When I first arrived at Ashley Down Dental Care, at the top of Gloucester Road, I was a little…read moreshocked by the dilapidated state of the building. In fact, it took me a while to find the place, nearly making me late for my appointment. I must have walked passed it about six times before finally narrowing down my search via a process of elimination, using other businesses that had street numbers on their signage, and backtracking.
It wasn't a good start and perhaps coloured my opinion more than it should. But for someone, who has had extensive dental treatment in India, to be taken aback by the appearance of a place is quite something!
The receptionist was efficient but humourless. She handed me the forms that I needed to complete in the most perfunctory manner, giving nothing of herself in the process. I am sure she is not devoid of humanity, and the job must be repetitive, but the abundant indifference with which she performs her role must exacerbate the level of boredom she feels, and certainly serves no-one.
I found Dr Frederick Tomas, my allotted dentist, to be equally cold. Perhaps everyone at the clinic had been instructed in the art of being emotionally disengaged with the clients, just like hospital staff were back in the 70's, (before wising up and realising that this tactic invariably led to people distrusting them at best and surmising that they were arrogant and prone to rudeness at worst). Whatever the case, I felt disparaged by Dr Frederick Tomas's attitude, and would never recommend the place to anyone.
In his defence, I was asking for a treatment plan that he didn't agree with, but nevertheless, he acquiesced to my wishes and removed a crown that had caused my jawbone to deteriorate, replacing it with a new one. My understanding is that that the condition of the bone was not really good enough to support the new crown. Dr Frederick Tomas recommended a less expensive option than the one I was determined to pursue, showing integrity on his part. However, the result of following his advice would have left me without a tooth, leaving a gap that would have been visible when I laughed. I tried to explain that as a woman this idea was untenable, but he just didn't seem to get it. Throughout the course of the treatment I visited the surgery a number of times and always left feeling upset owing to his brusque, condescending and dismissive attitude.
Nevertheless, the work he performed was adequate, and his prognosis was accurate. It lasted less than two years, just as he said it would. But to my mind, the £200 I spent was well invested. For about thirty pence a day I had a tooth where there wouldn't have been one, which is a lot less than I pay for my disposable contact lenses to avoid having to wear glasses. I don't believe myself to be overly vain, I rarely wear make-up, and don't really take a great deal of care in the way I present myself unless I'm working. But I draw the line at missing teeth, and don't regret my decision in the slightest.
Last year I returned to India and had the crown replaced with an implant. It cost me about £500 and the level of care and state of the building was far superior to that of my UK dental surgery. I consider Dr Abraham Sebastian of Cochin to be a friend of mine. His manner is exceptional, as is his level of expertise. After the work was finished I was invited to dinner at his family home, and got to meet his wife and children. It's true to say that this was a rare treat, and not something he does for his other clients, many of whom are from the west. But, I have been visiting Dr Abraham Sebastian for nearly twenty years now, and so his invitation is understandable. We like each other.
