Ashford Dentist

Established as far back as 80 years ago, Sunnyside Dental Service is one of the oldest dental practices in Ashford. Over the years it has established a loyal and grateful clientèle, with new customers being added daily. The establishment is headed by the husband-wife team of Mr. Stewart Baird and Mrs. Fiona Baird, who settled in 2002 in Ashford and took over the practice. Sunnyside has an experienced and motivated team with 4 dentists and a therapist, along with nursing and administrative staff, providing high-quality dental treatment in a professional and friendly manner. The establishment encourages preventive techniques to help patients understand how to maintain their mouths and keep them free of tooth decay and gum disease. It offers treatment on a private pay as well as the practice’s own comprehensive dental care plan.

Sunnyside Dental Service offers the following services:

* Routine preventive treatments, including regular examinations to determine oral health and to screen for oral cancer.
* Hygiene appointments that can be carried out by either the in-house therapist or one of the dentists to ensure long term gum health.
* Restorative treatments including routine and cosmetic restorations using modern tooth coloured fillings where appropriate.
* Crown and bridge work including single crown and full mouth reconstructions.
* Veneers, cosmetic improvement using “fingernails” of porcelain or resin based materials.
* Dentures constructed in either metal or acrylic to restore appearance and function.
* Smile design to improve appearance and function.
* Whitening to change tooth colour chemically.
* Clearstep invisible braces for orthodontic correction of misaligned teeth.
* Surgical procedures such as extraction of teeth.

Sunnyside Dental Service offers a comprehensive dental care plan that offers the following:

* Regular dental appointments that provide
- Clinical examination
- Examination for oral cancer
- Radiography if necessary
* Regular hygiene appointments that provide
- Scaling and polishing
- Preventive techniques to prevent tooth decay and gum disease
- Periodontal advice
* 20% reduction of any fillings
* 20% reduction off other dental work
* 20% reduction off crown costs including aesthetic crowns
* 20% reduction off additional hygiene work
* Worldwide trauma insurance to protect against the cost of large unforseen accidental damage
* Emergency Callout insurance, should the patient need a dentist in an emergency, anywhere in the world
* Redundancy protection for up to 12 months

About EasySmile Dental Care Ashford

The quintessential modern town with all the modern facilities and services, Ashford’s residents have a lot of alternatives as far as their dental health needs are concerned. The EasySmile Dental Care practice is one such prominent establishment.

Though not situated in Ashford per se, its three branches at Tenterden, Folkestone and Sheerness make EasySmile’s facilities easy to access for the inhabitants of Ashford. EasySmile Dental Care offers not only affordable general dental treatment but also some of the latest cosmetic options currently available. The practice was among the first in Kent to make available latest dental treatment technologies like CEREC and Low-Radiation Dental CT Scanning.

It also offers the new Zoom 3 Power Advanced one-hour one-appointment teeth whitening treatment at all three branches. EasySmile prides itself in its warm relations with its clients. It invites customers to ask questions to clarify their doubts and says that it speaks TO customers, not AT them. It offers an innovation at all its branches – sedation. Over the decades, a visit to the dentist has needlessly gathered ominous overtones, with many dreading the visit. EasySmile offers such nervous customers much needed relief – sedation on request.

EasySmile’s service offerings can broadly be classified into General Dentistry and Cosmetic Dentistry. While General Dentistry is concerned with health and treatment of the patient’s teeth and gums, Cosmetic Dentistry is dedicated towards at enhancing or improving the overall aesthetics of the patient’s smile.

The General Dentistry services include:

* Free consultation for new patients
* Hygiene treatments
* Metal fillings
* Inlays / Onlays
* Crowns and bridges
* Root canal treatment
* Mouthguards/Nightguards
* Painless WAND anaesthetic
* Sedation by a specialist
* HealOzone / Diagnodent
* Hypnotherapy
* Anti-snoring mouth guard

The Cosmetic Dentistry services include:

* Free tooth whitening consultation
* Free implant consultation
* Air polishing
* Tooth whitening
* White fillings
* Tooth contouring/Reshaping
* Ceramic crowns or veneers
* Bonded restorations
* CEREC advanced ceramic crowns or veneers
* Lumineers
* Dental implants
* Dentures
* Zirconium crowns/bridges
* Invisalign
* Gum recontouring

About Wye Dental Care

There are reputed establishments like Wye Dental Surgery to take care of all dental needs.

