The Dentist in Town will be closed from lunch time 23 December and will reopen on Moday 4 January. If you're one of our patients and you have an emergency during this time, call us on 0121 236 8681 and we'll make sure you;re taken care of.
Have a great Christmas - or Hannukah, or whatever is your thing.
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Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Pre-Christmas Rush
We're experiencing the usual pre-Christmas rush on teeth whitening as people want to be all bright and sparkly for their works parties and on into the new year. In fact, there's more demand than ever this year. This is probably because, in a recession, few things have as big an impact for as little money (£187.50) as teeth whitening.
I've been prompted to write this because I left it too late to buy advent calendars for my kids and now I'm in big trouble. Please don't make the same mistake if you want to whiten your teeth for Christmas.
If this is something you want to do, I would urge you to get it under way ASAP. It's important to realize that booking in with a dentist is only half the battle. The dentist then has to place your work with a laboratory - and the labs are rapidly becoming inundated. There is a very real danger that, possibly by the end of next week, they won't be able to get whitening trays back to us (or any other dentist) before Christmas.
At the moment there's no problem. I'll let you know as soon as that changes.
All the best
Tom
I've been prompted to write this because I left it too late to buy advent calendars for my kids and now I'm in big trouble. Please don't make the same mistake if you want to whiten your teeth for Christmas.
If this is something you want to do, I would urge you to get it under way ASAP. It's important to realize that booking in with a dentist is only half the battle. The dentist then has to place your work with a laboratory - and the labs are rapidly becoming inundated. There is a very real danger that, possibly by the end of next week, they won't be able to get whitening trays back to us (or any other dentist) before Christmas.
At the moment there's no problem. I'll let you know as soon as that changes.
All the best
Tom
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Dentistry and The Daily Mail
It isn’t often I read the Daily Mail but I was looking through one in Costa and I came across this article – so I nicked it to copy out for you. In my (admittedly weak) defence, it was twenty minutes before the place shut so I wasn’t depriving anyone of their paper. Anyway, here’s the article:
If you’re feeling down in the mouth, brace yourself for more bad news: research shows you should make an appointment with a dentist.
Pessimists are more likely to have poor oral health, including decayed, missing or wonky teeth.
And it seems their negative view of the world also extends to the dentist’s chair.
The link was made by comparing the personalities of 1,037 people in their early 30s with their dental records.
The men and women were asked to fill in two questionnaires, one to gauge how they felt about dentists, the other to rate character traits.
Around a quarter admitted they were scared of the dentist, avoided check-ups and only make appointments when in pain.
As a result, they had more tooth decay than those not worried about treatment, and had twice as many rotten or missing teeth and fillings by the age of 32.
Those scared of the dentist were also more easily stressed, less sociable and less likely to turn to others for comfort, the Journal of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology reports.
Professor Murray Thomson, of the University of Otago in New Zealand, who led the study, said: ‘The non-anxious types tend to have more robust personalities and are more able to cope with what life throws at them.’
Now, is it just me being picky or is this another case of stating the bleedin’ obvious? ‘Anxious people avoid the added stress of going to the dentist and as a result have worse teeth than people who do go.’ Someone received funding for that astonishing piece of research. But then, I haven’t read the original academic paper and it’s possible that the journalist who summarised the findings may have got them as jumbled as most things concerning dentistry that I’ve ever read in a newspaper. I’ll let you know if I ever get around to checking it out.
(P.S. Those anxious people wouldn’t need to get stressed if they came to see me)
If you’re feeling down in the mouth, brace yourself for more bad news: research shows you should make an appointment with a dentist.
Pessimists are more likely to have poor oral health, including decayed, missing or wonky teeth.
And it seems their negative view of the world also extends to the dentist’s chair.
The link was made by comparing the personalities of 1,037 people in their early 30s with their dental records.
The men and women were asked to fill in two questionnaires, one to gauge how they felt about dentists, the other to rate character traits.
Around a quarter admitted they were scared of the dentist, avoided check-ups and only make appointments when in pain.
