Nearly every day I get an email - Get to page ONE of Google. It goes into the same folder as collecting my inheritance from my lost relative in Nigeria. It is rubbish and should be treated like spam.

First of all no one can guarantee to be on the first page of Google unless you have a paid campaign and these days in dentistry you are looking at over £1000 per month to have any chance of getting to page one on sponsored advertisements. Secondly people seem to have gone crazy and want a quick win - they forget Dentistry is a relationship business and relationships take time.

You want more patients? It is simple, just ask your existing ones. I know you have heard this before but do you actually do it with EVERY patient? Tell them how much you like seeing and treating them. Tell them you have vacancies for patients like them and give them a few business cards. Do not leave it there, follow it up with an email reminding them. Most of them never think of telling their friends and family about you unless they get asked. We also send follow-up letters asking them if the treatment was comfortable, explaining the maintenance and guarantees on their work and again asking for referrals.

We look at our day list at our morning meeting - we all instantly see the names of the people we like to treat. Make it a point for the whole team to do this every day.

Now with more and more compliance there are companies out there who can automate this process for you. After every dental appointment they can email your patients and ask them to rate the service they achieved and even ask if they are happy to write a testimonial that can be placed on your website or Google reviews

You do not need a huge marketing budget. It just needs time to make sure your message is clear and you invest in different ways in reaching your target audience. A good campaign also gets them emotionally stimulated to buy or at least investigate your practice. Convert your raving fans into your marketing force.

James Goolnik is a practising Dentist and his book “Brush” donates 100% of the profits to Dentaid. He recently led a team of 8 dental professionals to Malawi to install two dental chairs, equipment and deliver skills transfer workshops from these proceed. He is a trustee of the charity “Heart your Smile”.

www.jamesgoolnik.com

DENTSPLY UK is delighted to announce that from September 2013, Olivier Collet will become the new Vice President and General Manager of its UK Dental Division.

Olivier has significant experience within the dental industry, beginning his career with a Swiss dental dealer in 1985, and moving on to join DENTSPLY Maillefer Switzerland as Interco Manager in 2000.

Olivier was promoted to Sales Director of DENTSPLY Maillefer in 2004, responsible for the worldwide Dental business. In this role he successfully created and developed a global sales network, increased sales volumes, explored diversification alternatives and prospected new Endodontic dental markets, latterly adding Surgical products to his portfolio.

Contact us at www.dentsply.co.uk or 0800 072 3313

Earn Rewards against purchases at www.dentsplyrewards.co.uk

Access webinars and product demonstrations and earn CPD at www.dentsplyacademy.co.uk

Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’ has scooped an award as part of The Big Break 2013. The campaign, run by Bacs, offers prizes for companies who sign clients up to Direct Debit, and raises money for charity in the process. This year’s campaign will benefit no fewer than 100 charities and good causes, making sure they get a Big Break in 2013 too.

Krishan Joshi is CEO of Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’. He says:

‘It’s really exciting to have been awarded a prize from Bacs, and it’s testament to quality of service that we can offer. With over 500 dental practice websites to our name, we provide an excellent level of customer service and on-going support to all our customers. This prize is a great credit to our team who work extremely hard to keep our clients happy.’

Simon Reynolds, marketing manager at First Capital Cashflow adds:

‘It’s great to see clients such as Dental Focus ®, take advantage of promoting direct debit as a collection method. Clearly in this instance Dental Focus ® have been rewarded for their hard work and involvement in the Big Break campaign. Collecting fees by direct debit really is a win-win for all parties involved. The beneficiary enjoys improved cash-flow, reduced debtor days and streamlined administration, whilst the payer benefits from the convenience factor.’   

With over a decade of experience building beautiful bespoke websites for UK dental practices, the Dental Focus ® team have all the skills and experience to put your practice quite literally, on the Google map. To learn more, contact Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’ today!

For more information call 020 7183 8388, or visit www.dentalfocus.com

GDPs who wish to offer orthodontic treatments in their surgery now have the support of your very own team of registered specialist orthodontists. LR Orthodontists are unique by being the only provider who is there for dentists throughout each and every case. They assign a named specialist orthodontist to each and every case for diagnosis and treatment planning.

Kerr is excited to reveal that a new curing light that meets all your ‘wants’ is to be launched in October at the BDTA Dental Showcase on stand N14 and will soon be available UK-wide.

Committed to providing the very best for its customers, Kerr asked potential purchasers what they were looking for in a new curing light. In line with the responses, the product offers:

• A non-degrading power source

• Battery-free and cordless operation

• Rapid recharge in 30 seconds or less

• Uniform depth of cure

• Low heat generation without compromising cure time (C.U.R.E technology)

• Simple and intuitive operation and maintenance

• Unit swap should failure occur

• Warranty extension

• Accidental damage cover.

Keep an eye out for Kerr’s upcoming announcement that will reveal the name of this exciting new light, even more benefits, and when and where you can see it for yourself.

To contact Kerr, please call 01733 892292, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.kerrdental.co.uk.

A report published last month by market research giant Mintel, forecasts strong growth across the industry in the coming 5 years and concludes that by 2018 UK dentistry will be worth £9bn, a 14% increase on its current value.

Leading dental marketing agency Manan Limited, who collected data from more than 600 dentists for their 2012 Dental Survey, shared their findings with Mintel, having been approached by industrial analyst and author of the report, Angus Handley. Manan’s data provided an insight into some key areas of the dental market, including dentists’ likelihood of increasing specialist service provision, the level of hygienist services currently available, and the profession’s adoption of new technology, such as online appointment booking.

The report gives detailed forecasts of how the next 5 years are likely to develop, particularly in the face of a new NHS contract, currently expected no earlier than 2016. Predicting slow growth in the private sector of only 2.5% (on a par with GDP forecasts) between 2014 and 2016, a more favourable economic climate and increased disposable income will lead to more patients accessing private care, causing a rapid increase in 2017 and 2018, resulting in an overall 5 year forecast of 14% growth, according to the report.

Similarly, cosmetic dentistry is also expected to benefit from the predicted change in the economic environment. The report concludes that once the financial barriers to cosmetic treatment are removed there is a healthy prediction of 21% growth over the next 5 years in this sector.

Manan has full access to the report and will be happy to discuss those aspects that pertain to their clients’ individual needs.

For more information visit www.mananltd.com

The team at JETPIK is excited to announce the UK launch of its JETPIK Smart Floss at BDTA Dental Showcase on Stand C06a.

 As a special Showcase offer, dental professionals who choose to make JETPIK available to patients through their practice will  have the opportunity to buy a new unit at a reduced rate to discover the benefits for their patients.

Offering unbeatable inter-dental cleaning action that pulsates 20 times per second to tackle stubborn areas, laboratory tests show that JETPIK Smart Floss is twice as effective at removing plaque biofilm from human teeth as a high pressure water irrigator.

The ‘Go-with-Water’ design of JETPIK combines the essential power of floss with clinically proven water and air irrigation to allow floss to reach all areas of the mouth, even below the gum line and between teeth.

JETPIK Smart Floss improves overall oral health and assists in combating gum disease. In addition, for patients who wear braces, JETPIK offers the ideal oral hygiene solution.

To see JETPIK in action for yourself, please visit Stand C06a or visit www.jetpik.co.uk for more information.

Nobel Biocare is dedicated to expanding the value of services offered to all its customers. As part of its on-going commitment, Nobel Biocare has developed a brand-new online store designed to make online ordering easier and more convenient than ever before.

Integrated within the Nobel Biocare website (www.nobelbiocare.com), the new digital store offers customers smarter, easier and more personal choices of the most comprehensive range of implant systems, drills, surgical components, surgery kits, and a wide range of prefabricated prosthetics, as well as everything you need for guided surgery. The online offering is also complemented by a comprehensive choice of patient education material.

Benefits of Nobel Biocare’s new online store include:

• Significantly improved speed
• Intuitive navigation, including a ‘quick buy’ function
• Personalised online product catalogue
• Convenient product filtering
• Previous orders available via purchase history
• Fast access to customer support
• Limited-time money-back guarantee for components purchased online

With over 1,700 products available, the new Nobel Biocare online store really is the perfect choice for all your needs.

For more information, contact Nobel Biocare on 0208 756 3300, or visit www.nobelbiocare.com

To register for the Nobel Biocare Online Store go to:

store.nobelbiocare.co.uk

GC UK is excited to announce the launch of their new and innovative e-Comic exclusively for Facebook fans and online community. With an aim to illustrate the significant advantages of using GC everX Posterior, readers will be able to view a new episode each week and benefit from exclusive product offers.

GC everX Posterior is a fibre-reinforced composite designed to be used as dentine replacement, in conjunction with conventional composite such as G-ænial Posterior for enamel replacement. The short fibres of GC everX Posterior will make it a perfect sub-structure to reinforce any composite restoration in large size cavities. Fibres will also prevent and stop crack propagation through the filling, which is considered to be the main cause of composite failures.

Click to view the latest episode of The Adventures of everX e-Comic

Phone: 01908 218999

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

Website: http://www.uk.gceurope.com

Twitter:         https://twitter.com/gcuk13

Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/GCUKLTD

Dental students in their final year at participating universities will get the chance to showcase their talents in a nationwide Dental Surgery Skills Competition. This inaugural contest is organised by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s (RCSEd) Faculty of Dental Surgery, and sponsored by DENTSPLY.

Students who wish to participate will be invited to apply through the RCSEd website. The first 25 eligible students to register from each school will get to represent their university in the regional contests.

The regional heats will be held at Dental Schools from October to December 2013, where the students’ clinical dental skills will be judged. As a sponsor to the competition, DENTSPLY will be supplying the participants with materials they need for the skills tests such as burs, rotary endodontic files, composite material and light curing units.

The winners from each regional event will be invited to the final at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in March 2014. The final competition at the RCSEd will take the regional winners through various skill stations.

The winner of the Dental Surgery Skills Competition will receive an expenses-paid trip to America to attend the Chicago Dental Society’s Midwinter Meeting in February 2015, courtesy of RCSEd’s Faculty of Dental Surgery, as well as taking the accolade and pride in being the first winner to ever be named for the contest.

For more details on the competition, visit www.rcsed.ac.uk/dental-skills-comp.

Contact us at www.dentsply.co.uk or 0800 072 3313

Earn Rewards against purchases at www.dentsplyrewards.co.uk

Access webinars and product demonstrations and earn CPD at www.dentsplyacademy.co.uk

Botched &  Dire Advice

Well, its that time of the year when the smell of a drying wet dog permeates the house. The leaves are turning. The Fall is here as our colleagues across the pond might note.

The disturbing, but perhaps not unexpected, news this week is that the BDA are experiencing their own Autumnal Fall. This has of course galvanised the bar-room gaggle into snap analysis and quick fixing over a pint. Whoa Trigger. If only it were that easy!

It seems that the fancy new 3 tier membership has resulted in a wallet voting rush for web-BDA only. Which bit of the “Rollup, save £300” message did the membership FAIL to get?  The story goes that the wide-red-braced management consultant’s expected, cosy, even split of membership from “Basic” through to “Free Conference Tickets for all” levels has not materialised. Well, quelle surpise.

There has been what one must assume is a catastrophic fall in membership income, and already barely three months later redundancies are taking place.  Lifeboats and the Costa Concordia come to mind. Abandon ship, or merely muster at lifeboat stations? Time will shortly tell.

So what is the message here?   Some ¾ of the membership of about 18000 are understood to have elected for no personal contact with the BDA. That may be the reality of distant and isolate practice– one hopes… But of course it might be more of a vote of no-confidence.

But the 18000 HAVE signed up to 60 hours of vCPD [I wonder how many will actually take that up]. They HAVE signed up for library and journal access. And they HAVE signed up for soopah- doopah web access to 5000 pages of dental whatever. You could of course try Google for free and save another £300.

Perhaps more pertinent in these times - They HAVE signed up to Trades Union support.

Is it me?  The new membership have declined the offer of a free conference ticket, and by and large rejected the Expert practice and management support package and yet signed up in the main to the very bit the BDA hardly excels at – representation at government level.  Even then, in the basic package, all support will have to be ‘on line’. Joy.

The BDA seem to have shot themselves in the foot with this new membership and then left themselves with the only remaining task of running the marathon of representation. In rugby parlance, a hospital pass.

Maybe this new membership split IS a vote after all …

Maybe we will now have a Trade Union with balls. 

Protecting yourself

• Ensure the policy includes an ‘own occupation’ definition, meaning it will pay out if you are unable to carry out your specific job. If the policy states ‘any suited occupation’, it won’t pay out if you are able to carry out other types of work based on your knowledge and experience.
• Check the scheme offers ‘permanent’ protection, meaning the terms on which it is offered will remain unchanged until the policy expires or you retire, whichever comes sooner.
• Think about the right deferred period for your needs. Premiums are normally cheaper if you wait longer before benefits are paid, so you might choose to defer payments until other sources of income, such as sick pay, have expired or reduced.
• Review your policy regularly as it may be impacted by any changes in employment conditions and salary increases that occur throughout your career.

A 29 yr old lady, images displayed below, came to see me a while back and was quite depressed with her teeth which had been a hindrance, her whole life. Since she was younger her parents had brought her to see dentists and specialists to see what could be done and she even spent time in the dental hospital being passed from pillar to post.

She has a real skeletal issue which complicated her treatment and all the specialists wanted to fix this as part of any treatment plan. She understood that it was probably the best thing to do but she was unprepared to go through the surgery and at this stage in her life wasn’t keen to wear braces either. She wondered if there was anything I could suggest. She had no issue with her bite, she was only concerned with her appearance. Now this is where I stand up and say that I am on the patient’s side. If it were me I don’t think that I would go for the surgery if there was another option. 

