Butterflies

Butterflies have no teeth, simply because they do not need them. They do not eat, but drink nectar, mud, water and tree sap through a long double barreled tube, which is called a proboscis.

Yet, when two human front teeth go in sligtly in the middle, creating a wing effect, these are called 'butterfly teeth'.

In China they say: "Once upon a time I dreamed I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of following my fancies as a butterfly, and was unconscious of my individuality as a man. Suddenly I woke, and there I lay, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man."

No doubt - if you can read this, you are a (wo)man and do not really want teeth like that.
Just come to our clinic and we will fix it!

Of course, you are the one to decide about the dental treatment, but we rather not place a 'butterfly bridge' ('Maryland Bridge') though. This type of dental bridge looks like a false tooth with a wing on each side. It often comes off and the metal of the construction shows through the -translucent- natural teeth. Definitely not our first choice!

A well-known proverb says that happiness is a butterfly. In dentistry, that is all it is: a well-know proverb.

A fair tree tale

Once upon a time there was a tree. It was not very special. It was just an average tree in an average landscape. Its name was Tree.


One day some men came. They drove pick-up trucks and carried axes and electric saws. They examined every single tree and then decided to chop Tree down. Through their horror, the other trees also felt relief, and while the men were loading Tree onto one of the trucks, they made their plan. They would just start growing crooked, and in Spring, when they were full of life again, they would simply fill the empty space.

Meanwhile, Tree had been sawn into manageable pieces and all of them were undividedly happy. Eventually, most of them would end up in a fire, but for now, uninformed about that, they were lying on top of a big pile, enjoying the sun.


One piece was sold to a woodcarver. At first, Tree strongly disagreed with the man's choice. The chosen piece was not exactly the finest. However, surely a wizard or fairy would be able to change all that in a blink. (Tree knew he was in a fairytale.)

But, of course, it was the woodcarver who did the magic.....

Some small chunks, formerly known as Tree, looked at his work and were extremely satisfied. "A priest", they sighed, "now who would have thought of that?"

Tree was stationed at a beautiful church. Sometimes -usually when the human priest delivered a dull sermon- he thought back to the days when he was still a tree. He felt far more special and happy now. People would look at him and admire his carver's skills. There was only one aching point. People said he had a nice smile but it would be even nicer if he could show some teeth...

400 Years ago in Japan, the wooden denture was invented. Cheaper than porcelain, but I would not go for it if I were you. Saliva breaks down cellulose - wood's main ingredient...

Crooked teeth

While surfing for some specific information on crooked teeth, I bumped into a website of a group called Death Cab for Cutie (...) They released their single ‘Crooked Teeth’ on 10th April 2006.

The title of the song is based on the (quite nice) lines

Cause at night the sun in retreat
Made the skyline look like crooked teeth

I have been trying to visualize that, but all I could see were braces, veneers, crowns and bridges, which are solutions for people with crooked teeth. I guess this is what they call 'professional deformation'.

Crooked teeth are nothing to joke about. Mind you, if you Google for 'crooked teeth jokes', you will find lots of bad and worse jokes. Even if one of them was great, general, people with crooked teeth would not show a broad smile anyway.

At Dentaprime, we do veneers, crowns and bridges, but we do not do braces. Not because we do not like them (like 100% of all kids), but because we are in Bulgaria permanently and you are just for the time of your (dental) holidays. For braces, you will have to visit your dentist at regular intervals to check the progress. Although we would be able to offer cheaper treatment, it still would not be economical because of the travel costs.

The question you should ask yourself is:
Do I want my teeth to be straight or to appear straight?
If it is the first, you should visit an orthodontist. In case of the latter, you can come to us.

Holiday.... celebrate...

First there was aerobics. Then someone invented aquarobics. Now there is desertrobics....
Dancing in the desert seems to be very healthy. Only the lucky (?) few will be able to do this on a daily basis, but I am told that even just once a year does wonders.

