Dentist in Leicester

National Smile Month started back in 1977, aimed to address an increasingly critical problem of how to get people to look after their teeth in a time when only one in three people had their natural teeth! It began as a week-long campaign called Smile 77 project which focussed on the concept of preventative dentistry. Over the years more and more health and dental organisations have supported the campaign and it transformed into a month-long campaign, now reaching thousands of people in the UK and overseas. National Smile Month runs this year from May 15th until June 15th and is one of the UK’s largest oral health campaigns. Together, with other dentists, thousands of individuals, organisations and hopefully our patients too. We will be able to promote 3 key messages, all of which go a long way in helping us develop and maintain a healthy mouth:

Brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend

It is particularly important for the people of Leicester to promote this message for the children in the county. According to an NHS report, over 50% of children in Leicester have dental decay compared to the national average of 27%. A shocking statistic, I’m sure you’ll agree. This year we will be holding a week children's week to help educate engage children and parents to better oral health. We will have an interactive zone where children can see just how much sugar is hidden in some of their favourite drinks. Dr Niket Patel commented “we're delighted to get involved in National Smile Month and try to promote good oral hygiene habits to children and parents. Good oral health should be important to everyone and we are always looking for ways to help improve the dental health of our patients."

We are celebrating the news that we have retained our Investors in People (IIP) status and achieved an additional recognition by securing a Silver Award, placing our practice in a small minority of organisations in the country to achieve this feat. Investors in People is a nationally recognised standard awarded to organisations that show excellent people management leading to improved business performance. The Silver status was awarded to us after a day of intense assessment involving a random sample of staff within the practice and covering things such as communications, learning and development, and continuous improvement. To enable us to achieve this level of accreditation we were assessed against the Investors in People profile framework of good practice. This framework provides further challenges for Smile Essential by looking beyond the standard Investors In People framework. This gives us an indication of how good we are in certain areas and what areas we need to focus on to improve our People Management. Niket Patel said, “I’d like to thank everyone within Smile Essential for helping us achieve this positive accolade. It’s an excellent acknowledgement of our developing ‘people first’ culture and our ongoing commitment to learning and continuous improvement.

Smile Essential Dental Care Plan

Almost a thousand of our patients have now joined our practice membership plan - Smile Plan. It offers a simple way to budget for your dental care. Members benefits include:

• 6 monthly dental health checks. This includes a mouth cancer screening, all necessary x rays and photographs.
• 6 monthly hygiene appointments. These appointments with the dentist/hygienist include a thorough assessment of your gum health, fresh breath treatment, techniques to prevent gum disease, periodontal advice, and most of all, the thorough removal of built-up plaque that causes decay and a polish that refreshes your smile.
• 15% discount on most dental work you may require – including most cosmetic treatments.
• 12-month guarantee on all restorative work (provided due care has been taken).
• Priority appointments for your convenience.
• Same day assessment of dental emergencies and dental pain, when the practice is open.
• Dispensing of most antibiotics.

If you're away from home it's handy to point out the following benefits of the membership:

• Emergency call out*
• Dental insurance for treatment needed anywhere in the world as a result of accidental damage to your teeth*
• Worldwide emergency call-out*

*Please see your individual practice plan term and conditions to see what exactly is covered. At Smile Essential dental practice we are completely committed to providing our patients with the best quality dental care. We want to spend more time with our patients and provide prompt treatment using the latest techniques and best quality dentistry, we find our membership plan enables our patients to fully take care of their dental health. If you require any further information about Smile Plan please contact our practice team on 0116 2891317 and we will be happy to answer any of your questions.

Opening Hours during the festive period:  

Meera joined the team in September and is already gaining popularity amongst our Leicester patients. Meera enjoys all aspects of dentistry including treating children and anxious patients and continues to expand her knowledge and skill set by attending regular courses and keeping up to date with her knowledge. Your role at the dental practice? Dentist Your favourite part? Creating smiles Your least favourite part? Paperwork! What do you like about being part of the Smile Essential team? That I am surrounded by great people. What do you like about working in dentistry? Meeting lovely people every day When you were little what did you dream of doing when you grew up? I wanted to be a Vet Favourite film? Fast and Furious Favourite TV programme? Desperate Housewives. How important do you think a good smile is? It's extremely important as it gives you confidence. It's important to come for regular dental health checks.

Meet Natasha our decontamination assistant at Smile Essential Dental Practice in Leicester. Natasha joined the Smile Essential dental team in May 2016. She is a lovely, warm and helpful team member who has made herself part of the Smile Essential family. We love that she so keen and enthusiastic about her role at the dental clinic. Tell us a bit about yourself? I'm quite new to the dental team. I am a graduate in Forensic Science. In my spare time, I enjoy spending quality time with my friends and family, going out for meals and watching movies. Your role at the dental practice? Decontamination Assistant. Your favourite part? That I have a variety of roles to carry out. Your least favourite part? Standing! Sometimes I'm standing for long hours. What do you like about being part of the Smile Essential team? That they were so friendly and welcoming when I joined. They are all nice people. When you were little what did you dream of doing when you grew up? I wanted to be a primary school teacher. Favourite film? I can't decide one! Mean Girls and The Notebook. Favourite TV programme? Eastenders How important do you think a good smile is? Very important. A good smile can improve your confidence and make you feel good about yourself. Why is good dental health important? It's important to have a healthy mouth to prevent problems such as gum disease. How important are regular dental visits? It's very important to identify problems early so they can be either prevented or treated.

Summer is officially here and whether you plan on holidaying at home in the UK or jetting off to somewhere a bit further we wanted to remind you of all the extra benefits you receive if your one of the 902 members of our dental plan - Smile Plan. Most of our new patients join our membership plan to take advantage of the 15% discount on dental treatment and ensure their long-term dental health care. But more and more of our regular patients are joining Smile Plan because it offers a simple, flexible way to pay for your dental care. It costs just £12.99 per month and covers your regular 6 monthly dental health checks, hygiene appointments and if you do require any dental treatment we give you a nice little discount of 15% on the treatment. Whilst benefiting from the regular care and treatments of Smile Plan it's easy to forget some of the additional perks. A toothache, broken filling or facial swelling always seems to appear at the most inconvenient times, such as on holiday. But we have good news for you if you're a member of the dental plan. Covered in your membership is emergency callout cover, it can be provided by any dentist anywhere in the world that agrees to treat you, subject to the terms and conditions of the Smile Plan policy. You simply pay the emergency callout charge to the dentist concerned and collect a receipted invoice. This can then be processed upon your return for reimbursement from the insurers and you will be refunded the callout fee, minus the excess, up to the policy limit. This cover is designed to give you immediate pain relief treatment only; on your return book an appointment with us at the dental practice in normal hours to review and carry out any permanent treatment that may be required. Our membership plan is specially designed with you, our patients in mind. Because at Smile Essential, we are totally committed to providing our patients with the best quality dental care in Leicester. We want to spend more time with our patients and provide prompt treatment using the latest techniques and best quality dentistry. Here's a summary of all the perks you can expect by becoming a member of Smile Plan - • 6 monthly clinical examinations • 6 monthly hygiene appointments with dentist/hygienist for: Scaling and polishing • Assessment of gum health • Fresh breath treatment • Techniques to prevent gum disease • Periodontal advice • Oral cancer screening • All necessary small X-rays • 15% discount on most dental work you may require (including most cosmetic treatments) • 15% discount on facial rejuvenation (not to be used in conjunction with other facial rejuvenation offers) • 12 months guarantee on all restorative work (provided due care has been taken) • Children of plan members will be treated under NHS arrangements • Priority appointments • Same day assessment of dental emergencies and dental pain • Dispensing of most antibiotics in surgery - no need for a trip to chemist or to pay the prescription charge • Emergency callout • Dental insurance for treatment needed anywhere in the world as a result of accidental damage to your teeth • Worldwide emergency callout Download the membership brochure to find out more - Smile Essential Practice Membership Plan Brochure    

Today is the final day of National Smile Month 2016. National Smile Month is a month long campaign designed to create better public awareness about oral health. There are 3 main messages the campaign promotes.

• Brush your teeth last thing at night and on at least one other occasion with a fluoride toothpaste.

• Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks.

• Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

If we are honest, maintaining a good level of oral health is a straight forward task. Many of us already know what’s required to keep our teeth in tip top condition. But we still choose to ignore the most basic day-to-day hygiene routines and put our health at risk.

A shocking number of people brush for less than two minutes, our diet as a nation has become over-reliant on added sugars while millions of us haven’t seen a dentist in the last two years.

