Category: Dentistry in the News

Blog posts and articles containing reference to dentistry in the news

Charcoal teeth whitening – a review

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

When it comes to having Beautifully white teeth, you have many options. You can either go for professional teeth whitening at the dentist’s office, or you can try whitening your teeth in the comfort of your home by using over the counter bleaching agents or trying various natural teeth whitening methods. Among them, charcoal teeth whitening is another natural method that has become one of the most popular methods, mainly because of celebrities talking about it. So, what has made charcoal teeth whitening so popular? Does it really work? Continue reading to find out.

What Is Charcoal Whitening?

Charcoal whitening does not mean you start rubbing your mouth with coals or using the artists’ charcoal as a brush for your teeth. The charcoal we are talking about here in the context of teeth whitening products is far superior in quality. Dentists call it the activated charcoal; a highly purified and finely ground form of charcoal which is added into teeth whitening pastes or powders, in addition to other minor ingredients like foaming agents, stabilizers and may be flavored. Of course, the formulation may be in the form of a paste or even a powder.

Activated Charcoal! What is it?

Activated charcoal is derived from the same sources as ordinary charcoal. Among the organic sources of charcoal, wood is the most common although waste organic material like coconut shells may be used. Charcoal may also be obtained from hydrocarbon minerals e.g. petroleum, peat, or coal, etc. The difference between ordinary charcoal and activated charcoal lies in the processing which modifies the enhances the absorption properties of the charcoal. Charcoal is exposed to a special gas so that the resulting charcoal is far more porous. That is activated charcoal with a highly enhanced ability to absorb. Such activated charcoal is also used in water filtration processes.

Ancient Tooth Powders Also Used Charcoal

The use of charcoal for teeth cleaning and brightening is not really new. It is a fact that ancient civilisations have also been using charcoal powder for preparing tooth powders and toothpaste for centuries.  They used (and use) the burnt coal which results from burning of fuel for cooking and baking. Burnt almond skin or peanut shells were also preferred, perhaps, because they were assumed to add medicinal properties. Charcoal powder has the additional advantages of acting a soft abrasive. It was also easily available at virtually no cost. To enhance utility, such formulations often added powdered alum {KAl(SO4)2. 12H2O}, because alum is considered an anti-bacterial agent in addition to being an abrasive when in the powdered form.

the substance is often used either in the toothpaste or in activated charcoal powder.

Does Charcoal Actually Whiten Teeth?

The popularity of practice since ancient times is not really proof of its efficacy. The argument in favor relies on the absorption properties of charcoal, and the activated charcoal. It is assumed that being highly absorbent it can absorb smelly gases from water. So, it should also be able to absorb and remove staining substances, such as red wine or tea stains from the surfaces of your teeth.  However, this is not necessarily a logical conclusion.

There is no denying the fact that powdered charcoal does act as a mild and cheap abrasive and thus be effective to remove plaque to some extent. Indeed, a recent study published in the reputed Journal of the American Dental Association in September 2017 concluded that further study on the subject of teeth whitening with charcoal needed.  The available scientific evidence was not sufficient to give a conclusive verdict.

But is it Safe!

Although there is currently insufficient information available to conclude with certainty whether charcoal or activated charcoal is effective in teeth-whitening, there is also no evidence of any harmful effects of charcoal or activated charcoal in teeth whitening. In addition, the cost-effectiveness and safety of this procedure have certainly made it an attractive option for getting those pearly whites.

Having said that, there are some reports which suggest that activated charcoal is a little too abrasive. Using a substance which is abrasive on your teeth can remove the outer layer (tooth enamel) over an extended time period, this could result in sensitivity at best or exposure of the softer dentine underneath which could lead to decay.

