@Smile Dental Clinic are changing the way that consumers think about dentistry. With their experienced and friendly team, coupled with their state of the art facilities and technology, the practice are pioneering the way in breaking many of the fears often associated with visiting the dentist.
Pedro Alves is one of the highly qualified dentists at @Smile Dental Clinic. Having graduated in Lisbon 12 years ago, his interest in restorative dentistry led him to several post graduate diplomas in the areas of the Aesthetics and Dental Implants; areas where he spends most of his clinical time.
“It was going very with my career in Portugal, but in 2011 after two years of deep economic recession, the number of patients seeking implantology and fixed prosthetics dropped substantially, as people did not consider cosmetic dentistry a priority.”
The change saw Pedro and his family move to the UK, so that he could continue to pursue his career and hopes to innovate in the industry.
“Now that I’m fully fluent in English, I’m able to deliver the same level of trust and empathy to my patients as I used to in Portugal, which is essential for the type of high quality of cosmetic and implant dentistry we deliver at @Smile.”
@Smile Dental Clinic pride themselves on offering virtually painless experiences for their patients; a feat that is of paramount importance to Pedro and the team.
“I often have incredibly frightened patients come in who have been completely traumatised by previous experiences at the dentist. My goal is to change the negative views that a lot of people have, and usually I manage to reinstate that confidence.
For those who can’t even think about giving us that opportunity, we can offer treatments under sedation in order to give the best possible experience, without remembering the process. I recently did an implant surgery for a patient, who three months ago couldn’t even speak about the dentist without being full of fear, and we still are very good friends! It’s about getting to know your patient’s concerns and offering the best tailored solution for them.”
Alongside their calm, caring and gentle approach, @Smile Dental Clinic are also dedicated to combating fears around financial limitations for many of their patients. With free informal consultations for aesthetic dentistry and implants, Dr Pedro and the team are able to professionally assess a patient’s requirements, before advising on the cost, process and time needed for the procedure to take place, without the pressure of having to pay for the opinion.
“My patients get to understand the proposed treatment outcome by seeing similar before and after photos of some of my work,’’ says Pedro. “With flexible payment plans available, the team are enthusiastic in showing patients that the aesthetic dental work they want, may not be as unattainable as they think.”
The dental industry is permanently changing as new technologies arise, with Pedro and the rest of the dentists at @Smile continually investing in their education in order to offer the very best for their patients.
“An important part of my income goes directly to education, so that I can be in the position to always offer the best for my patients. It is also important for me to be able to work in a place where the latest technologies are available, and the management at @Smile are continually investing in state of the art solutions. There is virtually no angle of dentistry that we cannot handle. We have all of the education and resources to do just about anything.”
This year, Dr Pedro is finishing the full recognition from the Royal College of Surgeons of England and achieving the title of Expert Clinician in regenerative implantology. Though he’s been fitting implants since 2008, Pedro has been delighted to see the innovation in the industry in recent years.
“I have patients who come to me saying that they cannot have implants, because they’ve been without a tooth for so long that they no longer have the bone necessary for the insertion,” says Pedro. “The industry has developed so much that we can now rebuild the necessary bone in order to fix the implant, which of course can be life-changing for many patients who thought there was no hope for them to have fixed teeth again.”
With their continual investment in education and state of the art technology, the practice has recently introduced a new concept called ‘Teeth in one day’. Working closely with a London-based laboratory team, who flies over to help with the teeth-making process, patients are able to visit the practice on a morning, undergo the surgery with Dr Pedro, and have a full set of fixed teeth by lunchtime. With world-class sterilization rooms, theatre conditions and a post-operative recovery room, the practice are able to assure completely clean interventions with minimal pain and risk.
Pedro and all of the dentists at @Smile are dedicated to providing the best possible service and solutions for all manner of conditions, apprehensions and concerns. To get your dream smile, discover the pain-free and flexible options available to you, pop in for a professional and friendly chat with Dr Pedro at Gloucester Street practice.
