Dentist couple to open new practice in Fornham All Saints serving the Bury St Edmunds community

A married couple are setting up a dental practice in Bury St Edmunds, amidst concerns over a lack of services in the area.

Flint House Dental, located at the Heath Farm Business Centre in Fornham All Saints, will open on March 27.

The practice, run by Trusha and Dave Carr, will offer a variety of private dental services, with monthly membership plans available for children and adults.

The Carrs have been working across East Anglia, and bring decades of experience to their new venture.

However, they have never run their own practice before.

Mrs Carr said that ownership of their own surgery will allow the couple to bring their own 'values' into play.

She said: “Working with other people, we don’t have that authority to say: ‘Actually, can we do this this way...?’

“Whereas, when you’re the owners, you can dictate how you want things, and make sure that it actually happens.”

The Carrs describe their approach to dentistry as 'patient-focused'.

They submitted their plans for a new practice last April, and oversaw building work at the Flint House complex themselves.

To complete an extension to the premises, they enlisted the help of Mr Carr’s father, a builder.

Mr Carr said: “I was labouring with my dad through the summer. I was helping him knock walls through, put steel girders in, building the extension bit at the front.

“Some local guys came to do the plumbing, the electrics, the flintwork.”

West Suffolk – like many areas across England – has major issues with access to NHS dental services, with many residents unable to get a timely appointment at a local clinic.

In 2021 alone, 344 people attended West Suffolk Hospital’s emergency department with dental problems.

The couple hope that their practice will offer an exceptional experience to patients.

Mrs Carr said: “Just making sure that the patient, right from coming in to them leaving – that’s very important to us.

“Most places try to make that happen, but it’s not always done.

“If you get a rapport going with a dentist, you want to keep going with that particular practitioner. It’s really important.”

Mr Carr added: “We have a very genuine, honest, back-to-basics approach to dentistry. Very transparent, very open. You come in, you get your options.”