Dental Nurses Evening Course Starting Soon!!

It is a very exciting time here at Absolute Dental Training; the first intake of student dental nurses are due to start their evening classes in preparing for sitting their National Certificate Examination in May 2010.

I have already met several of my students, and I'm pleased to say that we have a really varied mix of personalities and experience in this first group, so I am really looking forward to working with them all.

I pride myself on my abilities as a dental nurse, and look forward to passing my experience in both dental nursing and customer care onto my student nurses. I don't just want to train dental nurses who can mix filling materials - I want trainees who have been through our training course for dental nurses to be confident, knowledgeable and more importantly I want them to know how important their role is within the dental team, empowering them and encouraging a real sense of job satisfaction within them - happy dental nurses are what every dentist and patient wants to see!

Diane

Your Hygienist Might Just Save Your Life!

The majority of people see the hygienist as a person to clean their teeth or give them a "scrape & polish". So with this sort of profile, what is the point of sending patients to see these "glorified" toothbrushers?

Those of us who have supported the role of the hygienist have long been explaining the benefits of fighting gum disease, thus preventing premature tooth loss, fresher breath and a better smile; but it now seems we have also been, albeit inadvertently, increasing our patients chances of a healthier life.

Over the last few years plenty of evidence has been emerging linking the health of our gums to our overall health. For example, pregnant ladies with uncontrolled gum disease are 7-8 times more likely to have premature births. But it doesn't stop there; toxins released by gum cells due to inflammation from gum disease have been proven to enter our blood stream and potentially cause inflammatory changes to parts of our body.

Diabetics with gum disease find it harder to control their blood sugar levels, elimination of this inflammation directly improves diabetic control, reducing the progression of the disease.

Moreover, bacteria can attach to platelets in our blood causing them to clump together and possibly lodge inside blood vessels potentially reducing blood flow to vital organs such as the heart and brain. Thus people with long standing gum disease have been shown to be more susceptible to life threatening heart attacks and strokes.

At Absolute Dental we have always screened our patients to identify patients with gum (periodontal) disease to enable us to provide appropriate treatment. Whilst it is even more critical to address gum disease in these patients, we also need to promote the benefit of simple conservative therapies performed by our hygienists to prevent gum disease in the first place, thus reducing the likelihood of ever suffering from these life changing events

Best Kept Secret In Town

Summer is here and our thoughts turn to outdoor living and enjoying the fine weather.At Absolute Dental, we don’t want your trip to the dentist or hygienist to mean you have to miss out on enjoying the fine weather, so I’m going to let you in on one of the best kept secret in town! Did you know that we have a peaceful courtyard, with table, chairs and parasol for you to relax in and enjoy when you visit us? From this tranquil little corner of Kingsbridge, you can sit and read the newspaper, or browse one of our many and varied up to date magazines – all whilst sipping a hot or cold drink of your choice from our extensive drinks menu! If the heat outside is too unbearable (it might happen!), then come inside and enjoy free internet access whilst you sip your freshly made coffee. We want your experience of visiting Absolute Dental to be memorable for more than just the exceptional treatment you receive here – so when the sunshine appears, you can be assured that a warm welcome and cool drink awaits you at Absolute Dental.

“Botox in Trial to Cure Depression”

This was a headline in the Sunday Times on 2nd August, and is based on what the scientists leading the research in Switzerland and Germany are calling “facial feedback hypothesis” theory. This theory is based on our emotions having corresponding facial expressions – and vice versa. For example, if faced with a social event that we find daunting, if we force ourselves to smile, we might actually relax and enjoy the occasion. Therefore, by inhibiting facial expressions such as worry lines, could we actual help to relieve the emotions causing us to feel worried or depressed? Certainly early research carried out on 10 patients already suffering from depression found that after 2 months 9 of the 10 were no longer depressed and the 10th showed improvement in their mood.
At Absolute Dental, we offer Botox as a treatment for patients who are unhappy due to the appearance of their facial lines – but to think that we could soon be offering Botox to patients as a method of improving their well being as well as their self esteem is truly amazing – watch this space! Please do not hesitate to contact us or visit our “absolute facial” page on the website for more information and to see what others have said about their Botox experiences.

Have you remembered your oral health?

I was reading an interesting article today in the British Dental Journal linking yet another important health issue in this case memory, to oral health.

Previous research has associated oral health with various health problems including dementia, however no study has yet made clear how the state of teeth and mouth affect mental function.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a grant of $1.3 million to a team in America led by Dr Bei Wu, a gerontologist and Dr Richard Crout, an expert on gum disease. This team will test oral health and memory in 273 people aged 70. The new funding will establish larger studies looking for links between oral health function over time, while scientists will also seek to establish a link between cognitive function and better oral hygiene through intervention to improve oral health.

