The Dental Advice Thread

[dope540]

yeah, it'd be good read. depending on how safe your lecturers are, might not be suitable for discussion with them.

[suj]

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Hey Suj,
You should probs see a dentist if its been that long but I guess its hard to get an NHS dentist these days! It sounds like it might just be a bit of calculus. The lower front teeth are a common area for a build up of this.

Calculus forms from dental plaque. Dental plaque is the white furry stuff that you can scratch off your teeth at night before you brush your teeth. This stuff is a collection of bacteria. Plaque can turn to calculus when it takes minerals from your saliva and hardens and this commonly occurs at the bottom front teeth because you have a salivery gland duct behind there and saliva pools at the bottom of your mouth. Normally in areas where theres calculus I have found areas of swelling of the gums. So you may find your gums bleed when you brush them? It sounds like the calculus builds up and falls off and builds up and falls off again.

Suggested treatment:
1. Register with a dentist- they can spot early decay in your teeth and restore the necessary teeth to make sure you keep hold of your teeth till old age!! Also they can check what you are describing as I can't physically see it.
2. They will give you a scale- which removes calculus, that you cant really really remove yourself.
3. Maintain good oral hygiene at home i,e, brushing 2 times a day and flossing

Hope it helped

taa for that mate, i have always had excellent teeth/eye sight, but my teeth have been having that problem for the last 6months (but on twice in that time), i always brush minimum of once, like tom i sometimes forget the nightly one, but for the past 2months been doing both times frequently!

the first time it happened i pooed myself lol, but it was back to normal, i will try and go dentist when i'm back in birmingham (my home town) from uni!
thanks mate, just was worried it was gum disease!

[musefan]

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taa for that mate, i have always had excellent teeth/eye sight, but my teeth have been having that problem for the last 6months (but on twice in that time), i always brush minimum of once, like tom i sometimes forget the nightly one, but for the past 2months been doing both times frequently!

the first time it happened i pooed myself lol, but it was back to normal, i will try and go dentist when i'm back in birmingham (my home town) from uni!
thanks mate, just was worried it was gum disease!

No worries mate. Gum disease is actually common amongst the population but there are 2 main types:
1. Gingivitis- red looking gums, gums that bleed easily- this is reversible by better oral hygiene i.e. brushing and flossing. Most of the UK population have mild forms of this.
2. Periodontal disease- for the unlucky people, this includes gum recession, bone loss around teeth and mobile teeth.

It's good to have a dentist so they can spot things early and fix it

[Tomskiii]

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taa for that mate, i have always had excellent teeth/eye sight, but my teeth have been having that problem for the last 6months (but on twice in that time), i always brush minimum of once, like tom i sometimes forget the nightly one, but for the past 2months been doing both times frequently!

the first time it happened i pooed myself lol, but it was back to normal, i will try and go dentist when i'm back in birmingham (my home town) from uni!
thanks mate, just was worried it was gum disease!

I have my lower front teeth scaled every time i see the dentist so if your slack like me it seems pretty likely its the same thing.

[musefan]

Just found this:

Oral Hygiene & Dental Care Information, Articles & Resources | Colgate Oral & Dental Health

Pretty handy!!

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Can you answer me this question? Or rather this -

Why is it that we are cautioned (especially children) to spit out toothpaste and mouthwash and never swallow?

[suj]

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Can you answer me this question? Or rather this -

Why is it that we are cautioned (especially children) to spit out toothpaste and mouthwash and never swallow?

fluoride being so harmful?

[NU_nutrition_TS]

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fluoride being so harmful?

I suppose that is the answer I was fishing for!

[musefan]

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Can you answer me this question? Or rather this -

Why is it that we are cautioned (especially children) to spit out toothpaste and mouthwash and never swallow?

In children if they ingest too much fluoride during their years whilst their teeth are developing- they may get fluorosis or mottled enamel.

http://www.waybuilder.net/sweethaven...th/fig0215.jpg

In adults its not so much an issue as your teeth are developed and the fluoride can't be incorparated into your tooth structure in the same way. I normally advise adult patients to spit toothpaste out rather than to rinse with water as the flouride can help protect your teeth longer that way.

Hope that helped

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Thanks for the response.

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In children if they ingest too much fluoride during their years whilst their teeth are developing- they may get fluorosis or mottled enamel.

http://www.waybuilder.net/sweethaven...th/fig0215.jpg

Some further questions based on your responses:
So why is fluoride added to tap water in certain areas if ingestion in children can lead to fluorosis (I would venture there are much more toxic effects to ingestion than this!)? They have (or are going to) added fluoride to milk for children - surely they are ingesting these sources of added fluoride on a regular basis?

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In adults its not so much an issue as your teeth are developed and the fluoride can't be incorparated into your tooth structure in the same way. I normally advise adult patients to spit toothpaste out rather than to rinse with water as the flouride can help protect your teeth longer that way.

Hope that helped

If adults cannot incorporate the fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwash into their tooth structure, what benefit is there for them? Why are we counselled to use fluoridated toothpastes/mouthwashes etc?