Our Dentists

Stuart Cox will be upping his hours here to meet the increased need so he’ll now be doing Tuesday Wednesday and Friday mornings (and probably Thursday soon too) so watch this space.

We have a new dentist, Dr Grenville Moore joining us on a Monday from February 6th. Gren is currently working part time in Chester-le-Street and at the Dental Hospital in Newcastle.

Our Dental Nurses

We are interviewing for a new trainee nurse to help with this increase in surgery time, and hope to appoint in the very near future.

Our former nurse Becky Harrison is having a great time down at Bristol Dental School, where she has been successful in her first exams coming 3rd in her year.

A Bright Future

Our other protégé, Emily Lovegreen is now in her 4th year at Belfast Dental School, and our receptionists’ Gill’s daughter, Chantalle is in her 3rd year at Newcastle Dental School, so at some point in the future, who knows, we may have a full team of home grown dentists here and I may be able to slow down a bit?

Best regards

Graeme

However, a recent ruling that Hydrogen Peroxide at no more than 6% and Carbamide Peroxide (a gentler alternative) at no more than 16% may be used in the mouth ONLY by dentally qualified personnel, has now clarified the situation.

Tooth Whitening at Durham City Smiles

At Durham City Smiles, we use a system whereby we take impressions of the teeth and our technician, Eddie Lowerson, makes custom made trays to fit precisely each individual mouth. The patient is then shown how to load these trays and given precise instructions as to their use. The active ingredient is 10% Carbamide Peroxide which we source from a well established British dental supply firm called Optident, based in Yorkshire. This gives us security in the knowledge that our product is what it says it is “on the tin”. Some products can be bought on the internet, but we strenuously discourage this for precisely the reason that we use Optident.

The tray system may not have the instant appeal of some of the “Zoom” or “Britesmile” laser whitening systems, but we believe that it is kinder to your teeth, giving less sensitivity and overall, a better longer lasting result.

Our usual fee for tray whitening is £300 for upper and lower jaws, but this month (October 2011) we have a special offer of £250, so if you are interested, please ring Gill or Gail on 0191 3844447 for an appointment with either Graeme Dentith or Stuart Cox, because at Durham City Smiles, only a qualified dentist will undertake your whitening procedures.

The Smile Makeover process

Here at Durham City Smiles, a Smile Makeover can range from dental implants supporting bridgework, crowns, or even dentures to rebuild a patients smile, and often as a result, their confidence. However in some cases, all that may be needed is a little reshaping of the teeth along with some whitening.

Patients also need to have confidence that their dentist can actually carry out the procedure

Patients should always have a full discussion with their dentist prior to embarking on a course of treatment and everything should be fully explained and costed, preferably in writing. Patients also need to have confidence that their dentist can actually carry out the procedure under discussion, they should never be afraid to ask questions, such as “how many of these have you done? What is your success rate? What further training do you have?” etc. And if the answers are not satisfactory, or not forthcoming at all – Don’t have it done!!

My credentials in the field of Cosmetic and Restorative dentistry

I’ve always been committed to further postgraduate education in the specialised field of Cosmetic and Restorative dentistry. I’ve attended 12 month courses at Newcastle University Dental School under Prof. Angus Walls and Mr David Jacobs, and in London’s prestigious Harley Street, under internationally renowned Implant Surgeon Dr Ashok Sethi, and in Peterborough under Dr Dominic Hassell, who holds consultant posts in 4 disciplines of Dentistry.

To further my knowledge, I have travelled to places such as New York, Chicago, Helsinki, Edinburgh and Birmingham (the latter 2 although in the UK, still seemed foreign to a lad from Durham!)

Dental Organisations Membership

I’m a member of the following dental organisations:

• British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
• American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
• British Dental Association
• Association of Dental Implantology
• Denplan
• Dental Protection

I’m hoping to further my association with the California Centre for Advanced Dental Studies as a mentor to other practitioners in the near future.