As a result, they had more tooth decay than those not worried about treatment, and had twice as many rotten or missing teeth and fillings by the age of 32.
Those scared of the dentist were also more easily stressed, less sociable and less likely to turn to others for comfort, the Journal of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology reports.
Professor Murray Thomson, of the University of Otago in New Zealand, who led the study, said: ‘The non-anxious types tend to have more robust personalities and are more able to cope with what life throws at them.’
Now, is it just me being picky or is this another case of stating the bleedin’ obvious? ‘Anxious people avoid the added stress of going to the dentist and as a result have worse teeth than people who do go.’ Someone received funding for that astonishing piece of research. But then, I haven’t read the original academic paper and it’s possible that the journalist who summarised the findings may have got them as jumbled as most things concerning dentistry that I’ve ever read in a newspaper. I’ll let you know if I ever get around to checking it out.
(P.S. Those anxious people wouldn’t need to get stressed if they came to see me)
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
New Hygienist
I would like to introduce you to Louisa, our new hygienist. Lesley and Katie will still be with us but, for various reasons, neither of them can work the latter part of the afternoon. Louisa will fill that gap. Initially, she'll be here on Thursday afternoons but we will extend her hours in line with demand - and we know you're going to like her.
We hope to have a photo in time for our Novemver 5th newsletter. If you're not on our mailing list and you would like to receive the newsletter, please fill in the box on the right.
We hope to have a photo in time for our Novemver 5th newsletter. If you're not on our mailing list and you would like to receive the newsletter, please fill in the box on the right.
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Preventing Tooth Decay in Toddlers
A spoonful of sugar may indeed help the medicine go down but it seems that the sugar substitute, xylitol, has medicinal properties of its own. Recent research has shown that a few drops of xylitol, given as a syrup, may help prevent tooth decay in baby teeth.
Xylitol, has been used for years as a ‘safe’ sweetener in chewing gum and some medicines. It was introduced because, unlike sugar, the bacteria in dental plaque cannot use it to produce the acid that causes tooth decay. Now researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle have discovered it goes further than that. It seems that xylitol actually kills acid-producing bacteria in the mouth.
This is good news because there is increasing evidence that tooth decay is on the rise amongst young children in the UK, especially in higher-income families. In fact, according to the British Dental Health Foundation, almost fifty per cent of children below the age of five in Britain show signs of tooth decay – even though the causes are well known and decay is easily preventable. This figure is a national average, the numbers being very much lower in areas where drinking water is fluoridated. However, even in fluoridated areas, decay seems to be increasing slowly.
The optimal dose appears to be 4 g of xylitol syrup given twice a day but research is not yet complete. It will, therefore, be a while before xylitol dental syrup is available. When it is, we’ll let you know.
Xylitol, has been used for years as a ‘safe’ sweetener in chewing gum and some medicines. It was introduced because, unlike sugar, the bacteria in dental plaque cannot use it to produce the acid that causes tooth decay. Now researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle have discovered it goes further than that. It seems that xylitol actually kills acid-producing bacteria in the mouth.
This is good news because there is increasing evidence that tooth decay is on the rise amongst young children in the UK, especially in higher-income families. In fact, according to the British Dental Health Foundation, almost fifty per cent of children below the age of five in Britain show signs of tooth decay – even though the causes are well known and decay is easily preventable. This figure is a national average, the numbers being very much lower in areas where drinking water is fluoridated. However, even in fluoridated areas, decay seems to be increasing slowly.
The optimal dose appears to be 4 g of xylitol syrup given twice a day but research is not yet complete. It will, therefore, be a while before xylitol dental syrup is available. When it is, we’ll let you know.
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
ATTENTION EMPLOYEES OF BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
My son recently fell off a swing and broke his arm. We took him to the Children’s Hospital where everyone was absolutely superb.
As a personal thank you, until the end of October, I am offering half-price examinations and treatment (INCLUDING COSMETIC WORK) to all bona fide employees of Birmingham Children’s Hospital. This means that coming to see us will, in most cases, be significantly cheaper than the NHS – even though we’re a private practice.
