Shiraz, Jo, Veronica and Ayzaaz
‘The idea of an implant scared me. However, the staff, and the transparency
of the process, made the procedure so much easier. An exceptional service.
I never thought I’d look forward to going to the dentist!’ – Kamran Rajah
‘When we talk about Slow Dentistry, the word slow can be misleading,’ explains Dr Ayzaaz Akram, co-owner with his brother Shiraz of the Pure Smiles family practice on New Kings Road. ‘It simply means that we take the time to pinpoint why an issue is happening and then devise a bespoke treatment that achieves a long-lasting solution. For us, slow means that we are doing our job properly!’
For new patients at Pure Smiles, Slow Dentistry begins from the moment they walk into the practice. The atmosphere is calm and the team friendly and unhurried. ‘When someone feels comfortable, they immediately relax,’ says Shiraz. ‘We then allocate 45 minutes for the initial consultation, and that’s quite deliberate.
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It allows us to examine the big picture: to identify if a specific issue is telling us something else is wrong. For example, if a patient keeps breaking a tooth, is that connected to grinding or do we need to stabilise the bite?
‘Often a patient will ask: “Can you just sort out this problem?” Well, yes: Ayzaaz and I are very experienced and can do quick fixes. But that’s not how we like to work, and it doesn’t deliver the best results.’
Most importantly, having no time pressure enables the brothers to recognise signs of nerves. ‘That first one-to-one conversation is the start of building a long-term trusting relationship,’ says Ayzaaz. ‘As people become more confident, they often open up: they may have had a bad experience and need reassurance that they’re in good hands. Of course, when patients feel fully informed at every step, that also contributes significantly to reducing anxiety.
‘Also, we have noticed that with Slow Dentistry nervous people are far more likely to stay to the end of their treatment plan. Otherwise, there is a tendency to complete the first stage, see it as a “done-that” tick, and then never come back. In addition, our use of pharmaceutical sedatives is now almost zero, even for dental implant procedures and more complex surgery.’
Ayzaaz is a qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist and he regularly uses anxiety-controlling techniques. ‘For anyone, the prospect of having your teeth drilled is not top of the “things to do” list! I’ve been using hypnotherapy for 15 years and it has proved a very powerful tool in an environment that can be stressful.
‘Recently, I had a patient with a severe gag reflex. Using hypnosis, everything was completed with no drama and, afterwards, he said that he had actually enjoyed the experience!’When treating children, the Pure Smiles team addresses the “fear factor” in a typically creative way. There are regular Children’s Days with entertainers on site and Ayzaaz and Shiraz attired in SuperHero kit; the practice has a secret weapon in Kiki, the popular therapy dog; and, for both children and adults, choosing what they want to watch on the television above the dental chair has made a real difference.
‘Whether you need a routine check-up, cosmetic treatment or teeth straightening, the Slow Dentistry concept is central to our philosophy,’ says Shiraz. ‘We don’t focus on providing a treatment in a set time: our emphasis is on being attentive to each patient’s individual needs and solving problems in a definitive way. It’s so much more satisfying.’
Pure Smiles
257 New Kings Road
Fulham SW6 4RB
750a Fulham Road
Fulham SW6 5SH
020 7736 6276
reception@puresmiles.co.uk
https://www.puresmiles.co.uk
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