DENTIST Ray Steggles fears that more and more of us are allowing our teeth to rot because we fear the dentists - and the pain we associate with it - so much that we are avoiding it altogether.

Ray and his brother Graham are now on a mission - they want to change the image of dentistry and rid Worcestershire residents' fears of the dentist's chair.

They have started by making every inch of their practice designed to make patients forget they are at a dentist in a bid to make them feel relaxed when they come in.

As soon as they enter it, patients are greeted by beamed ceilings in a room that looks more like a living room than a dentist's waiting room.

It has comfy couches, a dining room table and special relaxing lighting, as well as a computer connected to the internet and a play area for children.

There is also a ''menu of distractions'' on the coffee table, which includes games such as a levitation challenge.

The brothers are aware that the clinical disinfected smell that can be found in many practices can send people running out of the door, so instead they use a variety of special odours to make patients at ease.

And the practice appears to be a success, with people flocking to it from all over the country. It especially seems to be building a reputation for treating particularly nervous patients.

"If we can help change the stereotype of dentists and get more people to look after their teeth then we will definitely have succeeded in our goal," said Ray.

"We are moving away from the traditional approach to dentistry - the approach which people are normally scared of and which involve inherent discomfort, drilling, noise, injections and pain.

"The new way is a non-invasive, non-surgical approach which is pain-free and has been described by our patients as no more uncomfortable than brushing your teeth.

"There are so many people who fear dentists and we are trying to break away from that mould.

"It is so important that we rid people of their fear because ultimately they are putting their dental health at risk.

"A lot of people let their teeth get so bad that in the end they are embarrassed to go to the dentist, but it needn't be like that.

"We are especially concerned that children are forming a negative image of the dentists, maybe because of a bad experience or because of what their parents think.

"We want them to grow up understanding that looking after their teeth is just as important at looking after the rest of their health."

The Steggles brothers, who are the joint proprietors of the Wharf Dental Practice, in the Old Corn Store, in Lowesmoor Wharf, Worcester, believe they have the key to complete their mission.

The duo have introduced revolutionary technology to their private practice called HealOzone, which promises pain-free treatment to decaying teeth and the end of fillings, injections and drilling.

Conventional treatment for decayed teeth involves removing the diseased part of the tooth, usually under local anaesthetic and using the dental drill, then replacing it with a filling.

This method has worked fairly well for decades, but dentists now say many fillings fail over a period of years and have to be replaced.

None of the tooth is removed by the new system - instead the technology works by fitting a silicon cap over the bad tooth, sealing it, then squirting ozone gas over the surface of it for less than a minute.

The ozone gas penetrates deep into the tooth, killing off the disease-producing bacteria, then calcium salts from saliva flow into the voids, forming crystals which restore and strengthen the tooth over a period of two months and the tooth is less likely to decay again.

HealOzone has proved to be a huge success at the practice, but now even more advanced technology is to be used alongside the machine called Photo-Activated Disinfection (PAD).

The practice is believed to be the first in the world to get the £25,000 machine, which has been developed by researchers at London University.

PAD is used when HealOzone has failed - and increases the dentist's ability to treat 99 per cent of decayed teeth without filings or injection, in comparison to the 80 per cent success rate of HealOzone.

The machine works by placing a dab of special fluid on the damaged tooth and a laser is shone on it - causing oxygen to be released and killing bacteria.

Again, the tooth soon heals by using the body's own calcium found in saliva, as well as a special paste, to stop decay.

It is hoped the technology will be introduced to NHS dental surgeries within the next two years.

"With the introduction of this technology, I think in 20 years we will look back and think the conventional treatment used now is quite barbaric," added Ray.

And he says the cost of this form of treatment is likely to be less than conventional treatment over the long term, as your tooth is less likely to start decaying again.