Nicola Taaffe at West Grove Reviews 16

I cannot praise West Grove enough. I’ve been with the practice for about a decade and have had multiple and varied treatments as well as annual check ups and visits to the hygienist. Before Nicola, I bloody hated the dentist! But over the years, I’ve been so cared for and looked after and it’s a delight to go. (Ok, maybe a stretch talking about going to the dentist being a delight, but you get the picture).They have been so accommodating, and always have bent over backwards to sort out emergency appointments etc, making sure I’m always comfortable. I can’t thank Nicola and the team enough! Finally, they didn’t even blink when I asked for my tooth they had to extract this morning as my 4 year old wants to try and bait the tooth fairy with it… 10/10 would recommend! West Grove that is.. not baiting tooth fairies.

I left the dental practice yesterday with a spring in my step! I had the initial appointment for fitting a new crown to a broken tooth and was expecting to have that uncomfortable procedure whereby a mould has to be made of the missing piece of tooth, using a sort of plasticine. This can often make patients gag. But no! No plasticine was involved at all; instead, an amazing laser scanned my teeth, sending the results to a computer and then sent on to the technicians to make the crown. So easy and comfortable. Just amazing! Well done to West Grove for making this investment.

I was apprehensive about tooth whitening procedures. I was looking for an improvement in tooth colour without damaging or losing some of my tooth structure after poor results from previous tooth bleaching so I booked a consultation with Charlotte. I was expecting that there was nothing she could offer that would be acceptable to me. I was wrong! Charlotte identified a few small areas which were mostly responsible for the discolouration and advised composites. The procedure was done under local anaestheisa and was totally painless.
I had a few discoloured fillings replaced and the yellowed areas due to thinning enamel were covered with composites. I only needed four
front teeth to be treated to completely transform my smile. The teeth are much lighter in colour, even and totally natural looking. I am delighted with the result. The cost was very reasonable and worth every penny!

I have found all the staff at the surgery to be professional and pleasant. Nicola is extremely professional she explains everything that is going to happen and ensures that you are comfortable and continues to check on you throughout any procedure. The environment is professional but friendly, I wish I had gone to Nicola a long time ago .

Always excellent treatment and patient care at Nicola’s dental practice. As a family we have been coming here for 25 years and the team are always warm and welcoming 😀

I just left this review on Google and thought to post it on here too since I’ve taken time to write it:

Outstanding Dentist! I’ve been seeing Nicola since the practice opened, I have seen a few dentists in my time but with Nicola I always had the best experience and won’t go anywhere else now! This practice has completely changed how I feel about dentists. I used to dread the idea of seeing a dentist, now it’s just part of my routine so thank you guys! I have a check up and hygienist every three months through their monthly plan which keeps my dental hygiene on point and it’s one less thing to think about in life, I would definitely recommend this plan.

I don’t know anyone who enjoys going to the dentist 😅 but somehow they make it possible. You just have to experience yourself!
Nicola is outstanding at what she does and she is genuinely caring and the hygienist’s are truly the best, I have massive respect to Jane, Catherine and Jamie every hygienist is truly gifted at what they do in their own unique way! They are all excellent in keeping your teeth and gums to the tee and provide great advice too.

Not sure why I waited this long to write a review but the whole team deserve the recognition for their great work for running a great practice 🏆 Over the years I’ve recommended this practice to friends and family and every one has had the same great experience!

I’ll stop rumbling on about their praises but if you’re genuinely concerned about seeing a dentist, don’t! And check them out! They won’t disappoint!

I had 2 extractions recently - Ben is the expert dentist for this role within the practice.
I’m a nervous patient and had a very bleak extraction experience with a different dental practice.
Ben and his assistant were both superbly reassuring and made the process as anxiety and pain-free as possible.
I fully endorse this dental practice.

What can I say ! Having had horrific treatment as a child I ve had a dental phobia ever since .I cannot praise the team enough especially Nicola and Jane for their patience and care. They are so lovely and put me at ease as soon as I walk in .I would not go anywhere else now and I am just so grateful to them and congratulate them on 30 years 🥳 of wonderful care and to say thank you .

A friend recommended Nicola over 30 years ago and I haven't look back. Nic has managed my many dental health and anxiety issues over years in a patient, caring and professional way. Nic and her team have always been friendly and welcoming making my dental visits as stress free as they can be, I can't imagine going anywhere else! Congratulations on your 30 year anniversary!

