This pack helps you get the most from your holistic consultation (£180) with Dr Zac Cox or Kerry Braithwaite. Work through the checklist before your appointment, so we can spend your time together on what matters to you. You can print this page and tick each item off.
1. Book your consultation
- Book online on our patient portal: choose Holistic consultation, then Dr Zac Cox or Kerry Braithwaite. Or call 01285 821220, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- Deposit. A deposit of 50% secures your consultation and is deducted from your fee. Please give at least two full working days' notice by email if you need to change it (working days are Monday to Friday; weekends and bank holidays do not count); see our terms.
- On a dental plan? Please tell us when you book.
- Travelling over an hour? Tell us, and we will try to plan a longer first visit. See your visit, step by step.
2. Your pre-assessment checklist
- Medical history. Complete or update it on our patient portal before you come: conditions, allergies, pregnancy and anything that has changed.
- Medicines and supplements. Bring a list of everything you take, including vitamins, herbal remedies and homeopathic remedies, with doses.
- Your dental history. Note which teeth have silver (amalgam) fillings, crowns, root fillings or implants if you know, and any reactions you have had to dental materials or local anaesthetic.
- Recent X-rays. If another dentist has taken X-rays in the last two years, ask them to email them to reception@miserdendentalpractice.co.uk before your visit. This may save you having them taken again.
- Your goals. Jot down what you would like help with and any questions, for example safe amalgam removal, metal-free options, gum health, or a calm plan for a nervous patient.
- Recent blood test results, if you have them (see below). These are optional.
- Allergy test results, if you are concerned about dental materials (see allergy testing before treatment).
3. Recent blood test results (optional)
You do not need any tests to see us. If you have had blood tests in the last 12 months, please bring the results or show them to us in the NHS App. Some results help us plan your dental care safely. We use them only for your dental treatment; for any medical advice about your results, please speak to your GP.
Test | Why it can matter for your dental care |
|---|---|
HbA1c (average blood sugar) | Diabetes and gum disease affect each other, so this helps us plan gum care. See the research on our holistic page. |
Full blood count, ferritin (iron), vitamin B12 and folate | Low levels can be linked with mouth ulcers, a sore tongue, bleeding gums or slow healing. |
Vitamin D | Only if your GP has already checked it; bring the result. |
INR (only if you take warfarin) | Needed shortly before extractions, implants or gum treatment. Your anticoagulant clinic does this; we will tell you when it is needed. |
Where to get tests. Through your GP if they are clinically needed (free on the NHS; read about blood tests on the NHS website). If you would rather arrange tests yourself, these UK services offer the tests above, with a finger-prick kit at home or a blood draw at a clinic or by a nurse:
- Forth: individual HbA1c, ferritin, vitamin B12 and vitamin D tests
- Medichecks: a wide range of individual tests and panels
- Thriva: home finger-prick tests, including a vitamins check
- Randox Health: clinic-based testing
- Lola Health: a phlebotomist visits your home to take blood
We have no connection with these services and receive nothing from them; they are listed for your convenience. Prices and tests are set by each provider.
Allergy testing before treatment
If you are concerned about dental materials, or have ever reacted to metals, jewellery, watch straps, latex, plasters, cosmetics or medicines, we encourage you to have any allergy tests done before your treatment starts, through the provider of your choice. Bring us the results or send them to reception@miserdendentalpractice.co.uk. Your dentist uses them to choose your materials, and nothing is started until you are happy with the plan.
The steps, in order
- Your dentist gives you a written treatment plan, listing the materials planned for you.
- See your dermatologist first (through your GP or privately), with your treatment plan. They decide which materials and substances to test, and whether they would like samples of the actual materials.
- Order the sample pack only if your dermatologist wants it, telling us which materials they asked for. We assemble it in 2 weeks.
- Have your patch test, then bring or email the results to us.
- Your dentist confirms your materials with you before treatment starts.
If you have ever had a sudden reaction (swelling, rash or breathing problems within minutes), for example to latex, a local anaesthetic or chlorhexidine, ask your GP about an allergy clinic as well.
Dental materials to ask your tester about
Material | Where it can be used in dentistry |
|---|---|
Nickel, cobalt and chromium | Some metal crowns and bridges, denture frameworks, orthodontic wires |
Palladium and gold alloys | Some crowns, bridges and inlays |
Mercury | Silver (amalgam) fillings |
Titanium (rare: about 0.6% of implant patients in one study of 1,500 patients) | Implants and some implant parts |
Acrylates and methacrylates (such as HEMA and MMA) | White fillings, bonding agents, dentures and temporary crowns |
Natural rubber latex | Gloves and rubber dam; tell us so we can use alternatives |
Local anaesthetics and their preservatives (very rare) | Dental injections |
Chlorhexidine | Some mouthwashes, gels and antiseptics |
Eugenol (clove oil) | Some temporary fillings and dressings |
Colophony (rosin), flavourings and fragrances | Some varnishes and toothpastes |
Zirconia | Ceramic implants and crowns (reactions are very rarely reported) |
Where to get tested
- Your GP can refer you to an NHS dermatology patch test clinic for skin (contact) allergies, which covers dental metals and acrylates. Read what patch testing involves (Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS).
- NHS allergy clinics, through your GP, test for immediate-type allergies such as latex, local anaesthetic or chlorhexidine. Find one with the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) clinic finder.
- Privately, through a dermatologist or allergy clinic of your choice. Allergy UK has independent advice on allergy tests, and DermNet explains patch testing.
Our materials sample pack
To make testing easier, you can order a sample pack of the dental materials we use, to take to your allergy tester. A standard pack is £95 (a bespoke pack made to your dentist’s prescription is £145), plus £5.50 for standard UK postage if you would like it posted, or you can collect it from reception. Book it online or call 01285 821220. We only assemble the pack once your dentist has given you a written treatment plan, so it contains the materials actually planned for you. Please send us your treatment plan when you order. Each pack takes 2 weeks to assemble, so please order it well before your allergy test.
The pack contains zirconia, titanium, e.max (lithium disilicate), feldspathic porcelain, denture base acrylic, Combilign samples in pink and tooth-coloured acrylic, an Enigma acrylic denture tooth, temporary crown material, and the cements your dentist is considering. If another dentist is treating you, they can order a pack for you on our referral page, which also links to each supplier’s information on what the materials contain.
A skin patch test by a dermatologist is the recognised test for contact allergy to dental materials; we do not use blood tests for metal allergy. Testing is your choice and is arranged and paid for with the provider you choose, so please allow a few weeks before your treatment. Your dentist uses your results only to plan your dental materials; for medical advice about them, please speak to the doctor who tested you.
4. What happens at your consultation
- An extended appointment with Dr Zac Cox or Kerry Braithwaite, covering your dental and medical history, materials and priorities, with up to two X-rays if needed.
- We look at your teeth, gums and bite, and talk through how your general health and medicines may affect your dental care.
- We explain every option, including metal-free and BPA-free materials and SMART safe amalgam removal, in plain English.
- You leave with a written plan and estimate. Nothing is started without your agreement.
Frequently asked questions
Should I have allergy tests before treatment? If you are concerned about dental materials, yes. Get your written treatment plan from your dentist, then see your dermatologist first, who will say which materials to test. If they want samples of the actual materials, our laboratory assembles a pack (£95, or £145 bespoke) in 2 weeks.
Book your holistic consultation
Book online or call 01285 821220 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). We are at The Estate Barn, Miserden, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7JA, with free parking.
Holistic and biological dentistry · Fees and plans · Dr Zac Cox · Kerry Braithwaite