#followFriday #newbury 10th July

Hello tweeps. This is my first attempt at transferring #ff tweets to my blog. Blogger .com seems to have lost its font options. So Times Roman it will have to be. If it goes well I'll set up a separate blog for the purpose.

At present my personal twittosphere is split between my #newbury tweeps , #dentistry tweeps and general tweeps with something of interest to say such as seth godin where fans of S.G. relay their latest thoughts and reviews of his blog/video/books/thoughts etc.

So #ffs for all my #newbury worthies include local twittergurus
@Nigel-Morgan @DianeMorgan00, Local all round good egg @AdrianHiggs , local bon oeufs (is that franglais?)@LePetitSquare, local stringbender @peacockpete , local natural therapy and health foodies @natures_corner, local networker and hypnotherapist extaordinaire ( amongst other talents) @rbullivant , local notable networker and Business Exec. coach @Michelle_Lucas
With apologies to newbury folk omitted this week. I'll try harder nxt week.
HAGWE all

Richard Charon

2 great new Testimonials in one day

Every now and again we receive great testimonials from some of our patients that really show how we can make a difference to people's lives. Indeed proving we are remarkable.

The first arrived as a "tweet" today from Mike Samuels. Mike is a Medical Photographer and like me is busy using Twitter to reach out and let people know what we are about.
Mike is new patient to the practice and we have recently started some treatment for him.
Today he gave me praise indeed with his tweet:

MikeSamuels68 Incredible dentist @RichardCharon forget your fears & phobias his anaesthetic techniques are something else!! Fantastic man gr8 dentist.

Receiving that early today really made my day. Then out of the blue another terrific one came in this afternoon. . Here it is as it arrived by e-mail.

I had never thought that I would want to write anything good about the dentist! I’ve spent my life in fear and avoidance. In the end things can be avoided no longer if you want to keep your teeth and be able to smile, I was in pain, very frightened and probably (no definitely) difficult. I searched the internet and found Richard Charon. All I want to say is he has done the most amazing job both to my teeth and to my phobia of the dentist, ably supported by Jill, who spent a lot of time explaining why my teeth were in their terrible state and what I was going to do to help her resolve the problems. It’s worked, it’s great, don’t be afraid just pick up the phone, everyone is so supportive, there are no judges. I don’t have one single bad thing to say. Well done to all and I’ll see you soon for my check up!

Lesley Ives

So if you know anyone like this that we could help, please feel free to forward this on or speak to Chris Charon

My Hands-on teaching course

On Saturday 13th June, I held another hands-on teaching course in Newbury in "R.A"

Here I teach other dentists and dental nurses how to help their patients overcome dental anxiety using the "happy air" method. I developed these courses in 2003 and have run over twenty of them by now, including three in Ireland, by invitation. See the latest excellent testimonials here.

When is a filling not a filling?

Q So When is a filling not a filling?

A When its a work of art !

Before

After

I have just completed this one this morning.

If you would like your fillings to look like this, then contact us here.

new animoto video to promote Invisalign.

I'm delighted to say that I've just completed a new animoto (http://www.animoto.com/) video to promote Invisalign. It is now on my website and e-zine . I'll be using it as an intro at my Invisalign open evening in Newbury next month.

My "Happy Air" teaching course

Well that's my teaching day over today, until the next one in June.

Despite a few audio-visual hiccups due to working in a new venue , I believe the delegates had a good day, judging from the thanks and feedback we received.

Six people travelled down from Barnsley, Three dentists and three nurses. Three attended from Surrey. One dentist and two nurses and one dentist came from Hampshire.

In addition we were joined by Janet and Chris Pickles of RA Medical Services Ltd. They are also base in Yorkshire and they were on hand to add their wealth of practical knowledge to add value for the delegates.

The Barnsley group were from an NHS practice and their course fees were funded by their local PCT.

Here are two of the feedback comments:

"Excellent course suitable for novices and experienced practitioners. Very enjoyable day."

"Really enjoyed the day. Everything I needed to know was covered and I will feel confident to use RA when I get back to work next week"

Here is the venue at Precision Dental Studio Thatcham. My thanks to the lab. Manager Richard Stock and one his technicians, David who gave up time on Saturday afternoon to show a group of the delegates around the lab.