AND we’re only 5 minutes walk from the hospital.
So call us now and let me start giving something back to you.
Tom Nolan
The Dentist in Town – 0121 236 8681
10 The Minories, Temple Court, Birmingham B4 6AG (The pedestrian arcade on Bull Street)
As a personal thank you, until the end of October, I am offering half-price examinations and treatment (INCLUDING COSMETIC WORK) to all bona fide employees of Birmingham Children’s Hospital. This means that coming to see us will, in most cases, be significantly cheaper than the NHS – even though we’re a private practice.
AND we’re only 5 minutes walk from the hospital.
So call us now and let me start giving something back to you.
Tom Nolan
The Dentist in Town – 0121 236 8681
10 The Minories, Temple Court, Birmingham B4 6AG (The pedestrian arcade on Bull Street)
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
NEW RECEPTIONIST
Our brilliant young receptionist, Jenna has left us to become a teacher (clearly, dealing with my tantrums provided her with valuable experience and inspiration) We haven't managed to get rid of her completely, though, as she'll be doing some part-time work for us.
Jenna has been replaced by Selina, an equally briliant young receptionist. Like Jenna, Selina has worked extensively abroad. Also like Jenna, she claims never to have been extradicted.
If you're in town, do pop in for a coffee and to say hello.
Jenna has been replaced by Selina, an equally briliant young receptionist. Like Jenna, Selina has worked extensively abroad. Also like Jenna, she claims never to have been extradicted.
If you're in town, do pop in for a coffee and to say hello.
Sunday, 13 September 2009
We're Supprting Macmillan
Macmillan Cancer Support are holding their big Coffee Morning on Friday 25 September.
But maybe you can’t make that – or maybe you would like to go twice?
To help maximise the work of this fantastic charity, we’re holding a follow-up event from 9.30 – 12.30 on the following Monday (28th September) Everybody welcome.
Come along for a cuppa, a chat, a look around if you’ve never been here before and make a small donation to Macmillan Cancer Support.
We’ll also donate 10% of the cost of all bookings we receive that morning to Macmillan – and we’ll help you to help others by knocking 20% off the fee.
There will be other goodies as well! – Watch this space.
Come along to The Dentist in Town
10 The Minories, Temple Court, Birmingham City Centre B4 6AG 0121 236 8681
But maybe you can’t make that – or maybe you would like to go twice?
To help maximise the work of this fantastic charity, we’re holding a follow-up event from 9.30 – 12.30 on the following Monday (28th September) Everybody welcome.
Come along for a cuppa, a chat, a look around if you’ve never been here before and make a small donation to Macmillan Cancer Support.
We’ll also donate 10% of the cost of all bookings we receive that morning to Macmillan – and we’ll help you to help others by knocking 20% off the fee.
There will be other goodies as well! – Watch this space.
Come along to The Dentist in Town
10 The Minories, Temple Court, Birmingham City Centre B4 6AG 0121 236 8681
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Jenna is Leaving
Jenna is leaving us to pursue a teaching career. She'll still be doing some part-time work for us but, after September, her smiling (slightly deranged) face will no longer be seen in reception. She'll be a hard act to follow but we're pulling out all the stops to find a superb replacement.
Monday, 24 August 2009
FAQs
I get a lot of questions emailed to me every week and I think it's about time we made the answers generally available so other people can benefit. I thought about putting the question and answers on here but decided it would be easier to find what you want if they have a site of their own.
You can find the Q & A at
http://dentistintownfaqs.blogspot.com/
If you have any questions you would like answered, please email them to
reception@dentistintown.co.uk
Please include your name - but it won't be published.
Stay well.
You can find the Q & A at
http://dentistintownfaqs.blogspot.com/
If you have any questions you would like answered, please email them to
reception@dentistintown.co.uk
Please include your name - but it won't be published.
Stay well.
Friday, 21 August 2009
Tip of the Week
We've added a Tip of the Week section to our website - cunningly accessed via the 'Advice' button in the top menu. So if you would like some straightforward, practical advice to help you keep your mouth healthy, that's where you'll find it (just click on the green 'Tip of the Week' above)
May today be the best day of your life so far.
