Author Archives: Brightside Dental

National Stop Smoking Day 2019

National Stop Smoking Day first took place on Ash Wednesday 35 years ago in1984. At this time, it was thought that 39% of the adult population smoked.  

In 2007 the smoking ban in public buildings and workplaces was introduced, which may have had an impact on reduced levels of smoking, however it is estimated that almost 20% of adults aged 25-34 in Britain regularly smoke. Around 100,000 people die each year from smoking-related causes.

Brightside Dental’s principal dentist Ketan speaks about the impact on dental health :

 

Smoking has a significant effect on dental health including:

  • Increased risk and severity of periodontal (gum) disease
  • increased risk of dental decay
  • increased risk of mouth cancer
  • halitosis (bad breath)
  • staining of teeth
  • delayed wound healing and increased risk of infection after extractions and surgical procedures

For more information on and help with stopping smoking visit : https://stopsmokinglondon.com

If you would like more advice from Brightside Dental and how we can help you, give us a call on 020 88884401.

Platelet Rich Fibrin(PRF) – A Game Changer In Dentistry?

At Brightside Dental, we aim to constantly improve and look to invest in new equipment that will enhance the care of our patients; be able to offer new treatments and enable us to work more effectively and more efficiently. Lat year, we invested in a new method of treatment called platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), by buying a machine specifically for this purpose. It’s something we have been using on an increasing basis and are findings we are achieving excellent results with it.

Brightside’s principal dentist Ketan explains more: https://youtu.be/yTKd0njXRok

How does it work?

PRF is a one-step method to obtain the platelet concentrates, or blood derivatives, that are needed to aid in the regeneration of soft tissue and bone, thereby creating a stable environment to perform dental procedures. We take a small amount of your blood and the machine centrifuges (spins) the blood into 3 different layers – red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.It’s the platelets and growth factors that are most useful with healing.
It means surgical treatment can have better and quicker healing with less post-operative complications.

 

What do we use it for?

We currently use PRF following extractions in order to help healing and reduce the risk of infection and also to help preserve as much bone as possible and can possibly help generate new bone.

We also use it in some dental implant treatments.

There is growing evidence that it can be use to treat some aspects of gum disease and after other types of surgery.

There was a recent study carried out, whereby although this a newer form of treatment, the study looks at outcomes of dental treatments over the past 15 years. Read it here; https://www.joionline.org/doi/full/10.1563/aaid-joi-D-17-00179

 

Some Advantages of using PRF:

● It’s a relatively simple treatment that could be performed by all dentists

  • It’s usually carried out in 1 treatment

● It is obtained by autologous (your own) blood

●  Because it’s completely natural process, there isn’t the risk of suffering from an immunological reaction to it

● Increases the healing rate of grafted bone in dental implant treatment

● It is an economical and quick option compared with synthetic materials

● Used as a membrane, it avoids a donor site surgical procedure and results in a reduction in patient discomfort during the early wound-healing period

To find out more about this treatment, there are plenty of articles online, or let us know and we can provide you with further advice.

White Patches Affecting Your Smile And Confidence?

Paige made a 6 hour round trip to Brightside Dental, waking up at 5 in the morning because she was unhappy with white patches on her front teeth which had been bothering her for 10 years.

Paige’s teeth before and after Icon treatment. Slight white patches evident due to dehydration of the teeth, which disappeared completely within a day.

She had Icon dental treatment carried out in less than 45 minutes by Dr Ketan Shah and the patches were removed. Icon is a simple and non-invasive, drill free treatment that can be very effective in removing white patches. It’s not in widespread use by dentists in the UK, but is very popular in America, Germany and other European countries. We have been using Icon at Brightside for over 5 years, with great results for suitable patients.

Paige speaks about her experience: https://youtu.be/r6HZAqBLrl4 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Icon is a treatment where you see immediate results and you can eat and drink straight away. This is a fantastic treatment that can usually be completed in 1 visit and is often suitable for children as well as adults.

If you would like to know more about this treatment or know someone with white patches on their teeth, contact us on 020 88884401 to see how we can help.

Fizz Free February

Dry January is over and now it’s time for Fizz Free February. This is an initiative that was introduced by Southwark Council in 2018 and this year, the aim is to promote national exposure of the campaign and is something that we fully support at Brightside Dental. The aim of the campaign is for you and your family to avoid fizzy drink for 4 weeks during February.

Click the link to see our practice principal Ketan Shah discussing the subject further : https://youtu.be/eODif9AIgfg

The purpose of the campaign is to raise the awareness of the impact of sugar and fizzy drinks in particular on dental health.

As well as sugar being a huge problem with obesity, the other main area is dental decay and among children the biggest impact is with secondary school children aged 11-18. In this age group 170 children per day have dental extractions in hospital under general anaesthetic.

Dental decay is one of the few preventable diseases.

Click the link for advice from the British Dental Organistion on what you can do do improve your dental health : https://www.bda.org/sugar

If you would like further information or advice on how we can help keep you and your families mouth as healthy as possible, email us or call on 020 88884401.

 

Which Teeth Whitening Option Should You Choose?

Teeth whitening can be one of the simplest, safest and most cost effective ways to improve your appearance without the need for surgery – IF DONE PROPERLY!

There is growing consumer demand for having a whiter, brighter smile, which has led to many companies promoting simple and cheap teeth whitening that you can buy on the internet.

Click the link to see Brightside Dental’s Principal dentist, Ketan Shah discuss this in more detail and give you the advice we recommend to our patients.

 

At best these non-dental teeth whitening products could remove superficial staining from your teeth, due to ingredients such as sodium bicarbonate, which is historically know to be in smokers toothpastes. At worst, these products could cause permanent damage of the teeth, by wearing away the enamel from products such as acids within the ingredients.

