It’s that time again…

It’s that time again…

5 July 2021

Hi everyone!

It feels like forever since I last got typing! How are you all? Thank you for visiting our little Briars Blog again, it’s really good to have you back here with me. I’ve really missed this little blog, but it’s had to take a seat on the back burner with everything else going on.

The dental world – following the enforced shutdown of services, and the slow reintroduction of the different elements of dentistry – has just burst into life. We are seeing so many new faces, creating treatment plans for smiles dreamt up over the lockdown, and helping to accommodate those getting lost in the lengthy waiting lists. We are living the dental dream – but it does mean the days of grabbing a cuppa and hopping onto the keyboard between patients are gone!

Outside of work life is slowly getting back to a new version of normal too. We celebrated Freddie’s 2nd Birthday just a few weeks ago, and we were finally able to have a party in the garden with our friends and family. I was so disappointed to have missed out on celebrating his first birthday (I know, minor in the grand scheme of things!), so it was really special to have made up for it this year. The sun shone too – not just on his birthday, but for the entire week – I don’t know what we’d done to deserve it on our week off, but I was very grateful to get some Vitamin D!

In my last blog I was getting excited about seeing my parents for dinner, and counting down the days to have a cuppa with my best friend – and now we have all these beautiful moments back. It is so nice to see everyone making up for lost time with family and friends – it has put a whole new perspective on the importance of spending time together, and I for one, have cherished it so much more. I knew better days were on the way.

One thing I continue to struggle with is how quickly time is flying. I can’t believe my baby is no longer a baby, but a proper little boy now. He is literally all singing, all dancing – bossy as they come, but an absolute joy to be around. I can see the cogs in his mind turning constantly – everything is an adventure to him, from the jobs I consider mundane, to the big days out, the firsts of everything. These adventures are obviously accompanied by the classic ‘twonager’ strops and meltdowns. I’m now well past the stage of wanting the ground to swallow me whole – I just have to try and contain the laughter that builds when we fall to the floor over not being able to go to the shop in a Nappy and Wellies. Hard lessons to learn.

I’ve just booked Freddie’s next dental appointment in, as he’s now due his next 6 monthly check. He is OBSESSED with his teeth at the moment, and I am so pleased that the thought of brushing his teeth fills him with excitement rather than anything else. I think it’s a bit of pot luck as to how your toddler takes tooth brushing, so I’m running with the positivity while it lasts. He has his own stool at the sink, a variety of toothbrushes to choose from, and while I have the first go with the brush, he gets his own turn afterwards, and I think this ‘independence’ makes it work so much better. With toddlers, they only need a smear of toothpaste on their brush – which is one part that doesn’t go down so well…’more paste Mama?’

With our diaries being busier, it does mean that we are booking a little further ahead than normal – but we are still accepting new patients, and taking bookings for routine dental care. We are still taking all necessary and advised precautions in the fight against COVID-19, but we are continuing all appointments as normal. It’s important now more than ever before to keep ourselves fit and healthy – and this includes keeping yourself dentally fit. I’ve bored you before with the links between our general health and dental health – but they do exist, and the two go hand in hand. If your eyes are a window to the soul, your mouth is a window to your body. (I’m sure there’s a much more eloquent way to say that, but you get the point). If it’s been a while, take the first step to getting back on top of your oral health – book in for a new patient assessment with one of our lovely dentists. If you’re due for your routine examination, get it in the diary – these appointments are easily forgotten when nothing is causing a problem.

I’m not nagging, it’s just because I care, I promise.

Look after yourselves, and I will hopefully speak to you soon! 😊

Amy x