Author Archives: Brightside Dental

Can Your Mouth Make You Happy?

Happiness is that feeling that comes over you when you know life is good and you can’t help but smile. When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness. No one ever complained about feeling too much happiness.

When you’re happy, the feeling is unexplainable. The reasons for your happiness can be endless. But have you ever thought that one of those reasons can be the condition of your oral health? Did it ever come to you that having a healthy mouth is a major factor for your happiness?

A good state of oral health has a potential positive influence on happiness. One of which is when you have healthy mouth, you can feel more confident and less self-conscious. When you have that confidence, you are more likely to have a stable social and economic life. And that life will definitely give you happiness.

Studies also indicate that individuals feel happier when their teeth are clean, well aligned, and cavity free. This link between oral health and happiness has been obtained through numerous studies and research.

Now, can you say that you are happy with the condition of your mouth? If your answer is yes, that is great, but if it makes you think twice, then you may want to know the options of how we can help. Call us at 020 88884401 and we’ll be more than happy to advise you.

Dental Mavericks Raffle Prize Winners

Dental Mavericks are a charity we have regularly supported over the past 5 years. Our principal dentist, Ketan has travelled to Morocco in 2014 and 2015 with the Mavericks. In a the most recent trip to Morocco last month, the Mavericks treated over 1000 children to help take them out of daily dental pain. This is the most treated so far and their impact on improving dental health is growing every trip.

We recently held a raffle at the practice and are pleased to announce the winners:

Well done to all the winners and thanks to everyone who participated and the businesses who donated prizes for the raffle. Thank you all in helping to raise over £1000 for this fantastic charity.

Should You Be Flossing?

There have been a number of stories in the media recently about the cleaning of your mouth- toothbrushes, toothpastes, mouthwash and floss. The biggest question that has come up is, do we really need to floss? Most people are already used to just brushing alone, but many are asking if it is really important to floss too.

At Brightside Dental, our recommendation is:

Yes! We do need to floss once a day before brushing our teeth. Flossing cleans the places that the toothbrush can’t reach. Bacterias that cause tooth decay and gum disease may develop in those area too so it is a very important part of oral hygiene.

Still not convinced?

Here are 5 reasons why flossing is really important.

Flossing and brushing are more effective than brushing alone. Our teeth have 5 surfaces and brushing alone will only clean the top and outer surfaces of our teeth and gums while flossing cleans those gaps in between our teeth and gums.
Flossing protects your gums, too- Tiny particles of food can get lodged in spaces of our gums and plaque in this area gets harden and later creates a tartar build up that can lead to gingivitis. Once tartar build up is there, it needs to be removed by a dental professional – you can’t do it yourself.
Flossing can save you money- When you floss, you are less likely to have problems with your mouth and it can reduce your dental expenses
Flossing helps prevent other diseases- Tooth and gum disease can have effects that go far beyond discoloured teeth, discomfort or bad breath. Extensive research has shown that the bacteria that flourish in an unhealthy mouth can harm the rest of the body, leading to heart disease, diabetes and respiratory illness, as well as many other potential problems.
Flossing prevents tartar build-up – Flossing allows you to remove the plaque that causes tartar while it’s in its early form: sticky, but soft and pliable. Since plaque doesn’t harden into tartar until it’s been undisturbed for a period of time, regular flossing can keep buildup from happening.

There are many brands and styles of floss – which one you choose doesn’t matter as much as using it regularly and in the correct way. There are also alternatives to floss such as interdental brushes, which can be more appropriate, for example if you have larger spaces between your teeth.

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

What Impact Can A New Smile Have?

Our vision statement at Brightside Dental is improving the lives of our clients. One way we achieve that is by helping people to improve their smiles, which can have a huge impact on their comfort, being able to eat, the look of their smile and level of confidence.

Brian recently undertook a course of dental treatment with us and he discusses how the experience was for him and the outcome of the treatment:

Win a Prize and Help Children In Dental Pain

The charity we are supporting this quarter is Dental Mavericks. They are a charity set up to help end daily dental pain for the children of Morocco. Our Principal Dentist, Ketan has joined the Mavericks team for the past 2 years with their projects and travelled to Morocco to help the children.

Just imagine, living with your family in an isolated fishing village with no dentists, a high sugar diet, no toothbrushes and no fluoride tooth paste. You don’t need to be a dentist to imagine the consequences, but the dental neglect shocks even the most experienced of this group of national dentists and their team. Abscesses, pain and distress, parents of these children in Morocco are no different to any other around the world, they want their children helping.

Ketan along with a group of dentists and team members travelled to the Rif mountains to remote villages. The team treated hundreds of children over the course of the week and mostly carried out extracting rotten teeth, along with fillings and providing education so that the children can look after their own teeth on a daily basis. For Ketan this was a chance to use the skills he has to give something back to people who have considerably less.

Dental Mavericks are also in the process of setting up permanent clinics and oral hygiene programmes working in conjunction with Moroccan dentists.This September the Dental Mavericks team will be returning to Morocco to continue their work.

One way we are supporting the charity is by having a raffle in the practice, with some great prizes, some of which have been kindly donated by local businesses.

You can pop in to the practice to buy raffle tickets at only £1 each, or make a donation online by clicking http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/KetanShah2 and we can reserve your tickets.

Thanks for your support.

Oral Health Advice During Pregnancy

If you are planning to become pregnant or suspect that you are pregnant, it’s very important to maintain dental visits.