Calm before the Storm?

Chris and I are resting this evening after a long day. This evening after finishing at the practice with two Invisalign cases, one starting and one review, we headed for Precision Dental Studio in Thatcham to set up for tomorrow's course.

This will be the 20th Hands-on course we have run, training other dentists and their teams in the benefits and techniques of Inhalation Sedation, also called RA or Happy Air.

This is a new venue for us as the numbers attending have outgrown our practice (for now at least). We are hosting a team of 6 from Yorkshire, 3 from Surrey and a single dentist from Andover. We are being joined by Laura Horton, a very entrepreneurial person. She originally trained as dental nurse and now runs a consultancy implementing a variety of in-house training programs for dental practices across the country. Laura expressed an interest in my courses and thought they may be of benefit to her clients, so she is coming along to find out for herself.

We are being joined by Janet and Chris Pickles of RA Medical Services , also joining us from Yorkshire, to assist the delegates in making their purchasing and servicin decisons. My thanks to them for supplying equipment for demonstration use for the day.

Finally thanks go to Dentaid a charity providing re-furbished dental equipement to the third world and voluntary organisations. They have agreed to loan a portable dental chair for the day to allow practical demonstrations.

To bed soon as we need to be at the venue bu 7.30 am !

2008 update

Interesting and Exciting Times Ahead

at your

Dental Practice.

2008 is well underway, so a belated Happy New Year to anyone I have not yet seen personally. So much is happening its difficult to know where to begin.

It has been some months since my last posting. This one is quite long but very important since it affects how your dental care will be delivered in the coming years at our practice.

WHAT IS A DCP?

DCP stands for Dental Care Professional. These are grades of workers in the dental field who assist and work under the direction of a dentist but who's roles and responsibilities have now been upgraded. They are all required to be registered with the General Dental Council who oversee their training and protect the public interest. They are also expected to maintain a code of conduct both within and outside the workplace and even risk being "struck off" under certain circumstances, which was not previously the case.

DCPs now include Dental Nurses, Dental Therapists and Dental Hygienists amongst some others.

An important new recruit for us

Leading on from this and as I write this, we are interviewing and selecting for a brand new team member. A Dental Therapist (DT).

I would expect that few if any of you will have heard of this rare breed but they will become much better known over the next 5-10 years. In some ways, A Dental Therapist may be compared to the more familiar, Nurse Practitioners, who undertake some tasks previously reserved for Doctors only.

Dental Therapists have been trained for almost 30 years but their remit was confined to work within school and community dental services, the armed forces and within dental hospitals. However changes in the legislation in the year 2000 opened the way for trained DTs to work in any area of dentistry including general dental practice.

Originally Dental Therapists were trained at New Cross Dental Therapy School in London and were dental nurses or dental hygienists who had undergone a prolonged additional training course to enable them to carry out simple dentistry for children.

You will all be familiar with the roles of both the Dental Hygienist and the Dental Nurse.

These too will be changing over the next year or two. Indeed Dental hygienists as such, are no longer being trained. They will effectively be superceded over time by Dental Therapists but in the foreseeable future both hygienists and therapists will have distinct roles to play in delivering dental care.

The Role of the Dental Therapist

Dental Therapists are now further trained and qualified and registered wth The General Dental Council (GDC) so that they can undertake a much wider range of treatments for adults as well as children.

The GDC has just published a new consulation document designed to decide on further expanding specific duties to be undertaken by each member of the dental team after successfully completing additonal training modules. Again this idea has been around , for example in Canada for at least 30 years !

For much more detail please click this link

DCP Roles and duties

SO WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR ME?

Basically, good news! You will normally be referred to our dental therapist for simple fillings, Preventive Resin Restorations (or fissure fillings) and some other treatments .This may mean fewer visits and in many cases reduced fees for "pay as you go" adult patients.

For those patients on a maintence scheme such as Practice Plan or Denplan, as well as for children and young adults in full-time education, whoes fees are already heavily discounted, we will be able to avoid fee increases for 2008, at least, which is great news if the economic picture is less certain, as is widely reported.

