Denture materials

A patient, who had been referred to see me at the practice recently, was asking about the materials that dentures were made of in past times.

Interestingly, there are many and varied materials that have been used. For example, Ivory, from the hippopotamus or walrus was the normal material for making artificial teeth during the 17th century and a full extension denture was laboriously carved in one piece to look roughly like a modern denture. Often, a lower denture was weighted to allow gravity to keep them on the gums! Only a small number of people could afford these treatments at that time.

The era of dentures for the general population, began in the 1950's, following the invention, in America, of sulphur hardened rubber, known as vulcanite, for providing the base to the denture.

This revolutionized dentistry, and allowed for further materials to be developed, resulting in the modern dental acrylic resins which we see today.

Currently, the material of choice is a development of these acrylic, which are hardened using a technique known as Injection molding. This provides a more lifelike and strong material which is durable and gives improved aesthetics and appearance.

Fortunately, the days of carving Ivory have long gone!

A1

Although many patients arrive in a variety of anxiety states to the practice (well it is dentistry we are talking about here!), every now and again, a chance remark by a patient can be revealing about their personality type and can make the day even more enjoyable!
Having finished preparing and shaping a tooth for a porcelain, natural shade crown, I was deciding on the choice of colour (we can match to around 16 different shades and hues with the modern porcelain shade guides these days - unlike the 'old days' where the choice was 'grey or yellow'!).
Having selected a shade which recorded as B2, the patient, who was listening to my conversation with my dental nurse, said in a clear voice "I want to be A1".
Now having had the pleasure of treating this patient for around 15-20 years, what amused me, was that her comment reflected her outlook on life, her fun of life and her enjoyment of life!
Why? Because she has always has a wonderfully healthy and positive perception of herself, which has been a cornerstone of her self esteem and self worth. And it reminded me that each patient needs to feel that the work we provide is both 'A1' and that they feel 'A1' about it.
I will use this as an example when I am lecturing next as to why we must always focus on being A1!

Faculty Web Site

On the back of a recent weblog, I have heard today that the Faculty's new Web Site is up and running - why not take a look and navigate around.
The address is:
www.fgdp.org.uk

What's in a name?

You may have read on the pages of the web site, that I am a strong supporter of the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners, having been fortunate to pass some examinations through the Royal College of Surgeons, which the Faculty is a part, and, in recent times, having the opportunity to sit on the Board of the Faculty.
So what is the Faculty and what does it do?
The Faculty represents one of the most important bodies that deal with the setting of standards within General Dental Practice. These, in turn, are translated into the areas that patients can expect the very highest standards of dental care and treatment from their dentist.
It has been exciting to see how this has developed in recent years, not only in driving the quality of dentistry higher, but, in the last few weeks, being expanded as the Faculty has embraced the important areas of those members of the dental team, who help deliver dental care alongside the dentist.
These team members, often referred to as Professionals Complimentary to Dentistry (PCT's), which include dental nurses; hygienists and therapists have been welcomed into the Faculty for the first time in their own right - a first for any of the Faculties of the Royal College, and a fitting recognizing of their important role within Health Care.
In recognition of this, the Faculty has agreed at its recent AGM, to change its name to the Faculty of General Dental Practice - a small change at first sight, but a monumentous one as it moves away for the first time from a focus only on dentists, to one including the whole dental team!
So what's in a name? I think an exciting future!

A day out

One of my favourite 'extras' in Dentistry is to run courses for qualified dentists, especially in an area where I have some expertise - Prosthetics. It was a real pleasure and a privilege, therefore, to spend Monday teaching and interacting with a group of dentists at Guy's Dental Hospital.

Having been attached to the Hospital for many years, it is always a refreshing experience to revisit the Department, see old friends and catch up with news and current research within the wide realm of dentistry that is carried out there each day.

For those who do not know the hospital, it is situated only 5 mins from London Bridge station and has a worldwide reputation for excellence. It teaches both undergraduates who are going to be the future dentists in Britain and postgraduates, who have returned to the hospital to train in specialised areas of dentistry.

One of the areas that is expanding rapidly, and which will impact patients and practice in the next few years, is the area of PCD's. This stands for Professionals Complimentary to Dentistry, and includes nurses, hygienists and therapists - all those who allow high quality, modern dental techniques to be offered to patients in the 21st century.

My day was made more enjoyable by teaching within a group of motivated, interested and able dentists, who were all there for one reason - to improve the quality of the dentistry that they offered to their patients. And as I always find, I came away with a few tips from them! That is the benefit of good dental courses; everybody goes home with a new angle on the role of dentists and their delivery of treatment options to their patients.

When is a weblog not a weblog?

Having started out with enthusiasm and good intentions, to write on a regular basis - here I am, many days "out of date"! The reason has been a crashed Internet system; poor back up from the company, and eventually finding a wonderful computer support guy, called John, who managed to lead me back on-line.

During the past few weeks I have learned such a lot about computing, and even more about my inability to get them to do what I want! I have also learnt a lot about myself- in the way I have dealt with my frustration, anger and despair, when I had tried everything and still couldn't get the system up and running.

During this time, I also learnt that my Internet Company had gone under in January; that they had been bought out by another company, which corresponded to the 8 days that I was last without Internet access (!), and that although I should have been told all this, it came as a complete bolt from the blue.

Full marks, however, to John, for the support. As they say, alls well that ends better, and I have gained a useful bit of extra knowledge along the way!!!!!