Lubiju in Leith has already attracted top medical consultants in anaesthetics, maxillo-facial surgery, cosmetic surgery, cosmetic dentistry, oral surgery and implantology at the needle-free, painless treatment £750,000 equipped practice in Edinburgh. It has now secured the services of clinical hypno-therapist, Peter Davies to further boost its credentials in reducing the stress often associated with dental visits.
 
The practice is the brainchild of Scots dentists Dr Biju Krishnan and Dr Lubino do Rego, who met while studying at Dundee University. Edinburgh father-of-two Dr Krishnan says the appointment of Peter Davies was a major coup and added: “Many people still associate a visit to the dentist with a painful experience.
 
“It may seem unusual to have a hypnotherapist at a dental practice. However, what is clear is that fear of dental treatment can have very wide and far-reaching implications indeed – so it makes perfect sense for us to being doing everything we can to tackle that.”
 
Peter Davies adds: “It’s estimated that 12% of people in the UK have such a fear of dentists they refuse to go under any circumstances – that’s around 7m people putting up with painful and problem teeth. What the hypnotherapy offers is that it puts the person back in control of those fears, it lets them feel that they are in a safe place and in control.”
 
Lubiju also aim to tackle Scotland’s record of decay by using totally pain and needle free treatments which include: expensive handheld lasers which allow the  identification of areas of corrosion invisible to the naked eye. Ozone technology which uses supercharged oxygen to ensure any cavities or areas of decay can be totally cleansed of the bacteria which contribute to decay. Specialist mineral treatments which replace and restore damaged enamel, and state-of-the-art sealants to give teeth a protective coating.

Lubiju is fitted out with three state of the art treatment suites, each with a designer flat screen TV on the ceiling, so patients can watch DVDs during longer treatments such as laser tooth whitening.
 
Each suite is also equipped with powerful, hi-tech, ceiling-mounted cameras, which can film surgical and cosmetic procedures to be beamed to specialist audiences elsewhere in the practice – or anywhere in the world – for training and teaching purposes.
 
Dr Krishnan said: “We have equipment which lets us detect damage to teeth we can effectively repair it without the need for any injections, drilling or the use of any sharp implements. These technologies have been around and in development for some time, but with the UK’s culture of NHS dentistry they have remained out of reach because of cost.
 
“However, a small number of practices like ours invested in technology. It is our real hope that as people become aware of pain free alternatives, patient demand for these treatments will increase. That’s not only good for patients, ultimately it has to be good for the dental profession. Frankly it is disheartening when you constantly have to deal with patients who have an irrational fear of treatment and assume anything you do will cause them pain.”
 
Alongside the hi-tech treatments, Lubiju is unique in the dental world by offering an alternative therapy suite, where experts massage and other relaxation treatments which can help settle nervous patients. Alternative therapies and nutrition advice are also recognised as important methods to help patients recover quickly from more complex surgery.
 
Lubiju also has its own dedicated massage and complementary therapy treatment room, with expert staff who also provide alternative health advice, relaxation therapies, non-surgical facelifts and other rejuvenation and detox treatments.

Regrowth toothsome tailpiece
Recent research led by Etsuko Ikeda from the Tokyo University of Science, Japan shows tissue containing the cells and 'instructions' for building a tooth was transplanted into mice jawbones and grew to fully functional teeth comparable to that of the natural variety according to a report in PNAS journal. Researchers said their method could provide "a model for future organ replacement therapy." They hope that scientists will eventually be able to use the technique to "develop fully functioning bioengineered organs that can replace lost or damaged organs following disease, injury or aging," the study said.