WINNING SMILE

There is nothing quite like a beautiful smile to make you look and feel good. 

The best hygienist in London Deirdra McNamara 

http://www.knightsbridgedental.co.uk/clinicians/alan.php  Tel: 0207 581 1000 / 0207 584 2537

Brilliant white, glamorous teeth has to be my Number 1 beauty tip but the first rule is to make sure you get yourself a great dentist.

I'm very lucky with my dentist, Alan Gold, but I had to wade through a number of others who tell you one thing one day and another the next before I found him. The best way is to get a personal recommendation from someone who themselves has fabulous teeth so you can actually see how good the dentist is.

Rule Number 2 is get yourself a good hygienist and visit them every three months to keep that smile looking great. Hygienists are easy to find in the US and, when I lived over there, I enjoyed my sessions, as they did a deep root creaning and numbed my mouth first so there was no discomfort.

In the UK - the land of the Nanny Tooth-brushers - it's more difficult to find a decent one. I went to several who were dreadful and in the end gave up and left my hygiene sessions for when I was back in the States visiting family.

One UK hygienist I went to flatly refused to numb my mouth before treating me and she also took offense when I asked her what sort of cleaning she would be giving me (there are various techniques). She then proceeded to lecture me on how to brush my teeth as through I were a five year old, and ticked me off for the damage that tea and coffee were doing.

I pointed out that I was a 50 year old man, not a toddler, and needed no instruction on how to brush my teeth. Furious at her patronising manner, I cut the session short although it still cost me £60. Since then, I've heard similar stories from other people, and have been told that hygienists in this country are trained to lecture on teeth cleaning, coffee staining and smoking. Like any professionals, though, they should be aware of that excellent saying - "judge your audience."

I'd all but given up over here and had already booked into my hygienist in Florida for my next visit when I heard aboutDeirdra McNamara, who works at Alan Gold's practice. The word was she was as good as hygienists across the Atlantic so, not really relishing spending my holiday in the dentist's chair, I booked an appointment.

I was a bit wary but, instead of grilling me about how many cups of coffee I drink a day, she listened to every word I said. She clearly understood there were various types of cleaning of the gums, teeth and mouth with a gel straight away, as she could see it was sensitive. When she needed to do the deep cleaning, she injected a local anesthetic so she could get the teeth really clean without any undue pain.

http://www.knightsbridgedental.co.uk/clinicians/alan.php

Deirdra also jet salt sprayed my teeth, bringing them up a bright white. My mouth felt as though it had had an MOT. Finally she polished my teeth with the residue of the salt and paste. The results were incredible - no need for bleach or anything else.

She also advised me on different toothbrushes, but without doing a hard sell on the ones stocked by the surgery or talking down to me. For the first time in the UK, I left a dental hygiene session feeling and looking good. I was so happy I booked for my next appointment immediately.

You don't have to be a patient at Alan's practice to see Deirdra, who works there on Mondays, Thursdays and Friday .

http://www.knightsbridgedental.co.uk/clinicians/alan.php

Tel: 0207 581 1000 / 0207 584 2537
Copyright Steven Smith