MouthWISE
Dental Hygiene Services & Advice
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Care for the elderly
Teeth Whitening
Your Childs Teeth
Secrets for a super smile
General Advice
Testimonials
Contact Us
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MouthWISE offer a number of bespoke dental hygiene services: Teeth Whitening at 'Little Retreat' in Chalfont St Giles Domiciliary Dental Care for the elderly Dental Care for all the family at home Free online dental hygiene advice for you and your family MouthWise was created in 2010 by Justine Reeves-Paine Dip RDH Insured with Dental Protection Registered Professional with the GDC Member of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) UK
Care for the elderly
Care for the elderlyMouthWISE recognises that dental care for the elderly and the infirm is often hard to obtain.We aim to address this by offering on-site dental hygiene care within care homes throughout the South of England.We believe this is a unique service...We visit you or your elderly relative in the comfort of their care home.We offer the same standard of care that can be delivered within a dental surgery.Our prices are competitive as our overheads are low and we aim to see multiple patients at each home in a single day. Please see below for more information ___________________________________________________Lack of oral care in the elderly can lead to possible impairment of quality of lifeMouthWISE aims to prevent this by providing 'Domiciliary Care' - which is an arranged visit to your care home, hospital or place home. It is for any age group who are unable to attend the dental surgery, for medical reasons, however it is a service that is primarily designed for the elderly and/or infirm.The organisation of such a visit will be performed by a professional hygienist, who will liaise with the patients general dentist, care home/hospital or doctor as required.A simple treatment plan/letter of referral can be acquired by us and any medical conditions can be taken into account. Once the necessary information has been gathered a suitable date & time will be arranged directly with yourself, the care home, family, hospital or guardian.The population is growing, we are living longer,healthier lives and therefore should be keeping our teeth for life. Teeth can last a life-time with regular screening and maintenance .Every mouth and its appliances (dentures, implants, bridges, crowns) need to be maintained, free from harmful bacteria and deposits and more importantly screened by a dental care professional( DCP), even for those without teeth.The cost of correction is far greater if conditions such as tooth/root decay and chronic gum disease are left for long periods,with detection early sometimes the initial signs can be reversed or put right at a smaller cost to the patient. Our teeth deserve this maintenance as they are used for smiling, eating and speech, without them life can deteriorate and it can be depressing for so many. Leading to lack of confidence and nutritional deficency. The harmful bacteria in the mouth can cause significant health problems, relating to heart disease, strokes and type two diabetes.The mouth should not be a place to fear, with a little time, patience and care your mouth can feel fresh, clean and comfortable. Your hygienists experience should be a satisfying one, he/she can apply simple numbing gels to the gum to reduce any worries and sensitivity. Monitor your mouth, detect disease and give advise on diets causing decay or acid erosion. Grinding, tooth wear and receding gums issues can be diagnosed and referral and advice can be given. COMMON PROBLEMS EFFECTING AN AGEING MOUTHGingivitis - (inflamation of the gum), Red, puffy and easily to bleed gums. An early stage of gum diseased caused by 7- 10 days of bacterial build-up. Sometimes this can be hormonal, however the morjority are simply due to the bacterial build-up.Peridontitis - (loss of bone around the teeth) A disease found both in the young and old, the loss bone caused by a build-up of many species of bacteria, which destroy the bone usually at a slow rate, causing the teeth to gradually become mobile.Xerostomia - (dry mouth syndrome), sometimes drug induced or an auto--immune disorder simply age. This is very uncomfortable