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.”

MPs have voted to ban tobacco vending machines and retain the ban on tobacco displays at point of sale.

Tobacco is linked to three quarters of mouth cancer cases and also is a major cause of gum disease.  Mouth cancer kills about one person every five hours in the UK, with about 1,800 dying each year.

It is diagnosed annually in more than 5000 people, an overall rise of 40% in ten years. Mouth cancer usually affects people over 40, though more young people are developing it. People who smoke and drink are 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer.

Research now suggests that (HPV) transmitted by oral sex could soon rival tobacco and alcohol as the main cause of mouth cancer  

Sunita Verma, Sparkle Dental Boutique says, ”Visually appealing point of sale tobacco displays are a temptation for impulse purchases. Now that there is a ban on tobacco vending machines, this should help keep tobacco out of children’s reach. This in turn will help reduce the number of people who take up smoking and therefore the number of patients with mouth cancer.“

 Source: Dental Tribune 9-15 Nov

White wine stains teeth in the same as red wine, say researchers from the New York University College of Dentistry.

Researchers carried out experiments with cow’s teeth, exposing them to white wine and tea.  They found that the teeth were significantly more stained than when they were exposed to a combination of tea and water. The researchers however, found that red wine still poses the greatest risk to staining of human teeth.  

Two sets of six cows’ teeth were soaked in white wine for an hour before being immersed in black tea. Although stains were deeper with white wine than with water, red wine still caused the darkest stains because of a “highly pigmented” substance called chromogen.  

Sunita Verma from Sparkle Dental Boutique says “For all those wine drinkers (including me!), giving up wine is not the answer. The best way to avoid yellow, stained teeth is through the daily use of a toothpaste which contains a teeth whitening ingredient and professional teeth whitening with a dentist.” 

Sunita Verma, Principal of Sparkle Dental Boutique has been invited by Vicki Treadell, Deputy High Commissioner in Mumbai to join a delegation of business women in Mumbai, the commercial and entertainment centre of India. The trip will consist of meeting with business leaders, visits to charities and NGO’s in Mumbai.  

Cherie Blair will be hosting the Cherie Blair Foundation Conference on Friday 11^th December aimed at the empowerment of women.  

Sunita says “It’s a great opportunity to meet some of the leading business leaders in India. I am looking forward to meeting Ms Chanda Kochar, the first woman to head ICICI bank. A visit to the House of Tata will also be a truly amazing experience.”

“Mumbai also houses India’s Hindi film and television industry known as Bollywood and the trip also includes a visit to Yash Raj Studio’s. Yash Chopra the “Godfather of Bollywood” will be hosting this segment of the tour and how amazing to meet the maker of India’s most successful films with stars like Amitabh Bachan and Shahrukh Khan. I am so excited about this element of the trip and am hoping to catch a glimpse of some  Bollywood’s stars at the studios whilst I am there!”

“Mumbai is such a melting pot and a city of 15 million living amongst skyscrapers and slums. With the success of Slumdog Millionaire, I am really keen to be exposed to Mumbai’s slums first hand and part of our delegation will include visits to a few NGO’s. I am sure that this will not only be emotionally challenging but also very rewarding”.  

For Sunita, the opportunity of taking part in events like this, widen her breadth of business experience and she enjoys the fact that the success of her dental practice is enabling her to say “yes” to this kind of opportunity. She is revelling in the opportunity to meet other inspirational people outside of clinical dentistry and see what she can bring back to Sparkle Dental Boutique. 

Winter is upon us and many of us stop smiling, or certainly smile less.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression, is a mood disorder where people who normally feel fine throughout most of the year, experience symptoms similar to depression in the winter.

Dr Sunita Verma from Sparkle Dental Boutique, Hanwell says `Some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. When it comes to winter, they feel tired, have little energy and crave sweets and `comfort foods’. There are many different treatments for SAD, ranging from light therapies to anti depression medication’.

Sunita goes on to say `At Sparkle Dental Boutique, we have purposely introduced as much natural lighting into the practice as possible, from light and airy roof windows to floor to ceiling glass doors in the treatment rooms to allow as much brightness in. We also have special lighting throughout the practice to enhance our patients experience.’

Sparkle Dental Boutique also offers many services to keep you smiling through the winter months from professional teeth whitening, to restoring your teeth whether they are crooked, rotated, uneven, long, short or just generally worn.     

Your phone is wireless. Your computer too. So why aren’t your braces?  

Many teens as they grow are conscious about not only looking good but also feeling good too. Invisalign Teen™ is the ideal solution offering a clear alternative to conventional braces. It’s clear, comfortable and best of all its invisible, so no one will know you have them on!  

Unlike fixed braces, Invisalign Teen™ allows you to remove the aligners which means you can continue to enjoy your normal life. You can continue regular daily activities whether that’s  playing sport, musical instruments or even eating and drinking while still being able to brush and floss with ease.  Invisalign Teen™ is particularly suited for continued brushing and flossing and is gentle on your teeth and mouth. 