Another thing to consider is the use of fluoride in activated charcoal toothpastes. Fluoride acts to assist the tooth in the remineralisation process which is necessary after the acid attack that your tooth is subject to each time you eat. Fluoride has been shown to really help teeth remineralisation and therefore harden up again to prevent the onset of decay. Some charcoal toothpastes view themselves as being alternative ways to clean teeth and therefore don’t include fluoride. If you then add this effect to the abrasive nature of charcoal one needs to be very careful when using this type of toothpaste.

After that, all you have to worry about is about possibly blackening lips and parts of your face. Be sure to wash your lips thoroughly after use of such pastes or powders, and you won’t have to worry about their staining.

Other ways to whitening your teeth

Many people opt for natural teeth whitening such as using baking soda however, the same principles apply to this type of toothpaste as they do with charcoal whitening. Baking soda can be more abrasive and you need to ensure that any toothpaste contains fluoride.

Whitening toothpaste and whitening strips can also be purchased over the counter in many pharmacies, these don’t however contain very high contents of hydrogen peroxide which is required to whiten your teeth to any significant noticeable level.

In order to ensure a brighter smile that you were truly happy with it is recommended that you ask your dentist. Before carrying out any whitening treatment they will ensure your oral health is in the best condition and then offer you various options such as whitening teeth in the surgery or whitening teeth at home.

Study claims that 100,000 patients per year are heading straight to A&E with dental emergencies

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

According to a new study by the BritishDental Association at Newcastle University has found that far more patients are attending accident and emergency with their dental emergencies than official government statistics state.

People visiting A&E for dental problems in the UK

The official government statistics claimed at around 14,500 patients with dental problems attend their accident and emergency department  (statistics from 2014/15). However, the British Dental Association’s research indicates that due to systematic under-reporting the figure is far more likely to be closer to 135,000 patients per year.

Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, chairman of general dental practice at the BDA, said:

“Ministers keep underestimating how much their indifference to dentistry has knock-on effects across the health service. GPs and A&E medics are having to pick up the pieces, while the government’s only strategy is to ask our patients to pay more in to plug the funding gap.

“We are seeing patients who need our care pushed towards medical colleagues who aren’t equipped to treat them. As long as government keeps slashing budgets and ramping up charges, we will keep seeing more of the same.”

There are many reasons why NHS dentistry is struggling to cope with the demands of dental emergencies  and it’s not our intention to get involved with the politics of why that may be. The reality is that many dental practices may find it extremely difficult to cope with the bureaucracy and funding within the NHS, and so to provide their patients with the treatments of choice opt to work in the private sector only.

So is Private dentistry an expensive alternative?

The perception is often that private dentistry is a very expensive alternative however it is possible to see a private dentist, with all  of the  benefits that brings from as little as 56p per day, that’s less than the average mobile phone contract and less than a cup of coffee per day!

There are two ways to enjoy private dentistry for these low fees, let’s look at each in more detail.

1. Keep Your Mouth Healthy

It sounds obvious, but the more you do at home to keep your mouth clean, your teeth bright and your gums healthy then the lower your dental costs will be. According to research by the American Dental Association in 2013:

  • 56.8% of women brush their teeth twice a day
  • 49% of men brush their teeth twice a day
  • 50.5% of Americans floss daily

With only around half the population brushing their teeth according to the recommended amount  of twice per day it’s no wonder that dental health suffers!

2. Saving For Your Dental Treatment

If you took 56p per day and saved this in a bank account then by the end of the year you would have £206. This is enough for two comprehensive dental examinations without private dentist, including x-rays PLUS two appointments with the dental hygienist. This equates to £17.16 per month which is less than most people pay on a mobile phone contract, so the question has to be asked which is more important,  looking after your health  or paying for a mobile phone?

The cost of dental treatment

Blue Court Dental Centre is a local dental practice in the heart of Harrow offering private dental care to the local people. Please contact us today to make an appointment and explore your options from as little as £17.16 per month.

 

Are Sports Drinks Destroying Your Teeth and a Risk to Your Health?

