This article was published by the Daily Mail this week and has a number of our patients who use this mouthwash concerned about its safety. We wanted to reassure you that it is safe. This study is not sufficient to question the safety of this product. We recommend this product to those suffering with periodontal disease, it should only be used in the short term and is scientifically proven to help treat gum disease. It has been scientifically proven beyond doubt that the presence of gum disease plays a major role in the risk of heart disease amongst other diseases such as diabetes and alzheimer's therefore we would urge our patients to continue with any treatment or products that have been recommend to them by their dentist or hygienist. If you have any concerns please get in touch.
0 Comments
The start of a New Year brings out the desire to change things for the better and provides a great opportunity to turn this desire into action. Many people make New Years Resolutions about self improvement, whether it be to lose weight, improve fitness or general well being or even your appearance. Your smile is a great place to start, you would be amazed at the transformation that can be achieved with some simple, affordable cosmetic techniques. To celebrate the New Year we are offering FREE consultations to anyone that wants to discuss the options for improving your smile. Call today on 01425 615080 to book your appointment (offer ends 31.01.14) We are please to announce a very exciting opportunity at Birchfield Dental Practice! We are currently seeking a Treatment Co-ordinator (TCO) to join our team. This is a brand new role and would suit someone with previous TCO experience or an experienced dental nurse who has the desire to progress into this role. The ideal candidate will be a qualified Dental Nurse with at least 5 years post qualification experience. You must be GDC registered. The successful candidate will be required to complete a TCO training programme. The TCO will be responsible for supporting the clinical team and facilitating the delivery of exceptional customer care at all levels. The ultimate aim of this role is to improve the patient experience and positively impact the success of the practice. Essential Attributes: · Qualified, registered dental nurse · Faultless communication skills- the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing is essential · Customer service experience- the ability to anticipate and identify the needs of the patient and facilitate the delivery of exceptional customer care · Excellent Computer Skills- experience of the EXACT system, proficient in the use of Microsoft Office · Sound knowledge and understanding of all dental treatments · Good listener- the ability to build rapport and put people at ease · Proactive- must continually make the maximum contribution to practice success · Personable- must be able to build key relationships with colleagues and patients · Creative- the ability to continually assess and improve systems and processes · Team Player · Organised · Articulate · Confident & well groomed · Good numeracy skills Desirable Attributes · Sales experience · Radiography qualified · Clinical Photography experience · Implant experience · Orthodontic experience This is a full-time position working 38 hours a week. This position is offered on a 6 month fixed term contract with a view to make it permanent if its implementation is successful. The rate of pay will be £10.50 per hour plus performance related bonuses. Please submit your CV or email emily@birchfieldpractice.co.uk for more information. Closing date for applications is 31st December 2013. We are excited to announce that we now have a fantastic opportunity available for someone that is passionate about a career as a dental nurse!
The role of the dental nurse is ever expanding and has excellent future prospects! We are now recruiting for an apprentice dental nurse to join our team. You will be fully supported in the completion of the Diploma in Dental Nursing and will learn the role with hands on experience from the very start. If you want to pursue a career in dental nursing or know someone else who does please get in touch! If you would like to find out more please contact Emily at the practice on 01425 615080 or email your CV to emily@birchfieldpractice.co.uk If you're regularly suffering with headaches, migraines, pain behind the eyes or even neck and shoulder pain your teeth could be the problem! Headaches can be a real pain in the..........head! Living with recurrent headaches can be a debilitating affliction. So how do you know what is causing your symptoms and what can you do to fix it? Around 1 in 4 adults in the UK are affected by symptoms of 'TMJ' (jaw joint) dysfunction, these symptoms include headaches, migraines, facial pain, pain behind the eyes, neck and shoulder pain, tooth grinding and clenching (to name a few). These symptoms can occur when the teeth do not meet correctly, this is known as malocclusion or bite problems and they ar. The effects of bite problems can range in severity and can include worn or flattened teeth, continued sensitivity or toothache with no apparent cause. Take our Bite Quiz to find out if we could help you. Click here to find out more about bite problems and treatments. If you are living with symptoms of TMJ dysfunction there is some good news! At Birchfield Dental Practice we have undertaken a great deal of training to be able to help you. We are able to offer a full range of services to ease your symptoms and resolve your bite problems. The even better news is that you can now book your BITE Consultation online for just £30, click here to book your appointment or call us on 01425 615080. Follow this routine, ideally by yourself, or with the help of a carer:
