Dental surgeon, Sarah Nackasha offers some advice for those wavering.

Although there are probably some smokers who will never stop unless absolutely forced to do so, the majority of people who smoke would probably prefer to quit if they could. A combination of health awareness, rising costs and a lack of places to smoke in public (1) means that some of the ‘pleasures’ associated with smoking cigarettes have largely been taken away.

As some of our Bedford patients will be aware, we will soon be coming up to ‘Stoptober’ a month of public health information, provided by Public Health England, which is designed to help and encourage people to stop smoking. For today’s blog, we thought that we would offer our own contribution to this debate a little earlier than usual. Here are some of the main reasons that the team at The Dental Centre Bedford came up with when we asked them why they thought people should ‘stub it out’.

Money and health

If you can’t convince people that smoking isn’t good for them, the dramatic rise in the cost of cigarettes over the past few years should go some way to correcting this. If you smoke even 10 cigarettes each day, at an approximate price of say £10 for 20 (and that is cheaper than many!); over the course of a year, you would have spent £1,825.00. We are pretty sure it’s easy enough to think of lots of things where that sort of money would be better spent!

Health is an issue that we perhaps close our eyes to when it isn’t affecting us directly. Anyone who knows someone who suffers from a smoking related disease though, is very likely to make more effort to stop. Don’t wait until it affects you or someone else; help to avoid health issues all round by stopping smoking.

The ageing process

You can often tell a long term smoker by their complexion as many smokers generally have dry and old looking skin. Smoking dehydrates the skin and, over time, it will lose its elasticity at a faster rate than a non smoker, leaving you looking older than your years.

Oral health issues

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Dr Sarah Nackasha says get a custom built mouth guard and look after your teeth!

The World Cup may not have gone exactly how we wanted it to in the end, but it didn’t stop many people getting inspired by the ‘beautiful game’ and lots of enjoyment was had.

The weather has also brought many of us out of our homes, into the fresh air to enjoy healthy outdoor exercise like football, rugby, rounders and tennis.

These types of activities are fantastic for cardiovascular health and for mental well-being, and should only be encouraged for all age groups. However, they do have a hidden risk that you may not be aware of. All sports, but especially contact sports or sports using balls carry a risk of dental injury. This is where the teeth or gums (or both) along with the soft tissues in the mouth are damaged during sport. These injuries can be as minor as a bruise or small cut, or as extensive as a broken jaw, teeth knocked out and deep soft tissue damage.

The risk of injury is certainly minor in comparison to the huge benefits of regular exercise. However, there are things you can do to minimise the risk for yourself when you play sports, so that you don’t have to endure the pain, costs and inconvenience of a dental injury.

Keep Your Teeth Healthy

Weaker teeth will be damaged much more easily than strong, healthy teeth. If you have teeth which are already wobbly or damaged by decay, they are much likely to be damaged or come out during a moment of impact than if they are completely healthy. Eating and drinking a healthy diet, avoiding smoking and excessive drinking, maintaining an excellent oral health regime, and visiting your Bedford dentist regularly will help to ensure your teeth are as healthy as possible.

Avoid Sugary Sports Drinks

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Unwanted gappy smile?

Celebrities like Madonna have made gaps between the teeth very appealing and desirable for some.

However, gaps between the teeth aren’t a feature some people want to maintain, and some people would prefer not to have any gaps between their teeth at all.

In some instances, gaps between the teeth can cause dental issues that can cause damage to the teeth over time and so need to be addressed.

Do you have gaps between your teeth that make you feel self conscious? Do you wish your smile could be gap free? If so, there are some excellent modern dentistry options available to you here at your Bedford dentist so you can get the smile you have always wanted.

Bridges

Depending on how many gaps you have, or where the gap is, it may be appropriate for a bridge to be fitted. A bridge may be all it takes to effectively ‘close the gap’, simply preparing adjacent teeth to support the crowns which hold the bridge in place.

Veneers

Veneers are used for a wide variety of reasons, because they can completely transform a smile. They are very thin sheets of porcelain which fit over prepared teeth, presenting teeth that are whiter, and the exact shape you desire. So they can be made wider to close the gaps between the natural teeth, creating the perfect gap-free smile!

Cosmetic Bonding

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Keep your teeth and smile looking younger for longer.

As we grow older, invariably we will notice the changes in our appearance. The desire to spend boisterous nights out recedes and we perhaps care a little less about the style of clothes we wear, opting for function over design. Our natural activity levels can also drop and some of us will force ourselves to go to the gym to compensate.

Another side effect of ageing is that our teeth and gums can start to show signs of wear and tear. For some, long term negligence in cleaning finally catches up and fillings and even extractions are a consequence, as is gum disease. Even if we have looked after our teeth well though, our teeth are unlikely to look as nice as they used to do when we were younger.

Tooth discolouration

It is widely believed that discoloured teeth are caused by eating or drinking staining products, and through smoking. Whilst these certainly do have a major effect, the reality is that older people do tend to have duller looking teeth. Although surface staining may be a factor, this also occurs naturally as the inner part of our teeth darken with age, making our teeth look discoloured.

The good news for the more mature patient of The Dental Centre Bedford is that this can usually be reversed using relatively straightforward treatments. Our custom home teeth whitening kit can brighten the appearance of your teeth significantly and all in the comfort of your own home. After a couple of weeks of use of this user-friendly system, you will find that your teeth have regained the sparkle that you may have thought had gone forever.

Badly stained teeth

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New laws restricting the use of mercury based fillings came into law from July 2018.

From July 1st 2018, new laws came into being in the UK, restricting the use of amalgam fillings. From that date, they can no longer be used in patients under 15 or in pregnant or breastfeeding women, unless there are genuine medical reasons for doing so.

This new ruling has led to some of our Bedford patients asking us whether anything needs to be done about their teeth that already have amalgam fillings.

Mercury

One of the main reasons for this new ruling is related to the use of mercury compounds in this particular treatment. However, it is important to note that this is not considered to be because of any danger from its presence in amalgam, but because of concerns about the level of mercury that reaches the environment from this process. To all intents and purpose, the General Dental Council’s agreement is that amalgam fillings are still safe and patients should not be concerned. However, we do understand the various concerns and we support a controlled phase out of amalgam for this purpose.

So despite the declaration that it is still safe to use, it is reasonably likely that we will continue to see further restrictions placed upon it and cosmetic white fillings increasingly used as a matter of routine for dental fillings.

Cosmetic benefits

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