DEC
05
0

How has the 2024 October Budget impacted practice ownership and sales?

Dental Regional Manager, Simon Cosgrove, discusses how the October 2024 budget has impacted practice ownership and sales.

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  118 Hits
118 Hits
DEC
02
0

How to future proof your practice team

With employment legislation and the needs of practice staff changing at a rapid pace, Practice Plan Creative Director, Les Jones, brought together Specialist HR and Employment Solicitor, Sarah Buxton, and Dental Business Consultant, Lucie Simic, to share their advice for practice owners.
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  159 Hits
159 Hits
NOV
05
0

The Budget: Key questions for dentists

Neil_Richardson Neil Richardson of Wesleyan

Neil Richardson is a Dental Regional Manager, at Wesleyan Financial Services, guiding a team of dental Specialist Financial Advisers at Wesleyan Financial Services to support dentists, their families, and their practices with financial planning to secure their financial future.

He answers some questions arising from the October 2024 Budget.

 

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  279 Hits
279 Hits
OCT
30
0

Budget 2024 - Analysis by Wesleyan

“Following the delivery of Rachel Reeves’s first Budget of the new Labour Party government, Practice Plan and Wesleyan Financial Services - have issued a response of the key points for dental professionals.

Iain Stevenson, Head of Dental, at Wesleyan Financial Services (of which Practice Plan is a part) says:

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  384 Hits
384 Hits
OCT
07
0

Should Vicarious Liability Insurance be split among associate dentists?

Commercial Manager, Kabir Ahmed, for Wesleyan Financial Services, shares his views on the topical question of whether vicarious liability should be split among associates.

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1178 Hits
SEP
30
0

Dr Amit Jilka – making a mixed practice thrive

Dr Amit Jilka – making a mixed practice thrive

When Dr Amit Jilka bought Abbey Dental practice in 2012, he was working predominantly as an NHS dentist. However, he knew a mixed practice would be the best way for him to grow his business. “We have a fairly substantial NHS contract with a number of UDAs, so the contract value is so high that I didn't really want to part with that in terms of practice value,” he explains.

Although Amit was keen to add a private dentistry offering to the practice, he didn’t rush to do so. He continued to enhance his range of skills by training in implants and then sedation. Within two or three years of having bought the practice he was able to carry out increasing numbers of private treatment plans.

It was a desire to offer a wider range of cosmetic and private treatments to his patients that led him to take the decision as principal to give up his own NHS commitment and introduce a membership plan with Practice Plan. Thanks to Practice Plan’s years of experience, the conversion process went well, apart from a small dent to his ego! “We sent letters to all the patients that I had previously seen and just stated that I'd be going private thereafter and another dentist would be taking over,” he outlines. “Quite a lot of the NHS patients did go private with me. Surprisingly, there were some of the patients I thought would've gone with me who didn’t. It's always a bit hit and miss. You can't really predict who's going to go with you and who's not, “he says. “I think there was some fear that a lot of patients would be upset by the situation, and we did get a few patients that were upset, but it wasn't as many as I thought it would be. So clearly, I’m not as important as I thought I was!” he laughs. “In all seriousness, as we were still offering NHS services, they could remain with a practice they had grown to trust and still receive the care they needed.”

Separate facilities

A concern some practices express to me when considering a partial conversion is how to deal with the issue of both NHS and private patients attending the practice at the same time. Amit already had in mind an elegant solution to this at the time he converted. “We were building another private building, so we had a premises across the road that we were converting to fully private,” he says. “Which meant we felt we could offer both services and keep the patients separate within that structure. So, if NHS patients wanted more private dentistry, they could go to the other building.”

Benefits

Since introducing private dentistry and the membership plan, Amit has seen huge benefits to the team and the practice as a whole. “Since going private, we have substantially increased our revenue,” he reports. “We've also been able to develop a much larger team as we’re offering more and more different services. The skill mix of the team has increased significantly with our therapy team leading the way. We now have treatment coordinators that are able to scan and do sedation assessments. So just by making that move to private, we're offering loads of different services. This in turn has increased our team capabilities which means ultimately, we’re offering a much better service for our patients.”

Amit has continued to grow and develop the business. As well as the three buildings he now has at his site in Stone, Staffordshire (NHS, private and a separate hygiene building) he opened a five-surgery squat practice last year in nearby Stoke-on-Trent. This squat has the benefit of a top floor which houses conference rooms and a training academy. About three years ago Amit changed the focus of his dentistry and became an implant only dentist. The new premises in Stoke-on-Trent will allow him to run training courses and pursue his interest in mentoring others in implant dentistry.

“At the moment I do one week clinical and then the next week I'm completely admin only. So, I'm only working clinical every alternate week,” he explains. “Probably 95% of the clinical dentistry I'm doing is just mentoring and not really seeing my own patients.” Does he see himself moving away from hands on dentistry altogether? “I don't think I'll ever stop being a wet fingered dentist,” he admits. “I enjoy that aspect of it and I think as a mentor, you can't mentor unless you're in it and doing it. But I think seeing my own list of patients is almost coming to an end and I’m moving more towards being a full-time mentor and trainer.”

If you are interested in finding out more about how we help practices to become more profitable or  you are looking to move from another provider, call 01691 684165 or visit practiceplan.co.uk/

Amit Jilka

About Amit

Amit Jilka is an award-winning dentist and one of the owners of Abbey House Dental. He has been developing the practice and its facilities since he bought it in 2012. He has had extensive training in dental implants and has been placing them for over 10 years.

Amit is the practice Clinical Lead and mentors other dentists in dental implants and sedation. He is a nationally accredited sedation mentor for dentists in IV and RA sedation. His practice is now limited to dental implantology.

Amit has grown his dental practice from a two-surgery NHS practice to having 19 surgeries over four sites offering the full range of dental disciplines. He has grown his team from four staff members to over 100 and recently launched his own training academy.

About Josie

Josie Hutchings has been a Regional Support Manager at Practice Plan for 22 years and has more than 30 years’ experience in the dental industry. Practice Plan is the UK’s leading provider of practice-branded patient membership plans, partnering with over 2,000 dental practices and offering a wide range of business support services.

  506 Hits
506 Hits
SEP
17
0

The October Budget – Are you prepared?

Head of Dental, Iain Stevenson, for Wesleyan Financial Services, discusses what the upcoming budget could potentially mean to dentists and why having a good understanding of your financial position now, could help you get ahead of the game.

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  559 Hits
559 Hits
AUG
29
0

Is your practice team’s service first class or economy?

Is your patient journey the best it can be? Are you confident that new patients joining your practice will be wowed by their experience? Could you do better? Practice Plan Regional Support Manager, Louise Anderson, suggests areas to consider for improvement.

As appointments at NHS practices become scarcer, more patients are turning to private practices for their oral health care. Many of them will have been long standing NHS patients and now that they are being asked to pay higher fees for their dentistry, they may have certain pre-conceived ideas about the sort of service they can expect from a private practice.

On Practice Plan’s recent Workshop Tour, Dr Barry Oulton showed attendees how they could offer their patients a first-class service without spending a lot of money. To be able to achieve this he emphasised it was important not just to meet their expectations, but to exceed them.

Take a step back

To state the obvious, before you can start making improvements you need to understand what’s already there. This will involve taking a step back and looking objectively at how your practice team works.

Ask yourself, “What impression would I get of my team and the practice if I were visiting for the first time?” If you’re to get the most out of this exercise, then you have to be prepared for some disappointments. After all, we’re looking for ways to improve things, so there will be things you see your team doing that you know can be done better.

Define what good looks like to you

To focus the review and make it easier for you to assess your team, it’s helpful to first develop your own ideas of what you would expect as a new patient. That way you can gauge your team against the blueprint of how you would like things to be.

It might be helpful to consider these five areas:

  • Appearance
  • Punctuality
  • Public interaction with team members
  • Behaviour/mindset
  • Skills/capabilities

For each category, write down a few points that you feel are what you would expect from a first-class team. You can then use that as your benchmark and rank your team members against it.

Come up with the standards that you would expect from a team that meets your definition of first-class. This is the sort of exercise that need only take five minutes of your time, so it’s not something you need to pore over for hours!

For example, with appearance – as a minimum, your team members should look clean and tidy. If you have a uniform/workwear is everyone sticking to it or have some people gone rogue and started wearing their own thing?

Punctuality – is everyone at work and ready to START when you open? Or do some team members stroll in on the stroke of 9am and then spend the next 10 minutes sorting themselves out? What about breaks? If you’re lucky enough to get them (and you should!), do some people take longer than they’re entitled to?

Public interaction with team members – is everyone in the team treated respectfully by their colleagues when they’re in public? Or is there passive aggression or antagonism on display for all to see? Patients should not be aware of any personal differences between team members as any clashes should be put to one side in public. Would open hostility be on your list of attributes for a first-class team?

Behaviour/mindset – complementary to the way your team members interact with each other is their attitude to work. Are they enthusiastic and willing or do they sulk and whine? Do they behave in a way that suggests they enjoy their job and want to do well at it or are they just going through the motions. In short, does their attitude and the way they behave enhance or hinder the work of the team.

Skills/capabilities – foes every member of your team have the right skills and capabilities to be able to do a good job? If not, any skill gaps and training needs you have identified during this exercise can be addressed and put right. By doing that hopefully you’ll not only improve performance but job satisfaction for the individual too.

How do they match up?

Once you’ve completed your assessment, you should have a clear picture of the team as a whole. So, do your team members live up to how you defined the behaviours and attitudes you felt marked out teams as first-class when you set your benchmark? It’s likely you’ll have a mixed result, even if you previously regarded everyone as providing a first-class service. There’s always room for improvement, even if it’s only a minor detail.

Another characteristic of a first-class team is constantly striving for improvement. When Sir Dave Brailsford took over at British Cycling, he looked at every aspect of the operation to discover where improvements could be made, no matter how small. It was uncovering every opportunity to achieve ‘marginal gains’ that turned an also-ran team into a world beater. On their own, each marginal gain was negligible, but when they were all added together they made a spectacular difference to the performance of the team.

So, even if you found that your team currently provides elements of a budget standard of service, by repeating this exercise regularly, you can continue to make small changes to refine and elevate things so that, over time, things become truly first class.

If you are interested in finding out more about how we help practices to become more profitable come along to stand K50 at Dentistry Show Birmingham, on 17th and 18th May for a chat. Otherwise, call 01691


About Louise

Louise Anderson is a Regional Support Manager with Practice Plan. She has more than 30 years’ experience in dentistry which includes 15 years as a group manager for five dental practices. Practice Plan is the UK’s leading provider of practice-branded patient membership plans, partnering with over 2,000 dental practices and offering a wide range of business support services.

 

  427 Hits
427 Hits
AUG
21
0

How much do you need to retire comfortably?

Magdelena-03A
 

Magdelena Harding, dental Specialist Financial Adviser at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares research findings that reveal what you need to aim for…

The golden question asked of a financial adviser by dentists is how much retirement income they need to down tools and enjoy life outside of dentistry.

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  927 Hits
927 Hits
JUL
30
0

Do you need a co-pilot in your surgery?

The aviation industry has the best safety record of all forms of transport. This is maintained by meticulous checking and attention to detail. By borrowing a few techniques from flying, dental practices can improve the efficiency of their examinations, save time and increase treatment uptake. Practice Plan Regional Support Manager, Selina Alexander explains how.

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  505 Hits
505 Hits
JUL
23
0

What could the new Labour government mean for dentistry?

iain_stevenson Iain Stevenson is Head of Dental at Wesleyan Financial Services and has over 28 years of experience working in financial services.

What has the new Labour government announced so far that could potentially impact financial planning for dentists?

If we consider what has been announced so far, Labour has said it is not planning to raise income tax, National Insurance, VAT and corporation tax. On the face of it, this is a good thing, although, on the other hand, this needs to be balanced against the fact that income tax thresholds are being held and will remain frozen until 2028. This means that more people will start paying tax in the first place and others will be dragged into higher tax bands. Labour has also stated that their plans to end the VAT exemption on private school fees will go ahead – this change may have a significant impact on many of our dental clients whose children attend fee paying schools.

What might change in the future?

At present there is a degree of speculation regarding what was notably absent from Labour’s manifesto and what could therefore potentially change in the future. For example, there has been no specific mention of capital gains tax – this could possibly be an area for reform in the future. Capital gains tax, as we know, is not a tax on income, it's a tax on assets and the sale of assets – something which could perhaps impact the net returns received from the sale of a practice.

Then there is the age-old challenge around pensions – for the 35 years that I have been in this business, pensions have always been a potential target for change and for governments to try and do something in a different way. We know that the lifetime allowance - the maximum amount you're allowed to have in a pension pot or an accumulation of pension pots at retirement - was withdrawn last year, a welcome change that helped to encourage people to continue to save and look after themselves in the long term. Labour has confirmed that it will not reinstate the lifetime allowance, which is good news for dentists; however, another notable omission from the manifesto was around the annual allowance - the amount that you are allowed to contribute to a pension each year. If we look at pensions overall, they're extremely tax efficient and offer a good method of saving – this also means though, that some of the tax allowances may potentially be a target for change, such as pension tax relief to give an example.

The tax-free pension commencement lump sum - this allows you to take a certain percentage (currently 25%) out of your pension as a tax-free lump sum – is another area that has been discussed as a potential for change in recent years. Nothing has been announced however, and this is only speculation. I am hopeful that this government encourages people to save and look to maintain the tax advantages of pension planning and of retirement planning.

What sort of changes would you welcome from the new government?

I would be delighted to see changes made to ISAs to encourage people to invest more, especially so for younger people. If we think of young dentists who are just coming into the profession and how hard they have studied to get started – it would be wonderful to see some sort of scheme specifically for these dentists, to help them save and to encourage them to build solid foundations for their future as well.

What would you encourage dentists to think about now?

I would encourage dentists to look after themselves in the short, medium, and long-term and to not delay making decisions, with regard to their financial planning, in the event that things may change in the future.

