If a visit to the hairdressers isn’t ful-FILLING enough for you, why not combine it with your tooth-hurty appointment at the dentist?
A dental surgery in Leeds has had a moment of wisdom and combined two of life’s grinding chores by offering a hairdressing service to cap off your routine check-up.
Meadows Dental Practice is the first in the country to offer the two-in-one service after taking on a dentist who is also a trained barber.
Dentist Jamie Knowles said: “I trained to be a barber before going into dentistry so both skills come naturally to me.
“It was my idea to introduce this at the surgery because as a modern man with a busy job, finding the time to keep on top of all my appointments in my spare time is a chore in itself.
“This way more people are keeping to their regular check-ups as it means they get their hair trimmed at the same time and can be in and out in less than 30 minutes.
“We don’t offer a full head of highlights or a perm, but we do provide our clients with excellent dental care and a decent haircut to get them on their way.”
The no-frills service sees Dr Knowles give his clients a short back and sides before they take to the chair to be scraped and scaled.
The combination of practices has seen anxiety levels drop dramatically in apprehensive patients, who are much more at ease when they’re asked to open wide.
Dr Knowles said: “Having your hair done is a relaxing experience. Clients get a head massage and feel good about themselves afterwards, so by the time we get round to the dentistry they’re much more at ease.
“It’s a great way to encourage people to get to keep to their appointments, which is great news for their oral hygiene.”
History teacher Michael O’Brien, 53, visited the practice to try out the new service.
The father-of-two, from Bradford, said: “I have to admit the dentist has never been my favourite place, but it’s an added bonus getting your hair cut at the same time.
“It does surprisingly put you at ease, I barely felt a thing when I was having my check-up where as normally all I can think about is how much it’s going to hurt.
“I like to spend my spare time with my family and doing things I enjoy so getting these two jobs out of the way in one works well for me, and helps my diary run much smoother.”
