Dr Niamh Scanlon, Dr Roisin McCorry and Dr Laura Connolly in the brand new surgery on the first floor.

Exciting times at Ballyconnell Dental Surgery

Ballyconnell Dental Surgery’s commitment to providing the highest level of professional care has seen them established as a leading practice in the region.

With Dr Roisin McCorry as the principal dental surgeon, the thriving practice has been a fixture in the Border town for two decades, earning the loyalty of their much-valued patients. Located in the heart of Ballyconnell, the practice continues to grow with the arrival of a new dentist coinciding with the completion of a new first floor surgery.

Alongside Roisin and associate dentist Dr Niamh Scanlon, Dr Laura Connolly now joins the experienced team as the practice’s third full-time dentist.

Ballyconnell Dental Surgery is one half of a family enterprise with Roisin’s husband, Dr Aiden Malanaphy the principal dental surgeon at their practice in neighbouring Derrylin. Aiden carries out surgical specialist work such as implants, denture implants and complex crown and bridge work for patients.

Latest scanner

The sister businesses have invested in the latest CT Scanner, which is typically only used in specialist surgeries. In addition to providing standard patient x-rays, it enables assessment of jawbone for dental implants. While scans are conducted in Derrylin, subsequent dental work is undertaken at the Ballyconnell surgery.

In addition to providing general dentistry services, the Ballyconnell Dental Surgery offer root canal, crown and bridge implants.

“We all do a bit of surgical work. I find if you are in a small town or rural practice, patients don’t want to travel to the cities for, say, a complicated tooth extraction,” says Roisin, adding that it is much more cost effective for the patient compared to a referral to an oral surgeon.

Dr Niamh Scanlon takes the lead for patients who require ‘Inman aligners’ to straighten mildly crowded anterior teeth. With this revolutionary appliance, the majority of cases can often straighten teeth within 20 weeks. In complex cases they refer patients to a specialist orthodontist in this field.

Third surgery

To ensure they can meet their growing demand Ballyconnell Dental Surgery has expanded into the premises’ first floor to now include a third surgery along with a beautifully furnished waiting room. The first floor also houses their dental lab where they make their own bleaching trays, gum shields and night guards.

The Derrylin native observes that people are increasingly aware of the appearance of their teeth. Ballyconnell Dental Surgery provide a range of cost effective options to brighten smiles, from personalised bleaching trays applied at home to Zoom Whitening in surgery, where ultraviolet light is used to activate the bleach solution.

“It is not harmful, and it does bring up the appearance well and gives people confidence if they have a bright smile,” says Roisin.

To ensure patients have every opportunity to attend the surgery at their convenience, Ballyconnell Dental Surgery open until 7pm each Wednesday, and one Saturday morning each month.

Easing an anxious patient

Dr Laura Connolly may be new to the Ballyconnell Dental Surgery Team but she brings with her a wealth of experience.

The young mother of two has been a dentist in Celbridge for the past seven years and in Australia before that, but the lure of home saw her return to the Border region.

“I like working with kids, and I’m happy to work with anxious patients,” says Laura who exudes an air of calm professionalism.

Laura notes that often those who are anxious about attending the dentist have endured a bad experience many years ago. She assures that dental treatments “have moved on a lot - it’s not like it was back then”.

“Usually very anxious patients need a lot of dental work because they have had a bad experience and have been putting it off and putting it off and putting it off.

“So we would start with the basics and get through the work gradually, and not bombard them with, say, three extractions on their first visit.”

In Laura’s experience, anxious children may well be feeding off the concerns of their parents in attending dentists.

“Children have better teeth now because they are much better educated from a very young age about oral health. But if you do get an anxious child, it is usually because mam or dad are anxious going to the dentist.”

In that case Laura takes “baby steps”, and says it can be helpful for the child if they see an older sibling have their teeth checked first.

Anti wrinkle treatments

Dr Niamh Scanlon is qualified to provide customers with anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers having undertaken the required training. Through word of mouth and referrals from beauticians, this relatively novel limb of the business continues to grow.

“Niamh is very good at giving the anti-wrinkle injections and she only uses a respected, high quality brand,” Roisin assures, noting it is becoming increasingly popular amongst women aged in their 30s and upwards.

While the treatment only takes between 10-15 minutes, the effects should last approximately three to four months, and much longer with regular follow-up treatments.

More mature women may also avail of dermal fillers to smoothen crease lines that develop naturally with age. Roisin notes the surgery awaits their first male client requesting an anti-wrinkle treatment. If any man was seeking to reduce their facial lines, Ballyconnell Dental Surgery would be a good option.

“The good thing about having it done in a dental practice is that it is very private - no one knows you are going in for anti-wrinkle treatment - you could be getting a filling done or teeth cleaned. If you are going into a specialist clinic, it is quite obvious what you are going in for.”