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Welcome toMilton Keynes Dental CareDavid Gilmartin |
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David Gilmartin is my name. I was born in Coventry in 1956. I went to school locally and in 1979 I qualified as a dentist at Trinity College Dublin. I am married to Nur and we have two Children: Marcus born 1992 and Alison born 1995. Alison enjoys dancing and reading and playing with our dog Romeo, she was at school at the Grove Independent School and then at Swanbourne House but is now at Oundle School with Marcus.
Marcus, was at School at the Grove Independent School and is now away at Oundle School, he enjoys playing football and was signed up with Wycombe Wanderers for two seasons. His favourite game is now Golf: he plays off 10.I worked in three practices before buying the Surgery in Conniburrow. I bought the practice in 1987. I actually started working from home providing an Emergency Dental Service before I bought the practice in Conniburrow. In 1987 practically nobody was providing emergency care outside surgery hours. I was really busy. Every since then we have built up a reputation for seeing patients in pain quickly and giving them a high priority. When I bought the practice I started with my first Hygienist. I have always believed that good dental care requires a hygienist. I think this is borne out by the fact that practices that have one are almost always the practices with the best reputations locally. In 1992 I got married to Nur and that saw a change in the way the practice was run. We started a program ofregular refurbishment and improvements which continue. In 2000 we changed the name of the practice to MK Dental Care, because it reflects that we offer dental care to patients right across the city and beyond. I have never wanted to own a large practice. I think it's because when you work in a large practice you lose the contact with patients on a one to one basis. Children are a joy to treat. I now see patients who are starting their own own families whose mothers I treated when she was pregnant with them. Our patients are of two main types. Our regulars who come to see our Hygienist every three months. These are the patients that any dentist would be proud to show off. In fact when we had a locum Hygienist who complimented me on how great the patients were and how easy they were to treat. Its a matter of emphasis.We want our patients to keep their mouths healthy and fresh. The second group of patients are the new patients who come to us. There are two types: those who come because they have been recommended by a friend or family. Many come to us because they want to have
fresher Mouths or
Nicer Smiles. The other new patients are those in pain, and they I enjoy doing postgraduate training not only because you learn new things but because it gives you a chance to meet and chat to other dentists. I do this on a regular and frequent basis. A look around my practice will show you that I am proud of what I have built up. In 1999 we decided to stop providing NHS Dental Care to patients who were not exempt from patient charge. We continued to provide NHS care for children and exempt adults. In 2004 we stopped treating all adults on the NHS and now only treat children on the NHS. There were many reasons why but it was the general relationship that exists between the NHS and appalling levels of care. We are the only dental practice in Milton Keynes to qualify for a "Child Only NHS Dental Contract". Many dentists who applied to the NHS were refused as the did not meet the very exacting requirements. All new patients have an
Initial Consultation and if required Radiographs. We are lucky because we have built up a reputation for good quality and Outstanding Value for Money so we hope we have nothing to worry about . I spoke to a dentist recently who has a practice in a similar area to me. He said he could not understand how we could have built our practice up the way we did. I think it's about a vision based on Quality and Value for money. When I refer to quality I don't just mean doing fillings that last along time, but about maintaining a clean and safe environment and conforming not just to the basic standard of Cross infection control but the highest standard of Cross Infection Control. Two of our team have just won major prizes. One of our nurses was awarded the highest prize for achievement in her Dental Nurse Training by Buckinghamshire Health Authority. This competition was open to all Dental Nurses. This was the first time in 8 years that this prestige prize has been awarded. In addition David was awarded the top prize by The British Dental Association (Milton Keynes) at the end of a recent Post Graduate Education program. Continuous Professional Development is compulsory for all dentists and the prize was hotly contested over 30 local dentists who took part. We are now a Recognised Dental Practice for Dental Nurse Training, and at the moment have 3 nurses who are with us for part-time work experience every week. Our practice offers the chance to use the latest equipment and work with the most modern materials, and in addition we also have a very close working relationship with the local Dental Specialists. In the last 5 years or so we have had 3 trainee Dental Nurses qualify after doing their work experience with us. In my spare time I play golf, Until 2002 I was involved in football coaching and managed a local football team. In 2001 I got my FA Coaching Certificate. |
come to us because of reputation for never turning a patient in pain away or keeping them waiting too long.
