We have some really exciting news to share with you
Belhaven Dental Surgery is now part of Scottish Dental Care group
Please click on the following link for a media release and how this affects Belhaven – click here
An exciting weekend as we had a family trip through to Edinburgh to Murrayfield to watch Scotland v England rugby for the start of the Six Nations tournament (clearly delighted that Scotland 
won 
)
I’ll be honest, I love the atmosphere and I love supporting Scotland but the rules of rugby are so complicated so I just get excited when they run fast with the ball and get tackled without concerning myself too much about the technicalities! Anyone who knows me knows that the one thing I don’t lack in is enthusiasm for many, many things!Dentistry, and my team at Belhaven are one of my big passions and I count myself to be very privileged to do a job that I really love. There can be a lot of stress involved in running a business and in being a dentist but the feeling you get when you help someone overcome their fear, or give someone a smile they are proud of is just brilliant.
On the subject of rugby – Let’s talk mouthguards/gumshields.
We see some devastating sports injuries and I can’t stress enough how important a well fitting mouthguard is for contact sports. Boxing, rugby, hockey and some martial arts are sports where a mouthguard is essential.
There are a couple of options – I’ll go through the pros and cons of each-
OFF THE SHELF
These are bought online or in shops and are a basic mouthguard shape which you then put into boiling water to soften , put in your mouth and mould to the shape of your teeth.
Pros of these – low cost (usually around £15), instant results if you need one urgently.
Cons – the plastic needs to be quite thin to mould easily so doesn’t give a great level of shock absorbency against injury. They don’t fit as well as a custom made dental mouthguard so are more likely to be uncomfortable and tend to be removed more frequently during games so increase likelihood of injury.
CUSTOM MADE
To have a custom made mouthguard you visit the dentist to have a mould taken of your teeth and a dental technician then makes a custom fit mouthguard to protect your teeth
Pros – excellent snug fit so much more comfortable to wear.
Thicker plastic so much better protection.
Virtually any design can be put on these to make them really individual and special
Cons -longer timescale as require a scheduled appointment and then usually completed a week later
More expensive than off the shelf (prices from £55 -however tend to last much longer as are made from more durable material)
If finances are limited then an off the shelf option is better than no mouthguard, however for best protection we would always recommend a custom made option.
The cost of a well fitting mouthguard is low compared to the trauma and cost of damaged/ or lost teeth.
When looked after they can last for years.
For growing children who don’t yet have all adult teeth we can adapt the mouthguard around these areas, then would recommend a new mouthguard when all adult teeth come through.
There are so many options for design for a custom fit mouthguard that the only limit really is your imagination! For children (and adults!) choosing a design they love makes them much more likely to wear the mouthguard at all times during their sport.
Our lab technician who makes our mouthguards is amazing – here are some examples of his more unusual designs.
If you’d like to have one made then contact us for an appointment.
Dentistry has been in the news recently in Scotland regarding the resumption of NHS Dental Services. Whilst this will be very welcome to most of you, this unfortunately does not mean business as usual
We have emailed out a newsletter to our patients explaining what this means at Belhaven with an update on some changes we are making to our services
We appreciate that not everyone is able to provide us with an email address, therefore you can access the newsletter by clicking on the following link – Belhaven Newsletter
If you have any questions about the newsletter or have any concerns about your oral health then please phone the practice on 01475 741186 or send us an email – info@belhavendentalsurgery.co.uk
Keep brushing folks
Please read the following statement fully and carefully
As you will be aware, we have been closed for face to face treatment since 23rd March.
The Scottish Government have now advised that we can reopen from Monday 22nd June.
Whilst this may initially seem like great news, NHS practices in Scotland have had severe restrictions placed on them. We are still unable to offer any routine treatment currently and are only able to see patients for URGENT dental care.
What does this mean for you as a patient?
Your initial point of contact will be to call the practice if you are having dental issues, where our staff can listen to you about your dental problem and give advice, and if necessary arrange an appointment.