Consequences of the above over a long period of time, often leads to unnecessary, invasive and expensive treatment.  Most people aren’t aware of the direct impact our oral health problems can cause such as gum disease and tooth decay while the repercussions of poor oral health go further than our mouth.

Over the recent years more evidence has been gathered suggesting that poor oral health also puts you at an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, dementia, complications during pregnancy and male sexual health problems are just a few of the likely outcomes of not looking after our teeth. Now that should have you running to to grab your toothbrush!

Your oral health

Brush twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste

Clean in-between your teeth once daily with floss or interdental brushes

Visit your dentist regularly

Chew sugar-free gum after eating or drinking, especially sugary foods, to help protect your teeth and gums in between meals.

Wait an hour after eating or drinking anything before brushing as then enamel will be softened and you could be brushing away tiny particles.

Avoid snacking and try to only have sugary foods and drinks at mealtimes, reducing the time your teeth come under attack.

Your childs oral health

Brush your child's teeth as soon as they appear with a toothpaste appropriate for their age.

Help your child to brush their teeth until they are at least seven.

Take your child to the dentist early, as soon as their teeth start to appear, this will help them get used to the sights, sounds and smells of a dental practice.

Use a timer or brush a long to a song to ensure your children are brushing for the correct amount of time.

Using a reward chart to track your children’s brushing habits and get them actively involved in brushing their teeth.

Using disclosing tablets are a great way to show areas of your children’s mouth which may need better brushing.

Arrange a dental health check today by clicking here...

The National Smile Month Campaign is aimed to improve the UK’s oral health. Organised by the health charity the Oral Health Foundation strives to raise awareness of important issues relating to oral health, and make a positive difference to the oral health of millions. This year, the campaign celebrates it’s 40th Birthday!

National Smile Month highlights three key messages, all of which go a long way in helping us to maintain a healthy mouth -

• Brush your teeth last thing at night and on at least one other occasion with a fluoride toothpaste • Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks • Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend

National Smile Month started back in 1977, aimed to address an increasingly critical problem of how to get people to look after their teeth in a time when only one in three people had their natural teeth! It began as a week long campaign called Smile 77 project which focussed on the concept of preventative dentistry. Over the years more and more health and dental organisations have supported the campaign and it transformed into a month long campaign, now reaching thousands of people in the UK and overseas.

7 Tips for a healthier mouth

• Brush your teeth last thing at night and at least one other time during the day with a fluoride toothpaste. Clean in-between your teeth once daily with interdental brushes or floss.

• Quit smoking to help reduce the chances of tooth staining, gum disease, tooth loss, and in more severe cases mouth cancer.

• Change your toothbrush every two to three months or sooner if it becomes worn as it will not clean the teeth properly.

• Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

• Chew sugar-free gum after eating or drinking, especially sugary foods, to help protect your teeth and gums in between meals.

• Wait an hour after eating or drinking anything before brushing as then enamel will be softened and you could be brushing away tiny particles.

• Avoid snacking and try to only have sugary foods and drinks at mealtimes, reducing the time your teeth come under attack.

If you would like any further advice or would like to arrange a dental visit, please give us a call on 0116 2891317

Smile Essential dental practice has been recognised once again for outstanding customer service with an award for excellent customer service by healthcare search engine WhatClinic.com, based on feedback by customers over a twelve month period. Smile Essential dental practice based in Leicester has been awarded this consecutively for the past several years. The award is based on feedback from patients, and combines scores for excellent customer service and timely consumer feedback. Customers rated clinics based on how well the clinic treated them, how quickly they were contacted and seen, and how happy they were with the treatment. Dr Niket Patel today said; “We are delighted to be recognised once again for our commitment to customer service. As one of Leicester's leading dental practices, it is something we focus on in everything we do and to receive such positive feedback from our patients is great…” WhatClinic.com CEO Caelen King congratulated Smile Essential dental practice and said “This is the 7th year we have run these awards. Every year, the standard goes up and up - and I’m delighted to recognise those clinics that are putting the needs of the patient first, every single day. “It’s the customer who selects our awards winners, by their clinic ratings and the feedback they leave about service and experience. We believe that empowering the patient with accurate information is the future of a successful healthcare market.” To read more on our caring approach please click here.