Helen had a Mum ring today, she is not a patient of ours but her 4 year old daughter is booked next  week for a General Anaesthetic in hospital  to have 10 teeth removed. The little girl's Mum is beside herself, she was buying apple and fresh orange juice thinking it was good for her daughter, no one told her not to give it in a bottle. Helen is a qualified midwife as well as being Mike's wife and Practice Manager these days but feels midwives and health visitors should be giving this advice as well as dentists:

• Only milk and water in bottles, never add sugar
• If you have to introduce your baby/child to juice then keep it to mealtimes only, the fruit acids do much less damage when taken with food.
• NEVER brush teeth straight after having juice with or without a meal, the fruit acids soften the enamel. This means anyone child or adult who has juice at breakfast time should not brush the teeth for at least an hour. if you know you are going to have juice at breakfast then brush before.
• Brush baby as soon as they appear with a small pea sized amount of regular fluoride toothpaste on a small headed soft toothbrush eg Colgate, there is absolutely no need for special child toothpastes
• Get baby/small child on to a regular cup as soon as possible, bottles and feeder cups squirt the liquid
• Keep snacks between meals to a minimum whenever possible
• Take your baby for regular dental examinations, we offer advice in pregnancy and see children under the age of 5 free of charge

We see children under age 5 free of charge if a parent sees us regularly. We have a very special children's plan which helps us work together to give the very best preventative advice, apply protective coatings if needed. This should mean, if you follow our advice,  that your child can grow up without the need for any fillings.

Congratulations to Andy Murray on his US Open victory overnight from all at Briercliffe Road Dental Practice:

The dentist had his Wisdom Tooth out!

OK, some of you will find this funny but I don't :)

Now like many of you, I don't like going to the dentist and I had to have a wisdom tooth out at my own dentist on Thursday last week, yes, that's right the dentist had to go to the dentist!!!

Anyway it's Sunday now and I still feel sore where the injections where as my own dentist doesn't have The Wand sTA. It would have numbed just the one tooth and there would have been so sensation of numbness across the whole side of my mouth, pity I can't do my own dentistry DIY style!

I am so glad I have invested in this great piece of kit so my own patients don't have to suffer like me!

Mike (Dentist and patient!)

The following is taken from the Dentalfearcentral.org website, you can read more here,

What are the advantages of The Wand?

• Looks non-threatening and almost cute. Researchers have found that the Wand induces less anxiety than any other injection method (Kudo et al, 2001).
• The precise control of flow rate and pressure reliably produces a comfortable injection even in potentially more “difficult” areas like the palate, where the tissue is less elastic.
• Many dentists enjoy the light weight and easy handling. The penlike grasp allows the operator to rotate the handpiece, which can make it easier to glide the needle into the tissue.
• Two “fancy” injection techniques (the AMSA and P-ASA, for the nerds among you) are much more comfortable and effective when the Wand is used.

What are the disadvantages?

So why do so few dentists use the Wand if it’s that cool?

• Cost! It’s more expensive than using traditional syringes, both for the machine and the disposables. And if you wanted to rely on the Wand alone, you’d have to have a backup Wand in case one breaks down sometime, which means more cost. Because the cartridge holder, tube and handpiece are disposables, there’s a larger volume of hazardous waste (and higher costs for getting rid of the extra waste).

• Some dentists complain they lose time because it takes longer than their “standard” injection.

• Takes time (and guinea pigs – usually staff or other dentists) to learn.

• Takes up extra space. This can be a problem in some rooms, depending on space and layout.

How lovely to receive an email with this from What Clinic:

Check out why we got it here