Affinity Dental Care & Implant Centre, based on Cheltenham Road in Gloucester, has been a leading private dental practice in the county for over 16 years. Its mission during this time has been to create a comforting, inviting centre where patients feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible.
And with the centre's big expansion plans, this mission continues, with some exciting additions in the works. Christy Rush, practice manager at Affinity Dental, said: 'At the moment, we're waiting for a planning decision in the hopes that we will be able to expand our current building to improve the entry access via a new porch, extend the waiting room into the car park area, add an extra consultation room and install a patients' lift to access the first-floor surgeries.
'Within this submitted application we have also asked to convert the loft space to accommodate a large staff room to enhance our staff's wellbeing and an extra dental surgery for the use of a specialist dental surgeon and additional hygiene appointments. We're hoping to receive news on our application during October 2023.'
Things at the surgery have already been busy this year. In July 2023, Affinity moved its current staff room to make way for a new surgery, with the work being carried out by DecaDent — a dental build and installation company based in Bristol that covers the South West region.
The business is upgrading its technology, too. Rush said: 'We are investing in more technology and moving further into digital dentistry. We currently offer same-day crowns, meaning we can make the crowns in-house and they are fitted in the same visit. Patients no longer have several visits, waiting for two to three weeks to have a new crown! We have a new CBCT scanner (a special type of x-ray machine) in Peter Workman’s surgery for implant and surgical planning. This means we have CBCT & OPG machines on both floors.'
'We have implemented more digital technology to cut down on the use of paper, so we now send appointment reminders, letters, treatment plans and consent forms digitally. This helps our dentists to keep updated with our patients' medical histories prior to their visits. Our head nurse Lillie Wilkinson has been implementing small changes and is currently researching how we as a practice can cut down on waste and become more environmentally friendly.'
The practice has seen a rise in the demand for dental implants and 'teeth in a day' treatments. This is work such as full mouth reconstruction and patients looking to replace single or multiple missing teeth with dental implants; with a wide range of treatment options and gum recession surgery also offered.
'We offer sedation for bigger treatments and nervous patients, to ensure that the patient experience is as nice as it can possibly be,' said Rush.
To find out more about Affinity Dental Care & Implant Centre and the services it offers, call (01452) 526526 or visit affinitydentalcare.co.uk.
