Doughnuts and Smiles!

I thought I would share with you some pictures and a thank you letter that we received from a very happy client of ours. This lovely lady had been embarrassed for some time about the appearance of her upper front teeth and even found that she smiled with her lips closed in her wedding photos to hide their appearance. This client isn't the first person to experience this, and wanted to let others know that there was help at hand!

Rhod was able to improve the shade, shape and overall appearance of the teeth by starting with a course of tooth whitening, and when the desired shade had been achieved, bonding a tooth coloured restorative material to the upper central teeth, restoring the appearance and shape. This was a simple and cost effective way of restoring these teeth.

This was the email we received a few hours after the teeth had been restored:

Dear Absolute Team,

I think I may have discovered a link between having a bright new smile and weight gain and thought I ought to share my story with you.

On my way back home from the practice this morning, I stopped at the bakery to buy a pasty for my lunch.
“Good morning!” I said, with a big smile to show off my fabulous new teeth “I would like a small pasty please”.
“Course me darlin’ ” replied the jolly baker, swiftly adding: “well I think this beautiful smile also deserves a donut on the house”.

So here I am, still giggling to myself, unable to stop smiling with my free donut in hand thinking that my new teeth could be a threat to my weight!

With many heartfelt thanks,

So pleased is our client, that she has also talked about renewing her wedding vows so that she can have a new set of photos taken!

Going the Extra Mile for Sport Relief

A team from Absolute Dental (and friends!) went “the extra mile” by joining in with the Sport Relief Mile on Plymouth Hoe on Sunday March 25th.

It was an early start for the team of 10 (who all coped admirably with the lost hour of sleep caused by the clocks changing the night before!), who completed either the 3 or 1 mile course in glorious sunshine.

Due to the staggered start times, the 3 milers had completed their challenge before the 1 milers began theirs, so they looped around and completed the 1 mile course with the rest of the team too!

We always try and find a fund raising event each year that we can all take part in, and this year, not only did we raise over £300 for Sport Relief, but we all appreciated what a great, supportive team we work with.

Thank you to all of our patients, friends and family who sponsored us; anyone still wishing to sponsor us can visit our sponsorship page at http://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/AbsoluteDentalKingsbridge

Sharing & Stargazing

Our busy days at Absolute Dental means that time flies by and we do not always have the chance to catch up with colleagues to find out what they have been up to .....professionally or otherwise. So it is always great to have an excuse to meet together after work to talk and share. We learn from each other and support each other too.

On Monday, we gathered a little group in The Crabshell Inn in Kingsbridge for our Spring Clinicians Meeting, at a quiet table overlooking the lovely estuary. We each had a short slot to present a treatment or case or dental subject of interest, and then to discuss with our colleagues.

We covered many areas including Inman Aligner (Rhod) Splinting and treatment of teeth following trauma (Ruth). How to successfully manage a very fearful patient who required help to return her gums to health (Rachel, our enthusiastic Therapist). How a combined effort by Maureen (our understanding and gentle hygienist) and Rhod had re stored a patients dental health so that he was able to have implants. How Bill managed a patient referred by Ruth to save his molar tooth by calling on his vast experience in Periodontology and Restoration.

So we packed a lot into our little rendezvous and left the Crabshell feeling altogether more informed. We finished up outside as we said goodbye, with a little glance skywards where Bill , our own Patrick Moore, was able to give us a brief overview of the Kingsbridge constellation. He is truly a man of many talents.

Wednesday March 14th - National No Smoking Day

If you are one of the estimated 9 million smokers in the UK, and you visit Absolute Dental, we will always try to give you our help and support to quit smoking because of the benefits this will have on your health and well being. We know that quitting smoking isn't easy, but when you see the drastic improvements to your life and health it is really motivating. Here are some statistics and food for thought that might help motivate you this No Smoking Day, courtesy of the "Smokefree" website.

The damage that smoking causes to your body is horrible, and your secondhand smoke can also cause problems for everybody else too.

Smoking is unattractive and costs you loads of money. A 20 a day smoker will spend approximately £900 per year on cigarettes. Just imagine yourself being smoke free. Feeling great and having that extra money in your pocket!

Improve your health:

• Reduce your risk of illness, disability or death caused by cancer (including Oral Cancer), heart disease and lung diseases.



• Protect the health of the people you care about by not making them breathe your secondhand smoke.



• Reduce the chances of your children suffering from asthma or glue ear.



• Improve your fertility and your chance of a healthy pregnancy and baby.



• Improve your breathing and general fitness.



• Enjoy the taste of food more - the difference is noticeable within 48 hours of quitting.



• The effects of quitting are almost instant - within 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse return to normal and within 24 hours carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body; lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris - and those are just the benefits within the first day!



• 5 Years after quitting, the risk of heart attacks falls to about half compared to a person who is still smoking



• 10 years after quitting, the risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker and the risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.
  

Feel attractive and confident

• Get rid of that stale tobacco smell from your hair, skin and clothes.



• Look attractive with healthy, glowing skin, no tobacco stains on your teeth and fewer wrinkles.



• Feel more confident in public places because you won't be polluting the air or making other people breathe your secondhand smoke.



• Smoking is a big turn off to potential partners, so when you go smoke free, you might be surprised by the new attention you receive.



• Have a fresh, attractive home without nicotine stains on the walls and reduce your risk of starting a house fire or burning your clothes.

National No Smoking Day

Wednesday March 14th 2012 is No Smoking Day and if you are one of the 9 million smokers in the UK, it’s fair to say that you’ve probably tried to quit unsuccessfully, or want to quit. This year the campaign has joined with the British Heart Foundation to make it bigger and better, and hopefully the campaign will be the incentive needed for any smokers out there to “Take the Leap” (the campaign is aptly named for this years’ leap year!), and start a more healthy, smoke free lifestyle.

While it’s a well-known fact that smoking poses a significant hazard to your health (health consequences of smoking include cancers, heart attack, stroke, heart disease, lung disease,
and miscarriage to name a few) the effect that smoking has on dental health is not so well known.
The mouth is, obviously, the primary recipient of the smoke and the first area in the body to come in contact with the smoke and the cocktail of toxic chemicals it contains. The relatively short period of time in which the cigarette smoke is in direct contact with the mouth is enough for it to have the damaging effects listed below:

1. Tooth discoloration: Nicotine and tar present in cigarette smoke form deposits on tooth surface and cause discoloration of teeth. The discoloration can range from yellow to black. While most smokers are aware of this discoloration many find it difficult to remove with tooth brushing.

2. Smoker’s breath: Every smoker has probably been told at least once that their breath stinks. Smokers become immune to this odour – but trust us, the bad breath is obvious to other people.

3. Dry Mouth: Cigarette smoking causes the uncomfortable condition known as dry mouth. This decrease in saliva (with its natural antibacterial, antacid and buffering properties) can lead to a range of problems including bad breath and cavities.

4. Tooth decay: The deposits caused by smoking cause more plaque to build up in the mouth, this plaque is the ideal breeding ground for the bacteria responsible for causing tooth decay.

5. Dental work: Smoking affects dental work and reduces the success rates of procedures such as periodontal surgery and dental implants. Dental implants can be a an excellent way to replace a missing tooth, but require an investment of time and money. They can restore a smile but smoking can render the dental implant procedure a waste of time.

6. Gum disease: A study published in journal of periodontology highlights that smokers are 4 times more likely to suffer from advanced gum disease – which can lead to tooth loss and has other health consequences too.

7. Oral cancer: 90% of patients with oral cancer are smokers, a clear illustration of the role that smoking plays in oral cancers. 3000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year, half of these people will die from the disease.

Some other dental hazards of smoking include:
· Sinusitis
· Altered sense of taste and smell
· Hairy tongue
· Delayed wound healing
· Smoker’s lip

The bottom line is that smoking poses a significant threat to your health including your dental health. Being aware of these threats will hopefully deter non-smokers from ever taking up the habit as well as serve as the incentive others need to finally quit smoking.

National No Smoking Day comes once a year and helps to raise awareness of the effects of smoking on health. Here at Absolute Dental, our commitment to improving your dental health is not a one off event. Our clinicians carry out checks to the lining of your mouths at every visit to check for oral cancers; we give smoking cessation advice to every smoker and try to educate or patients on the warning signs to look out for in their mouths that require further investigation.