Interdental brushing, for a clean mouth at every age

With your support, people can continue to maintain good preventive habits as they get older.

Cleaning interdentally, along with twice-daily brushing, will enable elderly patients to thoroughly remove plaque from between their teeth, to reduce their risk of disease.

Demonstrate how easy this is to do, with CPS Prime interdental brushes from premium Swiss oral care brand, Curaprox.

Help them select the correct size; the range has options to clean even the narrowest space, gently, with a single movement. Just once, in and out, and they’re done.

The click system means they can only need to replace the old brush – simply click it off, and click the new one on. Less cost, less plastic waste.

At every age, dental health is crucial for health and wellbeing. With CPS Prime interdental brushes and Curaprox, patients can optimise oral hygiene and their daily routines.

For more information, please visit www.curaprox.co.uk

Learn from dentistry’s best and brightest

When dental professionals look to expand their clinical knowledge and revolutionise their treatment offerings, the experience of their tutors is what makes a great course phenomenal.

Straumann^® offers renowned educational events covering subjects from implant dentistry to orthodontics, business development, and more, all led by some of the UK’s leading instructors. The training offering is proudly helmed by experienced clinicians who offer incredible insights into their fields, helping guide the talented dentists of the future.

Dental professionals of all backgrounds, whether at the start of a fruitful career or embarking upon advanced MSc-level training, can learn from the latest findings and treatment methods in the profession through comprehensive courses and masterclasses.

The education team are open to answer a variety of questions, no matter how big or small, helping professionals develop their skills and passions further than ever before.

To find out more about the leading courses that take your clinical offering further, contact the Straumann team today.

For more information, please visit https://www.straumanncourses.com

BDIA Dental Showcase 2024 partners with BACD

The Aesthetic Theatre was a massive success at BDIA Dental Showcase 2023 and therefore we are excited to announce that we have partnered with the BACD to present the 2024 Theatre to continue meeting the needs of the profession.

Chris McConnell, Immediate Past President of the BACD, says:

“We’re looking forward to providing a range of speakers from the BACD who will cover the latest innovations, treatments and ideas in cosmetic dentistry and facial aesthetics. Attendees will learn how they can implement ethical cosmetic dentistry into their daily practice to help maximise patient options and increase clinical scope. BDIA Dental Showcase is a great platform for the BACD to share some the latest research, new clinical concepts and real-life experiences in the field.”

David Hussey, Event Director for BDIA Dental Showcase, adds:

“We are thrilled to have formalised this partnership with the BACD to ensure that the Aesthetic Theatre 2024 facilitates the continued growth of cosmetic dentistry among the profession. BDIA Showcase is honoured to have such strong relationships with a number of professional associations and international speakers, which ultimately enable us to meet the evolving needs of the profession.”

The full programme and speaker line-up will be available shortly – visit the website for the latest show updates.

BDIA Dental Showcase 2024

22^nd-23^rd March

ExCeL London

dentalshowcase.com

Why would you ever settle for less than the best?

The Helix^® Grand Morse^® Implant System from Neodent^®continues to provide high quality treatment solutions that clinicians can rely upon.

The range includes options for a wide range of treatment needs, with components designed for predictable, immediate treatment in all bone types. You can even adjust the components to effectively tackle any situation, from conventional sizing to shorter and longer options.

Dr Ferhan Ahmed BDS, MFDS, MBChB shares his thoughts:

“The Helix^® Grand Morse^® long implants from the Neodent^® range offer various lengths. They provide optimal flexibility to maximise bone engagement and increase contact with the implant in different cases. With these implant options I feel extremely confident in the likelihood of achieving high stability, which is essential for immediate loading.

“The beauty of all the Helix^® Grand Morse^® implants is the predictability and simplicity of the system. They’re solutions that enhance the success of a surgery and the prosthetic outcomes, all in one go.”

If you want to learn more about versatile and secure implants for your patients, find Neodent^® online or contact the team today.

For more information, please visit https://www.straumann.com/neodent/gb/en/professionals.html

Putting clinical excellence first

A successful career in dental implantology will always begin with high-quality training. This must provide both the theoretical understanding and practical experience you need to perform relevant procedures effectively and safely.

The Ucer Education PG Cert in Implant Dentistry is committed to maintaining clinical excellence. The comprehensive programme offers a combination of classroom-based and hands-on teaching, presented from state-of-the-art facilitates featuring a full digital suite and delivered by a leading faculty of talented lecturers and mentors. The team is led by celebrated Specialist Oral Surgeon, Professor Cemal Ucer, and will offer on-going support beyond the initial course for total peace of mind.

