Author Archives: Brightside Dental

Brightside Dental Smile Of The Month July 2019

Emma first came to Brightside Dental as she was unhappy with her smile. She had braces as a teenager but her teeth had moved out of line and it was impacting her confidence.

See Emma share her story: https://youtu.be/6_qr9mkg0Rg

As with many adults we see at the practice for teeth straightening, Emma’s teeth had moved following orthodontic treatment as a child. She opted for fixed cosmetic braces which as very discreet and much more comfortable than metal “train-track” braces. Treatment was completed within 9 months.   

At the end of treatment, Emma said the process was easier and faster than she had expected and she now has the confidence to smile for photos without covering her mouth.

Something that is very important following orthodontic treatment is to have retainers which can be fixed and/or removable. The purpose of these is to prevent unwanted movements of the teeth once they are straight. We recommend these should be worn for life, as otherwise you run the risk of the teeth moving again and over 60% of adults we see for teeth straightening have had some form of orthodontic treatment in the past.

For more information about our straight teeth solutions, visit https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/six-month-smiles-bounds-green.html

or call us on 020 88884401 to arrange a consultation to assess your suitability for our straight teeth systems.

Officially A Supercharged Dentist

I was on a training course titled “The Supercharged Dentist” recently and being part of a fast moving and ever changing profession, expected to come away from it learning about the latest gadgets and techniques for treating our patients.

Click to see a video with more about the course and learnings from it: https://youtu.be/LPAQyFwjzps

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised that between the various speakers, most of the content was not necessarily things I didn’t know but was presented in a way to change the thinking about approaches to dental treatment and communication with our patients and support teams such as dental laboratories.

As a result, we will be putting place a number of small changes in the way we work on a daily basis at Brightside Dental, which I believe will have a significant and positive impact on our patient care.

This applies to all of our lives and some of the things we don routinely and not just related to work. As an example, many of our patients see our dental hygienists on a regular basis. Often they know what they should be doing every day at home to maintain their mouth in the best way, however this doesn’t always happen – as LIFE gets in the way. By having some assistance and reinforcement on a regular basis, it is easier to keep good habits.

What other areas in your life could you make simple changes for the better?

If you have any questions or need further help or assistance, please give us a call on 020 88884401.

The Effects Of Alcohol On Teeth

When you’re out on a Friday or Saturday night, understandably the last thing on your mind is likely to be your teeth.

Most people are familiar with tooth decay and the causes of it – the main one being consumption of sugar containing food and drinks. However, if you’re out drinking and have drinks without added sugar, your teeth are still at risk from tooth erosion.

Most people are not aware or erosion affecting their teeth until it gets to an advanced level where the teeth may start looking smaller in size; look darker in colour due to loss of enamel or start becoming sensitive.

Brightside Dental’s practice principal Ketan discusses the issues further and advises on how you can protect your teeth : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pupMVZ7Kv8U

Dental erosion is the wearing away of your teeth due to acidic things, which can either be from the food drinks you consume or sometimes other factors, such as illness or medications. A measure of acid levels is by pH. 7 is a neutral pH and anything below 5.5 will start to damage teeth.The lower the pH of a drink, the more chance your teeth have of eroding. Beer has a pH of 4-5; wine has a pH of 2-4; Coke’s pH is 2.7 and a gin & tonic 2.2. Sparkling mineral water comes in at 3.7.

What Can You Do To Help Protect Your Teeth?

  • Stick to plain water which is pH neutral. This may not be a feasible option and is a bit boring
  • If you have low pH drinks, limit the frequency of intake and avoid sipping on drinks for a long period of time as the acidic levels in your mouth will remain high
  • Drink plenty of water in between alcoholic drinks as this will reduce the acidic levels and also stimulate saliva production, which is protective of your teeth
  • Drink through a straw as the liquid will be in contact less with your teeth
  • Don’t brush your teeth for at least 30 minutes after drinking as you may do more damage
  • Chew sugar free gum in between drinks to improve saliva flow and reduce acid levels faster
  • Eat foods that stimulate saliva flow such as nuts or vegetables
  • Avoid alcoholic drinks that also contain sugar as then you run the risk of erosion of the teeth as well as dental decay
  • Use a toothpaste that helps protect teeth against acid erosion

If you would like further advice, give us a call on 020 88884401.

 

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 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.

 

Health And Care Awareness In The Community

Brightside Dental’s practice principal Ketan was a volunteer at the recent Oshwal Health and Care Awareness Fair in Potters Bar. It was a full day event to promote and educate about physical and mental health and well being. There were over 350 volunteers helping out on the day and over 3000 people attended the event.

