There is a somewhat large gulf between the advice offered by dentists when it comes to the right dental care products and some of the suggestions patients have found via social media or beauty influencers. Most of them are either ineffective or quite obviously dangerous, but one particular trend that particularly frustrates dentists is the use of activated charcoal in tooth powders and toothpaste. This is not because activated charcoal has no place in the medical world; it is primarily used as an emergency treatment to stop poisons from being absorbed and to prevent potential overdoses. However, its use in...

Flossing is an important part of your dental hygiene routine and can help to keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy. When done alongside brushing and using mouthwash, it can help to ensure your teeth stay strong and prevent gum disease. Gum disease is caused by a build-up of plaque and tartar on the teeth and around the gums. When left for a long time it can cause your gums to become red and inflamed and can also cause bleeding. Regular flossing helps to remove this build-up and keeps the area around your gum line clean and free from...

Over the years there have been many different companies that have tried their hand at making dental care products, with brands such as Colgate and Sensodyne being particularly famous when it comes to toothpaste. However, by far one of the strangest brands to attempt to create a product that helps keep teeth healthy was the Swedish munitions manufacturer Bofors.  Despite the somewhat dubious credentials a company better known for marking artillery would face transitioning into what they euphemistically called “peacetime products”, this was far more than a white-label good or a lazy effort. In 1968, the toothpaste launched with a set...

If you are choosing a new toothbrush, there will be various makes and models on the shelf, but essentially they come in two types; a manual toothbrush and an electric one. The former will have an elongated head and the latter a round one. The question you may reasonably ask is what would be the best option for you. Does an electric toothbrush reach and clean the places a manual will not? Or could a manual toothbrush do the job just as well with the right technique? It should be noted that if you do any amount of reading on...

Dentistry thrives on technological advances, and the dental equipment that is used in offices today is often vastly different to the systems used a decade ago. We have seen the rise of computer-aided alignment treatments such as Invisalign, advanced imaging and moulding systems to complement (and sometimes replace) conventional moulds with highly advanced 3D models. However, one of the most interesting developments in recent years is CEREC, short for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic, which allows dentists to create accurate, high-quality personal crowns and veneers in their clinics. This is far faster than the traditional method of creating moulds, sending them...

We all know that brushing our teeth twice a day is important, but it’s just as important to make sure you’re looking after your gums at the same time, as developing gum disease puts you at an increased risk of other health conditions, such as stroke, heart disease and diabetes. Gum disease occurs when plaque starts to build up beneath and along the gum line, potentially leading to infections that can affect the gums and bone, leading to tooth decay and even tooth loss. Gingivitis can also be caused by plaque, which is the earliest stage of gum disease, characterised...