My smile now looks so much broader than before and the alignment looks fantastic (if I do say so myself!) My lower teeth are still slightly sat at an angle due to them crowding around to the right but this is gradually being corrected with “power chain”, a series of elastic rings fitted around my brackets. Because my teeth had all moved round to one side, the right of my bite is “open” where as the left is “closed” (see photo).  To correct this, I now wear an elastic band on the right side to help pull the teeth down into the correct position.

I’m so used to having my regular adjustments now that after seeing Asif my teeth ache only slightly and this fades after just a couple of hours. We’re aiming to have my treatment completed within the next 6 weeks or so, I’m so excited to show you the finished results!

Lindsay

Every 4-6 weeks I visit Asif for my adjustments and this usually takes about half an hour so I can easily fit the appointments around work. Everything feels a little tender for a day or 2 after these adjustments but as the old saying goes, no pain no gain!

Regular flossing prevents gum disease.

We all knew that right? A fact that isn’t quite as well known is that regular flossing prevents heart disease. Better still, a recent study by gerontologists (ageing doctors) in the United States have recently discovered that regular flossing and good oral hygiene could add up to 6 years to the average life expectancy!

Too good to be true? Well when we consider that poor oral hygiene is not only linked to a higher risk of heart disease but to Strokes, lung disease and even Alzheimer’s, it really does pay to floss daily and look after the gateway to our minds, bodies and a longer life.

Bow Lane Dental are proud and honoured to be at the cutting edge of modern dental care as judged by our peers.

Before Braces

Monday 3rd October 2011

I have a confession to make…

Like most people, I ignored the advice of my childhood orthodontist after having my train tracks removed and I probably wore my retainer for the grand total of about 10 days. If that.

Over time my teeth slowly crept back to their original alignment, becoming crowded at the bottom and overlapping at the top. This wasn’t really an issue for me until I had to face the dreaded camera lens. The shadows created by the inset teeth on my right side would really bother me, to the point where I would only be photographed from my left side.

Although most of my friends and colleagues would disagree (to my face, at least) my once straight teeth have undeniably become crowded and unattractive. As a dental nurse, I feel almost duty-bound that I should exhibit beautifully white, straight and healthy teeth. Healthy and white they may be. Straight they are not.

Along with the advice of our orthodontist Dr Asif Chatoo, I have decided that the best option for me would be fixed lingual braces (namely fixed brackets on the inside surfaces of my upper and lower teeth). Removable appliances like Invisalign would not be an option for me as I require re-alignment of my bite plus (I know what I’m like) if I’m given the freedom of wearing something that I can remove, it will spend more time on my bedside table than in my mouth.

So after set of impressions taken 2 weeks ago with Asif, my lab work is now back and we are ready to proceed with treatment tomorrow afternoon.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress…

Lindsay

October 20th 2011

Well this is new…

Its been 2 weeks now since my upper brace was fitted and earlier this week, the lower brace was put into place. As it takes a while for the mouth to adjust, Asif fits the upper and lower brackets in 2 separate appointments 2 weeks apart.

The experience itself was both a big adjustment and a pleasant surprise! My memories of childhood orthodontics were of very long, uncomfortable appointments followed by lots of aches and pains. I was relieved when the application itself only took 45 minutes and the discomfort lasted only a day or 2.

On the 1st day, my tongue was naturally very inquisitive and as with anything new in the mouth the brace initially felt huge!  I had a slight lisp for the first couple of days but once my mouth adjusted to my new addition, this settled very quickly and the brace felt as if it had always been there. Diet wise I’ve been eating mostly soft foods as biting can be a bit tender, hard and crunchy foods are definitely out of the question…

My first adjustment is in 4 weeks, I’m looking forward to seeing some movement soon!

Many of our readers, each of whom voted for their own top 10, clearly felt James was deserving of the number one spot in 2011. Having just served his one-year term as president of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD), it is perhaps no surprise to see his influence within the profession reaching a peak at this moment in time.

James, who qualified from Kings College in 1992, has a masters degree in conservative dentistry from the Eastman Dental Institute and now practises all aspects of cosmetic dentistry with his multi-specialist team at Bow Lane Dental Group, where he is the principal and owner. The central London practice has its own on-site dedicated dental laboratory.

He is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the Association of Dental Implantology, the British Society Of Occlusal Studies and the British Dental Association. He is on the board of the British Dental Bleaching Society and trains hygienists and therapists in tooth whitening, both theory and hands-on, through his company Smiles by James.

James also lectures internationally on subjects such as tooth whitening techniques, minimally invasive dentistry and marketing. His efforts at boosting the profile of the BACD have gone hand-in-hand with him being recognised as one of the top cosmetic dentists in the country, writing for publications such as Maxim and being interviewed on many television and radio programmes.

He has recently published a book called BRUSH which went to the number 1 spot on Amazon. ALL the profits of this book go to the charity Dentaid to help build a dental clinic in Cambodia.

To donate directly:

http://www.justgiving.com/James-Goolnik-Brush

If you purchase “BRUSH” the book on Amazon.co.uk BEFORE 2pm GMT today(friday 18 th March) you will get:

ONE COPY

1. White paper of how to fast track an Iphone app for sucess (never been released).

2. We will donate an extra £5 to Dentaid.

TWO COPIES (great Easter present)

1. 30 minutes Q & A with me on how to implement any of the strategies in the book

2. Plus the two items in offer 1.

 THREE COPIES (you can donate them to a dental school library):

1. Enter a raffle to either:

a) Spend half a day at Bow on how to implement this strategies

or

b) Zoom Tooth Whitening (worth over £500)- subject to dental health

2. Plus items in offer 2.

Just email me at james@jamesgoolnik.com  proof of purchase from Amazon.co.uk dated 18th March before 2pm GMT.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brush-James-Goolnik/dp/0956833209/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300432512&sr=1-1

Good luck!

The first project James plans to assist Dentaid with is a Dental programme for the rural poor in Cambodia. Via the Cambodia Development Association (CDA) in the Bantheay Meanchey province of Cambodia. This region has been destroyed by floods and the daily income of the population is just 40p. With James Goolnik’s help, CDA hopes to run a dental clinic and start an oral health programme. The plan is to build a two-surgery dental practice. Andy Jong of Dentaid said “James’s generous support from his book will mean our Cambodian partner can launch their oral health education programme into more schools and offer significantly better quality community oral health care from the surgeries they will now receive”.

You can buy the book at

www.jamesgoolnik.com

or

on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brush-James-Goolnik/dp/0956833209/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300110087&sr=8-1

Or donate direct to the charity

http://www.justgiving.com/James-Goolnik-Brush

The Dental Button is a device that literally gives control back to you. By pushing a button, you can stop the power supply to the dentist’s drill and therefore immediately stop dental treatment at any time

The Dental Button is available to all patients at no additional charge. It is non-invasive, meaning no drugs with possible associated side effects. Ask for it today!

http://www.bowlanedental.com/about-you/fear-of-the-dentist