Forget about San Francisco, Diego and Jose, because New York has the largest Chinatown in the United States!
Take a stroll through Columbus Park. People use it for exercise and martial arts, playing basketball, baseball, Mahjong and Chinese Chess.
Afterwards you can have dinner in one of the many Chinese restaurants. That is, if you are still feeling hungry after seeing one Peking duck after another after another after another, hanging in the windows....

After the borders opened to foreign tourists, the Bulgarian tourism industry has given the national economy an enormous boost. The marvelous sands and stunning nature, together with the remains of ancient civilisations, are a golden combination. Dentaprime is a nice bonus.

The only camels will be cigarettes and the only china will be cups and saucers, but the beauty of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast really beats it all!

I'm dreaming of a white Easter...

The real measure of a day's heat is the length of a sleeping cat.
Charles J. Brady

Here, in Holland, Winter and Spring seem to have changed places. On Easter morning, at 6.30 AM, I was wakened by some very loud and very desperate mewing. When I opened the front door, the world was white and so was my -originally black- cat. It rushed past me, straight to the huge cat tree in the kitchen, and did not even bother to make a pit stop at her food and milk bowls.

In my childhood, my birthday treat for classmates always was an ice-cream. Within a few more years, I am afraid, I better make some hot chocolate....

So Dutch weather is unpredictable. How about Bulgarian weather then? Well, no guarantees given, but if you come to our clinic in July, the weather will be dry and hot with average temperatures between 23 and 30 degrees Celsius. Obviously, many tourists are attracted by these temperatures. No problem, because the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast is big and long enough for all of them.

In Winter, you should be prepared for temperatures below zero. Many hotels offer sattelite tv, wireless internet and indoor pools and they are all relatively cheap.

In our clinic, of course, the welcome will be very warm!

Lend me your ear....

Because he preferred painting another farm field to eating bread or patatoes, the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh lost approximately ten teeth from malnutrition. Of course, he did not spend any money on false teeth (or a false ear...) either.

Until only one generation ago, many elderly people had no teeth at all. The problem with that, is that people without teeth prefer soft foods to meats, grains, fresh fruits etc. Therefore they do not consume enough of the important nutrients and the chance of malnutrition is enormous.

So.... malnutrition leads to tooth loss and tooth loss to malnutrition?

Some people live without premulars and molars (back teeth) for years. They simply chew with their front teeth. The problem with that is that these will quickly wear out.

Fortunately, there is this simple formula:

dental holidays + starry starry nights (in Bulgaria) + our dental implants = the perfect way to replace missing teeth

Dental holidays pay off!

At our clinic in Bulgaria you can save hundreds, if not thousands, of Euros. As you can see from the photograph, we did not go short on the furniture or the architect.

Spending your holidays in Bulgaria is cheap. Meals cost 2 (breakfast)-7,50 (supper) Euros. More importantly, beer is 0,50 Euros and a good wine 3 Euros per bottle.

This is going to change though. Bulgaria's star as a tourist destination is rising slowly but steadily, and when it is up, the prices will follow. Probably not to a Western European level, but no guarantees about that.

Talking about guarantees: we offer two years on all tooth replacements. Also, the following joke is not based upon our dentists.

A woman found a mysteriously looking bottle and opened it. A genie appeared and thanked her for letting him out. He granted her one wish. The woman immediately said, "I have always wanted to spend some dental holidays in Bulgaria. I've never been able to go because airplanes are much too frightening for me. So I wish for a road to be built from Dublin to Varna." The genie thought about it and finally said, "Just think of all the work involved. No, that is just too much to ask." The woman was disappointed but after a few minutes she told the genie, "There is one other thing I have always wanted. I would like to be able to understand dentists. What makes them enjoy their job?." The genie immediately said, "They think of it as having their hands in your wallet."

Leonardo

All you need is his first name. It will lead you to the rest.

Everybody knows Leonardo. If not from Mona, then from the code.

Some experts say that Mona smiles with a closed mouth because her teeth were too bad to show. I guess we will never know for sure.

