Having A Good Chew Could Save £Billions Worldwide

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”
By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield
Having A Good Chew Could Save £Billions Worldwide

Hello again. I hope that you are well. Phew, in the middle of a heat wave as I write this. It’s been that hot that the glue holding my wife’s car registration on had melted and it had dropped down. Thought that there was something wrong with my eyes at first! Glad we have some air-conditioning at work. Missed quite a bit of it though as was in a lecture theatre at a little conference on Digital Dentistry.


Staggering, I Didn’t Know That

Now, according to The World Health Organisation tooth decay and oral diseases rank fourth among the most expensive global health conditions to treat, according to the World Health Organization. While tooth decay is largely preventable, it still affects 60-90% of schoolchildren and nearly all adults globally.

Chewing just one additional piece of sugar-free gum each day could save £3.3 billion worldwide on dental expenditures from treating tooth decay, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Dentistry. WOW!!


Some Fairly Local People Involved As Well


The study, a first of its kind globally, was funded by Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and independently conducted by the Institute of Empirical Health Economics in Germany (IFEG) with input from an international scientific steering committee comprised of thought-leaders in dental and public health and economics, including Prof Elizabeth Kay of Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.

I find this incredible: Researchers modelled a potential decrease in dental care costs from tooth decay for 25 industrialised countries including the UK. The study follows a piece of research in 2016 which revealed that the NHS could save up to £8.2 million per annum if all twelve year olds in the UK were to increase their chewing of sugar-free gum. Conducted by the York Health Economics Consortium and Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth University, with funding from Wrigley, the study was an initial exploration into the potential cost savings that chewing of sugar-free gum could bring.


I’m Salivating Already

I’m only joking. You’ll see how it fits in. When we chew gum it stimulates salivary flow. Saliva is great stuff as it help clear away food debris, neutralise acid and is a source of calcium and phosphate for tooth repair after acid damage. It also is great for dissolving and clearing away sugar from the mouth, which causes decay. So when you look at it on this level you can why it can be really beneficial.


Sugar Free Is Key

Sugar free gum is the key. There’s no point in shoving sugar in to try and stop tooth decay. No, the best one that is even more beneficial than “normal” sugar free gum is one that contains only Xylitol as the sweetener. This stuff is great. In it’s own right and in it’s own special way it can reduce tooth decay. You can buy it for baking etc. A word of warning though, it can be a laxative if you have quite a bit. It’s good in sugar free mints/sweets for people with dry mouths and a high tooth decay rate.

All Change At Hull City

So, a new division, a new manager and at this rate possibly a new team. So sorry to see Harry McGuire go but good look to him, he deserves a good crack at the whip and do well. Hope he makes it all the way to the world cup. The championship is a good league to watch and an exciting one to be in. Here’s to the next step if the journey.

Until next time. Take care and be good.


Chris

A Bit Of Hard Work Does You Good

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”

By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield

A Bit Of Hard Work Does You Good

Hello again. I hope that you are well. Just back from Morocco with Dental Mavericks getting people out of daily pain. My 12th trip, I think. You would think that you just get used to it but it is always emotional.  

My wife picked me up from Hull train station and to my amazement BBC radio Humberside was on in the car and it was the football commentary (my wife doesn’t do football). She was gripped by the drama of it at the end of the season. However, it was not to be for Hull City to stay up in the premier league. Here we go again! There is now the possibility of more drama and excitement trying to get back and even possible Wembley trips again. Enjoy the journey of life!

We Were Absolutely Whacked

This trip to Morocco was backed by the King’s advisor so had a licence to treat adults as well as children. There were so many people! My word, I have never worked so hard in my life. My colleagues said the same. When you treat children there it is tiring but more on an emotional level. This is because they are children having teeth removed and doing our best to look after them with a language barrier demands total concentration in this regards to building a relationship with constant eye contact, verbal contact, body language and reassurance. It is like this with adults there and with our patients at home in Cottingham but more intense over there with the children I feel. It’s all about PEOPLE. Now with throwing adults into the mix there are the same challenges but also some very difficult tooth extractions, more often than not multiple. Well, with one after the other all day your body starts to feel it. I’m not getting any younger you know. I’m not joking; some of us were ready to drop at the end of each day.

Getting Rewards

The most rewarding for me is when we went rural up into the hills. There is more proper poverty here and people cannot access a dentist at all. We saw a lot of Berber children here. Our translators had to learn a bit of Berber as they did not speak Arabic, and then teach us a few words. These were so lovely, very stoic and appreciative. One little boy I treated had 4 teeth out in one go. He was only 6 yrs old and afterwards he hugged me and clung on like a limpet, he had a smile from ear to ear. It really touched me. This is when you know you’re doing the right thing when it means so much to be out of pain.

