OUR STORY
Every great dentist has a great story behind them
Riverside Dental was established back in the 1960s in a cottage on the current site and was taken over by Dr Michael Shand in 1985. Shortly after this, the current building was built and Dr Shand operated from here until he retired at the end of 2018. Dr David Rowley joined the practice in 2010 working alongside Dr Shand for many years, before taking over ownership in 2018. We have also been lucky enough to have Dr Kim Mooney working with us from 2018 until moving to Australia in February 2022.
MEET OUR TEAM
Dr David Rowley
David graduated from the University of Otago in 2006 with a Bachelor of Dentistry. He then spent two years working as a Dental House Officer at Christchurch Hospital before moving into private practice.
David has amassed a wide range of experience in general dentistry over his career and enjoys working in general dental practice providing a variety of services and meeting a diverse group of patients. He enjoys learning and spends a lot of time on professional development keeping up to date with the latest developments in the dental fields. Outside of dentistry David is also a whitewater raft guide and on weekends can often be found exploring the beautiful rivers of the South Island. He is a keen skier and tramper, but on bad weather days also appreciates a good board game with friends.
senior Dentist
Dr Sarah Bryant
Sarah is an experienced general dentist having graduated from Otago University in 2008 and has spent her career in general dentistry. Sarah was born and raised in Dunedin but now calls Christchurch home having fallen in love with the outdoor lifestyle here. She chose to pursue dentistry as a career as it is a caring profession that offers a great variety with new developments, learning and work/life balance.
She believes a healthy and pain-free mouth is important and provides treatment in a caring and calm manner. She believes in providing individualised care and likes to make sure clients leave knowing that they have a plan in place to keep their mouth healthy for life. She enjoys the variety general dentistry provides and enjoys restoring teeth to a functional state, getting people out of pain and caring for gums.
Outside of dentistry, Sarah can be found outdoors, in a playground with her two young children or running and biking along the port hills.
Oral Health Therapist
Tayla Lashbrooke
Tayla has lived in Christchurch most of her life before attending the University of Otago and graduating 2021 with a Bachelor of Oral Health. She has been working in Wellington since then before making the decision to return home to Christchurch.
Tayla decided to work in dentistry as she is dedicated to and passionate about continuous learning and being able to improve people's oral and general health and quality of life through dental care. When providing care to all of her patients, she prioritises listening, being kind and understanding while ensuring everyone has as pleasant of an experience as possible while giving practical, tailored advice. Tayla gains true satisfaction and happiness from helping others improve the health of their gums and teeth and providing them with the knowledge and education to pass it on to their friends and family so everyone benefits.
When Tayla’s not at work she can be found at the gym, in the kitchen trying out a new recipe or with her head buried in a book.
Tayla is available to provide Oral Health Therapy services to under 18’s, (Year 9 to age of 18 is free for most treatments) and hygienist services for adults.
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