James Hornsby School Careers Day

James Hornsby School, Laindon, Basildon, Essex

 

Viva Dental Studio were given the pleasure to speak at James Hornsby School in Laindon in the borough of Basildon, Essex. On Tuesday 6th March 2018, Dr Parminder S Battu attended the school to speak with year 7 children. The Year 7’s had careers day where they were told about different professions and pathways they can take after leaving school and college. They were told about the various aspects of dentistry and the team which helps deliver optimal patient care. The children were 11-12 years of age. Many of the children had not thought about their career pathway whereas a few already knew their chosen career path. Many wanted to be Teachers, Hairdressers, Engineers and a few wanted to join the Army like their siblings.

 

The Career of Dentistry

 

Dr Parminder S Battu spoke to the children about dentistry and why he chose dentistry as a profession. He discussed his pathway of school to college to university and the training which followed after university. Since leaving University, Dr Battu has attended many institutions to further supplement his BDS degree. This showed the children that learning never stops and there is always scope for learning new skills each day. Dr Battu presented to the children the pathways to getting a dental degree, the benefits of a dental degree and discussed the importance of ethical patient care. He mentioned his enrolment into University College London in 2012 and again in 2015 where he got his Diploma with Merit in Endodontics (root canal treatments) to further enhance his skill set and patient care.

Oral Health Promotion

 

There are many diverse opinions on tooth brushing, use of toothpaste and misconceptions regarding sugar and acid in drinks. Dr Battu went through brushing techniques with the children and mentioned the importance of brushing in the morning and especially before going to bed. This was further supplemented with the discussion of fluoride in water and toothpastes and the benefits it gives in reducing tooth decay. He then went onto present the hidden sugar quantities in drinks and foods and how this impacts the oral surroundings and the teeth. It is important to understand that acid is detrimental to teeth and this is what ultimately causes tooth decay. The children were explained the way plaque found attached to teeth uses sugar to break down into acid which then causes tooth weakening and subsequent decay. Did you know it takes 55 minutes for the acidic pH in the saliva to return back to normal again?

 

Oral Health Prevention – Children’s Dentistry

 

Children are advised to visit the dentist anything from 3 months to 12 months. There were some children who had not visited the dentist for some years and there were a fair few who already had fillings and some teeth taken out. Prevention is always better than cure and the children at James Hornsby School were advised of this need to visit the dentist regularly to help prevent problems. It is also important to visit the dentist so that any problems can be spotted early and corrected as soon as possible.

 

Children Dental Appointments

 

At Viva Dental Studio we offer consultations for children. Those children whose parents are already existing patients will have their children examined for free. They will be screened for tooth decay and advised on any preventative advice, tooth brushing instruction and also provided a plan for any treatment they require. It is important for you to get your child’s teeth checked at least once yearly or as advised by your dentist.

 

We offer late evening and weekend appointments for all the family. We provide full family dental care and offer general, cosmetic and implant dentistry. Book your appointment now by calling 01708446447.

 

To find out more about James Hornsby School please click here. The current headteacher at James Hornsby School is Mr J Carey.