Crown Fell Out? What to Do Next
A crown coming off is startling, usually happens while you are eating something perfectly ordinary, and feels considerably more dramatic than it is. If your crown fell out, what to do next is fairly simple, and the most important instruction is one about what not to...
Why Do My Gums Bleed When I Brush?
A little pink in the sink is so common that most people stop noticing it. That is unfortunate, because it is your gums sending the only warning signal they have. Why do my gums bleed when I brush is a question with a fairly consistent answer, and the good news is that...
When Is a Filling Too Big to Be Safe?
There comes a point in the life of some teeth where another filling stops being the sensible answer. Knowing when a filling is too big matters, because the alternative to recognising it is a cycle of ever-larger repairs, each one failing sooner than the last, until...
How Often Should You Visit the Dentist?
How often should you visit the dentist is one of those questions where the familiar answer, every six months, turns out to be a rule of thumb rather than a rule. The interval that suits you depends on your mouth, and for some people it is longer than six months while...
How to Check Your Mouth at Home
Your dentist screens your mouth at every check-up, but a great deal happens between appointments. Knowing how to check your mouth at home takes about two minutes a month, and its purpose is not to diagnose anything. It is simply to learn what your normal looks like,...
Why Are My Dentures Loose?
A denture that fitted beautifully a few years ago can gradually become something you are constantly aware of, adjusting with your tongue and reaching for more adhesive. Why are my dentures loose is a question with a reassuring answer: it is almost never that the...
Tooth Knocked Out? What to Do in the First Hour
If a tooth has been knocked out, what you do in the next hour matters more than almost anything else that follows. An adult tooth can often be saved and reimplanted, but the odds fall with every minute it spends out of the mouth. So this is written to be read quickly....
Should You Clean Your Tongue?
Should you clean your tongue is a question that divides bathrooms across the country, and the answer is a clear yes. The back of the tongue is the single most common home for the bacteria that cause bad breath, and it is also the most commonly neglected surface in the...
Smoking Effects on Teeth and Gums: What Really Happens
Most smokers know about the staining. Rather fewer know what smoking does below the surface, and that is the part that costs people their teeth. The smoking effects on teeth and gums go a long way beyond appearance, and one of them is particularly unfair: smoking...