See a previous Brightside Dental blog which gives further advice about teeth whitening: https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/blog/treatments/have-a-sparkling-smile-for-the-summer/

Please don’t whiten your teeth before speaking to a dental professional. If you would like further help or advice, give us a call on 020 88884401.

New Year, New Smile?

As you will be aware if you have seen our recent posts, Invisalign is a great option for cosmetic teeth straightening.                 

It works just as well for adults and children and is a treatment we have been offering at Brightside Dental for over 12 years. During this time, there have been many advancements with the treatment, which can make it simpler, faster, more cost effective and allow a wider range of teeth movements to give an improved end result.

You can see some examples of before and after photos of patients of ours who have completed Invisalign treatment and also view videos of some of our patients sharing their experience of the treatment.

Emanuela discusses how she was embarrassed to smile and what impact Invisalign has had on her confidence:    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGFbAk_4-K4

Linsday speaks about why he chose Invisalign and how he feels about the outcome of treatment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax_ccCnBS-A

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to consider Invisalign treatment and qualify for a discount on the price, join us for our Invisalign Smile Day on 10th January to find out how your smile can be improved.

All initial allocations of appointments have already been booked, however we have been able to increase our availability to offer a limited number of further appointments. Call us on 020 88884401 to secure your place.

See How Your New Smile Could Look

Following on from last weeks blog, which if you missed, see it here : https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/blog/treatments/braces-are-not-just-for-children/ , we will be looking at how we can carry out a simple digital scan of your teeth to compare how your smile is now and what can be improved.    

On January 10th 2019, Brightside Dental is holding an Invisalign Smile Day. You have the opportunity to have a free consultation along with a digital scan and smile simulation to see how your smile could be improved with Invisalign treatment. Click here to learn more about what to expect: https://youtu.be/xa3p0TRDHxQ

For more information about Invisalign treatment and case studies, visit: https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/invisalign-bounds-green.html

Give us a call on 020 88884401 to secure your booking for a free smile assessment as limited spaces available.

 

Braces Are Not Just For Children

When many adults think about braces, the first thought that comes to mind is train track braces for children – which is a big misconception. At Brightside Dental, we provide cosmetic teeth straightening for adults which are very different to the metal braces. We provide options to improve your smile in a discreet, simple and cost effective manner.

The treatments we provide fall into 2 main categories – fixed braces which are either cosmetic braces on the outside of the teeth or lingual braces on the inside of the teeth; or removable aligners.

Watch this video for more information about Invisalign and our smile day : https://youtu.be/pvIi2HbrMe4

Of the removable aligners, Invisalign is the most well know and popular brand, who have helped improve the smiles of over 1 million people. At Brightside Dental, our dentists Ketan Shah and Ronit Patel are trained and qualified to provide Invisalign treatment and this is something we have been offering at the practice for over 12 years.  

Some of the benefits of Invisalign over traditional braces:

  • Aligners are removable so you can eat and clean your teeth as normal
  • They are almost invisible and many of out patients say that people don’t know they are wearing them unless they tell them
  • They are very thin so are comfortable and minimal impact on speech
  • They gentle move the teeth into the desired positions with little or no discomfort
  • A wide range of treatment options are available with simple treatments possible to complete in as little as 3 months.

Join us for our Invisalign Smile Day on 10th January 2019 for a free consultation to determine your suitability for Invisalign treatment and have the opportunity to see a digital simulation on the day of how your new smile could look and save a minimum of £745 on the cost of treatment. Invisalign treatment is suitable for adults and children, often who have been refused NHS orthodontic treatment.

To find out more about Invisalign and see patient cases and their experiences of Invisalign treatment, visit https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/invisalign-bounds-green.html

Contact us on 020 88884401 or email: [email protected] to secure your appointment as limited availability.

Dental Implants To Replace Missing Teeth

Dental implants are one option to replace missing teeth and are the closest we can get to giving you back natural looking and feeling teeth.

Click the link to see practice principal Ketan discussing the main concerns our patients have when considering implant treatment and also one of our patients shares her experience of the treatment:https://youtu.be/HoaXXA8LUJU

At Brightside Dental, we have a highly skilled and experienced surgeon named Shahrokh who carries out complex oral surgery and implant placements.

See our website for more information and further success stories: https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/dental-implants-bounds-green.html

If you are interested in dental implant treatment, contact us on 020 88884401 to arrange a consultation to assess your suitability.

 

Mouth Cancer Action Month

Mouth Cancer Action Month takes place every November, whose aim is to raise awareness of mouth cancer and make a difference by saving thousands of lives through early detection and prevention.

Their aim is to raise awareness to get more cases of mouth cancer diagnosed at an early stage. By increasing education of the risk factors and signs and symptoms encourage everyone to discuss these with their dental professionals.

Click to see more information: https://youtu.be/nvm0bEF2q-M

The importance of mouth cancer month:

In the UK, more than 7800 people were diagnosed with mouth cancer last year and globally there are over 300,000 new cases each year.

The number of people being diagnosed with mouth cancer has grown by about a third in the last decade and it remains of the few cancers which are predicted to increase further in the coming years.

Although there are risk factors heavily linked to the disease, mouth cancer can affect anyone – that’s why it’s so important that we all know what to look out for. The campaign is all about taking action and promoting the messages:

  • Don’t leave a mouth ulcer unchecked for over 3 weeks
  • Don’t ignore any unusual lumps or swellings or red and white patches in your mouth
  • Early detection could save your life. If you notice any changes in your mouth, immediately seek advice from a dentist or doctor.

At Brightside Dental, we carry out mouth cancer screening as part of all new patient assessment and regular check up visits. If you have any concerns or would like some advice, please do contact us.