We have just received a very kind testimonial from a new patient that, in her own words, wishes she had joined the practice years ago! To read this, and other testimonials from our patients, please click here.
Our practice grows primarily through word of mouth and it is always a pleasure when a new patient attends based on a recommendation from one of our own. If you have any family, friends or colleagues that you think would benefit from our services, please feel free to pass on our contact details, or refer them to our website.
In recent years there has been a surge in the popularity of consumer review websites. This now also extends to the dental industry. We would really appreciate it if you could take a moment to visit the link below, to rate and leave a comment about the practice. Your kind words could help a potential patient in need, make the right choice!
http://www.dentist-finder.co.uk/city-Sunderland/1845991-dentist-Wessington-Way-Dental-Practice.html
If you would like to add a testimonial to our website, please email Jayne at Jayne@wessingtonway.com
Tuesday 19 March 2013
Campaign against illegal tooth whitening
As the law currently stands, only a General Dental Council (GDC) registered dentist, or dental hygienist/therapist (with a prescription from a dentist) can carry out tooth whitening as it is considered to be an act of dentistry in accordance with The Dentists Act 1984.
The chemical of choice for tooth whitening is hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. In October 2012, EU legislation was amended to allow up to 6% hydrogen peroxide (or products breaking down to 6%) to be used for tooth whitening within the confines of the dental profession.
Here is where the problem lies. In 2007, the House of Lords agreed tooth whitening products were to be licensed as a cosmetic. No changes to the laws surrounding the procedure were considered. This was grossly misinterpreted by the cosmetic and beauty industry and the unregulated "tooth whitening technician" was born.
A multi million pound illegal tooth whitening industry has evolved which permits anyone from the street to attend a one day course and become "certified". This unregulated and illegal practice has become a risk to public safety with incidences of people attending dental practices with chemical burns becoming a common occurrence across the country.
Many tooth whitening technicians claim they are working within the law as they are using a chemical called sodium perborate. This chemical breaks down to up to 35% hydrogen peroxide and has been linked to fertility problems. The EU are currently working on legislation to ban this product in the beauty industry.
The dental profession has united to raise awareness of illegal tooth whitening through a Facebook page https://en-gb.facebook.com/StampOutIllegalToothWhitening?group_id=0&filter=1 Here people can discuss concerns, receive advice and find out how to report illegal tooth whitening in their area.
If you are concerned that there is an illegal tooth whitening technician practising near you, we encourage you to report your concerns to the illegal practice department at the General Dental Council and your local trading standards office.
http://www.gdc-uk.org/Membersofpublic/Illegalpractice/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2263/contents/made
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/24
If you would like to find out more about the tooth whitening treatment at Wessington Way, please click here or the reception team will happily answer any of your queries. Remember, if you are a Wessington Way Dental Practice member, you will benefit from a 20% discount on this treatment.
Members' only special offer now on until 30th April 2013: Book in for tooth whitening with Richard, Maxine or Kay and receive an additional £30 off! Please contact reception to make an appointment.
Book now for whiter teeth in time for the summer months!
Practice Plan Perks
We would like to take this opportunity to remind all of our membership patients that their membership entitles them to more than just outstanding service and dental care! Your membership also includes access to the fantastic discount website, Practice Plan Perks.
If you haven't registered with Practice Plan Perks already, you can do so by clicking on this link https://practiceplan.corporateperks.com/login All you need is your Wessington Way Dental Practice membership number. If you are unable to find this, please contact the practice who will be happy to help.
The offers on the site change regularly. At the moment you will find discounts of up to 35% on holidays, 5% at major electrical stores and 5% at big supermarkets. The more you use the site, the more reward points you can save for better deals and even cash back.
Happy shopping!
If you haven't registered with Practice Plan Perks already, you can do so by clicking on this link https://practiceplan.corporateperks.com/login All you need is your Wessington Way Dental Practice membership number. If you are unable to find this, please contact the practice who will be happy to help.
Happy shopping!
Monday 18 March 2013
You said, we did
At Wessington Way Dental Practice, we survey our patients regularly in order for us to continuously improve our services. We would like to express our gratitude to those that have taken part.
Our most recent survey has highlighted that a few of our patients have had to wait longer than they would like for an appointment. We apologise to any of our patients that have had to wait longer than they think is acceptable for an appointment and would like to offer the following explanation and advice:
We review our appointment book on a regular basis to try and ensure appointments are available. A patient is unlikely to wait more than 2 weeks for a dental treatment appointment however we do appreciate that this can be longer if you require a longer than normal appointment, or in the event of a dentist or hygienist being on holiday. If you have a dental emergency, we will always endeavour to see you within 24 hours and if urgent treatment is required, we will do our best to accommodate your needs. The practice operates a list for patients that may wish to attend for their appointment in the event of a short notice cancellation. We have always operated this priority appointment list, however, we feel that we can promote this service better by offering it to all patients.
Our appointment book is managed to try and offer patients a variety of appointment times that are suitable for them. Each dentist and hygienist works a combination of shifts to offer patients appointments on different days of the week including some early mornings, late evenings and Saturday mornings. These out-of- hours appointments always prove to be very popular and patients can sometimes wait longer for an appointment if they only wish to come at these times.
Many patients find it convenient to visit the practice for their dental health check and plaque control visit at the same time. We appreciate that this is convenient and will try our best to accommodate this, but please note that the dentists and hygienists only work at certain times together. We can nearly always book patients in sooner, if they are prepared to attend these appointments at different times. We are currently reviewing our hygienists' working hours and are hoping that we can offer more convenient appointment times in the near future.
Please help us to maintain out appointment book by giving us as much notice as possible if you need to cancel an appointment. The more notice we have, the more likely it is that we can offer the slot to another patient.
Our most recent survey has highlighted that a few of our patients have had to wait longer than they would like for an appointment. We apologise to any of our patients that have had to wait longer than they think is acceptable for an appointment and would like to offer the following explanation and advice:
We review our appointment book on a regular basis to try and ensure appointments are available. A patient is unlikely to wait more than 2 weeks for a dental treatment appointment however we do appreciate that this can be longer if you require a longer than normal appointment, or in the event of a dentist or hygienist being on holiday. If you have a dental emergency, we will always endeavour to see you within 24 hours and if urgent treatment is required, we will do our best to accommodate your needs. The practice operates a list for patients that may wish to attend for their appointment in the event of a short notice cancellation. We have always operated this priority appointment list, however, we feel that we can promote this service better by offering it to all patients.
Our appointment book is managed to try and offer patients a variety of appointment times that are suitable for them. Each dentist and hygienist works a combination of shifts to offer patients appointments on different days of the week including some early mornings, late evenings and Saturday mornings. These out-of- hours appointments always prove to be very popular and patients can sometimes wait longer for an appointment if they only wish to come at these times.
Many patients find it convenient to visit the practice for their dental health check and plaque control visit at the same time. We appreciate that this is convenient and will try our best to accommodate this, but please note that the dentists and hygienists only work at certain times together. We can nearly always book patients in sooner, if they are prepared to attend these appointments at different times. We are currently reviewing our hygienists' working hours and are hoping that we can offer more convenient appointment times in the near future.
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