Park Dental Care of Nottingham
Tel: 0115 9101 447
0% Finance Available
Meet Your Dentist:
Timothy Webber BDS BSc, principal dental surgeon at Park Dental Care writes:
For ten years it has been my incredible privilege to care for some amazing people at Park Dental Care. I love to meet people and find out about their lives. This makes looking after them easier and more rewarding. I have heard both tragic and inspirational stories and I feel honoured to have been let into my clients' lives. Through meeting so many warm, entertaining and interesting people my life has been enriched and I have learned a lot from them about worlds I would never otherwise have experienced.
I hope that in exchange, I have been able to offer a personal, compassionate service to my dental clients and professional advice based on my scientific reading and clinical experience. Every day I give easy-to-follow advice which can change someone's life- so on this page, I aim to blog great, simple dental advice.
Tooth Grinding. September 21
Are your front teeth flattened, rather than rounded and youthfull? Have you ever noticed chips in the tips of your teeth, receeding gums, sensitive teeth or a stiff or clicking jaw joint? Then you may be unconsiously clenching your teeth whilst you sleep.
I have ground my teeth during my sleep all my adult life. There are photos of me at 17 years old with nicely shaped, healthy upper front teeth smiling out at me. Then, as a 23 year old dental student, I looked at models of my own teeth and noticed that they were short at the front, flat at the back and had receeding gums at the canine, or "eye" teeth. Horrified at the damage done in just a few years, I started to learn about this strange phenomenon.
Now, in my practice I see people all the time with damage caused by tooth clenching. Most do not know they are doing it. And why would they- they are asleep! The dangers are multiple- less attractive, worn, aged looking teeth, short life expectancy for fillings, gum recession, tooth sensitivity, jaw joint pain and headaches. In extreeme cases, I have seen people split perfectly healthy teeth by clenching.
The great news is that these problems are not inevitable- a professionaly made splint, made of clear plastic and worn at night gives good protection. I have worn one of these for over 15 years, but have learnt that they are very time consuming to manufacture. For those unable to wear a removable splint, muscle relaxing medecines can be used to reduce the ferocity of the grinding.
So!- If you think you may be grinding your teeth, get it checked out now; there are answers and you will prevent trouble later.
Straightening teeth. August 10
Would you like to have straighter teeth?
Most of my clients would. The reasons are obvious; a natural, straight, white smile portrays health, confidence, education, vigour and social advantage. It also makes it much easier to keep your mouth clean and therefore healthy. I find that people with straight teeth tend to have healthier gums and keep their teeth for longer.
There are many ways to straighten natural teeth without resorting to "caps" or other more invasive and risky treatments . Hundreds of my clients have straightened their teeth with modern adult orthodontics. Whilst the "train track" braces sported by teenagers certainly do work on adults, there is just no need for the "Ugly Betty" look. The majority of my clients choose clear, white or Invisalign braces that fit into their lifestyles and are pleasantly surprised at how something so simple and small can get such great results.
So, If you want straight teeth, it does not matter how old you are- modern adult orthodontics makes it possible.
Tooth Whitening. June 7
The question I am most frequesntly asked: "Does tooth whitening really work?"
The simple answer is "Yes!" Although my considered answer is not quite that simple. I'll explain:
Tray based whitening with 10% carbamide peroxide is established as a safe, effective and economic tecnique for whitening teeth. A great many independant, highly respected scientific sudies dating back over 25 years have given evidence to reasure me that this tecnique, used appropriately is totaly safe. I have seen no evidence whatsoever to concern me regarding this tecnique.
How do you know you are getting this whitening treatment? A dental professional takes models of your teeth and manufactures ultra-thin trays- like minimalist gumshields- on casts made from these models. The carbamide peroxide is provided in a gel form manufactured for dental use according to European CE or Americal FDA standards. You should be taught how to use the gel and trays. It may take several weeks to whiten your teeth and you may experience some short lasting sensitivity.
