Purley hygienist Suzanne Hogan offers some advice to parents to help encourage toddlers to look after their teeth.

Parenting can be challenging at the best of times. Being on constant guard to the many dangers that surround young children, even in their own home, can be tiring to say the least.

By the time that they finally go to bed, we are often glad of a bit of peace and quiet. In our haste for this though, it is important to make sure that they don’t skip what should be their final ‘task’ of the day; giving their teeth a good quality brushing.

In today’s Confidental Clinic blog, we offer a few tips that parents might find useful to encourage their children to do this whilst they are still at a very young age. Not all may work for your child, but hopefully some will, or at least provide inspiration for your own unique methods.

The brushing challenge

Every child is different, but a resistance to brushing their teeth is often one of the first things that young children challenge us on. From their perspective, it makes sense. They don’t understand the importance of a healthy mouth and, in most cases, will not yet have experienced the searing pain of a bad toothache. When they are tired, and perhaps a little ‘cranky’, the last thing that they want to do is to brush their teeth.

At this age, you will need to supervise them anyway, but instead of simply watching them whilst they brush their teeth, it will probably help to encourage them if you brush your teeth at the same time. This need only be a relatively cursory brushing as you will need to brush your teeth before you go to bed too, and too much brushing may cause enamel erosion. Children nearly always copy what their parents do, both good and bad, so make sure that this is one good habit that they do copy.

Brushing in the bath

Read more ›

A few end of year words of guidance to prevent tooth damage during the festive indulgences.

Even if we are still busy at work, most of us will probably be mentally winding down ready for the festive holidays. Christmas dinners, parties with friends and relatives can be great fun, but it is a time when it is also easy to neglect our teeth a little. This could mean that a trip to the dentist is needed early in the new year, or worse still, an emergency dental appointment is required.

It doesn’t have to be this way, and, without spoiling the fun of Christmas, just a little care can go a long way to protecting your teeth. The Confidental Clinic dental team offer some useful advice below.

Keep up with your regular care

The first thing to say is that, however much fun you are having, it is important that you don’t relax your home cleaning regimen. We know that, at the end of a long day, and perhaps with quite a bit of alcohol consumed, it can be tempting to go to bed without brushing your teeth. With all the extra sugars that are likely to have been consumed throughout the day, this is asking for trouble. Make sure you brush your teeth well before you go to bed at night.

Mind the alcohol intake

Alcohol consumption rises at Christmas, and with it, accidents that can cause tooth damage. A fall or collision could result in a broken tooth, or even having one or more knocked out. Try to keep your alcohol consumption to a reasonable level and perhaps alternate your drinks with water or other soft drinks as well.

Put down that cigar

Read more ›

Sometimes, events that are out of our control can cause us to damage our teeth subconsciously, writes Dr Vinaya Soundrarajan.

Whatever your views are on one of the most hotly debated topics in recent history, there is a good chance that the outcome, or lack of outcome, may be causing you a certain degree of stress, anger or anxiety.

Subjects like this, which are largely out of our control, but which can potentially have a major impact on our lives, can often cause external signs of anxiety to manifest. One of these is that some of us will grind our teeth whilst we sleep. This can be very damaging and will eventually result in worn down teeth, and even breakages in more extreme cases.

Because grinding our teeth, or Bruxism, as it is also known, mainly happens when we are asleep, it can be very difficult to control, and ultimately, where it is caused by stress, the only permanent remedy is to deal with whatever it is that is causing this. Below, Dr Soundrarajan takes a more detailed look.

Symptoms

It is quite possible that you don’t even know that you are grinding your teeth. This can mean that a long period of time can pass before you notice some of the more obvious symptoms such as a worn or broken tooth. The following though, are some potential signs that you may be carrying out this tooth damaging habit in your sleep.

• Aching neck or jaw
• Sinus discomfort
• Regular headaches, particularly upon waking
• An increase in the sensitivity of your teeth
• Discomfort or difficulty when opening your mouth

Whilst these may also be caused by other factors, they are often good indicators that you may be suffering from bruxism.

Dealing with teeth grinding

Read more ›