My fear is that while there's uncertainty at the moment around what the new government might do, some people may choose to do nothing and that in itself, in the long run, could be even more damaging. By choosing to wait until inflation comes down, until interest rates come down or until the next budget for example, we miss opportunities; and when the autumn statement does come around, it’s likely that other unanswered questions will transpire. There will always be something else, a war that we cannot control or an economic challenge that we weren't expecting, or another reason to delay and before we realise, six months becomes one year, one year becomes five years and so forth, and then the opportunity has gone.

I would encourage dentists to take a step back and use this as a time to reflect and consider the following: What am I trying to do? Am I doing the best I can over the short, medium, and long term?

Speculating over what could happen is an interesting discussion, but it can also create fear. Therefore, we need to be careful that we don't over speculate and just assume that certain things are going to happen. We need to be careful that we don't just keep putting things off and ensure that we continue to make good financial, well-informed decisions.

Bear in mind that the value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest.

Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may be subject to change in future.

For further support and guidance to plan on financial planning, speak to a dental Specialist Financial Adviser at Wesleyan Financial Services by booking a no-obligation financial review or calling 0800 316 3784.


About: Iain Stevenson is Head of Dental at Wesleyan Financial Services and has over 28 years of experience working in financial services. Under Iain’s guidance, Wesleyan Financial Service’s Dental segment helps to support dentists, their families, and their practices with financial planning to secure their financial future.

Wesleyan Financial Services Ltd (Registered in England and Wales No. 1651212) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: Colmore Circus, Birmingham B4 6AR. Telephone: 0345 351 2352. Calls may be recorded to help us provide, monitor and improve our services to you.

  875 Hits
875 Hits
JUN
12
0

What might a change of government mean for dentists?

Neil Richardson

Dental Regional Manager, Neil Richardson, for Wesleyan Financial Services, shares his views on what could possibly change for dentists under a new government.

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  722 Hits
722 Hits
JUN
06
0

Should you switch or stick? Does your plan provider give you good value for money?

We all talk about wanting to get good value for money. But what does that really mean? Practice Plan Regional Support Manager, Jo Phillpot, talks about the importance of taking some time to evaluate whether you’re getting the best value for money from your suppliers.

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  444 Hits
444 Hits
MAY
21
0

Is your dental practice covered for business interruption from cyber-attack?

Professional Risks Corporate Manager, Thomas Hogan, for Wesleyan Financial Services, outlines the potential impact of business interruption as a result of cyber-attack.

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  774 Hits
774 Hits
MAY
03
0

How Cost-Effective Dental Plans Can Increase Practice Value

As a seasoned Principal Dentist, you've dedicated years to building your dental practice, and now retirement is on the horizon. Selling your practice is a significant milestone, and ensuring you get the best value for your life's work is paramount. One strategy that can significantly increase your practice's value is introducing profitable dental plans.

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  533 Hits
533 Hits
APR
26
0

Protect your future with an income protection policy – Get 20% off Income Protection*

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As a dental professional, you’re constantly busy looking after others and you will often see the effects of illness, and how it can impact on your patients’ lives. 

But have you ever taken the time to consider what would happen to you, your home, family, and lifestyle if you were to experience long-term incapacity due to an illness or injury?

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  602 Hits
602 Hits
APR
15
0

The 2024/25 financial year - what has changed and what does this mean for dentists?

Dental Specialist Financial Adviser, Paul Griffiths, for Wesleyan Financial Services, outlines the new tax rates, new allowances and other changes that have come into effect and explains what these will mean to dentists.

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  1238 Hits
1238 Hits
APR
02
0

Focus on the team as well as the patient – the importance of leadership in a practice

Where there is no vision, the people perish - Proverbs 29:18

As a practice owner do you update your team regularly on how the business is going? Can you remember the last time you attended a team meeting? If you answered ‘no’ to those questions, then maybe it’s time you reflected on whether you’re fulfilling your role as a leader within the practice. Practice Plan Area Manager, Suki Singh, explains the importance of leaders being more accessible and sharing their vision with their team.

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  663 Hits
663 Hits
MAR
18
0

Practice sales – a softening market

What is the current state of the practice sales market? Have all of the old certainties been overturned by a combination of the pandemic and the economic disruption of the past 18 months? How should dentists now go about succession planning? Practice Plan Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel Jones, spoke to MD of Frank Taylor and Associates, Lis Hughes, to find out more.

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  678 Hits
678 Hits
MAR
15
0

The Spring Budget: What has changed for dentists?

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt’s 2024 Spring Budget, was accompanied by a full fiscal statement from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). In any election year, the Chancellor comes under pressure to make announcements that will boost their party in the opinion polls.

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  611 Hits
611 Hits
MAR
01
0

The importance of practice value towards a dentist’s retirement

Specialist Financial Planner, Graham Hutton, from Wesleyan Financial Services highlights how a practices value plays an important role in retirement planning.

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  1095 Hits
1095 Hits
MAR
01
0

A Smart Financial Move for Dental Practices

If you offer private dental plans in your practice, are you getting value for money from your existing plan provider? At Patient Plan Direct, we're coming across more practices than ever before that feel they're not getting the attention and service they once received and are left questioning why they are paying what can equate to a considerable practice overhead.

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  1121 Hits
1121 Hits
FEB
01
0

The Practice Sales Market – shifting demands

    

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  1186 Hits
1186 Hits
JAN
21
0

Estate Planning – How to make a start

Specialist Dental Financial Adviser, for Wesleyan Financial Services, Stephen Barry, shares his insights on estate planning and how planning sooner rather than later can be beneficial.

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  1412 Hits
1412 Hits
JAN
20
0

Do you want to leave the NHS?

Not a week goes by when we meet another dentist who feels trapped in the current NHS system. The continuous issue of clawback, a backlog of patients, recruitment struggles, and more are bringing stress and pressure to many, and it is not what a profession in dentistry is ever supposed to be.

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  1039 Hits
1039 Hits
DEC
14
0

NHS to Private – Is it time to give your practice a facelift?

Magdelena Harding, Specialist Financial Adviser at Wesleyan Financial Services discusses what practice owners need to think about when refurbishing their practice.

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  1567 Hits
1567 Hits
DEC
14
0

The Practice Sales Market – shifting demands

With all the turmoil caused by the pandemic, the Truss government, rising energy prices and the war in Ukraine, the economic landscape has seen some change over the last few years. So how has all this affected the practice sales market? Practice Plan Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel Jones, spoke to MD of Frank Taylor and Associates, Lis Hughes, to find out more about how things are faring for dentists wanting to buy or sell a practice.

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  1430 Hits
1430 Hits
OCT
25
0

The 5 Key Types of Cover for Your Practice

Specialist Financial Adviser Magdelena Harding shares her insights into the key types of cover for business protection for dental practices.

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  1412 Hits
1412 Hits
OCT
25
0

The rise of the squat practice

With the issues of patient access to dentistry showing no signs of resolving themselves, could now be the time to consider opening a squat practice? Is it a realistic option for dentists to own their own practice? Mike Blenkharn of UNW, and dental business coach, Chris Barrow, discussed this topic during a session recently at the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show, hosted by Practice Plan Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel Jones.

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  1388 Hits
1388 Hits
OCT
13
0

Navigating Financial Planning for Young Dentists

Dental Regional Manager, Neil Richardson from Wesleyan Financial Services shares his thoughts on what all young dentists should be aware of with regard to financial planning.

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  1260 Hits
1260 Hits
OCT
01
0

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan – Dentistry

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, at least in so far as dentistry is concerned, leaves me pondering. Is it a credible attempt at identifying issues and proposing solutions? Or a thinly veiled attempt to win the approval of a public largely unaware of the detailed reality?

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  1725 Hits
1725 Hits
SEP
11
0

Is it time to switch your pension?

Simon Cosgrove, Specialist Financial Adviser for Wesleyan Financial Services, highlights the importance of checking where your pension is and how it’s performing…

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  1237 Hits
1237 Hits
AUG
09
0

Cyber security – what dental practices need to know

 

Kab Ahmed

Kabir Ahmed, commercial insurance manager at Wesleyan Financial Services, discusses the cyber security concerns every practice should plan for.

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  2180 Hits
2180 Hits
AUG
07
0

How a membership plan can be more than just money in the bank

Whether you’re a mixed practice or fully private, Practice Plan Regional Support Manager Tracy Webb, explains how having a membership plan can pay dividends.

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  1233 Hits
1233 Hits
JUL
05
0

The Abolished Lifetime Allowance – a time-limited pension opportunity?

The abolished Lifetime Allowance – a time-limited pension opportunity?

Neil Richardson, Dental Regional Manager at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares how the Spring Budget’s biggest announcement can be addressed from a financial planning perspective…

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  1607 Hits
1607 Hits
JUN
27
0

Avoiding the dreaded ‘no’

Lesley Turner

Are you finding more patients than you’d like are declining treatment plans? There can be a number of reasons why this happens. Medenta Business Development Manager, Lesley Turner, looks at why you may be getting the brush off and how you can turn things around.

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  1341 Hits
1341 Hits
JUN
07
0

Risky business: what’s impacting your practice’s financial security?

Graham Hutton

Graham Hutton, Specialist Financial Planner at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares a key business management area that poses a significant financial risk to your practice…

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  1883 Hits
1883 Hits
MAY
23
0

How much does it cost to retire?

How much does it cost to retire?

Stephen Barry, Specialist Financial Adviser at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares the latest retirement research from the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA)…

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  2260 Hits
2260 Hits
MAY
05
0

Is there a future for NHS dentistry if ‘they just don’t get it?’

Is there a future for NHS dentistry if ‘they just don’t get it?’

The most recent oral evidence sessions of the Health and Social Care Select Committee into dentistry left those watching with little doubt that any hoped-for improvements in the state of NHS dentistry were a long way off.

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  2813 Hits
2813 Hits
MAY
02
0

Dentistry’s biggest questions answered

Dentistry’s biggest questions answered

Are you struggling to recruit and retain good staff? Are you thinking about leaving the NHS and moving into private practice? Is your practice being affected by the cost-of-living crisis?

Questions! Questions! Questions!

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  1362 Hits
1362 Hits
APR
28
0

Sell the ‘why’, not just the ‘how’

Chris Nicholson, Practice Plan Regional Support Manager.

Practice Plan Regional Support Manager, Chris Nicholson, talks about the importance of increasing understanding in helping patients to maintain their own oral health to prevent future dental problems.

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  1624 Hits
1624 Hits
APR
06
0

Five reasons why now is a good time to go private.

Suki Singh

Practice Plan Area Sales Manager, Suki Singh, gives five reasons why now is a great time to make the move to private dentistry.

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  1092 Hits
1092 Hits
MAR
22
0

How does the 2023 Budget affect my pension?

Pension 2023

Jeremy Hunt revealed the contents of his 2023 Budget in the House of Commons last week. Amongst announcements on household energy bills, free childcare and corporation tax, the Chancellor unveiled surprise changes to the pension tax regime that could benefit anyone who is a higher earner.

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  1685 Hits
1685 Hits
MAR
18
0

We need to be talking about finance in the same breath as patient care

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While the landscape for dentistry has changed considerably since I started in the industry some 25 years ago, one thing has remained the same - our patients need to know we will look after them.

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  1564 Hits
1564 Hits
FEB
23
0

Four signs it may be time to switch plan provider

>Jayne Gibsone

Jayne Gibson shares four key questions to ask yourself whether your plan provider is right for you or if it’s time to move on...

When you’ve been working with your plan provider for a while, it can be easy not to notice that you may not be getting the best service.

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  763 Hits
763 Hits
FEB
17
0

Dentists Provident report paying over 99% of claims in 2022

Dentist's Provident

The long established income protection provider Dentists Provident, has released its claims statistics for 2022.

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  895 Hits
895 Hits
FEB
03
0

More pairs of hands to help enhance our customer service

Zoe Close

Following a record year in 2022 for patients on plan, and as more practices decide to introduce membership plans and join the Practice Plan family, we’re adding some extra pairs of hands to the team to ensure we maintain a great level of customer service.

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  849 Hits
849 Hits
FEB
03
0

Financial goals to stick to in 2023

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Iain Stevenson, Head of Dental at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares key financial planning areas for dentists to address for the year ahead…

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  1319 Hits
1319 Hits
JAN
23
0

CSR as an aid to recruitment and retention

Zoe Close

Practice Plan Head of Sales, Zoe Close, talks to CSR expert and coach, Mark Topley, about the part CSR can play in helping practices beat the recruitment and retention crisis.

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  1114 Hits
1114 Hits
DEC
07
0

Choose the right plan provider by scrutinising the right things

Donna Hall of Practice Plan

Donna Hall examines what practice teams need to look at when choosing the right plan provider to work with.

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  1310 Hits
1310 Hits
DEC
01
0

Retirement planning: five key financial questions, answered

Michael Copeland

Michael Copeland, Dental Regional Manager for Wesleyan Financial Services, reveals sought-after financial nuggets when it comes to life after work for dentists…

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  1337 Hits
1337 Hits
OCT
26
0

Dentistry – are there more opportunities in dentistry than ever before?

Zoe Close

Practice Plan Sales Manager, Zoe Close suggests that, contrary to popular opinion, we may be entering a time of great opportunity for dentistry.

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  2110 Hits
2110 Hits
OCT
01
0

Patient complaints - inevitable but not irrevocable

 

Len D'Cruz

Suki Singh talks to dentist and Head of Indemnity at the BDA, Len D’Cruz, about the inevitability of complaints and how to prevent them from escalating.

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  1872 Hits
1872 Hits
SEP
23
0

Why now is the best time to begin your retirement planning

Paul Barnfather, Specialist Dental Financial Adviser for Wesleyan Financial Services, shares how there is a cost when delaying financial planning for retirement.

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  2480 Hits
2480 Hits
AUG
22
0

Why Digital Dentistry Is A Purple Cow

Purple cow

Regional Support Manager, Emma Flunt, reflects on some of the points raised in a recent Practice Plan workshop by Marcos White on adapting the patient journey to the digital age.

