Dentists in Northfield, Birmingham

Hilltop Dental Practice in Birmingham provides NHS and Private fillings, white fillings and cosmetic fillings.  But why do you need fillings?

 What are Cavities?

“Cavities” is another way of saying tooth decay. Tooth decay is heavily influenced by lifestyle – what we eat, how well we take care of our teeth, the presence of fluoride in our water and toothpaste and of course our home care and and how effective we are at cleaning our teeth.  Heredity also plays a role in how susceptible your teeth may be to decay.

While cavities are generally more common among children, adults are also at risk. The types of cavities include

• Coronal cavities – the most common type occurring in both children and adults, these cavities usually are located on chewing surfaces or between the teeth
• Root cavities – as we age, gums can recede, leaving parts of the tooth root exposed. Since there is no enamel covering tooth roots, these exposed areas easily decay.
• Recurrent decay – decay can form around existing fillings and crowns. This is because these areas may have a tendency to accumulate plaque, which can ultimately lead to decay.

Adults are especially at risk for cavities if they suffer from dry mouth, a condition due to a lack of saliva. Dry mouth may be caused by illness, medications, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, or if you become repeatedly dehydrated (athletes for example) and may be either temporary (days to months) or permanent, depending on its cause.

Cavities are very serious. Left untreated, a cavity can destroy your tooth and kill the delicate nerves at its center, which may result in an abscess, an area of infection at the root tip. Once an abscess forms, it can only be treated with a root canal treatment, surgery or by extracting the tooth.

How Do I Know if I Have a Cavity?

Only your dentist can tell for sure whether you have a cavity. That’s because cavities develop below the tooth’s surface, where you can’t see them. When you eat foods that contain carbohydrates (sugars and starches), these carbohydrates are eaten by the bacteria in plaque, producing acids that dissolve the tooth. Over time, the tooth enamel begins to break down beneath the surface while the surface remains intact. When enough of the sub-surface enamel is eaten away, the surface collapses, forming a cavity.

Cavities are most likely to develop in pits on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, in between teeth, and near the gumline. But regardless of where they occur, the best way to spot them and treat them before they become serious is by visiting your dentist regularly for checkups.

Some people have symptoms like sensitivity to hot or cold, pain when they bite their teeth together or a bad taste or smell.  If you have any of these symptoms you should see your dentist.

How Can I Help Prevent Cavities?

• Brush at least twice a day and floss or use an interproximal brush every dai to remove plaque from between teeth and below the gumline.
• Have regular dental checkups. Preventative care can help stop problems from occurring and keep minor problems from becoming major ones.
• Eat a well-balanced diet that limits starchy or sugary foods. When you do eat these foods, try to eat them with your meal instead of as a snack to minimise the number of times that your teeth are exposed to acid.

Use dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste and fluoride mouthwashes. 

Hilltop Dental Practice in Birmingham provides NHS and Private fillings, white fillings and cosmetic fillings.  But why do you need fillings?

What are Cavities?

“Cavities” is another way of saying tooth decay. Tooth decay is heavily influenced by lifestyle – what we eat, how well we take care of our teeth, the presence of fluoride in our water and toothpaste and of course our home care and and how effective we are at cleaning our teeth.  Heredity also plays a role in how susceptible your teeth may be to decay.

While cavities are generally more common among children, adults are also at risk. The types of cavities include

• Coronal cavities – the most common type occurring in both children and adults, these cavities usually are located on chewing surfaces or between the teeth
• Root cavities – as we age, gums can recede, leaving parts of the tooth root exposed. Since there is no enamel covering tooth roots, these exposed areas easily decay.
• Recurrent decay – decay can form around existing fillings and crowns. This is because these areas may have a tendency to accumulate plaque, which can ultimately lead to decay.

Adults are especially at risk for cavities if they suffer from dry mouth, a condition due to a lack of saliva. Dry mouth may be caused by illness, medications, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, or if you become repeatedly dehydrated (athletes for example) and may be either temporary (days to months) or permanent, depending on its cause.

Cavities are very serious. Left untreated, a cavity can destroy your tooth and kill the delicate nerves at its center, which may result in an abscess, an area of infection at the root tip. Once an abscess forms, it can only be treated with a root canal treatment, surgery or by extracting the tooth.

How Do I Know if I Have a Cavity?

Only your dentist can tell for sure whether you have a cavity. That’s because cavities develop below the tooth’s surface, where you can’t see them. When you eat foods that contain carbohydrates (sugars and starches), these carbohydrates are eaten by the bacteria in plaque, producing acids that dissolve the tooth. Over time, the tooth enamel begins to break down beneath the surface while the surface remains intact. When enough of the sub-surface enamel is eaten away, the surface collapses, forming a cavity.

