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

Are you anxious - a really useful site

This user-friendly site answers questions you might have regarding many aspects of Dentistry, especially ( but not only) if you are worried or anxious about your visit.

Please ask us if there is anything you found interesting or wish to know more about.

Click on this link >>>>>> DENTALFEARCENTRAL

Dental Health Matters No.8

Mouth Cancer Awareness Week

12th - 18th November 2006

A difficult subject to discuss BUT early detection saves lives

Find out more here

http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/mouth/index.php?w=public

Hello and welcome to my on-line newsletter (or "e-zine" if you prefer) from me, Richard Charon and the dental team at St.Mary's House Dental Practice, Newbury

I would love to receive some feedback from you about this new idea.

Do you like it?
Is it worthwhile?
What would you like to hear more about ?
Would you add this site to your favorites or your desktop and log on monthly to "check-up" on what's new?

just click here to e-mail me Dr.Richard Charon BDS

Please take a little time to read on by scrolling down. You can be more selective by clicking on a topic of interest in the right-hand column.

Thank you for getting this far.

Richard Charon

Latest news at St.Mary's House Dental Practice

For your comfort.....

New Look
New Website
New Branding

In January 198I I bought St.Mary's House Dental Practice. Soon afterwards we undertook a modernisation program with new equipment,waiting room chairs and carpeting . Much of this has served us well but is now becoming dated and tired. We are now in our 17th year in Newbury in 2006 and its time to invest in your comfort again.

We have decided that we will also be creating a new look for our practice brochure, letterheads, appointment cards and information packs and not least our useful but antiquated website. www.newburydentist.co.uk

Reception Area

There will be more a comfortable lounge feel to the reception room with new chairs and a new desk/working area for the receptionist. Long overdue, some would say!

Hygienist room

We are investing in new dental chair and equipment, similar to the one in my surgery,for the dental hygienist's room. After 15 years of loyal service, the old one has had it's day!

Interior Decor
We plan to re-carpet the practice too as well as giving it a fresh lick of paint and some more contemporary light fittings.

Exterior
Also we will be looking at placing some tasteful external signage which is many years overdue. Even after 26 years of its existance,we still meet many peple who do not know there is a dental practice here at St.Mary's House !

For Your Convenience
We will produce two sizes of smarter carry bags to take away those important items which you have purchased from us. It will save all that juggling on the way home!

We are planning to have made many of these changes by the end of summer 2006. We also hope you like the results which we feel will better reflect our style of Dental Practice as it has developed over the last 16 years .

Richard Charon

Dental Health Matters No 7 - Smoking

SMOKING DAMAGES

YOUR HEALTH

INCLUDING YOUR GUMS

AND

PROBABLY YOUR TEETH

smoker v non-smoker teeth and gums

which would you prefer?

Which you prefer to kiss !

30-40 cigarettes per day on the left

17 year old non-smoker on the right

Smoking has a number of bad effects on gum health

• Gum pockets develop more rapidly and more extensivly in smokers
• Leading to loss of teeth at an earlier age
• Gum diseases are more difficult to put right in smokers.
• Smokers are much more likely to get infections after tooth extraction
• Smokers heal poorly after any form of oral surgery
• Smokers have a higher risk of dental implants failing
• Smokers are much more susceptable to cancer of the mouth and throat
• Smokers have drier mouths and often suck mints to cover bad breathe so they are more prone to tooth decay requiring more extensive dental treatment
• More obviously smokers have unpleasant halitosis and unsightly staining
• Then there are all the general health problems that are well known

IS IT REALLY WORTH IT ?

GIVE IT UP TODAY !

Patches, gum, hypnotherapy

&

will-power

There are many approaches or combinations

YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE

Happy New Year for 2006 & What's New

A belated Happy New Year for 2006

Here is an important announcement about a new investment for your benefit.

Cross-infection control - upgraded

This year we have introduced the latest upgrade to the most important aspect of our behind-the-scenes activities. Cross-infection control.

For a variety of fairly obvious reasons, it is critical for dentist to keep all instruments which are not disposable and are to be re-used, sterile and free from viruses, bacteria and other micro-organisms.

The method used which has been the standard of care recommended and required of us , was a 3-stage process.

STAGE ONE

All instuments which are not disposable were washed by hand with a variety of scrubbing brushes to remove all visible contamination.

STAGE TWO

Then the instruments were ultrasonically cleaned in an anti-microbial bath. This process both microscpically shakes off any debris invisible to the naked eye and begins the process of killing any remaining microorganisms.
STAGE THREE
Finally the instruments were placed in an autoclave. Using an autoclave to sterilise dental instruments has been the standard required of dentists for over 30 years and has served our patients well.