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

Some recent research from the University of Cardiff showed that of the 160 children that responded to their survey 89.4% of them stated that they drank sports drinks with half of them drinking them at least twice a week. These drinks are intended to improve performance and keep athletes hydrated and are not intended to be drank as recreational drinks, especially by young people.

Drinking these drinks has been marketed as being fashionable, trendy and often healthy which has led to a surge in popularity amongst the younger members of our population.

The main reasons for consuming these drinks was attributed to the nice taste (90% of respondents) With 80.4% of respondents purchasing the drinks from local shops. 77.9% of boys came to drink sports drinks during physical activity whilst only 48.6% of girls claimed the same thing however, more girls claim to drink socially, 51.4% compared to 48.5% for boys.

Alarmingly, a study reported in the independent.ie says that 55% of the sports drinks consumed at home rather than during any exercise at all!

The problem is not the sports drinks themselves, the problem is the fact that these drinks are formulated for enhanced exercise performance. The sugar in sports drinks is there to give fast absorption of carbohydrate so that the muscles can run at peak performance. Yet if these drinks are consumed with out the physical exercise then the body is not using the sugar in this way.

Lucozade sport, for example Contains 27 g of sugar or 7 teaspoons worth in a 750 mL bottle. The world health organisation recommends people consume a maximum of 50 g of added sugar per day, meaning one bottle of Lucozade sport is more than 50% of your daily recommended intake.

Obesity expert Dr Donal O’Shea says:

“If you’re a gold medal Olympian who’s burning 6,000 calories a day and can’t eat enough to replace that, maybe a sports drink is okay, but for everyone else they have no benefit,”

Credit: PHE

The government’s recent launch of their Change4Life campaign of the Sugar Smart app goes a long way to helping children understand how much sugar is contained in various drinks, because this is an app, children find it more interactive and a useful way to scan their favourite drinks to see how much sugar is included.

What are the risks to your dental health of too much sugar?

With written in other blog posts about the effects of too much sugar with regards to diabetes and obesity but there are also risks to your dental health.

Dental decay is caused by the acid excreting from the bacteria in your mouth, these bacteria feed prolifically on the sugar in your diet, the more sugar you have, the more they feed on the more acid they excrete.

In the most part your saliva neutralises this acid but it can only work to a certain degree, too much acid and it attacks your teeth and causes dental decay.

One of the biggest problems is that these bacteria lurk in between your teeth which is notoriously difficult to clean, this is why using an interdental brush or floss is absolutely vital for maintaining your dental health.

Bluecourt Dental Centre in Harrow, Middlesex can advise you on the best cleaning techniques and oral health advice in order to keep your teeth fresh and bright for life. They can also provide dietary advice and encouragement to children to drink healthy drinks rather than sports drinks designed for athletes.

Survey reveals that 72% of men have used their female partner’s toothbrush

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

AID-100116377 by imagerymajesticccording to a new survey women change their toothbrush twice as often as men. The survey showed that, on average, women change their toothbrush every 92 days whilst men change theirs every 185 days.

The survey was carried out by Carisbrook dental in Manchester which asked 1000 patients about their oral health habits.”

“All our research shows that women take dental health far more seriously than men,”

Dr Tariq Idrees owner of Carisbrook dental said,

“Throwing your toothbrush out after three months might seem like a short time, but think of the germs, viruses and bacteria it is exposed to daily; new toothbrushes have been developed where the bristles change colour when they wear one out providing an immediate reminder of when to getting new one.”

change your toothbrush after you have been ill

According to the survey electric toothbrushes are used by 57% of women and 32% of men. Another interesting fact was that women spend on average £42 per year on the dental healthcare, whilst men spend only £24 a year on the same dental healthcare including brushes, toothpaste  and other products such as mouthwash.

The survey also revealed that 7/10 men (72%) have used their female partners toothbrush whilst only 26% of women admitted to using their male partner’s brush.

