Dentistry FAQs
Here are some of the more common questions that we are asked about our dental services.
If your question is not covered here please contact us and we’ll be more than happy to help. We also have a number of articles about dentistry and treatment in general, including How to Find a Good Dentist and more will be added over time. You can access these via the navigation on the left of this page.
- How do I book an appointment?
Please write, email, ring or call in at the practice, and we will book an appointment that is convenient for you. You can also book certain types of appointment online.
We will send you an email reminder followed by a text a few days before your appointment. If you should need to alter your appointment, please give us as much notice as possible, and in any case a minimum of 48 hours. This allows us to offer the time to someone else and helps keep our costs and therefore our prices down.- Why do I need to come to the dentist if I am not experiencing any pain?
Most dental disease causes no pain at all until it is well advanced. Although it is perfectly possible that the reason you have no pain is that you are completely healthy, it is equally possible that you have significant tooth decay, or advanced gum disease, or a chronic abscess, but do not know it. Our healthy mouth assessments are designed to pick up all types of potential problems, including checking for mouth cancer. If your teeth are healthy we can advise you on how to keep them that way.
- How do you ensure all your equipment is sterile and safe?
We take cross infection control very seriously. In order to comply with the essential requirements of government cross infection control advice, we use properly serviced and maintained equipment which sterilises all our instruments as thoroughly as possible. We use disposable items wherever possible and we never reuse items that are recommended for single use only. Our procedures are regularly audited and we undertake regular training to ensure our knowledge is up to date.
- How do I know I am receiving good quality care?
The whole team keep our General Dental Council registrations up to date, and engage in regular training and education to keep our skills current. We are registered with the Care Quality Commission who most recently inspected our practice on February 12th 2014. Their report is published on their website. Click here to view the Report. We welcome and encourage feedback from all our clients so that we can constantly improve the service we offer.
- How can I pay my bill?
The most cost-effective way of paying for your treatment is to join our “lifelong sparkle club”. Your regular preventive care, along with a host of other benefits, is then covered by one simple monthly direct debit.
Our preferred method of payment is by credit or debit card. We take all major cards including American Express. We also take cash.
Please come prepared to pay for all treatment received on the day you receive it. We will give you a receipt for your payment including any proof you need to claim your payment back from your insurance or employer if appropriate.
- What do I do if I need care in an emergency?
If you need to see the dentist urgently please telephone the practice as soon as possible. We guarantee to see all our registered patients who have an emergency within 24 hours, but the earlier in the day that you ring, the more likely you are to be seen that same day and at a time that suits you best.
If the practice is closed and you cannot wait till opening time, please telephone and listen to the answer phone message which will give you instructions on accessing our out of hours emergency service.
- What guarantees do you offer on treatment?
In line with our promise, we want you to keep a healthy mouth and an amazing smile forever. Guarantees are not possible in dentistry, as even the best treatment with the highest quality materials can fail owing to multiple patient factors outside our control. However, we have great confidence in our care, and we will therefore repair, adjust or replace as necessary any fillings, crowns, bridges, and dentures that we have placed which fall out or break within two years. On top of this we will always assess each case on its merits, and if we believe an item needs replacing because of something we could have done better, we will redo it free of charge or at a reduced cost even if it is over two years since it was placed. Valplast dentures are guaranteed for life against breakage in normal use.
We do not guarantee treatments which are temporary or a compromise requested against our advice. For example, if we advise that the only suitable treatment for a broken tooth is a crown, and you request we do the best filling we can in the circumstances, we will always try to fulfil your requirements but we cannot guarantee that the filling will last.