Our first stage was to do a diagnostic wax up; this proved what we felt would be the case that we needed to move the teeth slightly in order to restore. My lab technician, Gary Rumbold of Eastwood Dental Services, cut off the teeth from the cast and repositioned them. He then poured up duplicate casts so I could explain the situation to the patient. Once I explained the treatment could be done with Invisalign and would only take around 6 months then she was good to go. 

The next stage was to take impressions for Invisalign and using the measurements from the cast I adjusted the clincheck so that the teeth were exactly where we wanted them at the end of treatment. We intruded the lower anteriors so as to alleviate the traumatic bite on the upper palatal mucosa and make room in the overjet for a small amount of anterior retraction .We did not adjust the posterior occlusion at all. This freedom to select which teeth to move and which teeth to leave alone is the single biggest advantage of the Invisalign system. Those of you VERY proficient with brackets and wires may have the same control but for the average GP this technology is fantastic. It allows us to treat cases we otherwise would have to leave alone and allows the patients the freedom to have what they want from orthodontic treatment.

Six months later, the teeth are in the right spot. We removed the attachments and took impressions for a new diagnosis. As you can see from the prep guides we were able to restore the smile with extremely minimal pres. You will also see that on the R side we placed a bridge without prepping the abutment teeth. This was a 360 degree coverage fixed bridge with no shoulder margin of any sort. The bridge is made out of emax press and although unconventional we felt that because of the massive overjet and a very compliant patient that it would work well. Given the choice we all agreed it was better to not damage the abutment teeth and see how things developed.

In this case we placed an extra no prep veneer at no extra cost for the patient to improve the finished result.

The patient was instructed to wear her essix retainer 24/7 for 6 months and every night thereafter. She was finished over a year ago and so far so good. 

I hope you like the case, for me it was a great example of how expanding my knowledge into orthodontics has dramatically driven my cosmetic dentistry business. I started with 6 month smiles and Invisalign in 2007 and have not looked back since. It is obvious almost every day that If I didn’t have that string to my bow I would have only done half the number of cases I have now completed. 

If anyone has any questions please shout or reply below!

All images shown with the clients permission. 

On 3rd July this year, Alliance Boots held their annual supplier conference, with all their major suppliers across the healthcare, beauty and baby industries in attendance.

Recognised as the Number 1 product for ‘Innovative Product Launch’ was CB12, acknowledged for its product uniqueness and the effectiveness of the marketing support utilised at the launch.

With ‘bad breath’ found to be in the top five most embarrassing conditions to discuss[i], CB12 provides an effective solution to eliminate both the physical and physiological effects for suffers. The winning mouth rinse formula neutralises the VSCs (Volatile Sulphur Compounds) responsible for malodorous breath, relieving suffers of symptoms for up to 12 hours.

Supplied by Meda Pharmaceuticals, the team are delighted to have faired so well against the industry giants, and would like to thank to all who helped make this possible.

To see what CB12 could do for your patients, please visit www.cb12.co.uk

Throughout my career I have been fortunate enough to be involved with helping to develop dental teams to meet their full potential. Whenever I meet the most successful teams I am always amazed at the motivation, energy and remarkably high morale that these dedicated teams demonstrate. I wonder what is their big secret?  Could it be high salaries, financial bonuses, job status, a secret magic elixir, a funky pill?

The simple answer is that all of the most successful practices that I’ve worked with over the years understand the five key internal motivators of their teams. These are:

• Achievement
• Recognition of achievement
• Growth and advancement
• Responsibility
• Enjoyment of the job

They achieve this by learning together and through learning together they discover how to play together.

Learning through play

It is a strange thing about our modern society that we consider play to be the opposite of work; we are either playing, or we are working. Very often playing is considered to be unprofessional, unhelpful and unproductive – but how true is this? 

Let’s take a step back for a moment and look at some of the challenges facing dental teams today:

• CQC
• CPD Cycles
• HTM 01-05
• Compliance

These are but a few of the many different challenges that are facing the profession, and the list can often seem endless. But I wonder, what would happen if we make these challenges fun, playful and exciting? Would the whole dental team be more inclined to get involved?

Experience tells me that by focussing on delivering training and compliance in a fun, interactive and inclusive way practice teams are more likely to take in important information and are more likely to engage with the whole process. Wouldn’t this take some of the pain out of compliance and CPD?

Whole brain learning

You may have experienced in the past the type of training that uses PowerPoint and nothing else, but what does this really teach you?  How much do you really take in? The very best CPD training encompasses a concept known as ‘whole brain learning’. This may incorporate imagination, pictures, randomness – all things associated with the right side of the brain – together with logic, reasoning and analysis that is associated with the left side. This type of ‘whole brain’ learning is particularly effective and as it’s been proven to show that information is taken in faster and is retained for longer. It has also been proven that this type of learning means that knowledge is also recalled more easily.

What this shows us more than anything is that learning doesn’t have to be boring! Training providers should encourage teams to innovate, and should embrace fun with their group activities in order to not only improve learning, but also to encourage better teamwork and cooperation between team members.

At dbg we enjoy creating innovative and engaging learning environments where all viewpoints and mistakes are acknowledged and valued as a way to learn; demonstrating how to conduct reflective practice as a team. Don’t forget as GDC registered professionals it is our duty to reflect and improve on our systems, policies and practices, and the CQC wants us to demonstrate this in its Outcomes. As such there is absolutely nothing wrong with learning in an interesting and engaging way – if anything it makes us better at our jobs.

Communication is key

When it comes to training, the very best providers will always listen to the views and needs of the practice team. This is because they will understand the challenges that you face on a daily basis and will fully appreciate that each and every dental practice is different and will work in different ways. Only by listening carefully and working together with you will your training provider be able to help your team achieve its full potential.

As Brenda Ueland once said:

‘Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force.  When we really listen to people there is an alternating current, and this recharges us so that we never get tired of each other. We are constantly being recreated.’

Committed to you

At dbg we are dedicated to supporting dental teams across the UK, providing complete solutions to help in every area of the practice. Crucially, our commitment to dental teams does not stop after CPD training; it continues with dedicated Practice Support Managers that want to help you and your team achieve your full potential. To find out more, contact dbg today. Membership is £330 per year, and gives you access to offers and discounts on all our services, as well as a free compliance helpline and free compliance software.

For more information call dbg on 01606 861 950,

Or visit www.thedbg.co.uk

About the author:

Claire Deegan is a Practice Support Manager at dbg, delivering training and supporting practices to become compliant. She has 20 years’ experience in dentistry and has a passion for team development and motivational speaking.

If you are looking to perform any construction work on your practice then you need to have considered Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM).  Having been introduced initially in 1994, CDM Regulations were re-introduced in 2007. It was hoped that the modified regulations would make it easier for projects to comply with health and safety responsibilities. This is not just for the sake of the builders, but also for the safety of the public. This is especially significant to anyone looking to refurbish their dental practice as more often than not, a practice will choose to remain operational through this period.

The aim of CDM Regulations is to improve the overall management and coordination of health and safety through every stage of the construction process. The goal of this is to reduce the number of both serious and fatal accidents that occur in the construction industry.

Where does CDM apply?

CDM Regulations apply to “The construction, alteration, conversion, fitting out, commissioning, renovation, repair, upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance (including cleaning which involves the use of water or an abrasive at high pressure or the use of corrosive or toxic substances), de-commissioning, demolition or dismantling of a structure”.[i]

A CDM Coordinator must be appointed by the employer if the project is going to last longer than 30 days or if it involves more than 500 person days of work. Though this sounds like a Planning Supervisor, the role of the CDM Coordinator is simply to advise and assist the employer as to how they can comply with the regulations.

It’s your responsibility

First and foremost, the sole responsibility of hiring a CDM Coordinator rests on your shoulders. CDM is a contract between the employer and the builder, it has nothing to do with your architect. An architect can advise you to sort out CDM, but if you don’t and a problem occurs because you haven’t sorted it out, it will be your problem. However, some Architectural Design Services companies, like Roger Gullidge Design will offer help during this process by suggesting possible CDM Coordinators.

Nowadays, all projects (unless very small) should be backed up by a JCT contract, which has a CDM section to make sure that you have it covered. This is a contract between the employer and the contractor. Through signing this contract you acknowledge whether or not you need CDM. If the JCT Administrator has written in to the contract that you require CDM and you choose to ignore it, there could be big problems if someone gets hurt.

The CDM Coordinator

Drawings of the project must be put together and then sent to the CDM coordinator. Once the drawings and information on the builder has been checked (part of the procedure is to check that the builder is up to date with his insurances/certifications etc.) there will be a meeting with the CDM Coordinator regarding the project. The CDM Coordinator will then fill in all of the correct government forms (they are qualified to do this) and the project can begin.

If you have employed your CDM Coordinator at the basic level he may visit the project once, though it is not law that they visit at all. If you have employed your CDM Coordinator for the top grade then they will normally be there for every meeting. If you are really safety conscious then it is advised that you go for the top grade.

A CDM Coordinator has the power to close the site down, this can be for safety reasons (builder has put up some scaffolding that may fall down etc.) or it could be closed because the contractors welfare is inadequate, i.e. it is too cold or there are not suitable facilities for them.

Be sure not to confuse a CDM Coordinator with a Health and Safety Visitor, though they may seem similar they have completely different roles. A CDM Coordinator checks the paperwork and will be present in meetings whereas a Health and Safety Visitor can visit the site unexpectedly to check your health and safety compliance. If the Health and Safety Visitor visits and discovers that you don’t have a CDM Coordinator, the project can be shut down until this is rectified

The benefits of a CDM Coordinator are clear, by helping you to make your project safer for both your contractors and the public by assessing safety, welfare and site conditions, the chances of you running into problems are significantly decreased. Though a CDM Coordinator has the authority to interfere and temporarily shut down the construction, they should not be seen as a foe. Their advice and assistance is purely there to benefit you and those who come into direct contact with the project, ensuring a safer and smoother project.

Roger Gullidge Design is a specialist design and project management consultancy specialising in the dental sector. Call 01278 784442 for more details or visit: www.rogergullidgedesign.com

James and Sonya Hamill are a husband and wife team and directors of Blueapple Dental and Implant Team, a multi-award winning dental practice in Belcoo in County Fermanagh. James is also clinical director at the practice while Sonya is Blueapple’s practice manager. The practice offers a wide range of dentistry services but has a special focus on implant dentistry.

“Our location is really important,” says Sonya. “We’re in a very remote part of Northern Ireland, in a small village on the border with the Republic of Ireland. We have a broad catchment area and patients are widely spread out, so it’s essential to run a full service.”

Freshly crowned Private Dentistry Irish Practice of the Year 2013, Sonya takes a look back at how Blueapple Dental has developed and, working with a business coach, become the practice it is today.

Sonya and James first opened the business in June 2005 and appointed a business coach three years later following their first award win. “It was the early days of the Dentistry awards,” recalls Sonya, “and James had just won the first Best Young Dentist award for the UK.”

The practice had grown rapidly, moving from one surgery to two within six months of opening. “We’d started with lots of enthusiasm and ideas and we knew that we wanted to offer our patients a fresh approach,” says Sonya. “But we didn’t have the background knowledge, skills and training in how to run and develop a business properly. We just knew that up to that point everything was going great, but we needed another person to push us further and help us go through the ceiling that we had reached.”

At that time, business coaching was practically unheard of. “It’s so familiar to everybody now, but back then coaching was new to us and certainly new in Northern Ireland,” says Sonya. “James is very quick to identify something new or to think outside the box, so when a colleague mentioned that they had taken on a business coach and how he was changing their practice, we decided to give it a try.”

The business coach began by spending a day at the practice and giving detailed feedback on what he’d seen. Since then, coaching has been a resource that they can call upon whenever they need support and advice. “I’ve learned it is crucial to have that outsider perspective,” says Sonya. “He is constantly giving us reasons to stop and think about what we’re doing. Being a husband and wife team, it is probably even more critical to have someone that can cut through where emotions might cause our vision to become impaired.”

Part of the practice vision is to enter industry awards, as Sonya explains, “An award is a pat on the back for ourselves and our team because we really are doing something special. We may be in a tiny village in a corner of South West Northern Ireland, but that doesn’t stop us from maintaining standards that you’d find among the best and brightest anywhere else in the country.”

Gaining this recognition is not only good for the practice team but also for the business itself. “One of the main reasons for entering an award is for the team; they work so hard and we are continually resetting the bar for them to go further,” Sonya says. “Awards are also useful from a marketing perspective, and it’s good to keep challenging yourself and measuring your business to ensure you’re at a high level.”

Business coaching was a significant factor in the practice’s success in being named Irish Practice of the Year. “I looked at the business differently from the day that our coach came into it,” says Sonya. “He is an influence on our decision-making all the time, even when we’re not in direct contact with him. It’s very easy to become insular - especially in a practice like ours, which is relatively remote - and it’s important that you don’t lose sight of your place within UK and Irish dentistry.”

She continues, “With that level of business expertise to call on, you are constantly pushing yourself and keeping head of the game; and it’s that influence that has driven us to where we are now. It’s nice that people in the industry feel that our approach merits an award.”

Acknowledging the competitive nature of dentistry today, why does Sonya feel that their practice won the award? “I think it’s because of our emphasis on the patients,” she says. “That’s always been our mantra: making it as good as possible for the patients. We offer a welcoming, warm, non-clinical environment, where we know who they are and what they need, and I think that has marked us out. We are willing to go that extra mile for them - something that business coaching has taught us.”