I wonder if this will assist us all in raising the public awareness of the importance in a visit to us and as importantly our hygiene team?

Training is a two way process

I spent last week runing a bespoke training course for a practice manager new to the role. A few days after her departure I received the following testamonial from her

I had been a practice manager for nearly a year and found myself struggling with the business side of running the practice and also needed a little help with some staffing problems. Emma John at Absolute Dental was recommended to me, through a work colleague, as she has an excellent team and amazing practice down in Devon.

Before my trip to Devon, Emma emailed and called me to find out exactly what I was struggling with and set our week based on things I needed help with, which was great as some courses go over things that may not be relevant.

On arriving at Absolute Dental I had a lovely greeting from all the team, smiles all around, and a lovely relaxed atmosphere.

Emma had planned out each day so I could gain as much as I could from my time with her. Not only did Emma explain how to implement things within my practice she even gave me copies of letters, spreadsheets, information leaflets etc to help me work from when I got back to my practice.

Emma's knowledge and personality is very inspiring and she has helped me out greatly with introducing me to ideas and systems that will benefit my practice.
Not only did I learn a lot from Emma but the whole of her team, Felicity and Diane assisted with some elements of my training, both girls again are an asset to Absolute Dental and I’m sure have an excellent career ahead of them.

I would like to thank everyone within Absolute Dental for an amazing eye opening week.

The best course I have been on without a doubt.

Cheryl Burnall, Dental Health Care, Hertford, Herts

What Cheryl will not know is that we "trainers" also learn and benefit from the time we spend with some very unique individuals working within the dental profession

Cheryl has bundles of enthusiasm and worked around the clock with the tasks I set her, I hope she will be able to maintain this enthusiasm when she meets with inevitable hurdles along the way.

I believe in order to both teach and learn you have to listen and be empathetic, how else can you assist each other through a situation,task or scenario. Cheryl was a great listener and was keen to absorb all I could offer.

Cheryl reminded me of myself many years ago, frequently wanting to run before I could walk but having a very clear idea of where I was going. Reflecting on yourself can sometimes be very rewarding, looking back how far you have come.

It also reminded me not to forget about the people that support you along the way whether it be family, team members, advisors, coaches. I am lucky to have the best in all of the afore mentioned list

Emma

Dealing with Dental Injury to Children

One in five children will have some accident involving the teeth. Toddlers tumble as they learn to walk; older children cycle, run, skateboard, trampoline and dive into swimming pools. - and they play contact sports– football, hockey and rugby. Boys are twice as likely as girls to have an accident, and the most common age group for accidents is 6 to 12 years old. Children with front teeth that stick out are at greater risk of injury. Should your child be unfortunate to have an accident involving the teeth, take them to the dentist straight away.
The dentist will examine your child and treat as necessary. An x-ray is sometimes required.
A small break to a milk tooth or permanent tooth can be simply smoothed down. If necessary a tooth coloured filling can be matched to repair a bigger break.
A tooth, which has been pushed into the gum may be left untreated as it usually comes down again by itself.
A tooth knocked out of position can be repositioned by the dentist. A permanent tooth might need
some support for a period of time until stable. A nerve exposed by injury must be treated straight away. The nerve may be removed and the tooth restored appropriately.

Remember If your child has an accident involving a tooth, whether a milk tooth or permanent see a dentist AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

If a PERMANENT TOOTH is knocked out, do not panic but act quickly. Follow these steps:
FIND THE TOOTH Hold the tooth by the crown (the visible part in the mouth) NOT the root
DO NOT scrub the tooth or place in disinfectant
IF THE TOOTH IS CLEAN Hold by the crown. Gently push it into the socket making sure it is the right
way round. This is usually painless if done immediately after the accident
IF THE TOOTH IS DIRTY Rinse gently in milk or cold water before pushing gently back into place
HOLD THE TOOTH IN PLACE Ask the child to bite gently on a handkerchief
GO TO THE DENTIST IMMEDIATELY FOR ADVICE
Do NOT attempt to replace a baby tooth

IF YOU CANNOT PUT THE TOOTH BACK IN
PLACE IN A CUP OF MILK When milk is not available place the tooth in the mouth between the
cheeks and gums
DO NOT let the tooth become dry
DO NOT place the tooth in disinfectant
GO TO THE DENTIST IMMEDIATELY – or to hospital casualty department and ask to be seen by the
dentist on duty
Your Dentist has many skills to help restore teeth that may be injured