Staying up to date

At Hornsey Dental Centre, we take pride in ensuring we are up-to-date with all our training requirements in order to provide a safe environment for our patients. Here you can see the team in action in a recent Basic Life Support training session where the whole team got involved in learning about dealing with potential medical emergencies that can arise in the dental practice.

Your child’s first visit with us

Tips on getting your anxious child to come to the Dentist 

We know how hard is it for some children to come and visit the Dentist, so we have come up with some tips on how to help your child feel comfortable to come and see us.

  • Discuss with your child few days before their appointment that they are coming to see their Dentist so we can check all the teeth are present and healthy. You can even do some role playing with them and pretend to be the Dentist and ask them to ‘open up wide’.
  • Do NOT mention injections or anything scary to them before the appointment as most kids fear the Dentist will have to inject them or drill out their teeth.
  • The Dentist will always speak to the child first before looking at their teeth and will try and make them feel at ease before having the seat put back. We even make the chair going back fun by using words like space ships so it is more fun for them.
  • Tell your child if they behave themselves and the Dentist says they have good teeth then maybe they will get a toy or treat for doing so well with their oral hygiene.

Teething troubles

Tips on soothing a baby during teething
Having a screaming, drooling baby is something we understands upsets many parents. We want to provide some tips on your teething baby. 

Your baby will start having their bottom teeth coming through the gums at roughly 6 months old. However this can start from as early as 4 moths. This is when we recommend you come and see your Dentist so we can check the health of the gums and the teeth erupting. 

Some of the symptoms of teething include:

  • Red, swollen gums
  • Drooling
  • Wanting to put everything in their mouths and chew it
  • Not wanting to eat or drink anything
  • Crying or fussing
  • A low grade temperature ( less than 38 Celsius)

How to help ease the pain:

Non Medicinal:

  • Placing a cold clean wet cloth, or placing a clean teether in fridge/freezer for them to bite on.
  • Letting them bite on your clean finger or a clean teether

Medicinal:

  • We recommend using Ashtons and Parson’s teething powder. Cool Tip! – wash your hands and place powder on your finger and massage onto the baby’s gums and placing all powder in the mouth sometimes is not as effective as baby will just swallow most of it.
  • If the baby has a high temperature you can give children’s ibuprofen or children’s paracetamol but please ask your GP or Dentist and do not give more than recommended amounts.

Striving to be the best

At Hornsey Dental Centre, we are advocates of high-quality patient care and we are currently in the process of applying for the BDA Good Practice Scheme membership. 

The BDA Good Practice Scheme is a leading quality assurance programme that encourages quality patient centred service, commitment to high standards and the development of a confident, professional dental team. 

Being a member of this scheme has many advantages: it helps keep practices up-to-date with new quality requirements across a range of criteria that ensures high standards are met at all times. It aims to improve and maintain high standards of patient communication and care through implementing of its practice models and information materials. The scheme has a strong emphasis on teamwork, providing dentistry that meets the wishes of patients, offering a medically safe environment including adequate infection control procedures, oral cancer screenings for every patient and continuing professional training. 

We are looking forward to being a member of this scheme very soon. Please follow the link below for further information about this scheme.https://www.bda.org/goodpractice

Why do my gums bleed?

The most common question I hear is why do my gums bleed and how can I stop it. Dimple our experienced hygienist demystifies the question….

The answer is quite simple it’s because of bacteria. This bacteria found within deposits of dental plaque can be brushed off very easily with a proper tooth-brushing technique but it also needs to be removed from between the gaps of the teeth. Bleeding in the gums is not normal and if left untreated can lead to a more serious gum condition known as gum disease. So what are the options? 

I always recommend an electric tooth-brush the most effective results – the head is usually smaller and therefore more efficient in getting to the right places and only allowing you to brush one surface at a time – the golden rule!

For cleaning between the gaps there are a number of options depending on what suits your needs; flossing or flosspicks, interdental brushes(TePe), rubber points and waterflossers. My personal favourite are TePe brushes and rubber points, those mini toothbrushes are fantastic and they leave my teeth and gums feeling really clean. By brushing twice a day and cleaning between the gaps you can reduce the plaque build-up during the day and lessen the risk of bleeding gums. Regular check-ups with the dentist and seeing me will allow you to clean your teeth as best as possible. Book in for an appointment and allow me to demonstrate and help stop those bleeding gums.

Is something grinding on you?

As we keep our teeth longer and longer, tooth wear is becoming more and more common and at HDC we see our fair share! Unfortunately due to stress and lifestyle factors, tooth wear is no longer confined to teeth in older people

How to tell if you are grinding your teeth?

  • You wake up with tenderness or pain in the jaws, temples or teeth
  • Your teeth may be chipped, worn down or show flattened surfaces
  • Your teeth may be getting extra sensitive
  • Your partner may have noticed the sound of grinding as you sleep

What causes grinding or clenching?

  • Stress
  • Overuse of caffeine or other stimulants
  • Jaw misalignment
  • Too much screen time
  • Family history
  • Sleep disorders e.g. sleep apnoea

Effects of tooth grinding

  • Damage to teeth
  • Jaw ‘clicking’
  • Damage to the inside of your cheeks
  • Disturbed sleep
  • Tension headaches or back and shoulder pain

How to prevent teeth grinding

  • Seeing your dentist regularly for advice
  • Having a protective mouth guard( known as a Michigan splint) made
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Cut down on screen time….especially before bed!
  • Having a sleep study conducted
  • Dental correction to rebuild worn surfaces and to correct malalignment