Dear Treetops Patients

Wow, what a difference it makes with the lighter nights! I hope we find you all well, happy and healthy.

Over the past few years, close up video conferencing platforms such as; Zoom and Microsoft Teams have become household names, due to their ability to bring work meetings together, and to keep friends and family in touch with each other through difficult times.  We have witnessed this new way of ‘seeing yourself’, has led many patients to reevaluate their smile. This has created an increase in patients requesting aesthetic solutions and in particular, straighter teeth through Invisalign solutions (clear plastic trays/aligners).  We have offered Invisalign at Treetops for many years yet we have only had one practitioner qualified to deliver them.  I wanted to share with you that we are excited to announce that Dr Amandeep Bhamber, is now a fully qualified Invisalign provider and an integral part of our Invisalign team!  For those who do not know Amandeep, he has been a Treetops General Dental Practitioner for 4 years and has an incredible following of patients.  He is an exceptional clinician for not only his clinical prowess yet also his innate ability to put patients at ease.

Amandeep is planning an ‘Invisalign Promotional Open Morning’ in May and we will be sharing the specific details on our social media platforms, in addition to sending out invites to our current patients in the coming weeks. However, as a thankyou for your loyalty and support to Treetops we would like to give you, your family and friends the opportunity to reserve your places in advance.  If achieving straighter teeth through a discreet (virtually invisible trays), convenient, comfortable and accurate system, is something you would like to find out more about , then please accept a free 30 minute Invisalign consultation on our promotional morning.  This will include a digital scan of your teeth, illustrating what you look like now and how you could look, after Invisalign treatment.!  To help patients understand a bit more about Invisalign, Amandeep was interviewed by Liz, our Social Media and Marketing Lead here at Treetops, please enjoy reading this in our newsletter.

I wish you all a fabulous Easter and April.

Louise
Our patients frequently share with us that they would love to have straighter teeth, comments such as ‘I suppose I missed the boat for straight teeth’, ‘I cover my mouth  when I smile as I am so self conscious’.  They also say that the wearing of train track braces now, would affect their work, social lives and self-confidence. Can you imagine how amazing it is for us, when we know we can offer them a solution that will provide straighter teeth without wearing train tracks!!!

Invisalign is an innovative and virtually invisible teeth-straightening treatment that offers a subtle and comfortable way to improve the alignment of teeth.

By using the incredible Invisalign straightening system on our patients, we help them achieve the smiles they have always wanted.

We are thrilled that Dr Amandeep Bhamber has recently joined the Invisalign team and we have interviewed him to find out more…

Q: What is Invisalign treatment?
Invisalign treatment is a method of straightening your teeth using clear invisible braces. With over 12 million smiles straightened worldwide the invisalign system is the most advanced way to straighten teeth.

Very much like a mouthguard in appearance, these invisalign “aligners” are custom made for your mouth and will gradually move teeth into more desirable positions. As all orthodontists say, teeth like “light and continuous forces” – exactly what a treatment like Invisalign provides.

Q: What are Invisalign clear aligners made of and what do they look like?
Invisalign clear aligners are made of medical grade transparent plastic. (This is very important with regards to allergies). Although they may look something like a mouthguard, they have special features in-built into the plastic to help move teeth reliably and predictably.

Most people can’t tell that you have them in, though I personally think up close you can probably tell a little.

Q: How will Invisalign treatment straighten my teeth?
Over a course of invisalign treatment you will wear aligners for 22 hours per day, ideally only removing them for eating and brushing your teeth. The aligners slowly start to move your teeth.

After approximately 10 days you change aligner and move onto the next set. This new set then moves your teeth slightly more.

A course of aligners varies but after a period of time (usually between 9 and 18 months) the aligners will have slowly moved your teeth into their desired positions and hey presto – you’re done!

And all we need is a digital scan of your mouth and some pictures of your teeth to get started!

Q: What are the benefits of Invisalign treatment over fixed braces?
Nearly invisible, removable, more comfortable than traditional braces, can be completed without impressions (gooey mess) and injections, improve tooth cosmetics, allow for better cleaning, less food restrictions – with traditional braces sticky food is off the cards!

Q: Am I guaranteed to have straight teeth with Invisalign Treatment?
Providing you wear your aligners for 22 hours per day and attend regular reviews with us, you have every chance of obtaining the smile you desire. Unfortunately no guarantees can be given on any dental work, whether that be root canal treatment, fillings or clear aligner treatment.

What we can provide at Treetops is a team that will work with you to achieve straight teeth because not only do we want you to be happy, we want us to be happy with the work we provide too. :)

Q: Is it better to be younger to have Invisalign? or will it still work if I am middle aged? 
Invisalign works regardless of age. Occasionally certain medical conditions, allergies and intolerances reduce the chance of the treatment working but this is fully discussed at the start of treatment and we will of course advise you appropriately.

