For years dentists have known the benefits of disclosing tablets. What are they?

Disclosing tablets contain a harmless coloured dye that is attracted to the plaque on your teeth.  Their use is simple:

1. Take a tablet, chew it up and swish the accumulated saliva in your mouth for 60 seconds, spit and rinse.
2. Now the disclosing tablet dye has coloured the plaque on your teeth allowing you to easily see areas that need special attention.
3. The dye should be removed from all surfaces of all teeth.

Plaque disclosing tablets are available from reception.

1. A mouth guard or gumshield is used in sports to prevent oral injuries to the teeth, mouth, cheeks, tongue and jaw.
2. Dentists estimate that between 13% and 39% of dental injuries occur while playing sports.
3. About 80% of all dental injuries affect at least one of the front teeth.
4. The use of a mouth guard can prevent more than 200,000 dental injuries to the mouth each year.
5. A custom fit mouth guard from the dentist is best.
6. The mouthguard must fit very accurately so it stays in place all the time and it must be thick enough to protect the teeth.
7. If you get a blow to the mouth usually the upper and lower teeth get knocked together and the two front teeth take all the trauma which results in trauma to the tooth or fracture.
8. The mouth guard acts as a cushion between all the teeth and protects them.

What is the right way to brush?

Proper brushing takes at least two minutes.  Most adults do not come close to brushing that long.  To properly brush your teeth, use short gentle strokes paying extra attention to the gumline, hard-to-reach back teeth and areas around fillings, crowns or other restorations.  Keep the brush at a 45 degree angle to the gum margin.  Concentrate on thoroughly cleaning each section as follows:

1. Clean the outer surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth.
2. Clean the inner surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth.
3. Clean the chewing surfaces.
4. For fresher breath, be sure to brush your tongue too.

Use a soft-bristled brush as this is the best for removing plaque and debris from your teeth.  Small headed brushes are also preferable since they can better reach all areas of the mouth, including hard-to-reach back teeth.  For many, a powered toothbrush is a good alternative.  Your toothbrush should be replaced when it begins to show wear or every three moths, whichever comes first.

• You may have heard of the mind-body connection but what about the mouth-body connection.  To many people, a dental visit is just about getting their teeth cleaned or getting a filling.  However, a dental visit is not just about teeth.  It is also about your overall health.  What goes on in your mouth can affect the rest of your body and vice versa.
• Many diseases and conditions can affect your oral health.  For example, people may get more infections in the mouth if their immune system is weak.
• Your oral health also can affect other medical conditions.  If you are a diabetic, a mouth infection can disrupt your blood-sugar levels and make your diabetes harder to control.
• Gum disease (periodontal disease) may increase the risk of various medical problems.  These may include heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
• Medicine for other conditions can also affect the health of your mouth.  Many drugs can cause dry mouth.  This can increase your risk of dental decay.
• This is why it is extremely important to see the dental hygienist every six months and to see the dentist annually for a dental health check with oral cancer screening.

• Toothbrushing alone will only remove about 70% of the soft plaque (food and bacteria) off the teeth.
• Flossing your teeth will remove the rest of the soft plaque from between your teeth.
• Because plaque build-up can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, flossing twice daily is highly recommended.

To receive the maximum benefits from flossing, use the following proper technique:

1. Starting with about 18 inches of floss, wind most of the floss around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work with.
2. Holding the floss tautly between your thumbs and index fingers, slide it gently up and down between your teeth.
3. Gently curve the floss in a “C” shape around the base of each tooth, making sure to go beneath the gumline.  Never snap or force the floss as this may cut or bruise delicate gum tissue.
4. Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.
5. To remove the floss, use the same back-and-forth motion to bring the floss up and away from the teeth.

1. Over 300 cases of cancer of the mouth are diagnosed every year in Ireland.  If found early there is a 80%-90% survival rate.
2. In Britain the rate of mouth cancer has increased faster than any other cancer in the past 25 years.
3. 75% of the people diagnosed over the age of 50 are smokers.
4. Those who smoke and drink have 15 times greater risk of developing oral cancer.
5. Any sore which does not heal within 2 weeks should be checked by your dentist.
6. Other symptoms are:  A lump or mass which can be felt inside the mouth or neck, pain or difficulty swallowing, any wart like masses.
7. Clem carries out an oral cancer screen during your dental health check.  This should be done annually.

Oral Cancer Awareness Day is Wednesday 21st September.

We are providing Free Oral Cancer Screens until the 30th September.

Please contact us on 043-33-41979 to arrange an appointment for your Free Oral Cancer Screen.