and can cause problems with eating, speech, halitosis, a burning mouth and difficulty withkeeping dentures.Ulcerations (general atphous) - Due to poor oral hygiene, poor diet, hormonal changes, broken or sharp teeth, trauma and ill fitting dentures.Iron deficiency - Iron is important for the health of the mouth and depletion can effect a patients immune response (the response for each individual to fight off disease).Iron deficiency is very common and can cause many chronic conditions in the elderly.Candidiasis (Thrush of the mouth) - A yeast-like fungus and a bacterial infection which alters the mouths oral flora and is usually seen under dentures. It can be caused by iron deficiency, lowered immunity or induced by some antibiotics.Lichen Planus - There are various forms, very common in the middle aged and the elderly. Commonlyin women (65%) compared to men. The cause is unknown and can last for years and can flare up due to health care problems and spicy or salty foods. It is commonly found by the cheeks, tongue, gums and lips.Rarely on the palate (roof of the mouth) and under the tongue.Keratosis - (white keratinised areas) This can be quite common and can be due to many reasons. Presents itself sometimes in smokers, denture wearers, places of trauma and where there is frictional problems.Stomatitis - (denture sore mouth), this is by far this most common fungal infection.Angular Cheilitis- (inflammed corners of the mouth), caused by ill fitting dentures and severe wear of the teeth.Mouth cancer - Early detection is vital. If in doubt consult a dental care professional, who can refer you to an oral medicine department within in a dental hospital. It may need to be investigated with a histological check or a biopsy carried out. Especially heavy smokers and drinkers.Glossitis - (inflamed tongue) Effecting the elderly, another form of candidal infection, which must be recognised and treated.
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Teeth Whitening
Teeth teeth whitening serviceWhitening will be carried out by a fully trained Dental Hygienist. However this procedure will only be carried out if each individuals mouth and overall health is appropriate for treatment and a referral is granted via your dentistThe Dental Hygienist carrying out this procedure will liaise with your general dentist, if required to gain a referral for treatment (this is required due to current laws governed by the General Dental council). Consent forms will need to be signed and dated.Indications for whitening Discoloured teeth due to diet and ageingNaturally dark teethFluorosis: internal discolouration of teeth due to high levels of fluoride taken during development of teeth.Tetracycline Staining: Due to systemic antibiotics during development of teeth. Grey tones tend to whiten more effectively than yellow and brown tetracycline stained teeth. In this case the whitening process will take a lot longer.Each patient needs to be aware that whitening screening and cleaning of the teeth should be carried out prior to your home whitening treatment. After which the stages are as follows:Mould are taken of your teeth to produce plaster models of your teeth.Trays are made using your modelsShades and a mouth photo will be taken of the existing teeth colourThe fit and comfort are checkedA demonstration on how to fill the tray reservoirs are givenInstruction and advice sheet will be given on whiteningThe product strength will be given to suit each person (lower % strength for those with sensitivity and a slightly higher % strength for those without sensitivity)Contra-indications to home whiteningUncontrolled periodontal diseasePregnancyAge - patients must be aged 16 and above. Mouthwise can also offer a unique home service with a mobile dental unit-similar to that used within a dental surgery.Are there side affects?There are no permanent side effects if this procedure is carried out by a dental professional.Short term side effects such as enamel/dentine or cementum dentinal sensitivity are quite normal on occaisions, but this can be cured with the use of fluoride.The gums can be effected by a chemical burn should the mouth trays be over loaded with the product.This will heal normally after a few days of non-whitening and will not cause any permanent damage to the gums.
