Sounds a bit controversial if I am writing advice to you on how to avoid the dentist, but this is what we are trained for and this is what we believe into. The core of Bridgeways Dental is the well-being of our patients and letting you know how to avoid having dental treatment – or in fact any kind of treatment – derives directly from this core.

How then can you avoid the dentist? Well…I would not advise you to completely avoid us. Just make sure that when you come and see us it is only to confirm and maintain your good oral health. Seeing a dentist regularly is considered to be the cornerstone of good oral and general health.

So the real question is how to avoid dental treatment. To achieve this, one has to understand (and accept) that the majority of dental related diseases are preventable, almost 100%. Dental caries (that is decay, cavities, holes on teeth) and gum disease (gingivitis and periodontitis) are the two main diseases related with teeth and have one and only major cause: bad bacteria that live in our mouths. There are other factors that contribute to these diseases, by actually helping bacteria to survive and proliferate. These factors are the kind of food we eat (bacteria love sugars) and our body including our immune system. These and other factors co-exist in a very fine balance.

I can hear you thinking ‘well this is rather easy: just get an antibiotic or antiseptic and kill all those bugs’. Unfortunately, it does not work like that for the simple reason that even if you we were able to kill all the bacteria, they would very quickly come back as they are everywhere.

Therefore, the question is how we can change some of these factors in order to tip this balance towards health rather than disease. Here are some ways:

1. Our body: Now this is something difficult as it mainly has to do with our genes, which as we all know we cannot – yet – modify cheaply and without problems. We could try, though, to improve the state of our immune system. Again, this is not the easier of things but one of the main ways of achieving this is exercise and good healthy diet. Me being Greek and dentist I can’t advise you enough of the benefits and the tastiness of the Mediterranean diet. The most important change in your diet is actually the reduction of artificial sugars. Finally, our teeth are generally quite strong and can withstand the activity of acids, but not for long. Fluoride does make them stronger and since it is not available in every part of the UK, then it is good to always use a fluoride toothpaste. There are a lot of people out there having different opinions about fluoride. I am afraid this is not the place to explain the way fluoride works on teeth, but I can say this: its actions have been very well researched and documented in the scientific community.

2. Disrupt the bacteria in your mouth. You cannot physically kill all of them. And in reality some of them are actually very beneficial. So we can easily not allow them to harm the teeth and gums. This can be achieved with good brushing and flossing. Both of these actions effectively destroy the building blocks that bacteria build and in order to survive and thrive. We call these building blocks plaque. If it is disrupted, then the bacteria spend most of their time building it up rather than harming us. Mouthwash can help killing some of them once the plaque has been destroyed, but it does not work really on its own.

3. Inevitably for the majority of people some tartar (calculus, hardened plaque) will form on the teeth, very close to the gum surface. This is almost impossible to brush away and here is where you will need the help of a good hygienist. Ideally, for the majority of people, two visits a year is what is needed. Our lovely hygienist, Kirsty, has now started offering another day of her valuable services here at Bridgeways Dental, so you have even less excuses.

It is easy to avoid dental treatment if you :

1. Take care of your body and eat healthy
2. Cut artificial sugars
3. Always use a fluoride toothpaste
4. Brush and floss your teeth daily, depending on your eating habits.
5. Make sure you visit your dentist and hygienist

Call 02380868833, or email info@bridgeways.dental to book in and find out more on how you can maintain good Oral Hygiene.