Going Public

There's no reason why high quality dental care should be unaffordable,
says Dr Afeeva of Pearl Dental Care

Ever felt confused at the dentist? Unsure about the relationship between your bill and your treatment? Recent surveys reveal shocking price discrepancies among dental surgeries around the country and patients everywhere have become sceptical. Do dentists just make up a number once they’ve finished treating you?

Well Dr Afeeva of West Hampstead’s Pearl Dental Care certainly doesn’t. He believes very strongly that high quality dental care should be available to everybody at low cost. And when he says high quality, he’s talking about the latest in dental technology in an interior-designed, calm environment. "Private care’s not just for the rich and famous," he insists – "it’s for the public". Keeping prices as close to NHS guidelines as possible, his practice prides itself on taking the mystery out o the appointment: a price list is on display, everything is clearly explained and all treatments and fees are agreed in advance.

After an initial consultation fee of just £12.50 (around half of what many dentists charge), treatments available include everything from simple restorative work to elaborate cosmetic dentistry and a "full smile design" service. Using a high-tech dental imaging suit, Dr Afeeva can create exactly the look you want on screen, starting with a digital photograph of your mouth. Manipulate the shape and colour of your teeth virtually to decide exactly what should be done (how many shades lighter? Are they too pointy/too square?) before actually embarking on any changes. An intra-oral camera allows patients to see the insides of their mouths on screen and digital x-rays, also viewed on screen, offer a significantly lower exposure to harmful rays than conventional ones.

Just four months old, Pearl Dental Care has already attracted a large local client base. Qualified at Sheffield University and with over 10 years’ experience behind him, knowledgeable Dr Afeeva has done enough market research to make sure that his prices are competitive. Very popular at the moment among his patients is the revolutionary non-laser powder bleaching system that uses safe halogen lights to leave teeth gleaming and natural-looking in just an hour, a treatment that’s widely available and reasonably priced at Pearl.

So forget your bad dentist experiences and try out the tooth care of the future. The experience at Pearl is clean, comprehensible and comfortable – and you won’t need to bankrupt yourself to have it. Visit www.pearldentalcare.co.uk for detail of current prices.

Pearl Dental Care, 92 West End Lane NW6 (020 7372 7800)

Featured article NorthWest Magazine, Issue 60, February 2002, page 21