Wye Dental Care, as per its philosophy, aims to to provide an excellent standard of care by:-

1. Giving advice, options and explanations on how to improve dental health.

2. Being honest and practical in describing treatment plans.

3. Delivering treatment carefully and efficiently to achieve a successful end result.

4. Using the latest techniques and modern materials.

5. Showing a commitment to ongoing training for the dental team.

6. Providing comfortable and relaxing surroundings.

Wye Dental Care offers all standard dental treatment as well as cosmetic treatment including crowns and veneers. It also offers implants to replace lost teeth and preventive advice to help keep teeth and gums healthy. The facility is led by Principal Dentist Alan Bell, ably supported by Hygienist Janet, Dental Nurse Sarah and Receptionists Caroline and Louise. Dr.Bell got his BDS degree from Leeds Dental School in 1980, after which he practised across the length and breadth of the country. He settled down in Ashford in 1986 and helped develop Beaver Dental Surgery into a thriving dental practice. He left Beaver a decade later to establish Wye Dental Surgery. Dr. Bell obtained his postgraduate qualification MFGDP. in 2002, and a further Diploma in Implantology Course from the Royal College of Surgeons in 2008. He has special interest in implantology and advanced dentistry.

Wye Dental Surgery has the following representative fee guide, although charges may vary depending on complexity of treatment:

Dentistry is defined as the known evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the soft and hard tissues of the jaw (mandible), the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. In the simplest terms, to become a dentist in the UK, you need to have a BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) or BChD degree from a recognised university. This is the minimum qualification required to register with the Dentist’s Register of the General Dental Council (GDC) to be able to practice dentistry in the UK. However, getting the degree is not simply a matter of enrolling in any university you desire. The process starts several years before, even before you choose your GCSEs and A levels.

That’s because the degree course in dentistry is extremely rigorous and academically intensive, and hence, universities have stringent admission requirements. For entry to standard five-year degree programmes, you will usually need five GCSEs plus three A’ levels (including two sciences) at grades AAA to ABB. Chemistry and biology are required in most cases. Applicants with non-science A’ levels can also apply for dental degrees with the additional pre-dental year. These courses are longer at six years in length. Alternatives to A levels are also considered, such as an approved access course, VCE and Scottish qualifications.

If you are a graduate holding an upper-second class degree and have A level grades close to an university’s standard requirements, you may be considered entry onto five-year standard degree courses. Additionally, there exists a few four-year accelerated degrees for graduates who hold a degree (at least at upper-second class level) in a degree with a large element of biology and chemistry. Graduates with a degree in biomedical science may also be considered. The UK clinical aptitude test (UKCAT) is generally used as part of the selection process.

After completing the degree, you will have to register with the GDC, the governing council for dentists in the country. However, even with the BDS degree and the GDC registration in hand, you cannot start practising right away. You will have to undergo an year of vocational training at a hospital or dental practice. If you want to to specialise in a certain area of dentistry such as orthodontics or periodontics you will need to obtain further education. Therefore, in a nutshell, you need the following qualifications to become a dentist:

* Top GCSE results over 2 years (5 at grades AAA to ABB)
* Top A levels over 2 years (3 including 2 sciences at grades AAA to ABB)
* BDS or BChD at dental school for 4/5/6 years as per different requirements mentioned above; usually 5
* Vocational training for at least 1 year

Being a dentist can be one of the most rewarding of professions, both personally and financially. Besides the satisfaction of helping others overcome their dental problems, it can be financially rewarding with a six-figure salary working just 37 hours a week. Besides that, you have absolute job security.

We often remember our dentist only when we feel that pain in our teeth, for even the bravest of men, and stoic philosophers as Shakespeare said, cannot endure toothache. Dentistry is a respected and rewarding profession, but it requires years of study, practice and experience to excel in. Moreover, the expenses of dental education are nothing to scoff at. Therefore, before you make your final decision on a career in dentistry, you should think long and hard.

Once you have decided to become a dentist, you must ensure that you have a consistently good academic record. Dentistry requires a lot of study and admissions are highly competitive; so demonstration of academic acumen is a must. You must enroll in pre-undergraduate science courses. The most important courses will be biology and chemistry. The grading system in the UK marks the highest academic achievement at AAA. The top dentistry schools in the UK (there are 13) will only accept AAA scores in the basic science courses.

The degree course will usually last five years or more, during which you will be required to take classes on subjects such as anatomy, pathology, psychology, biochemistry and numerous other science courses. You will also complete a practical component, which ensures that you can put the theoretical learning into practice. You can opt for an accelerated track if you want, and are eligible for one. Some dental schools offer accelerated four-year plans, usually only to the highest-scoring students.

