7 Reasons Why We’re Different to Other Cheltenham Dentists
Located just a four-minute drive from the town centre, Illume is one of the leading Cheltenham dentists offering comprehensive, patient-focused care. Here are seven reasons to make our practice your first choice for dental care.
As of early 2025, there are over 45,500 registered dentists in the UK. In Cheltenham alone, there are more than 20 practices to choose from, which can make finding the right dentist feel overwhelming.
With so many options, it can be hard to narrow things down and choose a dentist to register with. How do you know which practice will provide the best care? Where can you find bespoke, price-scaled options to suit your specific needs?
We believe Illume Dental stands out among Cheltenham dentists, and there are seven key reasons why.
What Makes Us Different to Other Cheltenham Dentists?
An Individual, Holistic Approach to Patient Care
The biggest thing that sets us apart from other dentists in Cheltenham is our ‘whole person’ approach to problem-solving. We take the time to properly get to know our patients, including their diet and lifestyle, their current comprehension of dental hygiene, and their current oral problems or concerns.
We provide the following services, rooted in holistic patient knowledge:
- Practical preventative solutions
- Diagnostic tests and issue detection
- Recovery support through comprehensive care and regular check-ins
State-of-the-Art Dental Technology
Our Cheltenham dental practice uses advanced technology to provide treatments and run comprehensive tests, allowing us to address and attend to a wide range of issues that would have gone undetected even a decade ago. We’re big believers in ‘digital dentistry’, welcoming innovations that elevate the industry, such as:
- Intraoral scanners, which allow us to take impressions of your teeth more comfortably
- CAD software, which allows us to design fillings/crowns/veneers in life-like detail, ahead of creating them
- EMG analysis technology, which helps us to look at your muscular activity while chewing and biting
- CBCT scanners, which use X-rays at a safer, ultra-low dose and allow us to gather more information
- Jaw tracking and bite analysis software, which lets us create restorations to deal with issues/pains
Our Unique ‘Healthy Mouth Review’
At the heart of our whole-picture patient care approach is our alternative to the standard ‘dental check-up’. We call this 14-point process a Healthy Mouth Review:
- Discussing your smile (what you love and what you’d perhaps like to improve)
- Assessing your bite
- Discussing any pain you’re experiencing (teeth, gums or other mouth areas)
- A screening for signs of mouth cancer or other diseases of the tongue/cheeks/lips/mouth
- Assessing your oral hygiene (plaque, how well you’re cleaning teeth and gums)
- Examining your teeth and any existing fillings for damage or decay
- Looking at tooth wear (erosion and abrasion, whether anything needs treating or preventing)
- Checking problem areas and deciding on treatment options if required
- Examining your gum health
- Taking X-rays if required
- Examining your jaw joints for issues
- Looking into your appliances’ functionality, condition and comfort (dentures, mouthguards, etc.)
- Planning your treatment (routine, remedial or cosmetic)
- Deciding on the timeframe for future assessments (e.g., hygienist every six months)
Breaking this process into clear steps ensures thoroughness and transparency for our expert dentists and our treasured patients.
Time, Communication and Trust
We give our patients the time they need and the communication they deserve. Together, these things build a strong foundation of trust, and that trust:
- Reduces patient anxiety about dental appointments
- Creates a high-quality patient experience
- Allows for the provision of regular, preventative dental care
An initial Illume Dentistry consultation typically lasts an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the complexity of your situation.
We never want you to feel rushed, so we allow plenty of time, and this attitude continues into future check-ups and appointments. We also include appointment lengths in your treatment plan, so you always know what to expect in advance.
As for communication? We keep you informed and involved every step of the way. Before any treatment, we ensure you’re confident about its risks, benefits, and drawbacks. We also make it easy for patients to contact us with follow-up questions, queries or concerns.
Accuracy, Expertise and Quality of Treatment
On top of the trust we foster and the patient-focused approach we place at the forefront, Illume dentists are also highly trained experts in the field. They can tell, just from looking at your mouth, if:
- You bite your nails
- You grind or clench your teeth
- You ingest a lot of fizzy drinks/highly acidic, or sugary food
- You’re on certain medications
- You brush infrequently or have poor oral hygiene
Any of the above will be picked up during a Healthy Mouth Review. Nothing slips through the cracks with us, so we’re never in danger of taking you or your children down the wrong treatment route.
Specialist Services and Staff Members
Not every Cheltenham dental practice will have access to the same number of specialist services and staff members as Illume Dentistry. Our well-rounded, carefully selected team can help with all the following:
- Preventative periodontal care
- Health screenings
- Orthodontics
- Oral surgeries
- Complex restorations
- Hygienist appointments and treatments
- Cosmetic procedures
- Facial aesthetics
- Teeth straightening
- Root canal procedures
- Snoring and sleep apnoea treatments
Affordable Payment Plans
In 2024, over one in five adults reported that they’d avoided going to the dentist because of the cost. In an effort to address this barrier to care, we’ve partnered with Tabeo to offer our patients an interest-free finance opportunity that spreads the cost of dental treatment over a payment plan.
There are no additional fees or hidden costs, it’s quick and easy to apply, and it’s an instant decision (so no waiting around to find out whether or not you’re approved).
Book in With the Best Cheltenham Dentists at Illume
In Cheltenham, dentists are available every few streets. But we’re confident that few of these will meet the high care standard we set and maintain at Illume.
For all the reasons outlined in this article, we urge you to reach out and schedule an initial consultation. We can’t wait to get to work on your Healthy Mouth Review.
