You have to be Beautiful!

In the UK alone, tooth whitening is now the most requested service from patients amongst all cosmetic dental procedures and the industry spend is predicted to rise to 1 billion in 2010. At this years Worlds Aesthetic Congress (WAC), the British Dental Bleaching Society (BDBS) presented an award to Professor Van B. Haywood D.M.D., in recognition of his work into aesthetics dentistry most notably tooth bleaching.The BDBS was set up by a number of highly regarded dentists, with the aim of lobbying for changes in the controversial tooth bleaching legislation, and to assist with the continuous education and support for dentists in tooth whitening techniques and procedures. In honouring Prof Van B. Haywood, the BDBS is acknowledging the invaluable research that he has accomplished in the past twenty years.Van B. Haywood, is Professor in the Department of Oral Rehabilitation, School of Dentistry, Medical College of Georgia and in 1989, he co-authored with Dr. Harald Heymann the first ever publication on Nightguard vital bleaching (at-home bleaching). This ground breaking research proved to be a radical step in the world of dentistry, and has since spawned a multi million pound industry. What was revolutionary about the research was that Prof Van B Haywood and Dr Heymann discovered that through customizing fitted mouth trays, patients could safely sleep with a tooth whitening gel (placed inside the tray) and their teeth whitened while they slept! This bleaching technique has proven to be the most cost-effective, dramatic, simple, safe technique a dentist can offer to a patient to improve their smile.Since 1989, Prof Van Haywood has published over a hundred papers on the topics of tooth whitening and aesthetics and in 1997 he co-authored the first article on extended treatment (six-months) of tetracycline-stained teeth using the Nightguard technique. Dr Linda Greenwall Chair of the BDBS comments: With this award we are recognising the superb work and achievements that Professor Van Haywood has attained and we are very proud and pleased that he is attending this years Worlds Aesthetic Congress. Without Professor Van Haywoods immense research, the world of tooth whitening would be a very different one from the one that we see today. He has brought to millions of people the option of at home tooth whitening in a safe, effective and cost efficient manner and given them the chance to be proud of their smiles!

National Smile Month is an annual event held by the British Dental Foundation to highlight the importance of oral health. This year it takes place between 17th May and 16th June and the theme is Look after Yourself Brush for Health.A London woman who nearly lost her teeth through poor oral care has finally discovered 21st century dentistry, after decades of fearing the dentists chair. She leaves behind memories of heavy handed 1960s dentistry and can smile now with confidence. Linda Brewin, aged 63, had her smile restored at London cosmetic dentistry centre Aqua Dental Spa after the ravages of smoking and untreated gum disease caused her gums to shrink, leading to an unsightly appearance and the loss of teeth. As National Smile Month approaches highlighting the links between poor oral hygiene and serious conditions such as heart disease, strokes and diabetes Linda urges people to put a brave face on and visit the dentist regularly and most importantly, quit smoking.Says Linda: My experiences of going to the dentist have always been horrible and like many other people, it was something I dreaded. Proper hygienist appointments werent available when I was growing up and into early adulthood, the dentist would just give teeth a quick scrape and pull out any bad ones, then youd be on your way. In stark contrast, I love the soothing and calming environment of Aqua Dental Spa and Dr Mainis gentle manner it is very different to any other dentistry experience Ive had. He detected my gum problems immediately and referred me to the specialist. I also decided to have veneers to my top teeth as they were crooked and discoloured.According to Dr Maini, lead clinician at Aqua Dental Spa and member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry: Linda was unaware she had gum disease and if left untreated, she would almost certainly have lost her teeth. Older generations have grown up with an old school style of dentistry and many people of that age bracket wont even attend the dentist for routine check-ups at all. Things have changed drastically in dentistry and with new technology and advances in training, there are many options now available. Linda was a particularly nervous patient so we gave her a light sedation and fitted veneers and bridges to improve the appearance of her smile – while treatment is ongoing from the specialist to help her keep the gum disease under control.Linda added: I would always hide my mouth when I laughed or smiled and felt very self-conscious about my teeth but now my smile has been restored so has my confidence. I cant believe how comfortable I am with going to the dentist now. Dr Maini is very reassuring and very genuine – Im just so pleased I can go somewhere where everyone is friendly and kind. The state of my teeth and the discovery of the gum disease made me realise the seriousness of the situation. Faced with the very real possibility of losing my teeth I have given up smoking and follow the advice Ive been given religiously. Theres no way Im going to jeopardise my new smile!Aqua Dental Spa combines cosmetic dentistry and facial aesthetics to provide a holistic approach to the smile. Clinic founder Dr Maini believes that although great things can be achieved through cosmetic dentistry, other aspects of the smile such as the lips and face itself can dramatically affect the end result. Aqua Dental Spa offers facial aesthetics such as slight enhancing of the lips or smoothing out nose to mouth lines to help patients achieve the best result.Other services offered include veneers, tooth coloured fillings, whitening, bridges and Invisalign (invisible braces). General dentistry services are also available such as hygiene services, root canal work, dentures and preventative care. In addition, the facial aesthetics services include lip definition and enhancement with cosmetic fillers and facial line and wrinkle reduction using Botox. Dr Maini is fully qualified to carry out these procedures and is a Gold Member of the International Academy of Advanced Facial Aesthetics.The centre also offers relaxing spa services such as head and neck massages before and after treatment, soothing hand massages, scented neck cushions and gel eye masks.