When considering cosmetic dentistry what should you be looking for? 

Cosmetic dentistry is defined as “any type of dental procedure which enhances the patient’s teeth and their smile — thus improving a person’s overall appearance and self-confidence.” 

So if you have teeth that are crooked, uneven, missing, discoloured, short, long or crowded and you are not sure how to go about finding a dentist who can help you to achieve the smile of your dreams, then look no further.

When choosing a cosmetic dentist consider the following:

EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

Many cosmetic dentists attend conferences and courses through groups like the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD). Attending such courses demonstrates that the dentist is keeping up to date with the latest technologies and treatments.

Membership in Professional Societies:

Membership in dental societies shows a commitment to quality cosmetic dentistry. In the UK look out for memberships to organisations such as the British Dental Association (BDA) and the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF). Those that belong to the BACD demonstrate clinical excellence through continuing professional development.

Specialization:

As well as giving you a beautiful smile, a good cosmetic dentist should be concerned about your overall general dental health. 

PROFESSIONALISM

When considering cosmetic dentistry, you want to choose a dentist who you feel comfortable with, one who understands what you are looking to achieve. Consider things like:

Integrity:

Look for a cosmetic dentist who provides you with clear solutions and realistic expectations. Your satisfaction will be highest if you have a good understanding of what is truly possible from your dental treatment.

Evidence:

During your consultation, be prepared, ask lots of questions. Ask your cosmetic dentist to show you before and after photos of their previous work, powerpoint presentations, photo albums and so on. Ask to read previous testimonials from other patients who may have had similar treatment as to what you are considering and ask if the practice can put you in touch with a previous patient who has had similar work done.

Patience:

Look for a cosmetic dentist who takes the time to listen to your concerns and goals for your teeth and smile and thoroughly answers your questions.

ENVIRONMENT/TEAM

The environment as well as the team who will be looking after you, are also important things to consider when choosing your cosmetic dentist.

Team:

Look for people who are friendly, polite, knowledgeable and caring.

Technology:

Ask what latest equipment the practice uses. This will demonstrate how up to date the practice is. The more state of the art technology the practice has, the greater the likelihood of a more comfortable dental visit.

Practice:

Ask a team member to give you a tour of the practice. Do they have a separate sterilisation room? Does the practice look clean and tidy?  

“I got a new bridge two months ago at another practice. Two weeks after the bridge was fitted, I cleaned under the bridge using superfloss. There was a horrible smell.  I have been cleaning the area three times a day, but it remains the same. What can I do?”

Dr Sunita Verma says:  

Firstly, I think it would be a good idea to have your bridge checked to ensure that the bridge is fitting well. When a bridge is first fitted, you need to get into a good oral hygiene routine straight away.

At Sparkle Dental Boutique, I routinely encourage my patients to see our hygienist, particularly if they have had restorations fitted including a bridge, crown or porcelain veneers.  

After eating and before you go to bed, you need to brush your teeth and gums with a soft brush, especially where the bridge meets the gum line (margin). At the margin, harmful bacteria can gather to cause tooth decay and gum disease. You also need to floss at least once a day using superfloss. This will help to remove plaque under and around these areas to maintain good oral hygiene. With a bridge you must clean under as well as around the bridge to prevent food debris and plaque gathering and the area becoming infected.

My advice would be for you to see a dentist so that they can check your bridge and also check whether you have an infection under the bridge. I would also advise you to see a hygienist for professional cleaning so that any build up around your bridge and teeth can be removed. The hygienist can also show you you how to look after your bridge and maintain good oral health.

National Smile Month is run by the UK’s leading independent oral health charity, the British Dental Health Foundation. Dedicated to improving the public’s oral health, this year’s campaign of ‘Teeth4Life’ highlights the importance of looking after your teeth and maintaining them for life. 

The three key messages of the campaign are

• Brush teeth twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste

• Visit the dentist regularly, as often as they recommend

• Cut down on how often you have sugary snacks and drinks

To support the event, at Sparkle Dental Boutique, all patients visiting the practice during this month will receive a toothbrush and toothpaste kit to help keep their teeth for life! 

In the lead-up to this year’s campaign, evidence of the first documented link between a foetal death and the mother’s pregnancy-related gum disease emerged in the United States. The case emphasized the importance of preventive dental treatment and good oral health practice. The foundation continues to report the latest evidence of systematic links between oral health and overall health. 

Premature Births

In January 2010, Microbiologist Yiping Han, the lead author of a U.S. case study conducted a Cleveland’s Department of Periodontics at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Ohio, identified oral bacteria originating from a 35 year-old woman’s gingivitis as the cause of her stillborn baby. Findings were published in the February issue of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 

Heart

In May 2009, new research findings on gum disease and heart disease reveal evidence of the specific genetic variant linking aggressive periodontitis and coronary heart disease. 

