With about one-third of the population suffering from cancer at some point in their lives, asking your dentist to investigate any painful or unusual sensations or marks in your mouth can be a life-saving decision.
The disease can be treated effectively if caught in time, and underlines the importance of being extra vigilant about the way we react to and seek advice about strange or unusual signs on any part of the body.
While a regular appointment at the Hereford Dental Clinic is a wise move, you should hesitate to report any symptoms such as small red or white sores that are very painful and do not clear up naturally after a week or so. The sores are often very sensitive to hot and cold food and drink and may also be bleed. Other signs of oral cancer include bleeding in the mouth, unexplained weight loss and pain in the neck or head.
If you have any anxieties about anything in your mouth it’s really essential to have it checked out as soon as possible by a Hereford Clinic dentist. It may be nothing more than an annoying mouth ulcer, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry – and your dentist will be very pleased to take a look, as you stand a more than 80% chance of surviving the disease, but the odds decrease quickly the longer you leave it.
The other important thing to remember is that by keeping up regular appointments with your dentist they will be able to examine your mouth for any signs of the disease.
Although the actual cause has still to be determined, the lack of oral hygiene, smoking, chewing tobacco and drugs that are rubbed on gums are seen as a factors. Tumours can grow on the lips, inner mouth, gums and tongue, forming lumps, lesions and white spots.
The process is usually quite painless, although a burning sensation is felt in the latter stages, generally the result of a cut caused by brushing. Difficulty with swallowing, throat infections and swelling are often associated with Oral Cancer, while poor blood circulation caused by diabetes and other related blood disorders are among accepted causes. Excessive use of alcohol not only harms the liver and kidneys, it also contains enzymes long associated with cancer cell growth in all parts of the body.
Ask your Hereford dentist about how oral hygiene will greatly reduce the chances of Oral Cancer. Our dentists are helping in the battle to beat cancer, but you need to be vigilant and make sure you have your regular check ups.
LOOK OUT FOR SIGNS TO BEAT CANCER
ALWAYS TAKE ADVICE BEFORE TEETH WHITENING
An investigation by consumer watchdog which? has underlined the importance of consulting your dentist about teeth whitening, after illegal products which could burn the lining of the mouth were found on three popular websites.
Advertisements for the potentially dangerous treatments were discovered on Amazon, eBay and Google, and the websites agreed to stop the products being listed on their pages.
In 2009 a European Union regulation banned the sale of teeth-whitening products containing more than 0.1 per cent hydrogen peroxide or chemicals which release hydrogen peroxide.
The limit was introduced in response to concerns that the substance could damage teeth, lips or gums. Said the the British Dental Association: “High doses of hydrogen peroxide can burn the lining of the mouth if it’s not protected”.
The three websites confirmed that the advertisements had been removed, and that “appropriate action” would be taken if others were discovered in future.
Teeth whitening at the Hereford Dental Clinic has successfully been carried out on hundreds of patients in one of two established and well-proven treatments to improve the overall appearance of your smile in an efficient and painless way.
There are two methods for whitening your teeth – home whitening or in-surgery power whitening.
To whiten your teeth at home, impressions are taken of your upper and lower teeth at the Clinic, allowing the laboratory to custom make your trays. We then provide you with whitening gel and easy to follow instructions. The process is safe and fast. You may see a change in as little as 14 days.
This professional teeth whitening system offers the latest, most advanced state-of-the-art technology to whiten teeth. Our in-house whitening system can be used in conjunction with the home kit to achieve the best results.
A whitening consultation is needed in order to assess which technique best suits your requirements, and regular visits to the hygienist will ensure you maintain your teeth in tip-top condition.
THE MODERN WAY TO KEEP DENTURES IN PLACE
Modern advances in cosmetic dentistry are matched with their proven success and popularity among patients, but there are still a significant number of people wearing dentures who regularly seek our advice at the Hereford Dental Clinic.
Discussions with patients, and dental examinations at our clinic, reveal that many patients are concerned about loose-fitting dentures, and the embarrassment and stress this problem can cause.
While dental adhesives do work, these days there is a permanent solution to an ill-fitting denture, and the need to keep it in place with an at least daily application of adhesive gel, which can in itself restrict a wearer’s choice of food.
Welcome to the world of mini-implants, which are small screws fitted by the dentist to fuse with the jawbone and tissue and act as an ‘anchor’ for your dentures. Once the implants are firmly in place, your dentures can be adjusted to fit, and clip on and off the new fixtures.
Having provided you with dentures that will stay put, and the freedom to eat as you choose, your Hereford hygienist will advise on the proper care and cleaning of dentures, as well as how to look after the soft tissues and remaining teeth.
Daily cleaning is a must to prevent build-up of plaque and stains, use water or a mouthwash after eating, electric brushes are safe to use but care should be taken with dentures, and your hygienist may also recommend a clasp or denture brush.
Dissolved denture cleaning tablets can reach surfaces missed by brushing – but household detergents should definitely be avoided – and your mouth will benefit from a rest if you can remove your dentures for six to eight hours in 24.
Always feel free to telephone or email the Hereford Dental Clinic for advice, or make an appointment to see one of our dentists.
NEW FACE-LIFT FOR A YOUNGER LOOK
A near-perfect set of teeth is probably high on the wish-list of most dental patients, but having a look-younger, face re-shape while sitting in the dentist’s chair may not occur to many.
Pioneered in the USA, the Non-Surgical Smile Lift is now available in the UK where, according to the Daily Mail, Dr Mervyn Druian can restructure the face to make it look up to 10 years younger.