If you are thinking about adding dental implants to your repertoire, make sure you consider all the aspects that will contribute to your success in the field – but start with acquiring the necessary clinical skills. Contact Ucer Education for more information.

Please contact Professor Ucer at ucer@icedental.institute or Mel Hay at mel@mdic.co

01612 371842

www.ucer-clinic.dental

Practice management without the guesswork

With the right digital support, your practice can continue to grow and improve every day. R4+, a Sensei product, is the optimal solution that helps you streamline and enhance patient visits.

R4+ supplies your practice with the latest innovations from the Sensei, the practice management portfolio of Carestream Dental, whilst working within your current workflows. Thousands of dental professionals trust the software to help manage patient visits, including appointment scheduling, finances and communications, all in one spot.

You could take advantage of intuitive clinical and periodontal charting as part of a comprehensive clinical workflow. Perhaps you’ll find the most benefit through patient management, with appointment booking and clinical histories accessible in just a few clicks.

Springboard provides real-time reports of your practice’s performance across a wide range of key performance indicators (KPIs), allowing you to make informed decisions without the guesswork.

To learn more about how R4+ can revolutionise your practice, contact the Sensei team today.

For more information on R4+ visit gosensei.co.uk/pages/r4

For the latest news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @carestreamdental.uk

Dental care of the future

It is somewhat of an understatement to say that dentistry has changed in recent years. However, there is still much innovation to come and we are witnessing an exciting phase of accelerated development in the profession. Looking to the future, there are three key areas that all dental professionals should be considering.

Prevention will rule

We have already seen a marked shift towards education, with dental professionals nationwide looking to help patients avoid dental disease altogether. The benefits of achieving this are extensive. First and foremost, the patient will protect their oral health and keep their natural teeth for longer. Improved general health across the nation will increase availability of dental appointments and therefore access to dental care for those who need it. There will also be a significant impact on healthcare services in general, reducing the costs currently incurred to treat dental disease. In 2017-2018, oral disease cost the NHS £3.6 billion, with a similar amount estimated to have been spent on private dental care.[i] Prevention of disease and early intervention has been shown to maintain or improve health, increasing economic efficiencies.[ii]

The professional team will play an important role in promoting prevention. For example, patients may be regularly screened for an array of potential diseases in order to identify conditions as soon as they present. This will form part of an even more comprehensive risk assessment for every individual who passes through the practice, which will enable clinicians to provide more effective and earlier intervention – reducing the time, invasiveness, complexity and cost of treatment needed in the long-run.

A technological world

The ability to deliver such in-depth screening and risk assessment in the future will be dependent on the availability of appropriate technology. There are already innovations on the market designed to facilitate the risk assessment for everything from caries to oral cancer. These will likely be refined over time to better support or even guide the professional diagnosis and treatment planning for the best preventive approach to dentistry.

Of course, technology will play a much wider role in the delivery of dental care in the future. Digital solutions form the foundations of dentistry today and the potential for this equipment to further streamline, simplify and improve the professional workflow while improving the patient experience and increasing predictability of treatment outcomes, is huge. From intraoral scanners to CBCT imaging units and treatment simulation software, each piece of equipment is improving key steps in the treatment journey. Not only will these technologies continue to be developed, but there is also the possibility of more advanced software driven by artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality capabilities and new fully automated processes that will really maximise efficiencies.

Changing patient interaction

The continued expansion of technology in all areas of life is also changing the way that patients perceive dentistry and interact with the dental team. For instance, most people expect to be able to book dental appointments online and it is becoming more common for patients to attend an initial consultation virtually. There is also an appreciation for cutting-edge technology used during treatment, which will no doubt become more pronounced in time.

Patient attitudes have been changing as well and are set to evolve significantly in the coming years. Access to general information has already been revolutionised thanks to the internet and the various online platforms that can be utilised to spread information. This, combined with increasing financial pressures and a growing desire to have more control over healthcare decisions, means that patients are paying more attention than ever to the treatment recommendations suggested by their dental team. They want value for money and really need to understand the benefits of treatment before they commitment to it.

For these reasons, patient education is evolving. It is incredibly important to engage patients in their oral health, to help them understand their current status and really appreciate the need for and value of indicated treatment. In fact, there is a solution now available that combines all of the above – focus on prevention, technology and patient education – in one.

