Mothering Sunday is a time when children, no matter what age, pay respect to their Mothers.

Children often give their Mothers a gift normally flowers and a card, as a way of saying thank you for all their care and love throughout the year.

What better way to say thank you to your mum by treating them to the gift of a sparkling white smile.  A teeth whitening procedure using Zoom 2! Teeth Whitening, can give you a brighter, whiter smile in an hour…she’ll love you for it!

Dr Sunita Verma, Principal of Sparkle Dental Boutique was asked to speak at the Young Dentist Conference 2010 at the Royal College of Physicians 2010 on Saturday 13 February, sponsored by Dental Protection, the BDA and BDJ.

The Conference was aimed at the needs of dentists in the early years of their career and Sunita was asked to speak in the `Finding Your Niche’ session and share her experience of how a young clinician can open a private practice and find their niche within the current economic climate. 

Sunita says “It is the first time that I have been asked to speak at a conference and the thought was a bit daunting, but the idea of delivering thought provoking ideas, facts and practical tips to young dentists was greatly appealing. When I bought my practice, there was little help and advice for me and since then dentistry in the UK has gone through a huge change presenting a whole new set of challenges for young dentists today.”  

“Speaking to a full house of 300 young dentists certainly caused a few butterflies in the stomach but what a great experience. My own Vocational Trainer, Dr Kooner who I started my career with was also at the event and it was great to have gone full circle.”  

“Would I do it again? Public speaking and making a presentation is a skill that we do not normally have as dentists. This has been a great opportunity to share my experience and with a bit more practice, I’d certainly take up the gauntlet again.”

Fiction: Braces are only for kids

Fact: There is no upper age limit for orthodontics providing your teeth, bones and gums are healthy. In fact braces have become trendy with celebrities such as Tom Cruise wearing braces as an adult.  

Fiction: Braces are very noticeable and `everyone can see them’

Fact: They need not be. There are several styles of very discrete braces which are suitable for some circumstances and the conventional metal braces are much smaller and very much more attractive than they used to be.   

Fiction: You always need to have teeth extracted before braces

Fact: No. This may only be necessary if the teeth are very overcrowded. 

Fiction: Orthodontic treatment takes years

Fact: With new technological advancements, many dental corrections can be made in as little as 12 weeks, using new removable appliances like the Inman Aligner. On average treatment time varies from 6 – 24 months.   

Fiction: Any dentist can fit braces

Fact: The majority of orthodontic treatment is carried out by those with formal postgraduate orthodontic training. An orthodontist on the General Dental Council Specialist List has undergone between 3-5 years of specialist training after qualifying as a dentist. Sparkle Dental Boutique’s orthodontist, Dr Shahla Rahman, is a Specialist.  

Fiction: Braces make teeth weaker and more mobile

Fact: Quite the opposite. Successfully treated teeth are more effective at load bearing and are less likely to be ground down. Provided you take extra care of your teeth while the braces are on, your bite should be healthier after treatment.   

Fiction: After braces are removed, teeth just move back to their old position again

Fact: Minor tooth movements are normal throughout life, but if you wear retainers as instructed at the end of treatment, your teeth should remain aligned.   

Maintaining good oral health could help keep thinking skills intact in the ageing population, according to an American study.

Researchers from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York claim that gum disease can influence the functioning of the brain through causing inflammation in the body, which they claim can be a risk factor in the loss of good mental functioning. 

The study which was based on adults aged 60 and above found that those with serious gum disease were three times more like to have trouble recalling a three word sequence after a specified period of time.

The research project also found that adults with the highest levels of the pathogen which causes gum disease were two times more likely to fail three digit reverse subtraction tests. They were also nearly three times more likely to struggle with verbal memory tests and twice as likely to fail on verbal recall and subtraction tests.  

The study which was reported in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, was based on more than 2,350 men and women who were tested for periodontitis and completed numerous thinking skills tests as part of a national survey.    

Source: Dental Tribune Dec 2009

When you think of the word stylist, you normally think of a person who creates a look for someone using clothing and accessories, in order to make a statement.  But have you ever thought about your dentist as your personal stylist,ensuring your smile suits your unique style?

