Once again dentistry is in the news and sadly it is for all the wrong reasons, after all good news is never interesting. Firstly there was the television doctor Chris van Tulleken claiming that “Britain has become internationally renowned for having really lousy teeth, with people not caring enough about staining and decay”. The Americans do like to portray British people as having bad teeth – there was the discoloured crooked grin of the character Austin Powers; in one episode of The Simpsons, a dentist scares a young patient into better oral hygiene by showing him a ghastly publication “The Big Book of British Smiles”, which featured mocked up pictures of gappy, unaligned teeth belonging to the Buckingham Palace Guards, the Prince of Wales and Sherlock Holmes. Whilst it is a great story, it is made up and wrong.
Once again this is very old news and somewhat out of date, as I believe everyone has become aware of the appearance of their teeth and the importance of a healthy smile. We are in an age where your image and how you feel and look has become very important; I would agree one of the drivers for this has been the influence of the US television programmes that portray everyone as having big, bright and white smiles. But this look doesn’t suit everyone and at the Dental Spa we will listen to your concerns as an individual and provide you with the smile you deserve.
The second big dental story was the case where a lady was using superglue to stick her teeth back together. This is a sad case where it appears that a profound dental phobia over-ruled common sense. DIY dentistry is always a good story – who can forget the pensioner who pulled out one of his teeth with pliers? These are tragic stories and whilst dentistry can be a complex and technical business; at the Dental Spa we aim to achieve and maintain the highest standards of clinical and technical excellence, ensuring that we are caring for an individual person.
There is plenty of good news out there and there are plenty of options to address everyone’s concerns about the appearance of the teeth. Dentistry has undergone tremendous changes over the past few years, moving on from “needs-based” where the dentist tells you what is required to a patient driven “wants-based” service, with a particular focus on cosmetic dentistry. There are cosmetic treatment options to lighten, reshape and repair teeth to improve the appearance of the teeth and enhance the overall appearance of the smile. The restorative options range from dental veneers through to all-ceramic crowns and bridges.
Chris van Tulleken’s “The Truth About Your Teeth” aired on Thursday 4th June -(watch it on catch up BBC iplayer) and part 2 will air on 11th June, BBC One at 9pm. Watch it and see what you think – look for the good news!!