Unusual Name

One of the Berber kids had an unusual name. He was called Tagine. Our Moroccan translators had never heard this name before and thought it rather special. Pretty much every meal we had was a tagine of something. His parents must like their food eh?

Time For A Bit Of Awe

We have couple of lovely ladies that have done kitting for us to take out with us o give to the needy. Now, I didn’t go to the maternity but a couple of midwives in our group did. It was a far cry from the facilities we have here. Babies everywhere and not very clean. They distributed some of the lovely garments that Ann had made so there will be some cosy warm babies. I must say that I would wear some of the stuff if it was in my size.

Until next time. Take care and be good.

Chris


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 24 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

Kick The Habit

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”

By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield

Kick The Habit

Hello again. I hope that you are well. Now then, last month a new report came out that I found disturbing. We are going backwards in child dental health. This particularly grates at me as in some remote parts of Morocco it is improving due to the ‘Teeth For Life Programme’ that Dental Mavericks have introduced, working with local communities.


So What’s The Habit?

The habit is SUGAR, too much to often. Even with good cleaning and Fluoride the balance is tipped in favour of dental decay when there is too much sugar. The other thing is that sugar is known to be worse than fat for obesity and heart disease as well as type 2 Diabetes.


What’s The Report Then?

NHS figures obtained by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) show there were 9,206 tooth extractions performed on children aged four and under in 2015-16, an increase of 24 per cent since 2006-07. The research by the Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS), part of the RCS, is the first time long-term data for this age group had been published.

“When you see the numbers tallied up like this it becomes abundantly clear that the sweet habits of our children is having a devastating effect on the state of their teeth,” said Professor Nigel Hunt, Dean of the FDS.

Of the 84,086 tooth extractions on four-year-olds and under between 2006-07 and 2015-16, 47 were performed on babies under the age of one. The data is set against a 16% rise in the population of children aged four and under over the same period.

The Government has pledged to tackle childhood sugar consumption by means of the Soft Drinks Levy, scheduled to come into force in 2018, whereby manufacturers will be taxed for the amount of sugar they use in their products. However, Professor Hunt questioned whether the measure went far enough to successfully limit children’s exposure.

“Children can eat their daily amount of sugar at mealtimes with no problem, but constantly snacking between meals and bathing their teeth in fizzy drinks gives them no chance,” he said. “Removal of teeth, especially in hospital under general anaesthetic, it not to be taken lightly.”


Now This Bit Is Interesting

Professor Hunt added that people whose first contact with dentistry was when having a tooth removed were less likely to visit the dentist throughout their life.  

Now this makes things like a spiral getting worse. We see quite a bit of this in Cottingham, usually associated with the old school dentist and a bad experience. This creates a programme that is running in the brain. Our job is to provide an update disc. It’s not easy sometimes but so rewarding when we see the change in dental health and confidence just coming to see us. It’s truly “Life Changing”. That’s where we get our “Buzz”.


You Can’t Win Sometimes

As well as allowing their children to consume food and drink which are obviously sugary, many parents feed their children fruit juices without realising that these also high sugar content.


Showing My Age

Did you notice that the sweets above are old fashioned ones from the 70’s and 80’s.

Going to Morocco again with Dental Mavericks in 2 weeks. I’ll let you know how we got on this time.

Until next time. Take care and be good.

Chris

You’ve Lost That Numbing Feeling!

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”

By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield

You’ve Lost That Numbing Feeling

Hello again. I hope that you are well. Another busy month at Castle Park Dental Care. Life long learning is very close to my heart. “If you’re not growing anywhere you’re not going anywhere”. I think growing knowledge base is essential, even at my age. My colleague Andrew and myself was at a 3 -day dental implant conference in London a couple of weeks ago. It was the best one I’ve been to and I’ve been to loads. It was a bit off topic but there was a presentation on face transplants. Inspirational! I’m just back from another 3 -day advanced course. Some of it was outside my comfort zone as it involved computers for treatment planning. I got on with it though and managed OK. Surprised myself in fact. As they say, “ outside the comfort zone is where the magic happens”

You’ve Lost That Numbing Feeling. Is It A Sing Along?

A while ago I was asked to give an hour-long presentation at a small conference for dental practices. Now, my slot was on the morning of day two. The trouble is that there was a charity do the night before. So, there would be plenty of tired people in the room and I didn’t want them falling asleep if I could help it! Part of the presentation was be this topic (if I ever get onto it). I had taken the song “You’ve lost that loving feeling” and over dubbed “numbing” over “feeling”. Well, this did some doing for me, as I’m not a computer techy at all. It was all trial and error but got there in the end. It was a choice between The Righteous Brothers and Elvis Presley. I opted for Elvis as I was brought up on “ The King” and my dad wouldn’t forgive me if I chose against him


Oh Get To The Point!