From listening to Marcos, I realised that’s it’s possible to use digital tools of some sort for the whole of the patient journey. In his practice he uses a 3D printer, digital design, milling, guided dentistry, a scanner, iPhones so images can be sent by WhatsApp to patients, AI (artificial intelligence) apps to show how good people’s teeth could look and a CBCT scanner which is a scan that can show both bones and soft tissues. Every part of the process has a digital element. He even uses digital language as he describes treatment planning and delivery as a ‘workflow’ which involves a combination of digital tools.

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  1720 Hits
1720 Hits
JUL
29
0

Are you getting the most from your plan provider?

With most of Europe in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis, now is a good time to make sure you’re getting the best value from the money you’re spending. 

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  1064 Hits
1064 Hits
JUL
22
0

Fast-Tracking Your Retirement

Many people, even if they really love their job, understandably look forward to a life of leisure after retiring – and the sooner they can get there, the better.

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  1400 Hits
1400 Hits
MAY
25
0

Cost of living crisis: when lack of action guarantees reduced purchasing power of savings

Stephen Barry of Wesleyan

Stephen Barry, Specialist Dental Financial Adviser for Wesleyan Financial Services, shares the lesser-known risks when it comes to the cost of living crisis, where you may see a reduction in the purchasing power of your money…

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  1414 Hits
1414 Hits
MAY
24
0

How I Left The NHS, For The Second Time

Simon Gallier

Emma Flunt talks to Simon Gallier about why he decided to leave the NHS, for the second time, and turn his 95% NHS practice to private and how he’s now feeling about the future…

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  2013 Hits
2013 Hits
APR
25
0

Dental indemnity – your burning questions answered

Kevin Culliney
Kevin Culliney

Wesleyan Financial Services’ Kabir Ahmed interviews Kevin Culliney, Partner at Densura, to discuss the key occurrences that are changing the face of dental indemnity…

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  2002 Hits
2002 Hits
MAR
28
0

Thinking of selling your dental practice? How the market looks in 2022

Practice keys changing hands

Two years on from the start of the pandemic, Phil Barlow, Specialist Dental Financial Adviser for Wesleyan Financial Services, looks at how COVID-19 has impacted the dental property market and what that means for those looking to sell their practice in 2022…

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  2164 Hits
2164 Hits
MAR
09
0

Wesleyan supports 15 dentistry students with £65,000 Scholarship funding

Birmingham-based specialist financial services mutual, Wesleyan has announced it will be supporting 15 dental students from disadvantaged communities with scholarship funding worth over £65,000. Each student will receive scholarship fees of £1,500 per year for the first three years, as well as regular mentoring and practical support both before and at the University of Birmingham.

The need for skilled dentists is more urgent than ever due to the pandemic. Dental surgeries were closed for months in lockdowns and many people are still avoiding routine check-ups for fear of COVID-19. This means people often need more complex treatments for advanced tooth decay and gum disease when they do see a dentist.

Nathan Wallis, Chief of Staff at Wesleyan said: “We’ve always been committed to supporting dentists through every step of their careers, from their first appointment right through to retirement, and we are proud to support 15 students, at the start of their professions. Not only do we care about our communities and the challenges of social mobility, but we also understand that access to funding is critical to getting started at university.”

Professor David Adams, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of College of Medical and Dental Sciences, from University of Birmingham said: “Undergraduate dentistry students study for five years, instead of the usual three for many other subjects; by choosing to go into a field where they can help others, they are making a huge financial commitment. The scholarships from the Wesleyan Foundation will help to ease the pressure on students who would have otherwise struggled to get started at university.”

The scholarships form part of the University of Birmingham’s Pathways to Birmingham (P2B) programme, which has helped over 5,500 young people from underrepresented backgrounds study at the University over the last 20 years. The P2B programmes are targeted at young people who are the first in their family to go to university, are from low-income households, live in a postcode where few people go to university, have a disability, have been in care and/or are estranged from both parents or guardians.

Wesleyan, the specialist financial services mutual, launched the Wesleyan Foundation in 2017 as part of their commitment to supporting great causes that are important to their customer base of doctors, teachers and dentists, and the communities in which they live and work.

  2319 Hits
2319 Hits
MAR
05
0

How to attract talent to your practice

Emma Anastasi - Diamond Dental Staff Founder

Zoe Close speaks to dental recruitment specialist, Emma Anastasi, about ways to recruit top team members in your practice… One of the many ways in which COVID-19 has changed our world has been the impact it’s had on workforces worldwide.

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  1235 Hits
1235 Hits
FEB
24
0

How to maximise your tax-free allowances and contributions ahead of the new tax year

With the end of the tax year fast approaching, there’s no better time to start thinking about spring cleaning you finances.

Paying particular attention to your tax-free allowances and reliefs is always a good place to start. Aaron Prested, Specialist Dental Financial Adviser for Wesleyan Financial Services, answers key questions around making the most of this tax year:

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  1728 Hits
1728 Hits
DEC
20
0

Ditch The Spreadsheet: Your Modern Day Practice Acceleration Strategy For Tracking And Managing Prospective Patients.

 

We need to talk about how dental practices manage their enquiries. Unfortunately all too often they are not treated with the attention and nurturing they deserve. 

Let me explain what I mean by that in 4 simple steps…

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  1747 Hits
1747 Hits
DEC
20
0

The Impatient Patient: New Patient Generation In The Goldfish Attention Span Era.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve been working within the UK  and American Dental Industry to support dental practices growth through a number of different engagement and marketing strategies. However, over the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that something has drastically changed.  Suddenly getting new, high-value patients has become increasingly difficult, expensive and confusing. So what’s happened?

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  2118 Hits
2118 Hits
NOV
08
0

GDPUK asks, Should the BDA step back from Toothless Suffolk?

Throughout 2021, the British Dental Association [BDA] has been at the forefront of moves to tell politicians of the challenges facing dental services across the whole of the UK. It joined with Healthwatch England in calling on the Chancellor to provide vital funding for the recovery and rebuild of services, a move backed by 40 cross-party MPs.

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  2795 Hits

Copyright

© GDPUK Ltd

2795 Hits
OCT
29
1

Should dental practitioners brace for a surge in professional negligence claims?

Should dental practitioners brace for a surge in professional negligence claims?

David Hallsworth, a solicitor at BLM specialising in healthcare claims, discusses a potential surge in future dental claims as a result of thousands of children missing crucial check-ups during the pandemic.

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  3303 Hits
Recent comment in this post
Richard Bannister

Comment

Practitioners were limited by NHS orders.... therefore is it not the NHS that is 'negligent' for not providing some sort of cover?... Read More
Friday, 05 November 2021 08:48
3303 Hits
OCT
26
0

Corporate social responsibility and how dental practices are embracing it

Practice Plan & BDA Benevolent Fund

Practice Plan’s Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel Jones, caught up with Mark Topley of Purpose Driven Business Ltd, to talk about corporate social responsibility, what it involves, and how dental practices are incorporating it into their businesses…

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  1331 Hits

Copyright

© Practice Plan 2021.

1331 Hits
SEP
27
0

Practice Plan Regional Support Managers – over 250 years of experience

Practice Plan: The Business of Dentistry

Zoe Close, Practice Plan’s Head of Sales, talks about the years of experience her team has in converting practices from NHS to private dentistry– and how they can help you achieve your dreams…

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  1398 Hits
1398 Hits
AUG
27
0

What you need to consider when moving to private dentistry

PP2013-logo-Final-Wesleyan-600px-1
 

Practice Plan’s, Zoe Close, shares her thoughts on what dentists need to consider when making the move away from the NHS…

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  1480 Hits
1480 Hits
FEB
01
0

Sincro™️ Syringe: An Introduction.

The SINCROTM is presented as a multi-part device

Hambley Trading Limited are looking to supply dental professionals, experienced in the delivery of local anaesthesia to patients, example prototypes of the SINCROTM system for them to examine and assess and compare with their current choice of syringe delivery device.

A questionnaire relating to the handling characteristics may be completed and returned electronically which will entitle the respondent to a FREE box of SINCROTM [50 syringes] after the device is launched into the UK dental market.


For a limited number of early respondents there is also the chance to be awarded a £25 Amazon gift voucher, so get your response in quickly.

 

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  2102 Hits

Copyright

© Hambley Trading Ltd 2021

2102 Hits
DEC
22
0

CareCapital Acquires Neoss

Neoss-logo Neoss Ltd

Dr. Robert Gottlander Appointed President and CEO of Neoss

December 21, 2020 – Hong Kong, Harrogate and Gothenburg

CareCapital Advisors Limited, an equity investor focused on the dental and oral care industry, announced on December 21st an agreement to acquire Neoss Limited. CareCapital is one of the largest dental investors in the world, having invested more than US$1 billion in the sector, and provides a patient and collaborative environment for dental entrepreneurs and talented executives to realize their customer-centric visions. Neoss is a leading global dental implant company committed to designing intelligently simple solutions that provide reliable and cost-effective patient care with excellent long-term results. The Neoss brand is synonymous with innovation and quality, which has underpinned Neoss’ market leading performance in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic.

In conjunction with the transaction, Dr. Robert Gottlander has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Neoss. With over forty years of dental industry experience, Gottlander has a proven track record developing and commercializing dental solutions.

Neoss Acquisition

Neoss has developed a range of market-leading dental solutions and “intelligently simple” procedures designed to deliver better patient care and shorter procedure times that enhance practice productivity. With a rich portfolio of intellectual property and long-term clinical data, Neoss’ peer-reviewed and published clinical support validates the efficacy of its solutions.

Dai Feng, Co-Founder and Managing Director of CareCapital, stated, “We are excited to welcome Neoss and Robert into our family. Both are dental trailblazers that, coupled, will elevate the Neoss customer experience and advance the Neoss mission. The company’s well–established brand, history of innovation, clinical validation and solid market position fit well with Robert’s customer-centric principles and passion for innovation.”

Robert Gottlander Appointed Chief Executive Officer

After graduating from the University of Gothenburg School of Dentistry, Gottlander joined Nobel Biocare, where he held several senior executive leadership roles. Throughout his 27-year tenure, he led the team that established clinical and educational concepts for modern dental implantology, co-developed and launched Procera, the world’s first successful CADCAM system, and developed new concepts combining implants and digital dentistry. Gottlander then joined Henry Schein, Inc., where, as Chief Marketing Officer of Global Dental, he led the global initiative as strategic planner for prosthetic and implant solutions, guiding product offerings worldwide and creating commercial sales and marketing strategies. Gottlander went on to serve the dental industry on a consulting basis. Throughout his career, Gottlander has created numerous industry-university partnerships, architecting research projects and educational programs to improve dental implant and digital technology innovation.

After two decades of service, Dormer will retire, in line with his long-standing personal intentions. Dormer will remain with the company in an advisory role to ensure a smooth transition.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Neoss team,” asserted Dr. Gottlander. “Building on its esteemed heritage in Gothenburg, the birthplace of modern dental implants, Neoss shares my aspiration to pioneer dental innovation that improves patient care. I applaud the team at Neoss and Mr. Dormer for his leadership, who, together, have created a prominent global brand. I am looking forward to partnering with CareCapital to expand on that legacy and accelerate the long-term growth of the business through astute customer service and intelligently simple innovation.”

“I am excited to collaborate with CareCapital and Robert to further advance Neoss’ technology,” added Fredrik Engman, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Neoss. “The support and dental knowhow that this transaction brings, will benefit our staff to enable better service for the needs of doctors and patients.”

ABOUT CARECAPITAL ADVISORS LIMITED

A long-term investor focused on the global dental and oral care industry, CareCapital is committed to providing a patient and collaborative environment for dental entrepreneurs and talented executives to realize their customer-centric visions. CareCapital invests heavily in technologies, training, brands and enterprises that span the entire dental industry. CareCapital’s dental business portfolio encompasses dental education, digital orthodontics, imaging, implants, biologics, ceramics, distribution, software, DSOs and research hospitals.

ABOUT NEOSS

Founded in 2000, Neoss offers intelligent dental solutions that are intuitively simple to use. The company’s products are designed to allow dental professionals to provide reliable and cost-effective treatments to their patients with excellent long-term results. Leading with ingenuity and integrity, Neoss develops smart treatment solutions and works closely with each practice to drive Intelligent Simplicity, making the complex less complicated. Headquartered in Harrogate, UK, with research and development based in Gothenburg, Sweden, the company has established a global footprint with longstanding presence in key markets.

  1210 Hits
1210 Hits
DEC
15
0

Convert More Patients!

cbi-0216-042_013_220614a Chrysalis Dental Finance

3 in 5 of us will not purchase your service unless there is a compelling finance product to help spread the cost. 1 in 3 of us will not even consider your organisation unless you are offering finance.

The expectation to be offered ways to pay for a service or a product is now deeply rooted in our buying habits. The availability of credit is the consumer’s best friend and woe betide any retail organisation, who fails to recognise the significance of this. Credit has underpinned the spending boom across many essential and non-essential products and services over the last few years. It even has its own economic term – subscription economics!

The principle of affordability and payment choices extends to dentistry of course. Offering flexible payment options will undoubtedly help you improve your return on marketing spend through higher conversion to treatment and therefore drive more profit to your bottom-line.

Now you may already have a finance provider. If so great as we are preaching to the converted. What you may not realise is that there is only one finance provider 100% dedicated to dentistry, Chrysalis Finance. Since [date] Chrysalis Finance has been serving the healthcare industry in the UK and now has an unrivalled market leading position and reputation. So, over the years we haven’t just got to know credit inside out, we also understand your business and your specific challenges in a hugely competitive market. Our levels of service and product availability reflect this.

First of all, Chrysalis has an extensive product range covering several interest-free and interest-bearing payment options from 6 to 60 months, offering more choice to your customers at a time when help to pay for dental treatment has never been more important or welcome. Unlike some providers, who have curtailed interest-bearing loans, Chrysalis has maintained their full product menu.

Secondly, Chrysalis, by working with a panel of lenders, will always be able to offer your customers the best chance of being accepted for a loan. We believe that keeping payment options as accessible as possible is essential during these difficult times. Our acceptance rates are high and will remain so. Great peace of mind for your patients and good news for the growth of your business.

