Indra’s blog: About having the opportunity to choose.
- indrarampersad
- Sep 6
- 4 min read
Indra’s blog: About having the opportunity to choose.
I was putting my youngest to bed and while we were having cuddles and a little chat he said the most remarkable and touching thing. Mummy, you know when I got to choose you as my mummy?…. I would choose you again. I love you!
Regardless of how you want to take the first part, he has said things like that before, I never question him as he is 5 and who am I to judge him or understand how the universe works. Obviously the second part totally melts my heart. That’s all you want to hear as a mum. And I am sure when he grows up and becomes a grumpy or testing teenager at times that thought might change. Reality is though that he can’t. I was lucky enough to become his mother and will try and be that to the best of my ability for as long as I can.
Dentistry is different. In the “olden days” you really had a dentist for life and you were a little bit stuck with them. Nowadays, there is more choice. Even though i totally acknowledge it still is a huge step for you as a patient, you do have the option to jump ship if you don’t like the service you get, you have to wait too long for appointments or you feel like your problems are not being solved satisfactorily.
We regularly see people in our practice that come from another provider, who have been walking around for years with problems, like an abscess for instance that they were told didn’t “need” treating. If you think about it: Imagine there to be a bump on your hand that released puss regularly, would you not demand your GP to have a better look and get it sorted? You would not be sent home with the message that it’s fine for years. This is your mouth, where your food, that is supposed to nurture your body, passes first, but then it should be OK? Surely not!
Or we find undiagnosed gum disease, with the patient sometimes aware about some bleeding on brushing, but it was never looked at properly as they got their quick check-up and clean with the dentist and no more than that… and now teeth are starting to get loose and the patient doesn’t understand what is happening. I always say: you don’t know what you don’t know. We are here to educate and help, in any stage of your journey.
Dentistry has changed tremendously over the years. There is no need to walk around with disease and wait for it to blow up. We like to solve dental problems, even if they have been there for as long as you can remember. And you have the ability to choose who you go to see to get your dental health taken care off. We hope we are lucky enough to be that practice for you, to solve your dental problems, whether it’s about the health of your teeth, their function or the cosmetic side. We will give you all the options, explain what is possible and what the investment of that would be and then you get to choose. Only when you are fully informed it is possible to make a decision about your (dental) health. We offer the expertise and the knowledge that comes with that and we hope you see the value and the level of care we put into our work and our relationship with our patients, so that you get to choose us as your dental provider over and over again.
We are lucky and privileged when we get to see our patients grow up and grow older. Get to be a little part of their life and cheer from the sidelines. This year I celebrated 21 years of being a dentist and 15 of those in my own practice here at Berwick Smile Dental Care. In all those years I got to see teenagers become adults and create families of their own.
Patients being proposed to, helping them to create their wedding smiles and being shown their proud wedding photos afterwards. Students moving away to university, graduating and finding their calling. People relocating, but still making time to come and see us. Unfortunately, some of our lovely patients have passed away. It’s the full circle of life we get to have the privilege to be part of when we are chosen again and again by our patients. And we feel honoured and will do our very best to be by your side whenever you need us.
Indra x
Just a small reminder that I am training for the Great North Run. I am taking on the biggest half marathon of the North East in aid of the Sick Children’s Trust and the Tiny Lives Fund.
If you like to know more or help me support these amazing charities, you can do so here:
It is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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