What I do know, is that many people smile without showing their teeth. Sometimes they even put a hand in front of their mouth. They are ashamed of what others will see when they give their natural smile.

Sometimes teeth are missing or damaged because of an accident. Other times there is caries or the smile is 'just' gummy. Teeth can protrude or duck behind other teeth. So many problems, so little time and money.

Coming to Bulgaria for a total renovation of your teeth will pay off! It will cost 40-60% less than in your home country. However, we are still talking about quite a lot of money here. Not as much as the Mona Lisa would cost, but still quite a lot of money.

This is why we always recommend the best solution, not the most expensive.

Under pressure

Dental tourism is booming business. Not only because it is much cheaper, but also because it is much quicker.

Many times, patients ask us to perform a 14-days dental treatment in just 3 days time. Sometimes, it is possible but not recommendable.

In general, it is not such a good idea to shorten the treatment time. The pressure in the airplane cabin can start or increase a toothache.

Why the hurry?

Stupid question! Because we have to work! There is no one to pay for our cosmetic dental treatment except for ourselves, is there?

About 30 years ago, I saw an excellent movie by Hiroshi Teshigahara. It was called 'Woman in the Dunes'. A man misses the last bus back. A group of locals send him down a rope ladder to a house at the bottom of a sandpit. A young widow lives there (alone). She spends her days with preventing the sands from destroying her house. When the man tries to leave, he finds the ladder removed. He must help the widow in her endless task of digging sand and -in the end- he accepts his faith.

I left the cinema asking myself: do we live to work or do we work to live? and decided that -in a perfect world- neither should be the case!

This world is far from perfect, I know, but please care enough for yourself to let us take proper care of you!

Let's Sedate the Dentist!

The drug LSD makes colours more intense, rainbows may appear and shapes may become fluid in form....


In April 1965, George Harrison and John Lennon (half The Beatles) and their wives spent a nice evening with George's dentist. The cosmetic dentist slipped LSD into their coffees and therefore can be held partly responsible for the success of the song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'.

Despite the success of that song, Cynthia Lennon still has not forgiven him. "When you go for dinner with your dentist, you don't imagine a professional man would do something like that," she says. I guess she would still gladly return the favour.

Dental tourism opens the gate to options one could never afford in one's home country. On request, we use TIVA - Total Intravenous Anaesthesia. It is a newer anaesthetic technique, very well suited to small to medium sized dental operations. It provides comfortable sleep without many of the unpleasant side effects of a full, traditional general anaesthetics. There is minimal decrease of the breathing rate and blood pressure, so patients breathe calmly and slowly on their own. No breathing tubes or ventilators are required. Afterwards, you can enjoy the rest of the (holi)day in Bulgaria. TIVA costs 450 Euro per session (not per hour).

Bruxism... grrrrrrrrrr

Meet my brother Frank! He is 51 now, has Down's Syndrome and misses one of his front teeth, but that is more of a problem to me than it is to him; he does not care for appearances. Together with the rest of his personality, the missing tooth gives him a very catching smile.

During my childhood, we lived in a small, two bedroom house. My father built up Frank's bed in between their own bedroom and the stairs. He slept there until he was old enough to sleep in a bedroom of his own. Because of his handicap, that took a bit longer than with me. I slept in the other bedroom, which was several metres further along the corridor.

I have always been an excellent sleeper. Once I hit the bed, I am gone! I am also free of any claustrophobic feelings, so my bedroom door was always closed. And yet, many nights, I was wakened by my brother ....

Apart from waking up people, these are signs of sleeping bruxism:
worn down teeth;
flattened teeth;
chipped teeth;
worn tooth enamel;
tooth sensitivity;
pain in your jaw muscles;
pain in your ears;
headaches

A so-called night guard protects your teeth against grinding. While you are enjoying your holidays, our dental lab produces one for approx. 170 Euro.

Dental treatment abroad

Some time ago, I talked to an Irish patient who asked me for an extra extended guarantee. Not for the dental implants and veneers, but for the treatment environment.