Thirdly, offering payment options is one thing but it has to be coupled with a simple, hassle-free process. Chrysalis makes it easy. Our eligibility checker is instant and an application takes less than 1 minute to make. We also give you access to a portal, through which you can follow an applicant’s progress, make an application on behalf of one of your patients, review a range of statistics and reporting and access our on-line resource library. To make the process as seamless as possible we can integrate our application process into your contact management software making the delivery of payment options part of your patient pathway.

Lastly, we recognise that you will want to share the good news with your patients that you have chosen to work with Chrysalis Finance to offer them payment options. We will provide you with dedicated marketing and communications support to help you advertise effectively and legally and we will train your front-line staff on when and how best to introduce the service.

Whilst we are confident that we are already offering an unrivalled service, we know we need to keep innovating to continue providing you with excellent support. We will shortly be launching a soft eligibility checker, which you can embed in your website to enable a patient to check if they are eligible for credit in the event that they need treatment from you. We are also working on a new credit and debit card payment service, which will be offered at market busting rates. Two more reasons, if more were needed, to contact us now on the following numbers.

 

Our details

Telephone: 0333 32 32 230

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Office opening hours:Monday to Friday 9:00am - 5:30pm

https://chrysalisfinance.co.uk/partner-with-us/

Chrysalis is a forward-thinking payment solutions provider, who specialise in you

 

  1932 Hits
1932 Hits
JUN
18
0

What mask should I be wearing?

group-family-wearing-medical-masks-prevent-disease-flu-air-pollution-contaminated-air-protective-medical-mask-prevent-virus-vector-illustration-cartoon-character_9026-95_720x

What mask should I be using?


The 2 main types of masks that provide protection against COVID 19 according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) are N95/KN95 masks and 3 Ply Surgical masks.

 

 

 

3 Ply Surgical Comparison

Type I

Type IR

Type II

Type IIR

Should I Wear This Mask?

 red cross  tick  red cross  tick

Fluid Resistance

0 mmHg

>120 mmHgGHHhH

0 mmHg

0 mmHgGHHhH

Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE)

>95%

>95%

>98%

>98%

HealthHealth.co.uk

Masks

We Do Not Advise Using These As They Are Not Fluid Resistant

>120mmHg / 97% / EU Standard Classification

We Do Not Advise Using These

>120mmHg / 99% / EU Standard Classification

 

Type I and Type II masks are not fluid-resistant and hence are not ideal for use during the ongoing pandemic. Fluid resistance is the ability of a mask to catch the respiratory droplets discharge. The WHO recommends fluid-resistant medical masks be worn by over 60s and those who have underlying health problems, as well as those who are in contact with these groups.

Which masks should I be wary of?

A surgical 3 Ply mask that does not fit into the above two categories cannot be classified as medical. Although they may provide some protection, they will not be fluid resistant and have not been tested by the relevant standards to qualify them as either type IR or Type IIR, and are hence not appropriate for use in the dental industry

Valve masks provide no protection for anyone but the user of the mask, they do not prevent respiratory droplets being emitted by the user, and are hence not appropriate for use in the dental industry.

Reusable cloth masks lose their integrity with every wash, a study by the WHO shows them as significantly less effective than medical masks, and are hence not appropriate for use in the dental industry.

 

About Us

We provide all the aforementioned masks via our website: www.healthhealth.co.uk . Our focus is on high quality at wholesale pricesOur masks have been supplied to the UK Department of Health, the NHS, Care Homes, Dentists, to name but a few. Please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any bulk enquiries.

  1941 Hits
1941 Hits
OCT
09
0

An interview with Tom Pellereau, former Apprentice winner

Tom-with-Stylsmile Tom Pellereau

Tom Pellereau

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  7374 Hits
7374 Hits
OCT
09
0

Helping the BDA Benevolent Fund deliver Christmas cheer

Helping the BDA Benevolent Fund deliver Christmas cheer

The Charity helps dental students, dentists and their families when they face hardship, supporting those who do not have the funds to pay for some of the normal things in life, ranging from contributions towards food and daily living costs, funds to improve the quality of life for those retired due to ill health, to more specific needs like paying someone’s annual retention fee or indemnity, to help them get back on their feet and into the profession.

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  2490 Hits
2490 Hits
JAN
22
0

BDA Benevolent Fund – a helping hand

Bill

Dr Bill Nichols, Honorary Vice-President of the BDA Benevolent Fund, sat down with the GDPUK to share his experiences of helping to provide financial support for dental students, dentists, and their dependants in times of crisis.

How and why did you get involved with the BDA Benevolent Fund?

Bill: It is interesting to look back at my 22 years with the charity, now that I have retired from active duty, so to speak. In the 1980s, I was the Branch Secretary for BDA Northern Counties and, through that, I got to know the branch representative to the Benevolent Fund. I started helping him as kind of an unofficial deputy and, when he stepped down in the mid-1990s, I took over. It was often hard work, but I feel honoured to have been part of such an important backup mechanism for the dental profession.

 

What changes have you seen over the years and what role does the charity play within dentistry nowadays?

Bill: The primary role of the charity hasn't changed over the years. The aim is simply to provide financial assistance to dentists and their dependants who are in need. What has changed are the demographics of beneficiaries. They tend to be much younger now, of working age and there are more female beneficiaries. We’ve also seen a large increase in the number of beneficiaries with difficulties as a result of proceedings with the General Dental Council. Student need has changed too − we always were prepared to help students in their final year of study, i.e. when we knew they had a pretty good chance of qualifying. That has changed, and now we will help dental students more or less at any stage of their undergraduate studies.

 

What kind of support can beneficiaries apply for from the Fund?

Bill: The support comes in three forms, really. Financial support in the form of grants and loans and pastoral support. Subsistence grants are provided to keep a roof over someone's head and to provide them with food and, capital grants are given for essential items like a dishwasher or fridge, or boiler repair.

Then there’s payment of the annual retention fee for the GDC; that can be a big problem if you haven't been working for very long, such as newly qualified dentists and dentists recently restored to the register, who may also face difficulty in paying for professional indemnity. The fund can also help with CPD funding, for example for dentists who were suspended and must comply with GDC conditions to get back on the register. We settle debts sometimes, because it can better to clear debts incurring high interest, which takes some pressure off the beneficiary. Interest-free loans are also available in limited circumstances.

Away from the financial side of things, pastoral care is provided, and guidance is offered for additional or alternative support, even just providing a sympathetic ear can be a big help. Our manager and administrator spend hours on the phone every day listening to people in need.

What advice would you offer someone who is suffering financially in the dental profession?

Bill: Don't bury your head in the sand. Seek help as soon as you can, from the Benevolent Fund, from the BDA, from the Dentists' Health Support Trust, Citizens’ Advice, debt counsellors, family, colleagues; anyone you think might be able to offer support. Go and talk to someone sooner rather than later.

You have to be realistic, as well. You can't behave like a successful dentist if you haven't any income, so you must be prepared to make some difficult decisions and changes to your lifestyle.

 

How can people contact the Fund?

Bill: You don’t have to be  member of the BDA to get help from the BDA Benevolent Fund, which exists to offer support to all dentists, so, if you, or someone you know, is facing financial difficulties – for whatever reason – contact the BDA Benevolent Fund, in confidence, on 020 7486 4994, or visit www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk for more information.

 

 

  3959 Hits
3959 Hits
DEC
13
0

Introducing LISTERINE® Go! Tabs – for long-lasting fresh breath on the go

LISTERINE_logo

 

Johnson & Johnson is delighted to unveil the details of its revolutionary new LISTERINE® Go! Tabs to dental health care professionals, ahead of the launch to consumers in the UK.

Chewable LISTERINE® Go! Tabs offer an innovative way to get the whole mouth feeling clean and fresh anytime, anywhere, as a handy addition to – not a replacement for – twice-daily mechanical cleaning at home.

Ninety per cent of halitosis is a result of the production of volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) by oral bacteria.1

Tackling this problem, when chewed, for example after a meal, at social gatherings, before a meeting or after a coffee, LISTERINE® Go! Tabs transform from solid to liquid in seconds, neutralising odours for long-lasting fresh breath.

Johnson & Johnson’s oral care portfolio includes the familiar brand of mouthwash, LISTERINE®, with variants suitable for daily use as an integral adjunct to mechanical cleaning to deliver an optimised daily regimen. In addition, the LISTERINE® Advanced Defence range is available to help dental professionals deliver advanced treatment outcomes for patients.

Johnson & Johnson, the maker of LISTERINE®, is committed to supporting dental health care professionals in their efforts to improve patients’ oral health. For further information, visit www.listerineprofessional.co.uk.

Reference

  1. Allaker RP et al. Arch Oral Biol. 2008;53(suppl 1): S8-S12
  3577 Hits
3577 Hits
NOV
07
0

#BlueLipSelfie campaign ready to get people talking about mouth cancer

bluelipselfie_logo

 

As the main sponsor of Mouth Cancer Action Month – organised by the Oral Health Foundation - Simplyhealth Professionals is once again fuelling awareness of mouth cancer through its #BlueLipSelfie campaign this November.

Fun, striking, and easy to do, the #BlueLipSelfie campaign encourages dental professionals, patients, and the general public to wear blue lips as a visible sign of support and get people talking about mouth cancer. The increasing popularity of #BlueLipSelfie provides dental professionals with a unique springboard to talk to their patients about the risks, symptoms and prevention of this devastating disease.

Henry Clover, Chief Dental Officer at Simplyhealth Professionals, said: “We’re delighted with the growing support for our #BlueLipSelfie campaign and Mouth Cancer Action Month. Dental professionals in particular are really getting behind the campaign and we love seeing the creative selfies that are shared on social media and on our gallery every year. We’re extremely proud to have made excellent progress in raising awareness of the disease over the years, but the rising figures of mouth cancer cases still speak for themselves, and there is much work to be done.

“While Mouth Cancer Action Month and #BlueLipSelfie provide a brilliant focal point to shine a spotlight on the disease, it’s crucial that dental professionals keep the conversation about mouth cancer going throughout the year. Recent research* by the Oral Health Foundation and Simplyhealth Professionals revealed that 71% of UK adults said their dentist had never spoken to them about mouth cancer. We can and should improve this as a profession.”

In the same survey, figures revealed that awareness of mouth cancer amongst the public is still low. 75% of UK adults don’t know any of the symptoms of mouth cancer. In addition, research conducted by Simplyhealth Professionals and YouGov** discovered that 83% of UK adults said they never check their own mouths for signs of mouth cancer.

“When this is added to the number of adults not regularly visiting a dentist, it’s perhaps easy to see why mouth cancer is often only spotted at far-too-late stages,” says Henry. “Early detection of mouth cancer is pivotal in fighting against this disease and makes an enormous difference to survival rates. The more we can get health professionals and the public talking about mouth cancer, the more lives we can save, and we hope that #BlueLipSelfie continues to fuel those conversations.”

 

 

Dr Nigel Carter, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, commented: “We are extremely grateful that Simplyhealth Professionals is once again a key supporter of Mouth Cancer Action Month. With a joint approach from the dental profession, we can all help raise public awareness of the signs and symptoms of mouth cancer and help ensure that every patient is checked for signs of the disease. This should increase the likelihood of the disease being detected early, with treatment more likely to result in a positive outcome for the patient.”

#BlueLipSelfie is easy, quick and fun to do and allows everyone to visibly show their support. To take part in #BlueLipSelfie all practices have to do is take a photo of themselves, their patients or their teams with blue lips and share it on Twitter or Instagram using the campaign’s hashtag: #BlueLipSelfie.  Practices and patients can also directly upload a selfie to the specially created microsite and gallery at www.bluelipselfie.co.uk or customise their photo with fun blue cartoon lips using the app.

For more information on Mouth Cancer Action Month and how you can get involved please visit www.mouthcancer.org.

 

 

*Source: Online survey of 2,002 UK adults, conducted by Atomik Research on behalf of the Oral Health Foundation and Simplyhealth Professionals, September 2018

**Source: YouGov Plc, on behalf of Simplyhealth.  Total sample size was 5,264 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 12th -19th February 2018.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

  4746 Hits
4746 Hits
OCT
19
0

Health check success for Boundaries for Life and Simplyhealth Professionals

Lords-mascot The Boundaries4Life team at Lords with mascot.

 

Boundaries for Life and sponsors, Simplyhealth Professionals, are celebrating their most successful season of health checks this summer, helped by the introduction of new diagnostic software.

Founded in 2010 by Dr Chet Trivedy, a dual-qualified dentist and doctor, Boundaries for Life offers free health checks at major cricket fixtures throughout the UK. Made possible through a team of volunteer health professionals, spectators and ground staff are checked for signs and risks of health issues, including mouth cancer, blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, heart age, and obesity.

Commenting on this year’s success, which ran between April and September at high profile cricket venues including Lord’s, Edgbaston, Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl to name a few, Chet Trivedy said: “It’s been a fantastic year with the team conducting over 250 checks and raising awareness of good general health and oral health with a huge audience.

“It was a particularly exciting season, as this was the first year that we conducted heart age checks in addition to our regular checks. This provides users with an opportunity to know how old their heart is medically, compared to their actual age. Many people were shocked that their heart was a lot older than they thought it was. As we were using a software system to calculate the heart ages - provided by Health Diagnostics - every user had the opportunity to understand how they could reduce their heart age. This was not possible in previous years as the health checks were not automated.” 

As well as a detailed medical check from a health care professional, users also benefit from a mouth cancer check from a dentist – many of whom were volunteers from Simplyhealth Professionals’ network of member dentists. At the end of the checks, each user is given a five-page health report and access to an online interactive dashboard.

Henry Clover, Chief Dental Officer at Simplyhealth Professionals, said: “Supporting Boundaries for Life is a great opportunity to champion The screening tent full, all seats taken.a very important cause, as well as to highlight Simplyhealth’s approach to preventive wellbeing. We’re delighted and very grateful that many of our member dentists volunteered their valuable time to assist with mouth cancer checks.