You must remember that the costs are considerable. In addition to the fees, you may have to include living expenses among the costs if your home is not near the university you decide to attend. Once you have decided to become a dentist and before you apply to be one, you should assess your financial options. How will you pay for school? Are your parents willing to help out with the costs? Do you have any scholarships? Will you be able to get financial aid for school? If none of these are an option for you, you might consider approaching a bank for a student loan to pay for your education. While working your way through dental school is an option, it can be very difficult with the large course load.

On graduating, all successful students will be qualified to practice. However, before entering any public or private practice, you must register with General Dental Council, which is the governing body for the profession in the country. Usually, you will have to undergo vocational training for a year before you can work without supervision. If you join a hospital, you would have additional practical training there. If you want to specialise in a certain area of dentistry such as orthodontics or periodontics you will need to obtain further education.

In addition to the above, for a successful career in dentistry, you should a very relaxed, personable and calm demeanour that can reassure patients during treatment. Visiting a dentist has gained a wrong reputation of being a painful experience and your communication skills will determine how the patient feels before, during and after treatment.

Ashford Dental Practice is one of a group of long-established private dental practices in the area. Although the practice does not offer NHS treatment, the CCRD group, of which it is a member, offers a number of insurance policies which can cover treatment fees or offer reductions. Details of these are available on the practice’s website along with details of fees for most standard procedures.

The team at Ashford Dental Practice have won a number of awards including Investors in People and they were runners up in the Kent Business Awards. The dentists, Dr D K H Patel and Dr Roma Patel are supported by a team of hygienists, nurses and administrative staff to ensure that patients receive the best possible care.

Services provided at Ashford Dental Practice include initial consultation appointments, hygienist services including cleaning and de-scaling, preventative treatments, advanced dental work, education, cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics. Sedation is also available at extra cost if required. Information on all of these services is available on the website. The practice is equipped with up to date equipment and where possible one-use equipment is used and disposed of after use. Full sterilization procedures are carried out between each patient, with special marked strips used to note that it has been done. These procedures are essential to reduce any risk of cross contamination.

A variety of techniques are used at the practice to take X-rays, and these enable full diagnoses to be given quickly, and the most effective course of treatment given.

Cosmetic dentistry is an area of the profession that is becoming more popular, and the work involved can include, but is not limited to, bleaching (either day or night home bleaching systems are available), looking at the colour, length and alignment of teeth and correcting where possible, and porcelain veneers, which are thin ceramic shells which can be bonded to teeth to fill in gaps between them. These procedures are all available at Ashford Dental Practice and details of all of them, and others, are available on the practice’s website. Cosmetic braces are also available from Ashford Dental Practice and these can rectify issues such as protruding teeth.

Ashford Dental Practice pays particular attention to young patients, and children as young as two and a half go in to familiarise themselves with the “space ship” chair and equipment. First teeth checks are usually carried out at around the age of 3, and preventative measures such as fissure sealants, are strongly encouraged to try and prevent fillings.

The opening hours at Ashford Dental Practice are:

Monday – Tuesday              08:30 – 19:00

Wednesday – Thursday     08:30 – 17:30

Saturday                                09:00 – 13:00

Appointments can be made by telephoning the surgery or by using the online form on their website. Parking is not available on site, but several car parks are available nearby, and the practice’s website has directions to both the surgery and the car parks.

Welldene Dental Surgery treat NHS and private patients in Canterbury Road, Ashford. They provide services for Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT. They are not currently accepting new NHS patients but this may change in the future, and private patients may still register with them.

The three dentists at Welldene Dental Surgeries are: Owen Henry Shillington Darling, Taha Heidari and Muneer Patel. All three dentists are male, and Doctor Patel speaks Gujarati as well as English. Dental nurses also work at the practice, and the services of a dental hygienist are available there too. Internet reviews of the practice are excellent, with customers praising the practice’s treatment of children.

The staff at Welldene Dental Surgeries provide a full range of preventative and restorative dental services for adults and for children. An initial consultation or regular check up will determine if there are any problems which need to be addressed, and a programme of treatment will then be arranged in consultation with the patient. An explanation of procedures and costs will be given before treatment is agreed. Children are treated particularly gently to keep them as relaxed and at ease as possible.

