Oral cancer Awareness month

1st Nov till the 30th Nov

Here at Park Place Dental, feel confident in knowing that every appointment with a clinician will include a full oral cancer screening.

• Oral cancer is disease which caused 7700 deaths in 2011

It historically affects more men than women:-

Roughly 4500 men and 2500 women.

• People over the age of 40 are more likely to be diagnosed with mouth, head and neck cancer
• It affects any part of the mouth such as lips, cheeks or tongue.
• The main risk factors is tobacco use , in any form such as smoking cigarettes, ‘roll ups’, cigars, pipes and also chewing tobacco products such as pan, betel quid and snuff.
• Drinking alcohol is also a risk factor for Oral Cancer; Combined with smoking the risk is increased up to 30 times!
• Recent new research suggests that in the next 10 years  the Human Papilloma Virus(HPV) transmitted through oral sex will become the main risk factor for developing Oral cancer

Please make sure you regularly see a Dentist/ Therapist/Hygienist for an examination at least every 6 months and any lumps, non healing ulcers/wounds which remain in the mouth/lips for 10-14 days or more should be reviewed by a dental professional.

Every year nearly 55,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK, that’s the equivalent of one person every 10 minutes.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the team will be running a variety of events throughout the month in order to raise awareness and to raise money for such a worthy charity.

We are going to be organizing a raffle for two lovely ‘pink’ hampers, cupcakes are going to be on sale and the fancy dress is already ready to wear – even by Mark !!!

Follow us on facebook for the latest  events throughout the month!!!!

Cold sores are caused by a virus called Herpes  simplex and can be found in and around the  mouth, eyes, nail beds and almost anywhere on the  body that is covered with skin cells.

The virus lies dormant with in nerves and when activated by  sun, cold weather, general un-wellness or stress will  re-activate. It will present as a wet, weeping blister on the affected  regions, as demonstrated left on the lip.

Cold sores are very contagious and therefore direct  contact such as kissing, sharing cups, glasses, cutlery, should be avoided at all times, until the blister has completely resolved and no signs can be seen on the affected area.

It is also wise to change your toothbrush as they can be the perfect place for the virus to live and hence raise the risk of triggering a new outbreak.

Patients are always advised to cancel any upcoming dental appointments whilst they have a cold sore as dental treatment can create an aerosol spray that can cause the virus to spread thus re infecting the patient.

Medicaments such as Zovirax (Aciclovir 5%) as soon as the affected area is tingling at 4 hourly intervals can be used to reduce the duration of the blister.

If you would like any further details then please contact us.

Emma Williams -Dental Therapist.

Gum disease is a common condition that affects more than 80% of people at some point in their life time.

It is caused by plaque accumulation along the gum line and more so in between teeth. This can cause the bone and ligaments around the teeth to be destroyed over time which results in the teeth having less support. If left untreated these teeth can eventually be lost prematurely.

Despite advances in modern day dentistry there is still no cure for gum disease, the condition can only be stabilised by the following measures.

Visiting a dental team for correct diagnosis involving gum measurements and radiographs (xrays) which demonstrate the severity of the gum disease.

• Education on the cause and nature of the disease
• Most importantly , education on how to reduce plaque levels in the mouth with excellent tooth brushing and interdental cleaning (cleaning in between your teeth daily!)
• If excellent oral hygiene practices are adopted advanced treatment such as Root surface debridement (deep cleaning ) become available which have a great effect in stabilising gum disease.
• 3 monthly cleaning appointments with a Therapist/Hygienist.

If you would like to read more about how to keep healthy gums or would like to know more then please contact us.

 Tooth decay is unfortunately still a common problem with 84% of adults having one or more fillings – the average being 7 fillings and 31% of adults have tooth decay. A third of all children starting school have tooth decay and one in five people think that fluoride is a marketing gimmick. One in five of us cannot remember when they last changed their toothbrush!!!!   However funnily our toothbrush came top of the list of things we could not do without when we go on holiday – but more than half of us would share that brush with someone else  – 24% with our partners, 18% with our children, 7% with a friend and 6% with a celebrity!!!! So here are our top tips to prevent dental decay:

•  Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes with a toothpaste containing fluoride – if you only brush once a day you are a third more likely to get decay. Adult toothpaste should contain 1350-1500 ppm (parts per million) fluoride. For children under 3 use a smear of toothpaste of no less than 1000ppm. After three use a pea sized amount of adult toothpaste twice daily until the age of seven.
•  Limit your intake of sugary foods to meal times – ideally only three per day. The main cause of decay is not the amount of sugar in the diet but how often it is eaten or drunk throughout the day.
• Try and substitute sugary snacks between meals with safer foods – such as those containing natural sugars e.g. fruit or artificial sweeteners.
• If you have a sweet tooth then look for sugar free sweets containing Xylitol – it can help prevent tooth decay.
• Chew sugar free gum after eating , especially after lunch when you may not be able to brush, as this will stimulate your saliva and neutralize the acid created by eating sugary food that cause tooth decay.
• Visit the dentist regularly to get the best preventative advice and to catch any problems early – when things are easily treated and before there is any pain.

