It's inevitable that over time, your teeth will start to discolour, thanks to your diet, smoking habits and just the ageing process. Fortunately there they can easily be whitened again; the most effective method is to use bleaching agents in conjunction with a strong LED light. This can be done either at home with a kit bought from a store, or professionally at the dentist's surgery. Which of these options should you go for?

A routine of good oral hygiene will ensure a young child's teeth and mouth are always healthy and that their adult teeth grow properly. Unhealthy gums may provide poor support for a child's adult teeth, and learning how to take care of their teeth when they're young can ensure a child will continue with a good oral care routine as they get older. While only a dentist can answer questions about your child's oral care in particular, note a few general questions you might have about keeping your child's teeth healthy and clean.

Perhaps your teeth are not as white as you'd like them to be, but it's more or less a given that they are all the same colour. This is why it can be disconcerting when there's a break in this uniformity of colour. A single grey tooth can be a cause for alarm, and no matter how much you clean it with whitening toothpaste (or even treat it with a teeth whitening kit), this discolouration doesn't seem to shift.

Everyone's smile is unique, although it could be suggested that some are more unique than others. Many people opt to receive orthodontic treatment to straighten crooked teeth, whether in their teenage years or as an adult. But perhaps you decided not to. It's entirely a personal choice, and it doesn't make your smile any less beautiful. It can, however, make it more difficult to whiten your teeth. But why is this the case?

There are a number of things you can do to keep your teeth in good condition. Read on to find out what these things are. Have them professionally cleaned on a regular basis Going for a scale-and-polish at least twice a year can prevent the condition of your teeth from deteriorating. The first stage of this cleaning process (i.e. the ''scaling'') involves the dentist using sharp dental instruments to scrape the hardened plaque (known as 'tartar'') off the surface of each tooth.

When a tooth dies, it becomes a ticking time bomb. The once vital pulp that supplied the tooth with nourishment and oxygen begins to decay inside the tooth. Since there is nowhere for the infected material to go, it drains into the root of the infected tooth, creating an abscess. Root canal treatment must be undertaken in order to remove the infection and seal the tooth. However, during root canal therapy, and for some time afterwards, patients may experience a foul taste in their mouth.

Unlike other forms of cosmetic medical procedures, cosmetic dentistry is often recommended because of the restorative effect it can have. If you have chipped teeth, for example, then the shape of your incisors can be dealt with so that they are restored to appear just as they did before they became damaged. Indeed, in many cases, a cosmetic dentist will go further and improve the appearance of teeth from how they looked naturally.

A dental implant is an artificial tooth that is surgically placed in your mouth to support dental prostheses like a denture, a bridge or a crown. The "root" of the artificial tooth is made from titanium metal and is fused in the jawbone to serve as the root for the missing tooth. So why do most patients choose this restorative procedure? Is it right for you?  We take a look at some important things you should know.

If you have suffered tooth decay, trauma or any form of dental injury that caused you to lose one, several or all of your teeth, it may be time to consider getting fake teeth, or dentures. Dentures are great dental restorations that replace lost teeth and help individuals restore their beautiful smile and self-confidence. However, many misconceptions have been floating around about dentures, and if you have heard them, you may be reluctant about getting them.

When the lateral incisors, which are the teeth on either side of your central incisors, appear much smaller than the central incisors, they are referred to as "peg laterals". In general, peg laterals occur in the upper (maxillary) jaw and are cone-shaped. Because of their size and their position in the smile zone, they are easily noticeable when a person with this condition smiles. Fortunately, there are a range of cosmetic dentistry techniques that can address this issue.