“The health checks offer the chance to identify people who might be at risk of future health problems at an early stage, particularly those who might not be regularly visiting a dentist or GP. Importantly, the health checks help users to understand the links between general and oral health. It encourages them to reassess lifestyle choices such as alcohol consumption, smoking and diet, which could potentially contribute to issues such as mouth cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.”

Not only does Boundaries for Life provide the means to help users to understand their current and future health, the initiative also has the additional benefit of collating valuable insights into the nation’s health. Data insights discovered that 34% of users were obese, 42% had a raised BMI, and 70% had a waist measurement that is considered to be medium or high risk for diabetes. Shockingly, almost half of users (48%) were at an increased risk of developing diabetes according to the Diabetes UK risk scoring system. Furthermore, one in four users had raised blood pressure, and 40% had raised cholesterol.

As a result of their health check, nearly 50 users were referred to see a GP, dentist or other health professional for further advice or treatment - potentially saving lives.

“We’re proud to have helped so many people, but these figures highlight that there is still a lot of work to do,” says Chet. “We’re keen to keep building on our success and provide an ever-broader range of checks at next season’s cricket fixtures. The checks are only possible due to our fantastic team of volunteers, including Simplyhealth Professionals member dentists. They have all promised to do more next year and that is the best endorsement we can get.”

For more information, visit http://boundariesforlife.co.uk/

About Simplyhealth

For 145 years we’ve been helping people to make the most of life through better everyday health.  In 2017 Simplyhealth and Denplan united under one Simplyhealth brand and today we’re proud to be the UK’s leading provider of health cash plans, Denplan dental payment plans and animal health plans.

We help over three million people in the UK access the health and care products, services and support that they need, when they need them and at a price they can afford.

  • 1m health cash plan customers
  • 1.5m patients with a Denplan payment plan
  • 6,500 member dentists
  • 1,900 member vets
  • 1m animals covered
  • 11,000 corporate clients

We’re proud to donate 10% of our pre-tax profits to health-related charitable activities every year, and this amounted to over £1 million in 2017. Our Simplyhealth Great Run Series partnership raised an additional £42.6 million for charity.

Simplyhealth is a trading name of Simplyhealth Access, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Dental

Simplyhealth Professionals is the UK’s leading dental payment plan specialist with more than 6,500 member dentists nationwide caring for approximately 1.7 million patients registered to a Denplan product.

Simplyhealth Professionals provides the following range of leading Denplan dental payment plans under the Denplan name:

  • Denplan Care: all routine and restorative care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
  • Denplan Essentials: routine care only + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
  • Denplan for Children: routine and other agreed care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
  • Denplan Membership: registered with the dentist + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
  • Denplan Hygiene: A dental payment plan without dental insurance for all types of practice from NHS, mixed and private to support patients commit to a consistent hygiene programme.
  • Denplan Emergency Insurance: worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover only

Simplyhealth Professionals also provide a wide range of professional services for its member dentists and their practice teams, including the Denplan Quality Programme and Denplan Excel Accreditation Programme. Plus regulatory advice, business and marketing consultancy services and networking opportunities.

Dentist enquiries telephone: 0800 169 9962.

For patient enquiries telephone: 0800 401 402   

www.simplyhealth.co.uk

www.simplyhealthprofessionals.co.uk

 

more sporting events in the future, dependent on their team and their funding.  

Links:

http://boundariesforlife.co.uk/

Twitter @Boundaries4Life https://twitter.com/boundaries4life

Twitter @SHP_Dentists https://twitter.com/shp_dentists

Lancashire Foundation http://foundation.lancashirecricket.co.uk

Healthy Stadia http://healthystadia.eu/  - Enabling sports clubs to influence health and behaviour.

news article http://healthystadia.eu/boundaries-for-life-fixtures-2018/

Blood biochemistry tests https://www.bhr.co.uk/  - small machines which run rapid tests of blood biochemistry.

What is HbA1c? https://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html

GDPUK article https://www.gdpuk.com/blogs/entry/2133-knocking-mouth-cancer-for-six-simplyhealth-professionals-announce-boundaries-for-life-sponsorship

 Panoramic view of the Old Trafford ground, Copyright Tony Jacobs 2018.

 

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SEP
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New periodontal disease classification on BDA roadshow’s agenda

FMC_NICOLAWEST

To learn all about the new classification of periodontal and peri-implant diseases and conditions, all you need to do is attend the BDA’s roadshow, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, which will soon be on its way to Birmingham and London.

Under the umbrella of ‘Periodontal disease management now and in the future’, Professors Nicola West (pictured) and Tim Newton will offer unique insight into periodontal care and treatment.

Prof. West, Professor/Honorary Consultant in Restorative Dentistry (Periodontology) at Bristol Dental Hospital, will be speaking about ‘Periodontal disease management: modifying diagnostic and communication behaviour for better oral health outcome’, including the new classification, and answering delegates’ questions.

Adding to this, Tim Newton, Professor of Psychology as Applied to Dentistry at King’s College London Dental Institute, will explore ‘Better oral health outcomes through changing behaviour: what does it all mean for me and my practice?’

The Leeds roadshow is currently underway but there are some places still available for the Birmingham (19th October) and London (7th December) events. For further information and to book your place, please visit https://bda.org/events/member-series.

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SEP
18
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IDD demystified: what does it mean for dental practices and their patients?

Caroline-Coleman-MD-Simplyhealth-Professionals

Dental practices are currently facing another major legislative change on 1st October when the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) comes into effect, which has caused much discussion in the industry and a range of different approaches. IDD is a change in government legislation around insurance products designed to give consumers greater choice and clarity when purchasing insurance products.

Caroline Coleman, Managing Director of Simplyhealth Professionals said: “As a trusted partner, it is our responsibility to provide our members with advice and support on new regulation, and clinical and business issues. Everything that we do as a customer-led organisation is in the best interests of our dentists and their patients. This is why we have taken the time to fully understand IDD and its implications.”

Simplyhealth Professionals has concluded that in order to comply with the new legislation and give patients the choice that the IDD demands, from 17th September for all new joiners, their supplementary insurance product - historically included as standard within Denplan payment plans – has now become optional.

Sandy Brown, Director of Dentists at Simplyhealth Professionals, said: “We have done everything we can to follow the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulations to make sure that we comply with the new IDD regulations. Giving patients the choice of whether they feel the supplementary insurance is the right product for them is the essence of IDD. It’s really important for those patients that opt in to be reassured in the knowledge that their claims will definitely be paid out according to the terms and conditions. We are working with our member dentists to make sure that they understand the new regulation, how it affects them and their patients, and has minimum disruption to day to day business.”

Simplyhealth Professionals offers patients dental emergency and injury cover that has the protection of a regulated product, with guaranteed pay-outs for valid claims and access to an independent appeals process.

Sandy Brown said: “Opting for insurance seems to me a very minimal monthly amount for absolute peace of mind. The main benefit of insurance is that patients have the legal protection to ensure that payments they are entitled to are paid out.”

 

About Simplyhealth Professionals:

Simplyhealth Professionals is the UK’s leading dental payment plan specialist with more than 6,500 member dentists nationwide caring for approximately 1.7 million patients registered to a Denplan product.

Simplyhealth Professionals also provide a wide range of professional services for its member dentists and their practice teams, including the Denplan Quality Programme and Denplan Excel Accreditation Programme.  Plus regulatory advice, business and marketing consultancy services and networking opportunities.

Dentist enquiries telephone: 0800 169 9962.

For patient enquiries telephone: 0800 401 402   

For details of all of our products, visit www.simplyhealthprofessionals.co.uk

 

About Simplyhealth:

For 145 years we’ve been helping people to make the most of life through better everyday health.  In 2017 Simplyhealth and Denplan united under one Simplyhealth brand and today we’re proud to be the UK’s leading provider of health cash plans, Denplan dental payment plans and pet health plans.

We help over three million people in the UK access the health and care products, services and support that they need, when they need them and at a price they can afford.

1m health cash plan customers

1.5m patients with a Denplan payment plan

6,500 member dentists

1,900 member vets

1 million animals covered

11,000 corporate clients

We’re proud to donate 10% of our pre-tax profits to health-related charitable activities every year, and this amounted to over £1 million in 2017. Our Simplyhealth Great Run Series partnership raised an additional £42.6 million for charity.

Simplyhealth is a trading name of Simplyhealth Access, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

www.simplyhealth.co.uk       

 

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3414 Hits
SEP
06
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One Month to Go….

Showcase-Tooth--2

 

Window Shopping or Serious Shopping?

Dental Showcase takes place the first week of October and if you haven’t already registered, now’s the time to do so.  If you went a couple of years ago and are concerned that not much will have changed, then think again.  With no other UK event attracting such a wide range of dental suppliers under one roof, there will be plenty that’s new.  Whether you want to check you’re taking advantage of the latest advances in technology or want marketing or financial advice, all the leading players will be at your service.

An Exhibition First

This year, for the first time, there will be a specific day dedicated to Foundation Dentists which is being sponsored by MyDentist.  One of the keynote lecture theatres will be committed to the needs of trainee dentists.  Topics will cover how to bridge the gap from DFT to Associate, organising your CPD, risk management, effective treatment planning and complaint handling.  As well as formal lectures, there will be a specific Foundation Dentist Hub where you can get one-on-one career advice.  The opportunities don’t cease when the exhibition hall closes, for there will also be a Foundation Dentists’ Ball on Thursday 4th October on the Sunborn super-yacht, which is conveniently moored alongside Excel London.  Why not organise a reunion with your former students, where you can share your FD experiences?

Education….the Passport To Your Future?

If education is your driver, then there will be no shortage of opportunities.  Whether you prefer the longer length lectures by keynote speakers in the Dental Update Theatre, or would rather ‘dip in and dip out’ of shorter sessions in the Innovation Theatre.  There’s a lot of focus this year on the NHS, with its landmark birthday, so maybe you want to learn more about what the government is doing to support dentistry.  Sarah Hurley, CDO for England, will be talking each morning about the development and provision of NHS dental services.  There’s also a specific CDO Zone should you want to discuss matters with Sara or one of her representatives.  Whatever you need to know, Showcase is the place to find answers!

It’s Good to Talk

Dental Showcase provides an invaluable opportunity to network.  All key associations will be in attendance, so you can discuss matters pertinent to your community whether you’re a dentist, hygienist, nurse or practice manager.  If perio is your passion, then talk to the BSP, or if ortho enthuses you, then the BOC will be on hand to support, listen and advise.  

Fun Matters

Exhibitions are social events too and there’s plenty to do whilst you’re at Dental Showcase.  A host of catering options will provide an opportunity for you to informally catch up during the day with colleagues or you could take the fun up a notch and attend the ‘Boat Bash’ being hosted by Dental Sky on the Sunborn on Friday 5th October, all profits of which go to the charity BrushUpUK.  The evening will consist of two parts.  The downstairs bar will have live music, canapés, a vintage photo booth, as well as charity events such as auctions and raffles. The second part of the evening will be in an exclusive bar at the top of the yacht, where there will be a casino night, complete with vodka luge!

To register, or for more information, visit dentalshowcase.com.

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3390 Hits
JUL
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Ivoclar Vivadent launch new UK Expert Symposium this October

DSADASDA-1

 

Ivoclar Vivadent UK & Ireland are pleased to announce their new generation of Intensive Seminars and Expert Symposiums. The first event is Mi Expert Symposium: Minimally Invasive Dentistry with Digital Technology, taking place on Saturday 13th October at The Lowry in Greater Manchester. The event will host five exceptional speakers who will educate dental professionals on how to achieve outstanding cosmetic results with techniques leaning on minimal intervention.

With increased education and an ageing population, patients are keeping their teeth for longer, therefore, preservation of sound tooth tissue alongside disease prevention is common practice. Advancement in materials and adhesive dentistry means aesthetic outcomes can now be achieved using minimally invasive techniques.

This full day event brings to you the expertise of five industry leading Dentists who follow this philosophy whilst creating aesthetic, functional, healthy smiles. Chris McConnell, Ash Parmar, Lance Knight, Adam Nulty and Quintus van Tonder will explore how using digital technology and minimally invasive techniques with a variety of materials can provide predictable, aesthetic and efficient treatment options for patients.

Mi Expert Symposium is Ivoclar Vivadent UK & Ireland’s first educational event led by Professional Services Business Manager, Leo James, speaking ahead of the event-launch Leo commented; “At Ivoclar Vivadent our passion to improve dentistry and outcomes for patients is a continuous priority. We strive to offer high quality materials and efficient processes to support everyday dentistry and we are committed to providing first-class education to dental professionals in the UK & Ireland to advance the skillset of the dental team.”

“Our exciting new series of educational events aims to bring interesting, inspiring and innovative concepts and techniques to our customers to help them achieve the best outcomes for their patients."

Tickets for the MI Expert Symposium are priced at an early bird rate of £149.00 + VAT up until the end of August, and can be purchased here. The lectures will provide delegates with 6 hours of verifiable CPD. For full details, including individual aims and objectives, please visit: www.ivoclarvivadent.co.uk/en-uk/clinical-courses/mi-expert-symposium

 

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2578 Hits
JUL
20
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A Simpler and Automated Way to Switch Plan Provider

patient-plan-direct

 

Switching dental plan patients from one provider to another is about to become a whole lot simpler and automated, without the hassle of patients having to sign a new Direct Debit instruction, explains Patient Plan Direct.

Before now, switching plan provider usually meant writing to patients to ask them to complete a new Direct Debit instruction. However, thanks to new rules introduced by the organisation that manages the Direct Debit scheme (Bacs) and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), plan providers will soon have to utilise the ‘Bulk Change Process’ if a practice wishes to switch plan provider.

The Bulk Change Process allows for plan patients’ Direct Debits to be transferred automatically from one provider to another, making life simpler and more convenient for everyone involved:

 

 

The changes have been driven by the PSR – Its objectives include the promotion of fair competition amongst organisations processing payments.

