Welcome to our Newsletter page. Below you'll find our two most recent newsletters.

Current Newsletter

August 2007

Many of you have said how much you enjoy our newsletters, and we think the newsletter gives us a valuable opportunity to update you on the practice and the latest happenings in dentistry.

P ractice News

Emma will be returning to work with us in September on a part time basis after the birth of Stanley on 12th March.

It seems like we are destined to be all part timers. Touraj Razavi has beaten over a hundred other Dentists to be accepted on the prestigious Guy’s Dental Hospital MSc. Course in Implantology. The course is in London and he will be studying there for two days per week over the next two years.

We are glad to welcome a new dentist, Jessica Poulsom, who will be working with us on Wednesdays and Fridays. Jessica comes to us with her experience in paediatrics and oral surgery at the Bristol Dental Hospital. Jessica’s is a permanent appointment, which will increase our overall capacity when Touraj returns to full time working on completion of his course.

You now have a choice of five dentists at the practice. Please feel free to ask Reception for the dentist of your choice.

Reception

We are also pleased to welcome Sarah Rossiter who joins our staff on Reception. Sarah comes from Clevedon and has worked previously in Customer Support roles.

Our policy of reminding patients of their appointments the day before has been successful in reducing the number of failed appointments. Please can you ensure that we have your up to date telephone number, and let us know if you would prefer not to be reminded.

Car parking in Portishead is now very difficult. Unfortunately there is no way of increasing the size of or car park and many patients now have to drive around to find a parking slot. Please try to help us to keep on time by allowing enough time to park and get to the surgery on time. I appreciate that we are not always the best of time keepers ourselves; however, any delay causes a knock on effect through the day that affects all our patients.

Environmental Initiative

We are going through a “Green” phase. A lot of dentistry is very “ungreen”. For example, we use a huge amount of disposable items that cannot be recycled, for obvious reasons, and have to be incinerated. In order to do our bit, we are trying to reduce our energy consumption where possible. We have replaced most of the lights in the surgeries and waiting rooms with new low-energy fittings and bulbs and have just replaced all the old single glazed windows in the building with double glazing.

We are always looking to improve our service to you.

Please let us know if you think that there is any aspect of your dental care that we have not addressed properly. Similarly, if you think that we are providing you with a high level of care please recommend us to your friends and relatives.

Previous Newsletter

April 2007

Many of you have said how much you enjoy our newsletters, and we think the newsletter gives us a valuable opportunity to update you on the practice and the latest happenings in dentistry.

Mouth Cancer AwarenessOn a more positive note, although the recommended intake of fruit and vegetables is five portions per day, we have had confirmation that just one portion can reduce your likelihood of getting mouth cancer by 50%. When we see you for your routine check up we carry out a soft tissue examination to check for anything that might be unusual. There are lots of things that can go on in the mouth that are not at all sinister, but patients worry about them instead of getting them checked up. If you have any worries or concerns please contact us and ask for an early appointment.

Leaflets explaining some of these common conditions are available from reception.

Gum DiseaseIt has long been known that patients with diabetes are more susceptible to gum disease. Recent research however is now indicating out that gum disease may actually be a contributory factor in the development of diabetes. Gum disease is also being implicated in the formation of blockages in the arteries and progression of heart disease. The good news is that gum disease is preventable. All our patients should be aware of the gum check that we perform every check up. This is when we prod the gums and call out numbers between 1 and 4. If you have a gum score of 3 or 4 then you will be made aware that you have gum disease. There is a lot of undiagnosed gum disease in the population. It is an insidious disease and many people are unaware that they have this problem until the late stages of the disease causes symptoms such as mobility of even loss of otherwise healthy teeth. Please ask your relatives if they know their own gum score - it might be that they are some of the many untreated sufferers in the population.

Practice News Emma has had a baby boy. Stanley was born on 12th March - both mother and baby are fine. Another Emma (Emma Purnell) is now working with us to cover Emma’s maternity leave. She is an experienced dental nurse and receptionist, having worked in a dental practice in Clevedon for 10 years.

Environmental InitiativeWe are going through a “Green” phase. A lot of dentistry is very “ungreen”. For example, we use a huge amount of disposable items that cannot be recycles, for obvious reasons, and have to be incinerated. In order to do our bit, we are trying to reduce our energy consumption where possible. We have replaced most of the lights in the surgeries and waiting rooms with new low-energy fittings and bulbs - although this has had a knock on effect that the ceilings now need to be repaired!

We are always looking to improve our service to you.Please let us know if you think that there is any aspect of your dental care that we have not addressed properly. Similarly, if you think that we are providing you with a high level of care please recommend us to your friends and relatives.