An autoclave is a glorified pressure cooker which super-heats water into steam at 134 degrees centigrade for 3 minutes under increased pressure . This process is automatically progammed and checked and has been clearly demonstrated to kill rapidly viruses such as HIV, Hepatitis B and C , as well as all bacteria, spores and fungi (e.g candida which causes thrush).

Once the autoclave has cooled down the dental instruments are ascepticlly removed (not touched by hand) ans stored for later use. Instruments used for any form of surgery are placed in unsealed paper pouches designed for this purpose and go through the autoclave process a second time. The instruments in their pouches are removed and the pouches sealed for storage.

ADDITIONAL NEW STAGE

We have now introduced two major changes which are not yet legally required but which are heralded as a further improvments to this process.

Firstly we have now installed an industrial strength washer/disinfector which automates and is said to further improves the physical cleansing of the instruments. They are effectivly power washed and steam cleaned before being transferred to the autoclave.

Secondly the autoclave has been upgraded to a vacuum model which allows pre-bagged instruments to be sterilised as well as items such as cotton drapes etc. Each sterilisation cycle is timed , dated and monitored to audit (double-check ) the cycle has correctly functioned and this information is held on a removable memory card just like those used for digital cameras) for later downloading and storing on a computer database

You will of course notice no difference whatsoever but there is a little added peace of mind and the knowledge that we are bang up to date with the very latest research in this area even if it is not yet required of us.

If you really have the time and energy to learn more click on one of these links:
Our new autoclave
Cross-infection control
Our Washer/Disinfector

Dental health matters No.6 Snoring zzzzz!

Anti-social

Bad for your health

Bad for your work life

Bad for your family life

&

Bad for your sex life !

At the end of Stop Snoring Week 2005, snoring and sleep apnoea have been highlighted in the media.

There are many and varied ways to help reduce or stop this anti-social and potentially dangerous condition which affect both men and women.

S;eep apnoea- breathe holding during sleep can be associated with snoring and with daytime tiredness or drowsiness. Find out more if you feel you may be affected.

Take the Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire test here :>

http://www.putanendtosnoring.com/epworth.htm

Dental appliances can be very effective in some types of snoring. Some of these "mouthguards" are DIY and maybe worth trying, however a professionally made one will fit far more comfortably and be tailored to your requirements.

Here are a number of useful links for you to look into the snoring problem :

This first is a link for you to listen to the snoring item on BBC radio 4's Weekend Woman's World program , broadcast on Saturday 23rd Spril 2005 .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2003_07_wed_03.shtml

Here are several useful links to different pages of the same website

http://www.britishsnoring.com/
http://www.britishsnoring.com/pdf/nssws.pdf

The next link is a useful information and self-help site which is U.S. based

http://www.putanendtosnoring.com/q-intro.htm

the page which highlights dental mouthpieces can be found here

http://www.putanendtosnoring.com/mouthpiece.htm

Dental Health Matters No.5. Your gum health is so important

Look after your gum health and you will probably keep your teeth for life.

If your smile is a picture and your teeth are centre stage, then your gums are the frame for the picture.

Keeping your gums healthy provides immediate extra benefits, such as

• Fresh taste and Fresh breath.
• Having gums that look pink and firm and healthy
• Having gums that don't bleed when they are brushed
• Giving you confidence when you smile
• What about kissing? What about your partners gums ?

The long-term benefits of healthy gums are even more important

• You may well keep your teeth for life
• You will avoid years of halitosis and gum bleeding
• You will avoid having your teeth drift out of position
• You will avoid teeth which become loose or gappy
• Your teeth will remain firm and so if needed they can be crowned or support bridgework
• It may even reduce your chances of heart disease !

The dental team at St.Mary's House have always taken your gum health seriously. We screen every patient for gum disease and inform you if we find that you a have gum problem.

We measure the gum attachment to the teeth regularly. Gum pockets, are gaps which develop around the teeth between the gum and the tooth. Gum recession involves a change in the height of the gum attached to the tooth, Very often the gum is healthy pink and firm but has risen up the side of the tooth. The causes are complex and may involve aspects which are genetic, dietary, stress related, localised or generlised bite problems, hormonal changes and lifestyle in nature. These may all affect or be reflected by the state of health of your gums as may other more serious conditions such as Diabetes .

We check for early warning signs of gum problems and monitor changes. You will have an individual program of therapy and advice tailored to help improve your gum health or treat any gum disease we may find, even if it is only affecting one side of one tooth only.

Remember, gums which bleed when you brush are not healthy , so seek advice.