As with other dental practices, Welldene Dental Surgeries encourage preventative measures to avoid the need for restorative dentistry. This involves education and regular check ups as well as the services provided by the dental hygienist, including cleaning, polishing, tartar removal, fluoride treatment and fissure sealants.

Restorative dentistry is the term used to cover procedures used to repair or replace damaged or lost teeth and this can cover a range of treatments. It doesn’t matter whether the loss or damage is due to decay, injury or other reasons – all circumstances come under the term restorative dentistry. Treatments can include relatively minor treatments such as fillings (metal or tooth coloured), crowns, bridges, or even dentures and implants in more extreme cases.

Sometimes there is a need for an orthodontics service. This is the branch of dentistry that covers moving teeth which are in the wrong position or are not well aligned. Orthodontics usually requires a brace and although some treatments are available at Welldene Dental Surgeries, sometimes a patient will need to be referred to an orthodontic practitioner outside the surgery.

The Welldene Dental Surgery can, under certain circumstances, carry out what is called a domiciliary service. This is where dental care is carried out wherever a patient is resident if they are unable to visit the surgery due to being housebound or disabled. This service may be limited and further details may be obtained from the surgery.

Welldene Dental Surgeries are conveniently located, served by public transport, and parking is available. Access for wheelchair users is also available at the practice.

The opening hours for Welldene Dental Surgeres are:

Monday to Friday     09:00 – 13:00            14:00 – 18:00

The practice is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. The surgery does not provide urgent access slots.

Elwick Dental Surgery Ashford accepts NHS patients, whether they are fee paying or charge-exempt. The practice also accepts children for NHS treatment. This surgery provides services for Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT.

There are five dentists at Elwick Dental Surgery: Joanna Iwona Gojska-Zukowicz, Malgorzata Grela, Anshu Gupta, Afsaneh Vosooghi, and Victoria Claire Wright. All the dental practitioners are female, and Hindi is spoken at the practice as well as English. There are also nurses, receptionist and hygienists working at the practice.

Elwick Dental Surgery provides a comprehensive range of dental treatments for both adults and children. An initial consultation will determine if there are any problems which need to be treated, and if there are then a treatment plan will be agreed, along with explanations of any costs involved. Special care is taken with children to ensure that they feel comfortable in the surgery and that examinations and procedures do not scare them. Your child may even take a sticker home with them to show how brave they were.

The most common service provided here is restorative dentistry, which covers the restoration of teeth damaged or lost by decay or any other reason. Restorative dentistry uses a variety of techniques and materials such as metal or tooth coloured fillings to repair existing fillings or create new ones, crowns, bridges, or in very extreme cases implants and dentures.

To try and avoid the need for restorative dentistry, the practice encourages preventative dentistry. This involves educating patients about the need for daily care, good nutrition, periodic examinations and cleanings to maintain dental health. This is particularly important in the case of young patients as childhood habits generally become lifelong habits.

Connected to preventative dentistry is the service of a dental hygienist. A hygienist will clean and polish teeth and remove tartar, procedures which are beneficial to the health of your teeth and mouth. They can also give advice about oral hygiene and apply fluoride treatments and fissure sealants to the teeth. Fissure sealants can help prevent cavities and the need for fillings.

Elwick Dental Surgery can also provide orthodontic treatment. This may be offered to correct badly aligned teeth, or teeth that are in the wrong position. This treatment will often involve having to wear a brace. Some orthodontic cases are referred to an Orthodontic Practitioner. This services is usually provided on the NHS for children and young people, although in some cases may also be available for adults.

The opening hours of Elwick Dental Surgery are:

Mon, Tues, Thurs                 08:30 – 13:00            14:00 – 18:00

Weds                                      08:30 – 13:00            14:00 – 17:00

Fri                                           08:30 – 13:00

The surgery is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. For emergency service when the surgery is closed, a recorded message on the surgery’s answerphone will give you details of how to contact the emergency dentist.

There is parking available at this practice, as well as step free, disabled access.

Orchard House Dental Practice is based in the village of Headcorn, near Ashford. A location map and directions are available on the practice’s website. The practice provides services for the West Kent PCT and has a mixture of NHS and private patients. Information as to whether the practice is currently registering new NHS patients can be obtained from the surgery. Parking is available at Orchard House and there is suitable access for wheelchair users.

A total of four dentists, one male and 3 females, work at Orchard House and between them they also speak Russian and Arabic as well as English. Between them the team have specialities including children’s dentistry, crown and bridgework, and surgical dentistry. Orchard House Dental Practice is a Dental Foundation Training practice which means that newly qualified dentists spend their first year in practice working with the team of dentists carrying out most standard procedures and continuing with their training. This will then enable them to apply for a Health Authority contract number and then they can practice on their own.