Jean and I have been with Nichola for 30 years and always found her very friendly and professional. The practice always make you feel welcome and appointments are on time. Treatment can be expensive but worth paying.

Congrats on 30 years and hers to the next 30 🤣

I have been with practice for around 25 years and have only ever received a professional experience from Nicola, Jane and the rest of the excellent staff. I find everyone personable, friendly and empathetic. The length of time I have been with them should speak for itself.

Had lots of treatments at your surgery and has always been a great experience. I was really nervous about needing three back teeth removed, but Ben was absolutely amazing. I didn’t feel a thing during the procedure and everything healed up so quickly. Highly recommended!

I always used to hate visiting the Dentist but Since going to Nicola i don't mind my visits . The best think was when Nic mentioned having my veneers done , i was nervous at first but it was the best decision i made . The staff are all so friendly and happy when they greet you , i have never seen such a happy smiley team

Horrible! Recommend unnecessary treatment so they can overcharge- I was told I 'needed' a 1 hour hygiene appointment which I booked and paid extra for- It took 40 minutes and the man doing the cleaning spent at least 25 minutes of those looking out of the window, at the time and talking to me about anything he could think of to stretch out the time, he only polished the front of my front teeth- I went to another dentist a few months later who commented that the cleaning had not been thorough and they had missed that I needed a filling.

Most of the google reviews are fake and they offer incentives to leave 5 stars- negative reviews get taken down (mine did). Don't bother wasting your money- plenty of better dentists in Cardiff!

I attended this dentist as they advertised that they dealt with people with dental phobias.
The reception staff were friendly and put me at ease as did Nicola at my first consultation. These are the only positive comments.
The actual treatment I had was horrendous! I needed to be sedated as I have a serve phobia of the dentist.
I was not sedated enough and felt and heard everything that was being done to me, I was crying and squeezing the hand of the assistant, it was an horrific experience that I would not wish on anybody.
I left the dentist in floods of tears and my partner could not believe what I was telling him on the way home.
When I have been sedated in the past by other dentists, I have not remembered anything from the experience.
I would not recommend this dentist to anyone with a phobia who needs to be sedated.
The treatment was not done to a high standard.

** in response to the comments left-

I could not bring myself to ring or email the practice or write a review any sooner than this, as I have been trying to forget about the horrendous experience. I have been left traumatised by this treatment.
I am only informing people now through my review as I would dislike for someone else to experience anything similar to what I went through.
In regards to the comments about the treatment being successful, I have since had to visit my regular dentist and have further treatment because of what had been done at your practice.
In regards to the sedation, all the treatment I have had previously under sedation, I have never remembered, heard or felt, and if you read up on sedation, this is the typical case for procedures under sedation.
When sedated the patient should not remember the experience, unfortunately, this was not the case when I had work done at this practice.
I would not return to this practice for a follow-up or any treatment again and feel people should know the good and bad experiences that take place at any organisation .

At the outset, I'd like it be known that I have no problem with the professional standards of dentistry at this practice. I'm not professionally qualified as a dentist and to comment on the dentistry would be misleading.

I visited this practice in early 2019, having had a slight bit damage to an otherwise set of healthy teeth. I would describe the attitude of the practice manager (according to her badge) as haughty and supercilious but that just be how I viewed her. Undeterred, I pressed ahead with my appointment.

On entering the surgery, I was surprised and delighted to see the daughter of a an ex-colleague of mine. The ex-colleague and I used to frequent the golf course together very frequently though sadly, not as often as I would like since I have retired. Of course, I was pleased to see her and exchanged pleasantries with her. She seemed a little nervous and subdued and you could see by the look on the face of Nicola Taaffe that this personal interaction disgusted her. The young dental nurse seemed absolutely terrified of Nicola and throughout the procedure, Nicola Taaffe was short and abrupt with her. This might have been due to the fact that she was carrying out professional and detailed medical procedures, but she was aggressively snatching tools from her. I felt no pain as a result of the procedure, just incredible uncomfortable because of the position of the poor dental nurse.

I spoke to my ex-colleague a couple of months later and mentioned my experience. He phoned me a few days later and said thank you for my concern but his daughter did not want to discuss it, citing duty of disclosure in her employment contract.

A visit to the dentist can be traumatic for some. In all my 60+ years, I have never felt so uncomfortable in a room, despite having traveled the world and met with all sorts of people.