He had heard about dental clinics in Eastern Europe, advertising with beautiful photos and stunning treatment results. Patients were picked up from the airport in a Hollywood-style limousine and then brought to..... a poorly equiped backroom, only accesible through a butcher's shop.

I had to repeat several times that our treatment rooms would really, really look much better. Finally, still with some resistance, he booked his dental holidays in Bulgaria.

The day after his arrival in Varna, he had his first appointment in the clinic. I called the reception. His head was in our '3D digital volume tomograph NewTom 3G' so he could not talk to me, but the dental assistant told me that he had said that everything was above expectation...

Blinded by the white

Sometimes, attracting attention is a well considered choice.

However, most people feel uncomfortable if they do not seem to meet the community standards. Many times one can ask oneselves who set these standards (and why!), but it is a fact that being looked at because you act or look 'different' can be far from pleasant.

There are many causes for discoloured teeth and you cannot avoid them all. You can stay away from tobacco, but ageing is inevitable. You could quit drinking red wine, but then you should also avoid coffee, tea, red wine and cola.

In 2008, teeth should be straight and white, very white, Tom Cruise white. Teeth whitening is complicated and should be performed by an expert. Many home whitening kits are unsafe and so can treatments performed by beauticians be. Overbleaching is a risk and can lead to root canal treatments, damaged enamel, burnings and last, but not least: very unnatural looking teeth.

In Bulgaria, a safe and well done teeth whitening costs 199 Euro, so there will be enough money left for other -non-dental- holiday activities.

An apple a day.... is what they say

and I strongly disagree! That apple would bring along a lot of stress and to get rid of that stress I would have to see a psychologist and for that my doctor first.

Now wait a minute.... I CAN eat an apple! Nothing wrong with my dentures! Just watch me, first cutting the apple into very small pieces and then...

Anyone with regular dentures knows that biting into an apple is always risky. So is eating a steak or corn. The solution is simple: dentures on implants.


Millions of people around the world are missing all their teeth in their upper and/or lower jaw. Many of them use messy adhesives to keep their lower teeth from taking a hike.

Just like the traditional type, dentures on implants can be removed and replaced again for daily cleaning. But when they are in your mouth, they stay put!

We're goin' to the dentist and we're gonna get ma-a-a-ried

A Hindu family in Massachusetts called off an arranged marriage and filed a lawsuit for 200.000 US Dollar in damages. One of the reasons: the bride to be, living in India, had protruded bad teeth.

Many of our patients come to our dental clinic to get the 'Hollywood smile' because they are getting married. Shortly before the marriage date, they travel to Bulgaria for a complete tooth renovation. One of the reasons is the huge price difference, but (lack of) time is a very good runner-up. In their home country, a dental treatment of this extent may take months. Instead, they come to Varna for 10 or 14 days holiday and return home with veneers, crowns and implants. The amalgam has been desposed of and replaced by tooth coloured fillings.

Sounds great, but did you hear the one about the dental patient that quitted smoking? She did not! She smiled all the way down the aisle and never even noticed that the periodontitis was developing and the implants loosening until it was too late.

Gum disease can lead to loss of natural teeth but also of implants. Current smokers are four times more likely to have advanced periodontal (gum) disease. Another very good reason to quit smoking!

Churchill's speech

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end."

Who would think that a man using such strong language would be scared to death of losing his denture through breakage?

On 18th March, two letters written by Sir Winston Churchill to the dentist who made his false teeth, will be auctioned. In one letter, he says: "I enclose one set of dentures and I should be so much obliged if you would tighten them up a little for me. The others are working very well."



If Churchill was alive now, no doubt, he would choose for bridges on implants - a treatment that would have been unaffordable in the UK, but costs approx. 7.000 Euro per jaw if performed at our dental clinic in Bulgaria.

Churchill's secretary would be extremely happy. No more spare dentures to carry around in her handbag...

Babilonical confusion

Years ago, when sticking it into a family album, I made up the perfect oneliner for a photo like this.

Water Wasser Eauk!

(Water, Wasser and Eau means water in English, German and French. Together with the k, in Dutch it says: There was also water.)