We use the Basic Periodontal Examination (BPE) method to quickly and regularly assess your gums and to guide us as to the most appropriate treatment or advice for you. This quickly scores each of 6 zones or groups of teeth. Here is how it works:

Score 0 = Healthy gums

Score 1= Some bleeding and treatment and adsvise is simple

Score 2 = As per Score 1 plus tartar or rough fillings to clean or smooth over

Score 3 = Early stages of gum disease which need two or more visits to begin treating and then requires regular reviews and possibly more therapy

Score 4 or * = Established or advanced gum disease requiring more prolonged and specfic detailaled treatment depending on the exact nature of the problem. Regular gum treatment and monitoring of progress is needed every 2 or 3 months. Very occasionally referral to a specialist is needed.

There is no pill or magic wand to "cure" gum problems but they can be contolled, improved and managed.

Dental Hygiene Products

Are you mystified when you go to the chemist or supermarket by the vast choice of dental hygiene products? I am not surprised. These days the choices are almost neverending and no two people need the same ones.

Our dental hygienist, Nicky Smith, will advise you personally on the vast array of products, and then review your progress and continue to monitor your gum health and fine tune the best methods for you.

As a team, Nicky and I will carry out almost all the treatment or therapy required from the simple to the complex. We will advise on diet or lifestyle changes which are important or beneficial too.

Smokers, please remember ,any gum problems you have will be made worse by smoking and will be much slower to improve.

Dental Health Topics No.4"TMJ" Headaches Your Bite and You A new and simple treatment method

Do you suffer from any or more than one of the following ?

• Tension Headaches
• Face-ache in the morning
• Clicking jaws
• Migraine (some types of)
• Bruxism (tooth grinding)
• Jaw clenching (habit or stress related)
• Bulging cheek muscles
• Neck/shoulder pain
• Repeated breakage of fillings
• Cracks in your teeth
• Worn down front teeth
• Gum recession

Question - What do all of these problems have in common?

Answer ...

TMJ(ds)

Temperomandibular Joint (Dysfunction Syndrome)

and TMJ problems

First let's look at TMJ(ds)

If your bite is misaligned, even by a tiny amount, then your jaws cannot find a stable and comfortable resting place. Your jaw joints are the most complex in your body in the way they move and your teeth position direclty guides the range of jaw movements - opening, side to side ,forward and back and so on. Together with your jaw muscles, the back teeth and front teeth as distinct groups of teeth, form a complicated, yet wonderful system.

If your teeth (whether natural or filled,crowned or bridged) are misaligned then your jaw joints (TMJs) cannot smoothly move in all directions as they should.

You have a large group of powerful muscles which operate the jaw movements and if these are overstretched or uncoordinated due to your uneven bite, then they go into spasm. You get jaw muscle cramp.This manifests itself as faceache,migraine, tension headache (especially over the temples) but can also affect your neck and shoulders too.

However some people manage to find a way of coping with their misaligned bite. They grind their teeth in an effort to find that happy resting position, or they posture their jaws in various ways to avoid the clashing teeth contacts. This is what leads to cracks in teeth, worn down front teeth and repated breakage of fillings.

So how can I help if you have these problems?

To begin with I have been treating people with TMJ for many years. The process begins with a thorough examination and discussion and questionairre to identify if TMJ or TMJ(ds) are real problems for you.

A full survey or analysis of the bite is often needed. Models of your teeth are created from accurate impressions (moulds) and special measurments of the jaw position at rest as well as your jaw joint axis position, which is special to you are made. These measuements are used to transfer the models of your teeth to our highly accurate

dental articulator

Kavo Protar 9 Articulator.

This articulator is a beautifully engineered,mechanical jaw complete with two fully moveable joints which are set to mimic your own jaw movements and tooth positions.

I can then analyse your bite in detail and from all angles to determine if and how your bite is "wrong". At a second consultation we discuss the findings and look at the possible treatment options. These are many and varied and may range from a single adjustment to the shape of one of your fillings, to short,medium or long term use of a bite guard, often at night only.

Treatment involves a combination of threrapies and investigations: One or more types of bite guard may be prescribed. These either better assess your specific problem or begin the healing process.

Several years ago we also began to use a new simple style of night guard for some of our patients.

This is the NTI(tss) appliance

If you have broadband and can view streaming video, watch this first.

http://www.nti-tss.com/video/wrcc.html

Otherwise click on the NTI(tss) link above

This american designed device has gained increasing interest and evidence of success in recent years. It is simple to make and simple to wear.

The following link contains a video with detailed information about this method of helping facial pain, headaches and some migraines.

For the technically minded even more detailed and, comprehensive information about jaw joint and jaw muscle activity, jaw clenching and grinding habits can be found on the NTI(tss) general website can be found here.

The NTI has been approved by the ADA ( American Dental Association)

http://www.nti-tss.com/

Please call for a consulation and examination if you feel we may be able to help recurrent jawache,facial pain,headaches,migraine or even neck or shoulder pain.

01635 47757

Occasionally more involved treatment may be indicated including replaement of old or faulty fillngs or crowns and sometimes tooth straightening with orthodontics is needed. Hoever would almost always need to test how a new bite might feel to you by using a bite guard to mimic to the ideal bite position. If this works then we would go on to considering a more permanant change in your tooth arrangement along the same lines.