It is not better to be younger per se – but some people say that younger peoples bone is softer and so tooth movement is easier. Others say that invisalign works better on the young as they generally have had less dentistry done. All of this will be discussed at your consultation.

Q:Why not smile direct or another aligner system?
Invisalign is tried and tested – 12 million smiles and counting. With other systems you don’t get to see a dentist. Without seeing a dentist there is a serious risk of having straight teeth but outside of your mouth.

Regardless of the system you use, we always recommend a consultation with a dentist.

Thank you Dr Bhamber! 

 

Another fantastic patient Denplan Loyalty award!

Remember you have to be in it to win it!

If you would like to know more about Denplan memberships and how budgeting monthly for your dental needs could work for you, just call our friendly reception team on 01902 842 555.
Dr Pankhania and nurse Emma Middleton shows us a wonderful example of an old gold inlay being replaced by a white composite. Well done both
Again Dr Pankhania and Nurse Emma have taken an old temporary filling that was placed by another practice and replaced with white composite. Doesn’t  it make a difference!
Here we have a fine example of a composite build up from Dr Peter Reece and nurse Donna Haycox. Composite build ups are are fantastic way to smarten up your smile without the need for any orthodontics. Composite bonding can address chipped teeth, rough enamel, gapped teeth, discoloured spots and unevenly sized teeth.
What is an Implant?A dental implant is one of the best long-term solutions for replacing missing teeth. Placed directly into your jawbone (termed osseointegration), they offer the patient strong and durable results as they provide an artificial replacement for missing teeth. Created to replicate natural teeth, they are able to support crowns, bridges and dentures in the same way that your natural root supports your teeth.  Implants are not all the same quality, yet be totally assured that at Treetops we only place the Swiss designed and manufactured – Straumann. Straumann are the global leaders in manufacturing dental implants.  They are 20% stronger and have a 97% success rate. They are made of titanium and the implants fuse into the jawbone, which allows the bone to grow around the implants.

What is assessed to ascertain who is a suitable patient for Implants?

We call it the 3 B’s –  The Bone, The Bite, and The gum Bacteria in your mouth. These have to be at sufficient levels to allow for implant solutions. If they are not adequate, then 9 out of 10 times we can carry out additional treatments to bring them up to acceptable levels which will enable us to still continue with treatment.

The Bone:
A good bone volume is essential for solid fixation and the 3D scan allows us to visualise both the height and the width of the specific site, or the whole jaw as necessary. The anatomical features captured within, also allow us to plan properly and keep to specific biological parameters. These include nerves, sinus chambers and nasal cavities to name a few.  If the bone levels are not adequate we are able to do bone grafting, which is a powdered bone, taken from a bottle – supplied from a tissue bank – which is placed around  the implant on the day of surgery. Today, it is rarely taken from any other part of your body.

The Bite:
This is how all your teeth fit together, ensuring the bite is balanced is important as this can cause the implant to fail in time. When looking at your bite we are looking for any teeth that may have over erupted or tilted into the space to be restored.  These can cause both an aesthetic and/or a functional issue when placing a tooth on to the implant, due to inadequate spacing.

The Bacteria:
We are looking at your oral hygiene, when placing implants we need to place this into healthy gums, as they form the foundation for stable bone and ensure the implant will last. We are looking at the plaque deposits and taking gum scores to eliminate any local or general gum disease.

What is the patient journey for a simple implant consultation and placement?
Stage One – An Initial 1 hour comprehensive consultation which includes:

– Listen to the patient’s wants and needs
– Assessment of the 3 B’s – Bone, Bite & Bacteria
– Extraoral and intraoral clinical photographs
– CBCT 3D scan which allows Dr Sanjeev Ramrakha to check bone levels
– Share the findings, solutions and proposed treatment options using visual aids
– Personalised information pack to take home
– Full treatment plan letter and costs sent to the patient within 2 weeks
– Jodie, our Implant lead nurse will contact you to answer any questions you may have

Stage 2 – Implant treatment begins with Mr Sanjeev Ramrakha and the Implant team
1. Initial impressions and records are taken – this will provide clinical information which will create a strong foundation for the accurate placing of the implant and increasing its longevity. We actively encourage our patients to ask any questions about the procedure to allow us to answer any final queries they may have.
– 2 weeks later
2. Implant Surgery – Preoperative medications such as antibiotics and pain relief are given and the Implant is placed along with bone grafting if required.   When applicable a temporary tooth can be fitted, allowing for a tooth to be present throughout the healing phase – termed ‘same day teeth’!
– 2 weeks later
3. Suture Removal
– approximately 4-6 months later – this allows for healing and  osseointegration
4. Exposure of implant – head of the implant is uncovered and a healing screw or a temporary crown is placed to shape the gum ready for the crown impression.
– 2 weeks later
5. Crown preparation – healing screw removed, impressions or digital scan is taken and then the temporary tooth or healing cap replaced
– 2 weeks later
6. Crown Fit -implant screw retained crown fitted, and your permanent replacement tooth solution has been achieved!