Principals who would like their practices to achieve award-winning status might like to try business-coaching services such as 7connections, led by Chris Barrow, who has seventeen years of experience as a consultant to the dental profession. Together with Tim Caudrelier and Karl Taylor-Knight, 7connections has the experience and knowledge to help improve every aspect of your business from strategic planning, finances, branding and marketing, to the patient experience, operations and compliance.

For more information about 7connections

please contact Phillippa Goodwin on 07508 184 044

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

This October, the London Tooth Wear Centre^® is offering complimentary tooth wear consultations (while appointments last) as part of its Tooth Wear Awareness Month.

The aim of Tooth Wear Awareness Month is to raise national awareness of this growing problem.  The most recent statistics from the Adult Dental Health Survey, 2009 indicate that over 75% of adults and more than 50% of children show signs of tooth wear.  If we continue as we are, this is set to get worse.

The complimentary consultation will ascertain whether your patient is suffering from tooth wear, as well as offer advice to help prevent further problems if appropriate. The patient will also be advised to continue to consult with you for their routine care as appropriate.

The London Tooth Wear Centre^® offers an evidence-based and comprehensive approach to managing abrasion, attrition and erosion, utilising the latest clinical techniques and an holistic approach in a professional and friendly environment. It is headed up by Clinical Director Professor Andrew Eder, a Specialist in Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics. He is also Professor/Honorary Consultant at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute.

If you are concerned that any of your patients may be showing signs of  tooth wear, simply ask them to contact the London Tooth Wear Centre^® by call 0207 486 7180 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to set up an appointment for a complimentary consultation.

For more information as well as terms and conditions, please visit www.toothwear.co.uk

Providing an array of solutions to organise and simplify daily tasks, Carestream Dental really can help your practice enhance productivity and long-term success.

The CS R4 Clinical+ Practice Management Software is the complete package, combining every aspect needed for a thriving business. From the appointment schedule, to patient records, to patient communication and automatic reminders, the software keeps everything in one place for convenience and clarity.

For quick and efficient diagnosis, all impression images and scans can also be integrated into the Software, aiding treatment explanations to patients and optimising access to patient data for all authorised professionals throughout the practice.

Committed to eXceed – the successful business model that guarantees quality customer service – the team at Carestream Dental are also on hand to provide any additional advice or support you could need with your new software.

Streamline your business with the R4 Clinical+ Practice Management Software from Carestream Dental today.

For more information, please contact the experts at Carestream Dental on 0800 169 9692 or visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk

Compliance support when you need it most

Running a successful dental practice is no simple task. With so many regulations to meet and compliance criteria to understand, it can be a daunting task to even the most organised of practice teams.

To help make your practice life that little bit easier, at dbg we offer a wide range of compliance packages designed to provide you with valuable support and assistance when you need it most. These services include our unique Practice Assessment, as well as our CQC Interactive Workshop and our range of Risk Assessment packages that help you meet all your legal requirements.

A wealth of experience

With over 20 years experience in dentistry, at dbg we have all the skills, knowledge and experience to assist you in every area of your practice. Our compliance support team have been working closely with regulators for many years. This means we are in a unique position to give you the very best guidance and support in any matter relating to compliance.

Using our expertise and understanding of all relevant compliance issues in dentistry, we have created our innovative Member’s Area, which is free to all our members. This powerful online tool is a useful for practice managers everywhere, and can be tailored specifically to meet your practice’s needs. One of its great features is that it allows you to complete an online self-assessment in order to gain a better overview of where the practice stands in relation to full regulatory compliance. It also provides useful tips and guidance on steps that can be taken to bring your practice in line.

Peace of mind, guaranteed

At dbg we understand that compliance is no easy matter, and with the ever-increasing burden of regulation, it can be a challenge to keep on top of it all. For complete peace of mind we offer a number of carefully designed compliance support packages, including full Practice Assessments, available from as little as £695 + VAT. Each Practice Assessment is conducted by one of our certified trained assessors, who will spend the majority of the working day in your practice, checking for evidence and giving practical advice on how to bring your practice in-line with all current guidance and legislation.

If you have an inspection coming up, then a dbg Practice Assessment can be a great way to help you prepare and make sure you have all key areas covered. It can also be useful to invest in a Practice Assessment on a periodic basis to ensure your systems are in good working order and check that standards haven’t slipped.

To compliment our Practice Assessment package, we also offer our brand-new CQC Interactive Workshop that we have put together to give practice team members a better understanding of CQC regulations and what to expect. This two-hour training course is an excellent way of bringing staff members together to ask questions and work through role-play scenarios to help put minds at ease.

Packages to meet your every need

No matter what your compliance need, at dbg, we have you covered. Whether you need help with HTM 01-05, CQC, or the HSE we have a service for you. Our Radiation Protection Service for example has been designed to offer you a cost-effective means of meeting all your obligations under IRR99 and IR(ME)R2000. The service gives you access to a Radiation Protection Advisor, a Medical Physics Expert, and also provides you with an online radiation protection file to guide you through all your legal requirements. We also offer associated engineering services to help you keep all your x-ray equipment in full working order.

Beyond radiation services we also provide a selection of bespoke Risk Assessment services. These include our Legionella, Fire, and Health & Safety Risk Assessments. Each has been designed with dental practices in mind, and to guide you towards full compliance with current legislation.

With you every step of the way

To help you meet your compliance needs, our experienced team are dedicated to providing you with outstanding service and support, and are always on hand to answer questions and provide assistance when you need it most. If there are key areas of your practice that you need further help with we can also recommend products and packages to help you meet your regulatory obligations, with discounted rates for dbg members. To learn more about our complete compliance solutions, contact dbg today.

 For more information call dbg on 01606 861 950,

Or visit www.thedbg.co.uk

Some patients require a little more help and encouragement with their oral hygiene than others and we as healthcare professionals must be alert to these individuals. Patients such as those with xerostomia, or dry mouth, for example, need to be particularly vigilant with their self-care routine.

Xerostomia is not a disease of itself, but a manifestation of another problem. It is typically found in patients who are undergoing treatment for cancer of the head and neck, or for individuals with diseases such as Sjörgen’s Syndrome, diabetes or HIV/AIDS. Older patients will almost certainly suffer dry mouth, not because of their age, but because they are most likely to be taking prescription medication of which dry mouth is a common side effect.

Effective oral hygiene is imperative for patients with dry mouth, as they are more susceptible to periodontal disease, dental decay and infections such as oral candidiasis.

A lack of sufficient saliva can leave patients with a constant dry feeling in the mouth and throat, burning sensation on the tongue, mouth ulcers and bad breath. They experience difficulties when eating, speaking and wearing removable dentures, and can go on to develop further destructive complications such as bruxism.

There are a range of dry mouth products that patients can try such as sprays and lozenges, as well as sipping water, use of sugar-free chewing gum and certain lifestyle changes. Alcohol, caffeinated drinks, smoking and chewing tobacco can all impact salivary flow and exacerbate dry mouth. Mouth breathing will also worsen the condition and patients should try to avoid acidic, spicy or sugary food and drink.

Patients with xerostomia are advised to adopt a thorough oral hygiene regime that includes interdental cleaning to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Most patients are familiar with dental floss, however compliance tends to be low and there are doubts amongst the profession as to its effectiveness against gingival inflammation and plaque control[i].

The Water Flosser is one of the most widely researched oral hygiene products available today. It operates via pressurised water flow through the tip, which disrupts and removes debris and bacteria from the targeted area. Patients with dry mouth often experience the first signs of tooth decay along the gingival margin, therefore effective cleaning of this area is critical to prevent disease. This is where the Water Flosser really comes into its own. In contrast with dental floss, the Water Flosser not only cleans between the teeth but also deep below the gingival margin, flushing out bacteria where other devices simply can’t reach.

One of the leading brands in the UK and worldwide is the Waterpik® Water Flosser. It has the backing of over 55 published clinical studies that demonstrate its oral hygiene benefits to patients, including those with braces, implants, crowns and bridges. Clinically proven superior to dental floss in the reduction of bleeding[ii] and gingivitis[iii], the Waterpik® Water Flosser also removes more plaque than dental floss from the marginal (33%)[iv], lingual (39%)^iv and facial (24%)^iv regions after just one use.

With its considerable advantages on offer, a Water Flosser is an excellent recommendation for any patient. Only through a combination of patient education and an evidence-based method of efficient plaque removal can we have confidence in the prevention of oral disease for all of our patients, whatever their age, lifestyle or level of health and wellbeing.

To learn more about the Waterpik® Water Flosser and the other products in the Waterpik® Range go to www.waterpik.co.uk.

ProDentalCPD is one of the UK’s foremost providers of high quality verifiable CPD for the whole dental team. Collaborating with more than 2,000 authors, ProDentalCPD brings members high quality courses that encompass activities such as online lectures, educational videos, webinars, articles and other interactive learning aids.

ProDentalCPD’s guiding philosophy is one of continuous improvement and a number of partnerships, such as the collaboration with the British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN), ensure that learning resources are relevant and beneficial. Fiona Ellwood is a BADN member and senior lecturer/ adviser in oral health education and preventative programmes, and clearly supports how ProDentalCPD strives to keep abreast of new developments in dentistry.  

“ProDentalCPD is very current, for example the GDC recently brought to the fore the topic of oral cancer and in response to this, ProDentalCPD developed a learning tool on this subject, so that its members are up-to-date,” says Fiona. “ProDentalCPD looks at market need – it is more than CPD and a lot of thought goes into the construction of the learning resources and their accessibility.”

Fiona’s firm knowledge and expertise has meant that she is also a member of ProDentalCPD’s strong editorial board. “The ProDentalCPD team researches topics in depth, drawing on knowledge from a host of leading professionals from the industry,” confirms Fiona. “I also find that ProDentalCPD appeals to the whole dental sector, as it provides some real cross-sector information.”

“It’s important to be mindful of having a multidisciplinary approach to CPD and using different learning methods,” advises Fiona. “ ProDentalCPD does not just have one delivery approach and this is a huge attraction for me and those I recommend the site to, as experience has shown that a variation in learning strategies provides more opportunity for learning to occur.” 

ProDentalCPD features over 400 hours of peer-reviewed verifiable CPD (including all CORE CPD) in text, video and audio formats. “I think there is a wide selection of appropriate modules for the whole team and more,” says Fiona.

 “It is useful for me to guide others towards the site too. A lot of my work focuses on bringing out the potential in others and to help and support them – ProDentalCPD gives me the tools to do this.”  

“ProDentalCPD considers the educational aspect of CPD, looking at what members want and are required to learn, and gives members a way to evaluate their learning – it does not just hand out a certificate. With the assessments comes the opportunity to revisit any areas when incorrect answers are given and members can retake different questions, which are related to the same subject.” “Equally ProDentalCPD have taken into account the view point of the GDC in relation to the quality of CPD being provided.”

As an educationist with a very busy professional life in dentistry, Fiona relies upon tools that help her to focus and structure her learning activity. The online Personal Development Plan (PDP) is one feature of ProDentalCPD that Fiona believes will keep her and the whole team focussed. “Personally, I wouldn’t be without a PDP,” says Fiona, “it is a very effective tool to use and makes learning much more efficient. At the beginning of the next 5-year cycle, I will to turn to ProDentalCPD and I’ll be using the PDP.”

ProDental CPD gives users unlimited access to the largest online collection of verifiable CPD in the UK from some of the most renowned names in dentistry. Not only this, but every dental professional can benefit from e-learning with ProDentalCPD as the modules are tailored to dentists, nurses, hygienists, therapists, technicians, practice managers and students. For all BADN members, you may also be eligible for a discount on your membership with ProDentalCPD if you sign up via the BADN website.

To learn more about high-quality e-learning solutions, contact ProDentalCPD on 0114 282 3509, or visit www.prodentalcpd.com

Coming across a Dental Practices that has not been properly incorporated is a problem that is becoming increasingly common.

The erroneous incorporation of a dental practice is a ticking time bomb which can have dire consequences for the practice owner when it detonates.

Having had the ability to trade as limited companies since 2006, it wasn’t until 2009/10 that incorporated dental practices began to appear in more significant numbers. Four years later, many of these practices are now being put on the market, only to discover that they have not been incorporated correctly.

The generic name for this situation is, “Flawed Incorporation”

There are a number of mistakes that can be made in the process of incorporation. Often the reason for the practice not being incorporated properly is down to unsuitable legal advice – or in many cases a lack of any legal advice whatsoever.

One of the most common problems is that practices with an NHS contract will purport to incorporate the practice without asking the PCT permission for a new contract to be issued in the name of the limited company. This lands the practice in a situation where although it has been incorporated, the NHS contract is still in the name of the individual practitioner. There are a number of problems with this. The idea of incorporation is that the assets owned by the dentist are transferred to the limited company, however, all NHS contracts state that they can not be transferred. So, without the consent of the PCT the purported transfer of the contract is a fundamental breach, which gives the PCT the right to terminate the contract.

Another problem is that when the time comes to sell, the owner won’t be able to sell their shares in the limited company because the NHS contract (usually the biggest asset) is still in their personal name, which means that this asset still belongs to them, even if the principal may have believed that it transferred and that tax savings have been claimed on this basis since incorporation.

Another common problem is the failure to notify practice funders, usually the banks, of the proposed incorporation of the practice. The transfer of goodwill without bank approval will be a breach of the terms of the borrowing and would allow a funder to call in the loan.

One wonders how much the tax saving would be considered to be worth in that scenario?

