Dentist reviews on our website
August 28, 2008
So with this (newish) website we wanted to enable people to leave their own reviews on our dental practice - both good and bad on this reviews webpage
We didn’t exactly push this facility, it felt a bit like fishing for compliments - but someone just pointed out that people might actually want to have the opportunity. So, for any of our existing patients please find the facility in the reviews section in the above drop down menu, and click the link. You can enter feedback directly into the form.
Our latest colleague at Winning Smiles, Damien Reilly, had some positive feedback recently, and because it is directly about his dental sedation - which addresses a lot of people’s desire for ‘painless dentistry’ - we thought we’d produce an excerpt here.
I came in for 4 hours sedation with your FANTASTIC sedationist Doctor Damian. It was recommended as I needed 10 upper crowns and surgery to even up my gum lines. This involved a very lengthy treatment, which thankfully I was not aware of. Amazingly I was told to eat and drink before treatment. The drug process to put me to sleep was not in the least bit traumatic. It only involved a tiny needle, with just one drop at a time of the drug. When I came round, I did not feel unwell in the least (just not quite with it). It was a totally stress free experience, and I recommend it to anyone undergoing lengthy/complex work.
Ruth is extremely generous in terms of her comments, but also the time taken to feed back on this site.
We’re just a bit worried now that it looks like we’re paying her instead of the other way round!
Teeth Whitening Draw, no strings
July 17, 2008
Teeth Whitening in Romford and Brentwood (Essex, UK) has grown hugely in popularity this year - if our diary is anything to go by, or perhaps our dental practice is just getting more of the share.
Whichever the case, when we thought of generating more publicity, because everyone deserves to know more about Winning Smiles, the thought of a prize draw popped into someone’s head.
So - here it is, the free teeth whitening draw. Enter online via the link.
Only. We’re not sure that people still go in for these things. Have the public grown cynical of offers? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
The main point is that it’s free to enter, no strings, no massive postal bumpf will arrive, and no spammy email every other day. So what’s to lose?
If you can think of anything, feel free to leave a comment, else perhaps just go ahead and enter. Vote with your feet….for your teeth.
Patients deserve an instant smile
June 20, 2008
Dental Veneer Patients shouldn’t have to wait for a fantastic smile. Thankfully, thanks to another Winning Smiles dental hero, Pascal Magne, they don’t have to.
Veneers are a really great way to tackle dental cosmetic problems when teeth are;
- badly discoloured
- broken/chipped
- have gaps between them
In fact, Veneers are the most asked about cosmetic dental treatment after whitening (which is usually better for discoloured teeth). But there can be a problem…..
Most dentists know how to make perfectly functional temporary crowns. But temporary veneers on the other hand are considered a bit of a black art (if they are considered at all).
Veneers require the removal of a thin layer of enamel from the tooth. And what happens when (even) a thin layer of enamel is removed from a front tooth? The yellow dentine starts to shine through. After committing to veneer treatment, the last thing you want is to come out looking worse -even for a few day! (let alone a few weeks.)… We don’t ask our patients to stand for that.
Pascal currently works and teaches at the University of Southern California and is world renowned for his veneer knowledge and research, and has written THE book, my ‘Veneer-Bible’. Pascal outlines a beautiful technique to produce temporary veneers for patients, whilst waiting for their permanent porcelain [Pascal also teaches how to produce and prep for perfect permanent veneers of course!!].
This is a before photo (old veneers to be replaced), and one showing temporaries veneers in place:
- They look better than the patient’s own teeth.
- They stay put.
- They come off fairly easily when the time comes to glue the permanent ones on.
And the drawbacks?
Well preparation time is longer - but instead of waiting for a couple of weeks, the patient gets instant improvements. We think it’s worth it.
Here are the permanent Veneers in place a week or so later:
Special offer: free teeth whitening with Invisalign
June 12, 2008
I’m delighted to tell you that Winning Smiles Romford are now offering free teeth whitening to people taking up Invisalign treatment.
- EDIT: If you don’t need invisalign, click here for our monthly prize draw to win teeth whitening.
(Sorry about the bold type and cartoon - always with the dramatic stuff this marketing department).
Hopefully, free teeth whitening will be a no-brainer for most people thinking of straightening their teeth, as both treatments are designed to improve the look of the smile. The idea works very well if only because the invisible trays used to straighten the teeth, also house the bleach for overnight whitening.
So, no separate visits and equipment to worry about, and it makes sense for us at Winning Smiles, because we’re not setting up twice, taking a bit off our costs.
Saving £395 on free whitening is a good offer, and we hope an attractive one to our Invisalign patients.
We haven’t yet agreed how long the offer will remain in place, (discussions continue), perhaps we’ll stop offering it when people stop asking for it.
