Mockingbird

Years ago I heard this great song by Carly Simon and James Taylor:

Mock (yeah)
ing (yeah)
bird (yeah)
yeah (yeah)
Mockin'bird

Now everybody have you heard
He's gonna buy me a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird don't sing
He's gonna buy me a diamond ring

I thought: Why not buy her that diamond ring anyway? Why wait if the bird's gonna sing or not? Will the ring get cheaper in the meantime? Isn't the ring in stock and does the guy need to buy some time? Why not try another store then? Finally, I got tired of all these useless questions, so I picked up a book and started reading.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the greatest novels of all time. The book is about race and justice in the American Deep South during the 1930s. One of the characters in the book is called Boo Radley. He lives in the Radley House and is a phantom. He's over six feet tall and has rotten yellow teeth. When bad things happen, Boo is usually blamed. By description only, this guy gives me the creeps. I might offer him a mouthful of dental implants and bridges (worth approx. 7000 Euros per jaw) if he promises to go away and stay away!

Alone again, naturally

Extreme media coverage, post-natal depression and the pressure of being a Princess, left Diana lonely and depressed.

Wilhelmina, grandmother of the Dutch Queen Beatrix, wrote a book: 'Lonely but not alone'.

Sweden's Queen Silvia said that being queen can lead to feelings of loneliness.

Just thinking of going to Bulgaria on your own can be very stressful. You have to decide, book, pack, plan, organize cash/travellers cheques/credit card payments etc. etc. etc. and you have to do it all by yourself... And then, of course, there are the problems with the language, the high crime rate, the bad food, the Big Bulgarian Brother who is watching you etc. etc. etc.

We cannot help you packing or send you a travel mate, but we do have good information on flights, hotels, bus connections etc. Also, we can take away many of the prejudices about Bulgaria by telling you about the actual situation.

Just give us a call or send us an e-mail!

Cool clean water

Did you know that dental drills need water? In the Dentaprime clinic in Bulgaria, the water is fine. In other parts of the world, however, safe drinking water may be hard or even impossible to find.

Did you know that water that is unsafe to drink, is also unsafe for dental treatment? Dentists can use boiled water, but bottled sterile water would be better.

Did you know about this magician who was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean? The audience would be different each week, so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again. There was only one problem: The captain's parrot saw the shows each week and began to understand how the magician did every trick. Once he understood he started shouting in the middle of the show: "Look, it's not the same hat" "Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table" "Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades ?" The magician was furious but couldn't do anything; it was, after all, the captain's parrot. One day the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean with the parrot, of course. They stared at each other with hatred, but did not utter a word. This went on for a day and then another and another. After a week the parrot said: "OK, I give up.

Where's the boat?"

Last but not least: Did you know that, in 2005, Coca Cola bought Bankia, a leading Bulgarian mineral water company?

Help!

"When I was younger, so much younger than today, I never needed anybody's help in any way."
The first time I heard this Beatles song I must have been 10 years old and thought I could do it all by myself. (I know better now...)

If you need information on teeth, jawbone, gums and sinuses, the Dentaprime Service Centre is the place to be! Of course a proper treatment proposal depends on the results of a consultation, but we can assist you in many ways.

The Internet offers so much information that it is almost impossible to filter. One website tells you that smokers can have dental implants, another that they cannot. (We tell you that they can but that we advise against it because they will be excluded from our guarantee...)

Just send us an e-mail and we'll help!

Tech support: How may I help you?
Customer: I'm writing my first e-mail.
Tech support: OK, and what seems to be the problem?
Customer: Well, I have the letter 'a' in the address, but how do I get the circle around it?

Of course, you can also give me a call. My name is Mary and this is how it is written in Japanese...

Who? Me?

Earlier this week, a murder took place in or near our garden.

The victim: Pigeon(s) (Hard to tell from the number of body parts)

The usual suspect: Cat.

The runner-up (just to do him a favour and not let him feel like a 'pussy'): Poodle

The murder weapons: firm jaws, sharp teeth

We disposed of the body and tried to talk to Cat. Told her that she was on probation and that we would... hm... that we would... that she was not Tiger or Leopard, and that she was feeded by us no less than three times a day. In short, we told her that there was no need to hunt. She seemed to listen, but we would not trust her with a canary.

'I would rather trust a woman's instinct than a man's reason', Stanley Baldwin said.

Nice quote. Dentaprime's implantologist is a woman.

I would not trust her if she worked by instinct only, though....

