dartmouth dental team
No one loves a visit to the dentist but local dentists Harbour Dental try their best to help make your visit as 'pleasurable and pain-free' as possible. They ensure that the patient's comfort is paramount, make proper use of new technology and have a focus on prevention and good dental health.
Marian Roberts is a walking advert for her dental practice in Victoria Road, Dartmouth: She has an immaculate smile.
She welcomes me cheerfully to their airy and warm building on a chilly morning and offers me a coffee before we sit down to chat. Its like popping round to a friend’s house: everyone on the team is chatting and laughing together at the start of another busy day.
“We are a close knit team and we all get on so well,” she says. “We are lucky to have such a great group of people who work here and it creates a wonderful atmosphere. This is reflected in how we treat our patients. I care deeply about giving the best service – we are proud to help people.”
Born in Lichfield, Marian trained to be a dentist at the University of Sheffield.
I ask her why she wanted to become a dentist. “I really enjoy working with people,” she smiles. “People need to trust the person they allow to work on their mouth – it’s a very intimate thing. I’m proud that our patients trust me so much that they can fall asleep in the chair sometimes! I also enjoy working with my hands and sometimes getting to be artistic when we are working on cosmetic work.
“I take great satisfaction from helping our patients achieve the perfect smile.”
In 1996 she and her husband Keith wanted to move away from their base in the South East to somewhere more rural, somewhere quiet they could bring up their children. They saw the practice for sale in Dartmouth and came down to visit – and fell in love with the town.
“Dartmouth is a wonderful place,” she says. “We live in the middle of town just round the corner. It has been a brilliant move for us – Keith my husband is the practice manager and his background in mechanical engineering really helps when equipment breaks down! In all seriousness we love working together and we are close as a family.”
Over the last 16 years Marian and Keith have built a team around them to provide what they consider to be the very best quality dental care.
They now have a team with another dentist, a hygienist and a practice which uses the best technology and techniques for maintaining your smile, dealing with serious issues and providing great quality cosmetic work too.
“We are proud to be a private practice – we can give our patients the time they need for treatment as we are not under pressure,” said Marian. “We get to know our patients and make sure they feel confident and relaxed as they can.
“I love chatting to people about dentistry and oral healthcare – I am a great believer in preventative dentistry and helping people to eat and drink the right things and brush correctly to give them healthier teeth for longer. I’d much rather have patients with healthy teeth than spend all my time drilling and filling.”
The practice makes sure it has the latest equipment, said Marian, as the best technology can help improve patient experience.
“It’s incredible the difference good equipment can make to people’s visits,” she said. “The new digital X-Ray machine has speeded up our work and also increased the comfort of our visitors too.
“Our patients are our focus – the whole of our team want to ensure that the practice does what is best for them at all times.”
First published March/April 2013 By The Dart
www.dartmouthdental.co.uk or call 01803 835418
