Another nice testimonial

One of our patients just sent an email and said some very nice things about her treatment: 

"I have had fantastic treatment with Longborough. Ms Jennifer Lai was amazing, she was patient and considerate throughout my treatment. All the staff are cheerful and maintained a professional manner at all times.

Janet was extremely helpful in arranging the appointment and details. Ms Lai always took the time to respond to my emails in a thorough efficient way. Well done! Worth every penny and I will definitely be recommending you to my friends!"

Ms J K

Thank you very much for taking the time to give us your feedback. This made everyone smile at Longborough.

Alison
Practice Manager

Longborough Dental Practice

Our new Specialist Endodontist

Our new Specialist Endodontist, Dr. Jenny Lai has now been at the practice for over two weeks and has settled in very well. She is popular with patients and the Longborough Team alike.

Jenny even found time to join us on our recent team building exercise where we tested our survival skills at Wildwood Bushcraft in Sussex (as the picture above shows).

If you are referred to Dr.Lai you will be in a very capable pair of hands (even if you need her to light a fire with damp wood). Find out more about her on our website or see more pictures of our team field trip on our Facebook page.

Alison
Practice Manager

Longborough Dental Practice

Colgate Oral Health Month

This September is Colgate Oral Health Month, with the British Dental Association (BDA) and Colgate partnering to raise awareness of oral health as part of everyone's overall health. 

Colgate Oral Health Month aims to inform and remind people of the importance of good oral health and to encourage communication between dental professionals and patients. 

At Longborough we are always focused on the importance of good oral hygiene and offer advice and guidance through our dentists and hygienists.

To maintain good oral health you should always:
    •    Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
    •    Try to avoid sugary snacks and drinks between meals
    •    Visit the dentist regularly

Alison
Practice Manager

Longborough Dental Practice

Patient feedback

At Longborough we provide feedback forms for patients so we can find out what people think about the Longborough experience. Obviously we want to know if anyone is dissatisfied so that we can put things right. But we also like to hear from patients who feel we have provided a good service. 

Here's an example of a recent anonymous feedback form, which gave us all something to smile about: 
"I think that an excellent service is provided at Longborough and the staff are very sensitive to the needs of the patient and communicate well. The practice is well organised and efficient and receptionists are very friendly and helpful. I am very happy with the service I receive." 

Thank you for your comments and we will keep working hard to ensure that everyone has a warm welcome and the best possible care at Longborough.

Alison
Practice Manager

Longborough Dental Practice

Charity Cake Sale - 20 July

Dental nurses Wai-wai and Sarah put in a double shift last Friday, when they organised a charity cake sale in the front garden at Longborough. The event was arranged to coincide with the Olympic Torch relay, which passed directly in front of the practice. 

The whole team got involved baking cakes and serving refreshments to the many people lining the streets of Dorking for the procession. It was a great success and we raised £114 for the charity Shooting Star Chase, which cares for local families with a child or teenager with a life-limiting condition.

Well done to everyone who helped and thank you very much to everyone who contributed. 

Energy drinks can cause damage to teeth in only five days

Caffeinated 'energy' drinks may give a temporary boost but play havoc with your teeth scientists have warned. A study published in the Academy of General Dentistry, in the US, charted a huge increase in the frequent consumption of energy/sports drinks among young adults. They said the habit is causing irreversible damage to teeth as the high acidity levels in some of these drinks erode tooth enamel.

Researchers found that the acidity levels can vary between brands and flavours of the same brand. Of the nine energy drinks tested one contained as much as 54g of sugar. (The American Heart Association recommends having no more than 30g of sugar in total in just one day!) The research found that damage to enamel was evident after only five days of exposure and that energy drinks caused twice as much damage to teeth as sports drinks, due to the higher sugar content.
 
It is estimated that around 60% of teenagers in the US drink at least one sports drink per day and it is thought that there is a similar pattern in the UK. Health professionals are now seeking to educate parents and young adults about the downside of these drinks. Damage caused to tooth enamel is irreversible, and without the protection of enamel, teeth become overly sensitive, prone to cavities, and more likely to decay.

Anyone exhibiting symptoms should call Longborough immediately and book to see their dentist. To avoid the problems you should minimise your intake of sports/energy drinks and chew sugar-free gum or rinse your mouth with water following consumption of these drinks. You should also wait at least an hour to brush your teeth, after consuming sports/energy drinks or you will spread the acid on the tooth surfaces and increase the erosive effect.

Alison
Practice Manager

Longborough Dental Practice

Bad Breath and how to avoid it

Bad Breath (Halitosis), is a problem that many people experience at one time or another. In fact, it is estimated that 40% of the population suffers from chronic halitosis on some occasion.
Many things can cause bad breath, including:

• Poor oral hygiene (not brushing and flossing properly)
• Gum disease
• Eating certain foods like onions or garlic
• Tobacco and alcohol products
• Dry mouth (caused by certain medications, medical disorders and by decreased saliva flow during sleep - hence the term "morning breath"
• Systemic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, liver and kidney disorders

How Do I Know if I Have Halitosis?
One way to test if you have bad breath is to cover your mouth and nose with your hand, exhale, and smell your breath. Another way is to ask someone you trust whether or not your breath smells bad. Keep in mind that many people experience "morning breath," which is the result of reduced saliva flow during sleep that allows acids and other debris to putrefy in the mouth. Brushing and flossing thoroughly before bed, and brushing your teeth and tongue first thing in the morning, will usually eliminate morning breath.

How Can I Help Prevent Halitosis?
In addition to avoiding foods that cause bad breath, you can reduce the chances of bad breath by:

• Brushing thoroughly twice a day and flossing daily to remove plaque and food particles
• Brushing your tongue will also help reduce bad breath
• Removing dentures each night and cleaning them well before replacing them each morning
• Visiting your dentist regularly for dental checkups and cleanings

If you have persistent bad breath that is not improved with brushing and flossing, come and see your dentist for a thorough dental examination as this could indicate a more serious problem. Only a dentist can tell if you have gum disease, dry mouth or excess plaque build-up as a possible cause of bad breath.

Alison
Practice Manager

Longborough Dental Practice

Longborough - adding the ‘Feel Good Factor’ to your New Year!

The New Year has brought a positive vibe to the practice and we are looking forward with a sense of excitement and anticipation. What will we achieve this year? What can we do for our patients in 2012 to offer that bit more? 

This year we are making it our mission to put smiles on our patients faces. From the moment you enter our front door we are determined to make you feel good. Our aim is to get the people of Surrey smiling; we want to see happy, confident and healthy smiles with the ‘feel good factor’. 

We offer a wide range of treatments to help you achieve and maintain the best dental health possible and to give you the bright, fresh, healthy smile you’ve always wanted. You can be confident that we will always go out of our way to ensure that a visit to Longborough will be as stress-free and relaxing as possible.  

Our philosophy is simple; from the moment you walk through the door you’ll feel welcome. We believe that our patients' comfort and well being should be the focus of everything we do. Our approach to dental treatment is inclusive, consultative and friendly, geared towards achieving the best dental health and the most confident smiles. Longborough dentists work in partnership with the patient to help attain the best possible outcome.  

This year we can offer new patients to Longborough a complimentary practice tour and a chance to ‘meet the dentist’ as well as the opportunity to discuss their Smile with a friendly patient advisor. At Longborough we want to put the ‘feel good factor’ into 2012.

Happy New Year

Alison
Practice Manager

Longborough Dental Practice