Author Archives: Brightside Dental

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.

National Stop Snoring Week 2019

National Stop Snoring Week takes place between April 22nd to 28th this year. The purpose of the event is to promote awareness about snoring and that contrary to popular belief, it can often be treated.

The sound of snoring, which can often be very loud is irritating and annoying for the partner (and possibly neighbours) of the snorer. Some levels of snoring can reach over 100db which is similar in sound to that of a motorbike or drill.

Brightside Dental’s principal dentist, Ketan discusses the issue further here: https://youtu.be/R0MKTvoN__o

Some of the effects of snoring can be feeling tired and sleepy during the day; a lack of concentration;  being bad tempered and generally irritable. Sleep deprivation can have an impact on general heath and the function of systems and organs in the body. Even if they manage to sleep an adequate number of hours, the quality of sleep can be poor.

Many partners put up with snoring; however many get to the point where they end up sleeping in a separate room.

A more serious condition to snoring is obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). This is where breathing stops for a period of time and is a much more serious condition. If this is suspected, the advice of a doctor or dentist should be sought immediately.

There can be many causes of snoring, which if know makes it easier to treat. Some area are based on lifestyle, for example, obesity, smoking and alcohol all significantly increase the chance of snoring.

There are various solutions to try and help stop snoring from improving your lifestyle to surgical treatments. At Brightside Dental, we can custom make anti-snoring devices with which we consistently have great results with.

See what impact the Sleepwell device has had for Dean : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=nmf_XzjuShY

If you would like to find out more about your (or your partners!) suitability for treatment give us a call 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.

Are Waiting Times For Dental Appointments Frustrating?

One of the biggest challenges we have at Brightside Dental is managing how soon we can book appointments for our patients. This generally relates to NHS appointments and there are a number of reasons for this.  

As a practice offering NHS dental treatment, we have to work within guidelines set by the government. These include the charges patients pay for NHS treatment; the days and times in the week patients can be seen and how much dental treatment we are able to perform. The NHS system works by allocating quotas (or UDAs) and this varies practice to practice. We are expected to meet our annual UDA allocation, and have aim to spread this out evenly over the course of each year. We cannot exceed or underperform on the quotas, without penalties being imposed.

Brightside Dental’s principal dentist Ketan discusses this further:

Some of the measures we have in place in the practice to enable us to work efficiently: https://youtu.be/3Q7o1ULJUWk

  • Patients are reminded of their appointments by text message, email and phone call. Despite this, we still lose an average of 40-50 hours of clinical time per month to to failed appointments. If you are unable to attend, please let us know in advance so the appointment can be offered to someone else. Also, do inform us of any change in your contact details.
  • Join our priority list. Let us know if you can attend at short notice as we often have people reschedule appointments.
  • The practice is fully computerised and we have carried out extensive refurbishment, which will continue this year. We also invest in new equipment and technology in order to provide high quality treatment and improve efficiency.
  • We have recently introduced a new service – our hygienist/therapist Mihaela will now be providing NHS dental treatment, which will reduce waiting times for some NHS treatments and allow our dentists to focus on more complex treatments.
  • All of our clinicians and nurses undergo regular and ongoing training to help build on their knowledge and learn new skills.

    Brightside dentists and hygienists

At Brightside Dental, we offer a full range of both NHS and private treatment options for patients to choose from. It is not an option to increase the level of NHS treatment we are able to provide. Unfortunately, dental treatment seems to be moving in a similar way to hospital appointments with increasing waiting times for consultations and treatments. It seems to be a common situation throughout the country and in many rural areas, there are no options for patients for NHS dental treatment. We understand some patients do not wish to have or are not in a position to afford private dental treatment, however on a private basis, we don’t have the same limitations as under the NHS so we have faster availability for appointments and can offer evening and Saturday appointments outside of the usual NHS working times.

If you have any suggestions that could help us serve you better, do let us know.

Brightside Dental Smile Of The Month March 2019

Julian came to Brightside Dental having not visited a dentist in over 10 years. The main thing that prompted him was that his wife had completed a course of extensive treatment and it gave him hope as he previously believed nothing could be done to improve the condition of his mouth.
Julian was seen by various members of the Brightside clinical team on a regular basis for over 1 year during which time he had almost a full range of dental treatments from gum treatment; fillings; extractions; root canal treatment; crowns and dental implants to replace various missing teeth.
See Julian discuss his experience of having such a large amount of dental treatment and how he feels about the outcome and his new smile: https://youtu.be/AYEHEED92tc
If you would like to find out how we can improve your oral health and smile, give us a call on 020 88884401.

To Vape Or Not To Vape?

Smoking or Vaping – Which Is Worse For Your Teeth?
It is very commonly known that smoking has numerous detrimental effects on both your dental health and general health.
See the previous Brightside blog for more on effects of smoking on dental health : https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/blog/treatments/dental-advice/national-stop-smoking-day-2019/
Despite bans on advertising and smoking in public places, it’s something that’s still very common. Some people who give up smoking turn to nicotine patches or gum. Many have switched to vaping. However, is vaping better for your oral health than smoking?
Brightside Dental’s principal dentist Ketan speaks more about vaping : https://youtu.be/EIJRJz9LWIY
Because vaping is still relatively new, there are no comprehensive long term studies yet that can give definitive evidence, as in the case with smoking.
-Less staining. With vaping there should be reduced staining and discolouration of the teeth as nicotine levels in the liquid can be controlled and there is no tar (unlike cigarettes)
-Less bacteria and tartar(calculus). Again because of the nicotine and no tar, less bacterial products should be produced in the mouth compared with smoking
-Better blood flow – increased bacterial build up during smoking reduces blood flow. This should be improved with vaping meaning dental tissues will be healthier and heal better.
It’s too early to make a definite decision, however on current evidence it seems vaping is better for both your dental and general health, especially as there is no tar and you could choose to vape without nicotine.
Regarding general health, there are many conflicting studies – some finding vaping is safer than cigarettes and others finding it could be just as bad.
Ideally, the best situation would be to use neither product, as vaping still significantly increases the risk of mouth cancer compared with non-smokers.
What is clear is that vaping does lead to a dry mouth, which could increase the risk of dental decay, so if using an e-cigarette ensure you stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Also, if using nicotine, there is an increased risk of gum recession.
…only time will tell.