Clock Tower Dental Care

Accreditation Success for Donald

Clock Tower Dental Care — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:00:03 +0000

Never one to rest on his laurels Donald is now seeking accreditation with the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Already a full member of the BACD and Scientific Director for the academy Donald has now successfully submitted 3 of the 5 cases needed to achieve accreditation. The accreditation process involves 5 different treatments, in each case completing the clinical work to the highest possible standard and then submitting relevant photographs and case notes to be examined by the Board of Examiners. Donald passed all three cases with flying colours and examiners complimented his “obviously excellent clinical skills”. Donald was very pleased with the outcome and is now looking forward to the next two cases, one of which is to repair a broken front tooth. This can be a repair to a freshly broken tooth or the replacement of an existing repair which has failed for some reason. If you know of anyone who has a broken front tooth that needs attention then why not recommend Donald to them, they can be sure of having their tooth repaired to the highest standard and Donald will have another case completed.

Donald's accreditation cases

High Flying Laura

Clock Tower Dental Care — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:24:20 +0000

Laura is doing a sponsored tandem parachute jump at the end of the month and everyone here would like to wish her luck, we’re sure she’ll really enjoy it a nd we hope the weather is great. Laura is raising funds for the intensive care unit at Jimmy’s hospital in Leeds. This will be her first ever tandem jump and although nervous about it, she is really looking forward to the jump.

Happy Easter

Clock Tower Dental Care — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:47:46 +0000

We would like to wish all our patients a “Happy Easter” with a gentle reminder to all those patients, especially the younger ones, who may be indulging in chocolate eggs over the holidays. Please remember to brush your teeth well morning and night with a fluoride toothpaste and try to limit your chocolate eating to after meals. Or why not try painting hens eggs or hard boiling them and finding a hill to roll them down on Sunday morning- much better for your teeth!

Happy Easter from all the team at Clock Tower Dental Care.

Dentists visit school-again

Clock Tower Dental Care — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:45:56 +0000

Once again some of Clock Tower’s dentists were back at school again. This time Donald and Hamish were talking to pupils at Ripon Grammar School about choosing dentistry as a profession as part of the school’s Career Evening. “It was great to see so many young people interested in dentistry and to be able to explain to them what diversity there can be in dentistry. There is the capacity for dentists to work as a general dentist or for them to develop an interest in particular areas of dentistry like cosmetic dentistry, endodontics or dental implants for example”, Donald said afterwards. Hamish was also keen to point out that there are many different environments for dentists to work in as well, from a local dental practice to a hospital setting or serving as a dentist with the armed forces, something which both Donald and Hamish have done. Hamish was also able to give students up to date advice on applying for university as he is involved with Leeds University.

Donald and Hamish talking to parents and pupils at the recent Ripon Grammar School careers evening.

The evening went well and Donald and Hamish both look forward to attending next year’s event.

Top 10 tips for a healthy mouth

Clock Tower Dental Care — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:46:04 +0000

Sharon, Sam and Jane, our dedicated team of hygienists, have put together a list of their top 10 tips for healthy mouths to help anyone who is looking for the best way to care for their teeth. Their advice is a s follows:

Visit your dentist for regular examinations- they are not only checking for decay but also gum disease, oral cancer and healthy functioning of the jaws and teeth.
Brush your teeth twice a day and clean between the teeth using floss or inter-dental brushes as recommended by your dentist or hygienist
Smoking is bad for the overall health of your mouth and gums so if you want to keep your mouth healthy don’t do it
Limit sugar intake to 3 times a day and have it with meals.
Wear a mouthguard when playing active sports – ask your dentist about custom made mouthguards which offer the optimal fit and protection
Use a fluoride toothpaste, research does show that it helps to prevent decay
Don’t ignore bleeding gums, tell your dentist/hygienist at your next visit about them and use a toothpaste which promotes health gums
Renew your toothbrush every three months, ask your hygienist which one would be particularly suitable for your teeth
Eat a healthy diet
Chewing sugar free chewing gum in between meals promotes the production of saliva which has natural anti-bacterial properties

If you have any questions about these tips email the practice on info@clocktowerdentalcare.co.uk putting “hygiene tips” in the subject lines and Sharon, Sam or Jane will answer them for you.