If you would like any further information on this subject then please contact us !

Book a Bridgework Consultation with Mark Today.

Fortunately higher numbers of people are keeping more of their teeth into old age. However, for several reasons such as extensive decay, trauma or gum disease someone may have to have a tooth extracted. If this occurs there would be two main reasons to replace the missing tooth.

Firstly, you would want to maintain an ability to effectively chew your food. However, the loss of an individual tooth will rarely impact on this ability to a large extent. As adults we will have 32 teeth, 12 of which will be molar teeth. Research has shown that we can afford to loose up to 12 teeth – effectively all of our molar teeth – and not loose any ability to eat and chew a complete diet. However, to maintain this number it may be necessary to replace a tooth.

The next main reason to replace a missing tooth would be for cosmetic reasons as the importance of your smile can not be underestimated.

There are three main ways to replace a missing tooth :

• Dentures – these can be an effect method of replacing several missing teeth. However, most patients would like to avoid wearing a denture unless absolutely necessary.
• Implants  – these can be wonderful at replacing a missing tooth. However, many patients may not be suitable, possibly due to medical reasons. One of the main barriers to having an implant is the cost.
• The other very effective way or replacing teeth is with dental crown and bridges. The benefits are they are highly cosmetic, cannot be removed and are usually more cost effective than implants.

To book and appointment or to find out more please contact us.

Dental whitening or dental bleaching is a fantastic process that can be used to lighten discoloured teeth and take years off the aging process that results in your teeth darkening over time.

The most effective system according to the research to lighten your teeth using a home bleaching system. Impressions are taken of your teeth and small, soft custom made gumshields are made of your teeth. Then you can place small amounts of the home bleaching gel into the appropriate teeth and wear them for a few hours a day. Times to achieve a good degree of whitening will depend upon several factors such as the age of the patient, the type and extent of the discolouration and the level of whitening desired.  However, a good degree of whitening can be achieved by most patients within 10-14 days.

The most important point is to get good advice from an experienced cosmetic dentist over suitability of dental whitening for you and to avoid using products bought over the internet that are often unregulated and can have chemical properties that can damage your teeth with prolonged use.

 Properly prescribed dental bleaching will be very safe with few consequences apart from slight possible sensitivity to extremes of temperature during the period of active bleaching. This can easily be managed with over the counter toothpastes for sensitive teeth.

Results will last for up to 2 years and can easily be maintained by keeping the gumshields safe and purchasing top up tubes of the whitening gel.

The other great use of dental whitening can be the correction of a darkened tooth as a result of a past root filling. Once the infection has been successfully treated with a root filling the tooth can be lighted by using the same at home system. However, the bleach can also be used to bleach the affected tooth from inside as well as outside safely at home over a few days. Whereas the results of internal bleaching can be less predictable great results can be achieved as shown in the following photos.  Bleaching should be one of the first considerations when trying to improve a smile before other treatments such as dental bonding or veneers.

Mark was awarded his Masters Degree in Restorative dentistry in 1996 and has twenty years of experience in cosmetic dentistry and regularly teaches and lectures on the subject.

National Smile Month Competition!

Guess how many toothpastes are in the vase and the first person to correctly guess will win an electric toothbrush!!

Please submit your answers to reception@cwdp.co.uk

Terms and conditions:
Only one guess per person.
The first person to correctly guess will close the competition.
If there is no correct answer the closest person on the 17th June will be the winner.
There is no cash alternative to the prize.

Good oral health has many benefits – a wonderful smile can be a great asset and something we will discuss in future posts.  Healthy gums will enable you to keep your teeth into old age and to read more about what gum disease is please follow the link.  There is growing evidence that unhealthy gums can contribute to you developing diabetes, cardiovascular (heart) disease, strokes, premature babies and other systemic conditions.

SO how do we keep our gums in tip top health !!?

• Brush your teeth twice a day – before you have breakfast and before you go to bed. Remember to gently brush the gums as well as the teeth!
• Use an electric toothbrush as they are more effective at removing plaque from your teeth.
• Clean in between your teeth with dental floss or small interdental brushes. This removes harmful bacteria from in between the teeth where a lot of gum disease can begin.
• Use a mouthwash containing an antibacterial after cleaning between your teeth before you go to bed.
• Stop smoking if possible – smoking is one of the main causes of gum disease as well as oral cancer.
• Have regular dental check ups which will include a thorough assessment of your gums as part of a comprehensive oral health assessment.

If you are worried about your gums or have any questions the please contact us.

National Smile Month has arrived!

As well as regular information on how to improve your oral hygiene we are pleased to have a range of offers throughout the month.

For the whole month from the 18th May – 18th June we are offering 50% off our full oral health and cosmetic consultation – £45 instead of £90. In addition there is a discount of up to 50% off a range of cosmetic treatments such as dental whitening, stain removal, white fillings and Smile Tru invisible braces .

To find out more about the specific offers please contact us or telephone 029 20 373831 for further details.