I will continue to do all of the more advanced treatments such as crowns, bridges, veneers and smile makeovers, dental implants and root canal work all of which need more planning time and study time allocation.

For anyone who wishes me to continue to carry out all of their dentistry, that will be fine and my normal charges will apply.

Once we have appointed a Dental Therapist we will let everyone know the details in a newsletter.

We will also keep you informed as and when any of our other DCPs acquire new skills and have passed a training module, which may affect who carries out particular aspects of your treatment. This is turn will help keep fees from rising or indeed may enable us to reduce some fees we have to charge, allowing for the additional pay that the DCPs will earn with any added duties they perform .

I hope you see that these are important and in many ways, long overdue changes which should benefit all concerned. All of the details await finalisation by the GDC after deliberating on the results of the present consultations with the professionals and the public.

Watch this space and no doubt the national press in due course !

Dental Implant crown

See this slide show to find out how we have replaced a missing tooth with a dental implant supported crown for one of our patients

Implant Supported Crown Slide Show

Invisible tooth mending after laser detection

This stain gave a medium level "Diagnodent" readng indicating the decay process had moved into the dentine level.

After putting the tooth to sleep using "The Wand", the area was carefully cleaned out using micro-techniques.

At this stage a little further preparation was needed.

Here the tooth is free of any decay

See below for the amazing result using contemporary bonded resins

More about early Laser Tooth Decay Detection

More and more of us place a high value on healthy and attractive teeth.

In order to maintain them, the earliest possible care is essential. DIAGNOdent aids in the detections of tooth decay.

Even very small cavities are detected at the earliest stage, enabling us to protect and preserve the tooth substance.

How is it used?

Your stained tooth is "read" by the Diagnodent mini-laser. This is entirely painless and much better than an old-fahioned dentist probe.

It is safe and helps decide if the stain is safe to leave or requires attention.

You may have one or more unfilled tooth which have stained grooves (fissures)
Tea, coffee or red-wine stains and can be safely left or just cleaned. Sometimes tooth decay can begin under the stain and will not become obvious until it has become quite deep, The Diagnodent Laser Detector tells us what is happening.

Dental x-rays WILL NOT show tooth decay at this early stage.

If there are changes in the enamel, this can be skimmed , without anaesthetic, and sealed to prevent further progress.

If the Laser reading are higher then the decay process will be deep enough to warrent a filling, often a very fine one.

What happens at my dental check-up?

The dentist decides how many teeth would benefit from the Diagnodent laser check.
A prescription is written for our dental hygienist detailed which teeth are to be checked.
She will carefiully clean the fissures of each of these teeth.
The Diagnodent laser is used to examine each tooth.
The Diagnodent readings are noted in your records.
Your results are reviewed by the dentist.
The dentist decides what if any advice or treatment each tooth needs.
The cost of any recommended preventive or corrective treatment will be set out for you.
Your will be informed of your results by post or e-mail and invited to make any appointments you might need

DIAGNODENT SHOWING TREATMENT NEEDED

Temporary Website and Smile Gallery

I am in the process of redesigning my practice website.

The new temporary website can be found at

http://www.newburydentist.co.uk/

you will also find some of our "before and after"

smile transformation pictures here

SMILE TRANSFORMATIONS

Dental Topics No.1 Dental Implants -Reprise

I first published this item in the practice e-zine in 2005 but felt it could be of interest again especially to newer patients of the practice.

If you have one or more missing teeth this section should be of some interest !

We have been offering dental implants, for the benefit of our patients, at St. Mary's House since 1998/9. Dental Implants are a rapidly growing area of dentistry , offering more acceptable solutions to the problems of tooth loss for many people.

There are many implant systems for dentists to choose from. The ones I use at present are designed and manufactured by NobelBiocare. Click on the link below to find out much more and if dental implants could help you or someone close to you.

Dental Implants by Nobelbiocare.

Also as a member of the Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) I have access to the most up to date impartial information and teaching on dental implants. I regularly attend Study Clubs, symposia, seminars and conferences specifically focused on implant dentistry.

