dental education

National Smile Month

National Smile Month runs between 17th May and 17th June and is all about promoting good oral health and the value of a healthy smile.

You can protect your smile by:

  • Brushing your teeth twice daily for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste. For more information on brushing click here.
  • Clean between your teeth everyday.
  • Cut down on sugary food and drinks.
  • Visiting your dentist regularly.

If you’d like to find out more about National Smile Month and to get involved visit Oral Health Foundation.

Speak to your local Clear Dental Practice to learn more about having a healthy smile.

Wisdom Teeth

What are they?

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to appear, at the back of the mouth, from the late teens onwards. Most people have four wisdom teeth, but it is not unusual to have fewer – or even more.

Because they are the last teeth to form, there sometimes isn’t room for them. They come through at an angle, pressing against the teeth in front or the bone behind.

What will my dentist do?

Watching how your teeth and jaws grow is part of your regular dental care. Do tell your dentist if you think they might be a problem.

  • X-ray pictures can show where the wisdom teeth are in the jaw and how much room there is for them to come through, as well as showing if they are causing any damage to the teeth in front.
  • The X-rays will also show how simple or difficult it may be to take a wisdom tooth out.

As wisdom teeth are coming through, the surrounding gum sometimes becomes inflamed and sore. This is called pericoronitis. It may settle down or come and go over a period. It is usually better to remove a wisdom tooth if you have repeated bouts of pericoronitis.

If you need to have a wisdom tooth removed, you should be able to fit it in with work or other commitments.

Sometimes, you may be referred to a specialist to have a problem wisdom tooth removed in hospital.

Most wisdom teeth are removed under a local anaesthetic but depending on how difficult the tooth is to remove, sedation (something that makes you drowsy) or general anaesthetic (only given in hospitals) may be considered.

Depending on your job you may need to take two or three days off work to recover from your wisdom tooth operation. If you have had a general anaesthetic then you will need some time off work to recover from the effects of the anaesthetic.

Sometimes, nerves can be damaged when lower wisdom teeth are removed. This leads to numbness in part of the tongue or in some teeth and part of the lower lip and chin – but this is usually temporary.

What are the benefits of removing wisdom teeth which are causing problems?

  • If you have your wisdom teeth removed, there will be no more pain and infection.
  • It will usually make it easier for you to keep your mouth clean.

Normally there is no need to have wisdom teeth removed unless they are causing you problems.

To read more about what to do after a tooth extraction, click here.

Speak to your local Clear Dental Practice to learn more about wisdom teeth.

What to do after an extraction

You need to look after yourself carefully after you have had a tooth taken out, as with any operation, to speed up healing and prevent infection. This advice is to help you know what to expect and do, as your mouth recovers.

General Advice:

  • For the first 24 hours, don’t drink alcohol, eat hot food or disturb the clot, which will have formed in the space left by the tooth, because this may cause the socket to start bleeding again. Don’t smoke either, and avoid strenuous exercise for the rest of the day.
  • Don’t rinse your mouth for six hours after extraction.
  • After six hours, rinse gently with warm salty water to keep the socket clean and continue to do this for up to a week after meals and before bed. Use half a teaspoonful of salt in a glass or comfortable warm water.
  • Brush your teeth normally with toothpaste to keep the whole mouth clean but take care in the region where the tooth was extracted.
  • If you feel small pieces of bone working their way out of the socket, don’t worry – this is normal.
  • Some swelling or discomfort in the first few days is also normal.
  • Take painkillers if you need the. Ask your dentist for advice if you are not sure of what sort to take.

If the bleeding doesn’t stop:

  • Your dentist may have given you a small supply of gauze in case this happens. If not, clean cotton handkerchiefs will do, but not tissue papers. It is the effect of pressure from the gauze or handkerchief that prevents bleeding, this is why a tissue will not work.
  • Roll some small firm pads about on centimetre by three centimetres – a size that will fit over a socket.
  • Keep sitting up and gently clear away any clots of blood around the socket with the gauze of handkerchief.
  • Place a pad across the socket from the tongue side to the cheek and bite firmly on it for 10-15mins.
  • Take off the pad and heck whether the bleeding has stopped. If it hasn’t, use a fresh pad. If the socket is still bleeding, contact your dentist.

Occasionally after extraction of a tooth, the blood clot in the socket can break down, leaving a painful empty hole in the gum. This is called ‘dry socket’. If the socket becomes painful a few days after the extraction, this is usually the reason. If this happens, you should go back to your dentist to have the wound cleaned and packed with a dressing.; This will relieve the pain and reduce the risk of infection.

If you follow these instructions, your mouth should heal normally without becoming infected. But if anything in your mouth worries you, phone the practice for advice.