A Whiter X Factor

I must confess that I am not a regular follower of the ups and downs of the X-Factor television programme, but I was fascinated to read that as the show enters the final stages, some of the contestants are rushing out to get their teeth whitened. Clearly a white, confident smile is an essential part of the all-important image package, but why is this the case? Image and how you see yourself in front of others is crucial to your self-confidence, which has to be paramount for any performer. You can’t go up on stage and try and hide your smile, as your smile is an essential way of expressing yourself, and how you feel, and you can’t perform without that emotion. At one extreme you have the at least one of the X Factor judges who has had extensive dental work done; the net result is a brilliantly white smile, which looks a bit false. At the other end there are aged rockers who are infamous for their lack of teeth. In between are the rest of us, who want a natural-looking and lovely smile for those all-important first impressions.

Research has shown that colour is the most important factor in determining the attractiveness of a smile. Tooth whitening is a quick, safe, painless procedure that restores the natural colour of the teeth with no structural change to the teeth.

Smile and give yourself your very own X Factor boost.

Useful Websites
http://www.augustadental.co.uk/dental-treatments-warwickshire-dentist/tooth-whitening-leamington-spa-dentistry.html

http://wy10.com/

Crooked Teeth and Newspapers

It is always interesting when dentistry hits the news, well as a dentist it is sometimes interesting how stories are portrayed. This weekend I had a 'features' article pushed under my nose about using clear braces to straighten crooked teeth and the newspaper made mention of the television series 'Ugly Betty'. I am told that the title partly refers to her ugly metal braces. Orthodontics, which is the movement of teeth to the correct position, has made some tremendous advances over the past few years. As a student, admitedly a little while ago, I only saw one adult patient, but now I am seeing people in their 60s for treatment with clear braces. The more conventional metal braces are still important, but in certain cases we are able to move the teeth using clear braces such as Invisalign, which has even been mentioned in 'Ugly Betty'.

Invisalign can be used to treat upper and lower arches to close spaces between teeth and to help overcome crowding of the teeth. The key features of Invisalign are:

Invisible, no-one will know that you are in treatment
Removable, eating drinking and cleaning don’t present any problems
Comfortable, no brackets or wires.
Convenient, shorter and less frequent appointments.
Teeth remain intact and natural

We do offer a free consultation to assess suitability for treatment with clear braces and answer any questions you may have about the treatment.

The next bit of news was BBC Radio's Chris Evans' newspaper review that included a pievce on the importance of good toothbrushing for a healthy body. As we enter 'National Smile Month' we tend to focus on importance of a confident smile, but the start point always has to be a healthy smile.

Keep smiling

Denture Problems

This week's hot topic seems to be dentures and problems with dentures. The loss of teeth can create all sorts of difficult functional, aesthetic and emotional problems, so it is probably no coincidence the one of the common recurring nightmares is teeth falling out. One of the great driving forces to seek dental treatment is the desire to avoid dentures - teeth in a jar by the bed is the stuff of nightmares for most people. But I gather that there has been an increase in the number of acrylic dentures under the NHS contract.

I am amazed by the resilience of people and how they will struggle on with dentures that don't fit and and don't stay in place. There seems to be a perception that dentures are a thing of the past but it is estimated that by 2038, 6% of the UK population will have no teeth at all, that will be millions of people. People are living longer and whilst at my age this incredibly good news, it does mean that denture wearers will also have complex medical issues.

What does all this mean? Dentures are going to be around for a long time and we going to need to our utmost to help these patients. Fortunately we now have modern techniques such as mini implants which are design to help stabilise and retain dentures at a fraction of of the cost of more conventional implants. More importantly it is a huge leap in the quality of life for the denture-wearer. This week someone told me they had not be able to bite into an apple for over 20 years since they lost their teeth. I can't wait to get started and I will have a Cox's Orange Pippin all lined up.

Night Shift

It has been an excellent month of progress at Augusta Dental Centre; however, I am not suggesting we need to work all night! Night Shift is a new orthodontic system that means you can straighten your teeth by simply wearing something at night. We are just starting our first cases so it is all jolly exciting and I will let you know how we get on.

It is one of the many treatment options now available to us and there are so many things we can do to improve someone's smile and make them feel better about themslves. It is a great time to be a dentist; we have a nice set-up in Leamington, a great team and I really enjoy going into work each day.

We have now been open for a couple of months, although the holidays and the weather have had an impact. I am keen to say “now the frost and snow has gone”, but every time I get close it starts to sleet once again. Anyway it has been quite a brisk start; Vickie and Clare have been getting to grips with our clinical protocols, whilst Elaine and Kathy are sorting out all the administration. It is really refreshing to work with such a keen and enthusiastic team.

Even though we have only been open for a short while, we are already expanding and next month Dr Sven Steinborn will be joining us. Sven and I have been chatting away for a few months and he really is a lovely chap who truly believes and supports the practice ethos and vision. He is registered with the General Dental Council as a ‘Specialist in Oral Surgery’, he has also completed his MSc in Periodontology (gum disease), and I am delighted that he will be bringing his considerable skill and experience to Augusta Dental Centre.

In line with our ‘New Year, New Smile’ plans we have reduced the fees for the Wy10 surgery whitening from £450 to £250; similarly home whitening is reduced from £199 to £99, although this is free for everyone on the Privilege Plan scheme. The response to our competition in the Courier has been fantastic and the lucky winner will be featured in the paper early next month. Those who have been working hard in the gym at LA Fitness in Warwick will have seen our new advert, which will soon be added to the website.

It has been a brilliant start and on those rare occasions when the sun has been shining, the building and everyone in it really lights up. There is still plenty of work to be done, but it is wonderful to be able to get up and smile because “I am going the dentist’s today!”

We Are Open

It has finally happened and we are actually open, yes the doors are open and we are now treating patients. Strangely enough, after such a long lead time, the first day was a relatively quiet affair; I think we were all just glad to finally start caring for real people. Of course, this is just phase one and the upper floors still have the feel of an unfinished building site, but it is a significant start.

As expected the first day did present a few minor technical issues; this is hardly surprising as a modern dental surgery is a pretty high tech environment and that is without all the supporting digital IT equipment, both telephones and computers. This also means that there is quite a lot of information and technology for the new team to grasp, but Kathy and Elaine have made a great start.

It was a long and difficult journey, not helped by the ongoing financial situation, but with tremendous help from my friends and family the dream has become a reality.We have a great team in place and it all feels just right and I can now focus on delivering the highest standards of dental care. Excellent.

At long last we have a planned opening date - 15 December 2009 and the appointment book is now open. The telephone number (0844 375 6505) has been activated and the email address (info@augustadental.co.uk) is now live. We are going through the training for the new (well everything is new) dental management software and the first appointment is in the book.

It has taken a while, far, far longer than I could have ever imagined, but the practice is starting to look really good, but goodness me it has been a frustrating few weeks. This is purely because I can physically see the realisation of my dreams and vision, so I am desperately keen to start. One of the sheer joys of working with people like Adam Brian, the builder, and Jenny and Lou from New Spaces is their attention to detail and perfectionists take a bit more time.

There is so much going on at the moment that it is almost impossible to stop my head spinning, but we are nearly there. I have really enjoyed going through all the treatment options we will be offering, from mini implant to Invisalign, all exciting stuff. Only days to go – can’t wait!