Movember

During the month of November, our dentist Richard is growing a rather fetching moustache as part of the charity event, Movember.

This is to raise awareness and money for the men's health charity, Prostate Cancer UK.

We are collecting donations in practice throughout the month.

You may not want to hear this but...

...there are only 68 shopping days left until Christmas!! To help ease the strain of this expensive this of year, make the most of your Wessington Way membership by taking advantage of the on-line savings website, Practice Plan Perks.

Click here for great savings!

For those that have not already used the site, all you need is your Wessington Way patient reference number. This can be found on your membership card but don't worry if you don't have it, just give the reception team a call and they will be happy to help. Simply enter your number on the website and browse to your heart's content! There are currently offers available for John Lewis, Marks and Spencer and ASDA to name just a few.

If you have any questions about Practice Plan Perks, please do not hesitate to call or email us.

Welcome back Amanda

Wessington Way Dental Practice would like to give a warm welcome back to our Practice Manager, Amanda Oliver, who returned from maternity leave last week. She has had a busy year taking care of baby Sophia!

New to Wessington Way

We are pleased to announce a range of new services are available to you during your visits to Wessington Way Dental Practice.

All of our patients can now use free WIFI at the practice, in case you would like to bring your work along with you (or perhaps just enjoy a quick game of Angry Birds)

Each dental surgery is now equipped with an Ipod docking station. If you wish to play your own music during your dental appointments, we will be happy to do this for you.

Finally, do not despair when your precious mobile phone runs out of battery! We have a universal phone charger  to use, for your convenience.

Please ask a team member for you wish to take advantage of any of these complimentary services.

We have done it again!

Wessington Way are delighted to announce that we have been re-accredited with the national standard for customer service, the Customer First award.

The whole team took part in the assessment, which deemed that we were fully complaint with all 30 of their standards. These ranged from how we identify the needs of our customers to our market awareness to how we enable the team to provide excellent customer service.

When you visit Wessington Way Dental Practice, you can rely on the fact that you are at the heart of everything we do!

Do you suffer from jaw pain or headaches?

Tooth grinding or clenching (known as bruxism) is a very common problem that affects up to 80% of people at some point in their lives. Many people are unaware that they have a problem as it is often something that they do unconsciously or whilst sleeping. It is sometimes, but not always attributed to stress.

Bouts of bruxism can pass quickly for some, but for others it can be a chronic condition with many short and long term effects. These effects can include:

• Headaches and migraines
• Facial pain
• Ear ache
• Stiff neck and shoulders
• Sleep disturbance (For partners as well as sufferers!)
• Broken and/or mobile teeth
• Tooth wear
• Receding gums 
• Limited opening of the mouth
• Clicking or popping jaw joints

These symptoms can become quite serious and have a negative impact on a person's quality of life. Many people seek advise from their GP when they have these symptoms but usually the best person to speak to, is your dentist.

In the past, patients would have been given a soft splint to wear over all of the lower teeth overnight. Whilst this was effective in protecting your teeth from damage and wear, it does not provide relief to the over-worked facial muscles affected by clenching and grinding. 

Clinical studies have shown that a much more effective treatment is a new-generation of splint know as a NTI splint. This is worn over the front teeth only, making it more comfortable than traditional splints. It works be reducing the intensity of the force being used by the facial muscles when clenching and grinding, rather than simply acting acting as a barrier between teeth.

At Wessington Way, we have been making NTI splints for over two years, which have provided relief from symptoms for our patients. 

An NTI splint can be made in one visit to the practice, taking about 30 minutes to do so. If you think you may be a bruxism sufferer, please contact the practice to arrange an appointment to see a dentist.

To find out more about NTI splints, please visit www.headacheprevention.com

Farewell to Andy Robson

After 3 and a half years with Wessington Way Dental Practice, we are bidding a fond farewell to our associate dentist, Andy Robson. We will all miss Andy's wicked sense of humour and wish him all the best in his new career as a tandem skydiving instructor! (Only joking!)

As one door closes, another one opens, so we are delighted to introduce our new dentist, Terri Nugent who will be taking care of Andy's patients from later this month.

Terri is married to an Oral Surgeon and they have 3 young daughters. She is joining Wessington Way on a part time basis initially as she also works in the Community Dental Service.

As well as looking after Andy's patients, Terri is also taking on new patients. If you or anyone you know is interested in joining Wessington Way, Terri has new patient appointments available at our Friday and Saturday clinics. Please visit the book and visit section on the website.