From Soup To Solids ……In A Day

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”

By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield

From Soup To Solids ……In A Day

Hello again. I hope that you are well.  Another busy month as usual.  I was on a course last night in Wakefield in fact.  It was the Association Of Implantology UK Yorkshire Study group.  It was good but getting home just before 11pm was a long day.  The motorway was closed!

Ready For A Feast

So what is this soup to solids about then? Well, I was inspired by the study group last night.  I see quite a lot of people who have failing teeth and a lot of missing teeth that really means they struggle to eat what they really want to and can miss out on that enjoyment or are limited when they go out in company or socially.

This can be because of the limitations of dentures that move or make the mouth sore or because dentures cannot be tolerated and there just aren’t enough teeth left.  If quite a few cases it is possible to place dental implants in the morning and make a bridge to fit within 24 hours so that a proper meal can be had straight away.  I would give another 24 hours before popping the champagne but it is a good reason to celebrate as it’s life changing.  Like anything else it all has to planned right and certain criteria met to be successful, it’s all in the planning.  Not one size fits all. 

With our modern, fancy 3D scanner we have loads of information to do the proper planning with no surprises.  It’s really revolutionised dental implants.  I was just designing some implant guides this morning on a case that I had virtually placed implants on the computer.  This is common place now and increases accuracy and safety especially in more tricky cases.

What a Difference A Day Makes

So, “same day teeth” is another tool in the box.  We can use for single teeth sometimes or even a full dental arch.  Sometimes we can even remove many failing teeth and place implants there and then and have the bridge with 12 teeth on it within 24 hours.  With single teeth, within a couple of hours start to finish, sometimes.  

I’m a big believer in “tools in your box”.  In my game it’s different techniques.  Everyone we meet is different with different needs and situations so we need to be able to have bespoke, individualised solutions.  When I have spoken to young dentists I have told them to be a sponge.  To go looking for knowledge and soak it up.

Another reference I make is Bruce Lee.  At this point I need to work hard not to lose them as I get incredulous looks.  Well, Bruce had a martial arts style, or more a philosophy, called Jeet Kune Do (Way Of The Intercepting Fist).  The premise is to learn from all styles and not be rigidly stuck to one style.  Some techniques within one style work better than others for different individuals.  Also every opponent is different so if you do the same thing every time you’ll come a cropper at some point.


So, be an anorak, be passionate about what you do, learn from the best. Confidence comes from competence and competence comes from KNOWLEDGE.  “If you’re not GROWING anywhere you’re not GOING anywhere.”

Until next time.   Take care and be good. 

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 25 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’s humanitarian work go here now www.castleparkdental.co.uk