Brush your teeth and gums at least twice a day, most importantly after meals and at night time. Use a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste; Start at the front top teeth and work your way around all the gum teeth surface until you reach the very back tooth, ensure that you clean around the back tooth and carry on brushing the palatal surfaces of all teeth and gums all the way from one top tooth to the opposite side then clean around that opposite back tooth and continue to brush the outer gum teeth surfaces until you join up to where you started, then repeat the process on the lower teeth. If the gums bleed brush them more and ensure that you floss or use tepes brushes in the troublesome areas more frequently. Healthy gums do not bleed and if this persists when you have continued to clean your teeth well do seek advice from your dentist. Remove any debris that you can see in your mouth or on your tongue by gentle brushing with a soft toothbrush. If possible, do this regularly but mainly after meals and at bedtime. If you wear dentures, remove them at night. Clean dentures with a soft toothbrush . Soak overnight in a denture solution containing sodium hypochlorite. Rinse before use the next day. (soak metal dentures in chlorhexidine solution.) If you have a high risk of developing mouth problems (for example, if you have radiotherapy to the head or neck), it is best to increase the frequency of the measures above. For example, rinse your mouth every 1-2 hours. More about mouthwashes water or saline (described above) are the most commonly used mouthwashes. They are soothing, do no harm, and are safe to use as often as you like. chlorhexidine mouthwash is sometimes advised if you are at risk of mouth infection. However, you should not normally use this more than twice a day. It contains alcohol which may sting, especially if your mouth is inflamed. If you do use this twice a day, you can always use water or sodium chloride mouthwashes as often as you like in between. other mouthwashes such as ascorbic acid solution, hydrogen peroxide mouthwash or sodium bicarbonate mouthwash may be advised by a doctor or nurse in certain circumstances. it is best not to use glycerine or lemon mouthwashes. They often increase the sensation of a dry mouth. Some mouth problems that may occur if you are unwell Dry mouth Dry mouth has various causes. Simple measures such as drinking frequent sips of water and chewing sugar-free gum will often help. This may be all that is needed in many cases. Artificial saliva or medication to stimulate the salivary glands is sometimes used. See separate leaflet called 'dry mouth' for details. Oral thrush (oral candida) Thrush is an infection caused by a yeast germ called candida. Small numbers of candida commonly live in a healthy mouth. They are usually harmless. However, certain situations may cause an overgrowth of candida which may lead to a bout of oral thrush. These include a dry mouth, and if you are in general poor health. The classical symptom is for white spots to develop in the mouth. However, often there are no white spots and areas within the mouth may just become red and sore. Most cases are treated with drops, lozenges or a gel which contains an anti-thrush drug such as nystatin, amphotericin or miconazole. Anti-thrush tablets such as fluconazole are sometimes used. See separate leaflet called 'thrush - oral' for details. Mouth ulcers Aphthous mouth ulcers are the most common type. They are painful, and can recur from time to time. Each bout of ulcers usually goes away in time without treatment. Mouthwashes and steroid lozenges may ease the pain, and may help the ulcers to heal more quickly. For details see separate leaflet called 'mouth ulcers (aphthous type)'. Other types of mouth ulcer sometimes develop. Your doctor will advise on treatment. Halitosis (bad breath) In most cases of persistent bad breath, the smell comes from a build-up of bacteria within the mouth - in food debris, plaque and gum disease, or in a coating on the back of the tongue or due to gastric regurgitation. Good oral hygiene will sometimes solve the problem. That is, routine mouth care described above, and in addition (if possible) regular flossing, scraping the back of the tongue, and antiseptic mouthwashes. See separate leaflet called 'bad breath' for details. Other causes of bad breath may develop in people who are unwell. For example, oral thrush, a dry mouth, and tumours in the mouth can cause bad breath. If these can be treated then this may clear the bad breath. According to research more than a third of adults in the UK are likely to delay dental treatment due to cost. This is very understandable given the current economic climate however it ends up being a false economy as dental problems will only progress and what started out a simple problem can quickly become more serious and much more costly to put right. The best way to keep your dental costs down is to regularly visit your dentist to ensure any problems are identified as early as possible, thus reducing the likelihood of needing costly, complex treatments. You may not know Emily and many of you will not yet have met her as she works behind the scenes at Birchfield. Emily has been with us for a little over 2 years in the capacity of Business Manager, making her the newest addition to the Birchfield team and her role is to manage all aspects of the practice and she works hard to keep things running smoothly. Emily is the face behind our Facebook page