Tag Archives: Brightside Dental

Brightside Dental Smile of the Month August 2022

Ron had been a regular patient of Dr Paarth Darbar and Brightside Dental for almost five years. Over this period, we carried out routine treatments such as fillings, extractions and dental hygiene treatment.

During these visits Ron often mentioned how we has unhappy with the appearance of his front teeth, which had multiple fillings which had to be replaced on multiple occasions, and had become worn, stained and chipped. Having discoloured, chipped teeth affected his confidence, and he was self-conscious when smiling.

Ron was an anxious patient and had never previously discussed his concerns with a dentist. Over the course of a couple of visits, we went into a lot of detail and outlined all his options. We discussed porcelain veneers and crowns, a combination of both, and also a new fresh set of composite bonding. We even managed to give him a preview of what his teeth would like after treatment through something called a ‘Wax Up’.

Ron decided that he wanted to have something that would last and not stain so frequently as his previous composite fillings. With this in mind, Ron decided to have porcelain veneers placed for his front four teeth.

We arranged a digital scan for Ron and got him started on his journey by freshening up his smile with Enlighten premium teeth whitening. Ron got a custom set of whitening trays along with whitening gel, which he used for two weeks at home. This was followed by an hour session of whitening in the practice.

We then went ahead with the veneers over two visits. The first visit we removed the old fillings and prepared the teeth and fitted Ron with some provisional restorations which were to the same shape as the planned veneers. This enables Ron to test out his new smile. He was over the moon with the temporaries and some of his friends thought they were the real ones!

Ron was having custom made veneers, which meant in between visits he went to visit the lovely lab technician team at Luke Barnett, and designed the veneers along with the technician. He got to decide the shape, size and exact colour he wanted. On the second visit to Brightside we fitted his veneers. Ron was extremely pleased with the result, which was planned in detail to give a predictable end result.

Here is what Ron has to say about his experience:

When carefully planned and designed, we can achieve amazing, long-lasting results with teeth whitening porcelain veneers, with minimal tooth preparation. If you would like to find out more please contact us on 020 88884401.

Brightside Smile Of The Month December 2020

Jayden initially visited Brightside Dental because he was unhappy with his crooked lower front teeth and also with the colour of his teeth.

We discussed various treatment options with Jayden. The planning and treatment was more complicated because he had braces when younger but only for his upper teeth. This meant the upper teeth were still quite straight but we had very limited space to move the lower teeth.

It was agreed to remove one lower incisor in order to help create space and Jayden undertook Invisalign teeth straightening with Dr Ketan Shah.

Once were teeth were straightened, we carried out a course of teeth whitening and composite bonding treatment to restore the chipped lower front teeth.

Treatment time was 17 months, which was significantly longer than planned due to Covid-19, however Jayden was very patient and now has the smile he always wanted.

A big benefit with Invisalign treatment during these uncertain times is we can monitor the treatment remotely which means less appointments needed in the practice and also treatment can often continue even during lockdown.

If you would like to find out more how we could help improve your smile, please contact us on 020 88884401.

How Can I Stop Grinding My Teeth?

Teeth grinding (or bruxism) is becoming an increasingly common problem for people – both children and adults. What we have found at Brightside Dental over the past few weeks is that a significantly increased number of people are suffering from teeth grinding – including a number of members of our team. This is likely to be due to huge lifestyle changes, stress and pressure because of the impact of Coronavirus.

Teeth grinding or bruxism can affect quality of sleep

Many of our patients do not know they are grinding their teeth as often they would not be aware of the issue while sleeping, unless it wakes them at night or causes jaw pain. You may notice rough areas on the inside of the cheeks, or if the problem is advanced, the front teeth may wear down or chip and could become sensitive. Other issues can be with broken fillings and recession of the gums.

Brightside’s Principal Dentist Ketan Gives Advice

Ideally you should seek the advice of a dentist and consider having a nightguard made to protect your teeth from further damage. Sometimes there can be other underlying issues impacting the problem and it can be appropriate to seek the advice of a specialist or a physiotherapist. Here is some further information about teeth grinding and details of treatment we can provide at Brightside Dental https://www.s4sdental.com/teeth-clenching-grinding-migraines-headaches https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/headaches-and-snoring-bounds-green.html

We appreciate that you currently can’t have treatment with a dentist so here are 10 things you can try to help reduce the problem:

Daily exercise to help relieve stress
Meditation or relaxation
Limit alcohol and caffeine intact especially in the evening
Avoid use of phones, computers and TVs at least 1 hour before going to bed to help have a better nights sleep
Avoid very hard and sticky foods which create more pressure on your jaw joints
Don’t chew on things you shouldn’t such as pens
Have a warm bath before bed
Use a heat pack or hot water bottle and place on each side of the face near the jaw joints for 5-10 minutes
Jaw exercises – watch video above for advice on simple exercises you can carry out and more from this link https://www.healthline.com/health/tmj-exercises#exercise
You could try using a mouthguard from a chemist or online as a temporary measure. It won’t fit anywhere near as well as a custom made guard, but may offer some help. It’s likely to be better to get one that can be moulded rather than a standard size

If you are grinding your teeth, it would definitely be advisable to have a professionally custom made nightguard by your dentist. If this is something you would like to consider, please let us know and we can arrange to see you as soon as possible once we reopen to minimise any delay for you.

iTero Digital Dental Scanner

As well as recent refurbishment at Brightside Dental, we have invested in the latest dental technology with the latest iTero digital scanner. This makes our practice fully digital and complements our dental software and digital x-rays.