How does it work? 

At your appointment, we take photographs, digital x-rays and impressions of your teeth and make a treatment plan.

The records that have been taken are sent to Align Technology where they are turned into a 3d digital representation of your teeth. This allows us to show you your projected end results before starting treatment!  A series of aligners will then be custom manufactured for you. The aligners fit around your teeth only and will be changed every two weeks for a new one. Each aligner is slightly different from the previous one moving your teeth gently into the desired position and giving you a smile to be proud of.  

The length of treatment depends on the severity of your case and on average takes between 9-18 months.

At Sparkle Dental Boutique, we are pleased to announce the arrival of the KODAK 8000C Digital Panoramic and Cephalometric System.

The 8000c enables us to take panoramic x-rays that will show the whole mouth, including all the teeth and the bone structure that support the teeth. The 8000C System delivers clear, properly exposed panoramic and cephalometric images in the blink of an eye.

Sunita Verma, Principal at Sparkle Dental Boutique says “The 8000C System makes fast, accurate diagnoses and helps improve communication with patients. Until now, digital systems had to scan a patient’s head for up to 8 to 18 seconds. But Kodak’s innovative one shot technology captures the image in just over a second, drastically reducing the risk of blurred images and significantly improving comfort levels for patients”.

Sunita goes on to say “The panoramic x-rays are fantastic and are particularly useful for our orthodontist when treating children with orthodontic problems. These x-rays are used to view all of the teeth on one film as well as the upper and lower jaws and the temporomandibular joints (TMJs) as well as the sinuses above your upper teeth. Panorex x-rays do not require a film to be put in the child’s mouth and therefore this is particularly helpful for children who gag easily or who have small mouths.”

“This machine also shows the head from the side and is used to evaluate growth of the jaws and the relationship of bones in the skull. It really helps us make an accurate diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.”

 Kavita painting classrooms in Jaipur, India

Have you seen this movie with Kevin Spacey? The theme was about doing something that really helps people. Something that they cannot do by themselves and something that you do for them that they in turn do for other people.

After crying buckets in the movie, I thought what a simple, yet amazing idea in that if someone does something for you no matter how big or small, you don’t pay it back…you pay it forward.

I’ve been very fortunate in my life in that I have been the recipient of many pay it forwards, and life has given me so much to be grateful for. Having done some hands on voluntary work in India in December 2006, and also reading with children for the charity Voluntary Reading Help locally, I wanted to do something again. I didn’t want to just give a monthly donation to a charity where the money would be swallowed up administration, I wanted to get involved.  

India has always held a special place in my heart, a place where my parents are from. It’s  cultural diversity, the coexistence of a number of religions, the mixture of traditional and modern and a place of extreme poverty and wealth. I came across the UK based Charity Children Walking Tall, which is dedicated to helping slum and street children in India.  What most impressed me about this charity was that it was a small charity, which was making a huge impact on the lives of children at grass root level, giving them a springboard out of poverty and a childhood worthwhile remembering.

I got in touch with the charity, checked their accounts and decided that this was a charity that I would like to get involved with. In February 2009, I announced to my team at Sparkle Dental Boutique that I would be away for three months.  After an initial “what will we do without you”, the team rallied around and have been incredibly supportive. All agreed to take their leave by September so that I could make this trip. We also took part in a team sponsored walk over the Bridges of London and raised about £1,900.00.

Sparkle Dental Boutique runs like clockwork with tried and tested systems in place..so am I nervous about leaving the practice? No, not at all. The team are fully trained and I know they will give it their all whilst I am away. It’s just a little crazy that three new people are joining  Sparkle the week that I leave!!! 

What will I be doing? I will be based in Mapusa, North Goa. Providing an informal education for the children is part of the work, as well as producing a huge range of activities for the children. Outreach work is done in two local slums where I will be involved in providing access to education and health care and nutrition.

Festivals in India are an integral part of people’s lives and whilst in India, celebrating two of the biggest festivals, Diwali and Christmas will be a real treat! I am also looking forward to time out from my daily routine. 

My time away is self funded, so sorting out my mortgage payments, bills etc has been a chore. Getting jabs, visa’s, suitcases, anti malaria tablets and arts and crafts for the children is what I’ve been doing in the run up to my departure. I‘ve bought stencils, glitter, beads, buttons and giant jigsaw puzzles to take with me. Blue Peter eat your heart out!  I am also taking toothbrushes, toothpastes and tooth related activities so that I can help motivate the children to look after their teeth.

With just a few days to go before I leave…I am feeling very excited but also a little anxious. Last night I dreamt that I had nits in my hair!!!

Having told friends, family and patients that I am going away, I have been surprised by people’s generosity and support. I have also been amazed by how many people pay it forwards, quietly without any fuss, bother or thanks. They just do it!  Sometimes the simplest things can make the biggest difference and I’m thankful of this opportunity to pay it forward!  

Kavita Verma, Boutique Manager