The Bridge

It has been well documented in the local press that the construction of the new Wear Bridge may begin next year. For the construction to begin, Sunderland Council require the land that Wessington Way Dental Practice is built on.

The current situation is that the Council have compulsory purchase powers over the Practice however, they have not as of yet chosen to use these powers. We want to take this opportunity to reassure our patients that we are doing all we can to safeguard your dental services in the future.

We will keep you updated once we know more.

Eat, drink and be healthy this Christmas

We all like to indulge a little over Christmas. Whilst we still want you to enjoy food and drink over the festive period, here are a few tips to ensure that you keep your smile healthy.

Try to reduce snacking. It is not about the amount that you eat, but the frequency that you eat. Eating a lot of chocolates in one go is kinder to your teeth than eating them throughout the day. Cheese is a tooth-friendly snack as it reduces levels of acid in the mouth.

Many drinks, especially alcoholic drinks are very high in acid and sugar. Try to cut back on acidic drinks and using disposable straws will reduce damage to your teeth. 

If you do not already have one, electric toothbrushes are on special offer at this time of year in many shops and they make ideal gifts. If used correctly, electric toothbrushes can be more effective than manual brushes. Ask your dentist or hygienist for advice.

Teeth do not make good nut crackers or bottle openers. Fact.

Happy Christmas!

Christmas Opening Hours

Merry Christmas to all from Wessington Way! Should you need us over the festive period, our opening hours are as follows:

Friday 21st December:         8am - 3pm
Saturday 22nd December:   Closed
Sunday 23rd December:      Closed
Monday 24th December:     8am - 5pm
Tuesday 25th December:      Closed
Wednesday 26th December: Closed
Thursday 27th December:     8am - 5pm
Friday 28th December:          8am - 3pm
Saturday 29th December:      Closed
Sunday 30th December:        Closed
Monday 31st December:       8am - 5pm
Tuesday 1st January:             Closed
Wednesday 2nd January:     Normal opening hours resume

If you have a dental emergency outside of our opening hours, please dial 111 to speak to an NHS service operator about your dental emergency.

National Customer Service Week

Last year, Wessington Way Dental Practice become the first dental practice in the country to be awarded the Customer First standard. This honour recognised that the practice strive to be the most patient centred practice in the country.

As we were the first in the industry to achieve this standard, Customer First wrote a case study on the practice's experiences with the awarding body. Click here to read our case study.

Also, this week is National Customer Service Week. To mark this, Customer First wanted to interview a prominent business leader in a customer-led industry and they chose our very own Martin Anderson! Click here to read his interview. You may be surprised by some of his answers!

Welcome to the world Sophia and Lily!

Wessington Way Dental Practice would like to wish our team members Amanda and Karen a huge congratulations on the birth of their daughters Sophia and Lily, respectively.

Good luck girls and enjoy them!

Team News

There are exciting times ahead at Wessington Way!

We are delighted to welcome 3 new trainee dental nurses to our team: Ashleigh, Emelia and Louise. All 3 girls are new to dentistry so please bear with us while they learn the ropes!

Our new additions are needed as our practice manager, Amanda, and nurse, Karen, are departing to go on maternity leave in September. We wish them the very best of luck with the arrival of their first children.

During Amanda's maternity leave, Jayne and Suzanne will be taking on her role.

We are also bidding a fond farewell to our nurse of 4 years, Lauren. Although we will miss Lauren's cheerful presence, she is leaving for the best of reasons, to study dental technology at Leeds University. We wish her all the best.

You said, We did

If you have been to the practice recently you may have been asked to take part in a survey regarding patient confidentiality. As we hoped, we have scored top marks in this area.

The Practice complies with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We have Data Protection policies in place which describe our procedures for ensuring that the personal information about our patients is processed fairly and lawfully. To ensure that we comply with the regulations in all respects, our patients need to read our Data Protection policy and sign to say that they understand it. We are currently in the process of providing our patients with this information for them to sign.

Next time you attend the practice we will be asking you to read the policy and to sign the declaration, if we have not done so already. Thank you for your co-operation and patience whilst we undergo this necessary task and, in any event, please do not hesitate to ask us at any time, to see our information governance policies, or any of our policies which may be of interest to you.

Floss or die! :)

We all know that you should brush your teeth twice a day, however, did you know that a third of bacteria in the mouth is found between teeth? As these are the areas that people tend to forget to clean, this is the most common area for gum disease and dental decay to start.

