Portmore eZine Issue 9 - September 2015

cabr, ISSUE#9 September 2015

Portmore eZine CREATING BEAUTIFUL SMILES FOR LIFE

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“EVERYONE LOOKS SO

MUCH BETTER WHEN THEY SMILE.

”

JIMMY FALLON

N01932 855 011 mreception@portmoredental.co.uk wportmoredental.co.uk ROADWAY HOUSE, 35 MONUMENT HILL, WEYBRIDGE, SURREY KT13 8RN

Welcome

Is it me or is there a distinct chill in the air?

Summer seems to have flown by and suddenly we’re in September again. The children are about to go back to school and you can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from the worn out mums after a summer of play dates, sleepovers and holidays.

It has been such a busy summer for the team at Portmore, and plans for development are set to continue well into the Autumn and Winter. We hope to have our patient bathroom refurbished in the coming weeks and we are also creating some very different promotional tools, watch this space....

In this addition though, we would like to say a big ‘Congratulations’ to our receptionist, Melanie, who gets married to her beloved Trevor on the 5th September.

We wish them every happiness and much love for a wonderful day.

Nikki B

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

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NEWS & EVENTS

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SPECIAL OFFER HYGIENE SPA Oral Hygiene for Orthodontics

5 TEAM Q&A: Meet Lorraine Hills

6 THE MYTH AROUND ROOT CANEL TREATMENTS 8

Q&A TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT AT PORTMORE with Nikki Berryman

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NEWS A big ‘Thank-You’ to all the lovely Portmore ladies who joined us for Ladies Day on 15th August.

It was a huge success and we all had great fun. The ladies enjoyed anti-wrinkle demonstrations by Andre, watched while Dayle carried out Zoom tooth whitening, had mini consultations with the Nutritionist all whilst enjoying some champagne and cupcakes.

Everyone had a goody bag to take home and we finally closed the doors at 4.30pm after promising to hold another event before Christmas.

We need your help!

We want to keep growing our on-line and digital presence and to do this, we need your glowing reviews!

Please can you spare us a moment to click on one of the links below to either leave a review on our Facebook page or on our Google+ page.

Events

23 September – PRGF dentist evening seminar 6-8pm.

25 September – Macmillan coffee morning – join us at Portmore for coffee & home-made cakes and help us to raise money for charity.

18 November - PRGF dentist evening seminar 6-8pm.

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For the month of September we are offering a

£50 OFF

Zoom Tooth Whitening only £350 (RRP £399) until 30th September

This offer is available to existing patients throughout September

Because you’re worth it!

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HYGIENE

Spa

ORAL HYGIENE FOR ORTHODONTICS Many more people are having orthodontic treatment to straighten their teeth and achieve that perfect smile; it is no longer just teenagers that have the ‘train track’ smile many more adults are choosing this treatment option. It is surprising how a straighter smile can boost ones confidence.

The Oral hygiene routine for those with braces is much different to those without. Braces come in all different forms and are kept in place for different periods of time depending on the patient need, for this reason it is important to know what Oral hygiene routine will work best for you and what cleaning aids will be required.

Braces are made up of metal with brackets and wires. All of these act as

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Plaque retention factors, this means they attract plaque to them and cause plaque to stick to them more readily, therefore a good oral hygiene routine is very important to prevent decay or those dreaded white spots that are very obvious when the braces are removed. An Electric Toothbrush with a small round head is highly recommended along with Interdental brushes and in some cases superfloss.

Here at Portmore our Hygienists and Therapists are passionate about educating our patients to ensure they have their own bespoke oral hygiene routine that works just for them.

Book your appointment today to ensure you are taking care of that smile.

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TEAM Q&A patients at the end of their treatment especially large cases. The result not only changes their smile but their NAME: NAME: Lorraine Hills whole life. When they tell ROLE: Clinic Manager & you that they can finally Treatment Coordinator smile again now that’s the best bit!

Q1:

What is your role at Portmore, what do you do on a day to day basis?

