A few years ago I was on a medication that cause severe dry mouth. Sounds easy compared to some side affects but my doctor didn't tell me till too late that it would eat at my enamel. I had a root canal at a different dentist that was mostly agonising, huge waits and for a small practice never saw the same dentist twice in 3 years. Ever.
I've moved and hadn't gone back to that place and I'd forgotten dentists, I have a lot of other medical issues. Then I woke up one morning to discover the middle of one of my teeth had literally fallen out. I couldn't eat or even really move my mouth because it had a spike facing towards my lip ripping my mouth open.
We tried for hours and hours to find an emergency dentist. Discovering that most required me to go in and fill out a form, go in for a check up and only then I'd be seen. Some had waiting lists for emergency appointments till September. I was a sobbing mess when 7 dental rode to my rescue. The registration process was simply the best I've ever experienced, considering I was an unregistered emergency, the wait was not bad at all, less than an hour.
My dentist was wonderful. Such an easy conversationalist as well, and he instantly made me feel at ease. Which considering I'm in a lot of pain normally, and I also have Trigeminal Neuralgia, dental pain is agonising to me, I'm terrified of dentists. He didn't laugh at my allergies(Amongst others, I'm allergic to water.) and he didn't look scared at my list of conditions, and he didn't try to fob me off because of them (Which I get, a lot.)
It was an emergency appointment so they couldn't do it much, but they fixed the spike, realised their was stuff oozing from the tooth, gave me a script. He also was not at all dismissive of the fact I am an NHS patient. I had another appointment to confirm the infection had cleared up, again with him. Now it wasn't an emergency the wait was nothing. Literally nothing. I checked in at the desk and started my rather slow pace, looked up and he and the nurse were already happily waving to me across the room! I Also had a bit of scaling, which to me is usually abject torture to the point I'm sobbing. But instead of pinning me and doing it all at once, he did only some of it then.
My Gums have always been red and swollen, as long as I can remember. But they are actually now looking the colour then are meant too! Which is amazing!
My next appointment is with him again(which is such a novel experience for me!!) to have scans and a root canal. I'm actually looking forward to it and getting it fixed.
I'm usually a wheelchair user as I cannot get very far on crutches, but being dropped of by uber at the front door. The disability access is perfect, and there are seats everywhere. It means I can actually go there on my crutches. Which is a nice change from what I'm used to.
It is a lovely building, very clean and efficient. When I first walked in, I thought it was going to be amazing or awful, as it looked like a corporation, the 'get you in and out' mantra. Having been butchered by multiple family dentists, I know small is not always better. They treat NHS patients as well as private! I've never been treated so well be a dentist my entire life, my partner who used to be Private, said he was treated better here, than at his old place as a private patient. All 3 of us have the same dentist as well which is nice.
From the second you walk in, it smells clean. The staff are very friendly and speak a variety of languages, so if you are not English speaking, there is probably someone who can understand you. There are awards on the walls. Signs telling you that if you are nervous there are protocols to help you. Signs telling you that cleanliness is everyones jobs, if you notice your dentist forgot to wash their hands, it tells you to feel free to prompt them, they are putting them in your mouth after all.
When I was called in, room was wonderfully clean, akin only to the hospital dental where I had my wisdom teeth removed!
Not much else to say, I recommend them whole heartedly, from an NHS patient :)