Have you ever had a local anaesthetic? Sometimes you can feel like you about to fall over your face. Local anaesthetic is great. It allows us to have a load of stuff done in the medical field in a comfortable way. The only real drawback is that you can feel numb for quite a while sometimes. If you’ve had your teeth done you have to wait a bit to have a cuppa.


Nearly There

Now there is the QuickSleeper. This is a novel way to deliver a dental anaesthetic and numb up to 6 teeth in one go without the same numbing of the cheeks, lips and tongue. How good is that? Now, it does not replace conventional anaesthetic altogether, as it cannot be used in all situations and each case needs to be assessed properly, but I am using it more and more. It is a bit different. There is an element of vibration involved but it is all very gentle and feedback is very good. It is ideal for doing a few tooth restorations in different areas of the mouth in one go, especially if you’re struggling for time and want to get a lot done in one visit. Perfect for people that live away. Or those who cannot wait for a cuppa!


Most Gentle On The Planet

I was not quite accurate in what I said above. The quick sleeper can be used to numb up in a similar way to the conventional approach i.e. leave you feeling numb. However, as it is a computer controlled technology it is so gentle. This means pain free! I researched this quite a bit and have been on courses as I’m a dental anorak! However, it’s the quest for always looking for better. We have 3 of these things in the practice so we can ALL use them all the time and have one standard of care throughout. The feedback is incredible.


On The Clinic

My son, Edward, is still enjoying his course at university and has now started treating patients on clinics. It’s a really intense fast moving course. Non of this 4 hours “contact” a week. He’s all buzzed up. He comes back to see Hull City play with me. Come on City, see if you can stay up lads.

Until next time. Take care and be good.

Chris

Milk Teeth….What’s That All About?

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”

        By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield

     Milk Teeth….What’s That All About?

            

Hello again, I hope that you are well.  Another busy month dashing about.  My team and I went to a two day customer care/ team and personal development conference three weeks ago.  Less than two weeks ago I was I Florida continuing my dental laser education.  Well, “If you’re not growing anywhere you’re not going anywhere” apparently.  Always looking for better.

Back At The BBC

Last Sunday I was at BBC Radio Humberside.  I was invited to go on the Sally Fairfax Show.  It was a bout a new feature when kids send in questions to be answered.  It was actually Sally’s 7 years old son who asked the question “ why do we have milk teeth and why do they fall out?”

I was amused whilst driving into Hull when a listener said it was because children would look stupid with big teeth.  I was asked to give a definitive answer.  Well I’m not sure I did that but I had a good crack at it. 

So, milk teeth are called that because they usually start coming through from 6 months to about 2.5 years. Children are still on a lot milk at this age either breast milk, formula milk or cows milk later.  Milk teeth are also called primary teeth,  baby teeth and deciduous teeth (like trees).  Obviously adult teeth would be too big for a baby’s mouth. And the jaw too small to hold them.  When the jaws start to grow as a child grows up there is a transition from the primary teeth through a mixed dentition (primary and secondary) and then the secondary (adult dentition).  There are 20 milk teeth and 32 adult teeth in total. So they fall out to make room to teeth more appropriate for an adult size jaw.

OK, But How Did This Happen

Well it can only be evolution, the survival of the fittest.  Environmental pressures select out new traits to remain if they are of benefit and increase the survival of a species.  As a child comes off the milk they need enough teeth to chew but these small teeth are not fit for purpose in an adult human.  It’s amazing how this happens really. As Human kind became top of the food chain, environmental pressures became less of a factor because humans changed their environment with increased intellect, imagination and dexterity.

Just Like A Shark

Having two sets of teeth was OK for early man who wasn’t meant to last much longer than 20-30 years.  These days we may be expected to last 70-100 years.  That’s a long time for teeth to last.  It would be great if evolution was still on the go and we could new teeth all the time like sharks.  Not that great for the dental profession though I suppose.  There are plenty of other careers mind.

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 24 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 charity work go here now www.castleparkdental.co.uk

A Bit Of A Hoo-Ha

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”
        By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield     

A Bit Of A Hoo-Ha

            

Hello again, I hope you are well.  I can’t believe it’s three weeks into January already.  We’ve hit 2017 at quite a pace and there are loads on. Tomorrow my team and I are off to Manchester to a Dental Customer Care Conference and a Charity Ball to raise money for Dental Mavericks.  We are also busy organising our second 70’s disco fundraiser for Dental Mavericks at Armstrong’s Social Club in Beverley on February 10^th.  There might be a few tickets left if you fancy it.  Last year was a good laugh.

