Parking a Problem?

Many of you will have seen the piece about parking in the town centre in this week's Leamington version of the Courier and I have been quite staggered by the reaction. I believe Augusta Place is an excellent location for our dental centre as we are close to the enough to the centre of town to ensure that our patients to combine a visit to the dentist with a visit to the shops. One is probably more enjoyable than the other, and I am not a fan of shopping!

We are reliant on people being able to get into town ands we are fortunate to have on-street parking just outside the door, a street-level car park between Augusta Place and Bedford Street, as well as the St Peter's multi-storey car park at the end of the road. However, there have been discussions about the possible redevelopment of the street-level car park, but it is the recent decision to dramatically increase the car park charges that has really caused people to comment. In isolation the charges are probably not a barrier to people coming into town, but as part of "it all adds up", they simply increase the burden on everyone.

It will be interesting to see how our little campaign develops, but if we can ease an ever-increasing load on our patients just a little, then it has been a success.

Would You Tell A Friend?

Halitosis, or ‘oral malodour’ or simply ‘bad breath’ is a remarkably common condition and surveys indicate that it affects between 22% and 50% of the population worldwide – that is millions of people. Even so, it is the elephant in the room and no-one wants to talk about it, but it is the third most common reason for going to see a dentist, after tooth decay and gum disease. It does have a significant impact both personally and socially on those who suffer from it, or believe they suffer from it.

In the majority of cases (85-90%), the ‘bad breath’ originates from the mouth, partly a result of the presence of certain bacteria in the mouth and partly from their reaction with certain foodstuffs. The bacteria in the mouth have a role at the start of the digestive process, but on occasions these bacteria can react with certain foodstuffs to produce volatile sulphur compounds and it is these compounds that produce the characteristic odour. Often the malodour is worse in the morning as the saliva in the mouth dries out and the bacteria and proteins have longer to interact – remember only 53% of the population brush their teeth morning and night

The first stage of treatment is the most difficult and that is coming in to see the dentist and ask the question about halitosis. Once you are over that hurdle, treatment can be extremely simple; the first step is to minimise the amount of bacteria present, this may involve a professional cleaning with the dentist or hygienist to remove all of the calculus or tartar. Most importantly it is refining your tooth brushing technique to reach that gold standard; here electric toothbrushes are excellent as they usually have a built-in 2 minute timer to ensure the teeth are cleaned properly. For some people a simple tongue scraper is really good to minimise the reservoir of bacteria that are present on top of the tongue.

Mouthwashes are often advocated as a way of overcoming halitosis, but in reality most do little more that mask the smell and they are no substitute for brushing your teeth. However, there are now some new and exciting products emerging and CB12 works by actually neutralising and preventing the formation of the volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs).

The ingredients in CB12, zinc and chlorhexidine, eliminate VSCs from exhaled air, thus preventing bad breath. CB12 uses zinc acetate to neutralise and prevent the production of VSCs. Zinc ions bind to the VSCs, and in this way prevent and reduce bad breath. Zinc has a particular affinity for binding to hydrogen sulphide. Zinc ions in a solution interact with sulphur to form insoluble sulphides that do not smell.

Now you have got something to tell your friend.......

Useful Website:
www.cb12.co.uk

4 minutes a day

At the start of every year, a lot of resolutions are made and then rapidly broken. The majority of these resolutions will relate to improving the body image, so there is an increase in gym membership (although not attendance past January), adoption of the latest diet and attempts to cut back, or more ambitiously, eliminate smoking and alcohol. However, the simplest thing we can resolve to do and make the world a better place is just smile a bit more. We can all improve on our smile by brushing the teeth twice a day for two minutes each time – just 4 minutes a day.

I would like to think that this is ‘old news’ and everyone knows this, but surveys tell us that the average time spent brushing the teeth is just 40 seconds and only 52% of the population brush their teeth twice a day. I am now a fan of electric toothbrushes as they have a built in timer and you feel really guilty if don’t complete the full 2 minutes. I used to think that electric brushes were a bit of an indulgence but there is now evidence to suggest that everyone will brush their teeth more effectively with an electric brush as opposed to a manual brush. Everyone using the conventional manual brush will improve their brushing by timing their brushing and bringing in an egg timer into the bath room – just 4 minutes a day.

Enquiries about tooth whitening always increase in January and people are always keen to explore all the options. Traditionally the choices have been limited to home whitening with trays or surgery with the stronger whitening gel. Home whitening can be very effective as a gentle gel is applied to the teeth over a prolonged period of time. However, many patients don’t like the impressions, using the trays or the requirement for repeated applications. Surgery whitening uses a stronger gel and the appointments usually last about 90 minutes; however, even though the results can be unpredictable, it is not possible to use the stronger gel for prolonged applications because possible sensitivity problems.

We are now pleased to offer the new Wy10 Get2SmileTM ‘Laser’ Home Whitening Kit. The Get2Smile Kit is designed for patients who prefer to carry out whitening at a time and place best suited to them. This is an alternative to the tray system with a nice twist. It is a complete whitening solution that does not require taking impressions. It can be prescribed by a dentist straight after a consultation. It eliminates the need for impressions and a tray-fitting second appointment, saving dentists’ and patients’ time. It is simple to use and comes with clear instructions and illustrations. The Get2Smile is a lower power and simpler version of a chairside system – surgery whitening at home. A new whiter smile for the New Year.