1. Patient information Sheets

FDI tooth numbering system for patients! To help you understand your dental report from Dr Colin Priestland, it is necessary for you to know how the Federation Dentaire Internationale (FDI) tooth numbering system works so you understand which tooth I am identifying...

Summary There are several sub-types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) varying in their ability to infect people and in their potency as an infection.  It is now known that HPV is associated with the increased prevalence of oro-pharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) accounting for...

Nutrition and oral health What does “nutrition” involve? Nutrition encompasses the intake of food, digestion, absorption of nutrients, nutrient transport to targetsites, storage of nutrients, metabolic use of nutrients and the elimination of the metabolic waste...

Tooth sensitivity can be a real pain! ​Do you have sensitive teeth?  Do you suffer from sharp pain with cold drinks or even pain with cold air?  These are symptoms of highly sensitive dentine or tooth surfaces.  So why and how does it happen, and what can be done...

Root surface decay Tooth decay affects many people of all ages. However, root surface decay is the decay beginning on the dentine root surface of the tooth rather than on the crown of the tooth that is covered in enamel. Root decay invades the root very quickly and...

Gum Recession Gum recession in the past was frequently blamed on incorrect tooth brushing using firm brushes in a scrubbing technique. It was assumed that this damaged the gums and the attachment to the root surface of the tooth. However this is often untrue and...

LORAZEPAM – For premedication before intravenous sedation For patients with particularly high levels of anxiety concerning dental or surgical treatment, it is helpful to take one to two 1mg tablets of Lorazepam around 1 hour before your surgical appointment time with...

Tooth loss affects very many people There are many reasons why people have to have multiple teeth removed or even all their remaining teeth removed. It should not be a reason for embarrassment for patients as this is one of the areas of patient care in which we deal...

Why is bone grafting performed? Following tooth extraction, there follows a period of healing during which there is loss of bone from around the tooth socket. This takes place over a few months but continues at a slower rate over the years that follow. Therefore if a...

“A NEW APPROACH - A GAME CHANGER” For years very little has changed in the basic approach to the prevention of dental diseases including both tooth decay and gum disease.  The simple message for all patients has always been, and remains the same:  “eat less sugars and...