Volunteering at the Leeds Dental Hospital

For about 10 years I had not been to see a dentists, partly because of waiting lists, the actual cost and the fact that I don't really have any problems with my teeth.

When I moved to the city and found out I could volunteer at the dental hospital and not only get free treatment but also help the students master their chosen profession, win win in my eyes!

I signed up and then forgot all about it!

About a year and a half later I got a letter through my door saying I had an appointment to be assessed to see if I fit the needs of the students.

I was seen by a fully qualified dentist and then went home to play the waiting game again, not for as long this time and had my first appointment a couple of months later.

Not exactly a Hollywood smile!

Basically my teeth are over crowded, part of the reason I try not smile much, as a result I also struggle to brush/ floss the more over crowed area so I had a build up of calculus on my teeth.

Calculus is the build up you can get on your teeth from not brushing properly and it can start to form within 24 hours so make sure you are brushing twice a day kids.

Other than that I mouth health was really good, a bit of bleeding in the over crowed areas but no cavities, abscesses, rotten teeth or bad breath!

I had my teeth scaled and polished and given general advice on how to look after my teeth better with some being more obvious than others such as avoiding sugary and carbonated drinks or only having more acid drinks like orange juice with meals as the extra saliva helps protect your teeth.

Other tips given were not rinsing your mouth after brushing, not using mouth wash straight away after brushing, to floss before brushing, not to use Corsodyl daily everyday and to brush my teeth for at least two minutes.

If you are gums are bleed then it's an early sign that something is a miss and you should go to your dentist and to diagnose the issue before you lose your pearly whites.

However if you are a smoker then your gums may not bleed because nicotine constricts the blood vessels.

This means your gum health could be in the gutter without you knowing it so if you haven't been to the dentist in the last six months it might be worth booking an appointment even if it's just remind them of what you look like.

With smoking and gum disease having strong links to heart disease you should make looking after your mouth health a priority, that and quitting smoking of course!

I have had a really positive experience volunteering with the Leeds Dental Hospital and would recommend anyone to sign up as a volunteer, not only are you doing something good for yourself but also for the students.