Amanda Strong
Principal Dental Surgeon
BDS (Newcastle)
GDC registration number: 58992
Qualifying from Newcastle University in 1984, Amanda went home to Southport to spend the first 18 months of her career working in Ormskirk, before moving to Pooley Bridge and joining St Helens Dental Practice in 1986.
Married to Nigel in 1987, they subsequently had three sons and so for a while the demands of a young family meant that Amanda worked closer to home in Penrith. In 2005 she was able to return to Cockermouth.
Amanda writes – It has been a great privilege to spend so many years under the energetic and inspiring leadership of Meredyth Bell MBE.
The original two-surgery practice, which I joined in 1986, has now grown to occupy all three floors of our lovely Georgian building. Dentistry has progressed enormously too, and here at St Helens we have always been keen to embrace change.
For me personally the challenge is always to stay abreast of new materials and techniques, and in order to give our patients the very best that dentistry can offer, I invest a considerable amount of time each year in Post Graduate Education.
Some thoughts on the things that stand out most to me now –
Amalgam (the mainstay of NHS dentistry for so many years) is rapidly becoming a thing of the past – although it does still have its uses!
Tooth coloured filling materials (composites) are now very strong, bond well and look very life-like so that teeth can be rebuilt by simply adding on to whatever is left after accident, decay or previous dentistry have taken their toll.
“Invisible braces” (see SMILELIGN ) allow us to improve the appearance of front teeth without unsightly “train track” braces. This is a simply brilliant system made possible by the advent of 3D printing.
Tooth whitening has to be the best “cosmetic” treatment on offer today. It is really effective, simple to do and providing you keep to the low percentage gels, completely harmless.
GCs “Everstick” is a glass reinforced resin fibre which can be used to fill gaps in certain cases in just one visit. As there are no laboratory costs involved, it can be a more affordable option than conventional bridgework.
Splint therapy for the relief of muscle pain and headaches is continually evolving as we learn more about how our muscles, nerves and joint systems work.
The link between a healthy mouth and “inflammatory diseases” eg heart attack, stroke, Diabetes. The evidence is now clear and our remit as dentists is to focus on “total wellness”. Our team of hygienists and dental health educators work hard along side to keep our patients in excellent health.
In October 2017 Amanda went to Tanzania with the dental charity Bridge2aid . The purpose of the trip was to educate health care workers on how to extract teeth.
A team dedicated to offering the highest standards of dental care. Get in touch to find out more.