New dental practice in Bournemouth provides café-like experience for patients
A unique new dental practice has opened in Bournemouth.
Smile Stories, which has replaced Castle Lane Dental, is offering patients a different experience inspired by the popularity of café culture. The practice has been designed to look like a café and is loosely based on Central Perk, the famous coffee shop frequented by the characters in Friends.
As well as being able to enjoy comfortable, relaxed surroundings, patients at Smile Stories can also watch TV while they wait or undergo treatment. The friendly team also sends out birthday texts and thank you messages for referrals via text and WhatsApp.
Co-founders Zak Kara and Gareth Edwards have many years of experience in working in dentistry and they have travelled all over the world during their training. They wanted to provide a different, more memorable kind of experience for patients. The aim was to design a setting that was inviting and welcoming and to treat patients to a fun day out, rather than a trip they were dreading.
Bournemouth resident Gareth has come full circle and is now running the dental practice he spent two weeks working at as a 15 year old doing work experience. After meeting Zak at a social in Poole in 2018, Gareth knew that the pair would work well together and they had a similar vision for the future of dentistry. The duo took over Castle Lane Dental, rebranding and creating a unique experience, which catered to the evolving needs of the patient and provided something different.
For Zak and Gareth, it’s crucial that patients feel relaxed and comfortable, and they want to encourage patients to become friends. Going to the dentist shouldn’t be something people fear or dread. It can be a positive experience and patients should feel able to talk to their dentists about anything.
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