A former Clydesdale Bank which stood empty for a decade has been transformed into a major new dental clinic, teaching centre and laboratory following an extensive redevelopment.
The new FAME Dentistry facility at 373 Scotland Street represents a £2 million investment in Glasgow, creating a new base for complex dental treatment, professional education and laboratory services.
Spread across two levels, the independently owned centre includes six clinical rooms alongside dedicated teaching, event and dental laboratory space, with plans to grow its team to more than 30 people as the operation develops.
Founder Dr Ferhan Ahmed said: “This is about much more than creating another dental practice. I wanted to build the kind of place where clinicians can treat patients, teach, learn from each other and build a genuine professional community under one roof.
“The building had been sitting empty for around 10 years and was essentially a shell when we took it on, so bringing it back to life has been a huge undertaking.
“I grew up here, I was born around the corner and my first primary school was nearby, so there is something particularly meaningful about making an investment of this scale in an area I know so well.”
The self-funded development brings together three connected operations covering clinical dentistry, professional education and dental laboratory services. Patients are being treated on the clinical floor, while the lower-ground level provides purpose-built space for courses, lectures, events and laboratory work.
The centre is already home to a growing team of dentists, hygienists and therapists alongside around 10 support staff, with further recruitment under way and plans to build a workforce of more than 30 people as the Glasgow operation develops.
FAME is being developed particularly as a destination for patients requiring complex treatment, including cases referred by other dentists. Dr Ahmed, who also owns Edinburgh Dental, an established practice which accepts referrals and offers specialist-level services, is qualified in both dentistry and medicine and has built much of his career around complex surgical work, dental implants, referrals and postgraduate education.
Qualified in both dentistry and medicine, Dr Ahmed has built much of his career around complex surgical work, dental implants, referrals and postgraduate education.
He added: “There are broadly two routes through which people are finding us. Some are referred by their own dentist because they need input from clinicians with particular expertise, while others have seen the building, heard about us locally or come through a recommendation.
“Our referral relationships are incredibly important. When another dentist sends a patient to you, they are trusting you with both that patient’s care and their own professional reputation. We never take that lightly.”
The space will be used by Dr Ahmed and other clinicians based at the practice, while visiting educators will also be able to host training and events at the Glasgow facility.
Dr Ahmed said combining clinical dentistry and education was a deliberate decision and central to the model behind the new centre.
He said: “Education has always been a major part of my professional identity. I wanted a clinic upstairs and a teaching facility downstairs because those are two areas I care deeply about, and they strengthen each other.
“If we can help other dentists develop their skills, bring people together and create stronger professional connections, that benefits clinicians, patients and dentistry more widely.”
The investment has also restored a building which had become increasingly run-down during its years standing vacant.
Dr Ahmed said the response from people living and working nearby had also been overwhelmingly positive.
He added: “For years there were boards, posters, graffiti and overgrown ground around what should be a prominent building. Now there are patients, clinicians, students and visitors coming through the doors.
“We want this to become a vibrant part of the area and a place people are proud to have here. We have only just started, but the ambition is to build something with a lasting reputation in Glasgow and far beyond it.”
To find out more about FAME Dentistry, please visit: https://famedentistry.co.uk/