Here at Portmore I am the treatment coordinator/clinic manager. On a day to day basis I guide patients through their treatment offering any advice and support they need, whether it be offering finance options, discussing the treatments to make the patient feel more at ease or I am here if they just want a chat. My door is always open to make the patient’s journey as smooth running as possible.

Q2:

What is your favourite aspect of your role?

The best part about my job would have to be seeing the difference in

Q3:

If I wasn’t working at Portmore I would be...?

If I wasn’t working at Portmore I would be soaking up the sun on a tropical island drinking cocktails. Spending my days reading book after book or strolling around the beach. Maybe we could open a new branch of Portmore in the Bahamas?? I think I may have to look into that!

Q4:

My guilty pleasure is...

My guilty pleasure has got to be girly chick flicks with a bottle of wine. There’s nothing better on a cold and rainy day then getting snuggled under the duvet to watch a film drinking

wine and eating cheese and biscuits.

Q5:

Outside of work I love... ...to spend time with friends and family either having a bbq (weather permitting) or just a catch up over a cup of tea. I also love to spend hot summer days in a pub garden relaxing with my boyfriend.

What I will be doing in 2015….. your course, learning to drive (?!), holidays, giving up smoking!

Q6:

What I will be doing in 2015... concentrating on my course – Level 3 Certificate in Leadership and Business Management. It’s a great course that will help progress my career in the future. If there’s any time left I will of course try to learn to drive!!

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THE MYTH AROUND ROOT CANAL TREATMENTS This month I will try to dispel the myths surrounding the dreaded ROOT CANAL! I can't think of any other words that send more negative vibes in dentistry. And usually this fear is expressed by patients that have not had this treatment before. At Portmore, we have educated, and proven it to our patients over the years.

Most people will claim that the procedure was "not nearly as bad as I thought it would be".

treatment doesn't cause pain, it relieves it!

The perception of root canals being painful began decades ago, but with modern technologies and anaesthetics, root canal treatment today is no more uncomfortable than having a filling placed. In fact, a recent survey showed that patients who have experienced root canal treatment are six times more likely to describe it as "painless" than patients who have not had root canal treatment.

Nothing can completely replace your natural tooth.

There are many misconceptions surrounding root canal (endodontic) treatment and whether patients experience root canal pain. In our practice we want you to have accurate information.

As always, when considering any procedure, you should get as much information as you can about all of your options. But let's look at

these myths more closely.

The biggest myth around root canal is that it is painful. The truth, however is that root canal

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When patients come and see us with severe toothache, it can be caused by damaged tissues in the tooth. Root canal treatment removes this damaged tissue

from the tooth, thereby relieving the pain you feel.

At Portmore we always invest in the best possible technologies that benefits our patients in terms of comfort and efficiency, taking the fear out of root canal.

Another myth that has been doing the rounds is that root canal treatment causes illness.

Patients searching the Internet for information on root canals may find sites claiming that teeth receiving root canal (endodontic) treatment contribute to the occurrence of illness and disease in the body.

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This false claim is based on long-debunked and poorly designed research performed nearly a century ago, at a time before medicine understood the causes of many diseases.

The truth is that there is no valid, scientific evidence linking root canal-treated teeth and disease elsewhere in the body. A root canal is a safe and effective procedure.

When a severe infection in a tooth require root canal, that treatment is designed to eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal, prevent reinfection of the tooth and save the natural tooth.

The final myth I want to address is that a good alternative to root canal treatment is extraction (pulling the tooth).

However the truth is that saving your natural teeth, if possible, is the very best option.

Nothing can completely replace your natural tooth.

An artificial tooth can sometimes cause you to avoid certain foods.

Keeping your own teeth is important so that you can continue to enjoy the wide variety of foods necessary to maintain the proper nutrient balance in your diet.

Root canal treatment, along with appropriate restoration, is also usually less expensive than extraction and placement of a bridge or implant.

Endodontic treatment also has a very high success rate.

Many root canal-treated teeth last a lifetime.

