It’s A Bit Scabby

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”

By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield

It’s A Bit Scabby

Hello again, I hope you are well and had a great start to 2019.  It’s only just into the New Year and this dental anorak has already been on a course and given a talk about Dental Mavericks.  I had a lovely reception by a group of nice ladies who gave a  donation to our Charity.  It was a bit different as it was in a pub.  It felt like they turned the TV up louder and then somebody started playing pool. Anyway, I just had to talk a bit louder! It was a good gig with a great crowd. Thanks for the invite ladies and thanks ever so much for the donation!

So, What’s A Bit Scabby?

Fibrin, that’s what.  You know when you have a cut or a graze and get a scab and then have a bath or a shower and get it wet and it goes yellow?  Well that’s fibrin.  It is a protein that acts as a mesh scaffold or a matrix for healing.

A few months ago I was banging on about stem cells and how they are used in medicine and surgery to promote healing and how we are using them in our practice by taking blood and spinning in a special machine to utilise them.  The other thing we get is something called Platelet Rich Fibrin or PRF. This stuff acts a scaffold for healing but it also contains more concentrated ingredients such as growth factors and stem cells.

A Bit Of A Head Start

There are many different growth factors.  Some of the most important stimulate the ingrowth of blood vessels.  This is called Angiogenesis.  Angio = blood vessel as in angiogram.  Genesis = the origin or mode of formation of something, in our case new growth.  Angiogenesis is vitally important as blood vessels carry oxygen and that is what is needed for sustained life within the tissues.  Other growth factors stimulate fibroblasts.  Fibroblasts are cells that lay down collagen, which can then be transformed to bone or connective tissue.

Having these more concentrated ingredients for healing can give up to 2 weeks head  start on bone formation after a tooth extraction.  There are also more white blood cells to help prevent infection. All really clever stuff don’t you think. It works very well in dental implant therapy in particular but is not limited to that.

Back From An Adventure Of A Lifetime

I mentioned last time how my son, Edward was off to Peru and then returning to work with us in February.  He’s not back as I write but seems to be having a blast.  He has been making friends!

Having A Ball

Next week is the Dental Mavericks Ball when we aim to raise some money to continue our humanitarian work in Morocco and in Lebanon.  The theme is Peaky Blinders meets Great Gatsby so it should be fun with many a Flapper.

Until next time.  Take care and be good.  Here’s to making a difference.

Chris Branfield is Principal Dentist at Castle Park Dental Care, Castle Villa, 28 Castle Road, Cottingham, telephone 01482 772550.  He has been in dental practice for 26 years and has a special interest in life changing, pain free dentistry with dental implants, rapid teeth straightening and cosmetic dentistry. And, not only that Chris is founder member and trustee of Dental Mavericks charity- ending the daily dental pain of Moroccan kids. For more patient success stories and Chris’
Humanitarian work go here now www.castleparkdental.co.uk

Here’s To Bright New Year

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”

By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield

Here’s To Bright New Year

Hello again, I hope you are well and had a fantastic Christmas.  

Branfield And Son

I am a proud Dad and I’m excited that my son, Edward, will be coming back to join the team at Castle Park Dental Care.  This time, though, it will be as a Dental Therapist, so he will be a clinician.  I know he will be great.  Before he joins us he’s off to Peru for some jungle trekking and climbing Machu Picchu.  I hope he gets back in one piece.  He will be coming with me to Morocco with Dental Maverick’s Charity to do some humanitarian work later in the year.  He has been before as nurse a few times.  That’s what cemented his decision to be a Dental Therapist.  Branfield and Son, eh.

What’s So Bright Then?

Well, I was reflecting on 2018 and what have been my clinical highlights and successes.  The thing that stands out the most as the brightest is…….wait for it….treating snoring with my laser.  Oh I can hear the groans.

Yes, this works like magic.  Using the laser without contact or any cutting or surgery, shrinking back the soft palate to open up the airway to improve breathing 24/7 and stop snoring.  The success rates and positive feedback of the results have been incredible.  No need to sleep in the spare room any more, no  more grief and sore ribs.  I love the life changing stuff and this is the real deal on that score.  Treating snoring with surgery is horrible, often very, very painful and may not work.  It has been removed from NHS services after a NICE review.  I have invested about £200,000 in lasers all together because I knew that it was the best way to treat all sorts of things and help the body heal itself on a cellular level.  I’m very proud of that.   So I’ll continue shine the light in 2019.  Ooh, more groans I feel.  

Getting Even Greener

We have a Green Achiever Certificate because we try where we can to be green and environmentally conscious within the practice.  It’s a tricky thing with all the consumables we have to use.  We have a water dispenser in the lounge area and we have been looking for a more green solution to plastic throw away cups.  We looked at paper but most of these have a plastic inner bit which means that are not recyclable or completely biodegradable.  

Anyway we’ve found some biodegradable “plastic” cups now.  I do hope that they do what say on the tin so to speak.  I have a collapsible coffee mug that I take round with me so tat I don’t need a cup from the coffee shop.  It fits in my pocket!  I even got my Life one for Christmas.  Last of the big spenders, eh.  Lucky woman I here you say.

Until next time.   Take care and be good.  Have a great 2019.  Here’s to making a difference.

Chris Branfield is Principal Dentist at Castle Park Dental Care, Castle Villa, 28 Castle Road, Cottingham, telephone 01482 772550.  He has been in dental practice for 26 years and has a special interest in life changing, pain free dentistry with dental implants, rapid teeth straightening and cosmetic dentistry. And, not only that Chris is founder member and trustee of Dental Mavericks charity- ending the daily dental pain of Moroccan kids. For more patient success stories and Chris’ Humanitarian work go here now www.castleparkdental.co.uk