Photo: C. M. Maynard

With soaring temperatures predicted for summer 2007, this year is bound to see its fair share of sun-kissed skin and toes peeping from sandals. Summer is surely the season when people pay the most attention to their appearance, whether it's toned limbs, clear skin, or straight, white teeth.

These days it is not just our American cousins who sport a full set of dazzling whites. In London, tooth whitening has become so popular that it is even offered by tanning salons in the evening ‘freesheets’. To ensure receipt of a safe, legal procedure, however, it is of course wise to see a qualified professional, and dental surgeries increasingly specialise in or offer a wide range of cosmetic dental treatments including dental implants, veneers and ‘full smile lifts’.

But what do these procedures entail, and how are DCPs involved? Turn to page 15 where cosmetic dental experts David Bloom and Jay Padayachy introduce you to this fascinating subject, illustrated with some of their marvellous ‘smile makeovers’.

Of course, spending half a day in the dental chair is not the only route to healthy, attractive teeth. Not swilling umpteen soft drinks round your mouth or feasting on cream cakes will also help. This might sound obvious, but the articles starting on pages 27 and 30 should reinforce your knowledge before you put any curious patients in the picture.

Furnish yourself further with the hot topics of the day by turning to our Advice section on pages 36 to 40. You never know when the Dental Complaints Service might come in useful, and radiography and radiation protection is slated to be a core CPD subject for most DCPs from 2008.

As always, this issue boasts a host of proactive DCPs who are out there making the most of themselves and their time in the dental industry – for a start, the two admirable women juggling families, work and study on page 24, and Claire Thorburn and her colleagues who have taken the reins from their principal to lecture in four-handed dentistry (page 34). If you feel that your own contribution or achievements deserve some exposure in Vital, don't hesitate to drop me a line.

If the information overload is all getting a little much for you, consider Vital's two latest suggestions for stress release on pages 41-43. Both involve creating something that's well made and easy on the eye; quite fitting for this issue, don't you think?

Kate Maynard, Editor, k.maynard@nature.com