If the incorporation is flawed, then it may well be necessary for it to be unravelled in order to sell the practice. The importance of having the very best legal advice cannot be underestimated when looking to incorporate your practice. This is why it is advisable to seek the assistance of a legal firm like GoodmanGrant, who practice exclusively in the dental industry and are able to provide a tailor made service that suits each practice’s individual needs. The experience and knowledge of a specialist is unrivalled, and their comprehension of every key detail that needs to be addressed will ensure a successful incorporation.

As if the above issues were not enough, yet another risk that a practice runs by not following a proper procedure and ensuring that the right documentation is in place is that the Inland Revenue may decide to investigate. The number of Inland Revenue investigations is on the rise and if they discover that there is no written evidence of a transfer of the assets, no mention of what should happen to the property, no valuation of goodwill they may not recognise it as a proper incorporation. This will mean that the practice will have to pay back any tax it has saved, defeating one of the principal reasons for incorporating in the first place.

Making any professional move requires the time and advice of a specialist. In order to effectively and correctly incorporate a dental practice one should make an effort to seek the assistance of a dedicated dental law firm. With a wealth of knowledge and experience that directly relates to the dental sector you can be sure that when the time comes to sell your dental practice there won’t be any unwelcome surprises!

John Grant of GoodmanGrant Lawyers for Dentists  - a NASDAL member

For more information call John Grant on 0113 8343705 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.goodmanlegal.co.uk

A NASDAL and ASPD MEMBER

The dilemma of the ‘one stop shop’

More and more we are seeing that equipment suppliers are offering building and design services to compliment the sale of their products, making them a ‘one stop shop’. Though this presents the client with an easier and sometimes more financially comfortable way of completing their project, it isn’t always the best option. On the other side of the fence, an equipment supplier offering these services may also find that if not performed properly in all areas it can cause them problems. One way of making it safer is to seek the assistance of an independent third party who can oversee the project and avoid the traps that can occur on both sides of the arrangement.

Usually the case is that dentists choose to go with the equipment supplier and their ‘one stop shop’ service because not only is it simpler, they have also formed a bond with them. The dentist may have been using them for some years and feels familiar with them because they have received a good service in the past. Although there are a number of success stories from people who have used this service, not all projects will end as favourably. To look at it bluntly, the aim of equipment suppliers is to gain the custom of a potential client, by including the other services they stand a better chance of sealing the deal. The problem with using this service is that there are a number of pitfalls that can be fallen in to.

Firstly, the services the equipment supplier provides may not be coming from the company directly; they will subcontract to other companies of their choosing. The experience and knowledge of this company can be a cause for concern and the client should make the effort to investigate who the company are and make sure that they are completely happy with using them. It is important to understand that in the event of something going wrong the client will not be able to go to the equipment supplier for support because they may well be dealing with a separate company.

Another aspect that needs to be made sure of is that you have got planning permission and building regulation approval before any work begins on the project. Unless there is someone checking, you will not know whether the subcontractor has done the work or not. By having a third party monitor this you can be sure that no work will begin before it is safe to do so.

It should go without saying that staying in control of finances is vital, but some clients can become confused because they are not organised. There are several financial categories that must be carefully watched over. The first concerns planning and building regulations, the cost of this applies to the applications and inspections associated with getting approval; this will be paid directly by the client.

The next set of fees concern construction and this will usually be paid through an existing financial arrangement with a bank. Finally, there is covering the cost of the equipment, this will often be paid on finance. Making sure that you have control of these payments is of paramount importance. The equipment supplier may speak directly with your financial supplier, but the client must seek to stay in control of this. Sometime the terms and conditions can request that the deposit is followed by 90% of the payment a certain amount of days prior to installation. The client must make sure that this 90% refers to only the equipment and not the entire project; this has happened before and will happen again. To stop this from happening you should enlist the assistance of someone who can certificate building payments to your bank or building society.

Enlisting a third part will not just benefit the client, it will also help to protect the equipment supplier. If the client isn’t happy with every aspect of the project (and this could be something that a building subcontractor has done) they may withhold an equipment payment because they are under the impression that they are only dealing with one company. If the equipment supplier handles everything under their own name, the client has the legal right to withhold payment. Therefore, it is advisable to offer the client separate companies for each aspect of the project. If offering separate companies, the best way to go about this is to have an experienced project manager oversee the activities of all companies. Companies such as Roger Gullidge Design will be able assist with this, as well as managing some of the other legal aspects of the project. One such area regards protocol should disputes occur further down the line. The advice of an experienced and knowledgeable third party will mean that informed decisions will be made and offer the best protection should and discrepancies occur.

The bottom line is that success (for both sides) when using a ‘one stop shop’ service relies on certification, separation and having someone who can organise the entire project. There are a number of pitfalls that can appear during a project and the assistance of an independent third party can plug these holes.

Roger Gullidge Design is a specialist design and project management consultancy specialising in the dental sector. Call 01278 784442 for more details or visit: www.rogergullidgedesign.com

Since starting as a mailing list in 1997, GDPUK has evolved into one of the major digital publishers of Dental content in the UK. With around 6000 members regularly using the dental forum, plus a range of dentals news and blogs constantly being published, I want to look at the advantages of digital publishing, why we enjoy it so much and how the UK Dental profession is benefitting.

Instant news

As written in a previous blog, we have all become addicted to the latest news and information. As I write this blog, the football transfer deadline is looming with fans hoping their team will sign players or hold on to players. Fans follow the transfers on social media, through TV and on their phones either reading mobile sites or communicating with their friends. News is constant and moves at a quicker pace than ever before and dentistry is no different. GDPUK often publishes content in a matter of minutes, like yesterdays exclusive UK Graduate news. Publishing everything online means we have no print deadlines and can publish articles within a few minutes.

Content

A unique advantage of digital publishing is that you can constantly produce content. We do this through the news, blogs and forum. The forum has over 500 different contributors a month, which means that a range of opinions are expressed throughout the day and some fantastic, well informed debates take place. We have a number of bloggers as well, who write dental focused content for the site and this produces insightful, humorous and thought provoking blogs for the site. We also constantly publish dental news, with a number of exclusives pieces of news a year. This means that the content on the site is consistently evolving and staying fresh.

Interaction

GDPUK members’ interacting with each other is the lifeblood of the forum. Members enjoy engaging with each other on a regular basis, sometimes giving useful information, sometimes being critical, sometimes being provocative but all this interaction creates a sense of community. Members who read but do not post (lurkers) still get the feeling of being part of the community and read the posts on the forum with interest. Dentists are gaining information, insight, advice and education from the forum; we believe the ever increasing interaction between the members is great for the dentists and the profession.

Accessibility

As a digital platform the site can be accessed from anywhere. August a traditional holiday month in the UK was the busiest month in the history of the site, with our members accessing the forum from all corners of the world on a range of mediums. The eagerly awaited GDPUK app is nearly close to completion and this will give further accessibility to dentists who are looking for regular dental news & opinion on a tablet device. We believe that the site has become a central part of our member’s daily lives; they will check general news, social media and then GDPUK. This can be confirmed by a recent GDC report on Standards with the paragraph reading as follows on social media, “Social media covers a number of internet based tools which allow people to create and exchange content. It includes blogs, internet forums, content communities and social networking sites such as Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn, GDPUK, Instagram and Pinterest.” This small sentence from the GDC is a great example of how information is being accessed, 24 hours a day an this is certainly something the dental profession is embracing. Interacting with colleagues, suppliers and customers now happens through a number of mediums.

Numbers Show Interest

At GDPUK we are known for reciting stats and we pride ourselves on offering up to date numbers on how often the site is being used. We prefer to focus on unique visitors and number of visitors because they are seen as a great indicator of traffic to a website and that the content is interesting. The last 8 months has seen a huge rise in these numbers. Each unique visitor in the month is from a single IP address, the total visits in August show that each visitor makes an average of more than 4 visits per month, at an average greater than 4,000 per day. These stats show GDPUK has further cemented its place in the UK Dentistry landscape. We offer a unique place to receive news, information and opinion on the constantly changing world of UK Dentistry. The table below shows that the site has seen some great growth and we appreciate everyone’s support from the dental community. Keep spreading the word and we will continue to grow the resource and community together.

Passion!

As you can probably tell the GDPUK team is passionate about digital publishing and embracing the advantages I have listed above. Digital publishing is still evolving and that is why it is exciting to be part of. In the last few weeks we have improved the site further with a new modern template, plus introducing fresher advertising banners that give greater exposure to our advertising partners. As mentioned earlier in this blog we also hope to introduce a GDPUK App which further enhances our digital publishing pedigree.

How has digital publishing helped your dental business or dental practice? Maybe you do a regular blog or email newsletter? Do you agree that it has helped dentistry? I would love to hear your thoughts and how you see dental publishing evolving?

Check out some unmissable offers and super savings in NSK’s latest e-brochure, offering an exclusive sneak preview of our NEW products and some old favourites too.

First for innovation, this season’s e-brochure successfully showcases the NEW iCare + and iClave to guarantee the perfect hygiene regime for rotary instruments alongside the stunning new ultrasonic system VarioSurg3 and more robust surgical micromotor, SurgicPro +, plus so much more!

With fantastic offers on an extensive range of handpieces and small equipment, NSK really do have it all! Don’t miss out… view it here now.

For more information contact NSK on 0800 6341909 or visit www.nsk-uk.com.

Facebook - NSK UK LTD

Twitter - @NSK_UK

The Dental Directory is pleased to announce that Brent Sercombe has recently joined the company as its new Head of Sales.

Brent has a comprehensive career history of success in sales operations, encompassing  Cable & Wireless and Virgin Media Business. With previous experience in corporate change, start-ups and as an entrepreneur, Brent has a real passion for managing and delivering sales success in challenging business market conditions.

Though his past experiences are not based in the dental industry, Brent sees this as a huge advantage:

“Often people from within the industry are bought in, so to bring me in has been a big move for The Dental Directory and an exciting move for me! I feel the combination of the established, traditional, loyal and trusted business brand of The Dental Directory together with my experiences of sales improvement programs is a winning combination. There is little doubt that the industry is experiencing massive change and I am relishing the challenge of leading the sales effort for the company in this period of economic uncertainty. In my short time on board, it is clear that the organisation is very customer centric and thrives on reacting quickly and efficiently to customer demand. It was one of the core reasons for my decision to join. The other… there are great people working here !

The Dental Directory is one of the UK’s largest dental dealers, complementing its range of more than 27,000 different products with an incredible commitment to customer service which includes free next day delivery. With Brent Sercombe as its new Head of Sales, The Dental Directory is confident that it can build on its reputation and continue to provide the same outstanding service and variety of products to all of its customers.

The Independently Verified Best Priced Dealer!

For more information, contact The Dental Directory on

0800 585 586, or visit www.dental-directory.co.uk

If you are looking to develop your skills and expand your treatment range, then Intelligent Alignment Systems could be just the solution you’re looking for.

The system comprises of three main components – the Inman Aligner, Clear Smile and Six Month Braces – providing a one-stop-shop for appropriate GDP orthodontics, taught and supported by the Internationally leading short-term-ortho educators.

The Inman Aligner team has joined forces with the world’s best educator for short-term fixed orthodontics, Dr. Rick De Paul, and offer ethical training with treatments planned digitally and supported through linked forums. They are also offering ‘ClearSmile’, which is a new clear aligner system that facilitates control of a case with arch planning, with training to ensure you get the best out of the system.

Exhibiting at the BDTA Dental Showcase, the team behind the Inman Aligner will be available to show you exactly what these appliances could do for you and your patients. Regardless of whether you have previous orthodontic experience, comprehensive training is available with our exclusive hands-on course, as well as online training too.

So if you want to find out more about how the Intelligent Alignment Systems could enhance your skill-set, don’t forget to visit stand Q10 at the BDTA Dental Showcase 2013!
 

For more information on Intelligent Alignment Systems, visit http://www.inmanalignertraining.com or phone 0845 366 5477

On Friday 8^th November, Jason Smithson will take to the podium at the BACD’s 10^th Annual Conference. He will present on “The Dentist as Artist-Technician” – a highly anticipated lecture that will showcase just what can be achieved with the latest composite resin materials.

As with all of Jason’s lectures, delegates can expect a highly engaging presentation packed full of hints and tips that they can take away with them and apply the very next working day. He says:

“My talk will be suitable for anyone interested in cosmetic dentistry. Whether you are a student, or general practitioner – whether you are an Accredited BACD member or still working your way up to full BACD membership – there will be something for you in my lecture. Anyone who has seen any of my lectures in the past will know that hints and tips really are ‘my thing’, and I guarantee there will be something you can take away from each and every slide I put up!”

This year’s BACD Annual Conference will be held on Thursday 7^th, Friday 8^th and Saturday 9^th November 2013 at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel. For further information call 0207 612 4166, fax 0207 182 7123, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.bacd.com

Launching at this year’s BDTA Dental Showcase, the innovative SafeSeen Touch is a complete compliance suite.

The device enables you to ensure and demonstrate your practice compliance in all areas of CQC, HR and patient consent. All information you and your patients will need is stored on the device, and programmes can then be accessed and viewed in high quality graphics.

For convenience, your patients can also create a secure e-signature on the tablet for any treatment consent required in the future.

Designed to maximise your practice workflow while meeting all the regulations, the SafeSeen Touch is a compact, portable and easy-to-use tablet for use anywhere in the practice.

Created independently from any software manufacturer, the SafeSeen Touch is also compatible with any existing practice management software for ultimate flexibility.

To improve communication with your patients and ensure every aspect of your practice compliance, discover what the SafeSeen Touch could do for you, at the BDTA Dental Showcase 2013.

