How do you make braces disappear?

Easy, you put them on the back of the teeth!

You may not have heard of lingual braces (lingual = tongue, so they are on the tongue side of the teeth), by their very nature they are invisible so you can't see them, which makes it difficult as orthodontists to promote them!

On Saturday I attended the British Lingual Orthodontic Society (BLOS) annual meeting. As you might expect for something so specialist it is a pretty small group, but the doubling of membership over the last 12 months shows how this type of treatment is growing in popularity. Did you know that 18% of adults believe they'd benefit from straightening their teeth, but 72% are unaware of lingual braces (BLOS Ipsos Mori Survey)?

I was particularly pleased to hear of how many people are now using Incognito lingual braces, as I have recently started using this system, having used two other lingual systems before. It is completely customised for each patient making it easier for us orthodontists to use, more comfortable for you to wear, and giving really great results, as good as I would expect with conventional braces. Having fitted Incognito on a few patients now I am delighted with it and so are my patients who are already getting the benefit of having straighter teeth.

I was also honoured to give a "Clinical Pearl", sharing a tip with my colleagues that can make treatment easier. Lingual braces are certainly challenging to use and the learning curve is steep, for that reason I'd recommend you only see a specialist orthodontist if you are considering lingual treatment.

I came away from the meeting inspired and I'm keen to bring this type of treatment to more people.

If you'd like to find out more visit the websites in the links above, visit our website or call us to book an appointment for an assessment.

Hide your braces, not your smile!

Dear Coalition Government...

I'd like to make a suggestion about saving money and a Quango you can abolish; The Care Quality Commission (CQC).

I looked through the 274 page document last night. You'd like to make sure that our patients are well looked after, well informed and have a say in their care; that our staff ar suitably qualified; that we act professionally, monitor our standards and have a complaints service. Doesn't the General Dental Council already do this?

You'd like to make sure our premises are safe, clean and our eqipments is up to date. Its all part of running a business and a dental practice and we already adhere to the HSE and myriad other regulations.

Why does it take 274 pages to tell us this? Why do we need another body to be accountable to? Is simply filling in a form really going to make a difference to patient care? How will a bit of paperwork help those practices who don't or can't comply?

You still can't tell us how much it will cost us to be regulated by the CQC, a body which also oversees hospitals and social care. (Perhaps I should refer them to their own Outcome 3, about informing patients of fees in advance!)

Please can you stop heaping more and more regulation on us dentists (and presumably many other professions) and leave us to concentrate on what we do best, treating patients?