Brush-up on caring for your teeth

Dr Zahid Chauhan

If waiting for a doctor’s appointment sets your teeth on edge, then consider this: your long wait may be the result of your GP having to fill-in for dentists with 600,000 patients per annum going to their doctor for problems like tooth ache and abscesses says Dr Zahid Chauhan is a family doctor at the Dale Medical Practice based within Nye Bevan House.

The scale of this problem is huge, costing the NHS an estimated £26 million every year.

And as GPs are only there to dispense advice and pain killers, the damage people are doing to their teeth by not visiting a dentist is equally disturbing.

There are claims that a lack of dentists – particularly NHS ones – is the chief reason. The NHS has produced a website which shows that your nearest dental surgery is not far away.

Price is also seen as prohibitive, and while I have been campaigning for Government to cap costs even more for people on low incomes, it is worth reminding ourselves that some NHS treatment (such as the removal of stitches) is free and that the impact of poor oral hygiene is enormous and painful.

Anyone who has experienced bleeding gums, toothache or endured an abscess will recognise this, but did you know that serious illness can thrive if you don’t care for your mouth? Put simply, any bacteria that enters through your mouth and is allowed to spread, can cause you problems – especially if you already have a compromised immune system.

Trying to ignore dental problems won’t do you any favours, either. Eventually you will simply have to visit a dentist and years of damage will result in a bigger bill.

One way to keep visits to the dentists down to the necessary minimum, is to take care of your teeth properly. You should brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day, making sure you spend at least two minutes brushing the inside and outside surfaces.

Flossing between your teeth is also essential and the correct use of mouthwash helps stop bacteria from breeding.

You should help your children brush as soon as they develop baby teeth, and the usual advice on cutting down on sugar applies. Energy drinks, so popular with younger people, contain a staggering twenty teaspoons of sugar.

Generally, a healthy diet and lifestyle is of huge benefit to your teeth and there are even studies to show it reduces gum disease. In contrast, smoking does serious damage to the mouth, resulting in gum staining, tooth loss and in severe cases, cancer.

Healthy oral hygiene means twice yearly visits to a dentist, which is surely not too high a price to pay. It also results in less pain and takes the strain off GPs and even A&E departments (patients turning up at emergency units with toothache costs the NHS another £18 million a year).

Plus it will also make you feel less down in the mouth to have a healthy, shining smile - and the confidence to display it.