For more information, please contact Chloe Booth on 07825 201657 email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Developed by a team of UK dentists, WhiteWash Professional Whitening Strips are mouldable strips that contain the optimum amount of whitening gel to safely and effectively whiten teeth. Each box contains a 14-day course of strips for both the upper and lower arch that provide an excellent whitening product and fantastic value to the patient.

As a practice builder WhiteWash Professional Whitening Strips are ideal, and can be used in conjunction with regular tray whitening, or as a “top up” to more advanced in-surgery whitening techniques.

Dr Ian Lane, Managing Partner of Queensway Dental Clinic, says:
 
"I have used WhiteWash for several patients now and I believe it to be a very useful introduction to dental tooth whitening. It appears to be a safe and effective alternative to the more costly tray based tooth whitening systems. I would not hesitate to recommend this product to patients and colleagues, as the much lower RRP makes it a much more viable option for many more patients wishing to have brighter looking teeth."

For more information call 0844 68 69 150, email

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.whitewashstrips.com

Encouraging Effective Collaboration

The Dentistry Show & DTS 2014

With the Dental Technology Showcase (DTS) running alongside The Dentistry Show 2014, there will be more opportunities for dental professionals than ever before.

As Dean of Postgraduate Dentistry at Health Education Kent, Surrey and Sussex (HEKSS), Professor Stephen Lambert Humble MBE delivered his ‘The future is bright, the future is CDT’ lecture, to a capacity audience, as part of the Aesthetic Technician Conference at The Dentistry Show earlier this year.

“We held a number of clinical sessions, including information updates for CDTs, and also had a stand. From our point of view it was a very successful event, both for information gathering, and giving advice to dental technicians about the career paths open to them and the decisions involved.

“We will of course be appearing at the combined event in 2014. For me we teach very clearly a collaborative practice message. We don’t believe that CDTs or any other member of the team should be working just in isolation.

“We firmly believe dentistry is a team activity and so by running The Dentistry Show and DTS side-by-side there will be further opportunity for HEKSS to get this message across.”

The 2014 event will be held on 28^th February and 1^st March, at the Birmingham NEC, so make sure you save the dates in your diary!

For more information please visit www.thedentistryshow.co.uk/dts,

call 020 7348 5269 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

United Smile Centres to feature on Channel 4’s ‘How not to get old’

United Smile Centres will feature on this Wednesday’s episode of ‘How not to get old’. The programme will be aired on Channel 4 at 8:00pm, and is billed as the ultimate consumer guide on how to keep looking younger for longer.

In this week’s episode the team at United Smile Centres will help a lady named Sahrae regain her smile with a beautiful set of permanent fixed teeth. Sahrae says:

“I can honestly say that having my smile back has changed my life for the better. I feel so much more confident and feel younger!”

At United Smile Centres we are dedicated to helping patients to regain their smiles. Using the latest dental implant techniques, we can provide beautiful fixed teeth, all in the space of a single day. Our experienced implant surgeons are recognised experts in their field and absolutely committed to changing patients’ lives, one smile at a time.

To see the life-changing impact of the ‘Fixed Teeth in a Day’ treatment for yourself, make sure you tune in to this Wednesday’s episode of ‘How not to get old’.

For more information call United Smile Centres on 0800 8 49 49 59, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.unitedsmilecentres.co.uk

Background

I completed my MSc degree and PhD at University College London in 2007. I then went back to Romania to work for a couple of years before returning to the UK in 2010 with the intention of setting up my own practice. It was then that I joined forces with my business partner Dr George Michalos, and together we set about trying to find the ideal location to set up our ideal dental practice.

When it came to the choice of location, I knew I wanted to live and work in Poole as I had lived there for 6 months a few years before while my husband was training to be a neurosurgeon. From experience then I knew I liked the location and I felt comfortable in the environment. George was also keen to work in the area so we set about looking at many different practices that were for sale before settling on our final location on the high street.

Though the practice is on the first floor, we were both very keen to move in as the price and location were great and we both saw the fantastic potential that the building had to offer. This was because in its original state the practice only had a single surgery, but it had lots of space. Our aim then was to take advantage of the space available to fit more surgeries while at the same time modernising the whole building, and adding some much needed light to the dark and out-dated design.

Neither George nor myself had a specific ‘vision’ as such for the final practice – we just knew about the space we had available and how we wanted the rooms to be set out. This was because our aim initially was to fit out two complete surgeries, with a third set up and ready for the equipment to be brought in once we had enough patients.

Getting started

Before we started with the project, very early one we decided how we wanted the rooms set out, and the walls we would need to put in to set the practice out how we wanted it. 

The main thing I remember about the original practice was just how old it was. Everything was just so dark, and the surgery that was there was spacious but very out-dated, with carpets on the floor, and very little natural light. The first thing we did then was bring in builders to set about laying out the building as we planned it. This process took about two months in total, clearing everything out, adding in the extra walls, putting in all the necessary plumbing and wiring and so forth.

While this was going on we spoke to a number of different companies to see which company could best help us modernise our practice and give us all the help and support we would needed. We spoke to a great many companies, asking them essentially ‘what can you give us?’ and ‘what can you do to help us?’

In the end we decided to work with Clark Dental, as they came highly recommended to us, and were able to meet all our needs in terms of setting up the two surgeries, plus preparing the third room for an additional surgery at a later date.

The whole process was very smooth. The team came in with plans and together we agreed on how we wanted everything laid out, and they then installed the two surgeries to our exact specifications, along with a sterilisation room and all the fittings necessary to prepare the third surgery.

We chose our equipment based on recommendation mainly, though my business partner George did visit the BDTA exhibition to get some ideas on the sorts of things that might work well in our practice, such as our superb A-Dec dental units.

One of the most useful pieces of equipment we have invested in has been the Nomad portable x-ray system. Because we were starting with two surgeries with a third to be installed in the future, we opted for the Nomad as it allows us to move it easily between surgeries, rather than having a large, bulky unit that’s fixed in one place. I must say it’s definitely been worth the investment, as it means we don’t waste patients’ time, and it also means that we don’t need another x-ray when we do finally come to use the third surgery. Overall I’ve been very impressed with the unit, and it’s been an excellent purchase.

Setbacks

As with any project of this kind I think there’s always going to be some sort of difficulty along the way, whether it be in terms of finance, planning, regulation or whatever else may spring up. In our particular case we had a major problem with the roof, which brought about significant delays to the project. The main problem that as a first floor premises, we weren’t sure if the roof was going to collapse in on us, so we needed to have full investigations carried out, both for our own peace of mind, and also in order to make sure we met the building regulations. Though this did set us back a little bit in our plan, the builders were absolutely great, and we managed to resolve the problem with as little difficulty as we could have expected.

The project complete

To fully appreciate the change that’s come over Poole Dental Practice you really need to understand just how old and dark the original building was. The practice was at least twenty or thirty years old when we bought it and in that time very little work had been done to it. Now the project is complete however it’s like working in a completely new environment! The old patients who come here are really impressed with the changes that have taken place. Before the project the space was there in the building, but it was a very dark and unfriendly place, with old paintings and a couch in the waiting room. Now it’s bright and airy. In fact it’s absolutely beautiful. The patients really are amazed by what we have achieved, and both George and I find it is a much nicer place for us to work. Everything now is so up-to-date, coming in to work is a pleasure.

Lessons learnt

Over the course of the project, we’ve learnt quite a lot. For a start you have to have a very clear mind about what you want to achieve. Unless you do this it can be very easy for your budget to start to escalate and things will soon get out of control. Before you start you should also make sure you have good references for all the contractors you use such as builders and equipment suppliers. For me this is really important, as it means you know you can rely on the people you are using to help you with your project. References really are very important!

Organisation and planning are also very important. You also need to be flexible enough to understand that sometimes, things will come up along the way that you just can’t prepare for. Our problem with the roof is one such example of this. If you find yourself in a situation like this you’ve just got to keep on going and not let these little problems hold you back.

With hard work and determination, you can achieve everything you desire for your dental practice. From my own experience with Poole Dental Practice I can definitely say all the hard work was worth it. I am now very much looking forward to opening our third surgery in the coming year!

For more information call Clark Dental on 01268 733 146, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.clarkdental.co.uk

As the new NHS contract is being piloted in the UK, it seems to be an apt time to consider how your practice can optimise its services to positively respond to change. At this point in time, dental professionals may look towards securing more private patients for high quality treatment. The reason for this is to align practices with key changes in national health service dentistry. Under the new NHS system, the preference towards preventative treatment and offering a minimalistic service will mean that more complex treatment will be done privately – this can expand the scope for GDPs to concentrate on more high-end, complex treatment.

Where there is a growing need for private dentistry that is dynamic, dental marketing can develop your clinical services to attract and secure new patients. Dental marketing can refine your services so that they are tailored to succeed in an increasingly competitive environment, since more NHS dentists are likely to move to the private sector and corporates have developed structures to win contract tenders.

Marketing involves a strategy that is carefully planned to get your services ahead in terms of building a brand that patients will trust and value. Although the concept of dental advertising is not something widely done in the UK, case studies from America and Canada show how practices have reaped the rewards. Our Chrysalis Dental Centres in Canada for example, generated an average of 35 contacts per day over a 6-month period through advertising campaigns. This same success story is part of United Smile Centres’ profile in the UK, where our expertise in same day dental implant solutions has been significantly promoted by effective advertising campaigns.   

If we look at United Smile Centres as an effective marketing model, there are some key approaches to advertising that you can apply to your services for a good return on investment. At the centre of all effective marketing campaigns is a good product. Working out how your treatment will be chosen over your competitor’s is fundamental to the success of your marketing campaign. United Smile Centres fulfil the criteria of having a good product by only offering ‘Fixed Teeth in a Day’, a full arch rehabilitation treatment that uses an innovative technique to remove the problem of failing teeth or dentures, replacing them with new teeth in one day.

Same day treatments grant an alternative to conventional implant surgery that can take over a year to complete, and can be both expensive and painful. For although the same day solution is not cheap, it has a high ‘value’ in relation to the impact it will have on patients’ lives. This solution builds up incomparable value for patients who are naturally time conscious. Cutting down on treatment time means that patients do not have to keep taking time off work. Same day treatments also reduce the number of surgeries needed, increase patient comfort, and optimise post-surgery aesthetics – but most of all, patients like it.

With all of this in mind, it is important to recognise your target market when planning to market a treatment. Once your target market is recognised, you can decide which ‘market segment’ you are aiming at based on factors such as age, geographical location and income – all of these considerations will help you to eliminate barriers to treatment and increase case acceptance. Essentially, your treatment needs to be marketed in a way that pushes advantages that are relevant to fears.

A carefully constructed website that caters towards inquiring patients and reflects what you do, is one form of marketing that can help overcome prospective patients’ fears. Your website is key to forming that much needed ‘proof’ of an excellent service and your online profile needs to represent you well. People are cynical, especially in the UK and the nation is cynical about adverts and dentists.  Including patient testimonials from completed cases adds legitimacy and builds the trust needed for new patients to invest. Using multimedia such as videos and photographs of happy patients will help patients to envisage the treatment. Providing useful information about the procedure could also alleviate fears and enable patients to envisage the procedure.

Having a website is not an advantage, it is a necessity. Web based marketing means your audience will instantly grow. This is an information age where endless supplies of material can be accessed online by a society that is accustomed to immediate results – 24/7. This is a blessing and a curse. Studies[1] have shown that 32% of customers will start to leave slow sites between one and five seconds. If we use this as a rough indication of your average patient’s attention span, the need to hook viewers straight in with content that is fresh, informative and engaging is key to getting them to stay on the page.

Of course advertising and a good website are but two parts of a much wider marketing strategy that you will need to consider, however the heart of your campaign will always rest on the quality of your product. In this modern time-precious world, patients have less time than ever before and so seek immediate solutions to their problems. If your marketing strategy is value driven and overcomes barriers to treatment, you can expect a return on your investment. Remember a tooth isn’t worth that much, but a smile has value.

For more information call United Smile Centres on 0800 8 49 49 59, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.unitedsmilecentres.co.uk

DENTSPLY is proud to announce that two of its groundbreaking products have been shortlisted for Best Cosmetic Dentistry Product at this year’s MyFaceMyBody Awards – the first consumer awards set up to recognise the innovation and popularity of brands across the dental, beauty and aesthetic industry.

Nominated for its simplicity and predictability is Illuminéä tooth whitening gel, DENTSPLY’s innovative tray based bleaching system. Illuminé offers a simple approach to whitening, and has been designed for patients to have the first treatment administered by the dental clinician, while the rest of the two-week course can be performed by the patient from the comfort of their own home.

Also nominated is Ceram.X^®, which has the latest nanoceramic technology. Ceram.X is a universal composite with a unique, simplified shading system, meaning that natural aesthetics are easy to achieve for every patient.

The nomination of these two popular products is testament to DENTSPLY’s ongoing commitment to create innovative, predictable, high quality dental products to meet every need and indication.

http://www.myfacemybody.com/awards/vote/

Contact us at www.dentsply.co.uk or 0800 072 3313

Earn Rewards against purchases at www.dentsplyrewards.co.uk

Access webinars and product demonstrations and earn CPD at www.dentsplyacademy.co.uk

Having re-located to the NEC in Birmingham from 2014, the next Dental Technology Showcase (DTS) is set to be bigger and better than ever before.

As the Dental Laboratories Association’s (DLA) flagship event for the UK laboratory community, the 2014 DTS will be held on 28^th February and 1^st March, and will feature lectures from world-class speakers covering a variety of current topics and offerings hours of CPD. The brand new Practical Theatre will present demonstrations of the latest dental technology and materials by renowned technicians from around the world, also enabling delegates to get hands-on themselves in exclusive workshops.

