Coventry Dentists

Thanks Guys.

Dental practice "not safe" report

That not safe practice in the article above was my first dentist as a lad. The dentist was a big guy called 'Killer' Cross, and the smell of that rubber mask still features in my nightmares. I remember him forcing it onto my face whilst I fought silently to stop him doing it. Of course he won. I came home, which was on Holbrook Lane in those days, sat in chair, put my head on my arms, and woke up the next day. I later found out he was called 'Killer' because 2 people had died in his chair. I was nearly the third.

I went to a dentist in Spon End 1950 time with my wisdom tooth, well he nearly broke my ribs kneeling on my chest, I was black and blue from the experience, and he only broke it off in the end, app. 45 years later I felt the remainder coming through my gum, it didn't hurt so I left it alone, and about two years after that it came out on its own.

Like Disorganised, I also went to this dentist and suffered much the same with the mask, in the end he swore at me. This experience has remained with me, and I still panic if anything is put over my face/mouth.

Our dentist in the 1940s-50s was Cleverley, Binley Rd, corner Gulson Road. Yes, it was gas in those days, and although removing the tooth must have taken only seconds, my 'dream' during that time was that the tooth was on a piece of stretchy elastic, I thought I heard the drill mechanism, and the sensation was it knocked my head down every time the drill mechanism whirred. Yet no drill was presumably required just then. I believe it was known as 'laughing gas'! I think he was a good dentist by all accounts.

Hi all Hi Prof, Me too. I had Cleverley until I moved to Holbrooks where I had Mr Cross.

This has brought back a particularly unpleasant memory. Like most post war families, after rationing my parents gave me lots of the things they had not had. This included sugar, a particular treat being a piece of rhubarb and a saucer of sugar to dip it in, probably counts as child cruelty nowadays! The result of course was tooth decay and having to have teeth removed under gas. I remember the pain of the teeth being removed and hearing the dentist talking while I was supposed to be under. It turned out that in order to save money he was not using enough gas to knock patients out properly. I heard later he was eventually struck of the dental register, and they wonder why some people of our generation are scared of the dentist!

I remember a stick of rhubarb and some sugar too! At the time it was a treat, also sugar sandwiches. Our dentist was a Mr Mold on a corner property somewhere on the Holyhead Road. I used to be terrified and we had to walk from the city centre, mum promising a little treat from Woolworths if I was a 'good girl'. No mobiles on the ceiling in those days, a smack from the nurse if you cried or made a fuss. He was followed by a Mr Fogg, also rather stern. I'm still very tense at the dentist all these years later!

Good to see this topic coming back to bite us, with all its incisive comments (and the usual gassing about nothing much - rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb!). Extracting the ghastly memories from the molars of my mind, I remember also going to Cleverley. The first time I had laughing gas and HATED that mask (what IS there to laugh at??). To crown it all, it was on Coronation day and all I could eat at the street party was ice cream! So the next time I had to go I was offered cocaine, and thus began a lifetime habit and a well-paying business! I hasten to add, to trell the tooth, that I became a criminologist and I only take cocaine in the form of statistics, but it's fun to see the looks on people's faces when I tell them that I first used cocaine when I was a kid!

I don`t remember the name Cleverley, but the position described junction Binley Rd/Gulson Rd is where I used to go 1960`s. I went there purely because I knew one of the dentists - he was a Rugby referee and often joined us in the in the club house in the after match festivities at Old Coventrians when they played at the top of Norman Place Road. The dentistry was excellent, he was particularly careful to stone down fillings so they were smooth to the probing tongue. In an earlier posting somebody mentioned having some dentist jumping on their chest. Me too - I went as an emergency to one at the traffic lights in Moseley Ave, It was described as a "four in hand surgery" (or something), anyway I think it was meant to operate on a production line basis - the chap who did the eventual extraction wasn`t the one who started the process - anyway, as I say, the chap who eventually yanked out my molar, with what appeared to be a great set of pliers, that I have seen them use on horses, leapt on me and certainly ensured a speedy conclusion.

If I remember correctly, mine was Mr Newbold opposite Hearsall Common.

Sorry to tell you all, you have destroyed my confidence entirely in dentists now.

Wearethemods said: If I remember correctly, mine was Mr Newbold opposite Hearsall Common. Yes, he was mine too for a few years, after Mr Wood, who worked with him, retired. They were both good dentists. Then Mr Newbold retired, and the practice was taken over by a couple of young dentists from down under. Their first filling dropped out after a week. Then I went to Prichards in Baginton Road for over 30 years until he retired last year.