Testimonials

 At Granta Dental, we take our commitment to patient satisfaction very seriously. Some of our patients have been kind enough to describe their experience of working with us, and you can read their stories by following the links below.

Mr Acklam: restorations and dentures

Mrs Grove-Stephensen: Invisalign® orthodontics and veneers

Mrs Hill: fixed and removable orthopaedic and orthodontic appliances

Mr Kenney: nervousness, orthopaedics and orthodontics, plus crowns

Mr Priest: becoming a denture wearer

Mrs Walker: implants and occlusal adjustment

Mrs Whiter: orthodontics and implants

 Mr Acklam

Restorations and dentures

From childhood through adolescence and adulthood, I had been less than careful with the health of my teeth - so when I first consulted Dr Harrison in early 2005 I was looking for a way of redressing a very poor situation. 

I could not have asked for a more professional approach. My treatment plan involved both restoration of my few existing teeth and the fitting of dentures that would not only make eating easier but would also provide cosmetic benefit. This type of treatment is not cheap but I was provided with a step-by-step costing schedule which made the decision-making process and consequent financial planning absolutely straightforward.

The course of treatment I agreed took 18 months and was completed on schedule, on budget and as requested in time for my son’s wedding. I am delighted with the result, and have been accused of looking at least ten years’ younger!

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 Mrs Grove-Stephensen

Invisalign® orthodontics and veneers

After moving to Cambridge, I began a search for a dentist who was capable of seeing the bigger picture than just ‘fixing teeth’. When I was a child, ideas of good oral hygiene education were very different (my dentist rewarded me for attending by giving me a bag of sweets, which resulted in a steady succession of fillings). Plus, there was mis­alignment which had niggled away at my self-esteem. In short, I just didn’t feel good about my mouth.

An advert which emphasised Dr Harrison’s holistic approach caught my eye. At my first consultation we agreed that establishing an excellent hygiene regime was paramount, and regular hygienist visits soon increased my knowledge of how to care for my teeth.

I then returned to Helen to discuss options for addressing the misalignment of my front teeth. Because of my line of work, the cost of the treatment was less of an issue than the visibility of the appliance, and we decided that the Invisalign® system (a series of custom-moulded clear aligners) represented the best way forward. And they certainly lived up to their ‘invisible’ billing - the day after getting them, I went to a tango class and not even my dance partner noticed I was wearing them!

After 9 months’ of Invisalign® therapy, we were ready to take the next step, which was the fitting of veneers to four of my front top teeth and two at the bottom. When Helen handed me the mirror at the end of the final appointment, I burst into tears; after 56 years of teeth that were (at best) OK, I finally had a smile to be proud of. My feelings were confirmed by my friends’ reactions when I told them: a literal ‘thumbs up’ from one, and a comment from another that he’d noticed I was grinning a lot more.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing. My front teeth require nightly use of a retainer to maintain their position, but the first retainer set had a minor inaccuracy which resulted in a small relapse of the tooth positions. However, when we realised what was happening, Helen prepared a new retainer at no extra cost, and my front teeth are now stable.

To bring my story up to date, I am currently exploring the options for preserving my back teeth: either a continuing repair programme as problems arise; or a more ambitious reconstruction which offers a more predictable outcome, but at a considerably higher cost. There are complex issues involved but Helen’s collaborative and informative approach means I can be confident of both the support offered during the decision-making process, and the ultimate suitability of the treatment for my specific needs.

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 Mrs Hill

Fixed and removable orthopaedic and orthodontic appliances

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 Polly's teeth, thus reducing the stresses on them and on 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're 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 in which 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. 

Helen 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 with consideration of 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.

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 Mr Kenney

Nervousness, orthopaedics and orthodontics plus crowns

Until last year I had not visited a dentist for probably twenty years. In that time I did not experience a year entirely without dental pain but tried to convince myself that I was managing the pain because the alternative – visiting the dentist – seemed so much worse.

As a child, I had a rather austere dentist who at one point removed four healthy teeth ‘to make room in your jaw’, hoping to correct the overcrowding of my front teeth. Orthodontics also failed to sort the problem. Later, while having my wisdom teeth removed, the surgeon dislodged a healthy molar during the extraction process, puncturing my sinus. The operation to repair this hole proved extremely painful, since I find that it takes more than usual amounts of anaesthetic to make me numb.

All these experiences, culminating in unnecessarily painful surgery, built up in my mind to the point where I no longer trusted any dentist. As far as I was concerned, a bit of toothache now and again was never going to be as bad as visiting ‘one of those psychos’.

But my teeth inevitably declined and life was punctuated by episodes of excruciating pain. On holiday in 2005, I was woken by pain so intense it was all I could do not to scream and keep on screaming. So, what did I do about it? Pretty much everything – short of seeing a dentist.

Then a meeting with a friend in 2006 led to the revelation that, despite now living in Wiltshire, he continued to visit his dentist – Dr Harrison – in Cambridge. Explaining that he had been an extremely nervous patient, and knowing my woes, he recom­mended I visit her for an assessment of the state of my teeth. This personal referral was my salvation. My friend refers to the experience as ‘life-changing’, and this is entirely accurate.

They say that first impressions last, and Dr Harrison makes a very good first impression. You get a strong sense that she and her colleagues want you to understand, if not always the technical details of what the treatment entails, then definitely the why of it. And as I have found, if you ask detailed questions, you get detailed answers. On many occasions I have left a session with a distinct feeling of enlightenment – there are no secrets about the treatment, only openness and clarity.

