Author: Tiwari Watson Dental Care

Enjoying some “R&R” up at Crieff Hydro this weekend with the family. It’s been good fun so far and the kids are loving it, making the most of the swimming pool, play park and pony rides. With us all staying in the same room though I think Raashi and I will need some proper R&R once we get back to Glasgow! We used to be sun lounging all day kind of people on holiday. Sadly those days are gone now. An ideal 5* holiday destination for me would now be a week in bed to be honest. No flights, luggage, queuing or quarantining required – bliss.

I’m excited for Scotland’s first game at the Euro’s on Monday, it’s a shame that neither of the Ireland’s made it but having lived in Glasgow for 15 years now I like to consider myself part Scottish anyway. Especially as my Irish accent is nearly fully gone and I’m now left only with the Graeme McDowell version. (For those who don’t know Graeme – he’s an Irish golfer but his accent is now more American/Irish/Dutch/I don’t know what). It’s bad form of him to pass me his accent and not even an ounce of his golfing ability too. 🙄

It was very difficult/distressing to watch the scenes at the Euro’s yesterday with Christian Ericksen, the Danish player who collapsed and needed CPR on the pitch. I was so delighted to see he has stabilised now in hospital, hoping he goes on to make a full recovery and enjoys his Extra Time brought about by the amazing medical staff at the stadium 👏🏼❤️. We have one of the defibillator machines in our practice too, fingers crossed we never have to use it, but it’s good to know these are now cropping up in more and more places like shopping centres etc just incase they are ever needed. Incidentally they were invented by a Professor from N.Ireland, Frank Pantridge. Well done, Prof! 🙌🏼 What we lack in football we make up for in medical inventions, golf and dodgy accents.

I’m excited to get back to work next week after being off on Medical leave after a recent op. All went well and I’m ready to get back to it. We’re also doing our best to get a lot of our regular check up reminders sent back out at the moment however please call us if you haven’t heard and would like to book in as we can actually do them again now. Looking forward to seeing my patients again and catching up with you all.

Take care everyone and have a good week,

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)

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I’ve enjoyed a week of being pampered at home as I begin my recovery from a recent operation. Unfortunately our patients will know I’ll be off work on medical leave for another few weeks, but I’m feeling good and I’m in great hands at home. Raashi isn’t letting me do much at all, including putting on my own socks sometimes – which is absolutely great ☺️. I can get them on myself no bother but I might milk that one for another wee while (now that I’ve written this though it might be game over on that front!) She’s obviously got her hands full so it’s been so helpful having my own mum and Raashi’s mum around to help out with the kids too.

I’m also hoping to get back to Belfast in the next couple of weeks to take the sofa dwelling sessions international. Haven’t been back in a long time because of the pandemic so I’m really looking forward to having my favourite Belfast Delicacy – a Tayto cheese & onion crisp sandwich. 😋 A slice of ham can be added to that if you’re wanting to go for the Michelin star.

I’ve completed Netflix and Amazon prime video over the past couple of weeks so if anyone has any viewing suggestions out-with those I’m all ears. It’s a shame ‘Line of Duty’ is over. I was disappointed with the ending along with everyone else it seems. I’m probably more disappointed that it’s over though, hopefully big Ted doesn’t actually retire and run’s for PM next, I think he’d have a great chance of being gaffer of the UK. I can just imagine him listening to other politicians then shaking his head in disappointment and saying ‘mother of god.’

Work’s been really busy in my absence and our other dentists Laura, Kamal Mr Chan & Raashi along with all the team are working flat out at the moment. I’m looking forward to getting back to it in a few weeks to help them out and see my patients again.

In the mean time take care all and have a good week,

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)

Really enjoyed the sunshine yesterday afternoon, even if it wasn’t quite warm enough for ‘taps aff’ yet. In fact I actually spent a lot of time putting an extra tap back on when the sun went behind the clouds. Still nice though, especially now that we’re allowed other people in the back garden again too.

We had a wee play date for the kids but unfortunately our daughter Sienna (2) chipped her front tooth on her toy garden table after Raashi and I spent Friday afternoon fixing it as well:

I actually had my own teeth fixed this week too, by our dentist Laura. My lowers were really crowded and overlapping so it was great to get my Invisalign treatment finished off on Thursday:

I’m all top teeth and gum when I smile but those lowers still always bothered me. She’s actually put some composite bonding on one of them too just to make them the same height, I’m not even sure which one it is to be honest and it’s my mouth and I’m a dentist! 🤷🏻‍♂️. Top class work Laura thank you!👌🏼

We’re also looking for another dentist at the moment as our waiting list is now at 6 months for new NHS patients so any dentists reading this and interested please give us a shout asap! sharon@tiwariwatsondentalcare.co.uk (practice manager)

Really looking forward to bent coppers tonight at 9pm on BBC1. I’ve got a horrible feeling one of the main characters is going to die or be ‘H’. (carefully worded so as not to spoil anything there incase there’s somehow anyone left on the planet who hasn’t seen ‘Line of Duty’.)