You will find comprehensive information about what dental implants are and how they can be used and all the other whys and wherefores at the ADI website. Just click here:

Association of Dental Implantology(UK)

The ADI produce helpful information leaflets which you can pick up from the practice or download in pdf form here:

For a general overview about implants:
http://www.adi.org.uk/public/implant/patient1page.pdf

For a more detailed explanation
http://www.adi.org.uk/public/implant/patientinfo.pdf

Please feel free to contact us for more information or a consultation

01635 47757

New from January 2007

"Diagnodent"

Laser-Tooth Decay Detector

Prevention is better than cure

Providing the latest and best services to our patients is one of our goals.

So as part of our recent investment program we have acquired a brand new, high tech tool that allows us to find cavities on the chewing surfaces of back teeth, even when they just beginning, and would have been missed by previous detection methods.

The DIAGNOdent is a small portable laser detector which catches your tooth cavities with a beam of laser light

The DIAGNOdent can detect these cavities and alert us with an audible signal and also provide a numerical readout, so we have an idea of it's size.

The value is that we can stop cavities in their infancy, whereas in the past they would have to be significantly bigger before we could find and treat them.

Just like other areas of medicine and dentistry, early detection and treatment is always the best way forward.

The DIAGNOdent laser is a detecting device. The advanced laser can detect decay earlier than more conventional methods. In fact, it can find 50% of the decay that goes undetected by present diagnostic methods. This laser is truly valuable in the prevention of Dental problems and the promotion of good oral health.

How we use it.
Here is a tooth which has a stained natural fissure and which may have a hidden hole beneath the stain.

If you have this type of stained fissure , we will arrange an appointment with our Dental Hygienist , Nicky Smith.

The first step is to gently remove the stain. We do this with a mini-air jet washer which showers the fissure area with fine spray of bicarbonate of soda and water.

Once the fissure is cleaned, the delicate tip of the Diagnodent laser reader, is passed over the fissure and a reading is taken which indicates whether there is only a surface stain or whether there is definitely a cavity and if so how deep it might be.

If it is shallow then we will try to prevent it progressing. If it turns out to be a little deeper then you will benefit by a mininmally invasive, sealant-type repair can be carried out. We will only recommend a filling if it is essetial at an early stage. A stitch in time!

In this case a tooth coloured resin is bonded to the tooth after skimming away any soft surface enamel or dentine. This does not normally need any anaesthetic !

What about these? Are these cavities or stains?

The Diagnodent will tell us !

Your teeth in their hands -ongoing training and education

Our commitment to ongoing training and education, both giving and receiving it, for your benefit continues. The last two months have been very busy for the whole team on several fronts.

In early May, the Association of Dental Implantologists held their annual three -day conference in Birmingham at International Conference Centre. There, anyone who is anyone in the field of dental implants in the UK, as well as top flight International speakers, kept us up to date on the very latest research and techniques. Later in the month I attended The Dental Sedation Teachers Group annual conference, also in Birmingham, at The Dental Hospital, to join the UK's leading experts in sedation for anxious patients for a full day's update.

At the end of May , Chris and I travelled over to Wexford, Via Bristol- Cork flight. There I gave one of my practical teaching courses on Happy Air (RA) sedation, to a small group of mainly Irish dentists. This was the first time I have delivered this teaching day away from my practice in Newbury. Following attending my course in Newbury during 2006, Dr. Anne O'Donnell of Wexford, invited me to run the course in Ireland and so Chris and I flew to Cork and were driven across to Wexford by Anne. Chris and Anne sat through the entire course again. They each deserve a medal! Chris,of course is both a qualified Dental Nurse and Dental Sedation Assistant.

They were both at hand to help answer the many questions which arise during a very interactive day, Chris in particular was able to pass on her many years of experience.

We set up the surgery video link and radio mic. on Friday at about 11pm ready for the 9 a.m. start the next day. The conference facilities at White's Hotel were superb and , the day went down very well. One Dentist came across to Wexford from Banbury. Another Irish dentist living in Germany, drove all the way to Wexford but unfortunately he arrived on the Sunday and missed the day ! He says he'll be back.

Here I am , hard at work on Bank Holiday Saturday!

We are booked to deliver the course again in October.

