It’s a long time to do anything. But the Richmond dentist is doing more like advertising in a shop window than in The Telegraph. They come to stay. They’re here to stay. In fact some people have been here for years – you don’t get that on the internet. Visit us to see our special info!

It’s nice to go somewhere that is not so different from five years ago. There are new chairs, new equipment, but it’s settled down. Familiar. Someone knows your name. It’s more vital than politeness.

Dentistry is normal and terrifying. Although saying “I’m not scared” of the dentist, there’s still a clenching of the jaw as the dentist reclines the chair. It seems the clinic knows it’s not only about the dentist. They don’t want to be rushed. Conversations happen. Questions aren’t intrusions.

There are clinics that pitch treatments. Pitch, whiten, align, reform. Here, it’s a better pitch. They talk about treatments, not pitch. It’s about service, not pitch.

Sure, experience matters. Procedures run smoothly. Appointments are quick. And you don’t panic when bad things happen (they do).

And the experience of having been. You have to be 50 to be 50. It’s different, but it isn’t. People don’t miss that. They discuss it, sometimes frivolously, sometimes with a huge interest in something as trivial as going to the dentist.

And they feel better afterwards. Not just because their mouth, teeth or gums are improved or fixed, but because it wasn’t a bad thing. That’s not necessarily true.