May today be the best day of your life so far.
Monday, 10 August 2009
15 Mistakes People Make in Looking After Their Teeth
We all know we have to take care of ourselves if we’re going to be healthy. What tends to get overlooked is the fact that different parts of the body require different degrees of maintenance and most of us underestimate the amount of attention we need to pay our mouths.
See how many of the following mistakes you make.
1. You don’t go to the dentist often enough. This means that when you do go, any gum disease or cavities are more advanced and, therefore, need more extensive treatment than they would have needed if you had gone sooner. It may even be that a tooth that could have been easily repaired will now have to be lost. This makes for a more traumatic appointment, which in turn makes you not want to go back, which... you get the idea. Regular routine maintenance really does make life easier all round.
2. You presume that if you haven’t got any pain there’s nothing going wrong. Well, that idea is wrong for a start. Tooth decay and gum disease are usually quite advanced before they cause any discomfort – and ‘more advanced’ = ‘more treatment required’.
3. You don’t understand that tooth decay and gum disease are progressive – you can’t let things slide and then pull it all back to be just as good as it was before. That is not a reason to do nothing. However bad things are now, they can only get worse unless you take action.
4. You underestimate the role of the hygienist. If you think she just gives you a ‘polish up’ to make your teeth look better, you are very, very wrong. This is a topic for another article but I’ll say now, speaking as a dentist, that in many fundamental ways, the hygienist’s work is more important than mine.
5. You have an ‘It can’t happen to me’ attitude – ‘Yeah I’ve seen all the stuff on TV about various things disintegrating if you soak them in Coke but it doesn’t do anything to MY teeth.’ I suppose we’re all guilty of that one in some area of our lives.
6. And, speaking of fizzy drinks, you assume that the diet varieties are safe because they don’t contain sugar – but they are acidic, and acid dissolves teeth. Fruit juice is also very acidic.
7. You try to reduce the harmful effect of acidic drinks by brushing your teeth immediately afterwards – when the enamel has just been softened by acid and is easily worn away! You should rinse thoroughly with water immediately after an acidic drink but don’t brush for at least half an hour.
8. You don’t clean in between your teeth. You might brush for the prescribed time but you never floss or use interdental brushes. So you leave plaque undisturbed between the teeth – and plaque bacteria are never idle.
9. You don’t appreciate the nature of plaque. Essentially, it’s a jelly-like slime that coats your teeth and is teeming with potentially harmful bacteria. In fact, plaque has a higher concentration of germs than faeces! So, which would you rather have in your mouth – the safer one, or plaque?
10. You don’t brush your tongue. A lot of bugs – especially those that cause bad breath – live on the surface of the tongue. A good antiseptic mouthwash will help but you should brush as well.
11. You use a manual toothbrush with a horizontal scrubbing motion. Not only does this fail to remove plaque in the ‘nooks and crannies’, it can damage your gums and wear groves in your teeth so that they become sensitive and more prone to decay. Correct brushing technique is the subject of another article but the simplest way to avoid these problems is to use an electric brush.
12. If you use a manual brush, you choose one with a head that is too big. If the brush is too large, it contacts 2 or more of the prominent tooth contours and doesn’t get into the recessed areas in between. You need a brush with a small head so you can winkle it into the difficult areas. Yes it will take longer – because you’re being thorough.
13. You open your mouth too wide when brushing your back teeth. This makes it difficult to get at the surfaces on the cheek side of these teeth.
14. You think that because bleeding gums are common, they’re normal. They’re not. Bleeding is an early sign of gum disease and if you ignore it, it will get worse and eventually your teeth will get loose – and all sorts of other problems in between. Trust me, doing nothing is NOT the easier option here.
15. You feel embarrassed about going to the dentist because you’ve left it so long and you think your mouth is in a shocking state. This is totally unnecessary. In the first place, you’re probably being unduly pessimistic – and even if you’re not, I guarantee we’ve seen worse, and we have no interest in making moral judgements about people; all we want is to help everyone be as healthy as possible. And, however bad things are, unless you take action, this is the best they will ever be.
