“We originally registered with Dr Harrison’s practice in 1990, reluctantly signing off as patients in 2000 when we moved away from Cambridge. However, in 2008 our daughter Polly had several episodes of dental pain and sensitivity that we didn’t feel our existing dentist was addressing adequately.

At that point we decided that having peace of mind and confidence in our dentist was more important than their location, and re-registered at Granta Dental. This has proved to be an excellent decision.
After Helen examined Polly she replaced some fillings which provided immediate symptomatic relief.  She also proposed a longer-term programme of orthodontic treatment to improve the alignment of her teeth, thus reducing the stresses on them and her jaw joint.  Polly started her treatment last year with an arch expansion appliance and has now been fitted with ‘train track’ braces to align the teeth.  We are now nearly a year into the process and so far we are all delighted with the results.

Having sorted out Polly’s problems, the spotlight then turned on me. Helen’s initial examination detected an abscess under my front tooth.  Although I had experienced no symptoms thus far, its severity indicated it had been there for many months. I opted for immediate root canal treatment, which went very well, with none of the pain or trauma generally associated with that procedure.

We then moved on to tackle a tooth with a porcelain crown I’d had fitted years ago, and where I was now experiencing pain. Helen explained that the pain was a localised symptom of a much bigger problem. Over-enthusiastic teeth extraction as a child had left me with a compressed lower jaw and misaligned teeth. Over time this had caused a partial disc displacement in the right jaw and some damage to the joint, which would only worsen if left unresolved. 

She recommended using a removable AFL appliance to expand the upper arch, release the compression in the lower jaw and balance my occlusion. I have now been wearing the appliance for eight months, and find it utterly unobtrusive.  In fact, I would go so far as to say I like wearing it, because it makes my upper arch feel properly supported at last. Once this phase is over, we can move on to the definitive ‘tidying up’ of the damage to my back teeth which has accumulated over the years.

Returning to Granta Dental has highlighted for us the fact that there are two very different approaches to dentistry: one focuses on treating symptoms; the other does that, but then follows up on why those symptoms arose, and how further problems can be prevented. It is very clear to us which of these approaches we feel most comfortable with.”