Tag Archives: Dentist London

Brightside Dental Smile of the Month July 2022

Ellen has been a regular patient of Dr Paarth Darbar at Brightside Dental for many years.

She had regular routine treatment, including dental assessments and hygiene but was now looking for a cosmetic improvement.

She was referred to the Orthodontist to have some orthodontic treatment carried out. She had issues with her bite, which was corrected by the Orthodontist and her teeth were now very nice and straight.

However one problem remained: she had hypodontia. Hypodontia is a condition where one or more teeth are missing. Most commonly, the second tooth on either side of the upper front teeth (the lateral incisors) is affected by hypodontia.

Ellen’s braces had closed the gaps in her teeth which were now nice and straight, but this had resulted in the canine teeth being next to the central incisors. Although functionally this is not an issue, aesthetically this can make an individual very conscious about their smile, as the canines are
now at the front of the smile and easily noticeable due to their pointy nature. Missing lateral incisors occur in approximately 2% of people.

Ellen was unsure if anything more could be done to improve these teeth and achieve the perfect smile for her. We sat down and discussed all the options with Ellen, which included crowns, veneers and composite bonding. After due consideration, she decided to proceed with composite bonding as this was the simplest and most cost-effective solution. It was also least damaging to the teeth.

Composite bonding is a procedure where tooth coloured filling material is added to alter the shape, size and appearance of the teeth. The colour is carefully selected to blend in with the natural tooth. Most of the time it can also be carried out without any needles!

This treatment typically lasts anything between three to seven years (on average five). In addition to this, treatment is completed on the same day, so you leave with your new fresh, beaming smile!

Ellen’s treatment was completed in just 90 minutes. The filling material was seamlessly blended with her teeth so they were almost unnoticeable! Ellen now has the smile she always desired.

If you would like to know more about how we can help improve your smile, you can phone the practice at 020 88884401 or email: [email protected].

Brightside Dental Smile of the Month June 2022

Colin visited Brightside Dental as he was unhappy with the appearance of his front teeth: the colour, the shape and the gaps.

Following a discussion on the available treatment options with Dr Ronit Patel, Colin chose to have a fixed bridge to improve the look of his upper front teeth.

The treatment was completed in just three weeks and over two appointments. The first was the preparation of the bridge, followed by a scan of the teeth using AI technology and the placement of a
high-quality temporary bridge. The second visit involved the final fit of the permanent bridge.

There are different types of bridges we can provide. Bridges that are a combination of metal and porcelain, or bridges that are completely porcelain (these are of higher quality and better in appearance).

Colin’s treatment consisted of:
• A comprehensive dental assessment including radiographs and digital photographs
• A discussion of all options for improving aesthetics and closing spaces
• The preparation of the bridge, plus a high tech AI scan to send to our dental laboratory
• The placement of a high-quality temporary bridge
• The fitting of the final bridge and maintenance


Here’s what Colin had to say after his new bridge was fitted:

If you would like to know more about how we could help improve
your smile, you can phone the practice at 020 88884401 or
email: [email protected]

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
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.

Are We Able To Start Seeing Dental Patients Yet?

As a result of Boris Johnson’s announcement on Sunday 10th May and his guidelines on planned changes to lockdown and working patterns, we have had a number of enquiries from patients as to whether we can now re-open the practice.

Based upon the announcement, dental practices should be able to reopen as we are unable to perform our work from home. However, this is not the case as we need further guidance and approval from our dental regulators before we can arrange appointments. https://www.bda.org/advice/Coronavirus/Pages/patients.aspx

Brightside’s Principal Dentist Gives An Update On Our Position

At Brightside Dental, our position remains the same that our first priority is the safety and welfare of our patients and team members.

We have been doing a lot of work whilst closed to ensure we can meet increased safety measures in addition to the rigorous measures we already take in the practice.

We will ensure that when we do reopen, we will work in the safest way possible and also so that we can provide high quality dental care for our patients.

We will continue to keep you informed of developments as they progress. We fully appreciate this situation is not ideal, especially if you have had a dental problem during the past few weeks. Please check in on our social media channels for the latest updates http://www.facebook.com/BrightsideDentalUK, http://www.instagram.com/brightsiden11/

In the meantime, if you do need any kind of advice or assistance, please do contact us – we are available by email, phone or video call options for you.

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!

