Straight answers on teeth, gums and treatment, written by our team for patients across our five practices.
A single dental implant with its crown is a guide price of £4,000 across our practices, including Scraptoft in Leicester, or £3,200 for patients on our membership plan. That covers one tooth, and it does not include bone grafting, which some patients need first.
Teeth feel sensitive when dentine is exposed by worn enamel or receding gums. See a dentist if the pain is severe or sudden, affects one tooth or lasts over a few weeks, as it can mean decay or a cracked tooth.
Smoking raises the risk of gum disease, tooth loss and mouth cancer, stains teeth and can affect healing after surgery. Stopping lowers those risks. Free NHS help is available, and your dentist can talk it through.
Teeth feel sensitive when dentine is exposed by worn enamel or receding gums. See a dentist if the pain is severe or sudden, affects one tooth or lasts over a few weeks, as it can mean decay or a cracked tooth.
Brush with fluoride toothpaste twice a day, last thing at night and once more, then spit rather than rinse. Clean between your teeth daily, go easy on sugary food and drink, and see a dentist regularly.
Many white spots are early decay, often around braces, where plaque has drawn minerals out of the enamel. Others come from too much fluoride in early childhood or from enamel that did not form fully. A dentist can tell which.
Extra teeth are uncommon, and many cause no trouble. A dentist may advise action if one blocks or pushes aside an adult tooth, crowds its neighbours or affects gum health. Otherwise, watching it can be reasonable.
A cavity is a hole that tooth decay can leave in a tooth. Once there is a hole, the NHS says you will probably need a filling. Decay caught before a hole forms can be reversed. See a dentist rather than waiting.
Enamel is lost in three main ways: acid dissolves it (erosion), plaque bacteria cause decay, and grinding or hard brushing wears it down. Your dentist can help work out which apply, because each needs different care.
Fluoride helps protect teeth against decay. UK guidance is to brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, using a smear for under 3s and a pea-sized amount from 3 to 6, and to spit out rather than rinse.
Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that irritates gums and can lead to decay. UK guidance says brushing with fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between teeth daily keeps it under control. Tartar needs a dental team.
Causes include gum disease, cleaning too firmly, thin gum tissue and braces. A dentist finds the cause, deals with it where possible and monitors the gum. Usually the receded gum itself needs no more treatment.
The NHS advises brushing last thing before bed with fluoride toothpaste for about 2 minutes, then spitting, not rinsing. UK guidance also covers cleaning between teeth and avoiding sugary food and drink at bedtime.
Early gum disease can be reversed with good daily cleaning. Periodontitis, the later stage, cannot be reversed, but a dental team can help control it. Smoking and diabetes raise the risk.
A scale and polish removes plaque, tartar and stains. Deep cleaning below the gum treats more serious gum disease. Routine cleans have not been shown to help adults with healthy gums, so ask your dentist.
UK guidance is to clean between your teeth every day, with floss or interdental brushes. A water flosser is a useful extra and does not replace brushing, but sources differ on whether it can replace floss.
The NHS and the Oral Health Foundation advise gentle tongue cleaning once a day. Small trials suggest it may reduce bad breath, but it does not replace brushing and cleaning between teeth. Bad breath has other causes.
Plaque is the cause UK guidance names, though pregnancy, quitting smoking and some medicines can play a part. The NHS says to see a dentist if gums bleed when you brush. Gingivitis can be reversed by reducing plaque.
Mandibular tori are benign (not cancer) bony lumps inside the lower jaw and usually need no treatment. Have any new lump in your mouth checked, and sooner if it grows quickly, hurts or is on one side only.
Yes. Your mouth is home to a varied community of bacteria, and most of the time they live in harmony with you. Trouble starts when the balance shifts, for example through plaque, frequent sugar or a dry mouth.
Causes include dehydration, some medicines, mouth breathing at night and ageing. The NHS says a dry mouth is rarely a sign of anything serious, but it raises decay risk, so fluoride, less sugar and check-ups help.
A bad or changed taste can come from gum disease, a mouth infection, dry mouth, a medicine or a cold. See a dentist or GP about any red or white patch in your mouth, or an ulcer that lasts more than 3 weeks.