Donald in Smile Awards Final

Clock Tower Dental Care — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:21:58 +0000

We are all excitedly waiting to hear this weekend how Donald gets on in the national Smile Awards 2010. He has been shortlisted in the “Patient’s Award” category which he describes as “particularly rewarding as it is like a double award. In this category dentists are nominated by their patients which is extra special because it shows that the patient is delighted with their smile. The nominees are then shortlisted by the judges , a panel of highly qualifed and regarded dentists, who appreciate the technical aspects of the smile. ”

The Smile Awards recognise and reward aesthetic and clinical excellence in dentistry nationwide so to be shortlisted among the nation’s premier dentists is already a considerable achievement. Donald, who was a runner up in last year’s awards, views the nomination as a reflection of the quality of the care and expertise we offer to all our patients at Clock Tower Dental Care . “Knowing that patients are so delighted with the smiles we create for them is really the best award, ” said Donald ” and knowing that the judges appreciate the technical aspects of the smile is the icing on the cake ”

Good luck on Saturday, Donald, from all the team.

Donald, far right, with some of the team members.

Dentistry in school

Clock Tower Dental Care — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:30:14 +0000

In keeping with our preventative care policy at Clock Tower Dental Care Dr Nicola Taylor returned to school recently to encourage and inform local schoolchildren to keep their teeth healthy.

Nicola visited Class 1 and Class 2 at Fountains C of E Primary School to help the children understand how to look after their teeth. They played games to identify which foods were good and bad for your teeth, looked at pictures of what happens to teeth if they are not looked after properly and used disclosing tablets to see where plaque likes to stick to teeth. Nicola, who thoroughly enjoyed her visit, said “It was interesting to see what the children thought about food and looking after their teeth. Some children thought chocolate coated cereal would be good for their teeth because it was cereal whereas the chocolate coating isn’t good for teeth. It is important that children know how to look after their teeth from a young age as this will ensure that they have healthy mouths for as long as possible, reducing the need for fillings and extractions.”

The children wrote to thank Nicola for her visit saying how much they had enjoyed the activities and promising that they would try hard to look after their teeth in the future.

If your school is interested in having a similar visit please contact the practice to see what we can arrange.

When is water not good for you?

Clock Tower Dental Care — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:29:00 +0000

From your teeth’s point of view water is not good for you when it has bubbles in it. Drinking sparkling mineral water is the same as drinking other non-sugar or diet fizzy drinks. While these drinks do not contain sugar they are acidic and can lead to acid erosion of the tooth surface which in turn can lead to sensitive teeth and excessive tooth surface loss.

So what can you do if you want to enjoy fizzy drinks and minimise the damage to your teeth?

If you have a fizzy drink wait at least half an hour before brushing your teeth to let the your salivia neutralise the acid in the drink and remineralise your teeth
Drink them through a straw- the acid has less chance to attack the teeth
Only have fizzy drinks occasionally- children especially should have not have fizzy drinks regularly

If your teeth are sensitive you should:

Tell your dentist! Acid erosion is not the only cause of sensitivity.
Limit your intake of acidic drinks and food eg red wine, fizzy drinks, citrus fruits and fruit juices
Use a desensitising toothpaste to brush your teeth

To answer the question, plain water is good for you but sparkling water should be drunk in moderation for the benefit of your teeth.

Welcome to Changing Faces Denture Clinic

Clock Tower Dental Care — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:33:34 +0000

The team at Clock Tower Dental Care is delighted to welcome the Changing Faces Denture Clinic and dental technician Chris Egan to the practice. Clinical Director Donald Sloss says “The arrival of the Clinic at the practice means that those patient who require new or replacement dentures can discuss their needs directly with Chris who will be making the dentures for them. Chris is a highly regarded technician with a wealth of experience which will complement our clinical team. ” The Clinic is available to everyone , whether patients of the practice or not, and Chris is keen to ensure that all denture patients have realistic, well fitting dentures that reflect the patient’s identity and give the patient a naturally beautiful smile. Donald and Chris are particularly looking forward to working closely together on implant retained dentures- where the patient has a small number of dental implants placed in the mouth and the dentures are then fixed to these implants ensuring a fantastic fitting denture that doesn’t need to be removed for cleaning, gives a beautiful smile and enables the patient to eat virtually any food they choose to.

If you would like an appointment at the Clinic and are not a patient of the practice simply phone the reception team on 01765 602161 to arrange one. If you are already a patient of the practice then arrange to see your dentist to discuss your denture needs.

Reminders by texts

Clock Tower Dental Care — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:54:26 +0000

If you have had an appointment with us in the last two weeks or so then maybe you’ve experienced the new system that we are trialling- reminder messages by text. The system sends reminders to those patients whose mobile number is in our records and is an easy way for patients to remember their appointments. If you would like to use this system please ensure that we have your current mobile phone number when you attend for your next appointment. If you have already had a text reminder from us please tell us how useful you found it to help us decide whether to keep the system running after this initial trial period.