Talking health, life, happiness and teeth with Myles Dakin of Specialist Dental Partners

Hello! My name is Myles Dakin and I invite you to join me for what I hope will be a regular column appearing every few weeks, talking about health, the mouth and teeth and how, very often, all three are related.

By way of introduction and for the sake of provenance, I am a practising dentist and specialist prosthodontist working in South Cambs. I graduated from Guy’s Hospital, which is now part of King’s, London, and after three-and-a-half years working in UK hospitals in oral and maxillofacial surgery, moved to San Antonio, Texas, to undergo specialist training and carry out research.

On my return, I taught at Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals, where I studied for a University Teaching Certificate, whilst also looking after patients in private practice on Harley Street. However, my heart was always in Cambridge and after a period I established a clinic in the area – at first and for 20 years on the Science Park in Melbourn, and now in the beautiful, quiet village of Thriplow, where our team covers all aspects of specialist and general dentistry for adults and children.

I live in Cambridge with my artist wife, two cats and two dogs; keep an allotment and founded a private research venture focusing on the use of signals from early in the evolutionary tree to address the existential problems of resistance to antibiotics and the problems of inflammation and disrupted wound healing.

As a dentist, I look after everything from routine care to the most complicated cases that have defeated patients and dentists alike, especially where a straightforward non-implant fix is sought.

You’d be amazed at how many people I meet who have struggled with their teeth for years, have maybe undergone extensive treatment and are still having significant issues, and it is because the root cause of the issue has not been identified, or a wider systemic health issue has not been considered. After all, our mouths are not separate from the rest of our bodies – they are an integral part of a complex, interconnected system.

Over the next columns, I will try to cover how inflammation in the mouth and around the teeth can impact our wider health and what we can do about it.

I will look at the various sources of inflammation and problems with teeth and offer simple advice on everyday steps to have a healthier mouth and better overall health. If you have a particular are of interest, or a question you’d like me to address, please do write to me at myles@specialistdental partners.co.uk and I’ll do my best to respond.

Until next time, Myles.

To book, or find out more, visit specialistdentalpartners.co.uk or call 01763 261 129.