Prevention
Prevention: the heart of everything we do
Here's an unusual admission for a dental practice: our ambition is to do as little dentistry to you as possible. Every filling avoided, every extraction never needed, every child who reaches adulthood without a filling — that's what we count as success. Prevention is why we exist; treatment is for when prevention arrived too late.
Our approach
The four pillars
01
Regular examinations
Small problems are quiet. A cavity you can feel is a cavity that’s been growing for months; gum disease gives almost no warning you’d notice. Examinations (with an oral cancer screen every time) catch trouble while it’s still small and simple to put right — or better, before it starts.
02
Hygiene visits
Even excellent brushing leaves hardened deposits that only professional scaling removes — and those deposits are where gum disease lives. Add expert coaching on brushing and interdental cleaning, and a hygiene visit becomes some of the most valuable time you can spend on your health. Gum health matters beyond the mouth, too: research links it with heart health and diabetes control.
03
Diet & habits, decoded
It isn’t how much sugar; it’s how often. Every sugary sip or snack gives mouth bacteria a 30–60 minute acid session against your enamel — so ten biscuits with your elevenses does less harm than one biscuit every hour through the day. We’ll give you practical, judgement-free tactics that fit your actual life: timing, swaps, sugar-free gum, fluoride use, and the sports-drink conversation every cyclist in the Peak District needs.
30–60
minutes of acid attack after every sugary sip or snack — it's the frequency that counts, not the amount
04
Protection where it's needed
Fluoride applications and fissure sealants for vulnerable young molars; custom sportsguards for rugby, hockey and mountain-bike season; nightguards for grinders. Small measures now, expensive problems avoided later.
Every age
Prevention at every age
Little ones (0–6)
First visit by the first birthday — riding the chair, counting teeth, building the habit before there’s anything to fear. Free advice on bottles, dummies and toothpaste refusal.
Children & teens
Sealants and fluoride at the right moments, brushing independence, and orthodontic timing checks — catching alignment issues while jaws are still growing.
Adults
Gum health, wear and grinding, wisdom-tooth watch, and keeping any dentistry you’ve already got (crowns, fillings, implants) in service for decades.
Later years
Root-surface decay, dry mouth from medications, denture health, and dexterity-friendly cleaning tools. Teeth are for life — that’s the aim.
Looking after your teeth
Everyday advice
Twice a day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste — last thing at night and at one other time. Use a small-headed, soft-to-medium brush angled towards the gumline, and work in small circles over the outer, inner and biting surfaces of every tooth rather than scrubbing from side to side. Afterwards, spit out the toothpaste but don’t rinse, so the fluoride keeps working.
Clean between your teeth once a day with interdental brushes or floss, because a toothbrush can’t reach there, and brush or scrape your tongue to keep your breath fresh. Change your toothbrush every two to three months, or sooner if the bristles splay.
Fluoride varnish is a quick, painless way to make children’s teeth more resistant to decay. We paint a thin layer onto the teeth at a routine visit; it takes a minute or two and sets almost straight away.
How often it’s worth doing depends on how prone your child’s teeth are to decay — usually every three to six months, alongside their check-ups. Ask at your child’s next visit whether they’d benefit.
A sealant is a thin protective coating on the biting surfaces of the back teeth, where deep grooves can trap food and bacteria. Sealing the grooves makes the tooth easier to keep clean and much less likely to decay.
It’s quick and painless, with no drilling or injections: the tooth is cleaned and dried, then the sealant is painted on and set hard with a special light, a few minutes per tooth. We usually seal the first permanent molars soon after they come through, at around six or seven, and the others as they appear, between 11 and 14, if their grooves are deep enough to benefit. Sealants last for years; we check them at each visit and top them up if needed. Your child still needs to brush with a fluoride toothpaste.
A twinge from something cold, hot, sweet or acidic usually means the softer dentine under the enamel has been exposed, often where the tooth meets the gum. Common causes are brushing too hard or from side to side, acid erosion from fizzy drinks and fruit juice, receding gums, gum disease and grinding; a cracked tooth or filling, or recent whitening, can also be to blame.
A toothpaste for sensitive teeth, used twice a day (or rubbed onto the sore spot), often helps within a few weeks. Use a soft brush and keep acidic drinks to mealtimes. If it hasn’t improved after a few weeks, or the pain lingers, book an appointment: sensitivity can be an early sign of something that needs treating, and we can apply desensitising treatments or fluoride varnish, or seal exposed areas.
Yes. Every examination includes a check of your lips, cheeks, tongue, gums and throat for anything unusual, because mouth cancer is far easier to treat when it’s caught early.
Smoking or chewing tobacco and drinking alcohol are the biggest risks, especially together. Between check-ups, don’t wait if you notice a mouth ulcer that hasn’t healed within three weeks, a red or white patch, or a lump or swelling in your mouth or neck: ring us or see your GP. If you’d like help to stop smoking, ask us and we’ll point you to local support.
Start with a check-up
Prevention starts with a check-up
Call 01629 812 991, or book your new-patient consultation and we'll take it from there.