Since it was Bank Holiday we took an extra day and stayed at the excellent Kelly's Resort Hotel in Rosslare, which has a truly Mediterranean look to it,

So combined with the legendary Irish Hospitality, excellent food and friendliness ( not to mentioned the velvety- smooth black stuff) , we had a memorable weekend.

"Coming of Age"

Richard Charon's Dental Practice

"Comes of Age"

In January 2007, we began our 18th. year in Newbury,

so I am no longer the new boy in town !

We plan to celebrate later this year, Look out for further details.

Here we all are in the newly refurbished

"Reception Lounge".

The spring months have been busy for us as we put the finishing touches to the practice re-vamp.You'll notice the changes as you come in.

Our team have recently had an article published on our experiences of helping anxious patients using "RA". ,in a new journal aimed at Dental Nurses, called, not surprisingly, Dental Nursing!

The team photo above is included and was beamed out across the nation's dental practices in April, which will certainly put us on the map.

On a different note, we are in a position to offer appointments to new patients so please recommend us to friends or family if you feel they would appreciate our style of dental practice.

We look forward to welcoming you at your next visit.

Richard Charon

Acid erosion - save your teeth and your money !

Acid erosion of teeth is well known to all dentists but many people do not really know about it or why it happens. Acid erosion is not the same as tooth decay but can be very destructive in a different way. Acid erosion, can occur for a variety of reasons and may affect teeth to a lesser or greater extent. Eroded teeth loose their natural shape and are often sensitive to cold air or water or tooth brushing but these signs may also be due to tooth decay or a cracked tooth or filling as well.

This is mild erosion which needs no active treatment, just a change of eating habits or perhaps attending to a medical condition. The tooth is beginning to lose its natural enamel cover and has a more rounded shape.

More marked erosion, depending on which part of the tooth is affected, may need some simple treatment such as bonding tooth-coloured fillings to seal and protect the eroded surface and to re-instate the original shape.

Severe erosion may be disfiguring, if front teeth are affected. If back teeth are affected, eating may become painful and a change facial appearance can occur. A sort of premature ageing. Faciall height is reduced as if the teeth had worn down over many years and the chin gets closer to the nose !

Porcelain or resin veneers, crowns or onlays may be required to restore the teeth to their correct shape and to correct an altered bite.
Here are several before and after images of people I have had to treat with this problem.

This is severe acid erosion. It was caused by years of eating oranges, cut in quarter segments and then held under the upper lip against the teeth, chimpanzee -style !

This lady required a root filling and four porcelain veneers.

Here are the front teeth after I had completed the case

In this case, these lower back teeth have had their "tops" eroded away from drinking diet cola over many years, several times day.

These teeth and about 16 others for this patient required rebuilding with ceramic onlays. An extensive and expensive job!

Don't let this happen to you!!

I have many more images of cases I have treated like this but I thought you might prefer to look at something less "horrid".

Sunrise over Western Greece

aaahhhh!

Well , back to teeth now .......

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

So what causes dental acid erosion?

Acid gets onto the teeth to erode them from two places. Your food and drink or your stomach !

Sharp acidic foods and drinks include......

Lemon juice including fresh lemons
Grapefruit juice including fresh grapefruit
Orange juice including fresh oranges
Vinegars
Sharp tomatoes

Cranberries
Also all fizzy drinks including sparkling water to some extent and all colas, diet or regular.
Drinking hot water with lemon juice is a particularly harmful habit which can destroy teeth !
So what can you do to help? If all these sound like healthy options, in some respects they are but beware of having too much and too often. Counteract the acidity with milk or cheese or at least a glass of plain water straight away to dilute the effect to some extent.
Use a fluoride mouthwash daily to enhance enamel strength against acid attack(and tooth decay too) or consider Tooth Mousse , a new product (though not if you have a milk allergy) designed to counter acid attack or a use high fluoride tooth paste ( for adults only). We can supply all of these at a lower cost than the high street Pharmacies.
What about those medical conditions?
One of the most common problems is gastric reflux ( heartburn) or a hiatus hernia. This will cause a burning sensation in chest and often the throat and sometimes a sour taste in the mouth. If you regularly suffer these problems you should consult your doctor.Any condition which causes nausea or vomiting to any regular extent. Again you should seek medical advise. Finally some eating disorders, notably Bulimia (nervosa) in which vomiting is induced will cause acid erosion often of a particular pattern which dentists recognise. Here again medical advice or counselling should be sought.