Chairsyde is a state-of-the-art consultation platform for dentists. It is a pioneering technology that enables patients to visualise their oral health condition, and explore treatment options with all the associated benefits and risks. Information is presented in a mixture of patient-friendly animations and annotations, empowering patients to take on an active role in their dental health. Though initially adopted by private dental practices, Chairsyde was recognised as an Official Partner of the NHS during its 75-year anniversary, demonstrating how effectively it facilitates patient-centred care. Chairsyde offers an exciting stepping stone into the future of dental patient communication.

Be ready

With these trends featuring strongly across the dental sector in the UK and abroad, it is important that dental teams are prepared. Ultimately, the goal is always to deliver the highest quality care to patients. Creating opportunities to promote prevention and better engage patients in their oral health will be key.

For more information, or to book a demo, please visit www.chairsyde.com

or call 020 3951 8360

[i] Public Health England. Inequalities in oral health in England. March 2021. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inequalities-in-oral-health-in-england [Accessed October 2023]

[ii] Public Health England. Health matters: Health economics- making the most of your budget. 2018. London. Public Health England. https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2018/07/27/health-matters-health-economics-making-the-most-of-your-budget/ [Accessed October 2023]

RYPFD 2023 Successfully Reignites Passion for Dentistry among Dental Professionals

RYPFD (Reigniting Your Passion for Dentistry), held its introductory conference on 9-10 March 2023, with resounding success. The event brought together dental professionals from across the Country to be inspired, educated, and rejuvenated by nine leading Educators that have pursued other opportunities available to them, while utilising their skillset, to reignite their passion for the dental profession. Held at the magnificent Spa Hotel, Luton Hoo, a luxury stately home set within 1000 acres of Bedfordshire countryside, the conference featured a diverse range of engaging sessions, renowned keynote speakers, and interactive workshops, leaving attendees inspired and motivated.

Reigniting Your Passion For Dentistry (RYPFD) was created by Stancey Coughlan, Commercial Director of leading dental equipment manufacturer Acteon Group, along with Nina Farmer, a Dual Trained Nutritional Therapist and Dental Therapist, with the initial aim of encouraging dental professionals to draw upon their skills and learn to love their vocation, after the industry took a hit during Covid, with many wanting to leave the sector and embark on a career change. Taking inspiration from Dr. Mahrukh Khwaja, a dentist, and founder and CEO of Mind Ninja, who explains solutions that can help fellow dental professionals build mental resilience and avoid burnout – the idea for RYPFD was born.

Acteon decided to offer a personal event, (without a tooth in sight), by providing a safe and welcoming environment with likeminded people to support and encourage each other to stay motivated and committed to their work, while exploring the opportunities available to them. The event provided a platform for attendees to reconnect with their passion and meet industry experts who have delved into alternative treatments to complement their craft.

Over the course of two days, delegates were treated to live workshops and motivational speakers who shared their insights, experiences, and expertise.

Key areas included:

Reflexology workshop with Justine Claire Nicholls, Skin Care with Annette Matthews, Presentation skills and Coaching with Siobhan Kelleher, Acupuncture for the Dental Team with Dr David Johnson, Hypnosis in Dentistry with Christine MacLeavy, Nutrition & Hormones with Nina Farmer, Lymph, Fascia and the TMJ with Caroline Smith, Reigniting Your Passion For Dentistry with Jo Dickinson and Clinic Wellbeing with Dr. Mahrukh Khwaja.

One of the highlights of the conference was the networking opportunities that facilitated meaningful conversations among dental professionals. Attendees were able to connect with like-minded individuals, share their experiences, and exchange valuable insights. These interactions fostered a sense of community and collaboration, ensuring a long-lasting impact beyond the conference.

“We are thrilled with the overwhelming response and positive feedback we have received from attendees,” said Stancey Coughlan “Based on the energy and enthusiasm witnessed throughout the conference and the feedback we received, we are confident that we have achieved our goal to inspire dental professionals to continue with their journey, so much so, we have decided to host another event next year.”

Stancey continued, “The success of RYPFD 2023 would not have been possible without the support of our partners, whose commitment to advancing the field of dentistry is truly commendable. Their contributions allowed us to create an unforgettable experience for attendees and reaffirm the importance of continuous learning and professional growth in the industry. We cannot wait to welcome them back for another year and hopefully have some new faces on board too.”

As the RYPFD 2023 conference ended, delegates left with renewed motivation, a fresh perspective, and a strengthened commitment to providing exceptional service to the industry. The conference undoubtedly succeeded in its mission to reignite the passion for dentistry and will have a lasting impact on the dental community with next year set to be another scintillating success.

