05 June 2009
Patients visiting the maxillo-facial department at St Helier Hospital can now enjoy a nice sit down - in chairs worth £32,000. As part of a major refurbishment, the department has purchased two new dentists' chairs worth £16,000 each.
Heather Grover is a sister in the department and explained the benefits: "It's the Rolls Royce of dentist's chairs. It's got the usual drill, water and air nozzles; but it also has a de-scaling tool and three sets of controls.
"Most importantly, the operator can control the chair fully with their feet on an electronic pad. This means their hands remain completely sterile during treatment, which minimises the risk of infection."
The maxillo-facial department includes an adult, paediatric and orthodontic service (which treats patients for improper bites as a result of tooth irregularities, or the upper and lower jaw not being aligned correctly).
But, as Heather points out: "We don't just do teeth. Dental work is our bread and butter, but the maxillo-facial department also treats patients for skin cancers of the head and neck, and undertakes diagnostic work for suspected oral cancers.
"The maxillo-facial service is split into two areas: one for adults and one for children, with a specialist consultant for each.
Heather added: "We often have anxious patients who need reassurance - very few people love coming to the dentist! Where work is done under general anaesthetic, patients are taken up to theatre, and our clinicians will go up with them and be the ones treating them - the continuity is reassuring."
The department consists of three consultants, five doctors, five nurses and healthcare assistants and sees over 9,500 patients per year.
The chairs have been funded by the Trust capital development programme, which this year will spend more than £9.2 million upgrading Epsom, St Helier and Sutton hospitals.