Please feel free to discuss any of these issues, if you think you may be affected, with myself, Chris or Nicky our dental hygienist.

Richard Charon

February News 2007

Team News
New Trainee Dental Nurse The latest addition to our dental team is Kelly who joined us just one week ago to train as a dental nurse. Kelly approached us because she had been interested in becoming a dental nurse for some time and we have a good record of training applicants from scratch and ensuring they gain their national qualification. This is a 2 year period of on-the-job training, home and college theory study and a theory and practical examination set nationally.

Although it is too early for any of us to be sure, Kelly has made an impressive start, so we are hoping that she becomes firmly established with us. As a "new girl", she has done a great job in assisting Nicky, our dental hygienist and helping to keep the wheels well oiled at the practice

Naturally dentistry is not for everyone and over the last two years we have had several young ladies join us who have not "stayed the course" for a variety of reasons. Perhaps we need to sharpen up our interview techniques!

Laura's Holidays My senior qualified dental nurse, Laura is on a well deserved holiday break from the 7th to the 17th of Feb. which means that Chris has to work full-time as my surgery assistant.

Stand-in Receptionist We would like to thank Eve, one of our loyal patients, for agreeing to step in at the last minute to help us out at reception, fielding incoming calls and callers, arranging appointments and yes, looking after fee payments too. This has been a great relief for Chris.

Practice News

Computer Upgrade My own surgery PC will be upgraded soon making it faster, more reliable and so x-ray imaging and the " tooth-cam" pictures I use, to let you see what it is I can see, will all happen more snappily!

Finishing touches Over the next few weeks we are planning to have the finishing touches to our practice upgrade completed including some minor painting and decorating, new widow blinds and so on. We hope you will not be inconvenienced.

Why not Subscribe? By subscribing to this e-zine ( see the right-hand column) you will receive an e-mail whenever I post something new on this site.Keep an eye out for some special offers and the latest advances which you might benefit from.

Why not refer new people to us? If you have been happy with the service we provide and our standard of care, please don't keep us a secret! Remember also that we have a very high success rate with people who are nervous about dentistry. Indeed other dentists refer some of their anxious patients to us for help too.

WHAT TOPICS WOULD YOU LIKETO READ ABOUT HERE?

Hello and thanks for finding your way to my e-zine. I would love to receive some feedback from you regardng the sort of topics you might like me to cover. So don't be shy, click the comments icon(envelope) below here and just let me know.

Richard Charon

Laser Tooth Decay Detector

A Stitch in Time ....... !

Since undertaking a short trial of the latest laser tooth-decay detector called Diagnodent™, we are proud to announce that you could benefit from this new development at your next examination or hygienist visit.

For the more technically curious can find out more from by clicking this link which is really aimed at dentists. Diagnodent™

I will be preparing some information leaflets for you to see at your next visit

In recent years the pattern of tooth decay that dentists see has changed. Fluoride toothpastes and mouthwashes have greatly reduced decay on the visible smooth surfaces of teeth. However we are finding "hidden" decay below the biting surfaces of teeth which can be hard to spot.

If the cavity is big enough, then the dentist can see a change of colour of the tooth structure.
Also if an x-ray image is taken, a medium or large cavity will be spotted.

However with today's much less invasive techniques and bonded tooth-coloured fillings, it makes good sense to spot tooth decay at the earliest stages and not wait until pain occurs or there is an obvious hole; By this time the tooth has been seriously affected.

The Diagnodent™ is a neat and very small unit which uses laser technology to detect changes in the tooth structure which are too small to be seen with the naked eye or which could be mistaken for surface stains that occur from tea, coffee and red-wine for example as well as other highly coloured foods. These are harmless and do not require any sort of filling work. If the unit signals a definite reading then a minimal style, invisible mending repair can often be done, sometimes without even numbing the tooth.

This is an exciting new develpment which will be used both by Nicky Smith, our Dental hygienist and by myself.