It is now more important than ever before to clean in between teeth with recent research showing a strong link between dental plaque and heart disease. The bacteria in plaque can reach the bloodstream through bleeding gums and cause the blood to clot. This can potentially trigger a heart attack.

As well as brushing your teeth thoroughly morning and night, you also need to be cleaning in between your teeth at least once a day. This is done by using dental floss or inter-dental brushes.

Some people find flossing tricky. Watching yourself in the mirror will make it easier. As will using a good quality floss. We recommend Crest Glide or Oral-B Satin floss. The following flossing technique is recommended by our dentist and hygienists:

Take about 50 cm of floss and wrap it around the second finger of each hand leaving a small piece to work with. Using your thumb and index finger, pass the floss between the teeth holding it in a 'c' shape round the tooth. Gently move it up and down below the gum line to wipe off the plaque. Repeat this between each tooth using a fresh piece of floss by winding it on round your fingers.

For larger spaces between teeth, inter-dental brushes are even more effective. Please ask your dentist and hygienist what is best for you.

Follow us

As well as keeping up-to-date with practice information on our website, www.wessingtonway.com, did you know that you can also follow us on Facebook? We would love to see some of our patients become Facebook friends so please visit us at http://www.facebook.com/wessingtonway.

Options for replacing missing teeth

Did you know that if you are missing teeth, there are many options available to replace them? Read through the following options and no one need ever know that you are missing teeth....

Implants
Dental implants will look, feel and function like natural teeth and, if looked after correctly, will last far longer than any other tooth replacement system. The implant itself is a titanium screw that is placed into the jaw bone during a small surgical procedure. Once healed, this implant can be used to support a single crown. If several implants are placed they can support bridge work or dentures.

Bridges
A bridge is a porcelain false tooth that is fixed to one or more of your original teeth, creating a natural appearance. A bridge is cemented into place so if well looked after, can stay in place for many years. Please click on the following link to read a testimonial from a patient who had a bridge made at the practice.

Dentures
Dentures may conjure up negative images but these days superior dentures have a very natural appearance and can be very comfortable, lightweight and stable. New denture systems such as Valplast are now so strong that they offer a lifetime guarantee against breakages.

Please click here to read more about tooth replacement options.

If you would like to discuss which option is best for you, please arrange an appointment with one of our dentists.

SmileTrain

One of the charities the Practice supports is called SmileTrain www.SmileTrain.org.uk – a charity which treats children born with a cleft .

Their vision and mission is that every child born with a cleft anywhere in the world has the opportunity to live a full, productive life.

Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where there are millions of children who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren't allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache. Their clefts usually go untreated because they are poor – too poor to pay for a simple surgery that has been around for decades.

They have recently told us that they have now completed the £750,000^th cleft repair surgery and we are very proud that we and our patients have been a part of that.  Any patients wishing to donate can go the charity’s website or donate when they are visiting the Practice.

Mr & Mrs Smith

The Wessington Way team would like to congratulate our Practice Supervisor, Jayne, who recently got married on 25th May.

We wish Jayne and Michael many years of happiness.

National Smile Month 20th May - 20th June

This month is the British Dental Health Foundation's National Smile Month which is set up to promote good oral health advice. They have 3 main messages to promote oral health:

1. Brush your teeth for 2 minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
2. Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks.
3. Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

If you would like to learn more about National Smile Month or read further oral health advice, you can visit the campaign website.

If you are concerned about any aspect of your oral health, please contact the practice. Our team will be happy to help as we like to keep you smiling!

Martin Anderson- President!

This year Martin Anderson was elected to be the president of the British Dental Association's (BDA) Northern Counties division.

The BDA is a national, professional body that looks after the interests of the dental profession and promotes oral health issues within the general public.

For the BDA to meet these aims, local committees are in place to discuss the issues that affect the local dental profession. This year, Martin Anderson now has the role of President of the Northern Counties Division.

It is a great honour for both Martin, and Wessington Way, to hold such a position.

Are you making the most of your practice membership?

If you are a private patient with Dr Martin Anderson or Dr Andy Robson, did you know that you are eligible for great savings on big name brands?

Offers are updated regularly, so make the most of your membership by logging on at https://practiceplan.corporateperks.com/login. You can register for this service using your patient membership number.