I absolutely love it – Mother of God, great show.

Take care all and have a good week, not long now until the pubs and restaurants open 🍻

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)

Yesterday morning before starting work I was watching my younger brother Nathan continue his winning streak in his professional boxing career out of Brisbane, Australia:

I get really nervous watching his fights and have no idea how he actually does it. The training he puts in is ridiculous. I remember going to a boxercise class a few years ago and just trying to properly hit the punchbag during one of the 60 second stations was unbelievably tough. I could barely move the thing with how feeble my punches were, as I was so out of breath. Any momentum in the bag itself would have been enough to knock me out – thankfully my punches didn’t actually generate any! Compare that 60 seconds to 3 minute rounds of real boxing with someone who can actually hit you back hard….. Fair play Nathan and congratulations on the win – I’m a very proud “big” brother!

In complete contrast to that training and dedication I spent a large proportion of my week eating family bags of the new Walkers Max double crunch KFC zinger flavour crisps. If you’ve not had them yet then my God you must go out and get some. I did manage at least some exercise to justify stuffing my face with crisps, Raashi and I walked up conic hill on Monday (smashing a bag at the top of-course) and it was great to get back to non contact 5-a-side football on Thursday night.

Now that we’re able to do more treatments at work it’s been great to finish off treatment plans from pre covid that were delayed. One such job was with our patient Hannah who had Invisalign braces carried out. It was such a nice result, one that she was really happy with and all of our staff were delighted for her too. It’s such a good feeling when we know our patients are delighted at the end of a treatment plan, particularly when the treatment takes a few months and we get to know them so well. I’ll miss the banter with Hannah for now but look forward to seeing her again for check ups in the future (or maybe on our Christmas night out that she’s asked to come on 😆)

Speaking of Christmas nights out I’m excited that they will surely be allowed by then, although I’m not sure Shanghai Shuffle’s Karaoke night will be ready for my tone deaf vocals.

There’s only one thing I’m interested in tonight though, and thats catching bent coppers. For those of you that don’t know that’s ‘Line of Duty’ at 9pm on BBC1. If you truly want to be ‘suckin diesel’ you’ll need a bag of KFC zinger crisps to go with it.

Take care all,

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)

Happy Mother’s day to all the mum’s out there! Hopefully not too long now before we can all actually get to see our mums a bit more often again. I know I’m desperate to get back to Belfast when it’s allowed and briefly say hi to my mum, give her a hug, then immediately hand the grandkids over and proceed to lie on the sofa for 2 days straight.

Raashi will have the sofa pass today although we’ll probably do the standard lockdown activity of going for a walk soon. The other activity of watching tv shows and films has been well and truly rinsed already. Last night we watched a true story film on Amazon Prime about a man (Daniel Radcliffe) who escapes from a South African prison. It was actually pretty good although surprisingly he didn’t just use his magic to get out – would have saved himself so much time. It might not have been as good a film right enough…….man gets arrested, goes to jail, abracadabra he’s out, …..the end.

Talking of saving time though, if you’re reading this then do yourself a favour and don’t watch ‘Behind her eyes’ on Netflix. It takes 4 episodes to realise that it’s not in fact a ‘who done it’ thriller but instead a show in which the lead actress can transport her soul to other places and even into other people. Total waste of time, 4 hours that would be much better spent going for a walk.

Raashi is actually back to work now too so we’ve been able to start taking on new patients again, although there is a bit of a waiting list. For our current patients we’re also trying to get back to routine check ups again so if you’ve not heard from us in a while rest assured we’ve not forgotten about you and will be in touch soon. Please also feel free to call us first if you’ve got something that needs urgent attention as we are able to do all treatments again too.

Enjoy the rest of your day to all the mum’s and don’t worry Dad’s our time will come (maybe even when the pubs are open 😜)

Take care all and stay safe,

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)

This week I realised just how old I’m getting when a patient asked to see “Joe’s daughter”, meaning one of our dentists – Laura. I know I’ve had a few kids in recent succession but it was a big surprise to think I may have had another one when I was 6! I thought it went without saying but I’d like to take this opportunity to confirm that I am not Laura’s dad. 😆

The signs of ageing were confirmed on Thursday though when my favourite football team fielded a player at 17 who I genuinely could be old enough to father. That was the final nail in the coffin for my harboured dreams of making it as a professional footballer! My friends will of course say that my lack of talent in that department was the larger nail in the coffin long before this, but I always held on to a glimmer of hope. ☺️

At work this week I accidentally shook hands with a new patient at the end of our appointment and we both had a giggle as we then sanitised. It was such a strange feeling as it’s the first time I’ve shaken another persons hand in almost a year. It’s crazy to think that would be the case this time last year, something so innocent that we’re used to doing multiple times per day and now it feels so unfamiliar. Hopefully it’s not too long now until the elbow bumps are gone, and we can bring back the good old fashioned handshake, high 5 and hugs. It might also feel a bit strange at the end of new patient:dentist appointments to start hugging all the time but hey you never know!

I mentioned last time that our practice is in a covid testing trial at the moment, for all asymptomatic staff and some patients on a weekly basis.

It’s been great to have the reassurance of weekly negative results so we know our workplace is as safe as possible at the moment. As part of the trial each week a league table of participating dental practices gets sent to us with how many tests were carried out. With only a few weeks left to go in the title race we’re currently in second, chasing the dental hospital for the top spot. They’re on good form at the moment but as we started later we’ve got a couple of games in hand. It could even come down to goal difference.

Come to think of it it’s possible that I’m still compensating in some way for missing out on that football career… 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️

Have a good week everyone,

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)

Not quite the beast from the East but this weeks snow was still disruptive enough. Looks like it’s on it’s last legs just now though. We tried to make the most of it while it lasts and took the kids sledging yesterday after work:

Great fun on the way down the hill, not so great when Daddy had to pull the sledge back up, kids in tow. ‘Go faster Daddy’ – sorry but after nearly a years worth of doing nothing except watching Netflix there was ‘snow’ chance of that! Looking forward to the gym’s re-opening so that I can at least say I’ll go to one.

I was chatting to a patient this week who works in the hospitality sector and he was saying that pubs may be open in April but without being able to sell alcohol. It’s a good sign that we’re starting to at least talk about businesses opening up again but I thought that would be a shame for the pubs to be honest, especially for the ones that don’t serve food. I do understand the rationale behind limiting alcohol sales though as you can just imagine the whole 2m distancing thing going out the window when the ‘I love you’s’ come out for friends we’ve not seen in so long. Such a tough one for the government and of-course the people that run pubs. I’m glad I don’t have to make the rules up. There are unfortunately no easy choices or options that suit everyone with this god awful virus.

I’m also glad that the vaccine roll out has really picked up pace now though and it’s great to see so many of our older and more vulnerable patients getting it. I’ve actually signed up to be a vaccinator, along with most of our staff, so I’m looking forward to getting started with that soon. We’ve been doing covid tests at work now too for asymptomatic patients and staff on a weekly basis. Results are coming back really fast so it’s been reassuring for us to know that we’re not asymptomatically carrying. When your in for appointments we might ask if you’d like to participate, completely voluntary of-course. I know someone who was taking a test in his car at a testing centre and accidentally spewed all over himself – our only request is please don’t do that! 😂

For the remainder of valentines day I’ll be living up to my ‘Ultimate Casanova’ title that Raashi sarcastically bestowed upon me after receiving her panic bought reduced Asda Roses and no card 🤦🏻‍♂️

In the spirit of Casanova…..

Roses are red, violets are blue, *go away* Covid, we’re done with you!

(*other perhaps more suitable terms are available to use here*)

Stay safe and take care all,

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)

Groundhog day today with lounging about the house then going out for a walk. I didn’t think walking would be that much exercise to be honest but our girls like to take turns at sitting back with their feet up while daddy pushes them on their bikes. Last week I actually took the 3 kids out by myself for a walk and was pushing the pram with one hand, dog lead attached (& dog obviously), while also pushing Sienna on her scooter with the other hand and navigating Mila who was holding on to the back of the pram to pull herself along in her balance bike. Who said men couldn’t multi-task?

To be fair I can’t seem to master the art of multi-tasking just as well when I’m on my phone. If Raashi asks me a question while I’m texting someone I look up in total bemusement not really knowing what day it is, much to her discontent as you can imagine! ☺️

I think I spend more time texting friends now though as we see each other so less often. I came across this photo today from almost exactly 1 year ago:

Look at us all just sitting there, less than 2 metres apart, with no masks on, in a pub! Little did we know then how much we would appreciate the luxury of that! Someone sent me a whatsapp recently asking “if at the end of this lockdown you could chose between a foreign holiday with your wife or pints and steaks with the lads, what would be your choice:

A. Well done
B. Medium
C. Medium Rare
D. Rare

Raashi reads this blog so let’s just say I never replied! 😂

Just incase we do get abroad soon though – I’ve made the most of the extra time lockdown has given me and booked a series of Italian lessons online (I guess that limits our choice of location right enough) – which has been good fun. I used to speak Italian fairly well after taking it for A-Level but I’d forgotten a lot of it. It’s coming back to me though and co-incidentally I managed to get to speak to one of my 2 Italian patients last week!

Looking forward to a trip to Rome at some point in the future and catching up with the other 50% of our Italian patient cohort!

Stay safe all,

Ciao for now

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)

Today’s a big day.

My beloved Manchester United play Liverpool with a chance to go 6 points clear at the top of the league. “Ole’s at the wheel” is our new song in reference to the current manager. The thing is he just happens to be a bit of a dodgy driver sometimes so I’ll be watching from behind the sofa today. To be fair to Ole at least he’s got his licence though. I heard on the radio this week that someone had failed their theory test for the 157th time – Seriously, just get the bus!

It’s my birthday tomorrow too (I’ll be 33 – but between 30 and 40 they’re all the same anyway) so I’m praying for an early birthday present with a win for my team. I’ve already tucked into my cakes and afternoon tea from the staff at work, made by our nurse Gemma’s mum 😋

I also saw in the news this week that some poor fella only has 2 password guesses left to access his £180,000,000 worth of Bitcoin before he’s locked out of his account forever. I was telling this story to our nurse Danielle and she said “surely he can just ‘reset password’?” I don’t know much about bitcoin but I’m assuming it’s a bit more complicated than that 😂. How frustrating must that be though.

We have to change our work computer passwords every few months and that’s annoying enough thinking of a word that’s not allowed to be like your previous 3 passwords, must contain capitals, lower case, special symbols, numbers, can’t be too long or short and unfortunately cannot contain the word ‘password’. It’s easy to forget so I sympathise with Mr Bitcoin, although I do write mine down 🤷🏻‍♂️. Surely he’s got a £180,000,000 post it note lying around somewhere!

The theory test and bitcoin password we’re obviously lower down on the newsfeed from what’s going on in the USA this week. That was really sad to see, and I hope they all settle down! What a job my fellow Joe (Biden) has on his hands.

I’m glad I’m just a dentist and don’t have to make any of the tough decisions that the people in charge are having to make at the moment. It’s great to see the vaccine roll out gaining momentum now though, and it’s nice to see lots of our colleagues and our more elderly patients being invited to get it. Fingers crossed for some light at the end of the tunnel now!🤞🏼

Take care all and stay safe & well,

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)

I think a lot of us will be glad to finally put 2020 behind us and move into 2021 with the hope of the vaccines steering our way out of this pandemic! 🤞

It was a tough year and one that I think we’ll be telling our grandkids about, but personally I’ve got to count my blessings too, our son Ronan was born, our whole family are all well, I’ve fully recovered from a recent operation and with the help of our staff we successfully opened up our new practice premises. It’s also been great just spending so much more time together as a family too – although once we’re all vaccinated I’m hoping 2021 involves some sort of compulsory ‘grandparents take the kids for a week’ rule. Win win all round 🤷‍♂️

Couple of other things I’m looking forward to this year:

1. Going to friends houses (inside)
2. Going to the pub!

The online quizzes have been fun but like Mary & Joseph I’m hoping that there’s no zoom at the inn in 2021. (yes I stole that from a Christmas Cracker)

I made some ambitious new years resolutions last year but this year I’ve kept it a bit more simple > get my screen time down. My thinking is that if I succeed at that everything else (exercise etc) will naturally fall into place. Raashi and I have devised a way to work on this together: at the end of the day we’ll check each others screen time and whoever has the most has to get up early with the kids the next day. I won a lie in this morning by a mere 14 minutes – got to thank my mum for keeping Raashi on the phone last night for that one! 😉

We’re back to work this Tuesday 5th Jan and although we’re working a lot differently than we used to, I’m excited to get back to a new normal this year. We’re able to do most treatments now and we’re taking on new patients too – although there is a bit of a waiting list.

It’s actually funny to spot the difference in new and current patients at the moment, any time I mention an x-ray my patients all stand up and get ready to go off to ‘the wee box room’. We’re lucky to have x-rays in all surgeries now so no more queuing up or trying to race in before the other dentists any more.

Looking forward to catching up with more of my patients that I’ve not seen in a while this year and here’s to a better 2021 for all of us!

Take care,

Joe

Joseph Watson BDS MFDS RCPS MSc (Implantology)