What happens if you are offered an alternaive treatment? Variations of the above treatment have been designed to simplify or speed up the whitening. Many experienced and well respected dentists offer alternatives and can show good results. There is even some research to support some of these. However the above, tried and tested system has by far the most scientific support and, crucialy, decades of follow up studies to reassure you that teeth whitened decades ago have not been harmed. Most concerningly, whitening treatments are often provided by untrained people who are uanble to say how thoroughly the system they are using has been tested.
How about "laser whitening?" I am asked this, or about "power" or any of the other instant whitening treatments almost as often. It is a very attractive idea: instant results. However, the whitening achieved in an hour does not last as long, can cause pain and is not as safe.
My advice is: if you want to have white teeth:- go for it! Tooth whitening is safe and effective if carried out by a professional using the tried and tested technique.
Wisdom teeth problems. February 20
I helped a student today, who had suffered pain for some days at the back of her mouth and, concluding that her wisdom tooth was responsible had come to see me. Once we had settled that her wisdom tooth was the indeed culprit, she wanted to know why this had happened now- was the tooth "pushing through?" She also assumed that she would have to have the tooth removed.
This is such a common occurence that I though I would post some reassurance. Most wisdom tooth problems are essentialy gum disease- inflammation due to imperfect cleaning. This happens easily with wisdom teeth for three reasons:
Many people do not have to have their wisdom teeth removed, even if there is not quite enough room for them and even if they are stuck "half-in, half-out". They can manage their wisdom teeth themselves with a little professional guidance. For example, the student I helped today should be able to keep her wisdom teeth indefinitely- in fact they may even come though fully and be normal, functional teeth.
The treatment is basically the same as prevention- get the tooth really clean and keep it clean. I supplied this student with a special little brush, designed to go under gum flaps and with a medicated gel, which she will push under the around the tooth with the brush. This will be uncomfortable to do for the first few days, and she may have to take a paracetamol half an hour before brushing. brushing will initialy cause mild bleeding, but over a few days the gum will recover. No need for antibiotics, no surgery, a healthy, natural answer and pretty much free.
However, some wisdom teeth problems are more sinsister- causing decay to the neighbour tooth, causing deeper infections, even cysts. Some wisdom teeth should be removed. So if your problem persists for over a week or re-occurs, I advise a professional examination, normaly including an X-ray to help predict the long term risks and benefits of keeping versus removing the tooth. But take heart- in my expereince most people can avoid having them out!
How long does a filling last? January 20
I am frequesntly asked this question. (Or one of it's variants- regarding crowns, veneers or other treatment.) Of course this is a very important question when you are deciding to invest time and money in dental care. Frustratingly, it is almost impossible to answer. I would like to think that my treatments are going to last forever. Unfortunatly the only permanent treatment I am able to offer is to remove a tooth! Therefore, to give a useful and fair answer, I need to consider a lot of different factors.
It is rather like buying a new car and asking how long it will last. If you are very careful, very lucky and do everything right- garage it overnight, service it at the prescribed intervals, change the oil every 5,000 miles, have every strange noise or warning light investigated straight away, always have the maintenance work suggested by your mechanic carried out and wash, dry and wax it every week, then it may last for 20 years. In fact I have a 42 year old car that works magnificently- but it has been truly loved by every owner it has ever had. Conversely, if you just drive your car without any maintenace at all, it could be scrap within a year.
So- back to fillings! According to NHS statistics, the average filling lasts about 7 years. I have clients with perfectly functional fillings that they have had for 40 years. Why did they last so long? Here's why:
Small fillings last longer. So do fillings that only repair one surface of the tooth, rather than lapping over from one surface to another. More importantly, the filling lasts longer if there is a lot of that tooth left- in other words a small filling in a big tooth. Even more importantly, what proportion of the filling is exposed biting forces? If most of the filling is in the tooth, and only a small portion is exposed to chew on, it will last longer than if the filling replaces a whole chunk of tooth, with only a thin base of the filling being stuck to the remaining tooth. All very interesting, but you are not in control of any of these factors.