I am still a nervous patient, but I gladly put myself in the hands of Dr Harrison and her colleagues at Granta Dental because of the confidence that they inspire. At all times I am aware that I am in control, and I am making the choice to continue. I still have some way to go with my treatment and I am actually looking forward to it. For more than a year now I have been entirely free of the pain that once ruled my life. And guess what? I don’t miss it one bit.

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 Mr Priest 

Becoming a denture wearer

My awareness of my aged relatives’ struggles with dentures must have come at an impressionable age. Consequently, I’ve always had a dread of having to have false teeth, and had carried on ‘making do’ with compromised dentition for years. But then the last of my large upper teeth was extracted and I had to give in to good advice,

Dr Harrison told me that my remaining teeth were unlikely to be able to withstand the added strain now being put on them for long. The support of a denture was needed to replace the missing upper teeth.

And so my lower teeth were prepared to receive the new arrival and a bridge was provided over a gap of long standing. Great care was taken in adjusting the bite.

And the result? Well, the denture proved to be comfortable from the beginning. I forget it’s there. I have a full set of teeth for the first time for perhaps 30 years or more. And I bite into anything that I need to - still with a little care at present, but I expect to become more abandoned with time!

I had always thought of the coming of false teeth as confirmation of old age. But it hasn’t been for me. I actually feel younger...well, perhaps not all over. But my teeth feel younger.

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 Mrs Walker

Implants and occlusal adjustment

I have always looked after my teeth. As a child, my parents made sure I never missed an appointment for a dental check-up and since I was born in the age of rationing I didn’t consume a lot of sweets or fizzy drinks. My dentist until I was 21 was a highly-thought-of private dentist near Harley Street who took the first small influx of NHS patients, of which I was one. I saw him regularly but nevertheless, by the time I was a teenager I had a mouthful of amalgam fillings. 

The deterioration continued into adulthood and the result of all my many dental appointments over the years with both NHS and private dentists was a mouthful of teeth that were always causing some sort of a problem. By the time I arrived at my first appointment at Granta Dental at the age of 60, I had missing teeth, crowns, bridges, an implant, had had several lots of root canal work done, and owned a few sad teeth that were more filling than tooth.

My first appointment with Dr Harrison was simply to seek her opinion on a tooth that hadn’t seemed to settle down after root canal work carried out by another dentist. She suggested assessing my whole mouth. No pressure was exerted on me but I knew my mouth was a mess, after all, I had been avoiding hard food for years! 

During the subsequent two years, the rate and scope of the work I’ve had carried out has been up to me, and my mouth has been sorted out at a pace I have been happy with. Not only can I chew things now, thanks to my two new back implants, but also a sinus problem I’ve had for years has disappeared.

I travel from Newark to Granta Dental because in my opinion there is no better dental practice between Newark and Cambridge. My daughter is now also a patient. Because I have paid for the work over a period of time as each part of my mouth has been worked on, it has made it more affordable. I believe it is worth every penny I have spent.

From thinking my teeth were virtually unsaveable, I now believe that with continuing future care, I can hold onto my remaining teeth for many years to come. My thanks go to the Granta Dental team.

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 Mrs Whiter

Orthodontics and implants

It was while driving back from a weekend away that I first felt that sickening sensation: my bridge had become unstable. I had had a bridge for about ten years and had rejoiced in ridding myself of the denture I had endured ever since my two front teeth had been knocked out by a hockey ball. But now I was told that it was irreparable and that my then dentist could not recommend replacing it.

A referral to Addenbrooke’s, where I first met Julian Fraser, produced the welcome information that I might be suitable for implants – and the unwelcome information that mine was not a case the NHS would consider funding! And so in January I found myself at Granta Dental. Dr Harrison’s assessment contained both good news (I was suitable for implants as far as my upper jaw was concerned) and bad (I needed other work done as well). I went away to await an estimate for the job. When it arrived, I was horrified. Spend the cost of quite a flashy car on my teeth? I’d been a regular patient at my dentist; how could there be so much wrong? I threw the estimate into the bin.

Thankfully, my husband calmly retrieved it and suggested we should go and talk to Helen and to Julian, and listen to their explanation. So we did. I then began to understand how the arrangement of teeth in my lower jaw was compromising any successful treatment of my missing upper teeth. Denture or implants alike would ultimately fail unless this problem was addressed.

We saw the point of this and I set out on the path of orthodontic treatment, encouraged by my younger son who had also undergone it, and by Dr Moopen who explained every stage of the procedure. It was at times mildly uncomfortable, but no more than that – and having a 'brace' was a great ice-breaker with teenagers! 

Meanwhile, Helen did some work on my upper teeth, making me a denture which fitted far better than any I had had before. I thought for some time that the denture and the re-aligned bite were going to be the solution, until it occurred to me how lost I’d be if/when I damaged the denture and it needed repairing. I went back to the practice to seek a spare denture and for the temporary crowns in my upper jaw to be replaced with permanent ones.

But as I talked to Helen, I realised that my approach to implants had changed. I could now see that they presented a much simpler solution, and that I had resisted because I had seen it as a form of cosmetic surgery - against which my puritanical soul rebels - rather than dental treatment. Fortunately Helen had decided at the outset that throughout my treatment nothing would be done which would make it impossible for me to change my mind and go on to have implants, and so I was able to go ahead. In October Julian began work on the implants and in the following July Helen installed the final crowns.

My teeth now look and feel better than at any time I can remember. The co-ordinated approach to treatment, broken down into stages and with the cost of each stage set out, made what initially seemed like an overwhelming undertaking proceed smoothly. For the first time in nearly fifty years my mouth is my own again.

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