See Brightside’s principal dentist Ketan demonstrating the scanner and also patients sharing their experience of the iTero.

For our patients, this means many benefits, including: not having to have messy and uncomfortable impressions/moulds of your teeth; being able to see an instant simulation of how your smile could look; faster processing of laboratory based dentistry; increased accuracy; digital dental records; having the possibility to detect decay without x rays; being able to accurately monitor changes with your teeth and gums, plus many more.

To find our more, give us a call on 020 88884401.

Why Are Braces For Adults Becoming More Popular?

There was a recent BBC news story that reported that increasing numbers of adults are choosing to have orthodontic treatment to straighten their teeth and improve their smile.

See the story here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49183879

Ketan Shah Brightside Dental’s principal dentist discusses this subject further here : https://youtu.be/tSKAWgKKvSU

At Brightside Dental, we can confirm we are definitely seeing more interest in orthodontic treatment amongst our adult patients. In the past, it was generally the case that braces were only for children.

There are a number of reasons why we are seeing these changes, which include:

-Braces are much more socially acceptable for adults than in the past and tend not to have an impact on most people’s work

-Many people have friends or family members having orthodontic treatment, which encourages them to do the same

-Also, many celebrities have braces, which makes it much more appealing to others

-Treatments options have significantly advanced over the years and there are many options for braces which can be very discreet and unobtrusive

-With cosmetic straightening of the teeth, treatment can often be completed in a matter of a few months

-Many adults had braces as a child but their teeth have moved over time

-NHS options for braces are becoming more limited so less children may be having orthodontic treatment, which may mean more have treatment as an adult

-Some people have always hated their smile, but may not be in a financial position to do anything about it at a younger age

-Age has become less of a barrier and we have many patients in their 50’s and 60’s who want to improve their smile

At Brightside Dental, we offer a wide range of cosmetically focussed teeth straightening options to improve your smile.

Refurbishment At Brightside Dental

At Brightside Dental, we firmly believe in constantly learning about the latest techniques and methods of treatment in dentistry as well as making improvements within the practice to make the comfort and experience of our patients as satisfying as possible.

Over the past 9 years, we have progressively upgraded our treatment rooms, along with the dental equipment we use. Many of our regular and long-standing patients have followed this journey with us and we are very pleased and proud that they see positive improvements in the practice.

We are currently having the final of our 4 treatment rooms fully refurbished. Click below to see the progress so far and we look forward to the work being completed!

What Are The Signs & Symptoms And Treatments For A Cracked Tooth?

There can be a number of different causes of a cracked tooth and it is important to know that many of us naturally have small cracks within our teeth, which often will never be an issue. However concerns occur when cracks cause damage to our teeth or lead to pain.

Brightside Dental’s principal dentist Ketan discusses the subject here : https://youtu.be/TROhiFWmnkc

The main things that can cause a crack within a tooth are:

-Having a large filling which makes the rest of the tooth weaker and can cause the tooth to crack. This is generally seen more commonly with amalgam(metal fillings) compared with composite(tooth coloured) fillings because the metal is stronger than the natural tooth

-Trauma to a tooth caused by an accident or fall; sporting injury; or being involved in a fight

-Excess repeated pressure from tooth grinding (or bruxism)

-Eating particularly hard foods such as nuts, ice, hard sweets or biting into a bone

– Using your teeth for things they are not designed for such as opening bottles and tearing clothes tags

The main symptoms of a cracked tooth:

-Pain on biting or chewing that usually lasts a very short time

-Pain that comes and goes but usually doesn’t last any extended period of time

-Swelling and possible soreness of the gum around a tooth

-Sensitivity especially to hot; cold; and or sweet things

-Part of a tooth moving with pressure

Treatment options for a cracked tooth:

Treatment will largely depend on how severe the problem is and how much the symptoms bother you. You would need to seek advice of a dentist to be able to correctly diagnose the problem and advise on the treatment options that would be suitable for you. Sometimes a cracked tooth can be very difficult to diagnose as the crack may be deep within the tooth or underneath an existing restoration so would not be visible directly in the mouth and often not on a X-ray.

