A DENTIST who has had Barrhead families smiling for a quarter of a century is hanging up his drill.

Robert Foggo will call time on his “fabulous” stint at Foggo Dental Practice at the end of this month.

The 60-year-old is preparing to hand over the reins to his 29-year-old daughter Emma on Thursday, December 28.

However, Robert is not leaving dentistry for good, as he will carry on in a teaching role at the University of Glasgow.

He told the Barrhead News: “It has been a fabulous 25 years and an absolute pleasure.

“Barrhead has been fantastic and the patients are wonderful. There are lots of people I’m going to miss. I think I will miss it because I’ve always been a practical person.

“My daughter was always going to take over and Sarah Lindsay will be her associate. They know what they’re doing.

“Emma is very capable and has been here for five or six years. She’s also hands-on, thoroughly enjoys dentistry and gets on great with the patients.

“Sarah came along and is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, like myself and my daughter.

“She has a lovely personality and I thought ‘this is the right person’ – I always knew I wouldn’t leave here unless I found the right people.”

Robert, who lives in Newton Mearns, took to dentistry later in life than most, graduating in 1988 before securing his first position as a dental technician in Coatbridge.

Further opportunities then arose in Carluke and Glasgow before he set up his own clinic in Barrhead’s Lowndes Street.

Since opening, Foggo Dental Practice has gone from being a one-room operation to a three-surgery facility, complete with its own sterilisation room.

The technological and scientific advancements Robert has witnessed during that time leave him in no doubt the profession is heading in the right direction.

He added: “Dentistry has become more scientific and the research is incredible. It’s more modern and the treatment options are far superior.

“You have to keep abreast of everything that’s new but, with Emma and Sarah, the patients are in very capable hands.”