When you are pregnant, you may experience changes in your mouth. The main reason is due to a surge in hormones that can cause your gum tissues to exaggerate a normal reaction to plaque. If plaque is not removed regularly, it will increase your risk of gingivitis (gum disease). Pregnancy gingivitis can be prevented by keeping your mouth clean, especially near the gum line.

Excessive bacteria can enter the bloodstream through your gums. If this happens, the bacteria can travel to the uterus, triggering the production of chemicals called prostaglandins, which are suspected to induce premature labour.

Your oral health is an important part of your general health, and good dental hygiene habits not only help prevent oral problems during pregnancy, they may also positively affect the health of your unborn child.

Here are some dental health care tips during pregnancy:

Brush thoroughly with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day.
Floss or use interdental brushes to clean between your teeth daily..
Maintain a balanced diet. If you snack, do so in moderation and try and avoid sweet things in between meals.
Visit your dental practice regularly for a professional cleaning and check-up.
If you need help controlling plaque, your dentist may recommend rinsing daily with an antimicrobial mouth rinse.
If you have morning sickness and are vomiting frequently, try rinsing with a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with water to stop stomach acid from attacking your teeth.

Routine dental treatment is often delayed until after your baby is born. However, it is safe to have many types of dental treatment during pregnancy. The ideal time to carry this out is in the second trimester.

Dental X rays are avoided during pregnancy. It is safe to take dental X rays if clinically indicated or in the event of an emergency. At Brightside Dental, we use digital X rays and special attachments to our machines which reduce the radiation dose by up to 80% compared with traditional methods.

If you would like any further advice, give our team a call on 020 88884401.

Have You Ever Considered Cosmetic Dental Treatment?

There are many ways to improve the way you look. Some of the most effective and least invasive options involve cosmetic dental treatment, for which there are many choices available to suit what you want to achieve.

Joanne recently completed a course of dental treatment with us to improve here smile. She discusses her experience here:

If you would like to know more about options to improve your smile give us a call or send us an email for further advice.

Is Sport Bad For You?

The answer to this has to be no. However, sports drinks can be bad for your teeth.

With a summer of sport including Euro 2016 and the Olympics, it is a time where athletes are most likely to suffer dental problems.

Honing their bodies through intense physical effort, athletes refuel with energy drinks, gels and bars and frequent meals, which teeth don’t like. Dehydration from sweating can also cut the production of saliva needed to regenerate tooth enamel.

Some rowers, for example, have “huge amounts of decay” because they’re training in boats for hours at a time, refuelling with teeth-eroding acidic, sugary drinks, said Tony Clough, who set up the dental clinic for Olympians at the 2012 London Games. Located in the athletes’ village, it had 30 dentists and 1,900 visits. “We had patients coming in at 10:30 at night to have root canals and things like that,” said Clough.

A study that looked at 278 of the clinic’s visitors found 55 per cent had cavities and three quarters diseased gums, mostly gingivitis but also 15 per cent with more serious periodontitis. One-quarter said dental problems affected their quality of life.

However, this problem doesn’t only affect those involved in sports. Children are increasing consuming high-sugar sports drinks unnecessarily. A recent study found that 89% of school children consume sports drinks with 68% drinking them one to seven times per week, half of which purely for social reasons.

These drinks increase the risk of dental cavities, enamel erosion and obesity. If you’re a parent, it can be very difficult to know what you children are eating or drinking when not at home. It’s a difficult situation to improve as children look up to their favourite sporting stars and also are influenced by their peers.

If you could like some further advice, give our team a call.

How Do Our Clients Rate Our Level of Service?

As our existing clients know, we ask them to complete a feedback form at the end of every visit with us. We look at the results on a daily and monthly basis, so that we know what we’re doing well, but more importantly to see how we can improve. This enables us to take any corrective action immediately.

One of the questions asked is how likely you would recommend us to your friends or family. The results for this are shown on our Patient Happiness Index. This is more commonly known as a net promoter score and is something that’s being carried out by many companies worldwide. It’s something we have been doing at Brightside Dental for the past 3 and a half years. We aim to survey every client we see, whereas for many companies, it’s a small proportion of their customer base. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvmxazP2cEs

We are very proud of the results and will continue to strive to improve. If you have any suggestions for this, please email us or give us a call. If you are happy with our service, we would really appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to place a review about us online.

https://www.brightsidedental.co.uk/testimonials.html

Does Kissing Affect Your Oral Health?

A kiss is the touch or pressing of one’s lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, sexual activity, sexual arousal, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, peace and good luck, among many others. In some situations a kiss is a ritual, formal or symbolic gesture indicating devotion, respect, or sacrament. But the question is: Does kissing affect your oral health?

The answer is YES!

Kissing, just like almost anything, has its benefits and disadvantages for your mouth. Let us cover the positive first. Kissing is actually good for your teeth. It increases saliva production, and saliva helps remove food particles and cavity-causing bacteria, so it protects teeth from dental decay and neutralizes acids.

Now the downside… One kiss can share more than 500 different types of disease-causing bacteria and viruses. It can give you a cold, the flu, mononucleosis or a nasty batch of cold sores, gum disease and cavities.

Cavities??? Yes, you’ve heard it right. Though kissing will prevent you from having cavities, it can also transfer the bacteria that causes tooth decay into your mouth.

I’m not telling you to avoid kissing, just be careful before having that one sweet smooch. Avoid kissing sick people and visit your dentist regularly.

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