The Treetops Implant team are with you every step of the journey.i

We hope this has explained the Treetops Implant Journey.

Sanjeev, Jodie and the Implant team.

March Team Birthdays!

This month we celebrated the birthdays of our super lovely Dental Nurse Kacey, our fabulous Endodontist Dr Burn and part of our fabulous Admin team Liz and Naomi!
We are delighted to announce that for the month of April Treetops is supporting a fantastic charity called Compton Care. Compton care is a charity that believes that life with an incurable condition does not have to be limiting, however they need our help.

Below is a reminder from Emily at Compton Care of what they are about and what the fundraising money goes towards:

Compton Care is a local charity based in Wolverhampton which provides free care and support for people living with incurable illnesses and their families. We support patients and families to navigate every aspect of life with an incurable condition, including their physical, practical, and emotional needs. Our care is tailored to each person and focuses on providing the tools, encouragement and support they need to live a good quality life. This year Compton Care are celebrating 40 years of providing countless moments of care to patients and their families. Thanks to all our supporters we have been able to provide much needed personalised care and support to thousands of patients during their palliative care journeys since 1982.
Every penny raised for Compton Care makes a real difference

  • £40 could fund supplies for four sessions of crafting for patients attending our Living Well service
  • £52.50 could fund a one-to-one counselling session for a patient or family member
  • £131 could fund a Health Care Assistant to visit a patient and provide personal care as well as companionship and support
  • £246 would pay for a Community Nurse Specialist to visit a patient at home and provide clinical, medical, psychological and emotional support to a patient. They are able to prescribe pain relieving medication which eliminates the need to wait for a doctor.
If you would like to donate please visit our just giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/liz-warren4
The month of March marked the 2 year anniversary since we were forced to close our doors and navigate the uncertainty of the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time we experienced the disappointment of not seeing each other and our lovely patients as well as all of the loss and heartbreak happening around us.We were forced to overcome challenges of how we were going to provide a service to our most vulnerable patients as well as overcoming the fear of what will happen to our own loved ones that we were separated from. However, in our true Treetops style, we came together as a community and called all of our patients to ask if they needed anything, we rallied round to pick up prescriptions or groceries.  We also provided virtual consultations for all of our patients experiencing dental problems or just to be listening ear for them. As soon as the government gave us the green light, we opened our doors and began to see our patients face to face, even though we practised in a completely different way, with fallow times, sweltering hot PPE and very little contact with our patients, we pulled together as a team and delivered.

Together as a team we experienced fear, love, joy, triumph and a deep understanding that each and every one of us plays a vital role in not only the Treetops team working like a well oiled machine, but consistently going above and beyond for the love of the job, our patients and each other.

Many things have changed here but one thing remains the same, together we can overcome anything.

Thank you Treetops Team you are amazing and thank you to our patients for your loyalty and understanding as we navigate our way through this.
Here is our lovely Linda receiving her award and gift!
Failed To Attend Appointments

We do appreciate that life can sometimes get in the way and patients do not intentionally miss their appointments. Sadly, March has seen an increase in our failed to attend appointments; 72 missed appointments equating to approximately 26 hours of lost clinical time.

We have developed our system over time to help decrease this lost clinical time:

On booking your appointment you will receive either an email or text confirming your booking.

48 hours prior to your appointment you will receive a text or email as a gentle reminder. If you have 2 appointments booked on the same day, sadly the system will send out 2 emails in no specific order, so we would kindly ask you to check both messages.
To help our system be as efficient as possible, we would be so grateful if you would check when you are next in, that we have your most up to date mobile number and email address.

Thank you so much

The Treetops Team
A Smile

A smile is just as unique
As every person is,
It doesn’t have to be the same as hers
Or have to be as bright as his
Smiles can come in different sizes
Some have little toothy pegs
And some have large incisors
Some smiles can be quite wobbly
With changing gaps and spaces
Some are straight all in a row
Wearing shiny braces
Smiles can contain some extra teeth
And some have none at all
Some teeth have some cracks and bruises
That needs fixing from a fall
Yet a smile can bring a confidence
A beauty from within
And every mouth needs a little TLC
To maintain a healthy grin
Two minutes of brushing
With fluoride toothpaste twice a day
Removes plaque from teeth and gums
Keeping holes and pain away
Floss in between your teeth when you can
A smile will always brighten someones day
So go ahead and pass one on!

Have a fantastic April – Love all of the Treetops Team
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Last Updated on September 29, 2022 by Liz