The NHS advises taking your child when their first milk teeth appear, or before they are 12 months old. The first visit is usually short and gentle, and it is fine if they will not open wide yet.
Brush with fluoride toothpaste from the first tooth, twice a day, and keep helping, usually until at least 7. Keep sugary food and drink to mealtimes, and take your child to a dentist by their first birthday.
Sucking a dummy or thumb is normal in young children. If it carries on as adult teeth arrive it can change how the teeth meet, and the British Orthodontic Society says the sooner it stops, the less the effect.
Baby teeth usually loosen from age 5 to 6, and the baby molars at about 9 to 12. A tooth knocked out or pushed out of place needs an emergency dentist. Book a check-up if one is sore, very early or stays firm.
An impacted wisdom tooth has no room to come through fully. NICE and the NHS say one causing no problems is usually left and checked, but the Royal College of Surgeons says some may be better removed sooner.
A tooth abscess is a pocket of pus caused by a bacterial infection in a tooth or gum. The NHS says it will not go away on its own and needs urgent treatment by a dentist. It is often painful, but not always.
UK guidance favours a custom-made mouthguard, shaped to your own teeth. Studies comparing it directly with shop-bought ones are limited. Any guard should stay in when you open your mouth wide.
A cracked tooth can be a surface line or a deeper crack that reaches the nerve, so see a dentist if you suspect one. A swollen face needs an urgent dental appointment. Trouble breathing or swallowing needs 999 or A&E.
Toothache can come from decay, a cracked tooth, a loose filling, infection or gum disease. See a dentist if it lasts over 2 days. Trouble breathing or swallowing, or swelling around the eye or neck, is an emergency.
Restorative dentistry means repairing damaged teeth and replacing missing ones. It includes fillings, crowns, root canals, gum disease care, bridges, dentures and implants. Your dentist can explain which suit you.
Amalgam is the silver filling made of mercury and other metals. UK guidance finds no evidence existing ones harm health, or reason to replace sound ones unless you react to them. Limits on new ones are environmental.
A crown covers a tooth, but plaque can still build up where it meets the gum, so daily brushing, cleaning between your teeth and regular check-ups still matter. See a dentist if a crown feels loose or comes off.
Root canal treatment removes infected tissue from inside a tooth, then cleans, fills and seals it. It is usually done under local anaesthetic, in one visit or more, and a crown may follow to protect the tooth.
In UK experiments, people rated photos of altered teeth differently, but that is not a real-life outcome. In a 2021 survey, 12% of English adults reported a severe effect on smiling. A dentist can talk it through.
Whitening lightens natural teeth, but not crowns or fillings. In the UK, only a dentist, or a hygienist, therapist or clinical dental technician on a dentist’s prescription, may give it. How long it lasts varies.
Veneers are not permanent. In studies, about 95 in 100 porcelain veneers had not failed after 10 years, and composite ones failed more often. Daily cleaning and regular check-ups help them last longer.
Fixed braces make plaque harder to clean away, so the NHS advises fluoride toothpaste, a daily interdental brush under the wires, less sugary food and drink, and regular dental check-ups as well as brace appointments.
Most children start braces around 12 or 13, once all their adult teeth have come through. Fixed braces usually run 18 to 24 months. An assessment by a dentist or orthodontist decides what your child needs.
The NHS says your orthodontist will tell you how long. Some plans start with day and night wear, others with nights only. The British Orthodontic Society advises continuing some form of retention for the long term.
Adults can have braces if their teeth and gums are healthy. We offer fixed braces and clear aligners (Invisalign, Spark or SureSmile) at every practice, and an assessment decides whether treatment suits you and which option fits.
Clean around an implant every day, as your dental team shows you, and keep the review visits they set. Plaque left there can inflame the gum and lead to bone loss, but gum disease around implants can be treated.
You can replace a missing tooth with a bridge, a denture or an implant, and in some cases the gap can be left alone. Which suits you depends on your teeth, gums and jawbone, so a dentist’s assessment comes first.