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Your Childs Teeth
Caring for your childs teethAs a caring parent it is your responsibility to make sure that your child learns the important skill of caring for their teeth. By starting at an early age you can make the process of them cleaning their teeth an easy one. Your child can then go on to develop beautiful teeth, which will improve their looks, give them confidence and ensure that they do not suffer from a general fear for the dental profession.How teeth developYour childs teeth begin to take shape before they are born (In utero). The first set of teeth to come through will be their baby teeth (deciduous) 20 in total, followed by their permanent teeth, 32 in total.Baby teeth - Although your childs teeth will have begun to develop before they were born, the teeth will not show themselves until after about six months and all will have erupted by the age of three. Your child may experience some discomfort while their teeth are erupting through. This is completely normal. Unless you feel that something is wrong, there should be nothing to worry about. If you are unsure, then you should contact your dentist/hygienist/therapist for advice.Even though baby teeth will eventually be replaced by permanent teeth you still need to ensure they are given good dental care for many reasons. The development of your childs teeth plays an important part in their speech, mastication and digestion. By the age of twelve, the last milk tooth will likely have fallen out.Permanent teeth - When the permanent teeth come through, thirty-two in total including the wisdom teeth. Permanent teeth usually start to come through at six years of age, and will all have shown themselves by about the age of thirteen. Wisdom teeth will be the last tooth to erupt from late teens onwards depending on whether there is space in the mouth. In some cases they can be absent.What can you do to protect your childs teeth?Your childs teeth require care and attention from an early age and as soon as they come through. Below are some tips and advice to help you care for your childs teeth:Make sure that your child does not eat or drink a limited amount sugary products(Be aware of hidden sugara). Poor diet will lead to erosion and decay of the teeth. Fizzy, high acidic drinks and continuous sucking of sweets should be avoided.Your child should attend the dentist on a regular basis. You can start by taking them with you for your dental check ups, which will demonstrate to them that there is nothing to fear about the dentist. Children typically require more regular examinations than adults due to typically higher decay rates.Fluoride supplements may be necessary for the protection of your childs teeth. Ask your dentist or hygienist for further advice.Make sure your child cleans their teeth twice a day. Your child should leave the remanents of the toothpaste to provide longer fluoride contact with the teeth.Inbetween cleaning will be necessary, ask your hygienist for a demontration with various suitable interdental aids.You should get your child to use toothpaste with a minimum of 1,000ppmF (this is the amount of fluoride in the toothpaste). This is just about the right level of fluoride intake for children. After the age of six years they can use adult toothpaste, but only a pea-sized amount.Start a good routine for life........
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Secrets for a super smile
The Secret to a Super SmileRegular visits to a dentist or hygienist to detect early signs of disease, to maintain good oral hygiene by scaling and polishing every 6 to 8 months (no longer than a year) is highly recommended for a healthy mouth. However patients who are genetically susceptable to disease, may be advised to see a hygienist more frequently, normally at three monthly intervals.Practice good cleaning twice a day everyday - twice thoroughly is better than six times at speed, slow and thorough, not hard and fast.Plaque must be physically removed from the teeth and gums, with a small headed medium soft brisled electric or manual tooth brush. Giving extra attention to the biting surfaces where cavities are likely to form and to the inter-dental area (inbetween each tooth).Healthy gums do not bleed!!! Small cavities can be found and repaired at less discomfort to the patient. Large cavities cost more to repair and can eventually involve the pulp leading to a condition known as 'pulpitis' (dental abscess). Cleaning inbetween your teeth is vital as plaque and food can stagnate causing halitosis (bad breath) and gum disease which will lead to bone loss, which causes the teeth to become mobile.If this build-up goes undisturbed for years the bacteria will cause gingivitis and subseqquently bone loss (periodontitis) - which is a more destructive type of gum disease than gingivitis.Most patients we examine present themselves with more disease at the back of their mouths - this is simply because they always clean their front teeth more. They may have issues with gagging, they may have a tongue thrust problem where the tongue pushes the brush out. Some women have this problem during pregnacy. The saliva building up fast may make brushing brief, as the need to swollow occurs.Therefore I recommend starting the teeth