“Women spend twice as much on their teeth and tend to have much healthier teeth and gums. They are almost 5 times more likely to have cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening.” Said Dr Tariq Idrees

At Blue Court Dental Centre in Harrow we have similar experience of women taking more care of their dental health than men. If you don’t look after your toothbrush then the bristles can become bent and frayed, this means they are not able to clean in between your teeth in those difficult to reach areas where the acid excreting bacteria lurk.

The spaces in between your teeth are particularly vulnerable to dental decay and if these areas are not kept clean on a daily basis your oral health care can suffer.

We have also written in other blog posts about the further implications of not looking after your teeth and gums. Dental disease has been linked to other conditions such as diabetes and heart problems.

Using an electric toothbrush makes it far easier to ensure that your teeth are adequately cleaned and rinsing in between cleaning your teeth, particularly after meals with a good quality fluoride mouthwash is another step you can take to ensure your teeth stay dentally fit and healthy for life.

If you are at all concerned about you or your partner’s oral health then please do give us a call or request an appointment online.

Image courtesy of ImageryMajestic @ freedigitalphotos.net

Did You Know That Talking Therapy Can Help Dental Fear and Anxiety

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

It’s not uncommon for people to feel quite anxious about visiting the dentist, recent research has shown that talking therapies can help and so we thought we would create this article to explain more. We’ve broken this article in to 3 section:

  1. Talking therapies to overcome anxiety
  2. Dental Sedation
  3. General tips to relaxing more

Talking therapies

talking therapyCognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) could help many people with a dental phobia overcome their fear of visiting the dentist and enable them to receive dental treatment without the need to be sedated, according to a new study by King’s College London. (1)

Patients with dental phobia were able to face doNickwn their fear after an average five sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a study found.

Professor Tim Newton, who led the King’s College team, said: “People with dental phobia are most commonly given sedation to allow them to become relaxed enough for a short period of time to have their dental treatment performed. However this does not help them to overcome their fear in the long term.

“The primary goal of our CBT service is to enable patients to receive dental treatment without the need for sedation, by working with each individual patient to set goals according to their priorities. Our study shows that after on average five CBT sessions, most people can go on to be treated by the dentist without the need to be sedated.”

Of all patients referred, four-fifths (79%) went on to have dental treatment without the need for sedation and 6% had their dental treatment under sedation. The average number of CBT appointments required before a patient received dental treatment without sedation was five.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.

It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental and physical health problems.

CBT cannot remove your problems, but it can help you deal with them in a more positive way. It is based on the concept that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are interconnected, and that negative thoughts and feelings can trap you in a vicious cycle.

CBT can help you to make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller parts. This makes it easier to see how they are connected and how they affect you. These parts are:

A Situation – a problem, event or difficult situation. From this can follow:

  • Thoughts
  • Emotions
  • Physical feelings
  • Actions

Each of these areas can affect the others. How you think about a problem can affect how you feel physically and emotionally.

In addition to talking therapies some people also want to consider dental sedation

What is Sedation?

ID-100341794tiveryluckyIntravenous Sedation is when a drug is administered into the blood system during dental treatment. Sedation induces a state of deep relaxation and a feeling of not being aware of the treatment being carried out. You remain conscious during intravenous sedation and you are still able to understand and respond to simple requests.

However, many people report that they do not remember much or anything at all about the treatment they had done as sedation can produce a partial or full memory loss (amnesia) for the period of time when we administer the drug until it wears off. This can result in you not remembering very much of what happened, some people remember nothing at all.

While the drug used during sedation will relax you and make you forget what happens, you will still need to be numbed as it is not a painkiller. If you have a fear of injections, the dentist will not numb the treatment area until the sedation has taken full effect. They will then wait until the local anaesthetic has taken effect before starting your treatment.

