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Most people know that brushing and flossing their teeth is important to maintain fresh breath Essex, but many don’t know that gum disease is a common dental problem. Gum disease can be caused by many factors, such as poor oral hygiene, smoking and diabetes, and its symptoms include swollen, red or bleeding gums and bad breath. Gum disease can be treated with antibiotics, mouthwash and surgery.

What is gum disease, and what are the symptoms?

Gum disease is an advanced infiltration of the gum tissue by bacteria it causes inflammation in the short term giving the gum a dark red colour and over time the swollen tissue becomes spongy and dies, receding.

To prevent gum disease from happening, it is important to practise good oral hygiene habits. This means brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing daily and visiting your dentist regularly. If you are a smoker, quitting smoking is also essential for preventing gum disease. And if you have diabetes, controlling your blood sugar levels can help reduce your risk of developing gum disease.

The outcome of gum disease

If left untreated, gum disease can cause tooth loss and other health problems. This outcome of receding gums can lead to bacteria getting into the bloodstream and causing infections. Gum disease is also linked to other health problems such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Once the surface of the root is exposed, it can also become sensitive to hot and cold temperatures. It is important to see a dentist if you think you might have gum disease so that it can be treated before it causes any further problems.

In the long term, the loss of gum tissue around the root of the tooth can create spaces called periodontal pockets. These pockets trap bacteria and plaque and are difficult to clean. The bacteria in the pocket can eventually break down the bone around the tooth, causing the tooth to become loose and eventually fall out.

Gum disease is a serious condition that should not be ignored.

Gum disease and bad breath

Bad breath is one of the most common symptoms of gum disease. It can be caused by bacteria in the mouth that accumulates on the teeth and gums. The bad odour can also be caused by food particles that become trapped in the teeth and gums. Fresh breath Essex can be maintained by brushing and flossing your teeth regularly, using mouthwash and avoiding foods that cause bad breath.

Treatment for gum disease

The most common treatment for gum disease is antibiotics. Oral antibiotics are usually prescribed, such as amoxicillin, doxycycline or metronidazole. These antibiotics kill the bacteria that cause the infection. Mouthwash may also be prescribed to help kill the bacteria and reduce inflammation. Surgery may also be necessary to remove the infected tissue and restore the health of the gums.

Management of gum disease and maintenance of fresh breath Essex is a long-term process. Even after the infection has been cleared, you will need to continue to practise good oral hygiene habits and visit your dentist regularly to prevent the gum disease from coming back.

When you are struggling with unpleasant breath, this can be embarrassing, and you may be wondering why it’s happening. Here at Crofts Dental, we can give you all the information you need to try and get fresh breath Essex by yourself, as well as being there to offer extra help if you need it.

What causes smelly breath?

Even when you have a good oral hygiene routine, sometimes certain things can still cause your breath to smell unpleasant more often than usual. If you have been struggling with this, then don’t hesitate to contact us and we will do everything we can to help you get fresh breath Essex again.

Food and drink

One of the causes that we have seen in our patients is eating or drinking strong-smelling foods or drinks often, as this can contribute to bad breath. Make sure to brush your teeth and floss soon after eating these foods if you eat them often, to help with preventing longer term bad breath.

Smoking

Another thing that is more damaging than strong-smelling foods and is a very common reason for bad breath is smoking. When you smoke, this can massively contribute to accelerated tooth decay, which can cause constant bad breath. It is best that you do everything you can to try and stop smoking to protect your oral health, as well as your health in general.

Problems with your teeth

If you have a very good, regular oral hygiene routine, don’t smoke and don’t eat strong-smelling food very often, but you are still experiencing bad breath, there may be underlying problems with your teeth. It could be gum disease, an infection, or holes in your teeth, so make sure to come in and see us if you are worried about this.

What you can do

There are a few things that we recommend to our patients to do to help prevent bad breath, as there could just be a small change you can implement that makes a big step in contributing to your fresh breath Essex. Don’t worry though, if you are still experiencing bad breath, just pop in to our practice and we can help you with treating it.

Oral hygiene

As mentioned above, we strongly believe that having a good oral hygiene routine is a crucial part of maintaining your oral health, and therefore preventing bad breath. If you don’t regularly brush your teeth, tongue and floss, then this creates an ideal environment for bacteria to spread, which can cause decay and other problems.

Dental check-ups

Making sure that you visit us regularly for check-ups can really help with preventing bad breath. It allows us to make sure that your oral hygiene is the best it can be, and means we can try and spot any issues early on that may contribute to bad breath.

Gum and mints

A lot of our patients feel embarrassed when they are experiencing bad breath, and may want short-term help with this by using chewing gum and mints. These are fine to use as long as they are sugar-free, because if they aren’t, the sugars can cause decay, which will only contribute to your bad breath in the long term.

If you are looking for fresh breath in Essex, then look no further than Crofts Dental Practice. We understand how important dental hygiene is for oral health, and also aesthetics and confidence. Bad breath is an unattractive feature, and if you are concerned about having bad breath then it may be a result of having poor dental hygiene. Speak to us if you are concerned, and we will be able to guide you on the best course of action for your teeth.

What causes bad breath?

