dental-advice



Reliable dental advice for patients! When you have a dental problem or question, reliable dental advice can be hard to find.  Which websites can you trust? Who wrote them?

Often, the dental qualifications of the writer aren't obvious.  Many sites have been written by people with little dental training, which can be a problem if you need safe and accurate information about certain dental conditions.

Dentist Dr Richard Mitchell BDS, head and shoulders, with his dental degree in the backgroundDentist Dr. Richard Mitchell BDS

Dental Advice
For Patients

I can say this in all truth because I'm a dentist myself!

My name is Dr Richard Mitchell. I've been a dentist since 1979, working in the United Kingdom, Barbados, Germany, Australia, Spain, and New Zealand. That means I have  40 years of experience in six countries in general dentistry, and I've seen it all.  Click here for more about me.

My mission has been to make people feel better about their dental care. In the words of Angela Mayou, "People will forget what you say, and they will forget what you do, but they will never forget how you make them feel".

If you look at the Navigation Menu on the left side of this screen, (on a mobile device the Menu is at the top of this page), you will find the main areas that I have divided the website into.

Dental Advice -
from a Registered Dentist

This website offers safe, impartial and straightforward advice all about teeth, gums, jaws, and more. I also want to explain my knowledge as simply as I can, and what better way than online?

If you have arrived on this page, then you may well be having bad toothache. The first page you should look at is THIS ONE, about pain from a hot tooth.

Moving on, one of the most visited pages on this website is to do with photos of tongue cancer. This is definitely something to be aware of, especially if you smoke or drink alcohol. Please be aware that some of the photos are of a graphic nature, showing advanced cases of tongue cancer.

Here are the next most popular pages on this site, in the order that most folk find most useful. Just click on the highlighted text link to go to the indicated page.

  • Tongue ulcers. Most of us will suffer from tongue ulcers at one point or another, so it's good to know if what you have is normal or something you should be concerned about.
  • Tooth abscess antibiotics. Antibiotics are an essential part of treating a tooth abscess, although it's important to realize that they are not the total solution - the tooth will need treatment to prevent the abscess from coming back.  Also take a look at Antibiotics for a tooth infection.
  • Dry socket vs normal pain. When you have had a tooth extracted, a degree of pain afterwards would be normal. But how much? And for how long? How can you tell if it's a dry socket?
  • Tooth extraction infection. This page covers other issues to do with an infection after tooth removal.
  • Sinusitis symptoms. A sinus infection can feel like a tooth ache, but there are a few clues that tell you the problem is your sinuses, and not a tooth!
  • Pain after tooth extraction. Find out if the pain you are having after a tooth extraction is normal, or whether you need to get in touch with your dentist.
  • Jaw bone infection. What about infections in the bone of your jaw? Are they always related to a tooth? NOT always! Find out more by clicking on the link.
  • Mouth cancer symptoms. Check on this link if you are worried about something odd in your mouth like a bump or an ulcer that doesn't heal in 10 days.
  • Dental Myths. Find out what myths and fake news there are when it comes to teeth! Check them out to take a short-cut to the most common questions I get, and to discover which myths have an element of truth in them.
A human skull illustration with lower jaw in redA human skull with mandible in red

My latest pages have a lot of information about What causes Lower Jaw Pain.

I have also written a page about the recently discovered links connecting gum disease to Alzheimers disease. VERY  IMPORTANT. Read about it by clicking on that link.

This risk of developing Alzheimers if you have gum problems is being researched by several universities around the world. Eric Reynolds at the University of Melbourne and Caroline Genco at Tufts University in Massachusetts are working on vaccines that may prevent the gum-disease bacteria getting started.

The British magazine New Scientist has also reported more recently on the bacteria involved in gum disease being responsible for a host of other health issues. This may well end up becoming  extremely important. So, to protect your general health, make sure to brush your teeth slowly and carefully, and then use dental floss. Every day.

My latest dental news page covers what's happening in dentistry, and things of note and things to look out for.

Dental Advice
For Patients

On my website I've tried to cover ALL the questions that my patients frequently ask me. I have found that people are generally interested in just 3 things when it comes to teeth:

  • They want their teeth to look nice.
  • They want to be able to chew comfortably and effectively.
  • They want any dental treatment they may need to be painless.

Actually, there's a 4th one too!

  • They don't want dental treatment to be too expensive.

I have recently added 2 new pages about straightening crooked teeth:

  •  Invisalign Braces. The Invisalign system uses clear splints to straighten your teeth. But is invisalign cheaper than braces? Click on the link to find out!
a woman with fixed dental braces and pink brackets checks her teeth with a dental mirror.A woman checks her dental braces

Quite a few people are terrified of the thought of visiting a dentist. It's a very common problem, and I can identify with the fear. You are putting your total trust in someone who is six inches from your face, and they are usually holding something sharp!

Here's a link to my page about Dental Surgery Phobia for nervous patients and those with a dental phobia. There's information about how to deal with a dental phobia, options for treatment, and links to dental hypnosis downloads.

In my experience over 40 years, dental hypnosis is one of THE BEST solutions for fear and apprehension when faced with a visit to the dentist. So check out that page on Dental Phobia!

Have you ever tried to find a new dentist, maybe after you have moved home to a new area (or even a new country)? I know that I have! Well, I have written a page of advice all about how to find a great dentist. Find a great dentist in your area HERE. You might be surprised at the advice I give you.

I've ALSO written about things that affect how your teeth LOOK, (cosmetic dentistry), such as tooth whitening AND cosmetic veneers.

cosmetic dentist veneers from California close upGreat cosmetic dentist veneers from California

I've written some pages on this website about things that can cause problems with chewing, such as dental infections and wisdom teeth.

There are also pages all about dentures, migraine headaches, and mercury-amalgam fillings.

A young girl brushing her teeth, looking at the cameraBrushing with a manual brush

I am here to give you the straight and honest dental health advice that you need to make the best decisions about your dental health. I want to provide the information you need so that you can ask your dentist the right questions, and make informed decisions about your dental health.

In the rest of this website I've covered lots of other topics, such as:

  • And much more. 

Just look on the menu at the left of your screen, or else type into the Search Box at the top of the page.

If you have any general questions or comments, just use the contact me link and I'll get back to you as soon as I can about any general questions to do with the Dental Advice website.

If you have a specific dental question, you can reach me through the JustAnswer website - be sure to mark your inquiry for my attention only.

June 2023


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