Sometimes, it is hard to believe a simple solution will really work.  This tends to be the response I get when I suggest teeth whitening.  Does it really work?  Will it REALLY make a difference?  The answer is a resounding YES…but

Below are my top tips to know if you are suitable

1.  Compare the colour of the whites of your eyes to the colour of your teeth.  Notice a difference? If your teeth are darker then this is a great treatment for you

2.If you drink lots to tea, coffee, red wine, smoke and that’s what has discoloured your teeth, then this will work for you to get rid of the evidence.

3.  If your teeth are a grey colour or you have tetracycline staining, then it is less effective so other solutions may be needed

4. If your suffer from sensitive teeth, you can still whiten BUT need to make sure you pick someone that knows what they are doing! Teeth need to be desensitised first

5. If you are over 30 you would probably benefit from whitening…don’t shoot the messenger!

Teeth Whitening is not NEEDED.  It is a choice and a fabulous treatment that works and does not damage teeth if carried out properly.  In my next post I will run through how the process works and what the options are so keep tuned

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It is official, as a nation, there is more grinding and gnashing of teeth going on…the posh term for it is bruxing.  We know everyone is more stressed…the economy, the  threat of job loss, even our spouses, our teeth are bearing the brunt of it

Do any of these describe you?

• Do your jaw muscles ache in the morning?
• Do you have difficulty in eating, first thing?
• Do your teeth show premature wear? Teeth appear flatter, shorter
• Do you suffer from frequent headaches or facial pain?
• Do you suffer from repeated earaches?
• Has your  partner ever complained about you making strange grinding noises in your sleep?

If this describes you, then here are some tips to help prevent it

1. If you are a true bruxist, you cannot prevent it.  It is a reflex action, like breathing so the aim in treatment is to protect the teeth

2.The commonest treatment is an occlusal splint.

There are different designs, different names but in essence your dentist makes a custom plastic gaurd to protect your teeth.  You grind the plastic v/s your teeth so protecting them.  I prefer a hard splint, this is generally more expensive but there is more involved as the dentist uses it to create an even bite which helps stabilise things

3.Occlusal Equilibriation

This basically means adjusting your bite so the teeth meet evenly.  It may involve your dentist triming away some of the surface enamel or the opposite, adding material to change the shape of hte teeth.  often after providing veneers for patients, the  biggest thanks is finding they no longer suffer from headaches because as part of the treatment I can give them a better bite.  Either way,, the aim is to distribute the forces evenly over all your  teeth

4. Botox! We are now experimenting with using Botox to help the muscles relax.  Botox has been used for many years on medical conditions eg Cerebral Palsy where the muscles go into spasm. It does not change your appearance in any way

4 Behaviour changes…ie relax.  This is often the most difficult but stress does make the situation worse!

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What can I say, I was soooo mortified when I looked back and realised that I have written NOTHING for over 2 months! The worst is it doesn’t feel that long, more like 2 weeks.  Is this a sign of turning 40? (I celebrated what everyone tells me is the beginning of life in december)

It doesn’t matter that I’m told I don’t look it (thank you teeth whitening…knocks off years, so now I can pretend to be 30) but it is that I do not remember when it happened.  I do not FEEL like I have lived 40years on this earth, I feel a total sense of panic that there is so much more left to do.  Learn to play the piano, become a ballet dancer, speak french fluently, go meet father xmas in lapland….create beautiful smiles.  Yup that one I can tick off my list hee!hee!

Write and let me know what you love about being 40

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