After 25 years in dentistry, Park Street Dental’s Principal Dentist has seen the difference between patients who come regularly and those who don’t. His advice is simpler than you might expect.

There is a pattern Dr Adam Conradi has seen play out hundreds of times in his 25 years as a dentist. A patient comes in having not visited for five, ten, sometimes fifteen years. They have a problem. The problem needs treatment. The treatment is more involved than it would have been if they had come in sooner.

“If you’re coming every six months, you generally don’t need things done,” he says. “If you come every ten years, you’re always going to need treatment when you arrive.”

It sounds simple. It is simple. But simple, Dr Conradi is the first to admit, doesn’t mean easy.

As Principal Dentist and owner of Park Street Dental Clinic in Thame, he has spent the better part of two and a half decades trying to help people understand that good dental health is not about reacting to problems — it’s about making sure they don’t develop in the first place.

So what does that actually look like? He has three rules.

Rule 1: Come Regularly — Especially If You’re Nervous

The temptation, if you’re anxious about the dentist, is to stay away unless something hurts. Dr Conradi says this is precisely the wrong instinct.

“The more nervous you are, the more often you should come — because that way, the less often things need doing.”

Regular attendance — typically every six months for most patients — means small issues can be caught before they become big ones. A tiny cavity that takes minutes to address at an early stage can become a root canal or an extraction if left for years. The link is direct: the less you come, the more likely you are to need treatment you really don’t want.

For patients who haven’t been in a while, Dr Conradi’s approach is never to make them feel judged. “Some haven’t been because of a bad experience. Some have just been busy. Some are embarrassed. You’ve got to find out what’s going on. Communication is key.” The door at Park Street Dental is open to anyone, regardless of how long it’s been.

Rule 2: Prevention is Better Than Cure — and the Hygienist is the Key

If Rule 1 is about showing up, Rule 2 is about what you do once you’re there.

“Hygienists are absolutely essential,” Dr Conradi says. “If you keep the hygienist happy, generally when you see me, there’s nothing for me to do — which is ideal.”

At Park Street Dental, dentists and hygienists work closely together. While Dr Conradi might see a patient once a year, the hygiene team may see the same patient every three months — monitoring gum health, removing the plaque and tartar build-up that brushing alone can’t reach, and flagging anything that needs clinical attention. It’s a continuous relationship, not a one-off event.

Professional hygiene appointments at Park Street Dental start from £81. The practice’s membership plans include hygiene visits tailored to your needs, with frequencies from once a year to every three months, making regular care straightforward and cost-effective.

The message Dr Conradi returns to again and again is this: don’t wait until something goes wrong. “Avoid dental problems rather than wait until you have toothache — because at that point you definitely need treatment, and it’s probably not pleasant treatment either.”

Rule 3: Less is More — Think Long Term

The third rule is perhaps the most counterintuitive one.

Modern dentistry, Dr Conradi explains, is not about doing as much as possible. It’s about doing as little as necessary — and doing it well.

“Back in the past, with limited technology and materials, there was a massive tendency to over-treat, especially in children. These days, with more modern equipment, techniques and materials, we can do much more minimally invasive dentistry. And that’s much better long term.”

The reason matters. A filling doesn’t last forever. It will need replacing, and when it does, the replacement is usually slightly larger. Over a lifetime, a tooth that receives repeated fillings gradually loses more and more of its natural structure. The goal, therefore, is to intervene only when necessary — and when you do, to keep things as small and conservative as possible.

“Nothing lasts forever,” he says. “A filling may need replacing four, five, six times over a lifetime. You want to keep things as small and minimal as possible at each stage. And if someone’s coming regularly, you don’t always need to intervene at all. You can just keep an eye on things.”

Regular attendance makes this possible. Which brings things neatly back to Rule 1.

A Practice Built on the Long View

What connects all three rules is a philosophy that runs through everything at Park Street Dental: this is a practice built for the long term. Not to maximise treatments — to minimise them. Not to see patients when they’re in pain — to help them avoid pain altogether.

“My responsibility,” Dr Conradi says, “is to teeth that have to last a lifetime.”

After 25 years, he’s still trying to help every patient understand what that actually takes.

Book a Dental Check-Up or Hygiene Appointment in Thame

Park Street Dental Clinic is at 34 Park Street, Thame, Oxfordshire, OX9 3HR. Open Monday to Thursday, 8:30 am–6:30 pm, and Friday, 8:30 am–4:00 pm. Off-street parking available.

To book a check-up or hygiene appointment, call 01844 215404. New patients welcome.