We have successfully treated thousands of teeth with root canal over the years at Portmore. Those healthy teeth are helping patients chew efficiently, maintain the natural appearance of their smiles and enhance their enjoyment of life.

I hope this helps to put things in perspective and please feel free to ask us if you need more information at your next visit.

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Q&A Training &

Development at Portmore

NAME: Nikki Berryman POSITION: Business Development Manager

Do dentists and the clinical team have a legal requirement to keep up to date with training? What does that consist of?

Yes, all members of the clinical team have a legal obligation under standards set by the GDC (General Dental Council) to undertake a certain amount of CPD (Continuous Professional Development). For dentists, this means 250 hours in each 5-year cycle. Hygienists, therapists and dental nurses are required to complete 150 hours.

A large chunk of these hours need to be ‘verifiable’. This means that a certain amount of training and education needs to comply with set standards as advised by the GDC. Verifiable CPD covers topics such as: 8

1. Infection control and Health & Safety 2. Radiation protection 3. CPR and medical emergencies 4. Disinfection & decontamination 5. Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults 6. Complaints and patient care If I’m honest, we find compliance with CPD very easy at Portmore. We have a real passion and commitment for team training and development. Very often, all team members far exceed the required level of CPD, in some cases even doubling it.

Each team member has a Professional Development Plan that is created at the beginning of each year following appraisal. Verifiable CPD is automatically scheduled into the plan and is booked by our

Clinic Manager on a rolling basis.

Additional CPD is in the form of learning about product development, usually through lunchtime meetings, attending seminars and conferences or by undertaking qualification courses. At any one time, there are usually 3-4 team members undergoing qualification courses, at the moment our Nurse Manager, Naomi and Clinic Manager, Lorraine are studying for the ILM Certificate in Leadership & Management as they both wish to move forward in their careers.

Members of the team have also visited the BTi institute in Spain to learn about PRGF and Implant techniques, both in placement and surgery assistance. This state of the art facility is one of the best

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in the world and we are privileged and delighted for our team to be able to benefit from this type of education.

We also have a lot of ‘in-house’ training via monthly meetings and CQC updates.

Regular communication, meetings and 360 degree feedback also forms a large part of our training and development as a team.

What about seminars and conferences?

How often do you go? What is the best bit/highlight?

We try to go to as many conferences and seminars as possible each year. The Dentistry Show is arguably the largest dental show in the UK. It attracts the very best speakers in the UK and holds a massive trade exhibition. The Portmore team visit each year, it’s a great opportunity to listen to world- class speakers and keep up to date with the latest innovations in dentistry.

We find that technology and business is moving forward at such a rapid pace, it’s so important for us to stay at the forefront of what we do; visiting The Dentistry Show enables us to invest in equipment & technology should we desire and gives us the opportunity to talk to suppliers about new materials and techniques.

As a team, we also have great fun! As well as education, its an investment in our team family and a chance to reconnect and bond outside of work.

The boys, John, Eben and Johann, are often jetting all over the world to attend courses and workshops. It’s a pleasure & honour to work with clinicians who take their own personal ongoing development so seriously.

The highlight is obviously putting everything we have learned into practice, that is so satisfying. For patients, it means they can enjoy the very best care, customer service and benefit from the latest techniques in dentistry.

We are certainly not guilty of sitting on our laurels where training and development is concerned!

Who would you most like to hear speak and why?

Sheila Scott is a dental business consultant with over 20 years experience. She is known for getting straight to the point and not mincing her words! She’s a great lady, who really knows her stuff and is an inspirational speaker – I love listening to her. She also has a passion for team and that really does it for me.

He’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I would love to hear Tony Robbins speak. Like him or loath him, he appears to have an uncanny knack of helping people to realise their dreams. I just want to see what all the fuss is about!

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N01932 855 011 mreception@portmoredental.co.uk wportmoredental.co.uk ROADWAY HOUSE, 35 MONUMENT HILL, WEYBRIDGE, SURREY KT13 8RN

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