work for you xx

Posted on 2 Jul 2010 22:57 by kayleigh
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My name is Jess. Ever since losing my dummy at the age of 2, I have always sucked my thumb, I am now 14 years old, but I cannot sleep without it! My teeth are perfectly fine, very white and clean, very straight too! But I was wondering whether there is something to help me stop sucking my thumb? I have never smoked or anything but it would be nice to know if there is anything i can do?? Thankyou!

Posted on 17 Jun 2010 21:37 by Jessica
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Hey Jess , I had the same problem exept my teeth arnt white :L , when I was 12 I got a brace to stop me sucking my thumb ! it worked! it was a retainer and had prongs so I couldnt fit my thumb in , also my sister got hypmotised into stopping ! all this worked! x Hope this helped

Posted on 29 Jun 2010 20:55 by Natasha
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hi i am 14 years old this month and i still suck my thumb so they are very squint. can they ever be fixed and is there anyway that i can stop sucking my thumb? please please help me!

Posted on 14 Jun 2010 14:35 by keira
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I used to suck my finger at the age of 14 and one of the main reasons I stopped is because I got scared into stopping I know that sounds weird but I was really worried about getting braces and I got given a six month period to stop and see how much my teeth had grown back, but it is mainly just will power.

Posted on 23 Jun 2010 23:06 by Lewis
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Im 19 years old, i clean my teeth twice a day. Iv always had problems with my teeth since i was little. I have regular check ups & a few years ago when i had one dentist he always used to tell me my teeth were perfect. Once i changed dentist my dentist told me i had to have 12 fillings since then nothings gone right. I have a jaw line problem where my bottom jaw is forward and my top jaw is back. I feel self conscious around people i feel i cant smile showing my teeth i just want to be like any other 19 year old. I just dont see where im going wrong?

Posted on 29 May 2010 12:02 by Yo
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Ive just been told my 3 year old daughter has got trauma on her gum & tooth, this was due to a fall on concrete. The tooth itself is all yellow & out of line, when her tooth eventually falls out & her "big girls tooth" comes, will it still be like the current one or will it be normal???

Posted on 24 May 2010 21:26 by sarah
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every morning i wake up i get this wierd flem gunk kinda stuff in my mouth and my mouth is usually really dry so but brushing my teeth and using corsodyl mouthwash helps throughout the day help anyone?

Posted on 9 May 2010 16:28 by Connor
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hi im 13 years old and i brush my teeth 2 times a day and always have done. i use mouth wash plus i floss. But my teeth are still i horrid yellowish colour. What should i do?

Posted on 8 May 2010 14:01 by coral
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do you do them 2 minutes a day.

Posted on 18 May 2010 20:42 by sian
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use a good teeth whitener it brightens your teeth but get a sensitive toothpaste if that the case.

Posted on 23 May 2010 00:00 by lotty
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Hi, My eldest daughter is 3 and ever since she was 18 months old, she has had black lines on the base of all her teeth, and they are just starting to appear on the teeth of my 14 month old daughter. We brush both of their teeth in the morning and before bed with normal kids tooth paste. They both have a balanced diet, they only drink full fat cows milk and water (my youngest has SMA toddler milk before bed- out of a beaker) and have no other health issues. One dentist said she did not know what it was, because other than the lines, the teeth appear to be healthy, another said it was decay, which i find hard to believe, and the doctor said he did not know what it was, but they could try taking blood tests to see if there were any defiencies that may be causing the problem, but i do not really want to put them through any unecessary pain if i can help it. Has anyone ever come across this before, or have any suggestions?

Posted on 7 May 2010 16:25 by Lisa
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Did you take any antibiotics during pregnancy? Tetracycline antibiotics can cause this. Another cause can be iron supplements for children.

Posted on 20 Jul 2010 16:46 by Lib
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