tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85813250196294722392010-02-22T13:03:41.398ZMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-55481953443077463132010-02-22T12:36:00.003Z2010-02-22T13:03:41.439Z

I've just come back from a week skiing. This year we were somewhere a bit different, not one of the mega-resorts in the Alps but a small French resort in the Massif Central (west of Lyon). There were very few options for lunch and drinks, the first few days we opted for a small, new-looking chalet near the main lift stations. Good value compared to the Alps, and the food was good. But,

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-84138385393044874752010-02-09T11:31:00.003Z2010-02-09T12:11:33.945Z

These arrived in the post this morning in a cute little box. Mini-cards from Moo.com. Very easy to make and order, especially when I remember how long it took to make my original business cards (ages and ages!).I decided to update my business cards and make use of the new staff photos. I'm rather pleased with them and I'm going to order some more with different images on.

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-56135395721785191082010-02-02T21:46:00.003Z2010-02-02T22:20:30.618Z

The recently published Oral-B Smile Report shows just how much a person's smile can affect your first impressions.Two groups of people were shown the same picture of a woman apart from one had clean teeth and one had stained teeth. They were asked the same questions and the results are certainly eye-opening. The report reveals that bad teeth can age you by 13 years and 82% will think you earn

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-8952348052892303962010-02-01T13:06:00.003Z2010-02-01T13:14:44.511Z

I couldn't resist the opportunity for a shameless plug to the practice! There's some brilliant versions of this poster, make your own at http://bit.ly/7b4vAk or have a look at some that have already been done http://mydavidcameron.com/

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-13809311832891101052010-01-26T12:02:00.004Z2010-01-26T12:17:46.431Z

I'm sure we'll all be pleased to hear the news that the recession is officially ended.My knowledge of economics is pretty limited and once past the basic news I get a bit perplexed and tend to switch off! I do know that with all the doom and gloom in the media at this time last year my diary was noticeably quieter than usual for January. Chatting to colleagues and patients in other lines of work

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-88296992605943118282010-01-13T13:23:00.003Z2010-01-13T13:25:36.670Z

Last night the photographer came to the practice to update our staff photos. Those of you who've been to see me recently know that my hairstyle is rather different than the one on the website and that the nursing staff have changed. So new photos of me with Carly and Faz, and of me on my own. Hope they'll be available soon and we can update the website.I can't guarantee I won't change my

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-75953146531005971112010-01-13T13:13:00.003Z2010-01-13T13:19:58.298Z

We're on the shortlist!I entered two catergories and have been shortlisted in both which is brilliant. The Orthodontic Smile with a case treated using twinblocks and fixed braces (if you don't know what these are there are explanations on our main website) which meant that extractions were avoided. The Interdisciplinary Smile was jointly entered with Jack Cooke, with a case we have treated

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-72841083399504357612010-01-05T10:21:00.003Z2010-01-05T10:29:55.484Z

This is the view of our car park from the practice this morning (about 10.30am). Its been snowing since the early hours and still hasn't stopped. Although it's not the first snow we've had this fall has affected the roads the worst, as most of the rest of the snow has been over the Christmas holidays when it's generally quieter anyway.Four staff haven't made it in, and I've only seen two patients

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-70541123735021357322009-11-18T11:14:00.005Z2009-11-18T11:23:50.068Z

Apologies for the lack of recent posts, we have been having technical issues with the blog, which I hope are now resolved.Proper post soon, if I can remember all the things I have wanted to say since it's been down!*Edit* I see some of the blogs I attempted to post have now published anyway, hooray!

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-62248592748304400982009-11-09T13:35:00.004Z2009-11-18T11:22:14.116Z

I live fairly close to where I work. On Friday I helped out at the community bonfire night, serving hot-dogs. Cue gaggles of teenage girls wearing braces giving me shy "hello"s as they recognised their orthodontist in an unexpected place!Half way through the evening a group of four returned, three holding toffee apples. The fourth indicated her brace, which had just broken, asking me what to do

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-513793887834735082009-10-19T13:45:00.004+01:002009-11-18T11:19:44.875Z

Congratulations to British gymnast Beth Tweddle for her amazing gold medal for the floor exercise at the Gymnastics World Championships in London this weekend.Not only is Beth proving that 24 year-olds are not too old to be top gymnasts, but that adults can wear braces too.

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-68048839217064636982009-08-19T13:19:00.004+01:002009-08-19T13:27:25.846+01:00

This is Shelly Ann Fraser, the fastest woman in the world (and Jamaican of course), proving that just because you wear braces you don't need to put your life on hold. This week she won the 100 metres at the Athletics World Championships, she looks pretty happy about it too! I love "brace-spotting" on TV or in magazines. There's a Jamaican hurdler wearing braces and during the World Swimming

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-43342469051912231682009-07-14T14:37:00.003+01:002009-07-14T14:59:12.720+01:00

This morning I read a report about a man who unwittingly caused some severe dental damage through tooth whitening. So bad, in fact, that he will lose some teeth. Horrifying isn't it?Before you throw away your trays and gel you need to know the full story. The person in question bought a product over the counter. It had no instructions and he used it every day for about three years. It had such a

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-85081315409384934232009-06-02T11:52:00.003+01:002009-06-02T14:24:43.933+01:00

This is Laura showing off her smile. I think I made her week by completing her treatment in time for the school Prom. She managed to make my week too, not only did she give me some flowers and a bottle of wine (thank you!) she wrote some lovely comments which I had to share."Thank you so much. I know I haven't always been an easy patient but thanks for your encouragement. If it wasn't for you I

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-73741074493065568742009-04-28T11:33:00.007+01:002009-11-18T11:22:46.895Z

I was away on holiday when Susan Boyle made her appearance on "Britain's got talent". I have to say, I was really wondering what all the fuss was about. So last night, prompted by a friend, I watched the performance on YouTube.WOW! What an amazing voice, I was almost crying at the end.The thing that strikes me about this is that everyone, judges and studio audience included, made the mistake of

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-67796717148057549352009-03-31T11:55:00.005+01:002009-03-31T14:30:50.771+01:00

I really enjoy this programme. If you haven't seen it (where have you been?) Gordon visits a failing restaurant and turns it around in a few days. It usually involves falling out with the owner, completely rewriting the menu and a makeover of the restaurant. Gordon is actually very good at this, he builds on their current strengths and invariably simplifies the menu at the same time as

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-36550192650265440782009-03-11T12:11:00.003Z2009-03-11T12:14:30.804Z

Following on from my blog of a few weeks ago here is another article about cosmetic veneers, shorter but less biased than the previous one (its from The Times). Thanks to fellow orthodontist David Horobin who posted it on his blog.

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-33951261793724306232009-03-11T11:48:00.005Z2009-03-11T12:05:13.956Z

Even the tooth fairy is not immune to the effects of the credit crunch it seems. Payments are being cut by 10%, but up to 53% in some cases.There is even a suggestion that other incentives, such as an extra hour's TV, could replace the financial benefits. Its not the same, somehow.I think the tooth fairy really needs to make sure her customer care is up to scratch though, in our house she often

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-50439971318797466172009-02-25T10:56:00.004Z2009-02-25T11:27:47.743Z

This article in the Daily Mail caught my eye yesterday. It details some problems patients have run into after having cosmetic veneers placed, specifically the nerves dying and needing rot-canal treatments. It makes quite horrifying reading! Like all these things we need to look at the whole picture. Veneers are used in different circumstances to improve the appearance of the teeth, by changing

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-75725650302643704102009-02-16T21:50:00.004Z2009-02-16T22:13:46.620Z

That was the title of the ITV Tonight programme I have just watched. This was about the "poison" that is dental amalgam (the stuff used for filling teeth) and is a story that crops up every few years. Like previous programmes (I think Panorama did one a few years ago) it is trying to shock and sensationalise, quoting a woman who had all her amalgam fillings replaced and is now miraculously cured

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-9926710841372939552009-02-16T21:26:00.003Z2009-02-16T21:49:30.718Z

I can't really let this week pass without commenting on three stories that have caught my attention and its only Monday so far!Girl with dentist fear starves to deathAn eight-year old girl died in 2005 from starving herself due to a fear of dentists and dental problems. Its a truly shocking story and one which I hope will never be repeated.What's in your mouth?I have just watched this TV

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-4972080045326649172009-02-12T12:23:00.003Z2009-02-12T12:33:04.575Z

Click on the title to read a news story about how millions of people are resorting to DIY efforts to fix their teeth. I am sure many people have tried temporary fixes until they can reach a dentist (I have often seen patients who have stuck a crown back in with glue or chewing gum), but it is horrifying to think that some people are doing this instead of seeing a dentist.I guess it is partly due

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-72528656956997613642009-01-22T14:19:00.004Z2009-01-22T14:34:13.879Z

This is British singer Estelle, currently nominated for a Brit award for "American Boy" which was a massive hit last year. She is wearing some aesthetic ceramic braces and already you can see an improvement in her teeth. She says "This was a me thing. I've wanted braces since i was 20." She even says it has not affected kissing! I think it's great that she is not afraid to smile and show them

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-13734683869607598232009-01-21T11:51:00.003Z2009-01-21T11:55:23.357Z

I love this photo, this is receptionist Dale and practice manager Anna looking radiant and in the Christmas spirit.

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8581325019629472239.post-25569267823851797882009-01-12T12:36:00.002Z2009-01-12T12:39:53.822Z

Click the title to link to a short article about how to tell a real smile, called a "Duchenne smile". I often notice how my patients smile more naturally on the "after" photos than the "before" photos, it can actually make their apperance quite different (not just the teeth!).

Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210987147638242557noreply@blogger.com0