Ketan speaks from the event:  https://youtu.be/yROlkQm1Qyc

There were various stands and stalls from medical professionals, alternative practitioners, exercise and diet and lifestyle advisers; along with talks throughout the day on a wide range of relevant topics from experts in their field; plus careers advice for younger members of the community.

On the dental side, there were 18 dentists at the event who provided general dental health advice; along with careers advice and diagnostic screening for mouth cancer and general dental issues. Almost 150 patients were seen throughout the day. Some people hadn’t been to a dentist for many years and others were regular attenders who wanted some advice or a second opinion.

The event was a huge success, which was hugely rewarding for the organisers who had spent many months planning the day.

Speaking to many of the patients highlighted that they were not always clear about the problems that had been raised by their dentist to them or of the treatment options available.

If you are a patient of ours and we haven’t been clear on our recommendations to you and you need clarification, or if you haven’t seen us before and would like a second opinion, give us a call on 020 88884401.

Brightside Dental At The Dentistry Show 2019

The Dentistry Show took place in Birmingham on the 17th and 18th of May. It’s the biggest dental trade show of the year and Brightside’s principal dentist Ketan attended. Here’s some insights from him: https://youtu.be/rUUH24bg4RU

The show is a mixture of stands with dental suppliers exhibiting their services and latest products. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the latest innovations in dentistry, along with lectures and interactive sessions giving an opportunity to refresh knowledge and learn about the latest things happening in the dental world. There was even a Christmas themed stand in May!

At Brightside Dental, we will be making a number of changes within the practice and introducing ways to make out patients interactions with us easier and more enjoyable over the coming months. Keep posted for these and we hope you will notice positive changes within the practice.

National Smile Month 2019

National Smile Month is a campaign by the Oral Health Foundation and runs from May 13th to June 13th this year. 

It’s the longest running campaign of this type with the aim of promoting dental health as well as creating a healthier and happier world.

Brightside Dental’s principal dentist speaks about the campaign here: https://youtu.be/C3oWlZSBLqI

National Smile Month is supported by Brightside Dental, along with many other dental practices, healthcare providers and schools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to know more about the campaign visit http://www.nationalsmilemonth.org

For any further help or advice, give us a call on 020 88884401

Brightside Dental Smile Of The Month May 2019

Tsahi has been at regular patient at Brightside for well over 10 years and had been unhappy with her smile for some time. We had discussed and considered various options as to how we could help to improve her smile. Eventually, she decided on having fixed cosmetic braces. The aim of the treatment was to improve the crowding of the lower front teeth; reduce but not close the space between the upper two front teeth; and improve the positions of the upper front teeth.

The treatment with the went smoothly and completely as planned. The whole process was completed in just over 9 months. We did discuss the option to build up the upper lateral incisors (second teeth from the front) to improve the shape of these teeth as they are smaller than ideal – this my be something for the future.

Tsahi shares her story here: https://youtu.be/u5DoZjGvHlk

If you would like to find out about option of how we could help improve your smile, give us a call on 020 88884401.

Is Smoking Shisha Bad For You?

Smoking shisha is becoming increasingly popular, especially among young adults and is seen as a lot more socially acceptable than smoking with growing numbers of shisha bars and cafes opening.

In answer to the question, is shisha bad for you – YES it is. Brightside Dental’s principal dentist speaks on this further here: https://youtu.be/1iLwWAZe-6g

Shisha doesn’t just contain nice smelling ingredients like fruit, honey and flavourings, but generally has nicotine and tobacco routinely and often many other harmful chemicals. A study carried out in Brent found arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium present in samples they tested.

Herbal types of shisha are available and usually still contain tobacco.

Myth #1 – Smoking shisha is safer than cigarettes. 45 minutes of smoking shisha is the equivalent of inhaling 100 cigarettes

Myth #2 – Sharing shisha pipes is safe. By sharing pipes with others, you run the risk of catching various diseases such as cold or flu; oral herpes; TB and hepatitis. If you are going to use shisha swap mouthpieces rather than share them; if you’re unwell, don’t share with others. Please note bugs and germs can build up in the pipes and bowl, which can increase the risk of infection.

Myth #3 – I’m safe if am not smoking. If you’re out with friends who are smoking shisha, but you’re still breathing in second hand smoke which contains tobacco and other chemicals. This can be especially harmful for pregnant women and children.

This advice about shisha, follows our recent blogs about smoking and vaping which can be found by clinking these links:

https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/blog/treatments/dental-advice/national-stop-smoking-day-2019/

https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/blog/treatments/dental-advice/to-vape-or-not-to-vape/

For more advice, give us a call on 020 88884401.