ISSUE 12

Affordable dentistry for you and your family
At Cedar Dental in Sutton, we want to offer the best possible value for money together with high quality dental care. As membership to our practice grows, our membership dentists Dr Boris Atlas and Dr Justin Toal are now making an even better offer to patients. Any adult Cedar Dental member can bring up to two of their children under the age of 12, for FREE. The offer represents annual savings of over £300 for families with two children aged under 12, and includes:
Free check up (normal price £35)
One free fissure sealant session (normal price £35 per tooth)
Free white fillings (normal price £50 per tooth, up to two per year)

Alarming rise in oral cancer
Oral cancer rates have increased by around a quarter in the past decade among people in their 40's, according to the latest statistics.
Cancer Research UK says oral cancer rates for men in their 40's have gone up by 28% since the mid 1990's. Figures for women in their 40's increased by 24% in the same period.
The charity believes the main reason for the rapid increase among this age group is increased alcohol consumption. Other risk factors include smoking at the same time as drinking, which increases the risk by up to 30 times; not eating enough fruit and vegetables; and HPV (Human Papilloma Virus).
Initial signs of oral cancer can include ulcers which do not heal within three weeks, sores, and red or white patches in your mouth that do not rub off. If you notice these or anything else unusual that lasts for more than three weeks, please make an appointment to see us.

White wine bad for teeth
It's usually red wine that is highlighted as being bad for the teeth, particularly as it can stain them. But now researchers in Germany say that in fact white wine is far worse for teeth, because it is more acidic.
Acidic drinks, which also include fruit juice and fizzy drinks, can have a devastating effect on your teeth if you drink them too regularly. The acid attacks the hard, protective enamel on your teeth, and gradually wears it away. This exposes the softer dentine of your teeth, and can cause discolouration, pain and sensitivity.
Usually, your saliva can neutralise the effects of the acid, replacing the minerals your teeth have lost so they do not suffer any lasting damage. But if you consume acidic drinks too often - for example, if you regularly sip at them throughout the evening - then your mouth doesn't have the chance to repair itself, and your teeth can suffer permanent damage.
Generally we recommend that you only have acidic drinks with your main meals. But we do appreciate that sometimes you want to be a little more indulgent, in which case you may want to consider ditching the Reisling in favour of a nice mellow Pinot Noir!

Put a sparkle in your smile!
Tooth whitening continues to be a popular cosmetic dental treatment, and with good reason. It is affordable and very effective, and can make a big difference to the way your smile looks. It can also provide a huge boost to your confidence!
Teeth often need whitening because they have become stained by drinking tea, coffee and/or red wine, or by smoking. Teeth also naturally become darker with age - whitening can make them lighter again, and can also have the fantastic side effect of making you look younger!
To find out more about our tooth whitening and other smile enhancement treatments, please ask.

Tooth grinding in your sleep
My grandfather could crush walnuts, shell and all - with his teeth. Nice trick if you can do it, it certainly made Christmas Day more interesting!
This feat obviously required considerable force, I never got to check his teeth out, but perhaps as a result of this party trick, I take a professional interest in how teeth can be strong one minute, then fracture, chip or crumble so easily the next.
When you are chewing normally, the pressure on your back teeth is about 68 lbs per square inch on your back teeth. If you clench your teeth, that force increases to around 150 lbs per square inch. If you grind your teeth at night, that force can increase to 1000 lbs/sq inch, the equivalent to a mildly irritated Pitbull Terrier!
Such force can lead to chipping and cracking of your teeth. We have simple and cost effective treatments that can reduce teeth grinding and prevent problems occurring later on. There are many reasons why you might grind your teeth, contact us to find out more.
By the way, please don't try the walnut trick for yourself - much as we like to see our patients at the practice, we don't want a sudden increase in the number of cracked or broken teeth that need treating!

Improve my smile please - a letter from Dr Keppel
Communicating effectively is not always as easy as we think. All specialists, whether they are dentists, lawyers, accountants or plumbers, speak their own specialist language, and often think that using this language when talking to their clients means they are communicating.
But these specialised terms can make it difficult for our clients to understand what we are saying, which in turn can make it difficult for us to know what you really want.
Communication is a two way process. I will do my best to explain everything to you without using clinical terms, so you can understand the treatments I am suggesting.
You'll find that I expect my patients to treat their mouths with the same care that I do, simply because I want you to enjoy the highest levels of dental health. But if there is something that is stopping you from achieving that - fear of treatment, finances, etc, I need you to let me know so I can help.
I also need you to tell me what you want to achieve with your smile - do you want to have healthy teeth and gums, or do you want to have more involved treatments such as Invisalign braces or implants?
I want you to feel able to talk openly to me, to be confident that your wishes are being met, and to know that we are working together to achieve the smile you have always wanted.
Best wishes
Dr Tom Keppel