Written by Gregory Gray, Monday 31 March 2025
London doesn’t do permanence. Restaurants vanish. Flats get flipped. Names change on every shopfront. Yet among this churn, some stories persist. One of them begins on Fulham Road over 40 years ago. Pure Smiles is that rare thing—a practice that has resisted the pull of consolidation, resisted becoming transactional, and instead chosen the path of relationship.
Dr Shiraz Akram, now at the helm alongside his brother Dr Ayzaaz, remembers being introduced to patients by their father, Dr Mohammed Akram, who started the practice in 1975. “We’re now treating the children—and even grandchildren—of people he first saw. That continuity is priceless,” says Shiraz. “It’s more than a family business. It’s a generational bond.”
That bond, it turns out, is remarkably durable. Patients who moved to Surrey or Oxford still return for their check-ups. Some plan their travel around appointments. It’s not because they can’t find another dentist. It’s because they don’t want to.
In an era when even your coffee order is guessed by algorithm, there’s something deeply reassuring about a practice that remembers more than your molars. At Pure Smiles, every interaction is suffused with the quiet dignity of long memory. The receptionist asks after your mother’s hip. The hygienist recalls the career change your daughter made. The dentist knows what you’re afraid of, before you have to say it.
This isn’t nostalgia. It’s knowledge. Knowledge that can only be built through time, trust, and attention. “People come back because they feel seen. Really seen,” says Ayzaaz. “We remember who you are—not just what tooth we treated.”
That might explain why the practice’s growth has come not from SEO rankings or social campaigns—but from recommendations whispered over supper clubs, PTA meetings and school gates. Word of mouth, in the truest sense.
Of course, being traditional doesn’t mean being outdated. The practice has quietly invested in technology over the past decade—from digital scans to diagnostic software—but always in service of the human experience. Patients notice that their dentist doesn’t rush. That they’re not being sold. That the practice is designed for care, not throughput.
This approach is, in some ways, countercultural. Especially in London. Yet that may be precisely what makes it so valuable. In a healthcare environment increasingly driven by efficiency metrics and institutional frameworks, Pure Smiles continues to offer a slower, more personal rhythm. One that listens more than it lectures.
“We’ve always believed the patient comes before the protocol,” says Shiraz. “That’s how our father practised. That’s how we continue to.”
What this all amounts to is not simply service—but sanctuary. The patients who stay aren’t just loyal. They’re deeply connected. They see their dentist as part of their family structure. That trust pays dividends, not only in retention but in outcomes. Nervous patients relax. Complex cases proceed without friction. And young children grow up believing a visit to the dentist is no more frightening than a haircut.
It’s this emotional infrastructure—layered over years—that no amount of marketing budget can replicate.
In a city saturated with options, Pure Smiles has quietly built what everyone claims to offer but few deliver: genuine trust. Not as a buzzword. As a way of being.
If you’ve been searching for more than a provider—and are ready for a partner in your long-term health—Pure Smiles may already feel like home.
Visit www.puresmiles.co.uk to book a consultation and discover a new kind of care—right in the heart of Fulham.
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