Latest offers are available at B+Q, Comet, John Lewis and ASDA so log on and make some savings!

Good news!

These are very exciting times for Wessington Way Team Members!

We are delighted to announce that Amanda and Karen are both expecting their first child at the end of September.

Also,

Lauren has been accepted to the University of Leeds to study dental technology from September.

And finally,

Jayne is taking the plunge and getting married at the end of May.

Many congratulations to all!

We have been experiencing problems with our telephone lines.

We apologise if you have been trying to contact us this morning. We experienced a problem with our telephone lines which was beyond our control. We are pleased to inform you that these problems have now been resolved and our telephones are back on. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Are we dissolving our teeth away with healthy drinks?

Erosion is an increasingly difficult problem for dentists and patients. This is where tooth material dissolves when acidic foods and drinks are consumed. (not decay!)

You may have seen recent news stories which have identified these problems. Acidic drinks, ie. all fruit juices, fizzy drinks and alcoholic drinks are acidic and will remove a small amount of tooth material from the outer surface every time they are drank.

A recent article has also proved that fruit smoothies can be as bad or even worse than pure orange juice. (Dental update, Nov 2011, Vol 38, No 9, p604)

Our best advice to avoid damage or at least reduce problems is to:

• Decrease consumption of these foods and drinks
• Consume acidic foods and drinks with meals and not as snacks.
• Drink acidic drinks through disposable straws
• Do not brush your teeth directly after consumption of acidic foods and drinks

If you are concerned about erosion, please feel free to ask your dentist.

www.facebook.com/wessingtonway and QR code

Well, we are feeling a bit pleased with ourselves as we have now updated our facebook page and got our own QR code,  hopefully making ourselves more accessible to our patients and friends.  We shall be building up the facebook page over the next few months so please visit it and let us have any suggestions for improving it - all feedback gratefully received!

www.facebook.com/wessingtonway

You said We did

Although patients have scored us very highly in our survey Dec11 to Feb12 it is clear that sometimes people do experience difficulty parking. Also one patient asked us to extend the car park.

1. We have made available at the Practice - and below - the times when the Car Park is at its busiest. It may be worth avoiding making an appointment for those times and to make an appointment for when the car park is likely to be less full.

2. Our team did agree to park off our site on another piece of private land nearby to free up spaces for patients. However, the owner now requires the land.

3. The team car share when possible and some team members cycle to work when the weather permits. Patients may like to know that we do have the facility to lock a bicycle to a bicycle bar, if cycling to the Dentist appeals!!

4. There is a good bus service to the Practice - please enquire at Reception for details.

5. We did prepare an application to extend the car park but the Council does not favour larger car parks preferring to encourage the use of public transport and car sharing. Also, the uncertainty over the bridge prevented further moves in that direction.

6. CAR PARK INFORMATION

It is very busy in the car park on:

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

We are at full capacity on:

Tuesday between 1pm-3:30pm
Thursday between 8am – 12pm

The following times are quietest in the car park:

Monday: 8am – 11am and 3pm – 8pm
Tuesday: 8am – 1pm and 4pm – 8pm
Wednesday: 8 am – 1pm and 5pm – 8pm

Customer service at Wessington Way

It is our vision to be the most patient centred dental practice in the country.

As part of our commitment to customer service, we are working with Customer Sure to allow patients to give feedback on the service we provide. When you attend the practice, we may occasionally ask you to complete our customer sure survey. These results are then displayed on the home page of our website.

If you wish to comment on any aspect of our service, or would like to complete a survey, please click on the Customer Service tab on the website.

Happy Birthday Maxine!

To celebrate our hygienist Maxine's birthday, the Wessington Way team took part in a mixology cocktail making class at Revolution in Sunderland. It was a great night with cocktail making and fun games however those that were not paying attention were punished with chilli flavour drinks!

We also saw a competitive side to some people during cocktail making races! Congratulations to the winners, Lauren and Suzanne!

Many thanks to our hosts at Revolution.

The Bridge

As some of you may have already heard, the government have recently granted funding to build a new bridge connecting Pallion and Castletown. The bad news for Wessington Way Dental Practice is that the planned construction of the bridge would result in the demolition of the practice.

These events have forced us to move very quickly to identify potential sites for us to move to, should the construction occur.

We would like to reassure all of our patients that we are doing all we can and will keep you informed of any progress through our website. Watch this space!