Sometimes the misaligned bite manifests itself in another way. If your jaw joints click or pop when you open and close or yawn then the jaw joint itself is affected. Here, the little disc which sits in between he top of your lower jaw and the joint socket has become misaligned. This may be to a greater or lesser extent and usuually gets gradully wose over time, sometimes many years.

The longer it is left untreated the more difficult it usually is to treat. Any or all of the TMJ(ds) treatments above may well help joint problems in the early stages. Later stages of joint problems may even sometimes require surgery to remove the disc, or re-shape or re-position the disc.

Please ask for more information or a consultation if you are concerned or troubled by TMJ(ds) or joint popping or clicking.

If your problem is complex, then referral to an appropriate specialist will be arranged.

Useful links:

http://tinyurl.com/dfxme

http://www.temporomandibular.info/tmj.html

Dental Topics No2 Are you very anxious about having dental treatment

Have you ever considered some light sedation to help get you through your dental treatment visit? We have had a great deal of success over many years in helping people who are anxious, even very anxious about receiving dental treatment. We offer two types of conventional sedation techniques.

Relative Analgesia (RA) or "Happy air" and Intravenous Sedation. Click on the links for more information.

Read several patient's own stories of how they were helped by RA click here>RA Testimonials

I have over 25 years experience of successfully helping people who are anxious about the dental situation using the "RA" techqniue. For the last three years I have been running courses to teach other dentists how to use RA for their patients. They have come to Newbury from all over the UK and indeed , recently from the Republic of Ireland too.

Click this link to find out what they have said about their experinces of the courses I run.

Richard's RA courses for other dentists

If you feel you or a family member or friend are truely phobic then hypnotherapy may well be helpful (as it is for those who fear spiders or flying). Why not try Roland Bulliavant who consults on the floor above us at St.Mary's House. Several of our patients, staff and my own family members have benefitted from his hypnotherapy service, helping with exam or driving test anxieties for example. Contact him directly or speak to us for further advice.

Richard's Professional Development2005

I have always striven to keep abreast of the latest teaching and thinking in Dentistry to bring the benefits to my patients.

In the last 2 years I have been invited to join two study clubs. Each meets on a regular basis to provide ongoing updates of particular topics of interest to the group.

ADAPT has been in existence for about 10 years and meets monthly in Kew at the practice of Dr Howard Stean. Howard is a highly experienced UK dentist, providing dental implants and laser surgery from his bespoke Kew practice.

ADAPT stands for Aesthetic Dentistry and Professional Testing.
We have regular speakers from the dental world. Last month the UKs formost expert on the Invisalign system gave us all an update on this latest means of tooth straightening without the need for conventional braces. It is important to understand that this method is only suitable for some people, but there is no harm in you asking !
The group also regularly sample new materials designed to improve the services we can provide. Many of these come from outside the UK, the US in paricular. The group is currently involved in a full-scale clinical tral of a particluar tooth-coloured filling from one of the leading mnanufacturers.

Later this month I will be attending a one day seminar by Dr. Stean on facial aesthetics. This ties in aspects of dentistry, bite alignment, joint function, smile design, lip and cheek support to improve the aesthetics of facial appearance.

I also trek over to Hemel Hempstead about every two months to join another group of like minded dentists to discuss more tooth related matters.

Finally I log onto an 800 member dental discussion group on the internet most evenings again to kep abreast of 1001 issues.

So even though we are tucked away on the first floor in Newbury, we are able to bring you the benefits available in almost any dental practice in the UK.

Next month in May, Chris and I are flying up to Edinburgh to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Here we will attend a high-powered 3-day conference of the Association of Dental Implantology (UK) of which, I am a member. Here, anyone who is anyone in the UK in the field of Dental implants will gather to hear some of the world's leading experts in this field. The presentations will ensure we are up to date with the very latest ideas and teaching in this exiting field.

If you feel that yu might benefit from dental implants, please ask us about them.

Then in June the whole practice team will be at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster for the annual World Aethetic Congress.
Top UK and International speakers gather to bring help us bring you more beautiful smiles !

Later in the Autumn, Chris and I will attend the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry for its annual 3 day conference, this year in London. I have attended every 3 day conference in the last 10 years. That's an awful lot of teeth to look at in triple slide show presentations !

Well that's about it for now.

Financing your Private Dentistry

Dental finance UPDATE

We have now had our consumer credit application accepted and we can now offer you extended credit terms, particularly for the more extensive treatments or cosmetic/aesthetic "makovers".

This service is provided confidentially and has been arranged through a highly reputable dental company who are well known to me personally.

More details to be posted here soon

Please call us for further details

01635 47757