ALTINDENT Privacy Policy
Explains what information we collect and why, how we use it, and how to review and update it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dental Health
FAQs
Our FAQs are the most commonly-asked questions put to our Dental Helpline over the last year. If you have a question for us, you can ask our Dental Helpline by telephone or email. Alternatively, please take a look at our library of oral health information, which contains a wide range of oral health advice in an easy-to-understand Q&A format.
Smoking can also lead to gum disease. People who smoke are more likely to produce bacterial plaque, which leads to gum disease. The gums are affected because smoking causes a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream, so the infected gums don’t heal. Smoking causes people to have more dental plaque and causes gum disease to get worse more quickly than in non-smokers. Gum disease is still the most common cause of tooth loss in adults.
The dental team will need to know your medical history and about any medicines that you are taking. This includes any regularly prescribed medicines from your doctor or another health provider (such as HIV medications and Hormone Replacement Therapy). To treat you properly, they also need to know your HIV status and whether you have had hepatitis.
Dentists will not judge or criticise you. They are there to help improve your oral health and answer any questions or concerns you may have about your mouth, teeth and gums.
Stop smoking, and cut down on the amount of alcohol you drink.
Eat a balanced, healthy diet with at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This can also help protect against many other cancers.
Visit your dental team regularly, as often as they recommend.
Brushing alone only cleans three of the five surfaces of your teeth, so it is important that you also clean between your teeth every day using interdental brushes or floss. Your dental team will be able to show you how.