No treatment – this would be based upon the symptoms and diagnosis as to whether would be appropriate
Composite bonding to fill and seal the crack
Removal of existing restoration if present then to investigate the tooth and remove part of all of the crack and restore with a temporary or definitive filling and review to see if the symptoms settle
Root canal treatment – if the crack has reached the nerve (pulp) of the tooth this may be necessary because a normal filling won’t help
Crown. A crown may be placed either as a stand-alone treatment or following root canal treatment. The purpose of this is to protect the tooth and balance the forces on the tooth when eating
Extraction. This may be necessary if the crack has progressed so deep within the tooth that it’s unrestorable

At Brightside Dental, we try and follow treatment in order of the above list where possible so that the least invasive treatment is carried out to resolve the problem and if it doesn’t settle, we may consider moving on to the next option. However, can’t go backwards the other way – won’t a tooth is extracted, there is no gong back!

If you would like any advice or wish to make an appointment, call us on 020 88884401.

Brightside Dental Smile Of The Month June 2019

Miriam has been coming to Brightside for many years for her dental care. In 2009, we replaced some failing crowns and fillings with 4 new crowns.

Before treatment in 2009

After crowns in 2009

Around 2015, one of the crowned teeth had some issues due to gum problems which meant it moved out of position and needed to be extracted. Miriam had a denture for a few years, which she never got on well with.

She had considered dental implant treatment, but was scared of the treatment being painful. After many discussions, she finally made the decision to go ahead with the dental implant.

Miriam shares her story here: https://youtu.be/gjbAUuh1Czs

The treatment went very smoothly and Miriam was overjoyed with the outcome of treatment, with her main regret (one we regularly experience) is that she wished she had gone ahead sooner with the treatment.

If you would like to know more about our options for replacing missing teeth please call us on 020 88884401.

Brightside Dental Smile Of The Month April 2019

Moshana had been attending Brightside Dental on and off for a few years and had been unhappy with her smile for a number of years. She had orthodontic treatment in the past which hadn’t given her the smile she wanted. Her main concerns were the colour of the teeth, especially two front teeth which had darkened following root canal treatment and also that the front teeth were uneven.

Click to see Moshana sharing her story: https://youtu.be/5Jj_RN5dyVM

We created a plan for treatment around 2 years ago, but for various reasons it wasn’t the right time for Moshana to go ahed. Working as an actor and wanting to progress further in her profession, Moshana recently made the decision to proceed with the treatment and understandably had some concerns about how well it would work given her disappointments in the past.

We carried out a course of teeth whitening to improve the general colour of the teeth and then placed porcelain crowns on the two discoloured teeth for them to match the natural teeth. The treatment was completed as planned in a number of weeks.

Moshana is super happy with her new smile, which exceeded her expectations of what could be achieved and feels it will be a real boost to her confidence as she was previously often reluctant to smile.

There are many ways we can improve people’s smiles, many of which are very simple and cost-effective. If you would like to know how we can help you call us on 020 88884401.

It’s Never Too Late To Follow Your Dreams

In this weeks episode, Ketan talks about a former patient of Brightside Dental who has gone from a job in marketing to become the lead singer in a Black Sabbath tribute band.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/c16sE8yWmIk

To see Rik share his experience after completing his dental treatment and before and after photos of his smile click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZKhIVSa7sM&t=1s

Here is a recommendation from Rik:

“When I first decided to invest money in my dental treatment, it was because I mixed with lots of moderately successful business people who all seemed to have good teeth. Plus, I had been very self-aware that my teeth did not look that great with stains and chips on them, I also had a couple of missing teeth that were obvious when I smiled. So my confidence was not that great.

My treatment with Ketan went like dream and it all happened in the time frame that he outlined. I was extremely happy with the end result and felt a new confidence with my vastly improved smile.

2 years after completing my treatment, I was asked to audition as the singer in a Black Sabbath tribute band, although I passed the audition with flying colours, I didn’t realise at the time what a significant part my new teeth would play in my new role. Ozzy Osbourne is as famous for his perfect teeth (all implants) as he is for his wild on/off stage antics.

As part of my on stage performance I bear my teeth at the audience, partly in homage to Ozzy Osbourne and partly to scare the living daylights out of them. It’s become a thing now and the audience do it back to me!

To say that my life has been transformed would an understatement. You never know what opportunities will open up to you further down the line in the future. If anyone had told me that I would be the singer in Blakk Sabbath and completely own the stage when performing, I would have thought they were joking. I am now on the journey with a new career and loving every moment of it!

For anyone contemplating the investment in significant dental treatment, look no further than Ketan Shah and Brightside Dental, because the future is full of unknown surprises.” – Rik (Ozzy Osbourne) Lambert

For more about Blakk Sabbath visit: https://www.facebook.com/blakksabbathband/

If you would like to learn how we can help improve your smile send us a message or call on 020 88884401.

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