We appreciate that many of you may be in the middle of treatment and therefore be concerned that you have treatment still due to be done. We unfortunately cannot resume normal care yet. Any treatments that generate aerosols (fillings / root treatment) still need to be referred out with Belhaven to the Urgent Care Centres based in local hospitals/health centres.
We are only allowed to see around 10 patients per day for the whole practice (bear in mind we previously would see over 100 patients between us in a day), so we have to prioritise patients based on need.
To enable social distancing and to protect our staff, our front door will be locked, and patients will only be admitted who have pre-arranged appointments, so please do not turn up at the practice without an appointment.
If you are shielding and have an urgent care issue, please call and we will make special arrangements for you.
I appreciate that it is frustrating to not be able to access your usual dental care, and we ask that you please respect our staff and try to be understanding, we have no option but to comply with regulations set by the Chief Dental Officer for Scotland.
It’s equally frustrating for us having built up a business over the last 15 years centred on patient care to not be able to provide you with the level of service that we have worked so hard to provide, but we will get back there eventually.
As soon as we can resume further services, we will update you through our usual channels.
So, for the moment, please do not call the practice unless you need advice to allow us to prioritise patients in need.
Many thanks to you and all our loyal patients for your patience with these restrictions, and all your kind words and support over the last few months.
We will soon re-open our doors folks, however we will only be offering limited emergency and urgent services
Catherine has prepared a guide to help explain what we are able to do when we do re-open and how you can access
You can access the guide by clicking here
As our services develop we will update the guide
Our phone lines remain open between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday for advice
We continue to provide advice to our patients in these strangest and troubling of times.
Whilst we are still unable to see and treat patients at Belhaven, our phone line remains open between 9am and 6pm – Monday to Friday where our Dentists are available to take your phone call and provide advice and guidance.
The following document is a wee self-help guide for you to use at home.
If you are viewing this on your computer then you may need a pdf reader installed such as Adobe Reader
If you are on Facebook, please like and follow our page there too. Its another great way of keeping in touch with us and staying up to date with our news and latest information.
As of Tuesday 24th March, the dental practice in now closed.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak and in accordance with instructions from the Scottish Government and the Chief Dental Officer, only patients with severe symptoms of infection, bleeding or trauma will be seen for emergency dental treatment at the present time.
This will be provided at a designated Health Board premises.
If you have a dental emergency please use the following guidance:
Between the hours of 9am and 6pm you should phone our usual number on 01475 741186 where our staff will continue to provide dental advice.
After 6pm and at weekends you should contact NHS24 on 111.
If at all possible, please try to phone us during our available hours to avoid overloading the NHS 24 line.
Please stay at home and stay safe.
Following advice from the Chief Dental Officer of Scotland, we are cancelling all appointments for patients who have been booked in for treatments that can generate aerosols (spray), e.g. drilling, polishing, water based scaling.
Appointments for those to be considered “at risk” we are also contacting to cancel appointments. This will therefore include adults who are 70 years old and above (irrespective of your health), those individuals with underlying health conditions who could be further compromised by the virus and also expectant mothers.
Patient and staff safety is paramount so we are taking these steps to reduce overall footfall within the dental practice and reduce the risks for everyone to a minimum.
We are not providing a re-booking at this time as you will appreciate we cannot yet predict when normal service can resume. We are maintaining a list of the appointments cancelled so rest assured that we will be in touch when its possible to re-apppoint.
We will be contacting patients who are booked in to cancel but please feel free to contact reception in the meantime if you are unsure or have yet to be contacted.
In the meantime we are limiting our services to the following
- Dental Emergencies
- Toothache
- Extractions
- Some Denture Treatments
- Orthodontic Treatment
Anything bugging you about your smile?
You would like to change that but didn’t have access to a facility to spread the cost?
We can now offer 12 months interest free finance through Tabeo
You can apply for finance from £250 and can be used for all private dental treatments including Teeth Straightening, Veneers, Dentures, etc
Spread the cost of your straighter whiter smile
Book an appointment online today for your check-up or phone reception on 01475741186