Using veneers, widely used in cosmetic dentistry on mis-shaped, chipped or discoloured teeth to provide a whiter smile, he places the thin layers of porcelain over the upper and lower teeth to subtly reshape the face.
The Mail quotes him as saying: “As we age the teeth wear down and the jaw recedes, leading to the facial height [the area between the nose and chin] decreasing and the lower part of the face dropping. All this causes the facial proportions to change and you get a slackened appearance. Veneers can be used to lift the whole face”.
The treatment has its critics, with Dr Irfan Ahmad telling the newspaper: “Having a treatment like this is a serious decision with serious consequences. The irreversible damage done by grinding natural teeth is permanent. It may have a subtle effect on lips and cheeks for someone who has missing teeth, but for the majority of people not affected in this way, you may want to look at alternative treatments before parting with thousand of pounds”.
But Deborah Chester, a 45-year-old London writer, said she was pleased with her new grin, and pleasantly surprised by the changes to her face, which made her look younger.
” My lips were slightly fuller and my face looked more filled out and balanced. It wasn’t a dramatic change, but it definitely made me feel younger”, she told the Mail.
Meanwhile, you may decide to join the hundreds of patients who have sought the expert advice of the cosmetic dentistry team at the Hereford Dental Clinic about how to improve your smile – and how to maintain good dental health as the years pass by.
NEW SENSOR CAN DETECT FLUORIDE LEVELS
News that a Florida State University researcher has developed a molecular sensor that changes colour when a sample containing fluoride is added to it could put an age-old debate back in the spotlight.
The device, for which a patent has been applied, is said to detect about one ten-thousandth of a milligram of fluoride in a litre of water, making it one of the most sensitive fluoride sensors developed to date.
Fluoride is a natural mineral that is found in many foods and in all drinking water, where the level varies from area to area. According to the British Dental Health Foundation it can greatly help dental health by strengthening tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay, particularly among children.
Whether or not your drinking water contains fluoride will depend on where you live, but most toothpastes now contain fluoride, and many people get their fluoride this way.
Those against its use point to ‘dental fluorosis’, caused by having too much fluoride when the teeth are developing. This can happen when fluoride supplements are taken by children under 7 who live in areas where the water supply is fluoridated. It can also happen when children swallow toothpaste.
Many reports have been published throughout the world about the pros and cons of fluoride, but the Dental Foundation maintains: ” After many years the scientific conclusion is that fluoride toothpaste and correctly fluoridated water, salt and milk are of great benefit to dental health and help to reduce decay, and cause no harmful side effects to general health”.
For a professional view, feel free to consult your dentist at the Hereford Dental Clinic, who will be pleased to advise on any topic concerning your dental health and that of your family.
EARLY MAN TOOK HIS TIME – AND LIVED LONGER
We may take them for granted, but a sophisticated new examination of teeth from 11 Neanderthal and early human fossils show how slow-growing more modern humans had the edge over their ancestors.
The finding suggests that our characteristically slow development and long childhood are recent and unique to our own species, and may have given early humans an evolutionary advantage over Neanderthals.
The research, led by scientists at Harvard University, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology (MPI-EVA), and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), is detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Teeth are remarkable time recorders, capturing each day of growth much like rings in trees reveal yearly progress,” says Tanya M. Smith, assistant professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard. “Even more impressive is the fact that our first molars contain a tiny ‘birth certificate,’ and finding this birth line allows scientists to calculate exactly how old a juvenile was when it died.”
Professor Smith and her colleagues found that teeth growth in a young Neanderthal – an indicator of overall development – was significantly faster than in our own species, including some of the earliest groups of modern humans to leave Africa some 90,000 to 100,000 years ago.
The current study involves some of the most famous Neanderthal children ever discovered, including the first hominin fossil, discovered in Belgium in the winter of 1829-30. This individual was previously thought, based on comparisons with modern humans, to have been four to five years old at the time of death. Now, powerful synchrotron X-rays and biological rhythms inside teeth have revealed the child was only three years old.
So next time you look in the mirror, remember that early humans may have taken longer to grow up than their ancestors, but this gave them longer to learn and think about life, possibly giving early Homo sapiens an advantage over their Neanderthal cousins.
TOP TIPS FOR A KNOCKED-OUT TOOTH
A British winter may make memorable photographs, but snow and ice can bring dangers, particularly if your child has fallen over and has knocked out one of their permanent front teeth.
It’s a scenario that panics even the most calm parent, and how to deal with the situation quickly and efficiently can make a huge difference to the outcome and the child’s appearance.
So this advice from the Hereford Dental Clinic could be invaluable:
1. Comfort the child, and immediately try to find the tooth.
2. Do not scrub it, but clean any debris gently.
3. Ideally, rinse the tooth in the child’s saliva, or if you are the parent use your own saliva – but otherwise use milk.
4. If you can, place the tooth gently but with a little pressure into its socket, checking it’s the right way round – but don’t worry too much about the angle.
5. If you can’t put the tooth in place, keep wet in saliva or milk – and get to a dentist as soon as possible.
6. Tell the dental practice you need to be seen immediately.
If you have any concerns about what to do in an emergency, or what day-to-day steps to take to care for your child’s teeth, your Hereford dental team will always be pleased to talk to you on the telephone or live on-line.
A dental implant may be required to replace a tooth that cannot be saved; we offer this treatment at the Hereford Dental Clinic.
