When you have an intense craving or fondness for sweet foods, then you are said to have a sweet tooth. The chances are that you drool over the likes of chocolates, cakes, cookies, and sweetened drinks.
 

They say that with age comes wisdom. Your wisdom tooth, which is the last to emerge during your early 20's or late teens, hence the term wisdom tooth. The wisdom tooth belongs to the molar group known as the third molar, which is found in the back of the mouth. When the wisdom tooth emerges, some people do not have problems at all. But for some, it results in oral issues, such as swelling around the tooth, bleeding, pain, infection and possibly contributing to teeth crowding. An impacted wisdom tooth refers to the wisdom tooth that fails to break through the gums at all or only partially through. This tooth problem may obstruct the normal development of your other teeth. It may even lead to infection, as well as pain and discomfort. The worse things that may result out of this include dental problems, such as cysts and bone damage. When confronted with an abnormal wisdom tooth, the best course of action is to visit a dental office and consult a dentist. Be wary of the following symptoms:
 

Our case of the month for February 2020 involves using one of our favourite teeth straightening options- the Social 6 lingual brace and composite bonding to correct asymmetry. The treatment was completed by Dr Nissit Patel who comments: ' Over many years of being a dentist, I have realised how important it is to have teeth in the correct position before attempting any form of cosmetic dentistry. There are many benefits of this. Ultimately, if the front teeth are properly aligned then the following cosmetic dental treatments can be simple and have great results. For example, simple tooth whitening and composite bonding can have a profound effect without having to even touch the teeth in question. After all, enamel is precious and we should not be removing it for the sake for a quick fix. Modern day dentistry should not involve elective removal of tooth enamel - full stop. If teeth are crooked, without some form of orthodontic treatment, the only option is to drill the tooth down to create space for the restorative material to alter the appearance. This could be ceramic or composite resin. If any of you watched the series Extreme Makeover, you will recall how the patient was left with little stumps prior to the ceramic crowns and veneers. Yes, the transformation was profound but at what cost? Once the enamel is removed, which is the hardest tissue in the body, the protective layer has vanished leaving the tooth weak and prone to attack. We can be certain that a tooth that has been cut down will need additional treatment in the future whether this is replacement crowns, root canal treatment, post core crowns or even removal. Why take the risk? I advocate a minimal approach to cosmetic dentistry where the risks are extremely low. In our case below, the steps are simple:
 

1. Straighten using a Social 6 lingual brace
2. Tooth whitening with a take home kit
3. Teeth bonding with composite to enhance the symmetry
4. Retainers

In this case, there was absolutely no drilling of the enamel at all. Therefore the biology remains exactly the same and all that remains is a maintenance program to maintain the alignment using retainers and the polish of the composite. Yes, this is a commitment also but everything in life requires maintenance from cars, houses, fences (Storm Dennis recently took ours apart!) and teeth. Please take a look at the before and after photos. I was delighted and so was our patient.'
 

Dental implants, tooth extraction, or any other form of dental surgery can be painful. There are times when it can get bloody especially with wisdom tooth extraction. Removal of an impacted or infected tooth, periodontal surgery, or dental implants are serious surgical procedures, and post-operative care is essential. Risk of infections and unnecessary pain, as well as abnormal or excessive bleeding, need to be addressed to ensure that these issues do not cause bigger problems down the line. If you are concerned about any of these effects, you can consult a dentistfor an examination and recommendation of the best course of action.

Bleeding is a normal effect of dental surgery normally, you will experience that within the next 24 48 hours after the procedure. There could be a small cut in your gum, which resulted in bleeding. Keep in mind though that oral bleeding is simply a little blood and a lot of salivas. If you see blood oozing out of your mouth, do not fret because there are some home remedies you can do to control or stop oral bleeding. 

Following your surgery, there are some things you need to do to minimise the effects of the procedure:
 

Genetics play a significant role in determining the overall health and appearance of a person. Aside from shaping the height, bone structure, and facial features, genetics also largely contribute to the oral health of a person. DNA contributes to the weakening of the enamel, which ultimately increases the risk of gum disease. For most people, it significantly determines the size of the teeth, as well as the alignment of the jaw. Crowding, gaps, overbites, underbites, and crooked teeth are common for children as early as five years old due to hereditary factors.
 

Parents need to teach their children about healthy dental habits while they are young. Healthy dental habits take time to develop, so it's good to start them young to keep their teeth far from cavities. Aside from teaching children what to do, parents must also teach them what not to do. Children may have simple habits, such as nail-biting or thumb-sucking, that may appear normal. However, unknown to many parents, these common habits may lead to adverse oral health outcomes. That said, it is crucial to prevent these bad dental habits before they turn into bigger issues in the future. Here are five bad habits that children commonly do that are bad for their health:
 

2020 is flying by and January has thankfully passed with slightly longer days ahead of us. Our case of the month for January involves a simple yet effective smile makeover using the Social 6 lingual brace to make one tooth more visible on smiling. Often we seen huge dental transformations where there is huge difference in the overall smile with multiple veneers, crowns and crazy white shades that resemble white goods rather than teeth! This is not our style. For those of you that read our blog, you will know that we strongly believe in minimally invasive dentistry that looks natural, highly aesthetic and lasts a long time. Our case involves one using the Social 6 lingual brace (one of our favourite treatments), to align one tooth and dramatically change the smile in just 3 months. Here are the before and after photos:
 

There are three common reasons that emergency tooth extraction is necessary. These are crowding, disease, and trauma. If you've recently suffered a physical injury because of a sports-related accident or something as catastrophic, you may or may not need an emergency tooth extraction. How can you tell?

Getting an emergency tooth extraction is a difficult call to make. Regardless, the advancements in dental technology and endodontic treatments can help you move forward with this challenging decision.

If you've recently had a traumatic experience, the dental and endodontic treatments may vary per location, the type of injury obtained, and the severity of the pain. If you have a cracked tooth, for example, and it's fractured to the gum line, it may not be treatable. This kind of damage needs an emergency extraction.

The process of determining an extraction depends upon the dentist's decision. If the dentist takes an X-ray of the damaged area and sees that its 10-year prognosis bodes well, he or she will not elect for an emergency extraction. If it's the opposite because the area is severely infected and past treatments were ineffective to save the damaged tooth, he or she will proceed with the tooth extraction.

Throughout, your dentist will inform you what's going on and will talk to you about the several options you can take. Even so, you must consider an emergency tooth extraction if there is no other option to save the tooth or the affected area from further damage.

An emergency extraction is also necessary to protect you from the pain. As we all know, a tooth causing pain is blinding. It's not some regular headache that goes away with over-the-counter medication. A tooth that results from a traumatic injury is severely painful. Hence, emergency tooth extraction.

Below are the available options you can look through that will help you decide to get that emergency tooth extraction now.
 

Most people want to have white teeth. After all, nothing is more embarrassing than smiling in front of someone or a camera with teeth as dark as charcoal. That's quite exaggerated, but you get the idea. If you don't believe that many people want white teeth, it s worth knowing that the teeth whitening industry generates over £10 billion a year. That's a lot of money spent on trying to get a set of teeth white.