Enniskillen practice on the cutting edge of dentistry

Dr. Sinead McEnhill opened Belmore Dental as a single-handed dentist with no patients 21 years ago when she relocated back to Enniskillen. Later, she was joined in the business by her brother, Dr. Joe McEnhill.

The McEnhills and dentistry have become synonymous with Belmore Street for many years with Dr. Niall McEnhill (80) operating his own practice for many years before joining with his children in Belmore Implant and Facial Clinic.

Outside of Belmore Street, another two McEnhills – Conor and Rory – are also dentists with their own practices.

The patient base has grown significantly over the past 21 years. Sinead estimates that 80 per cent of the work carried out is complex treatment such as dental implants, often as part of multi-disciplinary treatment cases.

A great deal of their casework are referrals, explained Joe. “A lot of our patients are referred in for one-off treatments by their own dentists, but a lot of patients will come and go for routine maintenance with our therapists and hygienists.”

Sinead added: “It is mostly surgical cases that we get referred, such as implants, jaw reconstruction, complex cases where people are struggling to function or smile."

Both say that there is a demand now for implant dentistry, for health, aesthetic and functional reasons.

“People want to be able to chew and eat their foods as a basic requirement,” said Joe.

“The alternative is dentures, which no one really likes. The alternative [to dentures are] fixed teeth, which allow people to chew their food properly. It’s a quality-of-life expectation.”

Referencing the aesthetic side of dentistry, Sinead said: “There is a massive situation going on with social media and a version of ‘perfection’, which is nowhere close to the reality that I perceive as perfect.

"It’s a generational thing. You see a lot of younger people in their twenties, even late teens, looking for a version of white, featureless teeth that they see on Instagram.

“Here in Belmore, ideally we want aesthetic treatments that are predictable and will stand the test of time.”

Referencing the phenomenon widely known known as 'Turkey teeth' – a type of dental tourism which sees patients having their teeth drastically filed down into fangs or stubs, to then fit crowns over the tooth – Joe said: “It can be very damaging – that style of dentistry is destructive.

"These poor people do not know they are getting themselves into a lifetime of dentistry.”

When asked if they have had to fix ‘Turkey teeth’, Sinead said: “We see them all the time – failed implants, fractured veneers, abscessed teeth.

"They are horrendous; [we see] people who have had full mouth veneers or crowns, and totally destroyed their underlying teeth.

“The patients are infected, their faces] are swollen, they are in pain, which can also be massively damaging to general health.”

Joe added: “However, we do know there are incredible clinicians and [dentistry] world leaders there [in Turkey], too; it's just not likely they will be advertising on a social media advertisement.”

The practice is regularly filled with new patients, said Sinead.

“We have a lot of new patients every week; a third, maybe even a half of every day, are new patient consultations, because people are now so much more aware of dental implants.”

The work carried out in the practice is considered high-end private dentistry and has a reputation not just in Fermanagh, but much farther afield.

Sinead said: “We have probably created a name for ourselves now; we are a well-known practice for that type of treatment.

"The Belmore name is well-known not just by the general population, but among dentists all across Ireland and the UK."

Part of that is down to the visibility of the dentists.

“ We are key opinion leaders for a number of international dental implant companies, and lecture at conferences in the UK and abroad ,” explained Sinead.

Joe added: “We run courses locally as well. We mentor and train dentists who want to learn a wee bit more."

Both are committed to continued education, with Joe remarking that “every day is a learning day".

There is a desire to share what they have learned, said Sinead. “We are a mentoring practice; we are open to any dentist who wants to come.

“We are using protocols and skills that are taught by the Royal College of Surgeons. Hence, we are an open door, and more than happy to share the various skills we have learned over the years.”

Technology has also reshaped how dentistry is done, with new scanners now replacing the need for dental impressions, as well as the use of Artificial Intelligence to show patients the end result of their treatment.

“Our technology is cutting-edge. People can now visualise an excellent mock-up of their final smile before they begin their treatment.

“It is one of the tools that helps patients to safely decide that this is the direction they want to go,” explained Sinead.

Alongside dentistry, lecturing and education, she is also working on publishing her first book, which will focus on treatment planning in patients undergoing implant dentistry as part of their treatment process.

Ultimately, the reason that the team of 21 people – including five dentists – come in to work at the Belmore Street practice is job satisfaction, which Sinead summed up when she said: “I can’t imagine doing anything else – I love coming to work. You change people’s lives.”