Illume — 'Your brighter path to dental care'

2014 brings changes to the faces at Illume as Dr Sarah Moore will be leaving Illume on the 20th of December.

She will be continuing with her orthodontic role at Gloucester Royal Hospital.

At Illume we believe that every change brings exciting opportunities and we are delighted to introduce you to Dr David Barrett who will be joining us in January 2014.

David originates from Gloucestershire, qualified from Liverpool University in 2004 and after working in private practice in the UK, Australia and New Zealand is now keen to return to his roots.

He is a general dentist, so is able to look after all your needs, however great or small and has a special interest in restorative dentistry, restores implants, straightens teeth by being a certified provider of the Inman aligner™ and provides anti-wrinkle facial aesthetic treatment.

When not at work David enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing and hiking.

We are really looking forward to him joining our team at Illume. We believe he has both excellent clinical skills and an understanding and caring nature that fits in well at our practice.

We know that David is looking forward to meeting all his new clients and if you don’t want to wait until your next appointment please phone us on 01242 522230 or email [email protected] and we will be delighted to arrange an opportunity for you to meet David for a chat in early January.

For more information about the Illume team please visit our team web page, which will feature further information about David in due course.

Meanwhile we would like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

From January 1st 2014 Illume is joining a rota comprising a number of local dental practices in the Cheltenham, Bishops Cleeve, Winchcombe and Tewkesbury area, which provides on-call services for dental emergencies at weekends and Bank Holidays.

During the week, in the evening you will have access to Illume dentists for emergency advice.

Dental emergencies amongst our regular clients are generally rare but in the unfortunate event of requiring emergency advice or treatment the on-call rota can be accessed by calling our normal practice number,01242 522230, and following directions to access the on-call dentist.

What is a Dental Emergency?

It may be helpful to list the kind of problems which constitute a dental emergency requiring attendance at the emergency facilities of the on-call dentist.

Typically a dental emergency would be one of the following:

• Acute sudden onset pain not responding to normal painkilling medication
• Bleeding from an extraction site which cannot be stopped with normal home applied measures
• Rapidly increasing swelling in the face or neck, especially if it is both sides
• Traumatic injury – a blow to the face or jaws resulting in tooth damage or displacement (severe trauma possibly resulting in fracture of facial bones should be seen at A&E)
The purpose of the Emergency On-call Rota is to provide advice, emergency care to stabilise your condition and help control pain. General dental treatment required as a result of the emergency is not provided by the on-call dentist and clients return to their regular dentist for this.

Illume Membership Clients

For all our clients in Membership (your monthly payment Membership administered by DPAS) the fee for emergency call-out when required is covered by the Supplementary Insurance. It works as follows:

• A call is made to ILLUME and you will be directed to the on-call dentist emergency number
• If  an emergency call-out is required then you will be directed to the appropriate location and time – explain that you are an Illume client and have DPAS insurance cover
• You attend the emergency facility for advice and emergency treatment if required
• You are required to pay the first £15 of the call out fee (under the terms of Membership and Supplementary insurance)
• You will also be required to complete an insurance claim form with your details and the on-call practice is then able to claim the remaining balance of the call-out fee up to policy limits.

Non-Member Clients

• For clients who have not joined Illume Membership (monthly payment system) you will be required to pay for the call-out and emergency treatment if required.
• The fee payable to the on-call dentist is £95
Most of our clients join Illume Membership for many good reasons including emergency and accidental damage insurance. If you have not yet joined and would like to know more please visit the Membership page on the website or call us and we will be happy to advise further.

If you require any further information about the changes to Illume's dental emergency and call out procedure please contact the practice directly.

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? Here at Illume we love making our clients happy so our gift to you this festive period is a fabulous 20% off teeth whitening promotion - guaranteed to give you that picture perfect smile for 2014.

Illume dentists use a well-researched technique with materials that are efficient and safe to whiten your teeth.

At your initial consultation your dentist will take an impression of your teeth in order to create custom made whitening trays. Once the trays have been made, your dentist will demonstrate how to use the whitening gel.

Most patients will wear the trays at home for periods of up to eight hours, usually whilst sleeping. Your dentist will advise how long the treatment is likely to take and will carefully monitor your progress.

Like The General Dental Council, Illume advises that teeth whitening should only be provided by registered dentists - we also advise against going to whitening clinics with unqualified personnel and purchasing unsafe and possibly damaging materials from the internet.

So why not see what a difference our teeth whitening service can make to your smile and start the New Year in style!

Illume’s 20% off teeth whitening promotion is available until the end of January 2014. Our standard fee list can be viewed here - for further information about our teeth whitening promotion, please contact the practice directly.

On Tuesday 26th November Illume Dental Practice held an open day where it offered free mouth cancer screening in of support Mouth Cancer Action Month.

The screening event was a great success, where Illume welcomed many individuals who were not part of the practice for free mouth cancer screening. It also received great support from local news channels who encouraged local citizens to take advantage of the free offer.

The screening event was  is part of Illume’s accreditation under the MCSAS, where Illume ensures mouth cancer screening is available to people who are not registered clients under the ‘Free Mouth Cancer Screening – 2 Minutes to Save a Life’ initiative.

Many practices carry out screening, however Illume is the first dental practice in Cheltenham to receive this accreditation, which is only awarded to practices that have completed the required continuous professional development and training implemented by the Mouth cancer Foundation.

Prior to receiving the accreditation, Illume provided its clients with mouth cancer screening as part of its healthy mouth review service, a thorough examination which is very different from a quick dental check-up. During this examination Illume dentists screen the soft tissues of the mouth (tongue, cheeks, lips, palate and floor of the mouth) for signs of mouth cancer and other diseases, discuss risks and prevention and ensure rapid referral to hospital specialists when appropriate.

Practice Owner Tim Rumney confirms, “Here at Illume we provide all current and new clients with a mouth cancer screening. This is an integral part of every healthy Mouth Review and New Client Consultation. Regular screening increases the likelihood of early detection, which is key to saving lives.”

The ‘Free Mouth Cancer Screening – 2 Minutes to Save a Life’ initiative is an on-going service at Illume. Tim Continues, “Providing free mouth cancer screening as a permanent service ensures Illume fulfils its responsibility to the Mouth Cancer Foundation’s accreditation scheme, to our clients and to the wider population. Dentists are in a great position to spot mouth cancer and other oral conditions - providing a free service to help screen for such diseases greatly benefits the public and aids our ability to increase early detection, and therefore, survival rates.”

Illume has launched a new web page dedicated to mouth cancer, its causes, signs, symptoms and statistics to improve public awareness of the condition.

Finally, Illume urges anyone concerned about mouth cancer, or anyone looking for regular screening to contact the practice to arrange a suitable appointment.