Feeling something might be wrong with your teeth and not seeking treatment is a common occurrence for people who are nervous patients.Ā We understand this, but we do urge you to find a dentist who understands your fears, listens to you when you communicate your needs, and offers treatments that keep discomfort to a minimum. Your oral hygiene is intrinsically linked to your health and wellbeing and is therefore as important as taking care of any other part of your body.
We specialise in treating nervous patients, so can help to assess and treat any issues. However, bad teeth are often preventable before you ever have to see a dentist – and ensuring good oral hygiene is a simple way to reduce your chances of any issues developing.
Here we will share some simple tips that every person can try, which will help to prevent the following common problems that result from bad teeth:
- Tooth decay
- Tooth loss
- Receding gums
- Sore, red and bleeding gums
- Bad breath (halitosis)
- Gum disease (periodontitis)
- Tooth sensitivity
You will see that we are a professional, friendly and supportive dental practice when you visit our clinic, which has two locations in the Brighton and Hove area. If you think you may be affected by some of the issues that bad teeth and poor hygiene can cause, please get in touch with us to book an appointment.
Our Top Tips for Avoiding Bad Teeth
The following brilliant tips are very easy to incorporate into your current routine and will significantly lower your chances of developing bad teeth:
Try Switching to Sugar-Free Drinks (or Ones That Use Sugar Alternatives)
Remember that you can still enjoy the same sort of drinks, but always keep an eye out for sugar-free alternatives. It can be tricky to determine the best options, so make sure you look at the sugar content of each beverage individually.
There is a wide range of sugar-free alternatives to your favourite drinks. Yes! Even the sugary soft drinks have very tasty alternatives with no sugar, so make sure you choose the right type when shopping or ordering in restaurants.
You can also choose sugar-free gum, which many people do not initially think about as a potentially harmful source of sugar. Certain types of chewing gum may also help reduce staining and the appearance of bad teeth, too.
Try Whitening Products
Healthy teeth can have stains, discolourations and other cosmetic issues, which might make you think you have an underlying dental condition. However, so long as your dentist has given you the all-clear, you can try whitening products to improve the appearance of bad teeth.
Manufacturers add fluoride to whitening toothpaste, which can help strengthen and whiten teeth. If you do not wish to use fluoride toothpaste you can also try a toothpaste that uses sodium bicarbonate, which has similar effects.
Fluoride is not known to be harmful and many developed countries put it in their water supplies. The amount of fluoride in both plain water and toothpaste is very low, so you will never be able to taste the levels of fluoride from either source.
Make Flossing Regular
When it comes to implementing a reliable dental hygiene routine, regularity is key. If you can include flossing in your routine, you should make sure it is regular, as your teeth and gums need to get used to the effects of flossing.
Without regular flossing, your gums can be sore and even bleed when you do eventually floss. Getting used to the habit will strengthen the gums and greatly reduce the number of bacteria in the teeth.
If you do not like flossing, and many people do not, you can try using an air flosser or water flosser – these use air and water to pulse between the teeth and achieve the same effect as flossing. Just make sure you always get a reliable brand.
Avoid Black Tea, Coffee and Red Wine
That morning cup of coffee is a mission-critical part of the daily routine for many people. However, coffee and tea (particularly without milk) can both stain the teeth, making them look darker and less healthy than they are.
If you can avoid drinking black tea or coffee this can help, but you could also make sure that you brush your teeth after consuming them. Another alternative would be to opt for iced coffee, which is easier to consume through a straw.
If you use chewing gum, the sugar-free variety of course, then you can also reduce the impact of tea or coffee. Red wine drinkers can switch to another drink, or clean their teeth after consuming in the same way as tea or coffee.
Get More Vitamins and Minerals
Conditions like iron deficiency anaemia and low calcium lower the strength of the teeth and increase the chances of many dental problems. A good overall balance of nutrients will ensure that bad teeth do not come about as a result of your diet.
Drinking milk is a simple way to elevate your calcium levels, but you can also take supplements. Leafy green vegetables are also good iron, but again supplements are available. A multivitamin can also help you maintain healthy vitamin levels.
The best approach is to eat a varied balanced diet, which means you can still have your favourite not-so-healthy foods – so long as you have regular portions of nutritious food such as fruit, vegetables and other well-balanced options.
Avoid Carbonated Water
A rather unusual and often less-known aspect of dental care is the type of water you consume. If you drink plain water you will not impact your teeth negatively, but the carbonic acids of carbonated water can easily damage tooth enamel.
Over time carbonic acids can considerably weaken the teeth, making them vulnerable to many issues including tooth decay. Reducing enamel strength also means there is a higher chance of teeth breaking
Chewing on ice can also damage enamel, so try to avoid eating ice from a cold beverage. It is a much better idea to let a cube melt in your mouth gradually, which will reduce the chances of injury that comes from chewing a block of ice.
Quit Smoking Tobacco or Vaping
Quitting smoking is one of the most sensible choices to help avoid dental issues, as well as a multitude of other potential health problems – many being serious. Smokers can also have bad teeth due to the yellowing stains caused by nicotine.
Vapes contain nicotine and so are also a potential cause of bad teeth. The effects of vaping on teeth are also significant, with receding gums, gum irritation or bleeding and even tooth loss possible. Other issues may include bad breath.
You can find strategies to eliminate or reduce your consumption of tobacco products, such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRP). Unfortunately, there is no healthy level of tobacco consumption – so try to keep it as low as possible.
Are You a Candidate For Dental Implants?
If you have had multiple teeth removed due to decay, accidental damage or severe gum disease you may be thinking there is little you can do. However, if your bad teeth are far beyond cosmetic issues there are still potential options.
Some of the worst dental problems can be solved with dental implants, at least in terms of appearance. If you need a psychological boost from the negative effects of conditions including tooth decay or tooth, they can be a brilliant option.
Dental implants are a fairly substantial treatment, so it is not strictly speaking a part of your routine. However, once your dental implant treatment is complete you can establish a new routine to prevent any further issues down the road.
Avoiding Bad Teeth The Easy Way
You will still need to get regular checkups when following these tips. If you have not been going to the dentist for a while you may have missed a problem that you could have caught earlier, so it is well worth visiting a dentist who can spot the signs of bad teeth before they worsen.
It can be difficult to find a reliable dentist, especially if you are a nervous patient. However, we can offer a specialist service for people who are uncomfortable with the dentist – to guide you through the experience in the most supportive way, even if you have not had a check-up in a long time.
It is not usually a very frequent thing, for most healthy teeth a 6-month checkup may be all that is required. If you have an issue after your checkup your dentist may recommend a sooner checkup or a cleaning. Please get in touch with us to book an appointment at our Brighton-based clinic today.
01273 900933
hello@hovedentalclinic.co.uk
Mon – Fri: 8:30 – 18:00
Sat: By appointment only
Sun: Closed