So What’s All The Hoo-Ha

Well, it’s toothpaste.  Colgate toothpaste to be more precise. There is an anti-bacterial chemical called Triclosan that has been in Colgate Total Toothpaste since about 1997.  This toothpaste was considered the benchmark in modern toothpastes because if it.  Triclosan was also put into hand soaps and gels as an anti-bacterial agent.  Now here’s the rub.  Quite recently the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned Triclosan from soaps and gels.  The reason is on health grounds.  It was found that Triclsan is absorbed through the skin and can cause endocrine problems and also affect he immune system.  Other studies have shown it to cause tumours in mice.  Now mice are not humans so there isn’t a direct correlation.  However, Triclosan is still in Colgate Total toothpaste for some reason even though the mouth allows quicker absorption.  Colgate argued that there are loads of studies to show its safety.  The FDA took this board and concluded that the benefits may well outweigh the risks.  Now, Triclosan is not in Colgate sensitive as far as I know.  I’m not trying to scare monger at all, I just find it all very interesting and thought you may want to know or research yourself.

Now For Some Optimism

Fillings could be consigned to history after scientists found that a drug given to Alzheimer’s patients can help teeth regrow and repair cavities. Researchers at King’s College London found that the drug Tideglusib stimulates the stem cells contained in teeth so that they generate new dentine, the material under the enamel.  They discovered that the drug heightened the activity of stem cells in the dental pulp so they could repair 0.13mm holes in the teeth of mice.

A drug-soaked sponge was placed in the hole and then a protective coating was applied over the top. As the sponge broke down it was replaced by dentine, healing the tooth.

Now, don’t get over excited just yet, a 0.13mm hole is very big and easy to protect.  I am intrigued to see how it fairs with bigger holes and how they protectively coat these so there is no wash out of the drug.  It all looks very promising though.

       

 This King's College image shows tooth repair after four weeks (left) and after six weeks (right).

There Is Still Hope

I saw Hull City beat Bournmouth 3-1 last weekend.  It was great!.   There is still hope of staying up if we can keep sticking it in the net.   Come on lads, get stuck in.  Oh, I thought the City Of Hull Celebrations on Queen Victoria Square was really good. Very stirring.

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 24 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 charity work go here now www.castleparkdental.co.uk

Inspirational…There But For The Grace Of God Go I

“The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth”

By Chris “Dr Smile Maker” Branfield

Inspirational…There But For The Grace Of God Go I

Hello again, I hope you are well and had a great Christmas. Happy New Year to you! Let’s see what it brings, eh.

Well, I went with my fellow Dental Mavericks Trustees to Thessaloniki in Greece. It was our first trip there and we teamed up with a charity called Health Point Foundation, who deliver health care in the refugee camps. An English Doctor from Bradford, set it up. What an inspirational woman. I don’t know where she finds the energy.

They have been doing health care over there and have found that there are urgent needs for dental treatment so is now focussing on that. That’s where we come in to try and help a bit. The idea of the trip was obviously to help people out of dental pain but also to build relationships and understand so that we can put a process together to then be able to send out teams of volunteers on a monthly basis, as we cannot keep going out ourselves.

There are now 20,000 refugees in Thessaloniki spread over 15 camps. 80% are families escaping for their lives. There also quite a lot of unaccompanied minors, who’s parents didn’t make it.


They Must Be Nithered

Now there’s a word I hadn’t used until I came to the East Riding. It was really cold in Greece. We were all wrapped up in layers but a lot of refugees had flip-flops and didn’t even have any socks!! Oh my word. We left our fleeces, sweatshirts hats and gloves. Temperatures got sub zero.


Dentist Open

This picture was at the poshest place we worked. Inside was a central sterilisation unit and some dental chairs. It was at base camp. Each day we worked somewhere different on a rotation around the camps. This was real field, outreach dentistry.

We saw people of all ages in pain. They were so appreciative. The thing is these people are just like you and I who had normal lives with families and jobs and thrust into living in these camps with no real sign of getting out. In spite of this and the cold they still stayed in good humour and we had some banter and smiles. Dental Mavericks love music so we have music on.

We have the occasional dance. What I love is when you get a connection, regardless of language. Getting that understanding that you will do your best to help as gently and respectfully as you can. That’s the buzz.

Hey The Macarena

One camp was run/organised by a Lady Professor, who was also a refugee. She loved what we were doing and would not let us leave until we had a dance. There was a real community vibe going on, which was lovely. Kids that had just had teeth out were dancing and smiling. It was also great for keeping warm. This is humans at their best. Inspiring stuff


Fed Up Of The Spare Bed?


I bet that sounded a bit random! It just popped into my head. I use lasers at work all the time. In February I’m off to Florida to train on using my lasers to do non-surgical shrinking of soft palates to help stop snoring and even help with problems like sleep apnoea. Can’t wait.

Wishing you all a fantastic 2017 and hope you make your dreams come true.


Until next time. Take care and be good. 


Chris



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 24 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 charity work go here now www.castleparkdental.co.uk