About Russell Street Dental Clinic: There has been a dental practice at Russell Street since 1956. Mr Hart opened it and when he retired in 1986 Mr Rattenbury took over. Mr Jenkins bought the practice in 1989.
The focus of the practice has changed over the years from NHS to a mixed NHS and private practice. The practice is an approved vocational training centre and occasionally has dental vocational trainees working here. All the nurses have passed their national certificate in dental nursing and are registered with The General Dental Council.
Technology: We have numerous high-tech facilities to improve the quality of service including a full clinical and administrative software package that enables us to provide clear written estimates, treatment plans and payment records; the latest root canal treatment systems from the USA which "melt" filling materials into the root canals and an intra oral camera to allow patients to see inside their own mouths.
Cosmetic: In 2002 we installed a dedicated "BriteSmile" dental bleaching clinic. Here you can relax on Tempur cushions and listen to music of your choice whilst your teeth whiten at a remarkable rate. In 2003 we added a Cerec unit. This has been described as the most innovative use of CAD/CAM technology ..... EVER! The CEREC unit allows porcelain fillings and crowns to be prepared and fitted within an hour.
Cross Infection Control: This is top of the list of priorities and we maximize the use of disposables. From March 2007 we will be using a system from Eschmann and Ultrawave consisting of measured concentrations of detergents, validated ultrasonic cleaning devices (HTM 2030 compliant) and a validated vacuum autoclave (HTM 2010 compliant) to clean and sterilise all dental instrument and hand pieces. For an up to date summary of the cross infection control procedure at Russell Street Dental Clinic see the LDU page
New patient experience: A new patient examination is more comprehensive than a routine 6 monthly examination and hence more time is allowed. We will check your teeth, gums, oral hygiene, soft tissues, bite and any crowns or fillings that you already have. We will also discuss with you the most appropriate recall interval for your routine examinations your medical and dental history and any personal concerns you have about dentistry. You may be shown images on the intra oral camera if it helps you to understand why certain treatments are being prescribed. We will take some X rays and discuss a provisional treatment plan. A written estimate will be provided at this time unless the dentist needs to see the X rays before discussing the most appropriate treatments. You will be asked to sign the written estimate as a sign that you understand what treatment is being prescribed and agree to the costs. If you would like a free copy of the images taken at your first exam just ask and they can be printed and added to the estimate form.
Treatment plans and estimates: Sometimes a written treatment plan needs to be updated part way through the course of treatment as more information is gathered and more appropriate treatments discussed and advised etc. Examples of this are when a tooth with a large cavity is estimated as a large filling. It is possible that once the decay has been removed form the tooth further treatment requirements may become apparent such as the need for root canal treatment or a crown. Long complicated treatment plans are much more likely to need modification part way through a course of treatment than short simple treatment plans. if this occurs we will discuss the changes with you and produce another written estimate.
Registration: Once you have completed your first course of treatment you are effectively registered at this practice and have access to the emergency care scheme which means that if you ring up in pain you will be seen quickly. Often this is same day appointments. So long as you attend for regular examinations your remain registered here. Once you are dentally healthy you can join the dental plan which is designed to spread the cost of dental treatment throughout the year.
If you do not attend the practice for 18 months your registration lapses automatically and not only do you have to repeat the new patient procedure but you do not have access to the emergency care scheme.
Referrals: Certain treatments are not carried out here and patients are referred to specialists. These treatments include, orthodontics, implants, complex surgical, complex bite, complex root canal, complex aesthetic, tempero-mandibular joint problems, snoring problems and second opinions.