As indicated by the range of specialities covered by the staff at Orchard House, a full range of dental treatments can be carried out there. Examinations for new or existing patients may then be followed by a range of treatments. Traditionally the most common dental treatments are fillings and extractions and there are different options available for these treatments. More extreme restorative dentistry treatments may be required, and Orchard House can carry out root fillings, otherwise known as endodontics, and fit crowns, bridges, veneers and even dentures. All treatments are discussed with patients, and special care is taken to put nervous patients and children at ease.

Other treatments available at this practice include fitting nightguards to help prevent night-time grinding of the teeth. If left untreated, this can lead to erosion of the surface of the teeth or even serious jaw problems. Sports mouthguards can also be fitted here.

Tooth whitening is an increasingly popular treatment and this can be carried out at Orchard House Dental Practice, where they use the system called Deep Bleaching. Before and after pictures are available at the surgery so potential patients can see the difference the treatment can make.

Hygienists are available at Orchard House Dental Practice, and they can carry out treatments such as cleaning and polishing, fluoride treatments, removing tartar and giving advice on oral health and hygiene.

Orchard House is part of the Denplan dental health care plan, which is a scheme whereby patients pay monthly or annually into a plan which then covers their dental costs, or at least a part of them. Details are on the Orchard House website.

The opening hours for Orchard House Dental Practice are:

Monday to Friday     08:30 – 13:00            14:00 – 17:30

In addition to these hours, private and Denplan patients can make appointments for:

Alternate Wednesdays       18:00 – 20:00

Alternate Saturdays             10:00 – 13:00

Details of emergency treatments can be obtained by telephoning the practice.

About Jade Dental Practice Ashford

is a family friendly dental practice in the Godinton Park area of Ashford. It has good disabled facilities and parking. The practice provides services for the Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT but does not currently accept new NHS patients although this may change in the future.

The team at Jade Dental Practice includes 2 dentists, one male and one female, 3 dental nurses, one hygienist and a practice manager. The mission statement of the practice is to help patients achieve and maintain a healthy and beautiful smile. As this indicates, they offer a range of preventative, restorative and cosmetic dental treatments.

Beginning with preventative treatments, the practice offers not only education and advice, but also fissure sealants, fluoride treatments and the services of the dental hygienist, Miss Suzy Thomas, who has worked at the practice since 2002 and has previously been involved in research into gum and periodontal disease. Check ups at the practice include checks for oral cancer and other mouth diseases as well as checks on the teeth. X-rays may be taken if required. Any treatment options will be discussed and patients will be given written plans with costings.

Standard restorative treatments are available at Jade Dental Practice and these include the usual treatments such as fillings, implants and crowns but also newer techniques such as fibrebond dentistry which is a technique used to stabilise loose teeth or replace missing teeth. Implant dentistry is a particular interest of Dr Simon Darfoor who is one of the dentists at the practice and he is happy to discuss the many options available.

Cosmetic dentistry is also provided at Jade Dental Practice, and these treatments include veneers, where a thin ceramic layer is used to change tooth size, colour or shape; cosmetic crowns or bridges, which are used primarily to replace teeth but can also be used to change colour, size or shape; tooth bonding, which can be used to change shape and size of the teeth, fill small gaps or repair chips or cracks; and tooth whitening, where the Zoon system is used.

Another area in which this practice specializes is in patients who are very nervous or phobic about dental treatment. Options of either full sedation or conscious sedation are available for many treatments and in some cases this can actually make treatment easier, and what would usually be done in several visits can be done with one visit if the patient is fully sedated.

Jade Dental Practice accepts major credit and debit cards and cheques with a guarantee card as well as cash. The practice also offers the Denplan Enhance interest free loan facility to make payments easier. A full list of prices can be found on the practice website.

The opening hours of Jade Dental Practice are:

Monday:         09.00-13.00   14.00-17.30

Tuesday:        09.00-13.00   14.00-17.30

Wednesday:  09.00-13.00   14.00-20.00

Thursday:      09.00-13.00   14.00-17.30

Friday:            09.00-13.00   14.00-17.30

The practice is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. Appointments can be made by telephone or by using the appointment form on the practice’s website. Details of what to do in the case of an emergency will be on the practice’s answerphone outside normal working hours.