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Glanton Bob - Echoes from the edge of town »They say things happen in cycles… The other day I was involved in a car accident and my brand new dishwasher went up in smoke. To try to avoid the third catastrophe someone at work told me to break a match. I couldn’t find one so I attempted to break a pencil and broke a tooth instead…Which led to the discovery that our dentist is retiring after thirty two years…
'But he doesn’t look old enough,' I tell the receptionist in horror. I’m devastated. So is everyone else in the village apparently. I won’t be able to make the two minute trip down the hill to the surgery anymore, fitting in an appointment on the way to work… I probably won’t be able to make appointments at short notice either.
My kids have never felt the fear I did when I was small. In fact they’ve never minded visiting the dentist at all. He’s almost been like a family friend creating a relaxed atmosphere with the radio playing and cheery staff. However, whenever I look at a tropical fish tank I still grow cold as I associate it with the one in the dentist’s waiting room of my childhood…
The Primary Care Trust won’t allow anyone else to take over the practice probably because the crumbling surgery building has health and safety issues with steep stairs and big old rooms. As my dentist explained, we’re not his patients any more; we are the patients of the Primary Care Trust. And they don’t think of the inconvenience to all the patients having to change…
Since April 2006 Primary Care Trusts have had the responsibility to commission primary dental services to reflect local needs. Nothing changed for our family however; we visited the same surgery as usual. Until now. Of course it’s not his fault he wants to retire. We will be sent a letter informing us of the situation with a list of dentists to approach with a view to taking us, a family of four, onto their books. I have no idea how easy or how hard this is going to be. Or we could always go private…
Are we moving towards a new future of super dentists all housed under one roof?
Will all the small family friendly practices eventually be phased out? Then will things eventually move full circle again? Everything happens in cycles after all…
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