Still, you never know, perhaps people should come in and have a free of charge dental assessment soon, just in case. Contact us here, and we’ll be in touch with some suggested dates.
Cheap white fillings - the truth
May 13, 2008
Approx time to read: 2 mins
I wrote earlier today about white fillings. They are supposed to restore the natural beauty and strength of a damaged tooth.
But all too often they are neither beautiful nor strong…..
The problem is: amalgam fillings (the grey metal ones) are a doddle to fit. They are technique-insensitive. Because they are so forgiving, they tend to last a long time regardless of the skill of the operator (within reason).
In contrast, every step in the process of providing white fillings (from buying the right material through to polishing and finishing) is way more complex than it is for a comparable amalgam.
If you roll up a ball of cheap white filling material and squash it into a roughly prepped hole in the tooth: appointment time: 10 mins. Cost: £50.
The patient is ‘happy’ - they got a ‘cosmetic’ filling in 10 minutes for £50…..(the same patient is not so happy when that filling fails 2 years later and they then have to shell out £500 for a crown!).
Look at the picture of the old filling above (we removed it from a new patient): note how it is getting brown around the edges. Decay carries on merrily under the filling but nobody notices because it usually happens underneath. The result is root canal treatment if it is caught early, but extraction if not.
So here’s a picture of the Winning Smiles replacement white filling. Hard to spot the joins?
Producing natural looking, strong white fillings that last for more than 10 years does take more than 10 mins and costs more than £50.
However that 10 minute white filling could cost a patient the whole tooth!
The best white fillings in the world are made in Italy
May 13, 2008
White fillings may sound straightforward, but this has been a complex field for many years.
One man in particular stands out head and shoulders above the crowd in the science and application of white fillings composite material, designed to last for an incredible 15 to 20 years.
That man is Dr Lorenzo Vanini - a hero of ours at Winning Smiles.
Lorenzo has dedicated his life to producing beautiful white fillings that will last as long as amalgam will. He invented both the advanced material and a far superior tooth colour matching system to ensure that fillings are the natural colour of the teeth. And finally, as you would expect, Lorenzo has perfected an exacting method to apply the fillings.
So, I was delighted to have been invited several times to Italy, Lake Como, to learn from the acknowledged master.
Although, I can assure you I would have travelled to Billericay for those cosmetic dentistry skills, if necessary.
…ok so Essex is not Lake Como, and our nearest celebrity might be Frank Bruno rather than George Clooney (who lives round the corner from Lorenzo), but that now doesn’t stop us providing World class cosmetic fillings!
Smile transformation creates emotional journeys
April 14, 2008
The stress and worry during a complex dental case isn’t only felt by the patient - as all sorts of pressures, not least that of expectation, can fall directly on your friendly dentist’s shoulders.
But its worth it!
As a cosmetic and implant dentist, the greatest feeling in the world is when a mouth has been transformed and a person smiles for the first time with their new teeth.
The first reaction is revealed in the eyes - as bright as the north star, sometimes with tears, sometimes laughter and occasionally a stunned silence. But always there is a sincere joy at the lifting of that invisible veil of self-consciousness.
These are the jewels in my working life.
Nothing compares.
Dental Myth Buster series: The Truth about Bleaching
February 25, 2008
10 years ago or so a little known procedure called ‘dental bleaching’ came over here from the US where it was already in regular usage. (Of course).
Basically, carbamide peroxide (or sometimes hydrogen peroxide) in a gel form was squirted into plastic ‘trays’ which were then fitted over the patient’s teeth and worn over night. After a few nights previously yellow/stained teeth would begin to look noticeably whiter, it really worked!
Brilliant! The incidence of wall to wall veneers dropped through the floor overnight. Dental bleaching was safer (for the teeth) less invasive and a fraction of the cost of dental veneers.
An unbeatable product surely?
Perhaps not. Two things challenged the superiority of this simple, cheap and effective treatment.
- Firstly (American) patients decided that they couldn’t wait a few days for the result, they wanted it instantly!
- Secondly big corporates got a wind of this and realised that if they could persuade both the public and the dentists that bleaching could be done in under an hour they would get rich (and the dentists wouldn’t do so badly either).
‘Power bleaching’ aka ‘Laser bleaching’ was born…and well publicised companies like ‘Britesmile’, and ‘Zoom’ were suddenly offering better results than with the humble bleaching tray in under an hour. These companies spent millions on advertising to dentists and the public.
Recent Posts
- Why we don’t take teeth out unless we have to (orthodontics)
- If you don’t visit your dentist, dot dot dot
- Dental Bridges have had their day.
- Dentist reviews on our website
- Teeth Whitening Draw, no strings
- Saturday Emergency Dental clinic launches
- Patients deserve an instant smile
- Special offer: free teeth whitening with Invisalign
- Cheap white fillings - the truth
- The best white fillings in the world are made in Italy
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