Diabetes

May 2009, when new evidence was presented at the 2009 International Association of Dental Research Conference which supported casual links between oral health and diabetes. The importance of dental care as an ideal opportunity for early diabetes screening came after studies suggested that those with periodontitis and unchecked gum disease were linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. 

Source: BDHF

Dentists are often the first people to notice that someone has an eating disorder. Those with bulimia, have a noticeable difference in the condition of their teeth and a loss of teeth is not an uncommon occurrence.

Bulimia is an eating disorder where the sufferer overeats and then induces vomiting, by pushing fingers or using an implement such as a toothbrush into the back of the mouth.

Sunita Verma from Sparkle Dental Boutique says “Bulimia can cause very serious dental problems. Gastric acid found in the mouth as a result of vomiting causes the tooth enamel to erode and the teeth can become soft. The gums also start to erode causing fillings to jut out over the gum line. In severe cases, if the condition is left untreated the final outcome could be the complete loss of all teeth.

In terms of dental advice for those suffering from bulimia, you should not brush your teeth immediately after vomiting as this will turn the teeth yellow and will also speed up the tooth decay process. Rinsing the mouth with water is a better option and in addition, chewing gum will also help combat the effects of gastric acid on the teeth.  A fluoride mouthwash and tooth paste is advisable to help reduce tooth decay.

For those who have a huge wearing down of enamel, we can restore these teeth with crowns. A crown strengthens existing, damaged teeth so as to preserve its functionality. Crowns also improve the aesthetics of your smile.”

Sunita says “Bulimia is an illness that in the majority, affects women of all ages. Many patients don’t like to say that they are suffering from bulimia but their dental health reveals a different story. We have an all female team who are sympathetic and caring when seeing patients whose dental health has suffered as a result of bulimia. Fortunately, there is a lot of help available and it is vital that if anyone is suffering from bulimia that they come in to see us, so that we can help to reduce any further damage to the teeth.”

Modern cosmetic restorations like dental implants, crowns and bridges, look and feel just like your own natural teeth. All result in improved appearance and good oral hygiene. How?

• Crowns preserve compromised teeth and combined with bridges, they prevent teeth from drifting. Implants also prevent drifting and they preserve bone tissue. All three procedures are directly responsible for improved self confidence…which will of course keep you smiling!                                 

• A bridge is a combination of crowns and artificial restorations that close a gap left by a missing tooth (or teeth) restoring your smile and redistributing the workload.  Placing a crown on a high risk tooth as early preventive treatment, saves time and money and maybe even your tooth!  

• If you are in good general and oral health, you may be an excellent candidate for dental implants – no matter what your age.

Sunita Verma, Principal from Sparkle Dental Boutique says “When our patients have periodontal (gum) disease, we use dentomycin in conjunction with root planning and scaling treatments, which lead to a marked reduction in bacteria in patients mouths. It has a positive anti-inflammatory action which allows the connective tissues to reattach back to the tooth.” 

Dentomycin is a periodontal gel that effectively reduces pocket depths and bacteria levels while actively promoting periodontal healing. The gel contains an antibiotic well known for its ability to eliminate key periodontal pathogens. 

The Dentomycin gel is delivered directly into the periodontal pocket. It binds to the tooth surface and is released slowly, attacking the bacteria. Clinical studies show that dentomycin treatment reduces the bacteria that cause periodontitis and reduces the depth of treated pockets. These changes indicate an improvement in gum health.

We are proud to announce that Dr Sunita Verma from Sparkle Dental Boutique has won the award for Best Patient Smile at the Smile Awards 2010.  

Sunita launched Sparkle Dental Boutique in 2007 and within a space of three years has gone on to win many awards including: Most Attractive Practice 2007, Best Team London 2008, Best Team UK 2008, Best Practice Environment 2007, Best Practice London 2007 and Best Practice London 2008 and Professional of the Year 2009.

Sunita says “The Smile Awards took place at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington on Saturday 27th March and it was a great opportunity to mingle with those who are at the top of their profession.

I was nominated by one of my patients under the Patient Smile category for the improvements that I had been able to make to his smile which in turn had had a positive impact on his life. 

It was great to have been selected as a finalist but winning the award is a fantastic achievement. All credit goes to my amazing team who really are the `wind beneath my wings’, without whom I would be unable to make Sparkle Dental Boutique the success that it is.”

Sunita Verma from Sparkle Dental Boutique says, “If you’ve not been to see me for a while then you may see me wearing loupes or special magnifying glasses with a light shining from the loupes, very much like the light you see on a miners helmet! 

No need to worry, loupes give a better visualization of the oral cavity and are a great tool for making accurate diagnosis. They allow me to see even the slightest imperfection which is particularly useful when carrying out detailed dental or cosmetic procedures.

For my patients this means greater confidence and perfect results.”   

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.”