Sir, I was delighted to read the excellent defence of homeopathy in dentistry by Drs Eames and Darby in the recent BDJ (BDJ 2011; 210: 299–301).

I have used homeopathy very successfully in my practice for many years and wouldn't like to be without it.

There are particularly useful remedies for aphthous ulcers and cold sores which get rid of these troublesome conditions within a day or so.

Nat mur 200 is astonishingly good for developing cold sores at the vesicle stage – they disappear within 24 hours and don't return for weeks. Arnica is famous for its usefulness in bruising and general trauma – fantastic after a difficult extraction.

My patients really appreciate this small but very useful aspect of my practice. We may not understand how homeopathy works (and many other things too for that matter) but there's no doubt that it does. One day we'll have the explanation.