Our lovely Mwaahites asked...
What are the trends in specs for 2011? Mary Clark, 66, Bishop’s Stortford
How do I find a fantastic value for money dentist for my family? Pamela Dowie, 49, Witham
What’s the latest technology for eyesight rectification? Julie Mussard, 43, Stansted
And the experts answered...
Decide what you are looking for. The words ‘best’ and ‘value for money’ seldom go together, so you need to know what’s important to you.Most importantly, find a dentist who is able to spend time educating you so that you know how to best take care of you and your family’s dental health. Once your dental health is stable, get a dental insurance plan.
The place to start is with a recommendation from family or friends. Dentistry is rather different from other branches of medicine; we literally put ourselves in someone else’s hands, so unlike say, an optometrist, you need to find someone you can connect with, someone who ‘gets you’, someone you can trust. WATCH OUT FOR - dental practices that get patients in under the pretence of providing NHS treatment, only to ‘up-sell’ to private treatment.
HERE ARE THE TOP WAYS IN WHICH MODERN DENTISTRY CAN BENEFIT YOUR LIFE (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER):
Minimally invasive dentistry - there has been a massive shift away from the destructive approach of years gone by where teeth were ruthlessly drilled away to make way for porcelain veneers. Ask your cosmetic dentist about the latest more conservative options. Benefit to you: You keep your own teeth for
life with less likelihood of future problems.
DIGITAL IMPRESSIONS - rather than the usual mouthful of goo, a 3D digital scan is recorded and from this a computer generated model of the mouth and teeth is produced. Benefit to you: An altogether more pleasant way to have crowns and veneers should you ever need them.
ADHESIVE SYSTEMS - this means less need for crowns and better lasting white fi llings. Up to now when a tooth was too bad, we have had to place a crown, which can only be done by further destruction of the tooth. Now we simply put back what is missing with very little or no further damage to the healthy part of the tooth. Benefit to you: You get to keep your own teeth longer, no ugly metal fillings, natural looking teeth.
LASERS - offer predictable, painless gum surgery and are gradually improving to take over the role of the drill too! Benefit to you: Less post-operative pain, fewer visits for certain procedures, faster healing.
AIR ABRASION - an amazing way to have minor fillings done without anaesthetic and without pain as there is no drill! And white fillings can be repaired. Benefit to you: Painless without the numbness.
INVISIBLE BRACES - now you can have braces that are invisible, these can be fixed (lingual orthodontics) or removable (clear/invisible braces) Benefit to you: That beautiful smile without ‘train track’ braces."
Dr Bertrand Napier BDS is at 19 Bell Street Dental Practice, Sawbridgeworth 01279 722 701 or 07944 771 160 www.19bellstreet.co.uk
"There has been a move towards acceptance of eye wear in the UK, glasses are now trendy and even worn by those not needing them such as Tinie Tempah.
• Contact lenses have come of age. They are safe, comfortable, convenient and inexpensive. We still however only have 12% market penetration of those suitable and still lag behind the USA where it is 20% plus.
• Laser Surgery whilst popular has stabilised at lowish numbers, around 100,000 per year.
• Orthokeratology or Wake and See technology is growing as a 4th alternative to glasses, contact and laser.....see www.wakeandsee.co.uk
• Myopia control, there is exciting news this year that we think we can control children’s short sightedness! Using special lenses we may now be able to stop your kids getting more short sighted!! This lens technology is already available in the Far east and is awaiting approval in the US and EU.
• Imaging, the latest 3D eye scanning systems are now able to detect glaucoma and marcula degeneration far earlier than ever before allow us to treat and prevent blindness more easily!
• Research has found that children who wear contact lenses do better at school and in sport than their spectacle wearing peers!"
Simon Anthony Rose Msc Bsc Hons MCOptom is the owner of Rose Opticians in Harlow, Hackney, Gants Hill and Waltham Cross www.roseopticians.com 0800 979 0939
The cat’s eye shape of frame is back for the ladies. Chanel has already started the trend and the S/S 11 collection from Tiffany & Co features frames with a solid to lighter colour gradation from top to bottom. Vintage styling is manifested in both shape and colour with Paul Smith’s classic retro shapes and Oliver Peoples thick acetate and distinctive honey toned tortoiseshell frames.
For eyesight correction, spectacle lenses have evolved with the advent of Freeform lenses - side vision blurring is reduced since the lenses are made with precision lathing. Ortho-K is another unique lens - wear a contact lens overnight, take it out in the morning and see without spectacles or contact lenses for the day. Surgery has become popular and with technological advancement the results are more predictable. Bladeless technology is now available for LASIK treatment to reduce the risk of complications. It is an avenue open to you as long as you know, and are happy with, the risks.
Jay Patel is owner of Martin Reynolds Opticians, Bishop’s Stortford 01279 757 767
