NHS and white fillings?

brook2jack

SmallL wrote: »

I find brushing my back teeth (the sides on the upper jaw) extemely hard because theres very little room to maneouver, coupled with clamping my jaw at night meant i cracked 4 teeth and had them all filled in one sitting!

Close your mouth then when brushing your back teeth, you will find that gives you enough room to brush. Never brush top back teeth with your mouth wide open , very few people will have enough room to brush effectively this way!

I trust you now have a shield to wear at night to help with the clenching .

morganedge

what's your diet like out of interest, brook2jack?

Is it just vegetables and meat basically?

cheers

jimmy2times

Toothsmith wrote: »

So - you have a diet with a good 7 sugary intakes a day.

This is the reason for your tooth decay.

interesting. I didn't really consider the sugar in things like pickle.

I've already stopped drinking tea and coffee until I can get to the shops the buy some sweetener.

I guess I'll try to stop eating crisps and ceral/bread and stuff too in the near future. Everyone was scoffing free cakes at work today but I declined the offer

I'm thinking an atkins type diet (just lean meat) with some cheeses and natural yoghurt or something is what i'll start doing

Faith177 wrote: »

I had to pay £160 for a single white filling

Dentist said white fillings are not on the NHS in my area

Jezz. That makes me feel mildy better (not to sound cruel lol)
I'm slowly getting over the shock of spending a huge chunk of my wages on a few fillings, and now my focus is shifting to the nerves of actually getting them all done as well as having to see the hygenist (which I hear is also no a pleasent experience)

brook2jack

morganedge wrote: »

what's your diet like out of interest, brook2jack?

Is it just vegetables and meat basically?

cheers

oh I eat chocolate,cake ,sweet things,puddings

I drink fruit juices , cider,wine, occaisional fizzy pop

I have no dietary restrictions, I eat what I like....... AT MEAL TIMES!


In between I do not drink sweetened drinks and do not eat sweetened snacks except very occaisionally. When young I used to have sugar in coffee and just cut it out , now even a hint is revolting.

You can eat what you like at a meal time but eat or drink sweet stuff between meals and your teeth will suffer.

Is it really so bad to limit sugar to three times a day? It's not banning anything just limiting how many different times a day you consume it.

So like many I had fillings as a child , but haven't had any fillings for thirty years now. My partner has not had any fillings since we met despite a lifetime of dental disaster previously needing constant treatment and my children have never needed fillings.

brook2jack

jimmy2times wrote: »

interesting. I didn't really consider the sugar in things like pickle.

I've already stopped drinking tea and coffee until I can get to the shops the buy some sweetener.

I guess I'll try to stop eating crisps and ceral/bread and stuff too in the near future. Everyone was scoffing free cakes at work today but I declined the offer

I'm thinking an atkins type diet (just lean meat) with some cheeses and natural yoghurt or something is what i'll start doing

Why the diet, you just need to limit sugar to three times a day, so cutting out sugar in coffee should do it if you're careful with what you snack. There are many foods with hidden sugar have a look at this for instance http://www.sugarstacks.com/sauces.htm

welshdent

morganedge wrote: »

Not to go off topic, but your diet has loads LESS sugar in it than mine, and pretty much everyone I work with! (frequency and amount)
Most people I know have what you have as well as one or 2 chocolate bars as snacks during the day, fizzy drinks scattered throughout, and a pudding after dinner etc.

So, I'm also of the opinion that your genetics override everything(despite what some here have said).
You can have a perfect ''tooth diet'' and still have weak teeth susceptible to decay etc.

When you cut out the sugar in your coffee, you'll basically be living without anything sweet in your diet at all. No treats. Eattin will be boring. Maybe you can just live off cheese and milk? That's supposed to be good for your teeth?

You are quite entitled to your opinion however that doesnt make it right. Evidence gathered over many many years does not back up your hypothesis

Toothsmith

jimmy2times wrote: »

interesting. I didn't really consider the sugar in things like pickle.

I've already stopped drinking tea and coffee until I can get to the shops the buy some sweetener.

I guess I'll try to stop eating crisps and ceral/bread and stuff too in the near future. Everyone was scoffing free cakes at work today but I declined the offer

I'm thinking an atkins type diet (just lean meat) with some cheeses and natural yoghurt or something is what i'll start doing

As Brook said, it's not so much what you're eating, as the frequency of the tiny little sugar attacks on your teeth.

Eat whatever you like, and drink whatever you like at meal times. Because the teeth can recover from 3-4 well spaced sugar attacks a day. (The saliva has the capacity to repair teeth). The problem comes when bits of sugar are going in in between meals as well.

(BTW - whilst we're on your diet, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of fresh fruit & veg in there!)

TeamLowe

Does brushing after 'sugar attacks' help at all? ie could you carry on having six attacks a day as long as you brushed after three of them?

Toothsmith

TeamLowe wrote: »

Does brushing after 'sugar attacks' help at all? ie could you carry on having six attacks a day as long as you brushed after three of them?

N0 - Brushing straight afterwards (If anyone was actually physically capable of doing this - which they're not!) Would not help, and can lead to creating a problem with errosion of the enamel.

If you think about it, the acid attack that the sugar causes will leave a microscopic layer of softened enamel on the surface. This is the layer that, given time, the saliva will re-mineralise and repair.

But - if you take a toothbrush to this softened layer immediately, then you will rub it off, and so slightly errode the tooth. If this is done habitually and repeatedly, then you will gradually wear away your enamel.

The acid attack begins as soon as sugar goes into the mouth, so by the time you've finished eating, the damage has pretty much been done (Which is why I said it's impossible to brush them as soon as the acid attacks)

It's always best to wait at least 30 mins after eating before you brush your teeth, to give the saliva a chance to remineralise the damaged layer. There is even a good argument for brushing before eating - as then the bug-count in your mouth is reduced a bit. It's the bacteria digesting the sugar that produces the acid. Less bugs = less acid.

But neither will stop damage from happening.

The way to stop decay is to limit the sugar attacks, and not to have them too close together.

Sparklyfairy

In my opinion, if you can ring around & get prices for the white fillings, I'd get them replaced. I'm desperate to get rid of my amalgam fillings (silver) & replace with white asap. They contain mercury & can lead to loads of health problems..see here Scary stuff!

Also, try to incorporate flossing daily at least, it will greatly reduce your chances of gum disease which can lead to heart disease (strange but true). Also use a small headed spinning type of tooth brush (like a Braun, etc) to get in the hard to reach places, but be careful to avoid receding gums. Don't forget to brush your tongue to kill any germs as well. I'm a big believer in fluoride as a cavity preventative as well. If your unable to brush after a sugary meal, try a piece of sugar free gum or cheese. Hth, SF x