Our leading lady

At Dentaprime, you're in very good hands.

Dr Regina Schindjalova was was born in Russia, in 1970, and studied dental medicine and dental surgery at Moscow University. After that she leaded a Russian dental clinic for 4 years and since June 2006, she is our Head of Dentistry. She is a member of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and the European Association of Dental Implantologists. Above all, she is a fine dental surgeon who has a solution for 99,99999% of all dental problems.

Inserting dental implants, performing a bone graft or a sinus lift are operations and -just like when your apendix is removed- no surgeon will give you a 100% guarantee that there will be no complications. The risk of an infection is always there and even the best doctor cannot always prevent one. However, this best doctor most certainly will do her utmost!

Q: What did the judge say to the dentist?

A: "Do you swear to pull the tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth?"

Cross some streets (and make it safe)

Sometimes a warning seems to be a bit overdone.... On Valentine's Day, these two people are just playing hard to get...


Warning!

Do not go abroad for dental treatment! You will go back home without legs!

Do not go abroad for dental treatment! They will take all teeth out and then sell you Chinese crowns. (You know how the Chinese pronounce the word crowns, do not you? Hint: they replace the r by an l.....)

Do not go abroad for dental treatment! Try to find a NHS dentist or fund private dentistry instead....

Do not go abroad for dental treatment! You will not be able to sue them! (This one is for Americans only.)

Please do come to Bulgaria. Come to Dentaprime. Take care but are not too afraid. We will take care of you!

Oranges are not the only fruit

but I did not have kiwis or mangos at home, so this was the best I could do.

If you still use roll films and on one of the photos your poppy-crowded backyard is pink, 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? You can quit using tobacco, red wine and coffee. This will perhaps stop but not reverse the process... Sometimes the ugly stains are the result of choosing the lesser of two evils: taking antibiotics. This will make you feel even worse.

You cannot solve this problem by going to the shopping mall, can you?
Yes you can!

You will not find the solution of your problem at Woolwich, Marks & Spencer or Tesco's. Instead, just go on the Internet and search for a dental clinic.... You will find many and then you can start collecting information about service, prices, guarantee and quality.

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 long.

Many famous people wear veneers. Just think of Tom Cruise, Tom uhm Cruise or Tom....

Anyway, unlike this drawing suggests, we will not force you into advertising by putting a DENTAPRIME stamp on every veneer.

I only drink to make other people seem interesting (George Jean Nathan)

Sometimes, no many times, people from the local liquer store try to convince me that they have found a better white rum than my favourite brand. I always reject immediately.

I collect the bottles (empty ones) and simply love the logo. A few years ago, my partner gave me this lamp as a birthday present.

The rum is excellent, the logo a beauty, but I do not like the unpredictable, scary, vampiry animal called bat. You will never find me on one of these famous night trips where a guide leads you to their not-so-secret hiding places. They organise these trips for the huge heathland in my home town.

Heathland....
Heath Ledger....
bats...
Batman
(Gee- what a word joker I am)

Anyway, I will always recommend my rum to others.

This is what Dentaprime's patients also do. They let us videotape their experiences, so you can watch them on our website http://www.dentaprime.co.uk

I did not know Bacardi should be mixed with anything so I just drank it straight. My mom took me to the hospital because she thought I'd taken drugs.

Sandra Bullock

A cat is an example of sophistication minus civilization

"My servants and I just moved into my new villa. There still is a lot more to be done: decorating, cleaning, wallpapapering etc. etc., so this is my temporary home.

Lots of villas for sale around here. They tell me there is some kind of crisis. I would not know. I still get my Sheba twice a day, although I must admit they have switched from lamb to cow.

Cow is bad for my teeth. In lamb, my teeth go chop-chop. In cow, they just go. I have already lost two and so my servants will take me to the dental clinic today to solve the problem permanently.

Dental implants is what they are called. Gold crowns on top, of course. Would go for less than that! A cat of my descent does not show porcelain fused to metal when mewing. All dogs would dy with laughter. Now that, of course, would be worth it, but the mere thought of walking around with metal in my mouth makes me sick."

For front teeth, Dentaprime always recommend full porcelain and instead of 'good old gold', we prefer the relatively new zirconia. The price for 1 crown is approximately 395 Euros. As from 5, there is a discount.