All of which help to ensure a continuous improvement in our service to our patients.

The next step

If you would like to discuss your smile, or any other aspect of your dental care, please ring our friendly receptionists, Gill and Gail, and make an appointment for a chat.

After all, “A smile says a lot – but what does yours say about you?”

There is another, slightly less vigorous chemical called Carbamide Peroxide which is available for use in concentrations up to 18%, again, anything more than this is not deemed safe or acceptable. Also, it is illegal for this procedure to be carried out by a non dentally qualified person, and quite severe fines have been handed down by the courts recently to persons practicing dentistry without a licence to do so.

Consider your decision

So where does this leave the patient? Basically, patients need to ask the right questions:

1. What are you going to use in my mouth?
2. Are you qualified to carry out this treatment?
3. Have you done it before and what results have you had?
4. Are there any possible drawbacks?

If the answers are not satisfactory, or you have any doubts – don’t have it done!

The Tooth Whitening service at Durham City Smiles

At Durham City Smiles we use a tray system produced by Optident, with custom made trays fabricated in our onsite laboratory by our technician, Eddie Lowerson. The active ingredient in the gel is 10% Carbamide Peroxide, and this is used for 1 hour a day for up to 2 weeks.

Sometimes the teeth can become sensitive, (mine did, when I tried it on myself) but this can usually be cured by using a desensitising paste such as Toothmousse or Sensodyne in the tray, alternating with the whitening gel.

We don’t use a “laser” or “zoom whitening” system as we believe that this activates the chemical too much and can lead to more problems with sensitivity. Yes it may work faster, but the results could be at a cost.

Currently we have an offer for tooth whitening of just £250 for both upper and lower arches. If this is of interest, or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0191 3844447.

Facial Rejuvenation services at Durham City Smiles

Also, in the realm of cosmetics, here at Durham City Smiles we are pleased to announce that our resident medical practitioner, Dr Paula Graham is now providing Facial Rejuvenation services for the elimination of those little laughter lines that can cause premature aging, (as recently featured in the Northern Echo Health and Beauty supplement). Paula uses Azzalure, a product very similar in nature to botox, but longer lasting; and, later this year Paula hopes to be able to offer collagen dermal fillers.

So, again, if this is of interest please call 0191 3844447 to make an appointment to talk to Paula.

Kind regards

Graeme

Party time – Fizz and Nibbles

This practice would be nothing if it wasn’t for our patients.

We decided to have a little “birthday party” to celebrate, and so we had a few people round for “Fizz and Nibbles”. Graeme and the girls decided to organize the nibbles in house, which led to a production line of smoked salmon and caviar bagel bites and avocado prawn mouthfuls, washed down with the obligatory Champagne.

This has been a great year for myself and the team. I’m very proud of what we have achieved so far and look forward to many more happy years.

Nicola baked a birthday cake, which was demolished with great gusto – it seems everyone liked chocolate fudge cake! Please note, the chocolate fudge cake was not intended to increase business.

I made a short speech thanking everyone present and all those who weren’t, after all, we, and this practice would be nothing if it wasn’t for our patients. Everyone seemed to have a good time and many people left in various states of inebriation (including myself) and all seemed good, until I managed to dislocate his knee again – silly boy!!

Other news

Still, after a week in a knee brace all is pretty much back to normal. Since the party, myself and Mike Stedman from Dunelm Orthodontics next door have been to Helsinki in Finland to look at some pretty snazzy xray equipment – but maybe for the future, it’s VERY expensive!

I’ve also been up to Edinburgh for a course on “Soft Tissue Management “ in surgical cases. You should see the boy suture a pigs head, if only it were as easy on real patients!!

