Air polishing latest technology at Ballinrobe Dental
A CHANCE encounter at a dental gathering has resulted in a Charlestown dental hygienist securing a full-time post at Ballinrobe Dental Surgery, which is located at Mason’s Close, Church Lane, Friarsquarter West, Ballinrobe, writes Tom Gillespie.
Éilish Duffy, a dual qualified dental hygienist and therapist from the University of Dundee, bumped into Dr. Patrick O’Beirne, the owner of Ballinrobe Dental, at the conference.
Éilish had practiced in the UK before returning to Ireland to lecture in Dublin at the Dental School & Hospital, Trinity College Dublin.
Now Éilish and Patrick have designed a dental surgery at Ballinrobe Dental for the exclusive use of the dental hygienist, featuring the very latest in dental technology - Cavitron scalers, air polisher, Florida probe and dental sedation.
Éilish Duffy explained that air polishing is a new type of technology for polishing teeth.
She said: "It removes a lot of the stained matter that is tough to get at. Often people think they need to get teeth whitening done but the air polishing brings the whiteness up. It is a relatively new type of technology and we include it in the price of a scale and polish.
"It is very kind to the tooth surface - very small nano particles are used. It is just air and water and nano particle powder. It is quite straight forward, but it gives a lovely result at the end."
Patrick told me: "Éilish has always had the dream to return to her native Mayo. She is a massive Mayo football fan, and recently travelled to New York to support the Mayo team."
Patrick explained that a dental hygienist is a key member of the dental team, adding: "In the past the concept of a ‘dental team’ didn't exist. Modern dentistry is a team effort led by the principal dentist.
"The hygienist aims to educate patients on how to maintain their dental health, avoid dental problems and keep their natural teeth.
"We give patients dietary advice, scale and polish teeth, treat gum disease, and provide fissure seals, as prescribed by the dentist.
"The idea is that you visit the hygienist so you can see less of the dentist. In a modern dental practice like Ballinrobe Dental, our aim is to give our patients good news.
"We want patients attending not for fillings or extractions, but for dentistry that helps maintain their natural teeth, such as scaling and polishing."
Patrick has over 10 years’ experience in general practice and also spent a period of time in hospital-based dentistry in Australia.
He is very experienced in the treatment of children and young adults, having also practiced paediatric dentistry with the HSE Midlands.
Patrick added: "People are tired of going to the dentist every six months to be told 'more fillings’.
"The idea nowadays is to break that cycle, find out what's going wrong, and why do patients need more and more dental treatment.
"The best dentistry is what nature has provided you with. It's time to work towards maintaining your healthy natural teeth.
"Nowadays we understand what is causing dental disease. We want to help educate the patient, and instruct them on how to maintain their dental health, find what foods are they consuming that are contributing to their dental disease, and how often are they consuming these foods.
"A quick ‘rub of the brush’ isn't enough to prevent dental problems, but there are simple modern ways to ensure that bacteria are being removed from your teeth and gums."
He continued: "The mouth is the gateway to the body. In the past few years there has been increasing interest in the ‘mouth-body connection’.
"Put very simply, we now know that bacteria in the mouth can determine the health of the entire body.
"These bacteria enter the bloodstream in the mouth and it has been proven that they can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimers, and research is ongoing. These bacteria can even cause prosthetic joints such as hip and knee replacements to fail."
Bleeding gums are not normal, he stressed, adding: "So many people we see simply think that their bleeding gums are normal. ‘My gums always bleed,’ they inform us.
"Healthy gums do not bleed. This bleeding is an opening for bacteria to enter your bloodstream and invade the rest of your body. We don't need scientists to tell us that this cannot be good. It is like having a graze on your hand that is bleeding regularly. Of course bacteria are going to enter your body and do you harm. If your gums bleed, you need to see the dental team."
Originally from Athlone, Patrick is very much at home in Mayo as both his parents hailed from the county. He is married to local optician Ciara McHugh and they have two children, Patrick (5) and Elizabeth (2). In his free time Patrick enjoys oil painting, arts and crafts with his two children and spending time at home with his family.
Ballinrobe Dental provide a full range of preventive, general and cosmetic dental treatments, including facial aesthetics (Botox, Azzalure) and ‘invisible’ orthodontics at affordable prices in a modern and relaxed setting.
At their state-of-the-art practice they treat adults and children, private and medical card patients, and offer competitive rates, excellence in-treatment service and value. To make an appointment or for more information on any of their services, call them on (094) 9521000.
* Do you have a story to tell about your business? If so, Tom Gillespie would be delighted to hear from you. Get in touch at (087) 9680780 or gillespietom49@gmail.com.