The sedation drug administered though a vein, usually in the hand. An extremely thin needle is put into a vein close to the surface of the skin on the back of your hand. The needle has a soft plastic sheath around it and as it enters the vein, the needle is slid out leaving the soft plastic sheath in place. The drugs are put in through this sheath, this stays in place throughout the procedure.

How will IV sedation in the surgery affect me?

You become drowsy and are not aware of having any treatment, but you are still able to co-operate with the dentist. The effects of sedative medicine take some time to wear off and your dentist will tell you how long the drugs will take to clear from your body. You won’t be able to drink alcohol, drive or work machinery during this time.

In addition to CBT we also recommend finding ways to relax…

Top Tips to Relaxing at The Dentist (2)

ID-10044145Ambro.Try Acupressure

Pressure to meet a deadline can be stressful, but acupressure can help release all that tension. Acupressure’s a kind of touch therapy that works by balancing the circulation of fluids and energies in the body. Use the thumb and forefinger to massage the soft area between the thumb and index finger of the other hand. Dab on some lavender oil for extra relaxation.

Sip Green Tea

Instead of turning purple with rage, get green with a cup of herbal tea. Green tea is a source of L-Theanine, a chemical that helps relieve anger . Boil the water, pour it out, and take a soothing sip.

Remember to Breathe

Is there any simpler way to relax? Slow, deep breaths can help lower blood pressure and heart rate . For the fancy noses out there, try pranayama breathing, a yogic method that involves breathing through one nostril at a time to relieve anxiety. The technique’s supposed to work the same way as acupuncture, balancing the mind and body (and possibly eliminating the need for a tissue).

Use Creative Visualization

The doorbell rings. It’s Ryan Gosling (or Elizabeth Banks), and he/she wants to know if you’ll marry him/her. “Yes!” you shout and then—sorry, time’s up. These little daydreams, also known as “creative visualization,” involve thinking of something that makes us feel happy. It’s an instant mood boost on hectic days when we’re feeling tense.

Find the Sun

Here comes the sun—and some stress relief. If it’s a sunny day, head outside for an easy way to lift your spirits. Bright light can be an effective treatment for people who suffer from depression, and can even cheer up otherwise healthy folks

Take a Quick Walk

“Now walk it out, now walk [stress] out.” When you’re feeling overwhelmed or having trouble concentrating, go for a quick stroll around the block. You’ll get the benefits of alone time, physical activity, and a few minutes to gather your thoughts!

Try Aromatherapy

It takes just a minute to drip some lavender, tea tree, or another essential oil into your palm and inhale. The soothing scents may help send stress and anxiety packing by stimulating smell receptors in the nose that connect to the part of the brain that regulates emotions

References

(1) ‘Oral health status of non-phobic and dentally phobic individuals; a secondary analysis of the 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey’ by E. Heidari, A. Banerjee and J.T. Newton was published in the British Dental Journal on Friday 13 November 2015

(2) Tips sourced from: greatist.com/happiness/40-ways-relax-5-minutes-or-less site accessed 14/12/15

Image courtesy of Ambro, Tiveryluck & Stuary Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Our Thoughts on the New Sugar Smart App

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

Image Credit: nhs.uk/change4life-beta

It seems that, each day, many of us are eating too much sugar.

You may be surprised to discover the amount of sugar you are eating and how quickly the added sugar  that many of us consume can build up during the day.

The government are now advising that parents take action by installing a new app onto their smart phone which is able to read the barcodes on many food products giving them a visual representation of the amount of sugar a product contains.

The “sugar smart app”, from Public Health England (PHE), functions by checking bar code scans and revealing total sugar content of the food in either cubes or grams.

Authorities hope it can help combat tooth cavities, weight problems and type 2 diabetes and encourage families to select more healthy options with their daily diet.

TOOTH CAVITIES & DENTAL DISEASE

Approximately 46,500 children and young people under 19 were admitted to hospital for a primary diagnosis of dental caries in 2013–14 according to The state of children’s oral health in England report by the Faculty of Dental Surgery – that’s more children than were admitted for tonsillitis.

