Practice Newsletter 

JANUARY NEWSLETTER 2012

 
Although it has been a splendid Christmas I am so relieved to be back into a routine. The practice is ready to take on the challenges of a new year with enthusiasm and optimism

Last year we had so many innovations and this year we can consolidate and improve on what we have achieved.  The Consultation Suite is proving to be very popular.  It is used to welcome the new patient to our practice. We also do work on our younger patients improving their tooth brushing skills and giving them time on dietary advice through our Care Co-ordinators Lyndsay and Ella, and Claire our Dental Health Educator. This means that we can provide a full comprehensive prevention programme to our young patients.  There will be no excuse for “poor” tooth brushing from now on. We will be repeating last year’s very successful children’s morning in February.

Cosmetic dentistry has a high media profile but it doesn’t always have to be costly to achieve.  All the dentists provide a range of high quality anterior and posterior white fillings.  This plus tooth whitening can “re-vamp” a mouth for an acceptable cost. Tooth whitening has been hugely successful and is very effective for patients whose teeth have aged – like mine!  All our dentists have attended advanced courses and are ensuring that the Cosmetic dentistry we provide for patients is as good as anywhere in the country.

Amanda has completed an advanced course on Equilibration of the mouth. This is when your teeth don’t meet together correctly and you get resulting jaw pain.  We are starting one Monday a month devoted to Equilibration and another Monday to Endodontics so that Paul Rowlands can see patients who need emergency root treatments without long delays. Paul has completed a post- graduate course in endodontics and is now doing most of our root treatments and is accepting referrals from other practices.  He also works with cosmetic orthodontics – Clearstep.  This is where you can relieve crowding without seeing any braces.

We have our annual CPR day in January – looking at medical emergencies and resuscitation plus the annual update in the use of Automated External Defibrillators as we have our own AED on the premises.

We are starting to see more Implant patients treated within the practice.  Noel Perkins has completed most of his foundation course in dental implantology. Implants are used when patients lose a tooth ad don’t want either a bridge or a denture to replace an unsightly gap.  Placing an Implant is the same as having a filling – local anaesthetic, a high degree of skill and a lovely result.  Book a place in the Consultation Suite – no charge – to discuss any options with Noel.

I can’t believe we are nearly at “No Smoking Day” in March.  We will give free mouth checks to anyone who smokes (even non-registered patients) on March 14th in a bid to check for any early signs of soft tissue change.  A difficult habit to “kick”- we feel as healthcare professionals we have an obligation to support anyone who needs our support.

We were delighted to achieve the Investors in People Choices GOLD award in 2011.  This award reflected the commitment and enthusiasm  of everyone in the  Team in making the practice successful whilst providing very high quality care for you the patient. We were the first dental practice in the North West of the country to win it and we are now in the top 1% of businesses.

Registered patients can contact the rota for the duty dentist for out of hours advice on 01900 826210. There is a £115 call out fee for private patients.  Denplan patients can reclaim all of that from this practice, but there may be a charge of £15 in the other practices. NHS Children are seen out of hours by Dental Direct on 01228 603900.

With every good wish for 2012 

Meredyth Bell MBE

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This year the very splendid Christmas window decorations are the work of Practice Manager Alison and Head Nurse Lyndsay. Great job ladies! Along with the rest of Cockermouth the festive spirit has started..

This has been a really successful year at the practice. We were delighted to achieve the Investors in People Choices GOLD award. This award reflected the commitment and enthusiasm of everyone in the Team in making the practice successful whilst providing very high quality care for you the patient. We were the first dental practice in the North West of the country to win it and we are now in the top 1% of businesses. More than half our team were interviewed for at least 45 minutes over two days.

All our dentists are ensuring that the Cosmetic dentistry we provide for patients is as good as anywhere in the country. Tooth whitening has been hugely successful and is very effective for patients whose teeth have aged – like mine! Why not treat yourself to a “white” Christmas. Ask any of the dentists for advice

This year saw the qualification of Dental Nurses Claire, Lyndsay and Ella in being able to apply Fluoride Varnish for those children who need extra help to preserve their teeth. Claire has also passed her Dental Health Educators certificate. This means that we can provide a full comprehensive prevention programme to our young patients. There will be no excuse for “poor” tooth brushing from now on. The three children’s mornings held in the Autumn were also very popular. A combination of Fluoride Varnish application and Oral Hygiene instruction followed by diet advice + a “Goody Bag” More next year.

Another new development has been the Consultation Suite. This dedicated area is being used by our Care Coordinators to introduce new patients to the practice prior to their appointment with their dentists, It is also in use to explain treatment plans to our existing patients in greater detail where requested. and also allows the application of Fluoride Varnish and tooth brushing.

Amanda has completed an advanced course on Equilibration of the mouth. This is when your teeth don’t meet together correctly and you get resulting jaw pain. We are hoping to start one Monday a month devoted to Equilibration and another Monday to Endodontics so that Paul Rowlands can see patients who need emergency root treatments without long delay. Paul Rowlands has completed an advance course in endodontics and is now doing most of our root treatments and is accepting referrals from other practices. He also works with cosmetic orthodontics – Clearstep. Please ask any of the receptionists for further information if you are interested.

Dentists in the Practice are committed to developing their professional skills to the highest possible level. Amanda Strong has a special interest in cosmetic dentistry and is doing a course on the restoration of dental implants. Noel Perkins has completed his 1 year foundation course in dental implantology.

We have had our annual CPR day – looking at medical emergencies and resuscitation plus the annual update in the use of Automated External Defibrillators as we have our own AED on the premises. The Practice is also part of a local Peer Review group of 8 dentists that meets regularly- encouraging best practice. We had a good response to our “No Smoking Day” with several patients vowing to give up the weed! The practice was involved with “National Smile Week” and we offered free oral cancer checks throughout “Oral Cancer Awareness Week” in November. We also celebrated Smile Month – never a dull moment.

This year has also seen the return visit of the children from Belarus. A great bunch of children who in spite of the clinical surroundings accept treatment without a murmur and always smile A real honour to be able to treat them.

Dentists will be working between Christmas and New Year but the practice will be closed on the festive bank holidays. Registered patients can contact the rota for the duty dentist for out of hours advice on 01900 826210. There is a £115 call out fee for private patients. Denplan patients can reclaim all of that from this practice, but there may be a charge of £15 in the other practices. NHS Children are seen out of hours by Dental Direct on 01228 603900.

We wish you a very happy Christmas and an even happier and healthier New Year from the St Helen’s Team.

Meredyth Bell MBE 

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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011

The garden had a late start but is very rewarding- full of colour and fruit. The Begonias and Gladioli are spectacular.

We are in for an exciting autumn! The Practice has had the Investor in People standard for over 12 years and we decided to have a try at getting their new higher standard - Choices.  As it was our first attempt we had hoped for Silver but in the event the Team won GOLD.  We are certainly the first dental practice in the North West and possibly the North of England to achieve this. It involved two days of interviews by our Assessor Steve Newton (12 out of our team of 22) - for as long as two hours in my case! We were awarded it because the whole Team were united in their desire to provide the best service for our patients through improving their learning and commitment and working together.

We have also been looking at how we can demonstrate to patients how well their treatment is working. We are already doing this for cosmetic cases but we would like to extend this to all treatments. This will mean clinical photographs – records of how your mouth is and how it can and does improve.  We had a training day with Mike Sharland - one of the country’s leading dental photographers.  This was to encourage the whole team – with patient consent – to be able to take photos of a ‘before and after nature’. These will be kept on computer under secure passwords and only the patient and dentist may access them.

Our new Consultation Suite is up and running.  This is where all new patients to the practice will have an initial talk with a Care Co-ordinator who will explain how the Practice works and what will happen to them at their initial meeting and also explain which services we provide.  Situated on the first floor this will also be available for clinical photographs, discussions about treatment options in a neutral setting and saliva tests for detecting bacteria that cause dental decay.

Our Saturday Children’s Morning in August was a resounding success. Devoted solely to our younger patients it covered Diet (good food and bad food) Tooth Brushing Instruction and Fluoride Varnish applications - to help prevent decay.  This was carried out by our trainee Dental Health Educators Lyndsay and Claire and Dental Nurses Claire and Lyndsay and Ella who are able to apply fluoride varnish under supervision. The morning had such a buzz and was so popular, especially with parents that we will repeat it in November.

Amanda has completed an advanced course on Equilibration of the mouth. This is when your teeth don’t meet together correctly and you get resulting jaw pain.  We are hoping to start one Monday a month devoted to Equilibration and another Monday to Endodontics so that Paul Rowlands can see patients who need emergency root treatments without long delay.

The practice is again actively supporting Colgate Oral Health Month in September and there will be a series of displays on the waiting room notice board to emphasise good practice. We have just heard that Prevora has now been licensed and we are able to use it again. This practice was part of a clinical trial with our 10 volunteer patients.  We are really pleased with the results and those patients have been asking for more treatment. So we are back in business.  To qualify you need to be over 40 years of age, have a multiple drug regime and a dry mouth.  Prevora helps prevent root caries.

For those patients who are not in Denplan there is Membership Plan on offer. This covers all Call-outs plus accident cover and is £5.00 per month. It is proving popular with our Private patients who would like to have some protection against the unexpected happening at weekends or on holiday. As well as having Denplan Excel, we are Gold members of the British Dental Association Good Practice Scheme.

The practice shares an out of hours service with seven other practices. Any registered patient can contact the duty dentist for out of hours advice on 01900 826210. There is a £115 call out fee for private patients which Denplan patients can reclaim.    Children are seen out of hours by Dental Direct on 01228 603900.

With very best wishes

Meredyth Bell MBE

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SUMMER 2011

Cockermouth is looking really well and ready for summer visitors. If you are coming from outside Cockermouth try and book some extra time to browse the shops that are very exciting and varied.

Congratulations to Amanda Strong on finishing the Coast to Coast ride in three days- in Aid of Hospice at Home. Amanda raised a magnificent £800 - thank you to all those patients who contributed so generously – a final total of £40k.
Dental Nurse Claire Wilkinson received her Certificate for applying fluoride varnish on children’s teeth at a ceremony in Carlisle. We will be establishing Saturday clinics for those young people who need to have this valuable preventive treatment. It should help fight tooth decay. Claire also provided the very popular wall exhibition in the waiting room for National Smile Month, clearly demonstrating the problem of hidden sugars. More Congratulations to dental nurse Danielle and partner Carl on the birth of baby Lexi – Mae at the end of June - a beautiful sister for Elliot.

Anna Bainbridge is now seeing most of my Denplan patients for me. A recent minor operation on my left ankle to remove a migrating pin has slowed me down a little and I am grateful for her support and care of all the patients. Amazingly Anna has been here a full year - time flies when you are having a good time

Amanda has completed an advanced course on Equilibration of the mouth. This is when your teeth don’t meet together correctly and you get resulting jaw pain. We are hoping to start one Monday a month devoted to Equilibration and another Monday to Endodontics so that Paul Rowlands can see his patients without long delay.

We have just heard that Prevora has now been licensed and we are able to use it again. This practice was part of a clinical trial with our 10 volunteer patients. We are really pleased with the results and those patients have been asking for more treatment. So we are back in business. To qualify you need to be over 40 years of age, have a multiple drug regime and a dry mouth. Prevora helps prevent root caries. Please contact reception if you need to know more about it.

We have had the children from Belarus again this year. It never ceases to impress me that young people who can’t speak the language, are prepared to sit in a dental chair, have fillings - even extractions and manage to smile at the end of treatment and say thank you! Awesome.

The practice is again actively supporting those patients who are trying to give up smoking. Apart from the well publicised side effects such as heart and lung disease smoking can cause severe bone loss and oral cancer. Cases of oral cancer are on the increase and if they are caught early enough have a good recovery rate. We are committed to helping anyone who smokes to kick the habit.

Our patients rightly expect to be able to keep their teeth for life and this is the motivation behind our approach to preventive care and also have an extensive range of products that are designed to help the “at risk” mouth We recommend Tooth Mousse and tooth Gel if you are taking multiple medication, have a dry mouth and want to prevent decay. These have fluoride added to protect the teeth when saliva is unable to work properly.

For those patients who are not in Denplan there is Membership Plan on offer. This covers all Call-outs plus accident cover and is £5.00 per month. It is proving popular with our Private patients who would like to have some protection against the unexpected happening at weekends or on holiday. This year we will be looking for further accreditation with Denplan Excel. We are also Gold members of the British Dental Association Good Practice Award and are due for renewal of Investor in People.

The practice shares its out of hours service with seven other practices. Any registered patient can contact the duty dentist for out of hours advice on 01900 826210. There is a £115 call out fee for private patients which Denplan patients can reclaim. Children are seen out of hours by Dental Direct on 01228 603900.

With very best wishes

Meredyth Bell MBE

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SPRING 2011

The last few days have been wonderful. Sunny and warm with an abundance of Spring flowers everywhere. A brilliant tonic to dispel Winter blues
Our new sterilising suite is complete and you can be assured that our infection control procedures are top notch. As part of our Continued Professional Development (CPD) we had a morning devoted to Infection Control run by Schulke- the leaders in the field nationally. We  received a glowing report from the Consultant – the best practice she had visited in the country!

When shopping in Cockermouth I always expect to pay for purchases and services as I receive them.  It is no difference in our practice and apart from Denplan patients, who are on Capitation payments, all Private patients should be prepared to pay for treatment as they go along. We are trying to keep our rapidly escalating costs down and hope that with your understanding we can cope with all the extra legislation that is thrown at us and keep prices stable.

This year the Practice has to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This body will be a second regulator, comparable to the General Dental Council (GDC). The latter controls our ability to work (if you aren’t on the register there is no dentistry) this covers dentists, hygienists and qualified dental nurses. The CQC focuses on standards in the practice - the working protocols.  It will be staffed by non-dentists who come into the building and tick boxes. As we have Denplan Excel status this gives us a head start and we are confident that we will exceed their requirements- the extra cost for compliance is considerable.

Finally we now have to comply with Information Governance.  This is very recent but those of you who visit our website regularly will have seen our Information Policy. I installed this in 2005 and so with a little bit of extra tweaking this will also be ready in a few weeks.  This policy is to allow full exchange of information between patients and the Practice.  We have always had a facility on our web site for recording your views, comments and opinions of us. Few patients avail themselves of this feature so we will wait and see how it flourishes under new legislation.

Dentists in the Practice are committed to developing their professional skills to the highest possible level. Amanda Strong has a special interest in cosmetic dentistry and is doing a course on the restoration of dental implants.  Noel Perkins has completed his one year foundation course in dental implantology. All our dentists are ensuring that the Cosmetic dentistry we provide for patients is as good as anywhere in the country. Tooth whitening has been hugely successful and is very effective for patients whose teeth have aged – like mine! Paul Rowlands has completed an advance course in endodontics and is also doing most of our root treatments and is accepting referrals from other practices.

We now have our full complement of dentists with the arrival of Anna Bainbridge last year; however with all the extra requirements I am having to spend a lot more time on administration and coupled with my growing family commitments I am anticipating further disruption in my working hours.  I am really grateful for the fantastic support of all the dentists in the practice - I am not retiring but cutting back to Wednesdays and some Saturdays.

It is rare that a Celebrity raves about dentistry but Chris Evans was waxing eloquently about invisible orthodontics on Radio 2.  Both Paul and Amanda do Clearstep, so if you want to join a growing band of celebrities- including Tom Cruise – with straight teeth just ask the dentists. Definitely no guarantee you will resemble either man!

There is now a full complement of hygienist provision.  The Oral Health team comprising Ann, Liz, Janet, and Fiona also has trainee Dental Health Educators Lyndsay and Claire. 

Registered patients can contact the rota for the duty dentist for out of hours advice on 01900 826210. There is a £115 call out fee for private patients.  Denplan patients can reclaim all of that from this practice, but there may be a charge of £15 in the other practices. NHS Children are seen out of hours by Dental Direct on 01228 603900.

With very best wishes,

Meredyth Bell MBE

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

It’s always good to start with exciting news  Our congratulations go to Paul and Rose Rowlands on the birth of their beautiful ( takes after her Mum) daughter Lucy Alice. He will be looking tired for a few weeks!

It is rare that a Celebrity raves about dentistry but Chris Evans was waxing eloquently about invisible orthodontics on Radio 2.  Both Paul and Amanda do Clearstep, so if you want to join a growing band of celebrities - including Tom Cruise – with straight teeth just ask the dentists. Definitely no guarantee you will resemble either man!

This year the Practice has to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This body will be a second regulator, comparable to the General Dental Council (GDC). The latter controls our ability to work (if you aren’t on the register there is no dentistry) this covers dentists, hygienists and qualified dental nurses. The CQC focuses on standards in the practice - the working protocols.  It will be manned by non-dentists who will come into the building and tick boxes. As we have Denplan Excel status this gives us a head start and we are confident that we will exceed their requirements.

The second wave of Legislation covers the HTM 01 05 – infection control. We have already built our sterilising unit on the first floor and with the installation of our Washer/disinfector will be ahead on best practice. This occupied most of our waking moments in November 2010 but the result was well worth it. As part of our Continued Professional Development (CPD) we had a morning devoted to Infection Control run by Schulke the leaders in the field nationally.  We  received a glowing report from the Consultant – the best practice she had visited in the country!

Finally we now have to comply with Information Governance.  This is very recent but those of you who visit our website regularly will have seen our Information Policy. I installed this in 2005 and so with a little bit of extra tweaking this will also be ready in a few weeks.  This policy is to allow full exchange of information between patients and the practice.
We have always had a facility for recording your views, comments and opinions of us.

We now have our full complement of dentists with the arrival of Anna Bainbridge last year; however with all the extra requirements I am having to spend a lot more time on administration and coupled with my growing family commitments I am anticipating further disruption in my working hours.  I am really grateful for the fantastic support of all the dentists in the practice - I am not retiring but cutting back.

Dentists in the Practice are committed to developing their professional skills to the highest possible level. Amanda Strong has a special interest in cosmetic dentistry and is doing a course on the restoration of dental implants.  Noel Perkins has completed his 1 year foundation course in dental implantology. All our dentists are ensuring that the Cosmetic dentistry we provide for patients is as good as anywhere in the country. Paul Rowlands has completed an advance course in endodontics and is now doing most of our root treatments and is accepting referrals from other practices.

There is now a full complement of hygienist provision.  The Oral Health team headed by Ann, Liz and Janet also has trainee Dental Health Educators Lyndsay and Claire.  We strive to have the highest standard of oral care provision and will be looking to target children’s teeth in the spring

We are also working with No Smoking day in March - this is an opportunity for anyone who smokes to have a free oral health check. Better safe than sorry!

Registered patients can contact the rota for the duty dentist for out of hours advice on 01900 826210. There is a £115 call out fee for private patients.  Denplan patients can reclaim all of that from this practice, but there may be a charge of £15 in the other practices. NHS Children are seen out of hours by Dental Direct on 01228 603900.

Meredyth Bell MBE

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JANUARY 2011

The start of a new year is always challenging.  The Practice is looking forward to the next year with determination and optimism. Looking at the number of legal requirements that are being imposed I should also add stamina to that list!

This year the Practice has to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This body will be a second regulator, comparable to the General Dental Council (GDC). The latter controls our ability to work (if you aren’t on the register there is no dentistry) this covers dentists, hygienists and qualified dental nurses. The CQC focuses on standards in the practice - the working protocols.  It will be manned by non-dentists who will come into the building and tick boxes. As we have Denplan Excel status this gives us a head start and we are confident that we will exceed their requirements. 

The second wave of Legislation covers the HTM 01 05 – infection control. We have already built our sterilising unit on the first floor and with the installation of our Washer/disinfector will be ahead on best practice. This occupied most of our waking moments in November 2010 but the result was well worth it. 

Finally we now have to comply with Information Governance.  This is very recent but those of you who visit our website regularly will have seen our Information Policy. I installed this in 2005 and so with a little bit of extra tweaking this will also be ready in a few weeks.  This policy is to allow full exchange of information between patients and the practice.  We have always had a facility for recording your views, comments and opinions of us. Few patients avail themselves of this feature so we will wait and see how it flourishes under new legislation. 

We now have our full complement of dentists with the arrival of Anna Bainbridge last year; however with all the extra requirements I am having to spend a lot more time on administration and coupled with my growing family commitments I am anticipating further disruption in my working hours.  I am really grateful for the fantastic support of all the dentists in the practice - I am not retiring but cutting back.

Dentists in the Practice are committed to developing their professional skills to the highest possible level. Amanda Strong has a special interest in cosmetic dentistry and is doing a course on the restoration of dental implants.  Noel Perkins has completed his 1 year foundation course in dental implantology. All our dentists are ensuring that the Cosmetic dentistry we provide for patients is as good as anywhere in the country. Tooth whitening has been hugely successful and is very effective for patients whose teeth have aged – like mine! Paul Rowlands has completed an advance course in endodontics and is now doing most of our root treatments and is accepting referrals from other practices. He also works with Clearstep - cosmetic orthodontics.  Please ask any of the receptionists for further information if you are interested.

There is now a full complement of hygienist provision.  The Oral Health team headed by Ann, Liz and Janet also has trainee Dental Health Educators Lyndsay and Claire.  We strive to have the highest standard of oral care provision and will be looking to target children’s teeth in the spring 

As part of our Continued Professional Development (CPD) we are having a morning devoted to Infection Control run by Schulke and Meyer the leaders in the field nationally. We have had our annual CPR day – looking at medical emergencies and resuscitation plus the annual update in the use of Automated External Defibrillators as we have our own AED on the premises. The Practice is also part of a local Peer Review group of 8 dentists that meets regularly- encouraging best practice. We are also working with No Smoking day in March -this is an opportunity for anyone who smokes to have a free oral health check. Better safe than sorry!

Registered patients can contact the rota for the duty dentist for out of hours advice on 01900 826210. There is a £115 call out fee for private patients.  Denplan patients can reclaim all of that from this practice, but there may be a charge of £15 in the other practices. NHS Children are seen out of hours by Dental Direct on 01228 603900. 

With very best wishes for a healthy and happy 2011

Meredyth Bell MBE

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