So, do any of the above apply to you? If so, you know what to do.
See how many of the following mistakes you make.
1. You don’t go to the dentist often enough. This means that when you do go, any gum disease or cavities are more advanced and, therefore, need more extensive treatment than they would have needed if you had gone sooner. It may even be that a tooth that could have been easily repaired will now have to be lost. This makes for a more traumatic appointment, which in turn makes you not want to go back, which... you get the idea. Regular routine maintenance really does make life easier all round.
2. You presume that if you haven’t got any pain there’s nothing going wrong. Well, that idea is wrong for a start. Tooth decay and gum disease are usually quite advanced before they cause any discomfort – and ‘more advanced’ = ‘more treatment required’.
3. You don’t understand that tooth decay and gum disease are progressive – you can’t let things slide and then pull it all back to be just as good as it was before. That is not a reason to do nothing. However bad things are now, they can only get worse unless you take action.
4. You underestimate the role of the hygienist. If you think she just gives you a ‘polish up’ to make your teeth look better, you are very, very wrong. This is a topic for another article but I’ll say now, speaking as a dentist, that in many fundamental ways, the hygienist’s work is more important than mine.
5. You have an ‘It can’t happen to me’ attitude – ‘Yeah I’ve seen all the stuff on TV about various things disintegrating if you soak them in Coke but it doesn’t do anything to MY teeth.’ I suppose we’re all guilty of that one in some area of our lives.
6. And, speaking of fizzy drinks, you assume that the diet varieties are safe because they don’t contain sugar – but they are acidic, and acid dissolves teeth. Fruit juice is also very acidic.
7. You try to reduce the harmful effect of acidic drinks by brushing your teeth immediately afterwards – when the enamel has just been softened by acid and is easily worn away! You should rinse thoroughly with water immediately after an acidic drink but don’t brush for at least half an hour.
8. You don’t clean in between your teeth. You might brush for the prescribed time but you never floss or use interdental brushes. So you leave plaque undisturbed between the teeth – and plaque bacteria are never idle.
9. You don’t appreciate the nature of plaque. Essentially, it’s a jelly-like slime that coats your teeth and is teeming with potentially harmful bacteria. In fact, plaque has a higher concentration of germs than faeces! So, which would you rather have in your mouth – the safer one, or plaque?
10. You don’t brush your tongue. A lot of bugs – especially those that cause bad breath – live on the surface of the tongue. A good antiseptic mouthwash will help but you should brush as well.
11. You use a manual toothbrush with a horizontal scrubbing motion. Not only does this fail to remove plaque in the ‘nooks and crannies’, it can damage your gums and wear groves in your teeth so that they become sensitive and more prone to decay. Correct brushing technique is the subject of another article but the simplest way to avoid these problems is to use an electric brush.
12. If you use a manual brush, you choose one with a head that is too big. If the brush is too large, it contacts 2 or more of the prominent tooth contours and doesn’t get into the recessed areas in between. You need a brush with a small head so you can winkle it into the difficult areas. Yes it will take longer – because you’re being thorough.
13. You open your mouth too wide when brushing your back teeth. This makes it difficult to get at the surfaces on the cheek side of these teeth.
14. You think that because bleeding gums are common, they’re normal. They’re not. Bleeding is an early sign of gum disease and if you ignore it, it will get worse and eventually your teeth will get loose – and all sorts of other problems in between. Trust me, doing nothing is NOT the easier option here.
15. You feel embarrassed about going to the dentist because you’ve left it so long and you think your mouth is in a shocking state. This is totally unnecessary. In the first place, you’re probably being unduly pessimistic – and even if you’re not, I guarantee we’ve seen worse, and we have no interest in making moral judgements about people; all we want is to help everyone be as healthy as possible. And, however bad things are, unless you take action, this is the best they will ever be.
So, do any of the above apply to you? If so, you know what to do.
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