Cavities are most likely to develop in pits on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, in between teeth, and near the gumline. But regardless of where they occur, the best way to spot them and treat them before they become serious is by visiting your dentist regularly for checkups.

Some people have symptoms like sensitivity to hot or cold, pain when they bite their teeth together or a bad taste or smell.  If you have any of these symptoms you should see your dentist.

How Can I Help Prevent Cavities?

• Brush at least twice a day and floss or use an interproximal brush every dai to remove plaque from between teeth and below the gumline.
• Have regular dental checkups. Preventative care can help stop problems from occurring and keep minor problems from becoming major ones.
• Eat a well-balanced diet that limits starchy or sugary foods. When you do eat these foods, try to eat them with your meal instead of as a snack to minimise the number of times that your teeth are exposed to acid.

Use dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste and fluoride mouthwashes.

WHAT TOOTH PASTE SHOULD I BE USING?

A Good oral hygiene regime is the foundation to a healthy mouth.  Much dental disease can be treated and prevented, simply by looking at how you brush and what you use. 

There are many toothpastes, mouth washes and gels out there to choose from to help you work toward a better, healthier mouth and a common question we get asked is . . . “Which toothpaste should I be using?” 

The answer to this all depends on your individual needs.   Many types of toothpaste contain fluoride, a substance that helps to rebuild teeth and reduce the chances of decay.   Some toothpaste have higher amounts of fluoride than others, therefore if you suffer from tooth decay, always needing a filling when you visit the dentist it’s an excellent idea to use a toothpaste with a high amount of fluoride.  The higher the “pap” of fluoride, the more fluoride it has. 

Other toothpastes contain ingredients to help with fresh breath, dry mouth, acid erosion, stain reduction, sensitivity and gum disease.  Think about what’s most important to you and then read the toothpaste box.  Some of the large brand toothpastes such as Colgate and Oral B have toothpastes with ingredients that cover multiple dental problems.

Although there is no substitute for carefully cleaning your teeth twice daily and removing plaque, tooth pastes such as Colgate Total Advance and Colgate Pro Gum health can be used to help in the fight against gum disease.  Both contain varying amounts of Triclosan and Co-Polymer,  compounds which have been proven to be more effective than plain fluoride toothpastes in improving plaque control and gum health.

SENSITIVITY

Sensitivity can be a major issue and can have a serious impact on your lifestyle.  For those with extreme sensitivity it would be advisable to tell your dentist.  However if your sensitivity is mild and brought on by cold drinks etc  then toothpastes such as Sensodyne Repair and Protect, Colgate Pro Relief and Sensodoyne rapid repair all contain elements that help to reduce and stop mild sensitivity.

ACID EROSION

With increasingly healthier life styles being lived there has been an increase in the amount of acid erosion wear in a number of people.  Acid erosion comes from easting high acidic food such as citrus fruits along with high acid drinks, such as isotonic drinks and fruit juices.  The amount of erosion depends on the individual and may vary due to the quantity and quality of saliva and eating and drinking habits (for example drinking a fruit juice in one go is better for your teeth than sipping it for a length of time).  Another tip is to avoid brushing your teeth for at least 30 minutes after eating or drinking anything acidic.  This is because the acid softens the enamel of the teeth temporarily and tooth brushing can cause damage at this time.

Products such as Sensodyne Pro-enamel  helps to prevent further damage to enamel and it has a fluoride count of over 1,400pm.

STAIN REMOVAL –

Whitening tooth pastes can be very abrasive to teeth, literally wearing away the enamel and dentine which in turn can cause sensitivity.   It’s  best therefore to visit your dentist or hygienist for advice on staining removal and whitening.   Nonetheless, Oral B Pro Expert pride themselves on being able to prevent staining and remove some stains without being abrasive to the tooth’s surface

-HOW THEY SHOULD BE USED IN CONJUSCTION WITH EVERY DAY HEALTH CARE REGIME

Tooth brushing should be carried out twice a day making sure you are brushing last thing at night and on one other occasion.

-Children aged 7 to ADULT

Adults should use a pea sized amount of tooth paste that contains 1500ppm mount of fluoride. This can be seen on the back of the toothpaste in the ingredients section.  Spit out after brushing do not rinse as this will ensure the toothpaste stays in contact with the teeth for longer and fluoride is not rinsed away

Children aged 3-6

 Tooth brushing should be carried out twice a day making sure you are brushing last thing at night and on one other occasion both supervised by an adult a pea sized amount of toothpaste should be used in the range of 1350ppm – 1500ppm and once again spitting out the toothpaste and not rinsing.

Please also make sure that the child does not eat the toothpaste.

