Stafford Dental Centre in Stafford

Warning: Stafford Dental Centre: This Place is a total joke & should be avoided at all costs even for emergency work.

I had to call in earlier this year as no one was answering the phone, when I got there I finally spoke to a Kim the senior receptionist & explained that I was a nervous patient following previous treatment that was done so badly that I ended up in hospital for 3 days.

An appointment was made with Uma the dentist to discuss having a bridge fitted, now I like to have conversations face to face but Uma insisted that I sit in the dentist chair & then reclined it so that I had a bright light shining in my eyes before she would talk to me.
Her English is very bad & I struggled to understand a word she was saying especially as she was wearing a mask, as soon as she knew that I had an NHS entitlement to treatment she stopped talking about the bridge I was requesting & began talking about “plastic dentures” I told her that I had some & couldn’t wear them so she told me that she would order some metal clip-on ones for me to try.

I had to go back two weeks later & bite on some poorly mixed plaster to make a mould, first attempt failed as the plaster had been mixed too thinly by the Chinese dental technician (who’s English is worse than Uma’s) & I was nearly sick as the plaster was running down my throat forcing me to stop the treatment & heave-up the plaster & spit it out in the sink.
Uma then made another batch of plaster which was slightly firmer & eventually a cast was made & I was told to come back in 3 weeks for a fitting which I did.

When I arrived I was told I would have to wait 10 minutes as they were running slightly behind, 40 minutes later & only after asking a receptionist (with no name badge on) that I wanted the contact details of who to complain to outside the practice regarding the poor level of service was I finally called in. Again I was told by Uma to lie down as she was in a hurry & again the bright light was pointed in my face (more of an interrogation than a discussion) Uma then produced a set of pink plastic dentures & began trying to fit them, I raised my hand to stop her for a moment but she would not stop so I had to push her hand away & sit up to tell her she had the wrong dentures as mine should be metal cast ones. I explained that I have plastic ones & I never wear them as they are just horrible and that she was just wasting her & my time trying to fob them off on me.

Uma gave me some speech about new developments in the plastic now being used & I very reluctantly allowed her to try & fit them.

After taking them in & out about 15 times & cutting my gums causing bleeding in the process & grinding the dentures to try to make them fit she secretly behind my back covered them in FIXEDENT glue & told me to bite down hard.. as I did this the FIXEDENT squirted down the back of my throat, I raised my hand to indicate that I wanted her to stop but she did not stop & I was forced to push her out of the way so I could spit the this mess into the sink AGAIN.
After this I got up from the chair & refused point blank to get back in it asking where were the metal dentures she had promised, she told me that she had ordered metal but that plastic had arrived & she thought that she would try & fit them while I was there to avoid having to apologise for the mistake made in ordering.
When I left the room with dentures & moulds in a plastic bag Uma was still apologising for her incompetence.

On my way out I complained to the receptionist with no name badge & requested to see the practice manager who I was told was not there as she only works “Part time” but would Be In Touch, still waiting..

Fast forward to Friday the 28th of August 2015. I had a mouth Ulcer on top of a tooth & in intense pain I called the NHS direct for advice on where to get some antibiotics, I was told to contact the Stafford Dental Centre practice as it was a bank holiday & this was the only place open locally for emergency treatment.

I called the practice at 1.45pm but my call went straight to a voice mail service so I left a message & my contact phone number, by 3.45pm I had not received any contact from the practice so I called again & again over the next 30 minutes & still just a voice mail service so I contacted NHS direct again & they told me that the practice was supposed to be open as listed, but gave me the number for the emergency treatment centre located in the Civic centre offices at riverside Stafford.
I called them but they were closing in 5 minutes & I was told to call back the following morning to get an emergency appointment for antibiotics.

As I was in so much pain I called a friend of mine who works in a solicitors office in Eastgate Street & asked her if she could walk up to the Stafford Dental Centre & see if they were open or not, she called me back saying that she had looked through the window & could see a receptionist behind the counter & a couple of people in the waiting area, so I got in my car & drove into town.
After Parking I made my way to the practice & as I entered there was a girl waiting for her boyfriend who was having treatment & I was then very surprised & shocked to see a girl with long dark un-tied up hair (no name badge again) behind the desk cuddling & stroking a large ginger tom cat who I later found out was a stray called Frank from out the back.

In a calm voice I asked if she had ever been given any training in infection control & pointed out that although I like cats I did not think that the reception area of a dentist practice was a good place to keep one bearing in mind there were dental products for sale to patients on the counter about 200mm away & now cat hair not only on the counter & products but also on her uniform. She said “I will put him out back” returning some 5 minutes later.
When she eventually returned I told her about the Voice Mail situation, and her response was “Oww I didn’t know that was on, there is normally a light that flashes.. "I don’t know what has happened there” at this point I had already had enough of this place but needed antibiotics, the girl then looked at my details on the computer & tried to offer me an appointment for the following day as they were closing.
I told her that after what I had been through just to get in the door I would not be going anywhere without seeing a dentist & getting antibiotics, after lots of whispering with a Chinese girl & lots of protesting from me promising to call the Press, GDC & Care Quality Commission was I finally shown into a room to see Mario’s who eventually after a 20 second examination gave me a script for antibiotics.

All the time I was being examined & trying to talk to Mario’s the Chinese girl kept interrupting saying things like “What your date of birth” “What your address” ETC,
Now I don’t know about anyone else but I find it hard to have two conversations at once with my mouth open & a dentist examining me especially with someone who struggles to speak Basic English.

As I was leaving the Chinese girl shouted to me “You must Pay" I said really how much? "£56.00” I said have a look at my file & you will see that I am entitled to free NHS dental treatment & it was only after going into great detail again about my personal circumstances as to why I had an entitlement did the receptionist say no its ok for now.

On my way out I requested that the practice manager contact me before I set foot in the place again & confirmed that she had my correct contact details which she did have.

It has now been 6 weeks & NO contact has been received from anyone from the practice.. My advice to anyone is: avoid this place at all costs & go elsewhere… no where can be as bad as the Stafford Dental Centre 24 Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ.