Changing perceptions

It’s always nice to get an email like this at the end of the day:

“Thank you so much for today. I know a filling is an insignificant procedure for you, but for me to actually have my first positive experience at a dentist was great.”

It’s a shame that so many people are still put off going to the dentist by previous bad experiences. It’s totally understandable but dentistry has changed so much. It’s now friendly and painless in a comfortable environment.

Feel free to contact me if you would like to start to overcome your dental concerns.

James

July 2013 – Whitening + Crown

Simple but highly effective! No extra dentistry just replacement of existing dentistry to a higher level.

This case shows why the concept of Progressive Smile Design should always be followed.

A lot more dentistry could have been but the goal is a happy patient not a “perfect” smile. Starting with hygienist treatment, whitening then an e.max crown on the upper left central incisor and finally a little bonding at the neck of the upper left canine to replace the stained existing composite + bonding to mask the localised staining on the lower right central incisor.

 

 

Inman Aligner

Here’s a great case using the Inman Aligner.

The Inman Aligner is a removable aligner that normally straightens teeth in 6-16 weeks.

This case involved alignment of the upper and lower teeth followed by tooth whitening and bonding.

The Inman Aligner took 12 weeks per jaw.

 

 

 

Crowns and Veneers used to treat extreme decay

Here are the videos that tell the story of Tracy.

Problem: Extreme tooth decay leading to broken, black teeth.

Solution: Porcelain veneers and crowns.

By her own admission, Tracy had taken “time out” from looking after herself. The result of poor oral hygiene and a diet high in sugars had left her teeth black with decay.

Luckily for Tracy, her worst fears were not realised, no teeth needed to be removed. I used a combination of 10 porcelain veneers and crowns to restore her smile into something she could be proud, rather than ashamed of. The whole process only took 4 weeks, including initial hygiene treatment and a 3D preview to mock-up the final result.

Part 1….

Part 2….

Dealing with Bad Breath

Here’s a short video that provides information on how to deal with bad breath.

The cure is often easier than you may think so see your dentist and hygienist to get back on track!

Looking after your teeth!

It’s often assumed that dentists, especially with my TV role as the Embarrassing Bodies Dentist, are most interested in large, complex treatments. Actually, preventing problems and keeping your mouth healthy is what general dentistry is all about and a large role in this is played by YOU!

Here some top tips on how to look after your teeth!

1. Brush!

Brushing sounds easy, but too many of us do it wrong. Teeth should be brushed with a small, circular action. Try and brush in an ordered sequence and it’s best to start with the inside of the teeth. Take one tooth at a time and angle the head of the toothbrush 45 degrees to make sure that you don’t miss anywhere. Make sure that you brush right up to where your teeth meet your gums, as this is where a lot of plaque builds up.

Electric toothbrushes are a great way of making your job easier, as they do the some of these actions for you, meaning that you can concentrate on covering each and every tooth.

Make sure you brush for 2 minutes. Divide your mouth into quarters and spend 30 seconds in each quarter.

2. Floss!

Flossing can help to prevent the beginnings of decay and gingivitis by removing debris from the mouth. You need to use about 30cm of floss, winding the excess around your middle fingers to ensure it stays taut. You can place it over your first fingers when reaching your back teeth, and your first finger and thumb when doing the front.

Ease the floss between your teeth and gently “scrape” the floss up and down along each tooth. Make sure that you “curve” the floss around each tooth and go below the gum line to reach all trapped debris. Ideally, floss every day.

3. Watch your diet!

Sugary snacks or drinks are the main cause of dental decay.

Each time you eat sugar, you are feeding the bacteria in your mouth. The bacteria’s waste products contain an acid and it’s this acid that attacks your tooth enamel, causing dental decay.

I’m not suggesting that you cut out all nice things BUT you should try to eat sugary treats at mealtimes rather than constant “grazing” during the day. This way you reduce the amount of time your teeth are under attack.

Chewing sugar-free gum after your meal or after any sugary foods does help. This is because chewing produces saliva which helps to neutralise the acid produced by the bacteria.

4. Visit the dentist!

Make sure you register with a dentist and go for regular check-ups. This helps us to catch any problems early, when treatment is likely to be more simple.

How often you should attend for check-ups varies from person to person. It depends on a range of factors such as age, medical conditions, diet and current / historical health of your teeth and gums. For adults, this can range between three months and two years.

I hope this helps!

James

Great to start to a Monday!

Sometimes the simplest, shortest email, phone call or text can mean so much!

On Friday we finished our last case for the new series of Embarrassing Bodies. I wish I could share the images now but we have to wait until the show airs!

Anyway, the lady emailed this morning and said “Thought I’d share a photo of me with my new smile. Finally have a BIG smile in a public place. You have no idea how much this means. Thanks James for changing my life xxxx”

Teeth DO matter and being the Embarrassing Bodies Dentist is so rewarding when you can help people in this way.

Remember though – prevention is better that cure!! Cosmetic dentistry always looks best on more health teeth!

 

February 2013 – Inman Aligner

Learning how to use the Inman Aligner for cosmetic orthodontics was one of the most significant moments in my dental training. It’s not just about the appliance itself but more about the philosophy of Progressive Smile Design.

Progressive Smile Design is all about allowing my patients to fully visualise each options available to them before moving onto other, more complex stages. This allows then to stop treatment when they are happy with the way their teeth look, giving them the control and allowing me to be less prescriptive. The great news for patients is that they often need less treatment, at less cost than they expected. The great news for me as a dentist is that I can be less invasive than ever before.

My smile of the month is a classic example of this.

My patient came in wanting to address her protruding upper lateral incisor teeth. She was open to all options but assumed that veneers were going to be the best option for both final aesthetics and also speed.

Luckily we could avoid veneers as, in her case, they would have been very invasive. I used an Inman Aligner and the case was complete in only 6 weeks!

She could have taken this further with some simple whitening or even bonding BUT she was happy just like this! That’s the magic of Progressive Smile Design – visualising your options.

Less expense, less time, happier patient!

Inman Aligner Shropshire
Inman Aligner – Before
Inman Aligner Shropshire
Inman Aligner – After 6 Weeks

 

 

One of my favourite cases as the Embarrassing Bodies Dentist

This was from the very first series that dentistry was featured in the  Embarrassing Bodies program.

The case featured Lynn – a really lovely girl who’d had a seriously tough time with her teeth. Although self inflicted, she was desperate to change her ways and get her dental health back on track.

Her problem: Extreme tooth decay resulting in missing and broken teeth.

The solution: Dental implants.

Years of poor oral hygiene, excessive fizzy drink consumption and smoking had played havoc with Lynn’s teeth and gums. In fact, many of her teeth had been reduced to stumps by decay resulting from up to 12 acidic drinks a day.

Lynn was upset and embarrassed by the condition of her teeth, she no longer wanted to go to the shops, drop her children at school or socialise with friends – all because she did not want to smile. The situation was starting to give her physiological problems and needed urgent attention; luckily the TV show came at exactly the right time.

The solution I provided Lynn was for her upper teeth to be replaced by implants using a treatment called All-on-4. This procedure used specially angled implants allowing only 4 implants to support a whole new set of upper teeth. Even better is that, in some cases, the teeth are removed, implants placed AND the new teeth fitted ALL IN ONE DAY!! Lynn left with her smile restored and confidence back to an all time high.

As you can see in the video, Lynn feels like a new person and this was some of the most rewarding dentistry I have done for years! It was a great introduction to what was expected from my role as the Embarrassing Bodies Dentist!

– James

USA Inman Aligner Courses

Sat on the train back to Shropshire, reflecting on an amazing few days in the USA teaching the Inman Aligner course.

We landed in Las Vegas on Wednesday, had a day to relax (not easy in Sin City) before running the course on Friday. Dr Ross Nash, dental legand and new Inman Aligner trainer was there to help Dr Tif Qureshi and myself.

We then flew to Orange County to run the course on Saturday. LA was hot and sunny, unfortunately we only got to see it through the window at lunch! This was probably my favourite Inman Aligner course ever. We had Dr Ross Nash helping again, Dr Rick DePaul was there fresh from running his Six Month Braces course. A massive thanks to him for helping us with the success of this event.

Dr Pascal Magne was also there as a delegate! This was a huge honour, even more so as he was so keen to get onto the course. The Inman Aligner and our concept of Progressive Smile Design fits perfectly with his philosophy. He has been a huge inspiration to me so was great to spend some time with him. Such a humble guy for someone so talented.

A slightly longer flight home than planned due to the US storms diverting our flight from LAX but almost home… for one day. Then off to Verona where I’m speaking for as an opinion leader Ivoclar Vivadent at their ELO meeting. Combo this with an Inman Aligner course in Manchester on Friday, Embarrassing Bodies filming on Friday evening – can’t wait for the weekend!

Inman Aligner Training Course
Tif Qureshi, Ross Nash, Rick DePaul, James Russell – all brought together by the Inman Aligner!