Dental health guide: articles and tips for adults
This dental health guide explains common dental complaints and treatments in everyday language. It is written for patients and their relatives who want to read up before an appointment or after a treatment. The guide has nine articles on dentistry, sorted into four topics. They cover the gums, saving and replacing teeth, the position and shape of teeth, and lightening or covering teeth. For each article you will find a short summary here, with a link to the full text. This helps you find the right topic quickly. The page ends with a note on our case studies. They show how we approached individual treatments at the clinic.
Gum health and your body
Inflamed gums often cause no pain for a long time. The two articles show how to recognise such inflammation and what is known about its effects on the body.
Why gums bleed when you brush, and early warning signs
It is not normal for gums to bleed when you brush. Usually the cause is inflammation brought on by plaque along the gum line. Other warning signs are receding gums, teeth that are sensitive at the gum line and bad breath that does not go away. The article explains how these signs develop and how they are connected. It also says when a check-up at the practice makes sense.
How gum inflammation and heart health may be linked
Chronic inflammation of the tissues that hold the teeth in place is called periodontitis. Studies have observed that cardiovascular diseases are more common in people with periodontitis. Whether the inflammation in the mouth causes these diseases has not yet been fully established. The article sets out what the evidence shows and which questions remain open. It also covers the role of preventive care and dental hygiene in gum health.
Saving and replacing teeth
The first aim is to keep a tooth. Questions about removing and replacing it only come up when that is not possible.
What happens in a root canal, and whether it hurts
Many people fear having a root canal because they associate it with severe tooth pain. This pain usually comes from inflammation inside the tooth. The treatment is meant to remove that very cause. The inflamed tissue is removed, and the root canals are cleaned and tightly sealed. The article describes the steps, the role of the laser and the crown that protects the tooth afterwards.
When wisdom teeth need to come out
Wisdom teeth are the last to come through and often lack space in the jaw. Not every wisdom tooth has to come out. Reasons for removal include recurring inflammation, lack of space or decay in a spot that is hard to brush. An X-ray shows how the tooth is positioned. The article also covers what matters for healing after the procedure.
Advantages of an implant over a bridge
An implant replaces the root of a missing tooth. It sits in the jawbone and bears the load of chewing in a similar way to a natural tooth. For a bridge, on the other hand, the neighbouring teeth are usually ground down, even if they are healthy. The article compares the two solutions and explains how an implant is planned. It also says what determines whether an implant is an option.
Tooth alignment and tooth shape
Two articles deal with the position and shape of the teeth. They explain what a method can do and where its limits lie.
Clear aligners and fixed braces compared
Aligners are clear trays that you take out when you eat and brush your teeth. Fixed braces, by contrast, stay in the mouth for the whole treatment. The comparison looks at everyday life: aligners have to be worn for many hours a day, and that takes discipline. The article also explains at what age a first orthodontic examination makes sense for children.
How ceramic veneers are made and cared for, and how long they last
Veneers are thin ceramic shells that are bonded to the front of a tooth. They cover discolouration or small chips on front teeth, for example. At our clinic we make them on site with the CEREC system. The article explains what happens to the enamel, how to care for veneers day to day and what their lifespan depends on.
Lightening or covering teeth
If you would like lighter teeth, you have several options. The two articles put them in context, from home remedies to ceramic shells.
What home remedies, strips and trays can do for whiter teeth
There are many ways to lighten teeth at home: home remedies, toothpastes and strips from the chemist, or trays with gel. Some mainly remove stains on the surface, while others lighten the tooth itself. In Switzerland, legal limits apply to hydrogen peroxide. The article shows what the methods can realistically achieve, what risks they carry and when whitening at the dentist may make more sense.
Choosing between veneers and whitening
Whitening lightens your own teeth, and their shape stays the same. Veneers, by contrast, change both colour and shape. With most veneers, a little enamel is removed. With whitening, none is. The article compares how far each option affects the tooth structure, how long it lasts and what it costs. It also says who each option generally suits. The comparison does not replace an examination.
What the case studies show
The articles are deliberately kept general. The case studies are more concrete. They describe typical concerns from everyday work at our clinic. There are eleven of them, from a single-tooth implant to the removal of a wisdom tooth. Each one describes the starting point, the approach and the technology used. Where an article has a matching case study, the article refers to it. This applies to implants, root canal treatment, ceramic veneers, gums and wisdom teeth. You can find them all in Eleven treatment examples from our clinic.
What this dental health guide can and cannot do
The articles are for general information and do not replace advice from a dentist. Four points show what you can use the guide for.
- This oral health guide describes complaints and treatments in general terms and in everyday language. It explains technical terms such as periodontitis along the way.
- It also looks at methods used outside a practice, such as lightening your teeth at home. It covers what they achieve and what risks they carry.
- It does not make a diagnosis or give a personal treatment recommendation. At an examination, we check whether a treatment is right for you. Reading this guide does not create a treatment relationship.
- How a treatment works at our clinic and which technology we use is described on the treatment pages. To get started, see Overview of treatments at our clinic.
Questions about this dental care guide
Is your question not listed? Call us or send us an email.
+41 44 915 17 77Who writes the articles in this dental health guide?
Zahnklinik Küsnacht AG in Küsnacht-Goldbach is responsible for the articles. They are based on the clinic's information about its treatments and on general dental knowledge.
Does the guide give prices for dental treatment?
No, the guide does not give any prices. We bill transparently under the Dentotar tariff, with our tax point value (Taxpunktwert) of CHF 1.13. This is the amount charged per point in the Swiss dental tariff. The compulsory basic health insurance (Grundversicherung) usually does not cover dental treatment. For how costs are made up, see costs and process of a dental hygiene appointment and cost of professional teeth whitening.
Can the guide help with acute dental problems?
No. With acute problems, an article is no substitute for a phone call. In a dental emergency, you can reach us on +41 44 915 17 77. Outside opening hours, our emergency phone +41 79 524 74 40 is for real emergencies only, and for anything else please send us an email or a WhatsApp message. For what you can do until your appointment, see what to do in a dental emergency.
Why are there no before-and-after pictures in the guide or the case studies?
We deliberately show no treatment results. In Switzerland, dentists may only advertise in a way that is objective and not misleading. A single result also says little about how it would look for you.
Related pages
- Regular dental check-ups
What is examined at a check-up and what it is for.
- The team at Zahnklinik Küsnacht
Who treats and advises you at the clinic.
Find out in person what suits your teeth
The articles explain the general picture. An examination at our clinic in Küsnacht-Goldbach shows what makes sense for your teeth.