In late 2017, the PSR investigated the operations of organisations processing third party Direct Debits, which, of course, includes plan providers in the dental industry. The PSR recognised that, in some instances, such organisations were not utilising the Bulk Change Process at the request of their client, e.g. a dental practice.

Subsequently, from January 2018, a new accreditation scheme was rolled out, requiring all organisations processing third party Direct Debits to agree to utilise the Bulk Change process, should the organisation for which they are processing Direct Debits wish to switch to an alternative provider.

Patient Plan Direct is proud to announce it is the first plan provider to obtain accreditation under Bacs new rules.

Simon Reynolds, Commercial Director at Patient Plan Direct, comments: “We have been crying out and lobbying for such change for many years. The Bulk Change Process is ideally suited for scenarios such as a dental practice wishing to switch the administration of its plan from one provider to another, without the hassle or inconvenience of patients having to sign a new Direct Debit instruction.”

Simon goes on to explain, “It’s important to understand that the Bulk Change Process has always been available as a facility under the Direct Debit scheme. However, before now, other major plan providers in the market have not agreed to utilise the Bulk Change Process as a proposed transfer method. Under Bacs new rules they will now have to do so, creating a competitively fair market and affording practices the freedom of choice when it comes to deciding which provider to work with, without being put off by a previously cumbersome switching process.”

“We are currently working closely with the PSR and Bacs to ensure all other dental plan providers are identified as organisations falling under these new rules, therefore undertaking the required accreditation process as quickly as possible.”

“Naturally, as a plan provider offering significantly lower administration fees versus other plan providers, Patient Plan Direct has already generated significant interest from practices interested in switching from their current provider via the Bulk Change Process to cut costs significantly via this simple process. We encourage practices interested in switching to register their interest at: www.patientplandirect.com/simpleswitch or call 03448486888.”

What could your practice save by switching to work with Patient Plan Direct?

 

For further information register your interest here:- www.patientplandirect.com/simpleswitch or call 03448486888.

This is an advertorial article supplied by Patient Plan Direct and published by GDPUK.com

  2508 Hits
2508 Hits
JUL
17
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Futuristic view of implant dentistry unveiled at Ankylos® Congress 2018

dentsply-congress-1---main

 

‘Trust Experience. Discover Excellence’ was a fitting motto for the 2018 Ankylos Congress held in Berlin at the end of June. The event attracted more than 1000 dental professionals from over 50 countries, who gathered to learn more about the Ankylos implant system which has been used to successfully provide ‘front row smiles’ for 17,000 patients.


Ankylos is a system with 33 years of implant heritage and long-term proven success, but this Congress looked forwards and not backwards, giving the assembled delegates a new vision, of modern protocols including digital dentistry and new product innovations.


Fresh scientific findings in implant dentistry formed the event’s foundation, and this was perfectly blended with news of the industry’s latest and most relevant trends, all presented by 40 renowned international guest speakers. 


Clinical content was themed around the importance of trusting experience, a particularly important element when choosing an implant system. The tone was set with an inspirational session entitled ‘Based on evidence, proven by experience – state-of-the-art implant design’. Speakers Barry Goldenburg (USA), Ye Lin (China), Valdir Muglia (Brazil) and Marco Degidi (Italy), reviewed the clinical evidence that makes Ankylos, with its TissueCare Concept, the most suitable implant for use in almost all indications and specifically advantageous to restore long term periodontal health in the anterior aesthetic zone. UK speakers included Antony Bendkowski on ‘How to make your implant practice successful’, Steven Campbell and Martin Wanendeya lectured on the Atlantis CustomBase® solution with Martin also discussing The Virtual Patient, in relation to patient-focused implant dentistry.


A diverse range of focus sessions, held on day 2, explored treatment options and enabled delegates to discover new techniques and hone their skills. Two-hour workshops, lectures and hands-on opportunities enabled clinicians and technicians to deepen their knowledge on topics relevant to their day-to-day work.


The Inspiration Hub One of the weekend’s highlights for many was exchanging experiences and networking with peers and friends in the ‘Inspiration Hub’, an exhibition covering the full range of comprehensive solutions for implant dentistry. Here, the latest Dentsply Sirona products were presented, along with innovative solutions and digital implant workflows that demonstrated the ease with which long-lasting individualised restorations can be created.


Bursting with opportunities for visitors to meet with global experts in the field, the Hub included a Speaker’s Corner that hosted short presentations and put delegates face-to-face with the experts. Whilst in the Science Hub, Dentsply Sirona’s clinical and evidence-based ethos was clear, as its science and research experts were available to discuss clinical solutions and emerging innovations and how they are backed by sound science.


A taste of the futureOf course, no implant congress would be complete without reference to the impact that digital dentistry is having on this treatment. ‘Why digital? Why now?’ was a short presentation by Mark Ludlow (USA), which brought the Congress to a close, and Mark reiterated the importance of lifelong learning in applying these new techniques to create faster, more predictable treatment.


The congress effectively managed to convey its central theme – how implant dentistry and a dedicated community with a focus on the digital future can create the best results for patients. Specifying the event’s take-away message, Group Vice President of Dentsply Sirona Implants Lars Henrikson said, “Clinical experience, professional skills and scientific evidence is the basis for the development of new treatment protocols and for overcoming challenges, ultimately leading to a long-term contribution to oral health.”


To find out more about the extensive range of implant solutions, materials and equipment, please visit dentsplysirona.com or call us on 01932 853 422. You can also access a range of education resources, video tutorials, courses and CPD webinars at dentsplysirona.com/ukeducation Earn Dentsply Sirona Rewards on all your implant solution purchases at dentsplysirona.com 

Facebook: @dentsplysirona.uk

Twitter: @DENTSPLY_UK

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  3492 Hits
3492 Hits
JUN
20
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Simplyhealth signs a fifth 50/50 Dental Partnership

simply-health-professionals

Simplyhealth is pleased to announce it has signed a fifth 50/50 Dental Practice Partnership with Highgate Dental Practice in Beverley, East Yorkshire.

The new partnership between Simplyhealth and Highgate Dental Practice will enable the business to further develop, grow and continue to serve its local community.

Highgate Dental Practice [the team pictured below], which has been established since 1963, is a family based practice providing preventative, minimal intervention and cosmetic dentistry. 

As part of an ongoing commitment to investment and innovation in the dental market, Simplyhealth’s partnership scheme offers dental practices the opportunity to enter into an equal partnership that plays to the strengths of both parties for their mutual benefit.

The partnership model ensures both partners have equal rights in the practice and enables dentists to retain day-to-day clinical management. Simplyhealth is well positioned to partner with member dentists due to its existing strong relationships with them and expertise in the dental marketplace.

The model is an appealing option for dentists looking to secure the right future for themselves, their practice and patients and Simplyhealth supports effective succession planning to ensure the same high standards of clinical care continue to meet customers’ needs.

Raman Sankaran, Chief Commercial Officer at Simplyhealth, said: “It’s great to see our dental partnerships grow as we continue to diversify our health and care solutions. We’re delighted to enter into a partnership with Highgate Dental Practice and working in partnership means we can help more patients make the most of life through better everyday health. We look forward to working closely with the team to continue providing an excellent service and develop new services into the future.”

Steve Burke, Principal Dentist at Highgate Dental Practice, said: “When choosing who to go into partnership with, trust is the most fundamental point and having had many fruitful and successful years with Simplyhealth Professionals and using Denplan products in our practice, we felt we had a strong and secure relationship to build on.”

“We converted fully from NHS to private dentistry in 2005 with the help of Simplyhealth Professionals who have been an integral and supportive part of our team ever since. I am happy knowing that when we finally retire, our practice will continue and our great and loyal staff will have a secure and prosperous future.”

 

About Simplyhealth

For 146 years we’ve been helping people to make the most of life through better everyday health. In 2017 Simplyhealth and Denplan united under one Simplyhealth brand and today we’re proud to be the UK’s leading provider of health cash plans, Denplan dental payment plans and pet health plans.

We help over three million people in the UK access the health and care products, services and support that they need, when they need them and at a price they can afford.

We’re proud to donate 10% of our pre-tax profits to health-related charitable activities every year, and this amounted to £1.13 million in 2017. Our Simplyhealth Great Run Series partnership raised an additional £42.6 million for charity.

We’ve worked with employers to develop Care for Life, a personalised solution that provides access to a range of trusted experts and local networks that support carers’ specialised needs. In addition, we’ve teamed up with technology company HealthUnlocked to develop an online freely-accessible peer-led forum so that those caring for elderly friends or relatives can share their concerns in a supportive environment. Visit https://healthunlocked.com/careforlife

Simplyhealth is a trading name of Simplyhealth Access, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Visit http://www.simplyhealth.co.uk for more information.

  2801 Hits
2801 Hits
JUN
20
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An electric deal from NSK: buy an electric micromotor and enter into a prize draw to win your money back!

NSK-Goelectric_to-win_splash_blu_20180620-104226_1

 

Have you been waiting for the chance to install an NSK electric micromotor into your practice? Or are you thinking of upgrading your entire treatment centre to one with an electric micromotor built in?

Now is your chance with the GO ELECTRIC prize draw offer from NSK, the manufacturer of high quality, precision dental equipment:

  • Purchase an NSK Electric Micromotor* with Multi Pad and have it installed into your existing treatment centre for a 1-in-10 chance of winning the cost of your installation back.
  • Purchase a new treatment centre fitted with an NSK Electric Micromotor*, from our partners Belmont or A-Dec for a 1-in-10 chance of winning the cost of your NSK electric micromotor back from NSK.

Electrically driven instruments deliver functional flexibility with less noise and fewer vibrations to provide a smooth and more precise cutting action and a more comfortable patient experience.

To enter the prize draw, simply register your purchase at www.nskgoelectric.co.uk

For more information on NSK’s micromotors and range of other equipment, visit www.nsk-uk.com or contact your preferred dental dealer.


Facebook: NSK UK LTD
Twitter: @NSK_UK

* An NSK NLX nano or NLX plus Electric Micromotor 

  3997 Hits
3997 Hits
JUN
04
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Forever Learning

2017-Showcase-TB-demo-low-res--1

If you’ve a passion for learning, then Dental Showcase is the event for you.

Learning Through Engaging

Dental shows provide the ideal opportunity to learn what’s new from the dental trade – even if you’re only window shopping! It’s much easier to explore trade innovations under the convenience of a single roof, rather than visit many separate showrooms or try and squeeze in a rep demo between patients.  There will be over 350 exhibitors at this year’s Show, many of them choosing to launch new products at the event.  If you like to ‘try before you buy’, and be sure you’ve thoroughly researched all possibilities, this is your ideal opportunity.  Our two headline sponsors, Oral-B and Colgate, both have news for you, and offer a plethora of resources and products to ensure your patients take care of their oral health between appointments.

Learning Through Listening                                   

Dental Update Study Day – 4 October

For those wanting to polish up their clinical skills, then look no further than the Dental Update Theatre, which will again be hosting a Study Day.  The theme this year is ‘Avoiding Risk in Dentistry’. High standards are a sine qua non for any lectures coming under the Dental Update umbrella.  Profession Trevor Burke will be both chairing and presenting this year, his lecture aptly entitled ‘Minimising Failure with Direct Restorations and Crowns’.  John Milne, Head of the CQC, will also present an engaging and potentially contentious session on regulatory matters.  Tara Renton, will look at specific risks associated with oral surgery and the afternoon will be rounded off by a fascinating lecture by Steve Hawkins, the Chief Training Pilot for British Airways.  As an industry keen to learn from its mistakes, his lecture ‘Lessons from the Cockpit’, will give all attendees plenty of food for thought.  These lectures are free to attend, although priority will be given to Dental Update subscribers.

Dental Update Lecture Programme – 5-6 October

A full programme of lectures continues Friday and Saturday, with some equally engaging presentations, covering a wide range of topics.  Louis MacKenzie will be giving practical advice on anterior composites.  Paul Bachelor will explore the topic of dementia-friendly dentistry and Bob Cummings will explain some of the HMRC challenges associates face.  There will also be some business-focused presentations.  Frank Taylor & Associates will take delegates through the journey of a practice sale, including advice on finance.

Innovation Theatre

Those who’d rather attend shorter lectures, offering snapshots and practical advice, should visit the Innovation Theatre.  The application of technology is core to these lectures and this year the event will utilise revolutionary new technology, introducing an interactive element to the live demonstrations taking place each morning. The afternoon sessions will allow you to peek into ‘tomorrow’s world’, with discussions and reviews of the latest technology accessible to dentistry.  Pioneers and practitioners will talk you through its evolution and application.

Core CPD

There will be a specific learning opportunity for those wanting to meet their core CPD.  The GDC recommends five core areas in which dentists and DCPs should carry out CPD. The Core CPD lectures will bring the whole dental team up to date on the latest developments in these key areas and ensure you are well on the way to satisfying the GDC’s requirements for verifiable CPD.  New radiation regulations, medical emergencies and safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults will all be covered in this forum.

Learning Through Discussion

How many times have you wanted to “have your say” when it comes NHS dentistry?  Well, Dental Showcase is delighted that the Office of the Chief Dental Officer (CDO) has chosen to use this event as a platform for you to do just that.  Sara Hurley, CDO for England, will be talking each morning about the development and provision of dental services.  The Thursday morning session will be available to dental societies only, but Friday and Saturday are open to all on a first come, first served basis.  It is anticipated that these briefings will engender much debate which can be continued at the CDO Zone, where panel discussions will run throughout the three days. This is your opportunity to engage directly with the decision makers.

To register, or for more information, visit http://www.dentalshowcase.com/

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2500 Hits
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Knocking mouth cancer for six: Simplyhealth Professionals announce Boundaries for Life sponsorship

BFL-Lanky-the-Old-Trafford-mascot Dr Chet Trivedy at Old Trafford last year.

Following the sponsorship success of 2017, Simplyhealth Professionals has announced today its continuation of support for Boundaries for Life at this year’s cricket season.

