In February 2020 I was lucky enough to join a group of fellow dentists and support team members to go to India to provide dental care with the charity Smilestar. Smilestar is a charity that was set up 10 years ago by fellow dentist Mitesh Badiani to provide basic dental care in some of the poorest countries of the world.
We flew to New Delhi and then onto Rajkot, followed by a 3 hour minibus drive to Khambalia where we were based. After around 24 hours of travel door to door, we got a good night’s sleep and were ready to start work the next day. Smilestar had built a hospital in Khambalia and we started seeing patient there. When we arrived at the hospital, the welcome that we got was incredible, they were so happy to see us.
The set up was very basic, just a chair in one large room, no such thing as patient confidentiality in India. We each had a translator who would explain the problem, all we could do was take out painful teeth or refer to the hospital for actual treatment. In the part of India that we were in, Gujarat, there is a significant problem with diabetes and high blood pressure, this results in a lot of gum disease and wobbly teeth that needed to come out.
We had brought all our equipment such as forceps, syringes and local anaesthetics so we were able to make sure that everyone we saw could have pain free treatment and we took out a lot of teeth. There were no x-ray facilities, no suction, no dental chairs, it was very different to how I normally work at Evolve. We saw everyone who needed to be seen and it was a very busy clinic.
Over the next few days, we went to different villages where we were always welcomed like rock stars and we took out hundreds of teeth. Between the 4 dentists and 1 doctor, we saw around 600 patients whilst we were there.
I had never been to India and it was a fantastic experience, I absolutely loved it all. I think we saw a tiny part of real India, we didn’t see any other Westerners whilst we were there until we got back to the airport in Rajkot. The food was incredible, Gujarat is a vegetarian state, so no meat, just a lot of delicious vegetable curries. It was such a colourful place, all the women dressed in the most beautiful saris, and it was so incredibly busy everywhere we went. I made some great friends too.
I feel very humbled and honoured to have had such an experience and thank everyone who supported me which allowed me to get a lot of people out of dental pain. I am already thinking which trip I can do next year…..
BRACES
BONDING
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Today we’re sending all our love and best wishes to Dr. Yasmin as she begins her maternity leave to welcome her first baby! 🍼✨
We’re so excited for this beautiful new chapter and can’t wait to meet the little one. 💛
Thank you, @sarahtynanflowers for the stunning bouquet to mark the occasion – absolutely perfect as always! 💐
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✨ We’re looking for a talented Dental Hygienist to join our award-winning private practice in Portishead!
✔ Salaried role (Thursdays)
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✔ Excellent patient care focus
If you’re passionate about dentistry and want to work in an inspiring environment, we’d love to hear from you!
👉 Find out more & apply: https://evolve-dentistry.co.uk/recruitment/
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Well done to Maggie who completed the Bristol triathlon today, we are all very proud of you, amazing achievement.
😬 Sensitive teeth? You’re not alone.
Hot drinks, cold air, or sweet treats making you wince? 🥶☕🍦
Dr Maggie from Evolve Dentistry Portishead is here to help! 🎥
In our latest video, she explains:
✨ What causes sensitive teeth
🦷 What you can do at home
👩⚕️ When to see a dentist
Don’t suffer in silence – small changes can make a big difference.
📍 Evolve Dentistry | Portishead
💬 Watch the full video now
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🥋✨ Celebrating Strength and Dedication! ✨🥋
We’re incredibly proud to share that our wonderful orthodontist, Lisa Hichens, has just achieved her second degree black sash in kung fu! 👏
At Evolve Dentistry, we’re passionate about helping our patients feel confident in their smiles — and Lisa brings that same passion and discipline to everything she does, inside and outside the practice.
Join us in congratulating Lisa on this amazing achievement! 🎉💪
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