Master craftsman Roy Davies, will be giving a presentation as part of the two-day conference programme dedicated to dental technicians. As well as working as a senior technician at Oakview Restorations, Roy is a Lead Technical Consultant and Trainer for Myerson UK & Europe and also delivers courses on behalf of Skillbond UK and Merz Dental.

His lecture entitled The Contemporary Alternative to Flask, Pack and Finish of Complete, Partial and Implant Supported Dentures, will focus on whether cold pour acrylic could become a viable alternative to more commonly used methods such as the flask, pack and finish method. To express just how advantageous cold pour acrylic is, Roy will run through practical examples from start to finish, demonstrating how to use the product in complete, partial and implant supported dentures, and how the technique applies to a modern laboratory. 

Roy will then delve into the benefits and limitations of using cold pour acrylic. As the cost of running a dental laboratory continues to rise each year, one of the major advantages of using this new technique is the reduction in the amount of waste created.

“Using this product also reduces the gypsum footprint a laboratory creates. Gypsum waste is just so expensive to take away, reducing laboratory expenses enables money to be spent on improving other areas. Reducing gypsum waste also makes the environment cleaner and improves working conditions.

“I use cold pour acrylic effectively for true-to-life characterisations of denture prosthetics and I find it works very well. I will present several case studies to demonstrate this at DTS 2014, so attending technicians will be able to see how the product could be used in their own laboratories, when creating prosthetics. I’m hoping that professionals from across the industry will begin to view the product as a serious contender.”

DTS will also benefit from the move to the NEC and being co-located with The Dentistry Show. Roy says, “this format will provide a chance for interested dentists to take a look and see what’s available on our side as well. Having the two events side-by-side gives everyone a chance to network and really make the most out of the event.”

So with internationally respected speakers, hands-on workshops and an informative and motivational lecture programme on offer, make sure you don’t miss DTS 2014.

For more information visit www.the-dts.co.uk,
call 020 7348 5269 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As I have mentioned in my previous digital dentistry blogs, online marketing is a growing industry, with companies investing in a number of different digital formats: Search, Video, Rich Media, Social Media, Mobile and Display. One of the areas that digital marketers still spend their advertising budget in is Email Marketing. Email Marketing sounds like it is old fashioned but if done correctly it is still well and truly alive!

Email marketing is directly marketing a commercial message to a group of people using email. Email marketing in dentistry terms is used in a number of ways. Companies will email current or previous customers to encourage brand loyalty and hopefully win or repeat business. Companies will also send emails in the hope of acquiring new customers. The third way is companies will add advertisements to email messages sent by other companies to their customers. Recent research has suggested that conservative estimates of US companies alone spent US $1.51 billion on email marketing in 2011 and will grow to $2.468 billion by 2016. Amazingly still a growing market.

We now need to look at how email marketing can be used in terms of the dental profession whether you have a new product that you would like dentists to look at, or you would like to attract more patients to your practice. Below are 4 A* reasons (in celebration of exam results) we can still use email marketing to benefit your business and hopefully it will give you some inspiration to revisit your email marketing campaign!

1.    Addiction

After I hit the snooze button for the third time at about 7:30am, I reach for my phone half awake and peruse my emails. We all love to check our emails and unlike other mediums, virtually everyone uses email. Many of us will check email first thing and see what emails we could have been sent in the 7 and a half hours since we last checked! Recent studies have suggested that reading emails consumes 28% of the average workers week and we each send or receive over 112 emails a day! Those stats suggest we keep a close eye on our email inbox. We all have accounts on social media and many of us also check them with regularity but one thing we all have in common is that we all check the email inbox constantly. This means that if you are looking to promote a new product or service, you need to be in your customers email inbox. Email should therefore not be ignored.  

2.    Automated

Auto-responders can easily be set up, which allows you to write and schedule a series of emails that will be sent at regular intervals to any potential customers. They immediately provide information to your prospective customers and then will follow up over a set period. This means that over an example 6 month period you have sent a number of emails and engaged with your customers. Mail Chimp and other email marketing companies offer an auto responder service, which is easy to setup and simple to put in practice. Patients could be sent regular special offers for example over a set period.

3.    Accountability and Value

An exact return on investment (ROI) can be tracked because you will know how many people have received the email, how many people have opened and what the click rate to your message is. This gives you wonderful accountability and value for money. You will also get results instantly. For example with GDPUK when companies advertise in our daily emails or on the website we provide full stats for our customers once a week and even more if they request it. This means that the customer can see what kind of return they are receiving from their digital campaign, with the opportunity to change the banner or message as the campaign progresses.

4.    Aggressive

After we build up a decent list of contacts, prospects and customers, sometimes we can then be cautious with the list. In my previous employment we very rarely sent out email campaigns because we were afraid of appearing too spammy or aggressive but I believe that was a mistake. Please don’t take this advice and send out hundreds of emails a month but if you have something to say or announce, make sure your email list knows about it. (your competitors will be doing the same) There is nothing wrong with sharing information and showing you are doing a good job or can offer excellent value, you want to stay in front of your customer’s eyes as well as plant your brand in the customers mind! Email marketing needs to be constant, well thought out and engaging.

So how can we use email marketing in dentistry?

At GDPUK we keep our members engaged on the site by sending daily digest emails, 3 times a day. This sounds like a lot but these emails all contain different content and contain the latest dental news and the most recent forum posts of the day. This gives our members a chance to check their email inboxes and then click on subjects that interest them. The emails are certainly popular because in an average month they get opened and read 130,000 times. These emails also contain banner ads, which often get excellent click through rates for our customers because our members want to read the emails and the advertisers are reaching a target audience of engaged dentists.

In a dental practice you could send special offers to your patients or an interesting newsletter every few weeks. It means you are proactively communicating with your existing and potential patients instead of hoping they will call or walk in. This will hopefully increase business and develop further patient loyalty. If you send a good offer for “teeth whitening” for example, you could also invite your patients to forward the email offer to their friends or colleagues who might have interest in the offer. So once organised, a few minutes of work every couple of weeks will hopefully fill an empty one or two appointment spaces in the practice! 

Ivoclar Vivadent’s passion to continue to introduce new products to the UK market is evident as they announce the acquisition of Wieland Dental. Successfully demonstrating Ivoclar Vivadent’s continual growth, the takeover will further strengthen their position in the field of all-ceramic product systems.

Wieland Dental, domiciled in Germany, is one of the leading suppliers in the dental technology market. With an array of products ranging from CAD/CAM materials to dental alloys, and veneering ceramics to electroplating, the company offers individual laboratory concepts and systems solutions. Wieland UK and Ireland will be concentrating on the introduction of the CAD/CAM and digital portfolio and expertise directly into the UK and Ireland markets.

The acquisition coincides perfectly with Ivoclar Vivadent’s recent UK and Ireland company restructure, and will see Leo James head up the division as Wieland Sales Manager, whilst Greg Robertson and Vicken Hatsakordzian take the role of Wieland Product Specialist for the North and South respectively.

Darryl Muff, UK and Ireland Managing Director, commented, “We are delighted to have Wieland Dental join the Ivoclar Vivadent Group. Working alongside a leading European manufacturer and their market leading brands enables us to push forward with innovative and exciting strategies and better serve the needs of all dental professionals.”

For more information on the Ivoclar Vivadent and Wieland Dental product portfolio visit stand H13 at BDTA Dental Showcase 2013, or if you are unable to attend visit www.ivoclarvivadent.co.uk or call 0116 284 7880.

Twitter: @IvoclarUK
Facebook: Ivoclar Vivadent UK

There have been many questions about the dental charity Heart Your Smile (HYS). I have been asked why is an organisation needed to get more people to visit the dentist?

The vision from the outset at HYS was that improving engagement between the profession and the public would lead to increased trust and improvement of uptake of oral health messages and care at local level.  Many organisations in this space concentrate on the messages themselves, but we felt the messages were well established, so to elicit behaviour change we decided to concentrate on breaking down barriers to the uptake of oral health messages.

Heart Your Smile (HYS) has 4 key goals.

These are to:

1.            Change the public's perception of Dentistry

2.            Increase attendance and uptake of care

3.            Emphasise the dental team's position as trusted members of the local community

4.            Restore positive morale in the profession

We went through a rigorous process with the charity commission.  Our charitable objects are:
1.    to promote and protect the physical and mental health of sufferers of [oral diseases] in [the UK] through the provision of financial assistance, support, education and practical advice.
2.    to advance the education of the general public in all areas relating to oral health
 

All funds we raise go towards promoting our charitable objects.  To advance the education of the general public in all areas relating to oral health is a very costly undertaking.

Our initial campaign was to seek out the professionals who already had the energy and interest to support their local communities through:
*            oral health promotion
*            general health and healthy living support and advice
*            support in the community in schools, homes, local organisations etc, by giving their time and gaining their trust

We decided these behaviours could be packaged as the “9 habits” and are a positive way of raising the public's confidence in seeking timely dental care, by reducing anxiety, one of the biggest barriers.

Meanwhile, as these professionals were getting in touch, we needed time, funds and supporters to develop an online presence through which any team member in the profession could make a positive contribution in their community and share their work to create a ripple effect. We established a flat organisation and anyone was and still is welcome to join in and take on a workstream.

We also used this time to create mentoring resources and oral health promotion resources and the trustees wanted to get robust support from public health advisors for the resources we were producing before we announced them, so the whole process of getting to where we are now took 12 months.

The mentoring platform has been developed in conjunction with Fiona Ellwood, who has the level 7 postgraduate certificate in Mentoring from FGDP (UK). Our first group of 24 Mentors and Mentees start working together on 18^th September.

Heart your Smile is committed to promote civic responsibility and good citizenship amongst members of the dental profession in a sustained campaign to achieve our objectives. We started off with trade stands and engagement online, we have launched innovation 360 to crowd source innovation and spread the message through local action, as well as pilot new methods of engagement and to roll out the best ideas. The first round of applications has closed and we are working with 14 teams to roll out their ideas.

We would love all dental teams as well as members from GDPUK to get involved and perhaps lead a workstream of their choice or apply to be mentors or mentees. The future of the dental profession is in our hands.

While most winters bring with them a host of cold and flu-causing viruses, it is safe to say that this has been a pretty bad one. In the last few months we have seen outbreaks of several different infections and viruses beyond the usual colds and flues in the UK, including those of Measles, Whopping Cough, the Norovirus and even the Sars-like Coronavirus.

While the exact sources of such infections and illnesses are often difficult to identify, they can be spread very easily throughout our homes, workplaces and even healthcare environments. Regardless of whether the pathogens causing the infections are transmitted through either direct physical contact or droplet contact, they can be quickly passed from one place to another, contaminating an entire location in days.

In the dentistry we are no strangers to infection control and prevention, and we follow strict protocols to ensure our practices are as free of contamination as possible, keeping our fellow professionals and patients safe. Particular focus is placed on surface decontamination, with a potential for numerous different pathogens to enter the dental environment via any one of the staff or patients on the premises.

The Dental Unit Water Lines (DUWLs) are of course another high-risk area for contamination, providing ideal conditions for a wealth of bacteria, viruses and fungi to thrive in. The relatively large internal surface area of the water lines offers plenty of space for pathogens to adhere to, and the constant and low-pressure water-flow delivers all the nutrients bacteria need to survive. With the central heating on to combat the cold temperatures this winter has presented, our dental practices even provide a warm environment for existing bacteria, encouraging growth at an exceedingly accelerated pace.

Once the bacteria have formed a protective biofilm within the DUWL system, they become incredibly stubborn and can be remarkably more difficult to remove. The danger comes when planktonic or ‘swarmer’ cells are released from the biofilm and are subsequently aerosolised into the open when the dental unit instruments are in use, putting both patients and staff at risk of infection. While the majority of microbes found in this biofilm are often benign, opportunistic and respiratory pathogens such as Legionella spp (causative agent of the pneumonia, legionnaires’ disease), Mycobacteria spp and Pseudomonads, all present a very real and dangerous threat, especially for the elderly, the very young and the immunocompromised.[i]

As our understanding of how infections spread has developed and our technologies have advanced, our frontline of defence for such an assault remains as chemical intervention, and specifically designed products have become a major aspect of infection control in dentistry. In order to fully utilise their benefits however, it is crucial that the quality of the water within the practice is monitored closely. Monitoring all output water accurately is not only a mandatory aspect of compliance, but figures also indicate the frequency and concentration of chemicals needed for successful decontamination.

HTM 01-05 guidelines dictate a bacterial level of below 200 colony-forming units / millilitre (cfu/ml) in all dental output water in the UK. The EU Directive is even stricter, recommending lower bacterial levels than 100 cfu/ml, which is the same as the requirement for drinking water. You must be able to demonstrate that you are adhering to these regulations; hence why actively measuring, managing and stringently recording the microbial count in DUWL output is so crucial.

Internationally recognised for high quality and effective infection control products, schülke has worked hard to promote the importance of efficient decontamination for over a century. The schülke DUWL system provides a solution for the complete removal of biofilm, and it can then be used at low concentrations to maintain the DUWLs and prevent biofilm from reforming. schülke also offer free dip slides to test the microbial level of your DUWL to ensure your practice remains compliant with regulations, protecting both your colleagues and patients as much as possible.

As infection control is the domain of all members of your team, leading providers such as schülke also offer specialized training to make sure everyone has the knowledge and skills to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. As well as maintaining the DUWLs, it is the responsibility of your whole team to clean and disinfect all areas of the practice, including instruments, equipment and workbench surfaces. Training from the experts offers both insight and a better understanding of what you can do to further reduce the risk of infection in the practice, providing an even better service to your patients.

Without complete dedication to infection control, contagion is guaranteed. There are hundreds if not thousands of microbes infiltrating our dental practices every single day, and it is part of your job to eradiate the risks wherever humanly possible.

For more information, please call 0114 254 3500. Or visit www.schulke.co.uk

For information on schülke’s new Plus Rewards Scheme please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0114 254 3533

Throughout my career I have been fortunate enough to be involved with helping to develop dental teams to meet their full potential. Whenever I meet the most successful teams I am always amazed at the motivation, energy and remarkably high morale that these dedicated teams demonstrate. I wonder what is their big secret?  Could it be high salaries, financial bonuses, job status, a secret magic elixir, a funky pill?

The simple answer is that all of the most successful practices that I’ve worked with over the years understand the five key internal motivators of their teams. These are:

• Achievement
• Recognition of achievement
• Growth and advancement
• Responsibility
• Enjoyment of the job

They achieve this by learning together and through learning together they discover how to play together.

Learning through play

It is a strange thing about our modern society that we consider play to be the opposite of work; we are either playing, or we are working. Very often playing is considered to be unprofessional, unhelpful and unproductive – but how true is this? 

Let’s take a step back for a moment and look at some of the challenges facing dental teams today:

• CQC
• CPD Cycles
• HTM 01-05
• Compliance

These are but a few of the many different challenges that are facing the profession, and the list can often seem endless. But I wonder, what would happen if we make these challenges fun, playful and exciting? Would the whole dental team be more inclined to get involved?

Whole brain learning

The very best CPD training is designed with ‘whole brain learning’ in mind. This may incorporate imagination, pictures, randomness – all things associated with the right side of the brain – together with logic, reasoning and analysis that is associated with the left side. This type of ‘whole brain’ learning is particularly effective and as it’s been proven to show that information is taken in faster and is retained for longer. It has also been proven that this type of learning means that knowledge is also recalled more easily.

What this shows us more than anything is that learning doesn’t have to be boring! In fact, sometimes, it can even be fun! Not only will this help improve learning, but it will also encourage better teamwork and cooperation between team members, helping the whole practice team grow and develop to reach its full potential.

At dbg we enjoy creating innovative and engaging learning environments where all viewpoints and mistakes are acknowledged and valued as a way to learn; demonstrating how to conduct reflective practice as a team. Don’t forget as GDC registered professionals it is our duty to reflect and improve on our systems, policies and practices, and the CQC wants us to demonstrate this in its Outcomes. As such there is absolutely nothing wrong with learning in an interesting and engaging way – if anything it makes us better at our jobs.

For more information call dbg on 01606 861 950,

Or visit www.thedbg.co.uk

About the author:

Claire Deegan is a Practice Support Manager at dbg, delivering training and supporting practices to become compliant. She has 20 years’ experience in dentistry and has a passion for team development and motivational speaking.

While society at large tends to bracket dentists as relatively high earners ina secure profession, and so not likely to be in need of help, in reality dentists are equally vulnerable to financial difficulty as the next person.

With this in mind, in 1882 four dentists founded the BDA Benevolent Fund
to support colleagues and their families who, through illness, old age or misfortune, could no longer support themselves.  At that time state aid did not exist and the only alternatives to the Fund were destitution or the debtors’ prison, but even today the Fund still plays an essential role, offering financial aid to dentists and their dependents who find themselves in financial hardship.  

Fully aware that a crisis can arise for today’s working professionals, the
Fund takes pride in its record of absolute confidentiality. Every applicant receives a visit to identify their specific needs. Many Fund beneficiaries
are already receiving means-tested state benefits, and the Fund is able to
provide a regular grant which helps towards essential living expenses.

And where longer term help is not necessary, often a one-off grant is all
that is needed to transform the situation, for example to clear a nagging debt, replace a worn out, essential household appliance, or perhaps fund alterations to enable a disabled person to remain in their own home. Sometimes an interest-free loan is the best solution to a financial emergency. The Fund is able to offer a flexible response according to the nature of the applicant’s circumstances. 

Over the decades, the age of Fund applicants has changed, with only a sixth now being of pension age.  In 2012 well over half of applicants were between 40 and 60 years old, and nearly a quarter being under 39.  This shows that financial distress affects many dentists at different ages, with increasing numbers of applications being made as the result of stress related health problems or addiction, and the Fund continues to maintain close links with the Dentists’ Health Support Trust, particularly when whole families are involved.

Dentists are not immune to financial hardship and the task of the Fund is to encourage those in need of help to apply. Yet despite the established history of the Fund, one problem it faces is the lack of awareness of its existence within the profession, and some dentists’ natural reluctance to apply for help in cases of real need.  It’s never easy for dedicated members of a caring profession to admit they need help themselves, even when the underlying cause is a random accident and completely beyond anyone’s control.

The BDA Benevolent Fund is managed by a UK-wide representative Board
of Trustees from across dentistry, who volunteer their time and specialist expertise to serve their colleagues in difficulty. The Fund is also dependent on dental professionals for its resources and potential to offer assistance.  Indeed they themselves may one day, through misfortune, seek to benefit from its help.

While testimonials to its good offices abound, confidentiality requires that they must always remain anonymous.

“I want to thank you so much for your kind words and your help. The way the profession has responded has been overwhelming and has given me and my family great comfort and strength.”

– Beneficiary of the Fund in 2012

For more information about the BDA Benevolent Fund
call 020 7486 4994, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 or visit www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk

All enquiries are considered in confidence.

Registered charity no. 208146

In September, Carestream Dental will be holding a series of ‘Awareness Evenings’ looking at their various digital impressioning solutions.

While developing your understanding of how each system works, you will also cover how the technology integrates with practice management software, dental laboratory CAD/CAM software, a chairside milling system and a remote milling system.

Furthermore, you will discover how gypsum study model storage could become a thing of the past.

The evening sessions will be run by Carestream Dental’s UK CAD/CAM Product Specialist, David Claridge and the company’s Senior Imaging Product and Application Specialist, Rob Charteris.

With ‘Awareness Evenings’ held throughout the UK in September, there will soon be one near you. To find out where and when and to register for your place, please call 0800 169 9692 today.

Places going fast!

For more information, please contact the experts at Carestream Dental on 0800 169 9692 or visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk

To help raise funds for the Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme, DPAS Practice Consultant Louise Bone, is running in the Glasgow 10K Race this October.

Sponsored by practice-branded dental plan provider, DPAS, the Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme is the Mouth Cancer Foundation’s new life-saving initiative which accredits dental practices that routinely screen for oral cancer using their ‘2 Minutes to Save a Life’ screening protocol and meet other specific criteria.

The Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme also aims to improve outcomes for head and neck cancer sufferers in accordance with the BDA’s occasional paper for the early detection and prevention of oral cancer and NICE guidelines. In addition, it embraces recent CQC, Information Governance and Clinical Governance requirements, as well as responding to the GDC’s recommendation for continuous professional development for the management of oral cancer.

Explaining her reasons for taking part in the race, Louise said, “As a previous Specialist Dental Nurse in the Regional Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at St John's Hospital, I worked very closely with patients who had head and neck cancer, so I have seen first hand the devastating impact that mouth cancer can have. This was one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had, in fact I’m still in contact with some of my previous patients, so I am delighted to do anything I can to help this worthwhile charity bring greater awareness of the need for early detection of mouth cancer.”

Louise has never run a 10K race before, but is hoping to complete the course in less than 60 minutes. She is training hard and taking some time away from her main hobby of horse riding in order to take up this challenge.

To sponsor Louise and help save lives, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LouiseBoneDPAS2MinutestoSaveaLife

The Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme is open to any dentist registered with the GDC or any dental practice whose clinicians are registered with the GDC For more information please contact the Mouth Cancer Foundation via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +44 (0) 1924 950 950 for more information.

With many practices now outsourcing their lab work to overseas laboratories, the British dental technician trade has taken a sharp decline in recent years. 10 years ago there were more than 12,000 qualified dental technicians operating in the UK, this figure now stands at approximately 5,000 and is decreasing by a further 200 qualified technicians every year. Sparkle Dental Laboratories Ltd a new dental laboratory  is looking to change this.

By providing a unique high quality service they are hoping to reinvigorate this once prosperous profession. All of their products are of the highest quality and are handcrafted at their laboratory in Leeds using only the best UK sourced materials. With the use of the latest technological advances such as a milling facility, as well as a great working environment and training programme, Sparkle Dental Labs are bringing dental laboratory work into the 21^st Century.

Sparkle Dental Labs are helping to increase the number of dental technicians working in the UK by offering training and a unique apprenticeship programme to those looking to get involved in the dental profession. They are working with the National Apprenticeship Service to create the first apprenticeship for technicians. The apprenticeship will offer practical ‘on the job’ training at their laboratory in Leeds. The apprenticeship will result in a qualification leading to registration with the GDC as a dental technician.

One of the company’s aims is to increase public awareness of the risks associated with laboratory work that has been carried out overseas. As a direct result of this, more patients are now keen to ensure their cosmetic, restorative and implant solutions are made in UK where the workmanship is guaranteed and the materials used are of a higher standard and the working conditions of the dental technicians are very good.

This is exactly what Sparkle Dental Labs provides as it is one of a small number of dental laboratories in the UK to receive the MHRA, DAMAS and ISO quality assurance marks. The latter is a quality assurance mark that proves the consistent level of quality that their clients receive. Their ISO report stated that they “implemented an excellent Quality Management System which in many ways far surpasses the requirements of the ISO 9001 2008 Standard.”

The company’s ambition is to continue the development of its facilities, with half a million pounds having already been invested and a further million pounds is set to be invested over the next 12-18 months. Their state of the art laboratory and office in Leeds offers many additional staff benefits such as showers, male and female locker rooms, a canteen and a staff room as well as all the amenities needed to create high calibre dental products. All of the facilities on the premises are suitable for disabled workers; there are even height adjustable benches, which have been installed for any staff members who use wheelchairs.

Most patients don’t know it, but they are entitled to a statement, which confirms where the lab work took place, sadly not all laboratories are able to provide statements that confirm that the work took place in the UK. At Sparkle Dental Labs a statement is sent detailing where and when the product was made, the name of the technician who made it and the materials that were used. This way both patient and clinician can take comfort in knowing that the product is of the highest standard and where it was made. Using Sparkle Dental Labs will assist a dental practice in following the BDA Good Practice Scheme.

The service that they provide is enhanced by the quick turn around offered. As one of the only dental laboratories to offer a free courier service to and from the practice, they are able to ensure that all deliveries are on time and for urgent cases a guaranteed 3 day turnaround is available, this is much quicker than the 5-10 days that most other laboratories offer.

Sparkle Dental Labs fully appreciate that using a new dental lab can be a daunting process. Choosing to use Sparkle Dental Labs will not only help to boost a waning profession, it will also guarantee you and your patients high calibre dental products that have been manufactured in the UK using the best respected materials.

For additional more information please call 0800 138 6255, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.sparkledentallabs.com

With the Dental Technology Showcase (DTS) running alongside The Dentistry Show 2014, there will be more opportunities for dental professionals than ever before.

As Dean of Postgraduate Dentistry at Health Education Kent, Surrey and Sussex (HEKSS), Professor Stephen Lambert Humble MBE delivered his ‘The future is bright, the future is CDT’ lecture, to a capacity audience, as part of the Aesthetic Technician Conference at The Dentistry Show earlier this year.

“We held a number of clinical sessions, including information updates for CDTs, and also had a stand. From our point of view it was a very successful event, both for information gathering, and giving advice to dental technicians about the career paths open to them and the decisions involved.

“We will of course be appearing at the combined event in 2014. For me we teach very clearly a collaborative practice message. We don’t believe that CDTs or any other member of the team should be working just in isolation.

“We firmly believe dentistry is a team activity and so by running The Dentistry Show and DTS side-by-side there will be further opportunity for HEKSS to get this message across.”

The 2014 event will be held on 28^th February and 1^st March, at the Birmingham NEC, so make sure you save the dates in your diary!

For more information please visit www.thedentistryshow.co.uk/dts,

call 020 7348 5269 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The BACD’s 10^th Anniversary Conference will be held on Thursday 7^th, Friday 8^th and Saturday 9^th November 2013 at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel. The event will feature a line-up of international and home-grown speakers covering a range of subjects from short-term orthodontics to posterior composites and facial aesthetics.

To open the event, past President and founding member Chris Orr will present a lecture on Perspectives in Cosmetic Dentistry. He says:

‘When we started the BACD, cosmetic dentistry was very different to how it is today. The overall “look” we are trying to achieve nowadays – the aesthetic goals – have not really changed, but the means by which we achieve those goals have changed dramatically. In my talk I will review the techniques and materials of the last 10 years, and discuss how today’s techniques for minimising intervention have changed the way dentists approach the task of smile design. I will then discuss the BACD’s role in shaping cosmetic dentistry in the UK today, and will look ahead to speculate on the developments the next ten years may hold.’

For further information call 0207 612 4166, fax 0207 182 7123, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.bacd.com

At EndoCare we are committed to providing an excellent high quality Endodontic referrals service in a relaxing environment designed to put patients fully at their ease.

Our bright and airy facilities located across London are all designed with patients in mind, and your patients can expect to be treated in the same impeccable manner that you would expect to be treated yourself. Not only that, but our dedicated team of Endodontists are all experts in their field, and are supported by the latest state-of-the-art equipment to provide treatment to the very highest standard.

