BECAUSE QUALITY MATTERS 63ISLE OF MAN PREMIER MAGAZINE62

COSMETICCOSMETIC

People often ask me - ‘Do you still do dentistry Tracey?’ The answer is of course

I do….I never stopped.

TRACEY BELL

DENTAL AND

AESTHETIC MEDICAL

CLINICSMILIES ALL ROUND

It is a lifetime passion and to create smilesthat function and are aesthetically pleasingis simply part and parcel of my life,everyday of it.

The fascinating part of dentistry is it’samazing advancements. With the adventof digital dentistry, whereby teeth andsmiles can be designed by Cad-Cam andthen printed in the surgery, life has becomeso much easier and of course risk to thepatient has decreased.

Years ago you would attend the practicehave impressions taken and wait 2-4 weeksfor the crown or denture to return. Now itis a case of a single visit, a digital scan (noimpressions) and straight to the productionof an accurate fitting crown, veneer andeven denture.

We, as a group, introduced digital dentistryin 2014 having spent 4 weeks learning allabout it in Brazil. The learning curve wassteep but on reflection it was the bestthing we ever did. It made the process ofcommunication with the patient easier i.e.

n They were involved in the designn It made the appointment time

minimal and so convenient for the patient

n It eliminated the risk of the restorations not fitting

All preparation and works are recorded,the crowns or prosthesis are immediate,and the accuracy of such machines iscertainly better than any human hand.

On the island we have 3 practices thatprovide all types of dentistry, over time,we have all developed our ownindividual educational frameworks andpathways – continuing in the work thatinterests us.

James (my partner at work and in life)has progressed his career in orthodonticsand endodontics (the dreaded “rootcanal”.) This year he obtained a Merit inhis Diploma of Endodontics at ChesterUniversity and completes his master’s in2020. A situation he would never haveimagined being in, but a challenge andexperience he has loved.

Again, with education comes knowledgeand with that investment the practicehas 2 microscopes used for root canaland its intricacies and all the equipmentrequired to complete endodontics as itshould be, complying with standards andguidelines. Back to braces – well you onlyhave to take a look at his Instagrampage and his patient testimonials will tosee that James loves all types oforthodontics from fixed to removableappliances and from metal to ceramicbraces.

From providing and designing smileswe can now use digital technology toplan Invisalign, brace work and dentalimplants.

When it comes to treatment planning. It isessential that any practitioner, obtains fullinformed consent from the patient. Thepatient then know’s exactely what they areletting themselves in for and has fullautonomy in their decision making.

As a patient this is what I wouldexpect so therefore something that Iand the practitioners want to deliver.

As I always say - “Do it once and do it properly” With that comes a lifetime of education, and investment not only in yourself as a practitioner but the practice and patients too.

Giovanni Marras is the dentist inCastletown who has a love of all things todo with ‘gums’. He has obtained a Mastersin Periodontology and has a clinicdealing with gum disease, implantmaintenance, gingival grafting and anymatters relating to periodontal diseaseand gum health.

Giovanni has been on the island for 4 yearsand is here to stay, he is married and hasjust had a beautiful baby girl…Gulianna,born in October who is officially a ‘LittleManxie’.

Back to the question –‘So do you still do dentistry Tracey?’ – ‘Yes’

I’ve also honed my skills in FacialAesthetics (since 2002). I obtained a MAin Dental Law Ethics (2016) andGraduate Diploma in Law (2019).

People ask ‘Why?’… Simple - Life! It is too short to waste and I want to live every minute.

My law degree has found me entering aworld of expert report writing, respectingautonomy of the patient and opening myeyes into what the patient should know,understand and what can happen if thesebasic aspects are ignored or forgotten.

After practising for 28 years on the Isle ofMan every year teaches me somethingnew in dentistry, aesthetics, business andlife – all I can say is its definitely gettingbetter!

www.traceybell.co.uk

Giovanni Marras

James GarrittTracey Bell