Category Archives: Featured

How To Choose The Right Teeth Correction Solution For You

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As you get older, you might find that you aren’t happy with the current layout of your teeth. Over time, your teeth can move slightly, and this can cause problems with the placement and leave you feeling uncomfortable. Additionally, there are cosmetic reasons why you might not be happy with how your teeth are placed in your mouth.

The good news is that in 2021, there are tons of excellent teeth correction and straightening options that you can choose from. The decision on whether you decide to opt for metal braces or simple invisible aligners is entirely up to you and your budget. What works for some people won’t necessarily work for others. So, how do you choose the right solution? Here are some of our tips to help you make the right choice.

Check Out Your Options

The first thing that you should do when you are hoping to choose the right teeth correction solution for yourself is to look at the options. Many people are only aware of the most popular options but over time, more companies have created solutions that can be more discreet. 

Some of the most common options include clear aligners, metal braces, ceramic braces, veneers, bonding and lingual braces. The only real way to determine which is best for you is to check out each in great detail and uncover some of the advantages and disadvantages of each. Some are more visible than others while you can expect to pay more for certain options. Once you know a bit more about the options that are available to you, you can make a clear decision. 

What’s Your Budget?

It is unlikely that you are going to be able to correct your teeth without making some kind of financial contribution to the procedure. There are some cases where it can be a medical emergency to correct the shape of the teeth and there may be some reductions in price for these patients. However, the majority of options will set you back a fair bit of money, so you need to be willing to pay for it.

Before you start booking appointments with experts who can check your teeth, take a look at your budget. How much can you realistically afford to spend on this solution? This also comes down to how important this is to you. Some correction options will cost you thousands of dollars – are you willing to pay that? 

Determine your budget and find a solution that fits within that. It might be worth pushing this change a bit further into the future so that you can find time to save up for a solution that works better for your lifestyle. By waiting a bit longer, you’ll also be sure that you have made the right decision and you are happy to proceed.

Find a Reputable Company

You might think that your only option when it comes to correcting your teeth is to visit your dentist but that is not the case at all. Yes, your dentist can offer recommendations on which options might work best for you and help you to keep you spot any issues that need to be rectified quickly but they don’t have to be the one that goes through with the procedure.

You will find that if you opt for an alternative to traditional braces like invisible aligners, for example, you’ll want to find a reputable company who can help. For example, Straight My Teeth offers a range of options and they have a long list of happy clients. 

Reading reviews can be really useful when it comes to finding a reputable company. Why not spend some time looking at the reviews over at straightmyteeth.com to see what the happy customers have to say? This way, you’ll know what to look out for.

Ask Around

Sometimes, making the decision on which tooth correction solution is best for you is as simple as asking around. Do you know someone close to you that has a great smile? Has a relative recently undergone a procedure to improve their teeth and they are happy with the final result? You could find that by asking your close friends and family members that you can learn more about the options that are out there.

You could even find that some reviews from relatives suggest that an option won’t work for you. Spend some time asking around your circle and see if you can find any answers there. They might not be entirely educated on each option, but they can give you a summary of their experience and you can use this information to determine the right choice. 

Visible or Invisible?

One of the main things that you should consider when you are choosing a teeth correction solution for yourself is the visibility. Many people around the world have already experienced wearing metal braces as teenagers and know how visible these can be. Is this something that you want to experience again? If you are comfortable with others noticing your teeth correction solution, then this might be the best option for you as it can be very affordable.

Alternatively, if you are looking for a more discreet option, we recommend looking into some invisible aligners. This option is becoming much more popular with adults who are hoping to correct the alignment of their teeth without drawing too much attention to it. 

Check Out Treatment Times

Are you looking for a quick fix or something that might take a bit longer to really work? This is a consideration that you need to make when you are choosing a solution as some are quicker to work than others. For example, if you were to choose at-home clear aligners, you might expect the treatment time to be around 6 months.

Additionally, bonding will usually be done in just one or two appointments with your dental company so this might be something to consider if you want to resolve the problem sooner rather than later. Some alternatives such as braces or veneers might take a bit longer, but they will be worth it in the end.

