The Calming Dentist

25/05/2026

15/04/2026

Today, a gentleman said to me, “Now, if you tut when you see my mouth, I’m walking straight out that door. Because it’s happened before.”

Unfortunately I hear stories like this a lot.

Often people’s bad experiences are not actually to do with the dentistry, it’s about how they were made to feel by the dentist.

Allow them to feel safe. Allow them to feel comfortable. Allow them to feel relief. Relief that you’re different from that dentist.

27/03/2026

“I am so happy now i can smile again!
I wouldn’t smile before as my teeth were so bad”

Before her first visit, I asked Angela if she had any questions. She asked “Will I be able to have healthy white teeth again?”

I think this photo answers your question!

Angela had disliked the appearance of the teeth for a long time and had always wanted to get them looking good again.

She hated the sounds, the needles and the smell of the dentist so we had to figure out a way of making progress in a way that made things as smooth and as comfortable as possible for her.

Gradually, she got the mouth healthier bit by bit and before long, we were able to move on to improving the smile as well.

This has made a huge difference to Angela. She can’t believe that these are her teeth! She was giddy with excitement when she saw them the first time!

It’s just so lovely to see people achieve their goals.
You had a fantastic attitude all the way through Angela and you should be so proud of yourself. Delighted you have a beautiful smile to show off for all your efforts!

We’re all so pleased for you.
Niall, Lucy and Team

12/03/2026

Up to 60% of the people sitting in your waiting room today have experienced trauma. Many of them are already dreading what comes next.

Trauma Informed Care isn't about having all the answers. It's about slowing down, noticing, and creating a space where someone can feel safe enough to receive the care they deserve.

The dental environment asks a lot of people, lie back, open up, let a person into your personal space. For someone carrying trauma, that's not a small ask.
Swipe through to see what this looks like in practice at Boyne Dental, and why we believe it matters for every member of the team, not just the dentist in the chair.
If this resonates with you, share it with someone in your practice.

02/03/2026

Ok, so it’s been quite an emotional journey for Sarah.

Sarah started following this page back in Apil 2021.

Every so often, she’d reply to one of my stories and explain her hopes to initiate the process and get in.
But when we’re so nervous about something, it’s one thing having good intentions. It’s another thing actually doing it. It’s tough.

Remember that booking that first can be one of the biggest challenges so if you’re finding difficult, that’s ok. But I assure you that once you get in the door and take that step, it will be the start of a positive journey with so much to gain.

Unfortunately for Sarah, in August 2025, it was taken out of her hands when a fall meant she actually completely lost her front tooth and she split her lip.

She DM’ed in a panic about her tooth and what to do. She had no option but to come in for that all important first visit.

We were able to get her in promptly, do our initial consultation and make plans for making progress as swiftly as we could for her.

In that 6 months, I’m pleased to say we have transformed Sarah’s mouth, smile and, most importantly, how she feels about dental care.

Her attitude and approach throughout have been amazing. She has taken any short notice gap that she could and made incredible progress with a wide variety of treatments. Including procedures she would have absolutely dreaded.

I need to mention the help of Lucy and how much of a difference she made to Sarah. They’re like two buds out for a glass of wine the way they have the chats when she’s in haha! That rapport, connection and sense of safety that can be provided by a dental nurse is soooo important and can not be underestimated in the role it can play in someone’s dental journey.

Sarah, you can be so proud of yourself. You’ve reached your goals. You did it!

23/02/2026

When Gary first attended 18 months ago he was feeling awful about his teeth.

When he was younger, he had an experience in a dentist where there was blood at the back of the mouth and he felt he couldn’t breathe. This has contributed to a hypersensitive gag reflex that has made routine dental care impossible over the years.

Gary’s gag reflex is so sensitive that even a cold breeze can set it off! This obviously makes tooth brushing incredibly challenging and limited in effectiveness.

It can understandably become a barrier to care. Particularly if it is met with frustration from the dentist.

A vicious cycle of avoidance and deterioration of the teeth can lead to very strong emotions of embarrassment and shame. That is where Gary was at when he attended Boyne Dental first.

His family were all at him to act and he was looking for a solution.

We sat down and had a chat and discussed things we could do to help.

We subsequently used intravenous sedation to get the mouth healthy, improve the appearance of the front teeth and we got Gary smiling again.

What is incredible is that, this week he returned and we used the lighter, inhalation sedation combined with relaxation techniques and sitting up in the chair, and we managed to do a full check up and professional cleaning! This is such awesome news because it blows open the door to sustainable, routine dental care. And long term, that hugely improves the chances of Gary retaining and functional dentition and a lovely big smile like this!

Fair play to you Gary. We know how big a deal this was for you.

We’re so pleased we could help make a difference to you.

Niall and team

15/01/2026

Building trust is a gradual process.

I don’t expect you to trust us yet.

We have to earn that trust.

Just as we did here ☺️

12/01/2026

Would you take a look at Ursula’s beautiful smile!!

Well, it’s been a journey for Ursula but she cannot believe she’s at the point where her smile is finally one to be very, very proud of.

She was thrilled to be able to smile for photos as well as enjoying a comfortable, painless, healthy mouth over the Christmas period.

Back in 2023 at the start of her journey, I asked Ursula “what are your goals?” on our dental anxiety questionnaire.
This was her answer:
“Healthy, happy smile, to not fear the dentist and trust the process”

I think we can safely say that her goals have all been achieved!

So pleased for you Ursula. You deserve this!
You should be so proud of yourself.

Niall