13 signs that your dentist is "for keeps" - via Absolute Dental

Get to love your dentist or get the dentist you love: thirteen signs your dentist is ‘for keeps’

With thanks to Maria Nevada  from Money Principle 

MARIA says: 

There are two things I’m certain off:

a)      we all need to go to the dentist; 

b)     I’ve never met anyone who looks forward to visiting their dentist 

 

This made me think: is there anything I could do that will make my visits to the dentist less traumatic? In fact, I decided to try and come up with a mind trick that will make me more accepting of what cannot be avoided: my twice yearly visits to the dentist.

Then it was rather obvious: one thing that will make me more accepting of my visits is to get to love my dentist.

Not the kind of love that breaks couples but the grateful love we share with a brother/sister or a close friend; the love that thrives on trust, care, honour and civility.

These are the thirteen signs that will help you spot a dentist you could love that I could think about; these are also the signs that you’ve found a great one.

1. The receptionist knows your name. This may not seem important at first but I find that it make me feel good to be seen as a person and treated with respect, sympathy and human warmth.

2. The dentist knows your name. Here you can see my previous point. Except that the effect is magnified by the fact that this is the person who’ll be drilling in your month. Human warmth and sympathy can offset the annoyance of the dental drill nicely.

3. The dentist knows the name of your kid(s). This is about maintaining your humanity. You may think it is not very important but I used to go to a dentist who didn’t know my name and had absolutely no idea whether I have children or not. I am not even sure whether he knew that I am a bit more that the teeth he checked and cleaned. Call me weird but I didn’t like this much.

4. You can afford to see your dentist regularly. In the UK we have a mixed system: there are dentists who work with the NHS and there are private dentists. Good dentists will have an affordable Dental Plan (such as Practice Plan) 

5. You really want your dentist to stop working so you could talk to them. Sound ridiculous, I know. Still I love talking to my dentist – we discuss anything from current politics and the state of the NHS to the latest changes in British higher education. Thing is, he talks much more; for obvious reasons.

6. Your teeth look and feel good. This is kind of important. I did go for a while to a dentist who didn’t have a hygienist and didn’t clean my teeth himself. This was bad and didn’t last long.

7. Your dentist passed ‘the wisdom test’. Your dentist helps you make wise decisions about your teeth and dental health so that you have the healthy mouth you deserve 

8. You get a reminder to go for a check-up. It is really important to have regular check-ups. Because I’m not too keen on going to the dentist I tend to forget when my next appointment is due; if I didn’t book immediately that is. If I have not been for six months, I get a letter reminding it is time again. This is important (see point 10).

9. You get a reminder of your appointment. Yep, even when I’ve had the foresight to book an appointment I have been known to forget about it. Which is not good for my dentist (waste of time), not good for the surgery (loss of income) and not good for me (charged or missing the appointment). This is why I welcome the text message I receive couple of days before.

10. Your dentist does more prevention than correction. Yep, it is true about teeth – prevention is better than correction. This mainly means oral hygiene and this goes beyond brushing your teeth regularly. So if the Hygienist cleans and polishes your teeth and insists on creating good hygiene habits, keep him/her. It is less painful and certainly cheaper than correction.

11. You have not needed a filling in years. I remember my shock about twenty five years ago when my dentist at the time told me that there is no reason for humans to lose their teeth – it is a matter of good dental care. It is true though and if your dentist is ‘for keeps’ you are likely to need a filling very, very occasionally (I haven’t had one for about five years now).

12. Your dentist works with the same nurse for years. Apart from the comfort of knowing the whole team, this also tells you about the kind of person your dentist is. After all, happy and respected employees don’t leave their jobs.

13. Your dentist saves you the pain and discomfort they could do. I left this one for last but it is not trivial – dental work can be painful in very acute ways. At the same time anaesthetic doesn’t always help. If your dentist saves you the pain when this is possible, keep him/her.

Finally…

Looking after your teeth is important. What I’ve noticed is that every financial and economic crisis I’ve lived through (and I’ve lived through at least three of those) shows very quickly as deteriorating dental health. And I’m not talking about ‘movie star smile’ here, or diamond encrusted teeth. I am talking about people in pain who lose their teeth un-necessary.

Don’t be like that and find a dentist you can love visiting and can afford. Oh, and make sure that this is high on your spending priorities.

With many thanks to Maria Nevada of the website The Money Principle  http://www.themoneyprinciple.co.uk

Another Great Six Month Smile case at Absolute Dental - and in just 4 months!

This lovely young lady, who is a patient of Rhods' wanted to have the Six Month Smile treatment as she was unhappy with the appearance of her overlapped upper front teeth.

