A dental hygienist in Devon has converted a caravan into a mobile dental clinic to help people who struggle to get to a clinic on time.
Former Royal Air Force (RAF) dental hygienist Tara Pile bought the 1991 Compass Shadow in October and completed the caravan’s conversion in February. The vehicle had leaky windows and rotten floorboards, but these were replaced before installing clinical equipment that needed to be signed off for dental use.
She said the mobile clinic allowed her to “be more flexible” and carry out dental work in people’s homes. Ms Pile, who has been a dental hygienist for 20 years, said she had an idea in mind of what she wanted dental care to look like.
“I bought it and when I brought it home and told my husband I was going to turn it into a dental clinic, he panicked,” she said. “I knew what was needed and just tried to put it here geographically.”
The caravan, now called Flossy, is equipped with a sterilising unit, an ultrasonic bath and taps that can be operated by people’s elbows.
“Because it’s a basic procedure, you need a chair, a portable dental unit and you need a sterilisation circuit, so everything has to go from dirty to clean,” she said. “We don’t need a lot of equipment, but we do need specialist equipment to ensure clinical application.”
Ms Pyle, who is registered with the General Dental Council and whose services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), said mobile dental care was a small industry but it could help people have healthier teeth.
She said: “We can make everything more convenient. “The clinic is busy and appointments are taken from 9am to 5pm every day, but sometimes people need to be seen in the evening or at the weekend, and he can come in then. “We can come to your home and treat your family in one go, rather than having to make four or five trips.”
Although she does not provide emergency dental care, Ms Pyle said she hopes to create two more versions of Flossy to cover Devon, Cornwall and further afield.
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