As a nation, if we are going to reduce these hospital admissions for young people and we need to get dental disease under control.

hospitaladmissions

Dental cavities arise when the bacteria in your mouth secrete acid. This acid secretion happens as they digest the sugar in your diet. This acid attacks the hard enamel of your teeth and can continue to penetrate deep into the tooth structure.

If this acid attack is left unchecked then the tooth can become seriously infected.

The only way to stop the dental cavity from continuing to grow is to visit the dentist, have the caries removed and then the hole filled. Advice on a good oral health routine can then be given as well as dietary advice.

It is this acid attack which can be limited if we control the amount of sugar that we have in our diets.

There are however other reasons to limit the amount of sugar.

TYPE 2 DIABETES

Chris Askew, Diabetes UK Chief Executive, said:

“Diets that are high in sugar are fuelling the rise in obesity, and in turn the dramatic rise in Type 2 diabetes, a serious health condition that can lead to devastating complications such as blindness, amputations and stroke. This is unlike Type 1 diabetes which cannot be prevented and is not caused by being obese. With the average child consuming three times the recommended daily amount of sugar, the need for action has never been more urgent. The new Sugar Smart app will help parents to understand and take control of their children’s sugar intake.

PHE states that young people are eating 3X more sugar than is recommended in their new Change4Life marketing campaign. Their research indicates that normally children aged 4 to 10 years of age are consuming 22kg of added sugar annually. That equates to about 5,500 sugar cubes which is more that the average 5-year old weighs!

It’s all as simple as 3 easy steps:

  1. Get The App

  2. Start Scanning

  3. Reveal The Sugar

HERE’S HOW TO USE THE SUGAR SMART APP

Credit: PHE
Image Credit: PHE
  1. Download the application through the Apple Store or Google Play.
  2. Based on how old you are, your everyday sugar allowance will differ. The application informs you on the maximum you should eat.
  3. Select the product that has a barcode.
  4. Open the application.
  5. Permit the application the use of the digital camera on your phone- a box will appear requesting permission.
  6. Line the barcode track up with the red-colored line and wait for a beep. If it’s doesn’t work, yo may be trying to scan too close up, so move the camera further away.
  7. The application will let you know just how much sugar there is in the product – however the application does not have every food item available yet as it is still in it’s development stage.
  8. After that you can share the end result together with your connections on Facebook, Twitter, Google & other social media sites.
  9. Clicking the menu button gives you more about sugar content in meals, a scanning history and let’s you go to the app’s website.
Credit: PHE
Image Credit: PHE

If you have children we can highly recommend that they download the app and begins scanning food, this can be a fun way to educate your case about the amount of sugar in food.

More resources about sugar

 

ID-100289950
How Much Sugar is Too Much?

Pre treatment
Do You Have a Higher Chance of Developing Tooth Decay?

ID-100174225
The Sugar Factor

Image Source: www.freedigitalphotos.net

 

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Bluecourt Dental is a Private dental practice in Harrow offering free dental health advice via their website, social media streams and regularly updated blog posts.

Are British Teeth Finally Something to Smile about?

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

There have often been jokes about the state of the teeth in the UK compared to those of citizens in the USA, but are things changing? Are British teeth finally something to smile about?

Ricky Gervais' teeth
“These are my real teeth. You think I’d wear them all the time if they weren’t real? ” Ricky Gervais’ reply to interviewer remarking on his ‘false teeth’. (Source news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7633254.stm)

Over the years more and more Americans have had cosmetic dentistry, teeth whitening and dental veneers have become commonplace, Linda Stradley (1) says:

A recent survey showed 80% of Americans aged 18 to 49 want whiter teeth, with women leading in this area at 85%. 6 out 10 believe a whiter, brighter smile would boost their self confidence especially in the 18 to 24 age range

It wasn’t that British teeth were particularly bad that put us as the butt of many a joke, It was simply that the idea of a perfect smile had become brighter and whiter thanks to the surge in Americans having cosmetic dentistry – British teeth were just more natural!