Kind regards

Graeme

A nice break

I went off for a week sailing in Turkey, and was very impressed with the area, the boat, and marina facilities, but most of all with the Turkish people, nothing was too much trouble for them and they were very warm and friendly. And Dalaman airport was the most efficient I’ve ever been to, with security levels as high as UK or USA, but handled in a far more efficient and pleasant manner than Heathrow, Gatwick or JFK in New York! I’ll email a couple of piccies of hols in the next day or 2.

Courses to attend

I’m off to courses in Edinburgh and London later this year, oh yes, and one at Slayley Hall too, and I’m hoping to get back to the USA either later this year or for the Chicago Conference next February.

Some new Taz figurines

The Taz figurines come from Amazing Animations of Florida. I first spotted them in Chicago a couple of years ago, and then again at the New York Dental Conference. They specialise in themed artworks for different professions. I’ve bought several limited edition pictures for my surgery walls which feature looney tunes characters in dental situations. It helps brighten the place up a bit and take people’s minds off stuff! Then I discovered that they had a set of these Taz figures, and thought they’d look good. They were delivered whilst I was on holiday, and now look great on my surgery windowsill.

Kind regards

Graeme

It was at Dalmahoy outside Edinburgh, but no it wasn’t the Dalmahoy Golf Course!!!

Actually it was on the subject of “Minimally Invasive Dentistry” a subject close to my heart. If I have to prepare teeth for crowns, veneers or bridges, then I will, but if I can maintain oral health and aesthetics with minimum intervention, then I will.

The principles of MI dentistry are very simple – time is spent educating and helping patients to maintain their own oral health, and if we do have to get involved we try to keep it simple and as pain free as possible. There are some fantastic new products out there that can really make a difference in the fight against and prevention of dental disease. One major advance comes from Australia and is called “Tooth Mousse” it is proven to allow remineralisation of early decay lesions – that’s dental jargon for “it helps toughen up early tooth decay and can prevent the need for drilling and filling”!

Tooth Mousse is a very easy product to apply and is very nice tasting (various flavours), there are special formulations for patients with dry mouth problems, and it can be used to reverse “white spot lesions” these are often found on the teeth of teenagers after brace removal, but more often found on those teenagers who have had an aversion to using the fluffy end of the toothbrush, (if they’ve used it at all!!!) but have now seen the light and want to take care of their teeth. Tooth Mousse can also be used to reverse the brown stains caused by Enamel Hypoplasia – this is caused by the malformation of some of the enamel during tooth formation. Sometimes the only treatment is veneers, but now, in some cases, we can offer this new clinically proven method to treat the condition in a Minimally Invasive way.

Regards

Graeme

We also have a family of Blue Tits nesting within our walls – literally!, it remains to be seen how they get on as we’ve just seen Mum and Dad trailing back and forth pandering to the chicks needs. That sounds familiar! It would appear all kids are the same regardless of species!

My daughter ‘Bexy has been playing hockey for Durham City Hockey Club, and last Sunday they won a tournament against Billingham and Hartlepool hockey clubs. Durham beat both sides convincingly, and Bex and her team mates received T shirts in recognition of this. ‘

Graeme’s been away on a course again

It was at Dalmahoy outside Edinburgh, but no it wasn’t the Dalmahoy Golf Course!!!

Actually it was on the subject of “Minimally Invasive Dentistry” a subject close to my heart. If I have to prepare teeth for crowns, veneers or bridges, then I will, but if I can maintain oral health and aesthetics with minimum intervention, then I will.

The principles of MI dentistry are very simple – time is spent educating and helping patients to maintain their own oral health, and if we do have to get involved we try to keep it simple and as pain free as possible. There are some fantastic new products out there that can really make a difference in the fight against and prevention of dental disease. One major advance comes from Australia and is called “Tooth Mousse” it is proven to allow remineralisation of early decay lesions – that’s dental jargon for “it helps toughen up early tooth decay and can prevent the need for drilling and filling”!