Bad breath is caused by the decay of bacteria in the mouth, which can produce bad smells. Therefore, a good level of dental hygiene is important as it removes the decaying materials from the teeth, which is what could be causing the smell, and can reduce your risk of cavities.

If you are looking for fresh breath in Essex, and feel like your dental hygiene is of a sufficient standard, then the reasoning behind your bad breath could be something else, and in some cases more serious. Throat and lung infections can also contribute to bad breath, so it is important to get yourself checked as soon as possible.

How to prevent bad breath

Bad breath can be prevented by brushing twice a day using the correct techniques and flossing at least once a day. By maintaining this as a dental hygiene routine, your breath should stay fresh. There are other methods to maintain a good hygiene routine and avoid bad breath, such as avoiding particularly high-sugar foods, and using mouthwash occasionally if you are looking for a particularly fresh feel in your mouth.

Hygiene appointments

We advise that you come in for a hygiene session regularly, to make sure that your teeth are as clean as they can be. This treatment is also referred to as a scale and polish and involves the professional cleaning of your teeth. This is to ensure that plaque and cavities are kept at bay, and with a good dental hygiene routine as well, your teeth will be perfectly clean. Often regular toothbrushes, and a slack routine, can mean that certain areas of the teeth may get neglected. This is where cavities will form and where the source of bad breath may emerge.

Interdental Brushes

Interdental brushes are another way in which you can ensure that your teeth are being cleaned to their fullest potential. Interdental brushes are often given to patients that have been fitted with braces, as often a regular toothbrush cannot reach certain areas of the teeth, and therefore they can become a hotspot for plaque and decay. However, even with teeth that do not have braces, interdental brushes can be very useful at removing excess food that you may have missed. They also provide a softer and more precise brushing method closer to the gums, as brushing too firmly at the gums can cause them to recede.

If you are interested in improving your dental hygiene routine, and making sure that you have fresh breath in Essex, then get in contact with Crofts Dental Practice, and we will be able to assist.

Fresh breath is not a thing any of us would want to be without. We have all suffered from bad breath, or halitosis, as some time or another. Usually we all need to freshen our breath just after we wake up, and this is why we are often keen to brush our teeth not long after we have jumped out of bed.

We all want to have fresh breath, which is why the breath freshener industry is worth billions of pounds every year. But apart from popping mints into our mouths and keeping a secret breath spray about our person, what else can we do to make sure fresh breath? In Essex, at Crofts Dental Practice, here are some tips.

Clean, clean, clean

You can’t have fresh breath if you don’t have a good oral hygiene habit. The aim of this is to remove the bacteria that cause gum disease and bad breath.

You need to brush twice a day for 2 minutes with a good fluoride toothpaste. Most electric toothbrushes have a timer on them these days so you know when you have done your required 2 minutes. You also need to clean your tongue; scrapers are pretty cheap and widely available. Also, don’t forget to floss once a day to remove trapped food and plaque.

Also, see the hygienist twice a year for a deep clean. You can’t get at all the plaque yourself so you need to see the hygienist to help remove stubborn tartar.

Tonsil stones

Did you know that you can get tonsil stones? These are made of hardened bacteria and mucus, and they smell bad. You can use a water flosser to get rid of debris before it hardens into a stone, or you can gently remove stones with a dampened cotton wool swab. You can prevent tonsil stones by gargling with warm salt water.

Are you drinking enough water?

If you don’t drink enough water, or suffer from a dry mouth, then this can easily lead to bad breath. You need a good supply of saliva to clean away debris and bacteria from your mouth. Make sure you are drinking enough water to keep a steady supply of saliva available.

Having bad breath can be embarrassing and make you feel uncomfortable in social situations. There are lots of reasons that it can occur, including consuming strong-smelling foods and drink such as garlic, onions or coffee, smoking, underlying medical issues or poor oral hygiene. Liver and kidney problems, sinusitis, throat infections, diabetes and lung problems can all also result in unpleasant breath and it can be exacerbated by a mouth which is particularly dry. This can happen as we age as we naturally produce less saliva or can be the result of a medical condition. At Crofts Dental Practice we help our patients have fresh breath in Essex.

Why does my breath smell?

If there are no underlying medical problems then the most obvious cause of bad breath is lack of adequate dental care. The unpleasant odour is gas released by bacteria which coat your teeth, gums and tongue. If your teeth are not regularly and properly cleaned, the bacteria can accumulate and cause problems. In addition, bits of food can get caught between the teeth. When food debris decays, a nasty smell is the result. The bacteria on your teeth can cause gum disease and one of the warning signs is a persistent disagreeable smell or taste in your mouth.

How can I have fresh breath?

Regular dental care at home and a good diet which is low in sugary foods is essential. It is also important to have regular appointments with your dentist or hygienist who can check for plaque build-up, scale and polish your teeth, look for any underlying issues and offer advice on how to effectively clean your teeth, tongue and gums. Some treatments, such as having your teeth straightened, can also make a big difference as there are fewer gaps in which plaque can develop. Our team will help you identify the cause of the problem and offer solutions to ensure that you can enjoy fresh breath again. We can even help you to stop smoking.

Having fresh breath is a sign of a healthy mouth and means that you can relax and enjoy your social life again. Do get in touch with us today to see how we can help.