Child up to 3 yrs old

Parents should start brushing twice a day as the teeth come through use only a smear of toothpaste between 1000ppm and 1350ppm fluoride.   Do not allow your child to lick or eat the tooth paste.  Too much fluoride consumption through “eating” toothpaste at an early age can affect the appearance of the adult teeth.

THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY NEITHER HILLTOP DENTAL SPA OR ITS PRACTITIONERS AND STAFF ARE ENDORSING ANY PARTICULAR PRODUCT AND ANY CLAIMS MADE ARE TAKEN FROM

Most people think that dental implants are a fairly new advance in dentistry, but would you be surprised to know that they have been available since the early 1960′s!

Implants are used to replace missing teeth with crowns or bridges or to stabilize dentures They are made from titanium which is a hypoallergenic metal.

As dentists in Birmingham we recommend an initial assessment at our dental practice if you are interested in an implant; there we will discuss the potential benefits to your comfort, appearance and function.  We will usually need to take an x ray as well and this is included in the initial implant assessment fee of £90.00.

Dental implants are placed directly into the jaw bone to act like a tooth root.  It’s a fairly straight forward procedure and is done using the same local anesthetic you would have for a filling.

A small incision is made and the implant placed into the bone.  The procedure only takes about 30 minutes and following implant placement any swelling and discomfort are minimal.  Paracetomol or similar will manage any discomfort and usually this is only taken for the day of the procedure.

The implant can be attached to a crown, bridge or denture after 3 to 6 weeks. In some cases the implant may be used straight away although this will make it more likely to loosen.

Osseointegration is successful in more than 90% of people, and it is important to maintain healthy teeth and gums to protect the implant.
We are dentists in Birmingham are able to offer dental implants at a cost of £875. The attached crown costs a further £875. The overall cost including the temporary crown, associated x rays and aftercare is approximately £2000 if only one tooth needs replacing.

To stabilize and retain a full lower denture two implants would be needed which with the attachments to the denture costs around £2200.

For bridges each implant may support more than one tooth.
It is important to attend your dentist regularly for maintenance after completing treatment. Good oral hygiene around the implants and existing teeth is essential for long term success.

If you would like to know more or would like to book an assessment call us on 0121 475 2321.

At our Birmingham Dental Practice our patients ask us how to care for their new dentures.  Here are a few facts, tips and hints to help you get the most from living with a denture.

NHS and private dentures are usually made of strong plastic called acrylic.  Metal dentures are made from stainless steel or cobalt chromium.

The first time you have dentures, whether its full dentures or partial dentures, you should eat softer foods for the first few days, avoiding sticky and hard to chew foods.  This will help you to get used to eating with your new denture.  Before long you should be able to tuck into your favourites as before.

Your new denture may initially give you sore spots on your gum; this is quite normal and usually easily cured.  Telephone the dental practice and tell the receptionist why you want the appointment, you will usually be offered an appointment the same day or following morning.  Wear your denture for a couple of hours before the appointment, even if it is sore to wear.  This way the dentist can see where the denture is rubbing by the red mark on the gum and can effectively adjust your denture to make it comfortable.

Don’t be disappointed if you have to make a couple of return visits for minor adjustments, this is not unusual and we are always pleased to ensure your denture is the best fit possible.

Initially you can leave the denture in all the time, to help you get used to it.  But after two weeks it is important to leave your denture out overnight.  It is important that your gums have the opportunity to “cleanse” themselves; this is done by the saliva in your mouth.  Failure to allow this self cleansing can lead to fungal irritations in the mouth called Candida.

When you are not wearing your denture keep if safe in beaker of water.  The water prevents the denture from “drying out” which can cause it to shrink.

To clean your denture, use a denture brush and denture paste, such as Dentucreme.  Ordinary toothpaste is too abrasive and may scratch the surface of your denture, which may lead to the denture being stained by food and drink such as tea and coffee.  Sterident can be used, but take care not to put the denture into boiling water as this can cause the denture to “bleach” (lose its colour) or worse become weak prone to cracking or breaking.

Remember to brush your denture all over, not just the teeth, and try holding it over a sink of warm water, that way if you should drop it the water will cushion the fall, making it less likely crack or break on the sink.

If the worse happens and your denture cracks, breaks or even loses a tooth, it can usually be repaired quickly and effectively.  Bring your denture to the dental practice (before 9.00am if possible) and we will return it to you at around 9.30am the following day.  These repairs are usually free of charge.  In some cases we can repair your denture the same day!

By looking after your dentures and your mouth, you should not need to replace your denture for 3 years; but you feel they are looking a little stained or discoloured we can arrange to have them professionally cleaned for you for a small fee.

As always if you have any questions, telephone us on 0121 475 2321.