Dental tourism: from marketplace to Bulgaria

Back in the Middle Ages, average life expectancy was only 30. Blood-letting was the most popular surgical procedure, but more often lead to death than healing.
Teeth were ‘cleaned’ either with a cloth (probably the same as the dog slept on), by rinsing with herbal mixtures or wine or by chewing on herbs. Bacteria had free play. When the pain killed you, there was only one way to kill the pain. You would climb upon a stage at the marketplace and someone, usually a barber, would first cut your hair and then extract your tooth, using the same razor.

In the 21st century, dental tourism goes further than the local marketplace. Many British and Irish people travel the digital highway and find the exit to the Dentaprime clinic. Although we can never rule out (after) pain completely, in a vast majority of cases, people really can fully enjoy their holidays at the breathtaking Bulgarian Black Sea Coast whilst having implants inserted, crowns or veneers placed or even…. teeth extracted.

Many of our patients visit the Archaeological Museum in Varna, which keeps more than 100.000 objects, amongst which the largest collection of 13th-14th century gold and silver jewelry in the Balkans. As far as I know, but please correct me when I am wrong, the collection does not include medieval teeth, extracted by a barber from Varna.

Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall...

Now 46 years ago, from this photo you could tell the season: defenitely Winter!

In 2009, this could be Autumn or Winter and I guess Spring will join within a year or 30.

Dylan already sang 'The times they are changing' and he could not be any more absolutely right.

At this very moment, the temperature in Varna is 9 Degrees. Later today, it will be 13. That is not bad for a February day, is it?

Inside the Dentaprime clinic, it is always warm. It is the warmth produced by people, not by heatings (although these are also optimally working). Our staff is there to support you when you are anxious or phobic, in doubt, homesick or in need of a helping hand in any other way.

This is our driver George (in the suit) with our reception team.

A dog has a boss, a cat personnel

A very good friend of mine graduated from university as a vet. She wants to specialize in a remarkable creature, that never seems to be able to choose between coming in and going out...


The first attempts to domesticate a cat were done in Egypt. The Egyptians used the words miu or mii for a cat: "he or she who mews". Hard evidence for the domestication comes from the mummified cats that were found. Probably, wild cats had been voluntarily taking care of snakes, rats and mice and the Egyptians, -just like we do with stray cats- probably gave them some extras. and allowed them to sleep in their homes.

Meanwhile, the aristocrats (not Aristocats...) were concerned with their oral health. Pieces of stone and sand came with the food and damaged the teeth. Many teeth were extracted (without anaesthetics of course!)

The Egyptians may have succeeded in the extraction of teeth, the domestication of cats is no such success story. My black cat is called Billie (after Billie Jean King, the tennis player). She appreciates her daily bowls of food so much, that every now and then she decides it is time to return the favour. A bird, mouse or frog will be laying in the back yard. They used to be in the bedroom (dead or -barely- alive), so closing the window at night was inevitable. Now, she who mews, MEWS!!!! every morning at the front door. When I open that door, she comes in, always leaving part of her tail outside until I leave her no choice...

Please do not wait until you do not have another choice. Come to Dentaprime to have your teeth renovated or replaced as soon as possible. A whole new world lies behind that half opened door!

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.

Fear

There is fear of rats (this was Bert, one of our pets) and there is fear of dentists....

This morning, I woke up from what I always call a 'nightMary'. My mouth was so dry that I had to get out of the bed and into the kitchen for water immediately.

Ever since I work at the Dentaprime service centre, I suffer from dental hypochondria.
This time, I immediately thought of Sjögren's (dry mouth) Syndrome instead of half the bottle of garlic sauce that I added to my French fries the night before.

While dressing, I relived my dream. An elderly lady was talking to my mother, telling her to make me behave, open my mouth again, keep it open this time and -most of all- stop wining. She then took a metal hook and a metal mirror from a table and started poking into my mouth. The harvest of this visit: some sticky candy, a new appointment for drilling and filling and a huge imflammation.

It was only after many years that I heard my childhood dentist had been banned by her professional association because she had an alcohol problem and never properly cleaned her tools ...

At the age of 18, I finally had enough courage to visit another dentist. I can still hear the breaking of the two front teeth.... It was about the only sound that was made in that musty room. No discussion possible. All teeth were extracted and temporary dentures were put in. They should be replaced after 6 months.

So, after 5-6 years, I accompanied my father to his dentist. The man sold me my first set of permanent dentures and was the third person in his profession that made me feel very small.


A dental treatment in our clinic in Bulgaria is very special. Every effort has been made to ensure that patients receive superior dental care while feeling relaxed and comfortable. Dr Regina Schindjalova is our leading dentist and implantologist.