Founded in 2010 by Dr Chet Trivedy, a dual-qualified dentist and doctor with an interest in emergency medicine and dental emergencies, Boundaries for Life offers free health checks at major cricket fixtures throughout the UK, and is supported by the European Health Stadia Network.

Currently the only free comprehensive health check initiative that includes an assessment for mouth cancer, Boundaries for Life aims to promote health awareness through high-profile cricket events. The health checks include blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar (diabetes), dental (mouth cancer), obesity and dementia advice.

Henry Clover, Chief Dental Officer at Simplyhealth Professionals, said: “We’re delighted to support Boundaries for Life once again and help to promote the messages of good oral health and general health to thousands of spectators across the UK this summer – and potentially save lives. Our commitment to the programme has been further strengthened by the support of our member dentists, several of whom have volunteered to carry out mouth cancer checks as part of the Boundaries for Life team, as well as raising awareness of good dental health and the links to general health.”

With a health professionals team comprising of dentists, doctors, nurses, and medical students, the health checks take no more than 15 minutes and are offered to spectators and ground staff. Since its launch, Boundaries for Life has carried out over 3,500 free health checks and diagnosed several cases of suspected mouth cancer, or pre-cancer, and many other health concerns, and given thousands of cricket fans specialist advice on how to improve oral and general health.

Boundaries for Life is also an award-nominated initiative, and has received recognition after being shortlisted for Best National Smile Month Event at The Dental Awards 2018, taking place this May.

Dr Chet Trivedy said: “We’re looking forward to another cricket season and utilising the sport to reach as many people as possible. Cricket is an ideal vehicle to discuss health, particularly as our key demographic for health checks are men aged 45 years and over, and those who might not be regularly visiting a dentist or GP. This target audience are thought to be increasingly vulnerable to a range of health conditions, and our health checks offer the opportunity to identify people who might be at risk of future health problems at an early stage. The health checks are easily accessible and provide instant feedback to guide people on any next steps that they should take regarding their oral or general health.”

The current Boundaries for Life fixtures are:

  • Saturday 16th June – England v Australia – Cardiff
  • Sunday 17th June – Warwickshire v West Indies XI – Edgbaston
  • Sunday 24th June – England v Australia – Old Trafford
  • Saturday 30th June – Domestic One Day Cup Final – Lord’s
  • Saturday 7th July – Kent v India – Beckenham
  • Tuesday 17th July – India v West Indies – Headingly
  • Sunday 22nd July – Kent Cricket Festival – Kent
  • Thursday 2nd August – England v India – Edgbaston
  • Saturday 1st September – England v India – Ageas Bowl
  • Sunday 2nd September  – England v India – Ageas Bowl

For more information, visit http://boundariesforlife.co.uk/

www.simplyhealth.co.uk             www.simplyhealthprofessionals.co.uk      

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6228 Hits
MAY
23
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Mind the gap: The oral health essentials that the nation is missing

Consumer-Oral-Health-Survey-2018-1

The British public could be putting their oral health - and even their general health - at risk as new research reveals that millions are overlooking the basic oral health essentials such as brushing, flossing and visiting the dentist.

The annual survey[i], conducted by YouGov on behalf of Simplyhealth Professionals, revealed shocking statistics including that only two thirds of adults brush twice a day (69%), and two percent admitting that they never brush.

Flossing is also frequently ignored, with one in three adults (37%) admitting they never take the time to floss, despite the fact that 63% know that it helps to avoid gum disease. When questioned why they don’t floss more regularly, 27% said they couldn’t be bothered or find it boring.

Furthermore, almost one in 10 (7%) are avoiding the dental chair and said they never visit the dentist.

Commenting on the figures, Henry Clover, Chief Dental Officer at Simplyhealth Professionals, said: “With the busy lifestyles that people lead, it’s tempting to skip brushing or flossing, or delay visits to the dentist. A good oral health routine is an essential everyday activity that helps to protect against tooth decay and gum disease. Moreover, with studies increasingly finding links between poor oral health and conditions such as heart disease, strokes and diabetes, looking after your oral health is important for your general health too.”

Those adults avoiding the dentist could also be setting a bad example for the younger generation, with over a fifth[ii] (22%) of parents of children aged 18 or under saying their child only brushes their teeth once a day or less, and 2% saying their child never brushes.

Childhood tooth decay continues to be a huge issue in the UK, and remains the number one reason why children aged five to nine years old are admitted to hospital in England[iii]. 19% of parents surveyed said their child had at least one filling and, shockingly, 46% saying their child had their first filling when they were seven years old or younger.

Worryingly, the survey also revealed that 83% of adults said they never check their mouths for signs of mouth cancer. With recent figures[iv] showing that cases of mouth cancer are up by a third in the last decade, and with around 18 people being diagnosed with the disease every day in the UK, the implications of not self-checking could be serious.

“Regular visits to the dentist can help to spot the early signs of mouth cancer, but it’s important to be aware of the symptoms and any changes that you see or feel in your mouth between dental appointments,” explains Henry. “These can include unusual lumps or swellings in the mouth or head and neck area; ulcers that don’t heal within three weeks; and red and white patches in the mouth.”

 

 

[i] All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc, on behalf of Simplyhealth.  Total sample size was 5,264 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 12th -19th February 2018.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

[ii] All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Parents of children aged 18 years old and under were surveyed; and if there was more than one child in the family, we asked parents to answer based on the child whose birthday fell next. Total sample size was 4,294 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken from 9th to 16th February 2018. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+)

[iii] The Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, The state of children’s oral health in England report, January 2015.

[iv] Oral Health Foundation – www.mouthcancer.org

Simplyhealth Professionals is the UK’s leading dental payment plan specialist with more than 6,500 member dentists nationwide caring for approximately 1.7 million patients registered to a Denplan product.

Simplyhealth Professionals provides the following range of leading Denplan dental payment plans under the Denplan name:

  • Denplan Care: all routine and restorative care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
  • Denplan Essentials: routine care only + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
  • Denplan for Children: routine and other agreed care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
  • Denplan Membership: registered with the dentist + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
  • Denplan Hygiene: A dental payment plan without dental insurance for all types of practice from NHS, mixed and private to support patients commit to a consistent hygiene programme.
  • Denplan Emergency Insurance: worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover only

Simplyhealth Professionals also provide a wide range of professional services for its member dentists and their practice teams, including the Denplan Quality Programme and Denplan Excel Accreditation Programme.  Plus regulatory advice, business and marketing consultancy services and networking opportunities.

Dentist enquiries telephone: 0800 169 9962.

For patient enquiries telephone: 0800 401 402   

www.simplyhealth.co.uk

www.simplyhealthprofessionals.co.uk       

  2685 Hits
2685 Hits
MAY
23
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Strong Teeth Make Strong Kids

Kids-Star-Wars---oral-b

 

 

Oral-B’s campaign to support parents & help kids develop a lifetime of good oral care habits

 

Shocking research findings have revealed that 23% of 5-year-olds[1] and nearly half (46%) of 8-year-olds in the UK2 have obvious tooth decay in their primary teeth. Also, it was found that sadly, 35% of 12-year-old children are too embarrassed to smile or laugh6 due to the condition of their teeth. These issues are particularly prevalent in UK children due to many factors, including poor oral care habits and nutrition. Also, Oral-B knows that using the right products, at the right frequency, with good supervision can have an impact on the oral health of children.

Help through research & education: For parents – for children

Oral-B is on a mission to support UK parents / carers adopt appropriate home-based oral health behaviours and thereby reduce the number of children with toothache and dental problems – all through its #StrongTeethMakeStrongKids-campaign. The oral health experts from Oral-B and the University of Leeds, have launched a research and education programme to give dental professionals and parents the right support to prevent these dental health issues from now on. Peter Day, Associate Professor and Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Leeds, about the research: “Our research explored how dental teams can best support parents of young children to adopt appropriate oral health behaviours at home. We have examined the literature and undertaken qualitative interviews and focus groups to identify the challenges parents and dental teams face. These findings have provided the blueprint for Strong Teeth oral health intervention.” 

Why a healthy mouth is so important for UK kids

Asked about the situation in the UK Peter Days adds: “In my clinic, I see far too many young children with dental decay. Unfortunately, many will have had toothache, sleepless nights, disturbed eating patterns and time off school and nursery. We know children with decay in their baby teeth are much more likely to develop decay in their permanent teeth. Establishing toothbrushing and healthy eating habits in early childhood is a strong predictor for oral health in adult life.” In response to this, Oral-B is on a mission to support UK parents adopt appropriate home-based oral health behaviours and thereby reduce the number of children with dental problems.

Oral-B launches #StrongTeethMakeStrongKids campaign

Oral-B’s “Strong Teeth Make Strong Kids” programme aims to educate and support parents on how they can help their children develop the right habits, as well as lay down a strong foundation for good oral health – for a healthy and confident smile for life.  “We are working closely with the UK’s Dental Professionals by aiming to provide up to 20,000 dental professionals this year with simple and engaging educational materials for parents and their children during routine check-ups. Oral-B is committed to take on this challenge to sustainably improve the situation in the UK”, says Jane Kidson, Oral-B Professional Team Leader UK & Ireland.

Combined with the right dental care products, these positive oral health messages are designed to encourage parents to lead the way, so they can see that these oral health issues are mostly preventable with simple changes to their families’ daily oral care routine.

Here is a snapshot of the brand’s educational materials that dental professionals can use to support the conversations that they are having with parents / carers. Such materials include:

  1. Brushing from 1st tooth to 5 years
  2. Friends & Family can support healthy habits
  3. Make brushing fun for children
  4. Healthy Eating can help protect teeth

There’s more to good oral care than meets the eye:

Maintaining good oral health and establishing the right healthy habits early on will help children progress along the key ‘Strong Teeth’ milestones. They include their first dental visit, the arrival of their first tooth or teeth, and then the first time they use an electric power toothbrush (from age 3 onwards). Having a good oral health habits results in a healthy smile and that smile drives confidence, and that confidence is usually a key contributor to a better future for children.

 

About Oral-B
Oral-B® is the worldwide leader in the over $5 billion brushing market. Part of the Procter & Gamble Company, the brand includes manual and electric toothbrushes for children and adults, oral irrigators and interdental products, such as dental floss. Oral-B® manual toothbrushes are used by more dentists than any other brand in the U.S. and many international markets.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit https://www.pg.co.uk/# for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.

_

About the University of Leeds Study

Oral-B wanted to understand the fundamental and systematic issues which brought about the UK’s child dental health situation, and funded an extensive study with the University of Leeds, analysing the how dental teams can best support parents of young children to adopt appropriate oral health behaviors. Leeds has a strong research expertise in the design and evaluation of complex oral health interventions (i-ii) . The findings from the Oral B funded study provided the blueprint for the Strong Teeth oral health intervention, including the creation of vital ready-to-use educational materials that Oral-B will provide to Dental Professionals across the country.

  1. 1. 23.3% had experience of dental decay with one of more teeth that were decayed to dentinal level, extracted or filled because of caries. Source: Public Health England. National Dental Epidemiology Programme for England: oral health survey of five-year-old children 2017.
  2. 2. In their primary teeth. Source: National Health Service Child Dental Health Survey 2013.
  3. 3. Due to tooth decay. Tooth extracted under general anaesthetic. Source: Public Health England Health Matters: Child Dental Health 2017.
  4. 4. Children with decay waiting for dental treatment In hospital. Source: Public Health England Health Matters: Child Dental Health 2017.
  5. 5. Children with decay waiting for dental treatment in hospital. Source: Public Health England Health Matters: Child Dental Health 2017
  6. 6. Due to tooth decay or missing teeth. Source: National Health Service Child Dental Health Survey 2013 

References for University of Leeds complex intervention studies:

(i). ESKYTE, I., GRAY-BURROWS, K., OWEN, J., SYKES-MUSKETT, B., ZOLTIE, T., GILL, S., SMITH, V., MCEACHAN, R., MARSHMAN, Z., WEST, R., PAVITT, S. & DAY, P. 2018. HABIT-an early phase study to explore an oral health intervention delivered by health visitors to parents with young children aged 9-12 months: study protocol. Pilot Feasibility

(ii). GRAY-BURROWS, K., DAY, P. F., MARSHMAN, Z., ALIAKBARI, E., PRADY, S. L. & MCEACHAN, R. R. C. 2016. Using intervention mapping to develop a home-based parental supervised toothbrushing intervention for young children. Implement Sci, 11, 61.

 

 

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2856 Hits
MAY
15
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Mission (Im)Possible

FiveGoForth-1

 

Five dental business consultants are taking on their ultimate challenge, cycling almost 1,000 miles in fifteen days to raise funds for three wonderful charities – Cancer Research, Bridge2Aid and BrushUpUK. Chris Barrow, Les Jones, Sheila Scott, Simon Tucker and Ashley Latter have set themselves an ambitious target; between them they’re hoping to raise £50,000. The team has been sponsored by four industry stalwarts – Practice Plan, Dental Sky, Wesleyan and Dental Focus.

Explaining why they chose these three charities, Ashley commented, “We will all be touched in some way by cancer in our lives, so supporting the work of Cancer Research is something everyone can get behind.  We’ve also chosen two special charities within the dental sector.  Bridge2Aid does amazing work in Africa training local medical officers to carry out basic dentistry and, as a result, helps thousands of people out of pain and suffering.  BrushUpUK is a charity that believes that everyone should have the knowledge and skills to access and maintain a good standard of oral health and works with professionals within the sector to provide education and guidance to vulnerable groups in society”.

A fundraising page has been created for anyone who would like to support the challenge. 

Additionally, you may like to challenge yourself and join the five for a leg or a day of the journey. Dust off your cleats, dab on your chamois cream and join the team! There are five places available for each day. For more information, or to make a donation, visit www.fivegoforth.co.uk.

  2530 Hits
2530 Hits
MAY
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Henry Schein Digital Symposium opens the minds of the profession

henry-schein-digital-2018

 

Attendees at this year’s Henry Schein Digital Symposium were left in no doubt about the exciting opportunities and mind-expanding innovations that are already transforming dentistry and are set to continue in the coming months and years.

