A Perthshire village is finally gaining access to local dentistry for the first time thanks to the opening of a brand new £300,000 practice.
For years, Killin residents have been without their own dental surgery.
They have instead had to make round trips of up to 100 miles to attend practices in places as far as Oban and Fort William
But that has all changed with the opening of the new Infinityblu Dental Care and Implant Clinic practice.
It has thrown open its doors on the village’s Main Street, with patients queuing to sign up.
Infinityblu Killin practice popular
The opening of the Killin practice has been a long time coming.
Chris Barrowman, founder of Perthshire group Infinityblu Dental Care, purchased the former pound shop at auction over 18 months ago.
His plan was to have the architect designed two-storey practice running before now, but Covid restrictions and planning delays got in the way.
The dentist said there were queues down the street on day one to register.
“There has never been a dentist in the area, and to bring this to Killin and the community cuts down significantly the distance people need to travel to get their dental care,” says Chris.
“We knew there was a gap in provision.
“The dental practice has been incredibly popular, and the community support has blown the team away.
“The fact we are opening as an NHS practice in the current NHS crisis has ticked a lot of boxes for Infinityblu.
“It’s great to see that people have supported us and we can give something back.’’
Infinityblu targets growth
The Infinityblu founder owns a further five Perthshire practices in Pitlochry, Dunkeld, Crieff, Alyth and Auchterarder.
The group also extends to sites in Stirlingshire and the Scottish Borders.
The group was founded in Pitlochry in 2007 and has undergone steady growth in the region and beyond since.
Infinityblu recently completed a £2m investment in its portfolio which includes nine practices in four regions of Scotland.
To date, over 50,000 patients are registered on their lists, with further acquisitions planned.
Infinityblu now employs 25 dentists, five hygienists and therapists, and a further 100 staff.
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