brushing process from the back inside by the palate or by the tongue and work the toothbrush round slowly cleaning two teeth at a time. Points the bristles towards the gum (half on the tooth and half on the gum).Crowded teeth can add to difficulty with cleaning and therefore more brushng time will be required in order to prevent disease. See an orthodontist for advice on how to straighten your teeth with a fix or removable brace. This is not just beneficial asthetically but will aid prevention of gum disease.The fixed brace however is the most effective and satisfactory in terms of result, especially if your teeth are rotated. It is worth the time, effort and cost and will achieve that perfect smile with no expensive cosmetic work required and is not invasive to your own natural teeth. You can consider whitening your teeth after to achieve that fresh bright smile. This can be carried out and controlled by you in your own home. The result is just as effective as the In-house Zoom whiening but is slower and more controlled with less or no sensitivity.Further options for that 'Perfect smile' are:1)Porcelain Veneers - Custom designed porcelain overlays.Pros: Give you the choice of colour and shape and can be ideal for intrinsically (internally stained) teeth. Caused by antibiotics(which is not so common today as doctors are aware which antibiotic cause to occur in children and will therefore not use them) at a young age when the teeth are developing or via overuse of systemic fluoride.Cons: Invasive, costly, can come off or crack. Will not achieve the perfect goal unless the teeth are straight. This option is really for the permanently marked teeth.2) Bleaching - WhiteningCan brighten up your smile in as little as one hour in- house. (in the dental surgery) or one to two hours for up to two weeks at home in a laboratory made tray. We are now advising most patients to try the home whitening, which is just as successful.Pros: Professionally, bleaching offers immediate results without any effect to the teeth and is a small price to pay. Worth a try before going down the veneer root.Cons: Sensitivity can be a big issue for people. However this can be prevented with before and after care products and is not so severe with the home care whitening systems.3) Cosmetic Contouring with compositesRe-shaping or filling a gap known as a diastama. This can be carried out without injections and is achieved by the product being etched and bonded onto the teeth.Pros: Creates an illusion of straightness so teeth look less crowded.Cons: They can come off, they can stain around the margins, they can cause recession if the correct gum marginal cleaning is not carried out.4) OrthodonticsFrom Invisalign to traditional braces, there are many different ways to straighten up your smile. Well worth the money without any damage to your teeth.Pros: Moves your own teeth into a better looking and functioning position.Cons: The only downside is time and that depends on how extreme your case is. Sadly sometimes a jaw operation is also necessary. Sometimes a few teeth need to be removed to make room. However these are normally removed from the back of the mouth and this would not be noticeable after the remaining teeth are in their best position.Teeth during this procedure do however need the strictest of dental hygiene and on occasions the teeth can be sensitive to bite on after they have been adjusted, but this is only usually after your appointment with your orthodontist.After treatment removable or fixed retainers must be worn in order to hold the teeths new position.
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General Advice
Importance of a healthy smileDental hygiene is one of the most important activities you can partake in. Clean and good looking teeth will give you a confident smile and looking after your teeth is an investment for life. Teeth are for life and they have an important function to aid speech and digestion as well as asthetics. They will always need maintenace and care. The mouth is a mirror of the body and it's health.Defiencies, illness, hormone changes and many other disease can be first seen in the mouth. 'The mouth is a mirror of the body'Brush your teeth twice a day - This will help to remove any plaque and bacteria from your teeth, providing protection against tooth decay and gum disease. However, make sure you dont brush your teeth too vigorously, as this can lead to damage usually seen in at the necks of the teeth. This type of brushing can lead to sensitivity-dont saw across the necks of teeth, simply go round and round and sweep down from the gum to the tip of the teeth. The necks or roots of the teeth are softer, this part of the tooth is called cementum and is darker in colour.Floss or use inderdental brushes between all your teeth every day - This will help to remove food and disease causing bacteria. If you floss only once a day then it is advised you do so before going to bed as the saliva slows down and all the days food particles and bacteria can have a long undisturbed night to cause damage. Remember disease can be slow and it takes many days to course a cavity or gum disease to appear. Use mouthwash - This is a difficult one...yes there are lots of fantastic mouthwashes out there, however I would only use the