I recently accompanied my teenager to her dental appointment. Receptionists were very polite and helpful and the appointment was on time. On entering the consulting room there was the dentist whose name was on the door, a dental nurse (I presume) and another staff member apparently doing some filling in the corner. No one introduced themselves to me or my daughter. During the consultation a fourth member of staff entered the room without knocking or introducing herself. She stood waiting for a few minutes before the dentist noticed her and attended to her query at which point she left again. I don't think that it is appropriate for staff members to be present a consulting room during a consultation without introducing themselves and explaining why they are there. It also doesn't seem appropriate for staff members to be be undertaking routine filing in a consulting room whilst a patient is in the dental chair with her mouth open which is a vulnerable position to be in.
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Overall, I think the surgery offers a really good service and the dentists are very keen which is probably because most of them seem to be fresh out of training. I do understand that it is important to provide work for newly qualified dentists but it seems that my dentist changes every time I go. The funny thing is the reception staff get quite uppity when you can't remember your dentist's name but how can I remember when they change every few months?? My suggestion to the practice would be to invest in keeping these newly qualified dentists at the practice longer, maybe look at why they leave so quickly - is it policy at the practice to keep costs down?
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