Usually, when you go to a consultation, you can learn more about how long the process will take. While some might be quick to implement, they might need to be fitted for a longer period of time so make sure to consider this carefully. Hopefully, you’ll find something that works for your lifestyle.

Choose An Option That Works For You

You should discuss the solutions that you are considering with your loved ones, but you should remember that this is your decision to make. It doesn’t hurt to check in with your dentist to see what kind of solution they recommend you get.

Think about the variety of solutions available and consider important factors such as your budget, the duration of treatment and the company that will perform the procedure. Once you know what you are looking for, you can get booked in and start your oral transformation sooner rather than later. We hope that we have helped you to come to a final conclusion. 

Collaborative post with our brand partner.

An at Home Sanitizing Solution: Coral UV’s New LED Sanitizer

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Coral UV Expands on Best-in-Class At-Home Sanization with the Coral UV 2

The 2021 Red Dot Awarded Design ensures safe, user-friendly UV-C sanitation

This is a brilliant invention and just what we need in these Covid 19 pandemic times. It offers great piece of mind that your items are thoroughly sanitised. We can highly recommend this. A must buy.

Coral UV, the leader in at-home UV-C sanitation solutions, is proud to launch the Coral UV LED Sanitizer and Dryer. Representing the next generation of the brand’s original 3-in-1 UV-C sanitizer, the Coral UV LED Sanitizer and Dryer builds upon best-in-class safety features to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria and viruses on the surface of any appropriately sized item.

sanitiser, sanitising, UV,

For the next generation of Coral UV’s Sanitizer and Dryer, designers went back to the drawing board to provide customers with expanded user experience, modern aesthetic, and increased safety features. For instance, mercury bulbs have been replaced within the sanitizing chamber with six, energy efficient LED lights. This eliminates the possibility of users becoming accidentally exposed to mercury and helps keep mercury out of the environment. “Coral UV 2 represents how we provide for consumer requests without sacrificing quality,” mentioned Titus Tse, Co-founder of Coral UV. Tse continues, “Our change to LED ensures this product is completely mercury free and odor free, two of the core requests our customers have made in the past.” In addition, Coral UV has kept its commitment to rigorous, third-party verification. The Coral UV LED Sanitizer and Dryer has been proven to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria and viruses on the surfaces of household products.

It has:

  • Eco Friendly LED Bulbs – Coral UV uses 12 mW LED, eco-friendly bulbs (as opposed to harmful mercury bulbs). This is six times more sanitizing power than LED competitors.

  • Aesthetic, minimalist design – Coral UV is a minimalist, top-open sanitizer that naturally fits in with the rest of your kitchen, vanity, or bedroom.

  • Roomy Stainless Steel Chamber – A roomy reflective stainless steel chamber allows you to sanitize multiple items at once while ensuring the sanitizing UV-C light reaches every corner inside the device.

  • Drying function – A built in drying function is convenient for items you might rinse off beforehand, such as water bottles. Coral UV is one of the only sanitizers that has this option.

In acknowledgement of its enhanced design, the Coral UV LED Sanitizer and Dryer was recently bestowed a 2021 Red Dot Award in Design–an internationally recognized award that honors the very best in product design. “We are humbled and excited to win such a prestigious award.This makes us proud that our core values of quality without compromise are being recognized,” commented Tse.

 

The Coral UV LED Sanitizer and Dryer will be available for presale on Kickstarter.  Following the launch on Kickstarter, the unit will be available for purchase online at CoralUV.com and Amazon.co.uk in June. For more product information, please visit: https://bit.ly/3dnTT4a

My Writing Process: Maame Blue

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writer, Maame Blue, bad loveWhat you have written, past and present 

After 4 years of writing it, my debut novel Bad Love has finally been published by Jacaranda Books! It was a bit of a travelling manuscript too because I wrote parts of it in London, New York and Melbourne. Aside from the novel, I’ve written short stories about a grandmother losing her memory, and a couple grieving the unexpected loss of a child. I’ve also written creative nonfiction about the perils of dating as a black woman living in Australia, and the experience of being a young psychotherapist. Presently, I’ve just written a piece for an anthology called Visual Verse, where writers are given an image and one hour to write a corresponding piece to it. This one was especially important to me as it was in tribute to the Grenfell tower victims and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

What you are promoting now

Right now I’m promoting my debut novel Bad Love – published by Jacaranda Books as part of their #Twentyin2020 initiative (to publish 20 Black British Writers in 2020), and it’s also available as an audiobook. Bad Love tells the story of Ghanaian-Londoner Ekuah and her tumultuous experience with first love, and how her subsequent relationships and those of her parents, eventually shape her identity.

