Well we all know that we need to clean our teeth right? But for how long and with which type of toothbrush? What do you do if your gums are bleeding? And how do you sort out mouth ulcers? Why do you get them? How to stop you teeth going yellow? Constant bad breathe?

So where do you start with all these things and how do you get the ball moving?

Well actually you’ve already started the ball moving. I agree it isn’t moving very quick but just by you clicking on the link “How Much Do You Know About Teeth” shows that you don’t want any of the problems we have listed above.

I don’t think any one wants bad breath or tooth ache or any other problems but sometimes YOU need to take the first step in getting things sorted and by the way as you are here you’ve already taken that step.

OK I understand, I really do! You brush twice a day EVERY day; you always use toothpaste and usually brush for 2-4minutes each time. You have more than a few fillings and you now worry about having false teeth coz something still isn’t right and next time you visit the dentist your having ANOTHER filling? Do I understand you right yet? (If no drop me an Email to web@vfcc.org.uk to cover your issues)

If yes then maybe I can shed some light on it for you. The reason I can relate is I’ve got the same problems too. No one showed me how to brush my teeth so I just figured it out, or thought I did. Little did I know I was always missing my back teeth (so that’s why they sell those funky toothbrushes that bend and change into a transformer robot). Yep now there are loads of fillings at the back and when I laugh really hard you see them all and they look gross.

Mind you I always feel guilty when I tell the dentist how often I eat sweets, as I can never bring myself to tell him the truth.
“I LOVE SNICKERS>MARS>BOUNTY>CHOCO CHOCO CHOCLATE, biscuits, cakes, drinks, sweets and pretty much chocolate anything.” I probably say something like “yeh I like the occasional bar of chocolate” or “maybe 3 or 4 times a week I have a treat”. And he raise that ONE eyebrow in the doctor spock move.

Well after much willpower loads of chewing gum, and a fix of sweet fruit I’ve managed to not completely stop munching chocolate bars but certainly cut down.

Then “BANG” next visit he wants me to have 8 more fillings over three visits. I was well-gutted man. Thought id done so well and all that cutting down I was about to give up and get a job in Cadburys. Then he asked me how many sugars I have in tea or coffee? I kept quite about the three years in care when I was having three sugars in a cuppa. So I braved it and told him two. So after a few more questions he tells me the reason for all my fillings is probable because with an average of 8 cups of tea or coffee per day, my three meals (if I’m lucky), and the very occasional bar of chocolate my mouth has a constant supply of sugar. Saliva fights decay and that the same way white blood sells fight infections, but every time they start to work I wash another cuppa down replacing the sugar they just fought off.
So in brief if you take two sugars in a cuppa and drink a few a day (SAME APPLY’S TO POP) you aren’t letting your natural defences fight off the sugar, coz there’s no time between them. And when it cam to the decision of having two sugars and less then 8 cups a day or less sugar and the same amount of cups, I chose the less sugar option. Half a sugar is about as low as I’ve been able to get it but if I get any more fillings I’m probably going to have no sugar in my tea and coffee.

SUDS