However, you can control:
How well and often you brush. The weak link is the join between filling and tooth, and some of this join is often between the teeth, where it is hardest to brush, so flossing or pipe-cleaning make a big difference.
How much and how often you eat sugar- see my earlier advice on decay. Decay around a filling is the most likely reason it will need to be replaced.
Whether you clench or grind your teeth whilst you are asleep. Either will shorten the life expenctancy of your filling. I often advise treatment for clenching to avoid valuable fillings or other dentistry being compromised.
Lastly; if you play a contact sport- wear a professionaly made gumshield. This represents fantastic value for money.
If you find yourself having fillings replaced sooner than 7 years, ask yourself why and take action to prevent a dreadful cycle of drill-and-fill dentistry which makes the hole bigger and bigger until eventualy you loose the tooth.
Decay. December 20
Why do some people just seem to get decay?
I was helping a young, fit and health guy today, who had just unexpectedly broken a back tooth. As I looked in his mouth, I saw more and more to be concerned about. The tooth had been weakened by decay and then broken whilst eating something fairly innocuous. Several other teeth were similarly decayed.
What confused him was that there had been no warning, no discomfort and his teeth looked fine. "How has this happened?" he wanted to know.
Decay is caused by the bacteria which naturally live in all our mouths feeding off sugars. The more often you eat sugar, the more active the bugs become. They are so simple that they don't store food- they feed when you do. In between they become inactive and your mouth has a chance to recover and repair the damaged tooth surfaces.
Eat some sugar and for two hours the bugs cause damage to your teeth. Then the body begins rebuilding and in four to six hours the teeth are strengthened again. It is a careful balance. Eat three meals a day and you are unlikely to suffer decay. Snack in between and sooner or later you will need fillings .
So- back to my guy with the broken tooth. He had a pretty health diet, but drank coffee (white, one sugar) whilst at work. He probably consumed no more than four teaspoons of sugar per day. The problem for him was that these were spread out at two hourly intervals between meals. Bingo! -he got it straight away.
So what do you need to be on the look out for if you want to avoid decay? Obviously sweets and biscuits spell trouble, but other culprits are: Raisins, fruit, snack bars, juice, energy drinks and even "no added sugar" squash.
You really can get away without fillings- as long as you are prepared to cut out the snacks and drinks and maintain good oral hygiene with quality tooth paste.
Gum Disease. November 19.
I hate breaking bad news. When it's a young woman to whom I have the task of explaining that she has advanced gum disease, I feel rotten. Today I was feeling pretty bad as I sat next to a very upset girl and talked to her about how she could help to fix her gums. That made me think: why aren't we taught this stuff at school? There are campaigns to help schoolchildren understand and hopefully avoid heart disease - and yet even most adults don't understand or know how to avoid gum disease!
Most people in the UK have some signs of gum disease, and most teeth that are lost are because of this disease. Yet it is normally painless, has few signs recognisable in everyday life, and is often only diagnosed when it is at an advanced stage. But the great news is that it is preventable! You can learn to spot the signs and, in all but the most advanced cases, it can be treated in time to save your own teeth.
"Oh no!" I hear you think. "I wonder if I have gum disease?". The answer is probably "Yes!". But before you panic, it must be stressed that the term 'gum disease' encompasses mild early inflammation, which may be completely reversible if you take action now, as well as disease that has already caused permanent damage.
How can you tell if you are affected? Everyone should have regular dental check-ups, and these should screen for signs of gum disease. How often you should be screened depends on a variety of risk factors, which I assess for my clients. I recommend to some lucky people that they need only have their gums re-checked every two years; however, a small number need to be re-checked as often as every three months.
You should be concerned if:
If you are worried, the most important pieces of advice I have are: