Most of us understand the importance of regularly visiting our dentist.  However, there’s perhaps less understanding of the role of the dental hygienist.

Tavistock House Dental Practice’s highly experienced hygienists help you look after your teeth by polishing unsightly surface stains and advising you of the best way to look after your teeth and gums.

In addition to advising you about areas you might be missing, they also remove the hard and rough scale deposits (“calculus” or “tartar”) from above and below the gum line.  These scale deposits are harmless if kept clean.  However, the presence of these hard deposits makes cleaning the tooth surface difficult and compromises hygiene efforts at home.  As a result, scale left above and below the gum line can harbour bacteria, causing gum inflammation (gums go red and start to bleed).  If this becomes chronic the bone supporting the tooth can recede and the tooth may eventually become loose or even be lost.  Accumulated bacteria is also a cause of bad breath.

Why should I visit a hygienist?

A clean and healthy mouth can help to provide confidence with fresh breath and improved appearance, but most importantly to prevent tooth decay and loss of supporting bone. Your hygienist can dramatically reduce the need for active treatment, whilst ensuring the longevity of fillings and other more complex work.

Our practice has four hygienists who work Monday to Friday including early mornings and some evenings.

You can find out more about the hygienist team here:
Hygienists

You can request a dental or hygienist appointment here:
Appointments

After 2 weeks we have a lovely new wall at the back of our carpark.

From this:

To this:

Thank you for your patience during the disruption.

It is all too easy to neglect dental health, but as with most things in life – prevention is better than cure.  Teeth help us to consume food, chew, and aid in communication.  A healthy smile is a confident smile, so here Tavistock shares their top tips to avoid oral health problems:

1. Brush twice daily to prevent decay, gum disease and bad breath. Preferably brush after breakfast and before bedtime, for a full 2 minutes, moving to a different quadrant of the mouth every 30 seconds.
2. Use a good quality fluoride toothpaste and - if possible - an electric toothbrush.
3. Change your toothbrush (or the head on your electric brush) every 3 months.
4. Spit – don’t rinse. This allows the fluoride more time to be effective.
5. Use floss or the correct sized interdental brush every day.
6. Visit your dentist every six months and your hygienist every 3-6 months as advised.
7. Avoid snacking on sugary foods, or try to restrict them to straight after mealtimes.
8. Pass on good habits: teach your children good oral hygiene as soon as possible, supervise brushing until at least age seven, and get them in to see the dentist as soon as their first tooth appears.

Tavistock can help.  We can show you how best to brush your teeth and give you specific advice on what is best for your personal oral hygiene routine.  Request an appointment now.

Mouth Cancer Action Month is a charity campaign which aims to raise awareness of mouth cancer and save lives by promoting the values of prevention and early detection.

The campaign is about making everybody more mouth aware and in November, we will be highlighting the risk factors and signs and symptoms associated with the disease.

By communicating the causes of mouth cancer, we can encourage healthier lifestyles and reduce the number of people diagnosed with the disease.  It is also important that we can recognise the early warning signs so that we can act on any unusual changes in the mouth as soon as possible.

The importance of Mouth Cancer Action Month

In the UK, more than 8.300 people were diagnosed with mouth cancer last year and globally there are in excess of 300,000 new cases every year.

The number of people being diagnosed with mouth cancer has grown by around a third in the last decade and remains one of very few cancers which are predicted to increase further in the coming years.

Although risk factors (such as smoking and alcohol) are responsible for many mouth cancers, it is a disease that can affect anyone.

That is why it is so important we all know what to look out for.

• Don’t leave a mouth ulcer unattended for more than three weeks.

• Don’t ignore any unusual lumps or swellings or red and white patches in your mouth.

• Regularly check your own mouth, lips, cheeks, head and neck for anything out of the ordinary.

Visit mouthcancer.org

On Tuesday  8^th October 2024 we said goodbye and good luck to our lovely hygienist Liz Melton, who has sadly left us.

Liz has been working at Tavistock House since the 12^th January 2021 and will be missed by staff and patients alike.

We are pleased to announce that Tavistock House has recently donated used IT equipment to The Turing Trust.

The Turing Trust is a charity that refurbishes IT equipment and provides educational software to students in the greatest need. By donating our used IT equipment, we are helping to reduce electronic waste and make a positive impact on the environment.

The Turing Trust confirmed on 31st July that the equipment arrived safely. These computers will go on to help over 100 students and their reuse will offset more than 2 tonnes of CO2. This is the equivalent of planting 4 trees!

We are proud to support the work of The Turing Trust and their mission to bridge the digital divide. To learn more about The Turing Trust and their work in the UK, visit https://turingtrust.co.uk/our-work/the-uk/

The practice at 77 Tring Road, was formerly known simply as “The Dental Practice” and opened its doors as the renamed Tavistock House on Wednesday 19th December 1973.

Tavistock House changed ownership in 2008 and now, 50 years on from the initial name change, thanks to our wonderful patients, we are still here and continue to provide services across the whole spectrum of dentistry (as per the original owners’ vision).

Dentistry has changed a lot over the years -we can diagnose and treat disease that decades ago couldn’t be treated, using techniques and materials that hadn’t even been dreamt of at the time. Management of periodontal disease, implants and cosmetic dentistry were years away when Tavistock House first opened, although we were the first practice in the area to employ a full-time hygienist -unheard of at the time!

The thing that has remained constant is the continued support of our patients -we are treating 3rd and 4th generations of the same families now. We feel it is a real privilege that we are trusted to look after our patients and their families, and we take that responsibility very seriously.

We would like to say a big thank you to all our patients for recommending us to their friends and families, and for entrusting themselves to our care. We will continue to listen and remain self-critical so that we can stay ahead of the game and maintain the best service to our patients.

We will, of course, continue to offer check ups and the full range of treatments privately for children at the practice; referrals for orthodontic treatment will be made in the usual manner, where and when appropriate, and without charge. If your child would have been eligible for orthodontic treatment on the NHS prior to the switchover, they will still be eligible for NHS orthodontic treatment, going forward.

Our fees for private check up appointments for children will be as follows;

Child 0-6 yrs old (10 minute examination appointment) £15.00

Child 7-17 yrs old (20 minute examination appointment) £27.00

Any treatment needed will be advised & costs given at the end of the check-up appointment in the usual way.

Alternatively, if you would prefer your child to continue to be treated under the NHS at another practice, you can try searching for local NHS practices at https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist, or alternately call 111 in the case of a dental emergency.

Thank you for your understanding with this matter.

We look forward to seeing you again at the practice soon!

The Team at Tavistock House