She was perfect for the treatment and in just 4 months the appearance of these upper front teeth changed dramatically:

If you would like a straighter, brighter smile, call in for more details of the Six Month Smile treatment or book a complimentary initial consultation with one of the team today 01548 852165

Oral Health Month at Absolute Dental

May is Oral Health Month and I always think that every month should be Oral Health Month! So what can it mean?

  

O   Oral cavity! covers everything from apices of teeth to zygomatic arch.

R    Research - the team are always reviewing the latest news about oral health, new techniques, procedures and materials so you may find some new ideas about how you look after your mouth when you come to see us.

A    Ask about your general health. This is something we do each time we see you as we know there are many links between your general and dental health.

L    Lesions - If you have any sore areas or something doesn't feel or look right in your mouth and lasts for more than three weeks, please come in and allow us to check it for you.

  

H    Hygienists! responsible for helping you to get the most out of your dental health, supporting you and your dentist!

E     Every surface of every tooth every day - this is where you need to remove plaque from.

A    Alternatives - There are many alternatives to treatments e.g. Implants to replace or help retain dentures, or even replace bridges.  Ask at Absolute for Alternatives.

L    Leave 40 minutes after eating before you brush. This allows the tooth to repair from acids or sugars in your diet.

T   Twelve checks at your Dental Health Assessment including health of existing fillings and crowns and an oral cancer check.

H   Hold on to your toothpaste- spit it out after brushing instead of rinsing it out. Hang on to the good stuff!

  

M   Mouthwash particularly helpful after mealtimes as this increases the uptake of fluoride and the minerals in your saliva back into the tooth.

O    Orthodontics helps move teeth into a better position and we do this at Absolute with Six months smiles and Inman Aligners!

N    Nuts and cheese are fabulous snacks for in between meals and cheese can also help to repair the tooth surface after acids - great for the end of a meal!

T    Toothbrushes- whichever you use make sure you change the heads at least 3 monthly. Remember that if you are a Practice Plan patient you get a 10% discount on sundries!

H   Help yourself to great dental health. 

  

Easy steps to achieve this are:

• Brush twice daily for two minutes  with a fluoride toothpaste.
• Cut down on sugary snacks and drinks between meals.
• Visit your dentist as often as they recommend.

Maureen

National Smile Month - May 19 - June 19 2014

It all started in 1977 and was then called Smile77 project, the aim was to address the lack of interest people had in looking after their teeth, in 1977 one in three people had none of their natural teeth!

The Key Messages are:

• Brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
• Visit the dentist regularly, as often as they recommend
• Cut down on the frequency of sugary foods and drinks.

National Smile Month research revealed on average four out of every five people in the UK do not think poor oral health is related to other illnesses like:

Dementia,

Heart disease,

Strokes,

Complications during pregnancy,

and also male sexual health problems.

They questioned more than 2000 people and found that:

• 83 % did not recognise that poor oral health could be linked to pneumonia
• 82% were not aware of its connection with colon cancer.
• 79% did not think strokes and poor oral health were linked
• 90 % of people did not think dementia and oral health are linked too!
• 40% thought heart problems could be brought on by poor oral health.

The Oral Health Month website is very comprehensive and full of top oral health tips, I have picked just a few, more interesting facts and other information can be found at www.nationalsmilemHYPERLINK "http://www.nationalsmilemonth.org/"oHYPERLINK "http://www.nationalsmilemonth.org/"nth.org

A diet that is rich in vitamins, minerals, and fresh fruit and vegetables can help to prevent gum disease

To test if you have bad breath, simply lick the inside of your wrist, let it dry and sniff. If the smell is bad, you can be fairly sure you have bad breath

Cold sores are infectious and the infecting virus can be passed to other people by close contact (such as kissing). A cold sore is most infectious when it is blistering. It is important to try and avoid touching cold sores as you can pass the virus on to other people’s hands and even, very rarely, to your own eyes. Avoid squeezing, pinching or pricking the cold sore as this can spread the infection

If you wear dentures, the general rule is: brush, soak, brush. Always clean your dentures over a bowl of water or a folded towel in case you drop them. Brush your dentures before soaking, to help remove any food debris. Using an effervescent (fizzy) denture cleaner will help remove stubborn stains and leave your denture feeling fresher

Still water and milk are good choices. It is better for your teeth if you drink fruit juices just at meal times. If you are drinking them between meals, try diluting them with water and rinsing your mouth with water after drinking. Drinking through a straw can help the drink go to the back of your mouth without touching your teeth
Rachael