Duthie Dental ★9.9

Still run by the family that started it in 1977

Duthie Dental never left the family whose name is over the door. Sister and brother Marie-Louise and Jack Duthie own it in partnership, with Rosalind Duthie setting its direction, and some nurses and managers have been here over thirty years. Patients first treated as children now bring their grandchildren. The founding method has not moved either: minimal intervention and prevention, the fissure sealants and fluoride of the early years still paying off.

Two sites, one family

Routine care stays in Wavertree. In October 2021 the family opened The Abbey in Childwall, a fully private site doubling as an advanced clinic: Robbie Williams covers implants and oral surgery as consultant and specialist, Nick Longridge is a specialist in endodontics, Orla Carty a specialist orthodontist. Implants, surgical extractions, difficult root canals and braces therefore stay under the family’s own name.

Treatments

Examinations, hygiene and therapy appointments, fillings, crowns, bridges and dentures; Air Flow stain removal; composite bonding, porcelain veneers, whitening and smile design. Straightening runs through Invisalign and clear, ceramic or fixed braces for adults and children. Emergency patients are seen the same day, registered or not. Clinicians here have trained further in CEREC, so a crown is designed and milled in one sitting.

Fear and sleep

Two pathways here are rare in general practice. Procedural hypnosis, taught by John Duthie, is not hypnotherapy: the patient learns a self-hypnosis technique, one to one or in a group, and keeps it for any clinical setting — for anxiety, chronic pain, or wearing an appliance. The second is dental sleep medicine. Jack Bowker fits custom mandibular advancement devices for snoring and sleep apnoea, with a sleep questionnaire completed before the consultation.

Who it suits

Families who want one address for three generations. Adults whose fear has kept them out of a chair for years — hypnosis and sedation are both on the table. Snorers and their partners. And anyone whose dentist has said “you will need to be referred”.

Frequently asked questions

Is this an NHS practice? The Wavertree surgery holds an NHS contract, but its NHS profile states that new NHS patients are not being taken on for routine care. The Abbey is private.

Must I be registered to see a specialist? No — The Abbey takes self-referrals as well as referrals from your own dentist.

What is procedural hypnosis? A self-hypnosis skill taught to you rather than done to you, and it stays useful outside the dental chair.

Can a dental practice help with snoring? Yes — a mandibular advancement device made to fit your own jaw holds the airway open during sleep.

Opening hours