There is something quietly remarkable about a dentist who first walked through the door of his future practice as a 14-year-old patient. Matt Cottam, one of the dentists at Atrium Dental in Camberley, did exactly that. The principal who sat him in the chair as a teenager, Matt Golightly, is now the colleague and mentor he works alongside every week.

It is not a coincidence. Matt’s whole route into dentistry traces back to those early appointments, and the practice he ended up joining was always going to be this one.

“He was someone who kind of gave me the idea of doing dentistry. He was my dentist when I was probably 14 or 15, and he’s always been a mentor of mine, through my training, and now in my clinical years as well.” — Matt Cottam

A mentor before he was a colleague

Matt Cottam — known internally as Matt C to distinguish him from the practice principal — qualified from Birmingham in 2020. He chose Birmingham because, as he puts it, it felt like “the most progressive, or the most forward-thinking” of the dental schools he visited, and the new hospital under construction meant first-rate teaching facilities.

Through all of it, his mentor was the same Surrey dentist who had inspired him as a teenager. Matt Golightly was a sounding board through Matt C’s training, and when Matt C eventually moved out of London after his foundation year and first associate post in Nottingham, the conversation about joining Atrium happened naturally.

“Dentistry can be quite a lonely place when you’re there by yourself in the room, so it’s really good to have these mentors, people who’ve been there and done it, to guide you along.” — Matt Cottam

That continuity matters more than it might sound. Plenty of younger dentists work in practices where they barely know the principal. Matt C has an unusual professional relationship with his — one that goes back more than a decade and is built on genuine trust.

What a 30-year practice feels like from the inside

Atrium Dental has been a fixture in Camberley for over three decades, and it shows in the patient list. Matt C noticed the difference quickly when he started seeing patients there.

“We do have a lot of families coming to see us. Adults that we’ve been seeing for a while, and then they have children, they’ve been bringing their kids along now.” — Matt Cottam

Intergenerational practices like this are rarer than they used to be. A patient who grew up coming to Atrium will often bring their own children to the same chairs they sat in as kids — sometimes seeing the same dentist, sometimes meeting one of the newer faces on the team. Either way, the practice gets to know whole families over years, which is exactly the kind of continuity that produces calmer patients and better long-term outcomes.

For Matt C, it is also one of the reasons he settled in so quickly.

“It’s just nice to get to know patients on a personal basis.” — Matt Cottam

Modern facilities, family feel

The other thing that struck Matt C when he first toured Atrium was the building itself. He describes it as bright, airy and modern, with large surgery rooms and a noticeably premium feel. That combination — a family practice with a long community history, kitted out to current standards — is what shapes the day-to-day experience for patients.

From an in-house CT scanner to digital scanning that replaces gag-inducing impression material, Atrium has continued investing in technology that makes treatment more accurate and more comfortable. For a dentist trained in modern, digitally led techniques, it is a setting that lets him do his best work without compromise.

A small, supportive team

Atrium is smaller than some of the larger practices Matt C worked in before joining, and that turns out to be a feature rather than a limitation. Surgery decisions are easier to coordinate, the team know each other genuinely, and patients are not handed between unfamiliar faces between appointments.

“We have a good team. We’re all very supportive of one another. We have a laugh on a day-to-day basis, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we’re all out to help each other, for sure.” — Matt Cottam

That culture filters through to patients. Anyone who has been in a clinic that feels brittle or rushed will recognise the difference: at Atrium, people genuinely seem to like each other, and the room is easier for it.

Specialist focus, generalist care

Matt C is working towards a master’s in endodontics, the specialist area covering root canal treatment. That clinical interest sits naturally inside a wider general practice. He sees families for check-ups, fillings, hygiene appointments and the everyday work of looking after teeth, and within that he is the team’s go-to for the harder root canal cases.

His colleague and mentor Matt Golightly has been placing implants in Surrey for over 20 years, alongside his work in orthodontics and same-day crowns. Between them, the practice covers a remarkable range of treatment under one roof, which means most patients in Camberley and Surrey Heath rarely need to be sent anywhere else.

What this means for a new patient

Choosing a dentist in Camberley is partly about clinical skill and partly about how the practice makes you feel over years, not just one appointment. Atrium is unusual because it offers both: a long-standing family-practice feel that brings whole households back over generations, and a clinical team that has cherry-picked dentists like Matt C with a specific interest and post-qualification training in the work they love most.

For a new patient, the first appointment usually starts with a conversation, a careful examination and an honest discussion about what — if anything — needs doing. There is no pressure to commit to treatment on the spot.

Come and meet the team

If you are looking for a family dentist in Camberley who takes time to get to know you and your family, Atrium is a good place to start. You can read more about our team and our story, or contact the practice to book a new-patient appointment with Matt or one of his colleagues. If a particular concern — such as root canal treatment or care for nervous patients — has brought you here, do mention it when you book and we will plan the visit accordingly.

MEET

Matt Cottam

Dentist · BDS Birm 2020 · GDC 290331

Matt Cottam qualified from the University of Birmingham in 2020 and has since developed a special interest in endodontics, currently working toward his Master's in the field. He joined Atrium having known the practice principal, Matt Golightly, since he was a teenager — Matt G was his own dentist, first encouraged him into the profession, and has mentored him through training and into clinical life.

Known for his calm and caring manner, Matt is especially popular with nervous patients. He takes the time to get to know each person before treatment begins and uses modern numbing techniques that make procedures genuinely comfortable — many of his patients fall asleep during longer appointments. He is a strong advocate for saving natural teeth wherever possible, a philosophy that runs through his approach to root canal treatment.

Outside of dentistry, his ideal day off would be spent on a sunny golf course abroad, enjoying a relaxing round in great weather.