Happy Christmas from us all at Progressive Dentistry! We hope you have had a relaxing and joyful day with family and friends. Just to remind you of our opening hours: Boxing Day Closed 27th Dec Reception only 28th December 1000-1300 emergency appointments 29th December Closed New Years Eve 1000-1300 emergency appointments New Years Day Closed 2nd January 2019 Normal opening hours resume Once again, Merry Christmas!

There are only 5 sleeps until Christmas! Exciting. Christmas is generally a time for celebrating and indulgence. Sadly this often means dental emergencies with most practices closed until the New Year. Here are the 5 most common dental emergencies and tips on how to handle them until you can visit your dentist:
 

Our case of the month for December 2018 involves one of our favourite techniques: ABC A is for alignment. Straightening teeth using a discreet treatment method, usually in a short space of time. B is for bleaching. Whitening teeth to brighten your smile. C is for cosmetic bonding. Enhancing the overall shape and symmetry of teeth by adding to teeth rather than cutting away healthy tooth enamel. Our case presented with quite severely crooked lower front teeth which bothering him a great deal. They were rotated, overlapping and worn down from years of tooth grinding. Initially, they front 4 teeth were straightened using the Social 6 lingual brace. Aligning the front teeth means that any future cosmetic dental procedure such as composite bonding or porcelain veneers requires minimal tooth preparation if any at all. After alignment, the teeth were whitened using a take home kit with Phillips ZOOM gel 6% hydrogen peroxide, which lifted the overall shade by 4-5 levels. Cosmetic bonding was then performed on the front 4 teeth to level the edges. Not only does this enhance the overall aesthetics but this will also improve the bite. Having even edges on the front teeth allows a smooth guidance when eating and chewing. In turn, this will protect the back teeth also. Before and after photos:
 

Mouth cancer causes more deaths per number of cases than breast cancer and cervical cancer however awareness of it is relatively low. New cases have increased by 49% in the last decade and 135% compared to twenty years ago. Last year, 2722 people in the UK died from mouth cancer. The key risk factors are: 


- Tobacco use including chewing betel nut 

- Excess alcohol (those who smoke and drink heavily are up to 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer)

- Poor diet 

- HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) transmitted through oral sex.

Mouth cancer can develop in most parts of the mouth including the gums, lips, tongue, palate and even the throat. The most common symptoms are : 

- Persistent non healing ulcers Persistent lumps in the mouth or lymph glands 

- Pain when swallowing 

- Numbness or bleeding from the mouth 

- Changes in speech 

- Teeth that become loose for no obvious reason 

- Tooth extraction sockets not healing 

- Difficulty moving your jaw 

- Red or white patches or striations in the mouth 


Early detection is critical to a full recovery as well as life style changes. In general, if any of the symptoms have been present for more than two weeks, seek medical advice. At Progressive Dentistry, we routinely check for mouth cancer at every examination appointment with a thorough soft tissue analysis. This will involve a detailed history and a soft tissue check. During this part of the examination, we check the tongue, underneath the tongue, floor of the mouth, cheek surfaces, soft palate, hard palate and the entire gum line. 

If you have any concerns about mouth cancer or would like some general advice, please contact us.