DENTISTS at a new Swindon practice are being kept busy after more than 200 appointments were booked before they even opened.

Eldene Dental Practice at Eldene Medical Centre opened just four weeks ago and with no cap on the number of patients they will take on, dentist Sharon Jacob is expecting an extension may be on the cards already.

The practice is the twenty-third to be set up in Swindon, addressing the ongoing demand for NHS appointments.

Ms Jacob, who has been in dentistry for 12 years, said: “There is a real demand for dentists in Swindon and we will never turn someone away.

“The demand was clear from the 200 patients we had waiting to see us before we even opened.”

The practice has two dental surgeries with room for another at a later date.

Ms Jacob and colleague Sam Devlia are running the service but in time it is hoped another dentist will join the team.

“The demand is there so there is potential for it to grow in the future,” Ms Jacob said.

“We’re delighted to be part of the medical centre as well because it is much more convenient for our patients to have the services under one roof.”

Eldene Dental Practice performs all basic dental surgeries from fillings to extraction.

The opening of the new surgery comes just over a year after the Adver revealed that the number of people going to Great Western Hospital to have teeth removed had shot up by more than 60 per cent in a single year.

Department of Health figures for 2007/08 showed 1,184 people had teeth removed at GWH – up from 727 the previous year.

Patients in 2008 included 506 children aged six to 18, and 95 aged five and under.

Ministers said the figures indicated that patients who found it difficult to see a dentist following the Government’s NHS dental reforms were ignoring minor problems until hospital treatment was needed.

Ms Jacob said : “There’s no cap on the amount of people we can accept and with some of the people I have seen going without an appointment for 10 years, it’s with good reason.”

Eldene Dental Practice is open Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 5pm. To book an appointment call 01793 530784.