There are only 5 sleeps until Christmas! It's not too late. Give the best present you can to your loved one or yourself- teeth whitening. A white, bright, healthy smile is for everyone and not just for Hollywood Stars. Here are our 5 top tips to achieve great tooth whitening:
 

1. Visit the dental hygienist regularly. Plaque is bacteria and yellow in colour. Stains can readily form from normal diets. Even some mouthwashes can cause discolouration. Corsodyl for example is used long term. Our dental hygienist will remove all of the plaque and stains from your teeth to instantly brighten them. Our new air flow polishing is simply amazing!
2. Clean your teeth twice a day using a good electric tooth brush. Studies have shown sonic and rotational brushes are better at stain removal than manual brushing alone.
3. Avoid heavily staining foods such as curries, oily tomato based sauces, strong black coffee, beetroot and of course, give up smoking!
4. Have professional tooth whitening using the Philips ZOOM LED whitening in surgery. Within 90 minutes, you will have noticeably whiter teeth.
5. Maintain the newly whitened smile with a take home kit using Philips ZOOM gel.

Our special Christmas offer is still running. Philips ZOOM LED in surgery whitening AND a take home kit for just £499! Call us today and book the best gift you could give.
 

Eating your favourite foods is one of life's great joys. Perhaps a medium rare steak, crusty bread, raw vegetables or a crunchy apple? Most of us take eating for granted. However, for those with missing teeth, eating may be limited to certain foods only and this certainly is not much fun. There is an answer and they are called dental implants. 

In simple terms, dental implants are titanium cylinders that are inserted into the jaw bone. A phenomenon called 'osseointegration' where bone grows and fuses around the implant means that there is a biological connection that is incredibly robust. Teeth can then be supported onto the implants replacing the ones that were lost. Our case below highlights the difference that dental implants can make. Our patient has lost all of his back teeth meaning that all of the bite and chewing is at the front of the mouth. Our front teeth are designed for incising down onto food (hence called the incisor teeth) rather than chewing. By using dental implants, we are able to replace the missing back teeth and restore the bite. Just take a look:
 

Fibroepithelial polyps are commonly seen in the mouth on the lip, cheek, gum line and tongue. There are a small mass of tissue that usually form in response to trauma such as lip biting or cheek chewing. Although, in the main, polyps are pain free and benign, they can be irritating especially if you keep catching them whilst eating which could cause ulcers or inflammation. Here is a common appearance of a fibroepithelial polyp on the lip:
 

This is an article for our French clients on dental inlays and onlays written by Dr. Bruno Delaunay.

Définition :

Derrière ces deux mots très techniques se cachent en réalité des solutions thérapeutiques modernes pour restaurer vos dents victimes de lésions carieuses. 

L’inlay et l’onlay sont de plus en plus proposés, leur essor va de pair avec le développement d’une dentisterie dite « à minima ». 

Un inlay et un onlay sont deux prothèses très similaires. 

On utilisera le terme : INLAY, pour des petites lésions. Alors qu’on utilisera le terme ONLAY quand la lésion s’étend à au moins une cuspide.
 

Pourquoi l’inlay et l’onlay sont des solutions modernes ? 

L’inlay et l’onlay respectent les principes de la dentisterie à minima. Dans le passé, en cas de lésion de taille moyenne, les dentistes ne pouvaient proposer que les deux solutions suivantes :
 

• Un composite qui n’est mécaniquement pas fait pour être utilisé sur des grandes cavités mais qui est toujours la solution idéale sur les caries de petite taille.
• La couronne qui permet de recréer une dent à l’identique. Elle est parfaitement indiquée en cas de dent très délabrée car elle permet de rétablir l’esthétique et la fonction de la dent.

Cependant, elle nécessite la « préparation » de toute la dent, et requiert d’endommager de supprimer la structure dentaire saine restante (si il en reste). Désormais un inlay ou un onlay, permettent de reconstituer la dent, de manière, pérenne, solide, étanche et esthétique sans avoir à éliminer la structure saine de la dent.

Le déroulement de la séance:

Après avoir retiré la partie cariée, le dentiste réalise une empreinte qui sera transmise au laboratoire. Ce dernier qui peut donc travailler « hors de la bouche » pourra créer une pièce prothétique parfaitement sur mesure et ajustée à votre dent.Pendant la deuxième séance, le dentiste colle l’inlay céramique en suivant un protocole rigoureux pour garantir la longévité de la restauration.

Avantages :

L’inlay et l’onlay permettent la pratique d’une dentisterie conservatrice ou « à minima » et sauvegardant le plus possible l’organe dentaire.Parce qu’il est le plus souvent en céramique, il possède une durée de vie bien supérieure au composite.Il est parfaitement adapté à la dent et limite la réapparition de la carie.Il procure un rendu esthétique proche d’une dent naturelle.

Inconvénients :

Sa réalisation nécessite 2 séances séparées de plusieurs jours pour permettre au technicien dentaire de réaliser l’inlay.Comme tout travail prothétique, il nécessite des rendez-vous de contrôle pour prévenir les récidives carieuses ou fractures.

Pour plus d’informations n’hésitez pas à consulter le Dr Bruno DELAUNAY du cabinet Progressive dentistry.

As you may be aware, our ethos is based on minimally invasive dentistry. Preserving tooth and gum is key to a healthy mouth. Why remove what nature provided us with? In the past, tooth decay would lead to large amounts of tooth being cut away so that amalgam metal fillings could be packed into the cavity. When we say packed, this is exactly what we mean. Amalgam does not bond to tooth. Therefore the tooth has to be cut with an undercut- the base of the cavity being narrower than the top so that the filling cannot drop out. Of course, by doing this you have to remove healthy tooth. Crazy? We think so. Thankfully, dentistry has moved on and the term Minimally Invasive Dentistry or MI is becoming more popular. We have always believed in this philosophy and have ahead of the times in this regard. Finally, the profession is waking up to the fact that prevention is far better than 'cure'. A great example will now be discussed. Our patient presented with minor decay on the tooth surface of a molar tooth. The treatment is simple; remove the decay and restore the tooth. In the past, the top of the tooth would have been cut open and made deeper to accommodate a metal filling. This is pure madness. Modern techniques and adhesive dentistry mean that we can clean the decay using fluid abrasion ( a bit like jet washing) and then bond a flowable filling material to seal the area. This requires NO drilling, no needles and is completely pain free. Sounds too good to be true? No, it is the truth! Here are the before and after photos:
 

Today is the 1st September and officially the end of Summer time. It's back to school time (we remember that horrible feeling with the school adverts on TV) and parents are buying shoes, trousers, pencil cases and lunch boxes. Anyway, please don't be too depressed. Think about how a new gleaming smile will enhance your mood for the dark days ahead.

With fantastic modern techniques and skilled dentistry, we can enhance your smile without having to cut your teeth, give any injections and painlessly. As an added bonus, these techniques are far less costly than traditional cosmetic dentistry.

One of our most loved techniques is ABC:

A is for alignment- straighten teeth quickly and discreetly

B is for bleaching- everyone deserves whiter teeth

C is for composite bonding- correct those imperfections with skilled sculpting and bonding

Here is a recent case completed by Dr Nissit Patel: