Dentessentials

They’re OK. I’ve been a few times for lack of a better option, since they are right around the corner from my office. Their office is fairly shabby, which is always a disappointment and does make one wonder how that reflects on the rest of the practice which is behind closed doors (i.e. cleanliness and organisation of medical tools and such). The receptionists are nice. I’ve read horror stories on Unilocal about the lady doctor, so I’ve always request the man. He’s English, and not particularly friendly, but not unfriendly either– just rather… brief and direct and straight-​faced. You have to ask what he’s doing as he doesn’t really tell you, but he’s happy to answer questions if you ask. The quality of work… well, I had a cavity and now I have a GIANT grey metal filling in my mouth. I don’t know how the tooth walls are even holding it in they’ve been so drilled out… I chose metal fillings as I couldn’t afford a white composite filling at the time. Now I kind of regret it, as the filling is so massive. I’m not sure it needed to be so big, but I guess he is the dentist, not me. Appointments tend to be about 15 minutes long, which is unbelievably brief compared to what I’m used to back in America. I had some pain going in one time which wasn’t resolved by the end of the appointment. I wasn’t advised on what to do about it and basically told to wait until it went away. Not really what I wanted to hear.
The dentist also tried to sell me a Sonicare toothbrush, which was kind of weird and annoying. I don’t really like to be sold to, especially in a medical setting-​not really appropriate. I assume he gets some sort of commission. I wasn’t interested as I already have one. Anyway, I’ve got a toothache now, and I think I’m going to try somewhere else. There are a few other places that have gotten good reviews, and even though they are clear across the city from me and private, I think when it comes to one’s teeth, it’s worth spending the money to go private and travel if you have to. Well, at least I suppose I’ll find out if it’s worth it or not. Saying that, it’s not a huge deal, as going to see any dentist in the States will run you at least $ 100 an appointment plus any work they need to do, so relatively speaking I’m not that bothered if paying more means a friendly, skilled doctor, better care and less pain. After all, it’s your health.

Actually, i was really surprised with Dentessentials… for a british NHS dentist I was REALLY shocked.
I admit that as the daughter of an orthodontist I might be a little bit spoiled when it comes to my teeth, but at least I know they are clean and healthy.
The only reason they don’t have 5 stars is because I didn’t feel like the cleaning was THAT thorough. Either my dentist at home is SUPER OCD and likes to pick on me about everything, or this dentist really didn’t seem to care that I am having some pain in one of my teeth. OR she knew, and she just didn’t want to tell me.
But i was surprised, and it was brief, and it gave me the peace of mind I needed about my teeth.
Now I know that i won’t get in trouble the next time my dad see’s my teeth.

A necessary evil.
Look if we all reviewed dentists on how much we enjoyed the experience then they would all average 1 star, lets face it. So I’m ignoring the pain and the violation of my mouth and giving this place a good rating based on the friendliness of the staff and the general experience beyond the unbearable molestation of my molars.
They give you a call a couple of days to remind you of your appointment, which was handy as I had forgotten (blocked out?) exactly which day I was supposed to attend. The 2 dentists I saw were both very friendly (See, your murderers come with smiles, they come as your friends) and dispensed useful dental advice in a way that was not patronizing. They said they would see me in 6 months and you know. I think they just might.

As much as one can be a fan of a dental practice, I’m a fan of Dentessentials. My first and only London dentist and an NHS one at that. A rare thing if the press is to be believed and the only place I’ve ever had decent NHS treatment. End of.
The dental hygenists are lovely, the dentists professional and all in all it’s a nice practice, being handily located on Curtain Road. There is always a decent selection of reading material — come on, these things matter — to while away the time when waiting to learn your dental fate, and appointments can usually be made at a moment’s notice. Good stuff.