Composite Edge Bonding is a dental procedure that changes the shape of your teeth to improve their appearance.

It involves adding a tooth-coloured, composite resin material onto the edges of the teeth.This creates a more symmetrical, straight, and aesthetically pleasing look. 

Although most patients are pleased with the results, not all cases are successful. It is important to consider your individual needs and discuss with a dentist if this composite edge bonding is right for you. I would highly recommend choosing a dentist with experience and a track record of successful results.

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A dentist sends scans or moulds of your teeth to a lab to make customised aligners. Tooth coloured attachments are placed on the front surface of some teeth. The patient is then provided with a full set of aligners, each of which should be worn for 10-14 days at a time, for at least 22 hours of the day. With each consecutive set of aligners, will move into the desired position.

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Good Oral Hygiene: Brushing teeth 2 x a day, with a fluoride toothpaste helps to keep enamel strong , and may prevent early white spot lesions becoming cavities. This is especially the case when undergoing orthodontic treatment. Make sure you clean around brackets well.

Low Acidity in Diet: Avoid too many fizzy and sugary drinks, as well as citrus fruits.

Avoid excessive fluoride intake: Encourage children to only use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. Always spit at the end of brushing and avoid swallowing.

Use a mouth guard: If your child is taking part in contact sports encourage them to use a mouthguard, to prevent dental trauma which could affect adult teeth.

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Although water is the healthiest choice, unsweetened sparkling water is generally not bad for your teeth, as long as it’s drunk in moderation. Sparkling water can cause mild levels of enamel erosion, but much healthier for your teeth compared to fruit juices, flavoured waters and soft drinks. [1]

We know that sugary fizzy drinks are bad for our teeth, and should limit how often we drink them. Thought of as a popular alternative, the fizzy bubbles may leave you wondering ‘is sparkling water bad for your teeth?’ The answer is generally no, and I would much rather my patients drink sparkling water than lemonade. However, beware of flavoured or sweetened varieties of sparkling water, which do put teeth at risk of erosion and decay.

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If you have cavities which are trapping food and bacteria, they could be a source of bad breath. Getting a cavity cleaned out and filled by a dentist could help resolve the issue.

As a dentist, I am often asked if cavities cause bad breath, and similar questions by patients who worry about bad breath. Below I cover how cavities can cause bad breath. I will then go on to explain other more common causes and how to resolve these.

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