Treatment For Sensitive Teeth

In our last blog, we discussed some of the most common causes of sensitive teeth. You can see that here : https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/blog/treatments/dental-advice/6-reasons-your-teeth-may-be-sensitive/

Treatment to help with sensitivity depends on the cause of the problem. A simple first line measure is to try using a desensitising toothpaste, of which there are various brands available, the most common ones being Sensodyne and Colgate. For some people, it may be a matter of trying more than one type as they may find that one has no impact and another could significantly help with the sensitivity as they have different ingredients within them. If the problem continues to persist, arrange a dental visit to have your mouth checked in case there are any underlying issues causing the sensitivity.

Brightside Dental’s principal dentist Ketan, discusses further treatment options here : https://youtu.be/bd60QMkBUiQ

1) Tooth brushing wear: Over vigorous toothbrushing can lead to wear and recession of the gums. When brushing try and apply gentle pressure to the teeth and gums. If using a manual toothbrush, a medium or soft brush is best. Ideally, change to a battery powered toothbrush which can be kinder on the gums and less likely to lead to wear or damage.

2) Recession due to gum disease: Your daily oral hygiene habits are the single most important way to maintain the health of your gums, along with regular dental and hygiene visits to help you. Unfortunately once the bone has reduced and gums have receded, they won’t grow back so some of the other treatments mentioned below can help.

Fluoride gel can be applied by your dentist to help with sensitivity. This can be very effective but is a temporary measure. A densensitising varnish can be placed over any exposed roots to help seal nerve endings that can cause sensitivity. This is a simple treatment that can be very effective. Another option is to place fillings to cover the exposed roots. In some situations, gum surgery can be appropriate to help with sensitivity and also cosmetically.

3) Dental Decay : When these is decay within a tooth, it is often not painful or may start by being sightly sensitive. This could be treated with a filling or if very deep. root canal treatment may be required.

4) Acid erosion causes wear to the teeth : The first step to helping with this, is to find and reduce the underling cause, which is often due to diet – acidic food and drinks or health issues and medicines. Ideally the cause of the problem should be first eliminated or reduced, otherwise the problem is likely to continue or get worse. A desensitising toothpaste or high fluoride toothpaste or gel may help and it may be indicated to rebuild the worn areas on the teeth.

5) Dental Treatment : Sensitivity can occur soon after having dental treatment and usually should settle down within up to 2 weeks. You can try the above measures of a desensitising toothpaste.

6) Teeth Whitening: When carried out by a trained dental professional, whitening usually isn’t overly sensitive. If you do suffer from sensitivity in your teeth, let your dentist know and they will advise you the the best way to manage it. When carried out correctly, the sensitivity due to whitening should pass once the treatment is completed.

If you have any questions or concerns, give us a call on 020 88884401 to find out how we can help.

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.

  1. No treatment – this would be based upon the symptoms and diagnosis as to whether would be appropriate
  2. Composite bonding to fill and seal the crack
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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 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.

Medical Emergencies Training At Brightside Dental

At Brightside Dental, the safety and welfare of our clients and team members is of the utmost importance.  One way we ensure is by undertaking annual training in medical emergencies and CPR(cardio-pulmonary resuscitation). IMG_2719 IMG_2728

We recently undertook our CPR training in the practice.  All the team members were present for an afternoon of refreshing our knowledge of an important skill to have – which can mean a matter of life or death.  Fortunately, none of us have been in the situation of having to deal with a serious medical emergency or provide CPR and this is a reason for us to have annual training in case we find ourselves in this situation and we are in the position of having emergency equipment and drugs in the practice, which you would not have at home.

We think it is important and useful for everyone to have some knowledge of CPR, as you never know when the need may arise.  Just yesterday, I heard of a distant relative who died from choking whilst having his dinner.  Would it have been possible to prevent this tragedy?

What is CPR?

– It stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

– Performed on people suffering cardiac arrest.

– Provides a continuous flow of oxygen to the lungs and brain until the person regains consciousness.

Why CPR is important?

The brain can only survive about five minutes without oxygen, after which time permanent damage is done.

You are upping a chance of a full recovery by performing CPR.

You are potentially saving a life!

For parents this is especially true. Children younger than 5 tend to put objects in their mouths, and this behaviour can lead to choking. Choking is a leading cause of death in this age group. Knowing what to do and how to perform CPR allows you to act quickly.

It is always better to have multiple people who are CPR certified in a crisis. One person performing CPR can tire quickly. Two people alternating can provide CPR longer than a person working alone.
There are many courses available and it may be something that your employer may provide.