What we have noticed is that patients looking for cosmetic dentist‘s in the UK, particularly in our location of Harrow, Middlesex has also increased.

Natural smiles vs. Hollywood smiles

When dental companies first started to produce materials that enabled dentists to restore smiles with dentures, dental veneers and bonding the range of colours was very limited. Over the years this range of colours has grown and can be seen in the image below.

Shade guide

 

What is interesting to notice is that the three whiter Shade taps on the left of the image are additions. When Vita performed their original research to discover the different colours of teeth that existed throughout the populace they reproduced this in their a guide, from the lightest discovery through to the darkest discovery.

Since its original shade guide was introduced the American desire to have a whiter smile has forced the manufacturers to add on these three extra colours from mid-white through to the brightest dazzling white.

This session with having perfect teeth has been reflected in this Quora discussion.

Who is having cosmetic dentistry?

Source - American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Levin Group, Inc study 2013
Source – American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Levin Group, Inc study 2013

The distribution of people having cosmetic dentistry is fairly even across all age groups although more than half of the people having cosmetic dentistry are over the age of 40.

This is possibly contrary to what many people think in that cosmetic treatments are only for younger people.

 

 

Why do people consider cosmetic dentistry?

This is another extremely interesting aspect to look at, why do people want cosmetic dentistry in the first place?

One might initially think that it’s because people want to look younger however the results of the survey showed that 89% of people asked for cosmetic dentistry to improve their physical attractiveness and/or self-esteem

Reasons for having cosmetic dentistry
Source – American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Levin Group, Inc study 2013

 

What options are people going for to enhance their smiles?

Not surprisingly one of the most common treatments in cosmetic dentistry is bleaching or whitening at 93%, however crowns and bridges top the poll at 97%.

What treatments that people have with cosmetic dentistry
Source – American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Levin Group, Inc study 2013

 Why are British teeth now something to smile about?

The first reason is that more people are visiting the dentist. NHS statistics show that 52.3% of the adult population now visit the dentist and 69.2% of the child population visit the dentist. With more people visiting the dentist and having access to healthy teeth this will inevitably enhance the smiles of people in the UK.

One of the biggest problems however is that nearly 100,000 fewer children visited the dentist in the most recent research compared to previously produced statistics.If this trend isn’t reversed then the jokes about British teeth may become true again in years to come!

Campaigns such as this “Is your mouth making you sick?” infographic have also helped raise the awareness of going to the dentist, particularly with its links to heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer

11178238_890751444300576_6694287101767843940_n

Proof that the British teeth are something to smile about

 

Before
After cosmetic dentistry

This patient had cosmetic dentistry using dental veneers to restore her smile.

The advent of additional treatment styles has also enable more people to access treatments which make their smiles look better. In the past these treatments were not available in the UK but modern orthodontics which allow invisible, rapid and lifestyle treatments to straighten teeth have now become commonplace.

Six month smiles is a great example of this, this modern treatment has allowed more patients to access orthodontic braces than ever before. Orthodontics is generally the preferred way to straighten teeth, rather than have dental veneers. Orthodontics maintains your natural tooth structure which is an optimum treatment for most dentists.

If you live locally and would like to visit our dentist in Harrow please complete the form on this webpage to request a free cosmetic dentistry consultation. We are always happy to help you achieve your perfect smile.

References

(1) http://whatscookingamerica.net/HealthBeauty/TeethWhitening.htm

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Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

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A cosmetic dentistry article by Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

As a board member and scientific director and education chair of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, our very own Dr Nishan Dixit is often asked to publish articles on successful cases so that others in the dental profession can learn from his successes. Here is one such article published in The Dentist, Issue 76,  April 2014.