Eileen Vallely, who attended the event, left the following feedback: “What a great conference! The lectures and workshops were well presented and interesting and gave a new approach to care for both our patients and ourselves. Luton Hoo was a fantastic venue, with great facilities and staying overnight was a real treat and a lovely opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues. I would highly recommend attending next year.”

RYPFD 2024 will take place on 14-15^th March 2024 in beautiful North Yorkshire. Full details are available here: https://acteonunitedkingdom.com/RYPFD24Brochure

Book your place here https://form.jotform.com/mariannemaguire/reigniting-your-passion

About RYPDF

RYPDF is the premier dental conference that aims to reignite the passion for dentistry among dental professionals. It provides a platform for dental professionals to engage with industry experts, to share and vocalise ideas and opportunities to utilise their skills and knowledge. The conference is dedicated to fostering collaboration, inspiring innovation, and empowering dental professionals to deliver the highest standards of patient care, while loving everything they do.

Event Organiser Contact: Stancey Coughlan, Acteon Group, stancey.coughlan@acteongroup.com or +44 797 773 6130.

Dentist consultants to have their say on pay deal

The British Dental Association has indicated it will move to hold a referendum on government pledges to change consultant pay scales and the pay review process.

The BDA and BMA’s shared objectives have been to achieve two things – an above inflation pay uplift for this year (2023/2024) and reforms to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) to fix pay now and for the future. While imperfect, the government has made an offer that makes progress on each of these goals.

The offer will see an additional 3.45% investment together with reallocation of money around 1.5% of the pay bill on new local Clinical Excellence Awards. This gives a total of 4.95% that will be used to reform the current consultant pay scale. This will be in addition to the 6% pay award for 2023/24 and the outcome of the pay review process for 2024/25.

A small but important part of the NHS workforce, dental consultants have participated in ongoing industrial action in England, alongside their medical colleagues. Further strike action among this group is set to be postponed pending the result of the vote.

British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said: “We now have an offer that covers changes to pay scales and to a pay review body that has demonstrably lacked independence. Our consultants aren’t worth a penny less than they were a decade ago. We’ve made progress here and look to our members to have the final say.”

Self-employed dentists should choose their accounting method with care

A significant change to the way that self-employed individuals can manage their accounts is due to be introduced in the Autumn Finance Bill. While it might make life simpler for some dentists who operate as sole traders or as a partnership, Nathan Poole and Linda Giles of Ross Brooke Dental warn it could pose a risk for the unwary, who may inadvertently pay more tax or misconstrue their financial situation.

From April 2024, the majority of self-employed people will be able to use the ‘cash-based’ method of accounting, a system which recognises income and expenses only when money changes hands. Currently, there are restrictions on who can use the system.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in his autumn statement on Wednesday (Wednesday Nov 22) he would be introducing legislation to remove those restrictions for self-employed individuals. Specialist dental accountants Nathan and Linda recognise the cash-based method has some advantages – it is in essence simpler – but there are some possible risks. They believe that dentists who suffer from clawback on their NHS contracts could pay more tax than necessary at an earlier date than if they continued to recognise the clawback liability under accruals based accounting.

Dentists who get significant upfront payments, such as orthodontists or high-end private dentists, can get a distorted picture of their finances using the cash-based method. For instance, their accounts may look very healthy, because they have been paid up-front but not yet done all the work.

Nathan and Linda will be advocating to their self-employed clients – about 50% of their total number of dentist clients – that they elect to stick with accrual accounting, because it provides a more accurate picture for themselves and other users of their financial information.

Nathan said: “Accrual accounting provides a better view of the health of a business by including accounts payable and accounts receivable. We worry that some dentists will opt to move to the cash-based approach and, if they are not well advised, will get a false impression of their profit levels.”

Linda added that in addition to allowing individual dentists to misconstrue their profits, cash-based accounting was open to manipulation – the timing of income and expenditure either side of the year could be used to distort the true picture. She could foresee problems when the cash-based system had been used by a practice that was on the market. More onerous due diligence would be essential because there could be debts that were invisible to the buyer.

The main headline of the autumn statement, namely the reduction in NIC for employees and the self-employed is welcome, they say, but the increase in the national minimum wage will mean that practice-owners are likely to find they will be under pressure to put up wages across the board when paying more to newer members of the team on the minimum wage. It will be important to ensure such increased costs are reflected in private fees being charged to maintain profitability.

For more information on specialist dental accountants Ross Brooke Dental, go to: www.ross-brooke-dental.co.uk