COMBE ROAD
NEWSLETTER
OPEN DAY SUCCESS
We held our open day in November to focus on Dental Implants. Implants can be used to replace single teeth
or
bridges, or
to
help fix dentures securely. There has been tremendous development over the last ten years, and we are now happy to recommend implants as the optimum treatment for an increasing number of cases.
We
were pleasantly surprised by the level of interest shown at the open day and
are therefore offering a
further
opportunity for our
patients
to
book a free
Implant
consultation
for 26 January 2011
.
OPEN DAY OFFERS
As part of our open day promotions, we are offering vouchers for £50 off Tooth Whitening and £5 off Gum Shields. We are also making these offers open to all our patients up until the end of February 2011. These bring our prices down to £250.00 for home whitening kits and £34.50 for gum shields.
TREATMENT ABROAD
We have recently
seen a
number
of patients
who
have had
dental
treatment
abroad
, particularly in Eastern Europe
.
Some of the work has been good,
but
a lot
has fallen well short of the standard considered
acceptable in this country.
It is true that prices may be cheaper abroad than in this country
-
in some cases the overall price may be cheaper than UK material prices alone. However, how can you tell in advance what standard you will get? A recent TV programme addressed this very problem
in respect of cosmetic surgery
. Can you trust any guarantees?
If
you have a problem (
and lots of people do
),
wh
at do you do? Is it the responsibility of the clinic or the individual dentist, and i
s the dentist that did the work still there? Who was he/she?
We have
also
noticed that
patients with active gum disease
have been given
implant
treatment plans
by other clinics both in the UK and abroad
without reference to treating the gum disease first
.
It is essential that any gum disease should be eliminated before implant treatment commences, otherwise the disease can
spread to th
e implant
causing
the
expensive
implant
treatment
to fail
within just a few years
PERIODONTAL (GUM) DISEASE
Recent
research
has linked
periodontal disease with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
We now know that
i
nfections of the gums have a
significant
effect
on the whole body
, so it is very important that you know the state of your gums
. W
e check your gum status as part of
your regular examination and record
the results
in your notes.
The results are
based on a
grading
system
from 1 to 4.
Grades
1 and
2 are
OK,
but
3
and 4 indicate gum disease
.
LABORATORY
Our in
-
house laboratory has been a great success
. D
entists and patients
alike have appreciated both t
he convenience
and the high quality of work produced by Nash. All-in-all the success of this venture has exceeded our initial expectations and w
e are now in a position to
open up our
denture service to
patients
who
attend other
practices
for their regular treatment.
There are a number of different types of denture in addition to the “standard” acrylic (plastic) denture most commonly used. One alternative that can provide a much comfier and secure f
i
t is
the “Chrome” denture that uses
a
metal
framework in place of the normal plastic.
T
his is
not commonly offered to patients
because chrome dentures require specialist skills to manufacture
.
Fortunately, we are able to produce these in house.
If you are having difficulties with
your
dentures then
please
come and talk to us. Also, please let any friends who may also be experiencing difficulties know that we may be able to help them and
suggest that they
contact us
for a
consultation
.
STAFF NEWS
Vassia
Karpeta joined us earlier this year, but
is leaving at Christmas to concentrate on her MSc project
. Patients
who
have been seeing her for their treatment will be offered appointments with
Janet,
Yvonne
or
Simon. Please
let R
eception know if you have a preference
– particularly if you would like to take advantage of Simon’s evening surgeries
.
METHODS OF PAYMENT
With the financial crisis
still impacting the country
, many people are assessing the way that they manage their accounts.
Both Denplan and Smiletech have been held at the same price now for two years and give very good value.
To enable you to access dental care we have many different payment systems in place:
Ø
Pay as you go.
Ø
Smiletech
,
Denplan (monthly capitation
payments
covering most
items of treatment
)
Ø
Family Plan (basic cover).
Ø
Interest Free
Direct
D
ebit payments
-
pay over
6 -12 months
.
Ø
Longer-term
payment scheme
through C
h
rysalis
Finance Ltd
.
Please contact Reception for
further
details
.