Tooth Mousse is a very easy product to apply and is very nice tasting (various flavours), there are special formulations for patients with dry mouth problems, and it can be used to reverse “white spot lesions” these are often found on the teeth of teenagers after brace removal, but more often found on those teenagers who have had an aversion to using the fluffy end of the toothbrush, (if they’ve used it at all!!!) but have now seen the light and want to take care of their teeth. Tooth Mousse can also be used to reverse the brown stains caused by Enamel Hypoplasia – this is caused by the malformation of some of the enamel during tooth formation. Sometimes the only treatment is veneers, but now, in some cases, we can offer this new clinically proven method to treat the condition in a Minimally Invasive way.

Kind regards

Graeme

Jamie now claims he can say he’s played rugby at European level as he played the second half of the Rotterdam game for Rotterdam, as they were short of players. A few other lads donned the very fetching orange shirts to play for Rotterdam in a great exhibition of the spirit of Rugby Union, and a great game ensued with both players and spectators having a good time, and enjoying marvellous hospitality from our Dutch hosts at both clubs.

My daughter ‘Bexy has been playing hockey for Durham City Hockey Club, and last Sunday they won a tournament against Billingham and Hartlepool hockey clubs. Durham beat both sides convincingly, and Bex and her team mates received T shirts in recognition of this. ‘

I’ve also have a new dog called Archie who joins our beloved Moby.

Regards

Graeme

Why? You may ask.

Well, in my experience both myself as clinician, and you as patient benefit from a close relationship with the dental technician, ensuring the best possible service and result. This does come at a price, but I sincerely believe it is one worth paying.

At Durham City Smiles we get our lab work made by Opus Dental Lab, housed with us at Crossgate Centre, and this gives us even more scope to provide a better product and service than some others. And Eddie Lowerson is the best ceramist I’ve worked with in the last 25 years. If you pay peanuts………..!!!

What are your crowns or bridges being made of? Have you ever asked your dentist? You should be made aware of exactly what material is being used in your mouth, many crowns and bridges are made with a metal substructure and an outer porcelain layer fused to this. It is a fact that up to 20% of patients (especially ladies) can show signs of allergy to the alloy used, depending on its constituent metals. This can manifest itself as a dark line around the crown margin, or as a reddening of the gum tissue in contact with sais margin. There are different types of alloy available, and if we use metal here at Durham City Smiles (very rarely nowadays) it is certificated 96.6% Gold/Palladium alloy- the best, and most biocompatible alloy available.

What is in your crown? Sometimes it can be “precious metal” alloy, with approximately 40% gold and other metals, which may include nickel, a major source of allergy problem. Some practices even use “Non precious metal” alloy – you can draw your own conclusions there!

It is my belief that with the modern materials now available to us, such as Emax pressable ceramics and Zirconia substructures to replace the metal ones, there is no place in modern dentistry for bonded metal/porcelain crowns or bridges. Fortunately this is a view shared and expressed recently by some of the senior academic members of our profession, with far more “clout” than little old me!

Unfortunately there is a cost to these newer, better materials, but the differential is shrinking, because as the world economy has been in decline recently, gold prices have rocketed, along with other metals such as Palladium and Platinum, this has led to a rise in prices of even the non precious metal alloys, as they do have some gold in them, but not a lot.

The metal free restorations we provide to our patients give better aesthetics, and are more biocompatible than their metal based counterparts. And I believe they are stronger, which is why I give a 6 year warranty on all my metal free ceramics, whereas the warranty on metal bonded work is 12 months.

So there it is in a nutshell. Our crown and bridge work may be seen as expensive by some, but they are almost certainly not comparing like with like. I make no apology for the prices we charge as I feel they are a fair price for a superior product. Judging by how busy we’ve been recently, many patients agree with me. I put this on our site purely for your information. If you are not one of our patients, and just looking, ask the questions of your own dentist, most will be happy to tell you what is going into your mouth, and you have the right to know. If they can’t (or won’t) tell you – don’t have it done!”