The ridge of bone that held a tooth shrinks once it is out, mostly in the first months. A graft in the socket may reduce this, but the evidence is very uncertain. Gum disease can also damage bone around your teeth.
A dental implant is a titanium post placed in the jawbone to hold a crown, bridge or denture. It means surgery and months of treatment, and it is not right for everyone, so a full assessment comes first.
Most dental implants are made of titanium. Zirconia, a white ceramic, is an alternative with fewer and shorter studies. Mini implants are narrower, and the research looks mostly at those holding dentures.
Grinding or clenching, awake or asleep, is often linked to stress and sometimes to sleep problems. Not everyone needs treatment, but see a dentist if teeth look worn or your jaw, face or ear hurts.
TMJ problems (temporomandibular disorders) can cause jaw pain, clicking or locking. The NHS says they are not usually serious. Severe headaches or vision problems need an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111.
The Oral Health Foundation says snoring often means mouth breathing, which can dry your mouth and raise decay and gum disease risk. Breathing pauses at night or heavy tiredness by day are for your GP.
If you smoke, switching fully to vaping is likely far less harmful, but it carries risk and is not for non-smokers or under-18s. Studies link it to plaque and gum changes, but many cannot separate it from smoking.
Smoking raises the risk of gum disease, tooth loss and mouth cancer, stains teeth and can affect healing after surgery. Stopping lowers those risks. Free NHS help is available, and your dentist can talk it through.
The NHS says chewing tobacco, paan and betel quid are not a safe way to use tobacco and can raise the risk of mouth cancer. Smokeless tobacco is also linked to gum disease. Many NHS stop smoking services can help.
Studies suggest a deliberate smile may lift how happy you feel a little, but the effect is small and varies, and a famous early result did not replicate. These studies measured feelings, not physical health.
Bacteria in plaque turn sugar into acid, which can lead to decay. Both how much sugar you have and how often you have it matter. UK advice is to keep free sugars to no more than 5 percent of your daily energy.
A 2015 review found a bacterium linked to decay can pass from mother to child. The NHS says decay is often caused by sugary food and drink and not cleaning teeth, so brushing, less sugar and early dental checks help.
Some conditions and treatments can affect your gums, your saliva or how easily you can clean your teeth. Tell your dentist about them, keep up check-ups, and ask your GP or specialist team about medical questions.
Rinsing with water after being sick is a sensible step. For long-lasting pregnancy sickness or an eating disorder, dentist guidance also suggests not brushing then (weak evidence). Ask a pharmacist for sugar-free syrups.
Diabetes can raise the risk of gum disease, and gum disease and blood sugar are linked in both directions. Dry mouth and thrush are also more likely. Brushing, cleaning between teeth and regular check-ups help.
Dentists use X-rays to see what a mouth examination cannot, such as decay between teeth or infection at a root. The dose is very small, and an X-ray should only be taken when its benefit outweighs the risk.
All-on-4 replaces a whole arch of failing or missing teeth with a fixed bridge carried on four implants. It suits people who wear dentures, or who are close to losing most of the teeth in an arch. If you are missing one or two teeth, an individual implant or a bridge is the better comparison.
Most clear aligner courses at our practices run nine to twelve months, though a case can take anywhere from six to eighteen. You wear each aligner at least 22 hours a day, change to the next one every week or two, and see us every four to six weeks.
Dental lasers use a narrow beam of light on teeth, gums or whitening gel. Reviews rate most of the evidence as low quality. Lasers sometimes help with comfort, but for whitening reviews found no consistent gain.
Dentists usually lead the team. Hygienists focus on gum health and prevention. Therapists also fill teeth and take out baby teeth. Nurses support the team at the chair. The regulator sets limits for each role.
A lisp changes how ‘s’ and ‘z’ sound, often towards ‘th’. Many childhood lisps fade by around 4 or 5. If one stays or worries you, a speech and language therapist can help, and a dentist can check your teeth.
A single dental implant with its crown is a guide price of £4,000 across our practices, including Scraptoft in Leicester, or £3,200 for patients on our membership plan. That covers one tooth, and it does not include bone grafting, which some patients need first.
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