one recommended by your dental professional. Not everyone needs to use them. We would much rather get the patient to achieve a good healthy mouth without other adjuncts, apart from the right sized toothbrush, floss and a good toothpaste.Some mouthwashes are not to be used long term, especially mouthwashes containing chlohexidine which can stain your teeth.This mouthwash should be used only in certain circumstances. It will stain your teeth with a dark brown stain (dont worry it can be safely cleaned off by a professional).Use fluoride based dental products - Fluoride is essential in the fight against tooth decay and helps remineralise early decay and above all will cure and prevent sensitivity. It is included in most toothpastes apart from homoeopathic pastes and sometimes is added to tap water in some parts of the UK. Cases of tooth decay have been reduced since its addition. A pea sized amount is all that is required and it's remains can be left in the mouth without rinsing for added benefits.It is vital to have a regular dental examination to detect early decay known as white spot lesions. These can be reversed by remineralisation using fluoride and good brushing. Your children need to be examined every 6 months as there decay rate is higher, for adults it is normal to have yearly examinations unless they have a high incidence of caries.Most tooth decay occurs on the biting surfaces of pre-molars and molars, therefore good brushing and for longer is advised.If a childrens tooth anatomy on the back teeth is rough with deep pits and fissures, then a technique called fissure sealing can be carried out by your dentist or hygienist. (kind of like putting a glass top on a table to protect it). There is no drilling involved with this procedure and is a good start to giving your child an experienc of surgery procedures.However once placed it is best to have them checked at 6 monthly intervals with your childs normal examination. They are easy to place and worth ever penny in the early years of the permanent teeth and the higher risk of decay years.They are best to be placed as soon as the grown up molars appear and must be fully through, to make the application successful.Visit your dentist regularly - It is of utmost importance for early detection of disease and therefore regular a regular dental appointment for a routine examination and scaling and polishing by your hygienist is key. Every six months is recommended for children and yearly for adults. Early detection will catch things like a cavity when it is small and will be easier and less dental time to correct.Avoid sugar or regulate it to meal times Regular intakes of sugary foods can lead to tooth decay. Sucking sweets or lolly pops are the worst. Rather than eating sugar based products you should try replacing them with fruit or savoury. Beware of hidden sugars!! Raisins are high in natural sugars and worst of all impact between the teeth.Dont leave a problem unchecked, it will only get worse - If your teeth have suddenly become sensitive to sweet things, cold or hot drinks, see your dentist. Sweet sensitivity means a possible cavity, cold not so bad but needs advice regarding finding stopping the cause, as cold sensitivity can be caused by many things. Hot and cold or tender to bite is one not to leave, this could potentially lead to a tooth abscess in a filled tooth.Dont give your child sweets for a snack - Giving your child sweets as a treat during the day will increase the risk of tooth decay. Replace sweet snacks with fresh vegetables or fruit. The same applies to sugary drinks, its not the quantity but it is the frequency. Chewing sugar free gum, will help raise the Ph of your saliva and will stimulate more saliva to enter the mouth. Causing more washing and buffering to occur.Everything in moderation is always the key.Dont rush through cleaning your teeth - If you rush the act of brushing your teeth, plaque and food debris is likely still to be in place. You need to take your time when brushing your teeth and ensure that each tooth and tooth surface is given sufficient time and care. The same is true for the gums.Dont clean your teeth too frequently - Twice each day, slowly and thoroughly is sufficent, starting from the back and working your way around, Cleaning two teeth at a time, squeezing the bristles in and between the teeth and gums.A small brush is easier to use and a large brush will cause you too miss the required areas.
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Testimonials
I am extremely happy with the results of my teeth whitening. The detailed information and advice you gave prior to and during treatment was so very helpful, particularly on getting round any teeth sensitivity issues, and I felt my programme was completely tailor made to my personal considerations. In addition the descale and clean you carried out to give me the 'perfect smile' was second to none, and on visiting my dentist shortly after, she declared it a rare pleasure to see such a clean and healthy mouth. Thank you so much for giving me the bright and confident smile I now enjoy!Kate - June 2011
Contact Us
MouthWISE
Landmark HouseNarcot LaneChalfont St GilesBucksHP8 4DXTel: 01494 871000Email: contact_mouthwise.co.uk
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