A bit about your process of writing

Until a couple of years ago, my writing process involved fitting it around whatever full time job I had at the time. But more recently, I try to sit down and write on Fridays. I’ll have some herbal tea, pull out a notebook of a work in progress (I probably have too many of those) and then put a song on repeat that I feel best resonates with whatever I’m writing about. If I can get into that headspace for at least a couple of hours, I feel like I’ve done something, even if I only manage to get a sentence down.

writer, Maame Blue, bad love, book

Do you plan or just write?

I’m a great planner in life but not so much in my writing. If I mapped out a structure, I guarantee whatever I end up writing will be bad, because it automatically makes it feel like work. Instead I might have an idea for something, some story, with a very loose framework. I will have a vague idea of where I want it to go, but I keep it brief enough so that when I start writing and it goes in another direction, that’s ok.

What about word count?

I actually enjoy a word count. That might come from my other work in project management, but it’s the only sort of hard structure that my writing positively responds to. And the shorter the word count, the better – I like a challenge!

How do you do your structure?

Again, I’m a bit structureless. But if I’m commissioned to write something, I usually respond quite well to a theme or prompt as that tends to focus my mind a little more. With Bad Love for example, I knew that I wanted to write about complicated relationships, from one young woman’s perspective. The idea was to explore the multiple facets of love as it shows itself in relationships between people, and how each element impacts a person’s personality. But I felt that the strongest way to do that was to write it from an intimately personal perspective, showing the pitfalls and the small joys as they happen.

What do you find hard about writing?

Mostly it’s finding the time to write and giving it enough space to develop. There’s something I’m working on at the moment that I have to get into the zone for, so sometimes competing writing deadlines make that difficult. 

What do you love about writing?

The magic of creating characters from scratch and building an emotional world that hopefully resonates with the reader – positively or negatively. I don’t mind which, as long as it makes you feel something!

 

Maame Blue is part of Jacaranda’s #Twentyin2020 initiative. Her debut novel Bad Love is available to buy online, at Foyles and all good Indie bookshops, and as an Audible audiobook. https://maamebluewrites.com / @MaameBlueWrites

 

3 of The Best Self-Tans For SS21: New In From St. Moriz

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St. Moriz 1 Hour Fast Tan Mist.

It develops fast and has aloe vera and vitamin E. It has a wash off guide colour so you can personalise your tan, and it soothes and moisturises skin. It is a great product.

Available from Boots, £4.99.

St. Moriz 1 Hour Fast Tan Lotion.

It does the same job as the mist but comes in a lotion instead. It is just as handy and good.

£4.99.

St. Moriz Advanced Colour Correct Tanning Mousse.

This has olive undertones to neutralise red tones. It provides an instant colour and a long-lasting tan. It has hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 so it cares for skin and leaves it super-glowing. Great stuff.

£9.99.

Happy summer everyone!

 

The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan | Book Review

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Is there anything better than a good thriller? Well yes, a good thriller where the characters are female. In my opinion anyway. The Wild Girls is about four wildly (sorry) different women who all go on holiday to Botswana to celebrate their friend Felicity’s birthday. They have not seen each other in years and the last time they did see each other it did not go well. All of the women have secrets, and they want to keep them to themselves.

the wild girls, book, phoebe morgan, book, book review.
Hannah is a new mother, finally after years of infertility. Grace has been a hermit after suffering trauma. She lives with a flatmate who has a boyfriend who is rude to her. She needs to make changes and she knows it. Alison lives with her terrible boyfriend in a flat she can barely afford the mortgage for. All of the women are struggling in their lives. They all need something, so they accept the invitation from Felicity. No one has seen Felicity for years, she immigrated to New York with her boyfriend Nathaniel. It is an all-expenses trip to a luxury lodge in Botswana. Who could possibly say no?

The women arrive at the lodge and Felicity is nowhere to be seen. Things go downhill from there as the women realise that things are not quite right and more strange things keep happening. I do not want to give any of the plot away and to give the review I really wanted- and to truly capture how amazing I think Grace is, a truly brilliant character- I would have to. So instead I will say this: all of the characters are so vivid and perfectly written. There are four different women and each of them is so different and given so much depth. The plot races along. It is hard to put this book down and I really tried not to. I finished it in record time. I reckon you will too. From the great plot to the brilliant characters this book is pretty much perfect. Whats more, you will not see the ending coming. I loved it. A must read.

In a luxury lodge on Botswana’s sun-soaked plains, four friends reunite for a birthday celebration…

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL
Has it all, but chose love over her friends…

THE TEACHER
Feels the walls of her flat and classroom closing in…

THE MOTHER
Loves her baby, but desperately needs a break…

THE INTROVERT
Yearns for adventure after suffering for too long…

Arriving at the safari lodge, a feeling of unease settles over them. There’s no sign of the party that was promised. There’s no phone signal. They’re alone, in the wild.

THE HUNT IS ON.

The Wild Girls is available here.

 

 

 

Working from home – workstation tips

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For many people, working from home has become a normal part of everyday life. Whereas the initial transition into home working typically meant sitting at the kitchen table or typing from the sofa, we’ve all been working from home for so long now that whole spare rooms or corners of bedrooms have necessarily become makeshift offices. 

If your workstation could use a little more thoughtful direction with regards to your setup, keep reading to find out how to turn your available space into a passable office environment.

Lighting is key

One of the first considerations that employers make over working environments is adequate lighting (buy E27 LED bulb – ideal for the home). Too much lighting has the same effect as too little. Your eyes will squint and the muscle will strain. It’s a one-way ticket to a headache and, as a result, a much slower output. 

Even if your home office is already up and running, and even if you think you have nailed the details, any concerns with regards to strained eyes, headaches, and noticeably poorer results in your work could be directly related to lighting. Take the time to ensure you research and implement adequate lighting levels for the space in which your work.  

Top tip: you will typically require around 20 lumens per sq ft for lower level bedroom lighting, and you will need around 80 lumens per sq ft for more clinical kitchen and bathroom lighting. Use those figures as a guide and find what works best for you.

Supportive chair

This one sort of speaks for itself. As grandma used to say, always make sure you have comfy sheets and comfy shoes, because if you’re not in one you’re in the other. Wise words. But grandma didn’t foresee the pandemic and endless months of working from home. What she should have said was, “… and in the event of a lockdown, invest in a chair with adequate back support”. But that’s nowhere near as catchy. But how do you choose a chair?

There’s a reason some chairs are taller than others. The higher the back, the more support the chair offers. For short stay seating, such as in a waiting room, a lower back is sufficient to support your lumbar. But for the nine to five grind, try to make sure you have access to seating that at least meets shoulder height when seated. 

How’s your internet connection?

If there’s one thing many people discovered as a result of the almost global lockdown, it’s that internet speeds are averages intended to reflect average use. Or to put it another way, the advertised internet speeds were brought down a peg or two when everyone was forced to work from home and servers began to buckle under the strain of the increased traffic.

If your internet speed regularly causes issues, look into an upgrade. Don’t fall into the trap of being lazy and sticking to what you know just because your direct debits are all set up. Make the change and reap the benefits of a smoother connection. 

 

The Hit List By Holly Seddon | Book Review

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The Hit List By Holly Seddon is one of my favourite books of the year so far. From the first page it drew me in and would not let go. The characters are all perfectly done and the clever story leaves you guessing. Holly Seddon is a master at plotting. It was exciting to read this brilliant novel as a reader, but also as a writer. Ah, that is how it is done, I thought to myself. This book is a must read. No exceptions.

On the anniversary of her husband’s accidental death, Marianne seeks comfort in everything Greg left behind. She wears his shirt and cologne, reads their love letters and emails. Soon she’s following his footsteps across the web, but her desperation to cling to any trace of him leads her to the dark web. And a hit list with her name on it.

To try to save herself from Sam, the assassin hired to kill her, Marianne must first unpick the wicked web in which Greg became tangled. Was Greg trying to protect her or did he want her dead?

The Hit List is available here.

 

What a Nutritionist Feeds Her Kids

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It is not uncommon for parents to worry about the nutritional value of the food they are serving their children and little ones. The food children and babies eat when they are younger can really make a difference on how they eat as they get older. However, it’s important for parents to keep the pressure off for everyone, including themselves. Think about what’s eaten over a week, not day to day and avoid coaxing little ones to eat or ensuring kids stay at the table until they’ve finished the meal. All of this can impose negative associations around foods which is ultimately what we want to avoid if we’re trying to create little foodies. According to research recently conducted by Stokke 53% of parents struggle to prepare a meal that the entire family will enjoy.

feeding children good food, food ideas, ideas, food, feeding, weaning.

Make choice part of your mealtime routine. Kids are more likely to eat something they feel they’ve had a say in, so instead of just plating up their food, ask them first “do you want X or Y with your dinner” or “Would you like spaghetti or rice for dinner today?” for example. You could also try offering multiple sides and giving them autonomy to choose what they want. You’ll probably be surprised how much more gets eaten when it’s them calling the shots. Younger babies don’t often have much choice in their meal options but try offering them a variety & following their lead. At mealtimes have conversations about the meals and foods on offer, allow honest opinions and maybe even make a game of rating the meals for the week. This can help children and toddlers to really think about their foods and their likes and dislikes a little more as well as being mindful about the foods they are eating.

Three fifths (60%) of families will always eat their families will always eat their family meals together at the dinner table. Sitting together and being present at mealtimes helps, but actually eating similar things can also help children to accept a wider variety. Some research shows that families eating together is a big factor in positively influencing the diets of their children, so as much as you can try to ROLEMODEL what a balanced diet looks like, and it’s likely your little ones will follow suit. Remember babies also learn the WHAT and the HOW of eating from copying their parents and those around them too, which is why I love the Stokke Tripp Trapp as a great way to bring baby right to the table with you at mealtimes. Research, conducted by premium children’s brand, Stokke, explored the importance of eating meals together as a family, found that 49% of participants believe eating together as a family creates a happier child and 34% believe it creates a more confident child.

With 82% of parents worrying about the nutritional value of the food they are serving their children and want to ensure they get the balance right – here is what I try to give my children for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner:
Breakfast 

Breakfast is often porridge, or pancakes – mainly because it’s SO easy to add extras to these – extra flavours such as cinnamon, or ginger, extra nutrients from peanut butter or milled seeds stirred in or extra portions of your 5 a day with some berries thrown into the batter/with the oats or even just sticks on the side.

 

Lunch 

I like a picky finger food lunch for those busy days. Trying to make this balanced is often easy too so things such as

Wraps with hummus and pepper

Cucumber fingers with yogurt dip and leftover curries

Tuna, yogurt and sweetcorn spread on toast

Omelettes with potato, mixed veg and cheese

 

Dinner  

Tends to be something hot, but it does vary.

I love potato tots for babies as they are just so simple and easy to vary.

Otherwise, it’s whatever we’re having for dinner

Pasta with chickpea and tomato sauce 

Chilli with potatoes and some grated cheese

I’m all about trying to make the most of meals and balance the food groups on offer where possible so that you know babies AND kids are getting all the nutrients they need. This means I’m always thinking about what I can sprinkle on top, what I can use as a dip or how I can add extras like lentils, fish or beans to pasta sauces.

Stokke are hosting a FREE weaning webinar – How to raise a confident foodie and help your baby love their broccoli as much as their cake! Charlotte Stirling-Reed Nutritionist and Author will be on Zoom 28th April at 8pm. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-wean-your-baby-mini-masterclass-tickets-143331352935?aff=Media10 

 

Expert nutritional advice from Charlotte Stirling-Reed, author of new book “How to wean your baby”, that publishes on 29th April but available for pre-order. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785043242 @sr_nutrition

 

Stokke is a leading high end baby brand in Scandinavia whose ethos is to nurture family bonding, having your baby closer to you and the importance of eye contact. The iconic Tripp Trapp® highchair was launched in 1972 and has since sold more than 12 million worldwide. www.stokke.com @stokkebaby