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Seef Dental — Servicing Your Smile

For many, going to the dentist is an
unbearable ordeal. Just the though of that
cold, clinical waiting room with its halogen
lighting and disinfectant smell is enough to
give them the shivers. Add to that the sound
of the drill and moans of pain emanating from
the dentist’s treatment room, and you have
many people’s deepest phobia!
As a result, many people neglect their
dental hygiene, putting off and avoiding
making an appointment for a check-up at the
dentist until, before they know it, they have a
problem with their teeth that needs urgent
attention, often involving a costly and painful
process, like a root canal, for example.
Dr. Sameh Shaheen, founder of Seef Dental
Centre, feels that this is an unfortunate and
totally unnecessary situation. At Seef Dental,
their entire focus is on making a visit to the
dentist as pleasant and comfortable as possible.
You realise this as soon as you walk into
the clinic. Clinic is a misleading word, really,
because at first glance you feel you have
walked into a well-appointed living room —
At the centre, they like to think of it more as
a dental ‘spa’!
The friendly and polite receptionists will
take your details, before gesturing you
towards one of the most comfortable waiting
rooms you will have ever seen, anywhere!
Plush leather couches face a flat-screen TV
mounted on the wall to keep you occupied
while you wait. Water features create a
soothing and tranquil background noise, and
you instantly feel at ease.
In the waiting room, there is also a window
into the clinic’s very own sterilisation room
— what they like to call their ‘open kitchen’!
Plush waiting room
Dr. Sameh, with one of the clinic's
state-of-the-art dentist's chairs
It is on display because at the clinic they are
particularly proud of it. At Seef Dental Centre,
stringent international regulations of
sterilization are strictly followed, for obvious
reasons, and they are the only clinic in
Bahrain to have this facility.
“We have our own water distillery, to obtain
the purest water possible,” explains Dr.
Sameh. “The equipment is then boiled,
sterilised, vacuum-packed and then super
heated to ensure that all bacteria is killed. The
best dental practices are only as good as their
hygiene. They could have the latest techniques,
equipment and procedures, but if a patient
catches hepatitis, then it is all pointless.”
The clinic also has its own surgery, which
makes things much more convenient for
patients. “Surgery usually means a stay in
hospital, because they are the only places to
have suitable facilities, but this is costly and
time consuming. Here, we can carry out
dental surgery, which saves the patient time
and inconvenience.”
Using the very latest technology in equipment,
your usual check-up becomes an intriguing,
rather than terrifying process. Each chair is
furnished with a flat-screen monitor, all of which
are linked to a central computer system. If you
have an X-ray, by the time that you’ve walked to
the treatment room, your ‘jawbones’ are up on
the monitor, in stunning clarity for you to see
and discuss with the dentist.
Friendly receptionists
In the old days, you lay back in the chair,
mouth stretched in a frozen yawn for what
seems like an eternity while the dentist
rummaged around in your mouth with a
mirror, while you were none the wiser as to
what was going on.
At Seef Dental, they have ultra-thin pen-like
cameras that go in, and you can look up at
the monitor and see your own teeth in
stunning clarity, while the dentist gently
moves it around and points out each detail to
you. For once, getting to see exactly what the
dentist is seeing makes for a much more
interesting process.
Any dental practice that can take away the
terror of visiting the dentist has achieved
something. Seef Dental has certainly
achieved this, and then gone further to make
the experience as pleasant as possible.
For information, call 17 587-991.

10 February 2008 BTM