Preventative Dentistry » Dental Hygiene
Healthy mouth, healthy body
Keeping your teeth and gums healthy and disease-free has real benefits for your overall wellbeing. Many studies have found an as yet unexplained association between oral health diseases and several serious health conditions, including heart disease*. Even if we discount such a connection, oral diseases can be debilitating, unsightly and, on a very basic level, they can cost you your teeth.
Tooth decay is the most common disease in the developed world and yet it is mostly preventable. Another very common oral disease is gingivitis, which is inflammation of the gum tissue, caused by plaque. If left untreated, gingivitis can lead to periodontal disease, which affects the tissue supporting the teeth. Periodontitis is an inflammatory infection that involves progressive loss of bone beneath the teeth. Left untreated, this causes the affected teeth to loosen and eventually fall out.
For these reasons we strongly recommend that you see a dental hygienist. We all need a good clean, usually every six months, but some of us need to go even more often. We can advise on what is best for you.
Having your teeth cleaned professionally is one of the smartest things you can do. By having an overall strategy of good dental care, led by your own efforts at home, you will prevent most dental diseases from occurring. Consequently you will save your teeth and save yourself a great deal of money on dental treatment as you get older. Oh, and if you have bad breath, you can almost certainly get rid of it with our help.
Healthy gums are the cornerstone of Wimbledon Dental Care. We are passionate about disease prevention and therefore provide a full range of dental hygiene services:
Scaling and polishing: This is the essence of our cleaning procedure. We thoroughly clean the teeth, even below the gum line where your toothbrush will not reach, removing sticky plaque and hard calculus. We also clean your gums and finish with a polish.
Oral disease care and prevention: With good oral maintenance we can almost always slow down plaque build-up and prevent diseases like tooth decay, gingivitis and periodontitis. By following our advice you can be your own hygienist, with great success. If you make a dental hygiene visit a regular thing, we will be able to monitor the health of your mouth. We are also often the first health professionals to detect the onset of oral cancer. As with any cancer, early detection and prompt treatment is essential, so as part of every routine dental examination we thoroughly check all areas of the mouth for early signs.
General oral health advice: Prevention is better than cure may be a cliché but it's also a truism. If you look after your teeth, and your children's teeth, you will prevent a lot of misery and expense. Because we only see you occasionally, it is important that you have the knowledge to care for your own oral health. Therefore at Wimbledon Dental Care we take time to talk to you and answer your questions. We can advise you on:
- The right toothbrush for you, plus brushing techniques and tips
- Flossing and interdental brushing techniques and tips
- Types of dental hygiene products and techniques for implants, bridges, dentures, braces and other restorations
- Care for teeth after oral surgery
- Rinses and mouth-washing
- The best and worst foods and drinks for your teeth
- Tips for fresh breath
- Everything you need to know about caring for your children's teeth
When should you see us?
It might sound crazy but the best time to see us for a check-up and a clean is when you feel fine, so visit us before you get toothache if you can. If you get a regular clean and follow our oral health advice, you will probably avoid toothache in the first place.
Contact us
Call in or phone us on 020 8946 6546 to make an appointment, or send an email via this website.Wimbledon Dental Care is above Caffé Nero on The Broadway, in the heart of Wimbledon town centre. We're just outside Centre Court and 150m from Wimbledon station.
*Source: American Dental Association.
