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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 cause tooth staining, gum disease, tooth loss and – more seriously – mouth cancer. Smoking is also one of the main causes of bad breath.
Alcoholic drinks can also cause mouth cancer. If you smoke and drink you are more at risk.
Alcohol can also increase the risk of tooth decay and erosion. Some alcoholic drinks have a lot of sugar in them, and some mixed drinks may contain acids. So they can cause decay or dental erosion if you drink them often and in large amounts.
Illegal drugs can lead to a range of health problems. Smoking cannabis can have the same effects as smoking tobacco. Other drugs can cause a dry mouth and increase the risk of erosion, decay, gum disease and bad breath. Drugs can also cause you to grind your teeth, which can cause headaches and other problems. Many drugs can cause a craving for sugar, such as sweets and fizzy drinks, which can case tooth decay.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer and affects the skin that lines the moist areas of the body (such as the mouth). It can be spread through oral sex. Practising safe sex and limiting the number of partners you have may help reduce your chances of getting HPV.
You may hear about teenage girls being offered the HPV vaccine to help prevent the virus. Talk to someone at your medical practice, or your parents or guardians, if you want to know more about this.
Your dentist may ask you questions about your lifestyle choices and general health because these may affect the health of your mouth.
If your child wakes in the night crying with pain in the mouth it can be distressing for everyone involved. Such pain is usually an indication that something is wrong, and could be a sign of infection, tooth decay, an erupting tooth, an abscess or exposed dental nerves.
Our advice: Contact us straight away to arrange an immediate visit so we can treat the problem and soothe the pain. Use suitable pain-relieving oral gels (only those approved for use with children). Avoid giving child hot or very cold fluids or food which could make the pain worse.
Dental hygienists also take dental x-rays. The dentist will use these to help diagnose problems and decide on the possible treatment. Dental hygienists can also place fissure sealants, apply fluoride varnishes and administer fluoride treatments. Other procedures may be carried out by dental hygienists depending on the laws that apply where they work.
Tooth whitening is also often carried out by the dental hygienist, under a prescription from your dentist.
When you and your dentist are happy with the fit and appearance of the new crown, it will be fixed in place with special dental cement or adhesive. The cement forms a seal to hold the crown in place.