Funny, how the same word in one language can mean something entirely different in another. The photo shows Loch Katrine in the Trossachs, Scotland. The word loch is Gaelic and means body of water. In German, however, it means hole.

Harry Belafonte used to sing: "There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza" and his singing partner would tell him to fix it.

That is what we also do at the Dentaprime dental clinic in Bulgaria: fixing holes. We have plastic fillings, composite fillings, inlays and onlays and they have only one surface, two surfaces or more....

"Open wider." requested the dentist, as he began his examination of the patient. "Oh dear!" he said startled. "You've got the biggest cavity I've ever seen - the biggest cavity I've ever seen." "OK Doc !" replied the patient. "I'm scared enough without you saying something like that twice." "I didn't !" said the dentist. "That was the echo."

...... Bridge is falling down, falling down...

The Tower Bridge was completed in 1894. Over 50 designs had been selected, some of which you can see at the Tower Bridge Exhibition.
The winners were Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry. It took eight years, five contractors and the labour of 432 construction workers to build it. Drivers who now cross the 20 mph limit on the bridge, are given a good talking-to. Instead of paying 60 Pounds Sterling and having three penalty points added to their driving licence, they can attend an intensive workshop. Here they learn about the damage they may have caused: loose and sheared deck bolts, cracked welds etc.

A new dental bridge, made by the dental technicians in our clinic in Bulgaria, will last many years -provided it is well cared for- and is a good method of replacing teeth. Generally, there will be one or two missing, but if there are enough teeth in your mouth to attach them to, a bridge can replace more teeth. This picture shows a model. Fortunately, porcelain is added before the bridge is cemented into your mouth. At the end of your dental holidays, it will match the rest of your teeth in a natural way.

Just like the Tower Bridge, any dental bridge may wear from excessive forces .... so keep on minding the gap!

Presidential teeth

George Washington owned many sets of dentures. He suffered from lifelong dental problems in times when good dental care was not for sale - not even for presidents of the United States of America.

He had constant toothaches and despite good maintenance, one after another, his teeth got infected and abscessed. Finally, he lost them all.

Not only his bad temper, but also his politics may have been related to his bad teeth.... Eating, smiling, and talking must have given him great discomfort.

Poor George! Born too soon.... No dental holidays back then.



Nowadays, slow but sure, traditional dentures are being banned by dentures on implants. One of the many advantages: fewer "funny" home videos about people losing their dentures while laughing, boating or skydiving....

Although having "George Washington"-like cheeks here, I rather think Hillary Clinton suffers from Obama ache than from toothache. Today, the results from the pre-elections in Texas and Ohio are crucial for the continuation of her presidential campaign.

If any dental problems, she is welcome in our dental clinic in Bulgaria, though - and so are you!

Discoloured teeth

If you still use roll films and on one of the photos your poppy-crowded backyard looks like this ( which, by the way, is a sea garden in Varna, Bulgaria, by night), just complain and the photo lab will reprint it.

If there are any old photographs in your family album that have faded, just repair them by using Photoshop-like computer software.

If parts of your car are dull, just go to the car shop and buy some paint.

But what if your teeth are discoloured? Quitting smoking or drinking red wine and coffee will perhaps stop but not reverse the process... Sometimes you cannot even help it. The ugly stains are the result of choosing the lesser of two evils: taking antibiotics.

You cannot solve this by doing some shopping, can you?

Yes you can! Well, of course you will not find the solution of your problem at Tesco's. Instead, just go to our dental clinic in Bulgaria....

Dental veneers are thin porcelain shields. They are are suitable for relatively small problems like discoloured or chipped teeth or gaps between teeth. If maintained well, their life expectancy is approximately 10 years.

When teeth are badly crowded or too long, crowns may be a better solution. No problem, we have those too! Just book your dental holidays to Bulgaria and call us for an appointment.

By the way... unlike the adjacent drawing suggests, we will not force you into advertising by putting a DENTAPRIME stamp on every veneer.