Sunita Verma, Principal at Sparkle Dental Boutique says “To style a smile takes a keen eye, and a real interest in understanding your facial features. All faces differ with differing facial symmetry, such as the size of nose or lip width and we need to look at this very carefully before changing your smile, so that your new smile fits with your other facial features.”

“To me styling a smile involves working closely with a patient to gain their trust and confidence. Sometimes they may be celebrities, or may be high fliers in the world of business, but most are ordinary people knowing that their smile needs an overhaul.”

“We do this by meticulously planning each smile transformation. We start by taking photographs of your smile and impressions of your teeth which we use to make a 3d wax up model. This model shows you how your teeth will look like, before actual treatment begins.  We then prepare a smile design prescription or detailed instructions for our master ceramist, another stylist, so that he can make the porcelain veneers or crowns to order. All this careful planning allows us to give you a cosmetically pleasing, stylish smile that will last for many years to come.”

It’s that time again when Dentistry magazine launch their shortlist for the Dentistry Top 50 awards. 

This poll is open to all readers of Dentistry magazine and users of Dentistry.co.uk. Readers are asked to consider who they think are the most influential people in the UK dental profession whether it be colleagues, tutors, association leaders, political figures, media analysts or whoever and we are pleased to confirm that Dr Sunita Verma, Principal of Sparkle Dental Boutique has been shortlisted once again.  

Sunita says “I’m very surprised to be shortlisted. It’s a great honour to even be considered amongst such people who are changing the face of dentistry in the UK.”

At Sparkle Dental Boutique, we are now able to remind you of your dental appointments by text.  

If you do not have a mobile phone, don’t worry as your text message will be delivered via BT to your normal landline in a voice format. 

You will receive a notification from us about your appointment, 48 hours before your appointment time. If you unable to attend your appointment, then please let us know immediately so that we can offer the appointment to someone who may be waiting to be seen urgently.   

Please note, a charge will be made for late cancellations and failed appointments.  

The latest Oral B Smile Report, a study of 2000 participants across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in August 2009, has found that while its no surprise that people make judgements based on initial impressions, it’s a persons smile and teeth which can prompt intuitive views about their lifestyle.  

The report reveals that

• Bad teeth can age you by 13 years

• 82% think you earn more if you have healthy looking teeth

• Men rank a gorgeous smile higher than a great figure

• 40% of men think women with unhealthy teeth must be single

The major study took a group of 1000 men and women and showed them an image of a woman with clean looking teeth. A different group of 1000 men and women were shown an image of the same woman, but in this picture, she had stained teeth.  Both groups were asked the same questions based on the photograph they had seen, with these results.  

Sunita Verma, Principal from Sparkle Dental Boutique says “You can tell a lot about a person through their smile. When we make cosmetic improvements to our patients smiles, we see a dramatic change in confidence, with many patients changing jobs, looking for a new relationships or just trying something totally new.”

Sunita Verma with Cherie Blair at the Women of the Future Awards in Mumbai 

Sunita Verma, Principal of Sparkle Dental Boutique has just returned from Mumbai, where she attended the Women of the Future Awards.

The evening was hosted by Vicki Treadell, British deputy high commissioner of Mumbai, Pinky Lilani OBE, chairman of the Women of the Future Awards and Cherie Blair, awards patron. The event was part of a whole programme of events organised by Vicki, for women in business in the UK to meet with business leaders in Mumbai and visit charities and NGO’s.

Sunita says, ”Winning Professional of the Year at the Women of Achievements Awards in 2009, has opened up a whole host of opportunities, this trip being one of them. I had the opportunity to meet with some amazing, inspirational women from both the UK and from India. It is great to celebrate such talent and to establish a mutually supportive network of fantastic women.”

“Being a major Bollywood fan, one of the things that I was looking forward to most was the visit to Yash Raj studios, where they make Bollywood films. Sadly there was no film shooting during our visit…but I managed to catch up on all Bollywood gossip.”