On 27th and 28th April, digital advocates from all areas of dentistry gathered in London to talk technology and discuss the latest developments and trends in areas such as predictive treatment, diagnosis, management, treatment and prevention.

This year’s Keynote Speaker was the Medical Futurist Dr Bertalan Mesko, a self-confessed “geek physician” with a PhD in genomics and an acclaimed author, who challenged the audience with his predictions on the way in which digital heath technologies are set to impact on the future of health care.

Dr Mesko was joined by a first-class line-up of speakers including, Rune Fisker, Sinead McEnhill, Colin Campbell, Adam Nulty and Josef Kunkela, as well as renowned technicians Petr Hajny, Vicken Hatsakordzian, and many more. Topics were wide-ranging and included the importance of retaining the human element in digital dentistry, the rising influence of digital dentistry apps and how dentists can drive patient engagement through the use of digital technology.

Henry Schein ConnectDental was a pivotal part of the two-day event, showcasing a comprehensive range of digital solutions, which can help practitioners harness the efficiencies of digital workflows and benefit from the economic impact of offering single-visit dentistry. The pace of change in digital is already being felt by the profession and improvements in aesthetics, guided implant surgery and digital shade matching is quite breath taking, and the rise in 3D printing and digital dentures is now taking treatment options to a whole new level.

There was much interest in the many innovative digital solutions on show and five in particular caught the profession’s imagination:

The 3Shape TRIOS® MOVE

This mobile HD touch screen is the ultimate communication tool that enables dentists to involve and engage patients in their treatment. Compatible with all TRIOS 3 scanners, it has an adjustable arm and swivel screen enabling the clinician to position it exactly where needed and facilitating vastly improved patient engagement and treatment acceptance.

The 3M™ True Definition Scanner

Available in mobile or cart edition, this scanner offers excellent accuracy, ease of use and affordability for making fast, precise digital impressions. The 3D-in-motion video technology generates a true replica of the patient’s oral anatomy – improving visibility right from the start. The innovative design ensures fast, comfortable intraoral scanning for greater patient comfort.

The Dentsply Sirona Chairside Solution

The original chair side solution, CEREC makes it possible for dentists to offer patients genuine same-day dentistry – from fast and accurate digital scanning, to versatile and intuitive digital design to in-house milling, sintering and glazing. Catering for patients’ increasingly busy lifestyles CEREC maintains excellent quality and functionality, but with the speed and precision now so much in demand.

The 3Shape X1 4-in-1 CBCT scanner

This CBCT scanner offers low dose scanning and high image quality with its innovative motion compensation and dynamic field of view (FOV) technology. Its sleek design and no requirement for head fixation provides a comfortable scanning experience for the patient. Ease of operation and intuitive workflows, combined with full integration with 3Shape treatment modules for orthodontics and implant dentistry, makes this digital equipment extremely versatile.

Formlabs Form 2 3D printer

The Form 2 3D printer, which is now available from Henry Schein Laboratory, provides high-resolution 3D printing, featuring laser-sharp prints and stunning surface finish. It can deliver both large, solid parts, and small intricate detail and has a small desktop footprint. The Form 2 has wireless connectivity and touchscreen control and integrates seamlessly with 3Shape and other dental software systems.

The 2018 Henry Schein Digital Symposium did not disappoint, and delegates came away with their heads full of new ideas and genuine excitement about the possibilities that digital dentistry is opening up. As billed, it truly was “the ultimate digital experience”.

 

To find out more about all Henry Schein ConnectDental’s digital solutions, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit hsdconnectdental.co.uk.

henryschein.co.uk

Twitter: @HenryScheinUK

Facebook: HenryScheinUK

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2381 Hits
APR
05
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Will sales fizz? One in five adults say the sugar tax won’t deter them from buying sugary drinks

fizzy-drink-2

 

Ahead of the impending Soft Drinks Industry Levy on 6th April, one in five UK adults (21%) say that potentially paying a little bit extra won’t bother them if they want a sugary drink.

According to survey figures* released today by YouGov and Simplyhealth, the experts behind Denplan payment plans, just over half of the nation (59%) supports the new tax, but a significant number of people would not be deterred by potential price hikes of sugary beverages. In the same survey, 20% of adults admitted they are addicted to sugar.

Nicknamed the ‘sugar tax’, the Soft Drinks Industry Levy is a completely new measure that comes into force on 6th April 2018. Plans for the tax were announced in the Government’s 2016 budget in response to the nation’s alarming levels of obesity and poor oral health.

The tax primarily targets manufacturers and importers of sugary soft drinks and encourages them to adjust their recipes and reduce the levels of sugar in their drinks, thereby avoiding the tax or paying a lower level. However, consumers could also be affected and be forced to pay more for sugary drinks if manufacturers decide to not reformulate their recipes and pass on the tax to consumers.

Under the new levy, drinks with a sugar content over five but below eight grams per 100ml will see 18p added to the price of the drink per litre, and drinks containing over eight grams of sugar per 100ml will face an increase of 24p per litre. 

“It’s encouraging to see that the majority of people support the new levy and understand the urgent need to address the alarming levels of obesity and poor oral health – particularly those of children - in the UK,” said Henry Clover, Chief Dental Officer at Simplyhealth, the experts behind Denplan payment plans. “However it’s concerning that one in five people say they would not be deterred by potential price increases of sugary drinks, suggesting that sugary beverages are seen as a staple item in some people’s daily diets. Sugary drinks are a leading cause of tooth decay and acid erosion and offer little to no nutritional value.”


Encouragingly, 53% of respondents in the survey claimed they don’t drink sugary drinks, and 17% would consider choosing less sugary and potentially less expensive options, of which 10% didn’t like the thought of paying extra and 7% who definitely don’t want to pay extra.

“It will be interesting to observe consumer buying behaviour over the next year as well as seeing how many manufacturers have adjusted their recipes,” says Henry. “Reducing access to high sugar drinks options and encouraging people to choose less sugary options is likely to have a positive effect on the nation’s oral health, particularly in children and young adults. Sugary drinks should always be seen as an occasional treat and only drunk as part of a meal. Water and milk are far more tooth-friendly options.”

The survey also revealed that one in four adults (25%) admit to struggling to understand the sugar content on food and drink packaging labels, highlighting that many people may be unwittingly consuming much higher levels of sugar than they realise. Worryingly, amongst these, only 56% of 18-24 year olds knew that honey is a sugar, and only 41% of the same age group knew that molasses, fruit juice concentrates (44%) and maltose (50%) are also types of sugar.

“Confusion over food and drink labelling and a lack of awareness of the recommended daily limits almost certainly contribute to the nation’s high sugar consumption,” says Henry. “It’s important that manufacturers and retailers make it as easy as possible for consumers to know what they’re purchasing and are transparent with their ingredients and labelling. There is also a role for dental teams and other healthcare professionals to help patients understand the effects of a high sugar diet on their health and help them make more informed choices.”

 

 

*Online survey conducted YouGov on behalf of Simplyhealth. Total sample size was 5,264 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 12th -19th February 2018.  The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

 

About Simplyhealth:

For 145 years we’ve been helping people to make the most of life through better everyday health.  In 2017, Simplyhealth and Denplan united under one Simplyhealth brand and today we’re proud to be the UK’s leading provider of health cash plans, Denplan dental payment plans and pet health plans.

We help over three million people in the UK access the health and care products, services and support that they need, when they need them and at a price they can afford.

  • 1m health cash plan customers
  • 1.5m patients with a Denplan payment plan
  • 6,500 member dentists
  • 1,900 member vets
  • 879,600 animals covered
  • 11,000 corporate clients

We’re proud to donate 10% of our pre-tax profits to health-related charitable activities every year, and this amounted to over £1 million in 2017. Our Simplyhealth Great Run Series partnership raised an additional £42.6 million for charity.

Simplyhealth is a trading name of Simplyhealth Access, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

www.denplan.co.uk

www.simplyhealth.co.uk       

 

  4367 Hits
4367 Hits
MAR
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Implants & Beyond Symposium 2018 - Free to Attend

implants-beyond-symposium

 

Implants & Beyond Symposium 2018

Friday 20th April

Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, 2 Bridge Place, London, SW1V 1QA

FREE TO ATTEND (5 CPD Hrs)

 Further details on the website.

 

 

 

 

To register for this free event, just fill out the form on the website

http://www.implantsandbeyond.org/

 

  4938 Hits
4938 Hits
MAR
22
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Carestream Dental is a finalist in National Sports technology Awards 2018

Carestream Dental is a finalist in National Sports technology Awards 2018

 

Carestream Dental is delighted to announce that it has been shortlisted in two categories for the National Sports Technology Awards 2018.

This is an internationally-recognised accreditation that celebrates technology-led innovation throughout the world of sport.

It is thrilled to be a finalist in the following groups:

  • Best Participation Technology

  • Most Innovative Sports Equipment or Apparel

In collaboration with the mouthwear suppliers and dental laboratories involved – Forcetech Mouthwear, Rhino Mouthwear, Fairbanks Dental Laboratory and Wessex Dental Laboratory – the company has also been shortlisted in the Most Innovative Sports Partnership category.

We look forward to the awards ceremony and are hopeful for a win!

 

For more information please contact Carestream Dental on

0800 169 9692 or visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk

For all the latest news and updates, follow us on Twitter @CarestreamDentl and Facebook

 
  3832 Hits
3832 Hits
MAR
20
0

Simplyhealth Professionals provides practices with GDPR toolkit

Simplyhealth Professionals provides practices with GDPR toolkit

 

Simplyhealth Professionals has produced a range of templates and draft policies to support its practices in preparation for meeting the enhanced data protection requirements, coming into force on Friday 25 May 2018. The company has also been providing detailed information and guidance on the implication for practices of the new data regulations with a three part blog written by Roger Matthews, Honorary Life President and former Chief Dental Officer (https://www.denplan.co.uk/dentists/blog).

Between now and Friday 25 May, the recommendations are that practices will need to:

  • Complete their data audit (as recommended by The Information Commissioner’s Office (www.ico.org.uk/gdpr)

  • Check where back-ups are stored (ask your software provider/s)

  • Consider how to present Privacy Notices to patients

  • Consider revising their Data Protection and Information Security policies

  • Update their Cookie policy if they have a website

  • Carry out and document a Legitimate Interest Assessment (in simple terms how you lawfully process personal data)

  • Draw up a Data Breach policy and procedure (if not already done)

  • Appoint a Data Protection Officer

To help with preparation, Simplyhealth Professionals has published several templates for members on their web portal in a GDPR toolkit.  There are templates available for a Legitimate Interest Assessment, a Privacy Notice and a Data Breach. However, in each case it will be necessary for practices to consider how these templates should be adapted for their own particular circumstances and practice.  Further resources will be published on the portal in the coming weeks in the form of a Cookie policy, a Data Retention policy, a Data Protection policy and an Information Security policy.

As the new law is still a Parliamentary ‘work in progress’ and subject to some further amendments, Simplyhealth Professionals intends to keep members fully updated on any further developments.

Henry Clover, Chief Dental Officer at Simplyhealth Professionals, said: “We shouldn’t forget that confidentiality, consent and security of sensitive information – to name but three factors – have already been an integral part of dental practices for a long time. This is the embodiment of data protection in our professional lives, so much of this is not actually new.  

“However, there is still some preparation required by practices and they will need to become familiar with some different language.  Similar to the support we provided with regards to CQC inspections, we have again attempted to simplify the complex and make generic data protection requirements relevant to dental practices.”

 

About Simplyhealth Professionals:

In February 2017, Denplan rebranded as Simplyhealth Professionals.

 

Dental

Simplyhealth Professionals is the UK’s leading dental payment plan specialist with more than 6,500 member dentists nationwide caring for approximately 1.7 million patients registered to a Denplan product.

Simplyhealth Professionals provides the following range of leading Denplan dental payment plans under the Denplan name:

  • Denplan Care: all routine and restorative care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover

  • Denplan Essentials: routine care only + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover

  • Denplan for Children: routine and other agreed care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover

  • Denplan Membership: registered with the dentist + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover

  • Denplan Hygiene: A dental payment plan without dental insurance for all types of practice from NHS, mixed and private to support patients commit to a consistent hygiene programme.

  • Denplan Emergency Insurance: worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover only

Simplyhealth Professionals also provide a wide range of professional services for its member dentists and their practice teams, including the Denplan Quality Programme and Denplan Excel Accreditation Programme.  Plus regulatory advice, business and marketing consultancy services and networking opportunities.

Dentist enquiries telephone: 0800 169 9962.

For patient enquiries telephone: 0800 401 402   

For details of all of our products, visit www.denplan.co.uk

  4363 Hits
4363 Hits
MAR
20
0

CALCIVIS featured on BBC Scotland

CALCIVIS featured on BBC Scotland

 

Adam Christie the CEO of CALCIVIS was interviewed by BBC Scotland this week. He spoke comprehensively about the development of the CALCIVIS imaging system and told viewers how this innovative new dental device is helping to revolutionise preventative dentistry.

Filmed at a dental practice in Edinburgh, Adam showed how the CALCIVIS imaging system works and explained:

“Using a recombinant photoprotein, the CALCIVIS imaging system identifies free calcium ions released from actively demineralising tooth surfaces.”

Viewers saw how the CALCIVIS imaging system produces a very short, low-level flash of light that is detected by an integrated intraoral sensor and presented as a glowing, digital map at the chair side. It was agreed that CALCIVIS offers dental practitioners an early detection device to identify enamel demineralisation in the earliest, most reversible stages, which enables them to plan prompt management to prevent dental caries.

In addition, the non-invasive CALCIVIS system helps patients to understand their risk of dental caries more easily and motivates them to improve oral hygiene levels.

As Adam Christie explained to the BBC, “CALCIVIS is a first for British Dentistry. Never before has it been so easy to detect areas of active demineralisation so efficiently.”

If you would like to know more about this remarkable technology, contact the CALCIVIS team today.

 

To find out more about CALCIVIS visit www.CALCIVIS.com

or call 0131 658 5152

 

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