and twitter feed, she is responsible for all of our marketing including design and up-keep of our website, she spends a large proportion of her time administrating things at the practice to ensure you receive the best level of service possible. Emily started her career in private healthcare running the busy front of house department of a large private hospital. She moved into dentistry in 2006 and trained as a dental nurse going on to manage a group of practices. In 2008 Emily joined the UK’s largest private dentistry provider and worked with them as a Business Manager until joining Birchfield in 2011. Emily plays a very hands on role at the practice and she enjoys interacting with patients wherever possible. Her passion and ambition drives Emily to consistently strive to improve what we have to offer. Emily lives in Bovington near Wareham with her husband and 3 children. Emily’s personal life is centred around her family. Living in the isle of Purbeck she enjoys getting out and about to appreciate the local scenery , her favourite local gem is Worbarrow Bay in Tyneham. She regularly enjoys walks, picnics and fun by the sea with her family. Travel is Emily’s favourite thing to do, she has spent time in the Middle East including Jordan, Israel and Eygpt and more recently (before the children) she enjoyed travelling to Thailand and Bali for the trip of a lifetime. Emily is currently working in a rather diminished capacity as the newest addition to her family, baby Eddy, is just 6 weeks old! It hasn’t made worldwide headlines but there has been an exciting development in dentistry this week. From 1st May 2013 Dental Hygienists have been granted direct access to patients, this means they no longer need to work on prescription from a dentist for treatments within their scope of practice such as a scale and polish. Up until this week, if you wanted to see a hygienist you had to undergo an examination by a dentist before you could be treated by the hygienist but thanks to this new ruling by the General Dental Council this is no longer the case. This is a fantastic step in making dentistry more accessible to patients. Hygiene care is a vital part of your dental routine but it certainly does not negate the need to see a dentist for regular check-ups. Your hygienist will be able to help you keep your teeth clean, advise you on oral hygiene and monitor your current gum health status but they cannot diagnose common dental diseases such as decay or oral cancer, you still need to see your dentist for this. What this exciting change of the rules will allow is for a patient to visit any hygienist without the need for a prior assessment by a dentist so if you’ve got a special occasion and would like your smile freshened up with a scale and polish you can now simply book an appointment with the hygienist. Call us today to book your hygiene appointment on 01425 615080 or request an appointment by email contactus@birchfieldpractice.co.uk Welcome to the first edition of our team blog, each week we’ll be posting about a different member of our team, helping you get to know us better and find out what we’re up to at the practice. Hamish Most of you will already know Hamish, he’s been at Birchfield for the majority of his 22 year career. The practice was originally run by his father and then later taken over by Hamish. Today Hamish is the senior partner at Birchfield and has been instrumental in the growth and improvement of the practice. With almost 22 years of experience in Dentistry, you know you’ll be in safe hands with Hamish, his skills and expertise are well appreciated amongst his patients. Hamish lives locally with his wife and 3 children. He enjoys cycling, a hobby that regularly takes him far- a-field to participate in challenges many of us wouldn’t dare take on, most recently he travelled to the USA and cycled through Death Valley, the land of extremes. Later in the year Hamish will be taking part in a cycling challenge in Nepal to fundraise for NDCS, this incredible bike ride will take him from the buzzing capital of Kathmandu to the charming lakeside town of Pokhara. He is also doing a cycle ride from Genova to Paris in July. Hamish is a great supporter of the National Deaf Children’s Society, regularly taking part in fund raising events for this charity. Day to day Hamish can be found working hard in his surgery treating a variety of patients from young children to the elderly population. When he’s not treating patients he can usually be found in the office catching up on admin, fixing a computer or looking at ways we can improve the practice. Hamish has a keen interest in helping elderly patients look after their oral health and is passionate about providing the best care, he has lots of experience in proving predictable dental outcomes. Hamish also enjoys helping patients to improve their smiles and he has recently completed some further training to extend his skills in tooth straightening, now offering the Inman Aligner and very soon will be offering Six Month Smiles. Last week Hamish took some time out to attend the British Dental Association Showcase, an event that hosts all the latest advancements in dental technology. Hamish went with a view to seek out the best available opinions for improving what we offer to our patients and came across some interesting finds including online appointment booking facilities, text messaging facilities and much much more, watch this space. |
Birchfield BlogWelcome to the Birchfield Blog, we hope you find our blog informative and useful click here to find out more about our practice. Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
|