A Happy patient

Nishan Dixit describes a non-invasive composite restoration using a multi-layer technique.

 

Pre treatment
Pre treatment

67 year old male patient presented with a lingual cusp fracture in his lower right first pre-molar, which had an old amalgam restoration. He was not experiencing any pain, but was aware of the rough edge. Since the fracture had occurred, the patient had also become more self-conscious about the discolouration of the tooth.

The treatment options were discussed with the patient. The tooth could either be restored with a direct composite or an indirect laboratory-manufactured restoration. The patient decided on the composite option, as this would provide a more immediate and less disruptive solution. I prefer to offer composite treatment, rather than more invasive procedures, when the clinical situation allows. This is more affordable for the patient, and the durability of the material makes it a realistic long-term alternative.

 

Post-treatment
Post-treatment

Having been a provider of cosmetic dentistry for almost 20 years, I have observed a number of improvements in materials. Long-term studies have proved the reliability of modern composites. The latest developments have produced composites that are more resistant to wear and have better colour stability, combined with reduced polymerisation shrinkage rates.

Composite selection

For a number of years,I have used the Heraeus Venus range of composites exclusively, due to their handling properties and the results achievable. For this case, I chose to use Venus Pearl. It gives high aesthetic outcomes using a multi-layer technique, providing excellent colour adaptation and a natural finish. The material is easy to use, masks well and is highly sculptable and polishable. Compared with earlier technologies, the cured  composite is more flexible under stress and more durable over time.

Venus Pearl includes super-fine nano-hybrid filler particles. This provides even more natural light refraction and supreme aesthetic appearance, combined with a creamy application.

Treatment and outcome

At the treatment appointment, local anaesthetic was administered and the tooth was isolated with rubber dam and a clamp system. The old amalgam restoration was removed and the cavity was rendered caries free. The preparation margins were smoothed and the enamel margins bevelled. A matrix band was then adapted to the tooth. The prepared cavity was etched with 37 per cent phosphoric acid using a total etch technique. The cavity was thoroughly washed, gently dried and primed. Then a bonding agent was placed and polymerised.

Venus Pearl OMC (Opaque Medium Chromatic) was applied to the cavity in 2mm increments. The composite was adapted to the cavity, using a microbrush in a ‘patting’ motion, then polymerised . Approximately 20 per cent of the cavity was filled with OMC and the remaining 80 percent was filled with the Venus Pearl A3 shade. The build-up of the composite was done on a cusp-by¬cusp basis, gradually creating the tooth shape and fissure pattern. During the incremental build-up a small amount of dark brown stain was applied in the fissure areas using an explorer.

Finally, the restoration was polished with Venus Supra discs and a silicone carbide brush. The outcome was a restoration with good aesthetics, achieved with minimum loss of tooth substance and completed in one short visit. The patient was extremely pleased with the end result, leaving him feeling like he had “a new, natural-looking tooth”. He had absolutely no post operative sensitivity or pain. Subsequent recall appointments have shown this has continued to be the case. The treatment has left a healthy tooth and a happy patient.

Practice Update

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit

Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Dr Nishan Dixit

Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)

Dr Nishan Dixit recently attended The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s (AACD) annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, USA.

The conference, AACD 2014, took place April 30-May 3 and was the Academy’s 30th anniversary scientific session. Dr Nishan Dixit had access to multiple hands-on workshops and lectures during the conference, which was attended by an estimated 1,700 dental professionals.

The conference is cosmetic dentistry’s premier event, with some of the world’s most well-known dental educators, live dentistry, access to the latest cosmetic dentistry innovations in the AACD Exhibit Hall, and much more.

Dr James Hastings, the current AACD President said:

“By attending AACD 2014, Dr Dixit is not only showing his commitment to education and the cosmetic dentistry field, but to his patients, the education he received in Orlando will help him provide the best care to those he cares about the most.”