Please ask for more details

Happy New Year for 2007

from the team at

St.Mary's House Dental Practice

We hope you had an enjoyable holiday

and look forward to seeing you again

Richard Charon BDS - keeping you posted

SEASONS GREETINGS

Here's Chris

enjoying a Norwegian walk >

WISHING YOU A HAPPY CHRISTMAS

AND

A HEALTHY AND FRUITFUL NEW YEAR

Now here is something for us to make

a Song and Dance About ............

...Our Practice Refurbishment Nears Completion !

The carpets are laid, the practice has been painted and the new unisex loo is 95% finished. Chris's new desk graces the reception lounge and new tub-style chairs arrived today. The new hard flooring for most areas of the practice has been completed and few finishing touches will be made shortly after Christmas to see the job completed. Thanks for your patience during the transformation.


Our Team's Continued Training

Four-Handed Dentistry

In November I took the two dental nurses, Laura and our new trainee Emma, for a one day course on "Four-handed Dentistry". This is not a new concept but is worth updating to keep us on our toes and ensure we work ergonomically.
Close- support or "Four-handed Dentistry",ensures greater comfort and efficiency for both patient and dental team, which must be a good thing.

Resuscitation

All Dentists and their teams must keep up-to-date with the latest teaching in resuscitation and handling medical emergencies. These are thankfully rare and most often not connected to the dental treatment but may happen by chance on our premises. Although also rare these days, the most likely dentally related occurance is a simple faint brought about by anxiety and perhaps lack of food. However, we must be prepared for all eventualities. The team attended an Immediate Life Support at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and are now additionally trained in the use of defibrillators

As a result of this and in concert with the new guidelines from the General Dental Council, we will be investing in an automatic external defrillator (Heart start machine) to add to our normal resuscitaion equipment and medication.

Statistics show that defibrillation within 3 minutes of a heart attack, very greatly increase the chances of a victim 's survival.

So in the hope and likely expectation that we will never have to use it.
we expect to have one on the premises shortly. We are seeking funding for this. Watch this space.

New consent forms for sedation

Again, in line with current guidelines , we will be asking all patients who have sedation

(" Happy Air" or Intra-venous) to sign a newly worded consent form before each sedation visit.

Please ask for further details if this affects you.

Richard Continues to Teach

Updating from an early posting on this blog in 2004, I continue to run courses to teach other dentists how to use "Happy Air" for the benefit of their own patients and indeed themselves . A relaxed patient means a relaxed dentist too!

The courses are run all day on a Saturday and we attract dentists from all over the UK.

Last Saturday a team of four dentists from a practice in Farnham attended , including two dental specialists. They were joined by a dentist practicing in Aberdeen who originally hails from the Faroe Islands. Click this link for for Fascinating Faroe Facts

On the 2nd December we host 5 more dentists. From London and Leeds. These courses have put the practice on the map, nationally. Indeed earlier this year practice delegates travelled to Newbury from Wexford in the Irish Republic to attend one of my courses. So I am now internationally known !
This has resulted in an invitation for me to go over to Ireland to run a course there in 2007. I'll let you know what happens!

The way we were ..........

On a personal note,
Chris and I are proud to announce our
30th Wedding Anniversary
on Oct. 15th 2006
Which means we have been soul mates for 35 years !

2006 Aethetic Dentistry Conference

I have just returned from my annual retreat to a two day conference of the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry (BAAD) of which I am a active voting member. This year's event was entitled "Keys to Aesthetic Harmony" and was held at the Forest of Arden Marriott hotel in the midlands. I have attended these events annually since their inception 12 years ago following an invitation by two of the founder members.

The annual BAAD conference brings together the very best in the world of aesthetic dentistry to discuss the minutiae of this aspect of dental care. The remit is wide and ranges from complete facial rebuilds following accidents or disease to the holloywood smile makeover. From orthodontic possibilities to the fine detail of construction of a single ceramic crown, which is a minature work of art. From dental implantology to porcelain veeneers and cosmetic gum surgery.A trade show allows me to access to the latest technology to bring you the most appropriate options at St. Mary's House in Newbury.

