My partner often sweats profusely during the night - we often have to change the sheets on a daily basis as as result.

I have urged him to go to the doctors about it but he is refusing to go. How can I help persuade him?

If this is something that your husband has recently started experiencing, I would recommend that he visit his GP as the onset of sweating can be associated with some medical conditions.

Hyperhidrosis is a condition that causes excessive sweating. While hyperhidrosis does not pose a serious threat to health, it can cause significant emotional and psychological distress, embarrassment and can have a negative impact on a person's quality of life.

There are two types of hyperhidrosis:

€¢ focal hyperhidrosis, where only certain parts of the body are affected, such as the armpits, hands, feet or face, and

€¢ generalised hyperhidrosis, where the entire body is affected.

Hyperhidrosis can also be either:

€¢ primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis, where there is no apparent cause for the excessive sweating, and

€¢ secondary hyperhidrosis, where the excessive sweating is the result of an underlying health condition, such as an overactive thyroid gland.

Most cases of focal hyperhidrosis are primary. Generalised hyperhidrosis is usually secondary.

Perhaps the biggest challenge in treating hyperhidrosis is that so many people are reluctant to seek medical advice, either because of embarrassment or a mistaken belief that nothing can be done to improve their symptoms.

However, the outlook for hyperhidrosis is good and there is a range of different treatments that have proved effective in controlling symptoms. Occasionally sweating at night can be an indication of other medical conditions and if it is a persistent symptom, it should be discussed with the GP.

My dentist has told me to start using an interdental toothbrush. Why have I been told to do this?

Interdental brushes help to prevent gum disease by getting rid of pieces of food and plaque from between your teeth. Plaque is a sticky substance made of bacteria. If it builds up, the bacteria can irritate the gums and cause swelling.

If your dentist advises you to clean between your teeth, they may recommend using interdental brushes. Interdental brushes have small bristled heads specially designed to clean between your teeth. They are available from pharmacies and come in different widths to suit the sizes of the gaps. You may need to use more than one size of brush.

If you find it difficult to use interdental brushes, get advice from your dentist. They can show you how to use them and give you advice about other ways to clean between your teeth, such as dental floss. However, some people find using dental floss more difficult.

What is oral thrush in babies?

Oral thrush is a fungal infection in the mouth, caused by the yeast fungus candida albicans. It is common in healthy babies under two years old.

The main symptom is one or more white spots or patches in your baby's mouth, although some infants may not have any symptoms.

Babies rarely have oral thrush in their first week of life. It is most common in babies around four weeks old. Older babies can get it too, but this is less common.

Some babies can have repeated infections.

Oral thrush in babies is not usually linked with other illnesses or conditions. It may not bother your baby, but if their mouth is sore they may be reluctant to feed.

If your GP decides that your baby needs treatment, they will prescribe an appropriate medicine to manage the fungus in your baby's mouth.

If you are breastfeeding, your baby can pass a thrush infection to you.Your midwife or GP will be able to advise if you have any questions about this or concerns you may have thrush involving your nipple.In general this does not affect the ability to breast feed.