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05 Apr 2017

Bad Breath: Causes and Cures.

By Colin Lynam

Bad Breath is a common condition that can cause much embarrassment. About 90% of the time the mouth is the source of this problem. The good news is that by taking a few simple steps, to improve oral health, it can often be resolved.

There are a number of possible risk factors that can contribute to bad breath.
Smoking: As well as inducing halitosis smoking can also stain the teeth, induce gum disease and is catastrophic for general health.
Dry Mouth: Saliva is important help clean the mouth and prevent bad breath. It can be caused as a side effect to many common medicines. It is important to clean the teeth before going to bed as salivary rates fall during the night.
Food: Certain foods such as garlic and onions can affect the breath.
Health Problems: Sometimes these can have an effect. Diabetes, , Sinus problems, Liver, Kidney or Gastric problems have all been shown to contribute to bad breath. If the more common causes have been excluded we often advise the parent to follow up with their GP to look into these areas.

It is important to start by improving the overall health of the mouth. This will include brushing twice a day (including the top part of the tongue) for two minutes with a fluoridated toothpaste and flossing on a daily basis. Regular trips to the dentist or Hygienist will help improve the health of the mouth. Dentures should be left out at night. Stop smoking: www.quit.ie have a range of support material to help with this.
Mouthwashes that contain Chlorhexidine e.g Corsodyl should help but be careful about using them on a longterm basis as they can stain the teeth.

 

21 Nov 2016

A new way to deal with tooth-grinding.

By Colin Lynam

Do you suffer from jaw pain, recurrent headaches or tooth grinding?
About 10% of the adult population suffer with these problems and it often goes undiagnosed.

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, then Cerezen could help:
  • Teeth grinding or jaw clenching
  • Pain in the chewing muscles and/or jaw joint soreness
  • Radiating pain in the face, jaw or neck
  • Jaw muscle pain or stiffness
  • Aching pain in and around ears
  • Limited movement or locking jaw
  • Painful jaw clicking or popping when opening or closing the mouth
  • Headaches or migraines
  • A change in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together

Generally we make an acrylic nightguard for people to treat these problems and they tend to work well. However, there is a new product on the market as an alternative, called Cerezen. They are two small hollow inserts that fit in the ear and hep to prevent the grinding/ clenching process. We work with an Audiologist to make the inserts. One of the benefits of Cerezen is that they can be easily worn during the daytime. If you’re interested in Cerezen you can arrange an assessment appointment with Dr Geraldine O’Hagan at
www.swords-dental.ie Tel 01 8401001.

01 Feb 2016

Flossing

By Colin Lynam

We need to talk about Flossing…
After tooth-brushing, flossing once a day is the next most important way of keeping your teeth and gums healthy.
Break off a piece about 18 inches long.
Wrap most of the floss around the middle finger of one hand, and a small amount onto the middle finger of the other.
Gently slide the floss between the teeth and be careful not to let the floss snap between teeth, cutting the gum.
Make a C shape with the floss as you wrap it around the tooth. Then carefully pull the floss upward from the gum line to the top of the tooth.
As you move from one tooth to the next, unroll a fresh section of floss from the finger of one hand while rolling the used floss onto the finger of the other hand.Don’t forget to floss the back side of each tooth.As long as you use the correct technique the type of floss isn’t super important, but we recommend Satin Oral-B floss.

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