However one of the the most imortant aspects of these meetings is the hot-house atmosphere and exhange of ideas between colleagues from all over the world (and indeed from Newbury too) in the hours before between and after lectures and presentations. A chance to meet, greet and discuss developments with the best in aesthetic dentistry. Oh yes, we have some fun too wth an opening cocktail reception before the event and a gala dinner after the first day. No time to enjoy the golf facilities though this year.

2003 enjoying the event with Chris






and in 2004 in discussion the the UK marketing director of Nobelbiocare



Nobelbiocare is one of the events top sponsors and one of the world leaders in dental implant reasearch, design, manufacture and supply, whose systems we use at our practice. I have in tha past few years been commissioned to write two course reports published for nobelbiocare in the dental press.

This link will answer some common questions about dental implants NOBELBIOCARE

Next years event in London looks to be every bit as inspirational as these last few days have been.

more to come on this topic ...........

A New Look for St. Mary's House Dental Practice

NEW, NEW, NEW ..........

The coming weeks will see a flurry of activity at St.Mary's House Dental Practice.

A New Team Member

Firstly, we welcome a new trainee dental nurse, Emma. She will spend several weeks of induction training and observation before beginining work assisting Nicky, our dental hygienist. As time goes on she will begin assisting me also as part of her training. Laura will take on the role of senior dental nurse, assisting in her training and ensuring that all the background tasks are completed to allow everything to runs smoothly. Emma then has a 2 year training path leading to what has, this year, become a newly upgraded professional qualification as a Registered Dental Nurse.

A New Dental Chair

After 16 years loyal service, the ergonomic "Spaceline" Dental Chair which is currently used by Nicky Smith, our Dental hygienist but which was formerly used by me for about 13 years, is being retired. On Monday 14th August a new dental chair of Italian design, essentially the same as the one I use is being installed. Unimaginatively called "Eurodent" it nevertheless incorporates many features for you comfort and safety. We hope you will appreciate it. I am sure that Nicky and her dental nurse will as well as the additional comfort of their new working seats.

New Reception Desk

Chris has waited patiently for many years whilst technical items took precedent over the development of St. Mary's House Dental Practice. Well she has finally been shopping for a new desk which will add a touch of class to the reception area and greatly needed storage space.

We hope to see it delivered by mid November.

The old NHS filing cabinet which is essentially defunct has now disappeared to provide more office room printer/computer etc. We are obliged to keep all paper records for 11 years but these will be kept off-site in our secure lock-up store.

New Reception Chairs

We have ordered five new reception chairs. Again the present ones are past their sell-by date. We hope you like the new tub-style chairs which add a little comfort and style in the space we have available . We would have loved large opulent seating but would only have been able to fit in two or three seats of this kind, which is simply not enough.

New Carpet and Hard Flooring

Again the carpeting throughout the practice has done stirling work but again after almost 17 years, whilst not threadbare, is due for replacement. Work is now completed. Thanks to Down's of Newbury. Hard flooring in some areas is due to be laid in Mid November.

New Lighting

New recessed lighting can now be found in the reception area. and in the hallway which will be appreciated by our taller patients ! New light fittings, somewhat overdue , will be found in the hygienist treatment.

A New Lick of Paint

This year, Chris and I celebrate 30 years of marriage ! So we went mad and had a week off in late September. We had a lovely time in Ithaca ( a short ferry ride from Kefallonia on the Greek Eastern coast) We took the opportunity of starting the practice redecorating at that time too, which is now completed.

Hooray - More room in the the Loo !

We have been painfully aware of the "bijou" nature of our patient's "facilities". We have now knocked through the dividing wall and created a larger unisex facility. It now seems big enough to party in! The finishing touches will be applied soon.

There will be some additional finishing touches to the rest of the practice, which will more properly reflect the level of comfort and surroundings which you should rightly expect and which we feel will complement the level of service we strive to provide.

Recommendations

We trust you will appreciate the changes at your next visit and that they will encourage you to recommend us to others. Our future success depends on a regular flow of new patients. If you are reading this then you are likely to be sufficiently happy with our serve to recommend equally discerning friends, colleagues and family.

Richard and Chris Charon