For more information on how we can become an important extra member of your team, contact EndoCare today. We guarantee that we will give the best service to your patient and communicate with you promptly at each stage of your patient's time with us. This will include what treatment is required, what treatment has taken place, and what is required in the future. We will also recommend the type of restoration most suitable as well as the timing, and we will follow-up the patient as necessary.

For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999

Or visit www.endocare.co.uk

Over the next few years, video will become an integral part of dental marketing. Video attracts and holds customer attention and can contribute to a huge range of marketing ideas whether you are looking to attract new customers or engage current ones.

When we venture online, we are now seeing adverts that are similar to TV ads with the same quality and spend but they are appearing on the computer screen. Some evidence found here suggests that in June 2013, 183 million Americans watched more than 44 billion online content videos and more than 20 billion video advertisements. That is a lot of hours spent watching video! Video content has become increasingly important; in the last year alone over 38 million people watched video on their mobile phones. DG, one of the largest digital ad agencies in the world, point out that in-stream video advertising represents a huge opportunity for advertisers. It is believed that over 200 billion videos are viewed online every month worldwide. DG’s, recent survey results show that click through rate of video ads is on average nearly 2000% more than standard banners. This data suggests that video could be an extremely effective way to drive people to your website, increase traffic levels and ultimately convert sales!

Video ads often get included under the rich media umbrella. The term rich media was coined to describe a broad range of digital interactive media. Rich media can be downloaded but nowadays it is more likely to be embedded within a web page. Rich media is advertising that contains perceptual or interactive elements more elaborate than the usual banner ad. Today, the term is often used for banner ads with popup menus or videos that let the visitor select a particular page to link to on the advertiser's site.

Below is a video about the rise of rich media and its increasing importance in online advertising.

How can video benefit your dental business?

Below are 6 benefits of embracing rich media and online video. These can all be applied to the dental industry.  

1.   Show off your expertise

A video or interactive banner ad can be a fantastic way of showing the world what you know, this then builds credibility with potential customers. This means there has to be a focus on quality content and a well thought out video or advertising campaign.

2.   Make your customers the stars of the video

Colgate and Aquafresh often do this on TV adverts using dentists to endorse their toothpaste but a genuinely satisfied customer is even better, so where possible put customers in the spotlight and let them do the talking about how your product or service has been fantastic or a life saver. This then produces interactive testimonials that show customer satisfaction.

3.   Video becomes part of your overall advertising campaign

The majority of dental companies will have campaigns over multiple mediums. For example, a handpiece manufacturer is promoting their new ultra modern hand piece. They are likely to launch the new handpiece at a trade show, advertise the product in dental magazines and dental websites plus have their rep take it around dental practices, either to existing customers or even potential new customers. As part of this campaign the dental company could also produce a short video that will show how the handpiece works, what the benefits are and maybe some dentists talking about how excellent and easy it is to use. Video could be an exciting addition to a company’s advertising campaign.

4.   Impact on Social Media

The video can be shared across social media, so as well as having it available on a website as an online ad, you can also share the video with your followers on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest or Twitter. Pinterest for example is no longer just images it is now moving past the static images it was originally known for. Sharing of videos within the dental community get people talking and sharing. Video adverts account for 31% of all videos views, if your ad is interesting or different, it will get shared on social media.

5.   Measures Time

With TV we never know how long people are watching TV ads or how long they listen on the radio but with rich media we are able to measure how long the consumer is looking at the advert or content. It is estimated that consumers are 25% more likely to click on a rich media banner than a normal static banner.

6.   Create an engaging story

Create an engaging story, once the consumer is engaged and clicks on the rich media ad or video they want to learn more and like to see the outcome of the story. Increase interest and intrigue in your brand, consumers will start to remember the ad and reports suggest that branded searches will increase threefold. Below is a good example to a link of a dental company promoting a new product and I personally think they have used video brilliantly. What do you think?

So how could video work for the dental profession?

So we have seen the benefits but how could we use video? Video could be introduced in a number of areas of the digital dental world. You could put video on your practice website (many people already have this), introduce your product or brand on your company website through a quick video or instead of playing safe with a printed advert or online banner, why not invest in something a bit more innovative or imaginative and try the online video ad like the example we have viewed above. I am sure there are already many possibilities you have envisaged of how video could be used in dentistry, please share them below, we would love to hear your ideas.

GDPUK can now make rich media a reality, if you would like to discuss running a rich media campaign or publishing video ads on our website, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will be to discuss marketing opportunities with you. Alternatively please come and visit us at the Dental Showcase @ NEC on stand L06a from the 17^th - 19^th of October 2013. 

Hi de Hi  Campers!  Over in the forum this week we have a fine to-do.

What a malarkie.   

The age old practice of Cross Subsidy in practice whereby the profitable end of private practice allows the social conscience to be salved by the maintenance of an NHS Contract seems to be quite under fire at this time. 

Who knows what goes on in the interest of the extra buck?  For sure, if the Government abuses its luxury of compliant dentists, the New Contract is doomed.

Should we aim to maintain the freedom to "mix" at all costs?  It is starting to acquire a dishonest  feel  and is open to hidden abuse.  Maybe we fear "being found out"

So whose Big Lie is it I wonder?

Maybe not at ALL costs ...

Bye for now, there's lovely.

Introducing GoodmanGrant: Lawyers for Dentists

This July members of the dental press gathered at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel for the announcement of a new specialist firm of dental lawyers. GoodmanGrant is the result of a merger between Ray Goodman of Goodman Legal and John Grant former Head of the Dental Team at Cohen Cramer. Both have an extensive career assisting dental professionals with their legal affairs and the team at GoodmanGrant has a combined experience of more than 75 years.

The firm brings together the current Chairman of the NASDAL lawyers group and the immediate past Chairman of ASPD. Along with dedicated expert solicitors in all practice areas, Goodman Grant is able to provide its clients with extensive legal advice on all aspects of the dental industry.

With offices in London, Liverpool and Leeds, Goodman Grant is able to offer its unique brand of accessible and comprehensive advice to clients in all parts of England and Wales.

Ray Goodman and John Grant of GoodmanGrant Lawyers for Dentists - NASDAL and ASPD MEMBERS

For more information call Ray Goodman on 0151 707 0090 or email

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call John Grant on 0113 8343705 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

“I’d had a website for a number of years, and I thought it was “ok” – it was designed by an internet marketing expert after all – but I never really got any contacts from it. I then saw Krishan Joshi of Dental Focus ® give a talk on online dental marketing at The Dentistry Show, so decided to contact him and asked him to help me create a new website. As soon as the Dental Focus ® site went live I started to get online queries almost straight away. It really did make a dramatic difference.

‘In this day and age you really do have to be on top of all these things. Thankfully I found Dental Focus ® and have found them to be a professional team of people who always listen closely to what I have to say and work with me to achieve the best results. In fact we’re currently in the process of optimising my website for mobile devices

In these competitive times, it really does pay to work with an excellent team of web designers and online marketers you can rely on to provide excellent results!’

For more information call 020 7183 8388, or visit www.dentalfocus.com

Zesty is a new online booking service that allows practices to increase their NHS and Private patient appointments. Zesty is easy to set up, use and maintain in addition to being highly cost effective. Over one million people search for dental appointments every month online in London alone, Zesty will help direct these highly qualified patient enquiries to your practice and website.

By joining Zesty you will be able to monetize last minute cancellations and any free appointments can be filled with new patients the same day! Zesty will verify that all appointments booked through the service are authentic and will also send patients a SMS reminder before their appointment to ensure that your practice stays busy.

Dr. Harvey Grahame, Clinical Director at Smilepod Ltd says:

“Having used online booking systems for almost three years, Smilepod are excited to be working with Zesty to make booking appointments online even easier for our new and existing patients.”

Simply email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.zesty.co.uk or call 07775 967713 for more details

The Dental Directory is one of the UK’s largest full service dental dealers and has an impressive array of more than 27,000 different products that encompass everything from sundries to larger pieces of surgery equipment. The Dental Directory always provides its customers with the very best service and is known for always going the extra mile.

Dr. David Figaji, Principal Dentist at Nayland Dental and Cosmetic Clinic says:

“I worked with The Dental Directory on a few occasions. When we refurbished Nayland Dental and Cosmetic Clinic we got The Dental Directory involved from the outset. They helped to draw up layout plans for the surgeries, we had them visit the practice so they could see the space we had and then work to accommodate that. They completely fitted the surgeries and decontamination room, they provided the chairs, x-ray equipment and cabinetry amongst other things. Their service is outstanding.”

For more information, contact The Dental Directory on

0800 585 586, or visit www.dental-directory.co.uk.

The team at DENTSPLY’s UK Service Centre know that for a dentist or hygienist, having dental equipment fail at a time when it is most needed is a nightmare. However, with regular maintenance clinicians need not worry about this.

One of the most frequent problems that DENTSPLY’s UK Service Centre are contacted about is Cavitron® Ultrasonic Scaling Units becoming blocked and not allowing water to pass through. This can make the unit temporarily unusable, but by following a few simple procedures this problem can be avoided.

The Cavitron should be purged for five minutes at the beginning of each day, this ensures it doesn’t begin to clog up with contaminants. Disinfecting the unit at the end of each week with a chemical solution is also recommended. By following these procedures and monitoring the cleanliness and condition of water filters the life of the Cavitron unit could be extended.

For advice on making sure your Cavitron Ultrasonic Scaler is kept in peak condition contact DENTSPLY’s UK Service Centre.

A copy of DENTSPLY’s Maintenance Guide can be obtained from the DENTSPLY website or by emailing a request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Technical helpline number 01932 837 332

Contact us at dentsply.co.uk or 0800 072 3313

Earn Rewards against purchases at dentsplyrewards.co.uk

Access webinars and product demonstrations and earn CPD at dentsplyacademy.co.uk

On Thursday 7^th November 2013 Dr’s Tif Qureshi and Anoop Maini will present a lecture entitled “The Psychology of Progressive Smile Design” as part of the BACD’s 10^th Annual Conference.

Tif Qureshi says:

“The lecture will very much be looking at the psychology of patients’ decision making, learning where we have come from, and looking at how we have changed and are now focussing more on a staged, step-by-step approach.

“In the talk I will be talking about removable appliances, and Anoop will then focus on fixed appliances and treatments. We will both showcase a number of cases that could have very easily gone down a traditional route for smile design, but instead we achieved what we believed to be better results in a conservative, minimally invasive way.”

This year’s BACD Annual Conference will be held on Thursday 7^th, Friday 8^th and Saturday 9^th November 2013 at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel. For further information call 0207 612 4166, fax 0207 182 7123, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.bacd.com

There can be no doubting the importance of the internet, and the significant role it now plays in all our lives. With more and more patients now using the internet to search for dental practices, rather than traditional methods such as phonebooks or local directories, it is essential that your practice has a web presence that fully reflects your vision and the services you are able to provide.

Chris Neve is Business Manager at Queens Park Dental Team, Bournemouth, and has been responsible for overseeing the development of the practice website for over a decade. While the practice was one of the ‘early adopters’ of dental online marketing in 2004, with the surge in internet use across the country, Queens Park Dental Team now attracts more new patients through its website than any other method.

To create the Queens Park Dental Team website, Chris worked closely with Krishan Joshi of Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’. With each new mock-up of the website, Chris and the team provided feedback on elements of the design so Krishan could build the final website to their exact tastes and specifications.

‘We were all really pleased with the website,’ says Chris. ‘It was exactly what we were after – a much fresher look, and with all the latest features as it was back in 2004. A few years later in 2008, we then decided to have a major revamp of the site – a complete redesign. Our new website was so good we even won an award for ‘Most Improved Private Website’. We were very happy! This was great publicity for our practice and we even appeared in the local press as a result.’ 

In terms of marketing, in the past, Chris used to use a number of different marketing strategies for Queens Park Dental Team, but given the success of his new website, he’s found that many of the ‘old’ methods of marketing are fast becoming obsolete.

‘Our new website is absolutely great,’ continues Chris. ‘In fact we attract most of our new patients through our website. We used to be in the Yellow Pages. In fact we were the first practice in Bournemouth to have colour in our advert when colour adverts came in. Obviously that was quite a big draw at the time, but we started to do research into where our new patients were coming from and it seemed that Yellow Pages was providing very few results for the money we were paying. We used to be on Yell.com as well, but that didn’t really bring anything either. So we dropped both the Yellow Pages and Yell.com and decided to focus our marketing efforts on our website and our search ranking on Google and Bing. Of course we do carry out other kinds of marketing as well. We do leaflet drops around our local area and other such things, but majority of new patients are by word-of-mouth or through the website. This is very cost effective in comparison to the “old” methods such as Yellow Pages.’

When it comes to dental online marketing, it really pays to trust the experts. With the internet now such an important part of any dental practice’s marketing mix, choosing a web design company that offers proven results time and time again will help ensure your practice makes the most of the fantastic opportunity that online marketing provides.

For more information call 020 7183 8388, or visit www.dentalfocus.com

There has never been a time when it hasn’t been important to keep a close watch on your personal finances. But, the constant changes we are seeing during the current economic downturn mean that it is more important than ever that our fiscal situation is closely assessed. This is especially true when it comes to making investments.

A regular review will ensure that you are setting aside the right amount and that this money is being put to use in the best way possible. Some forms of investment will provide the potential for financial growth, whereas others will offer the chance for an instant income, some will even provide a mixture of the two.

The investment you choose to make will all depend on what it is you are looking to achieve, so it is important to keep in mind that it is all down to personal circumstance. There are two key areas that have to be considered before choosing the form of investment that you wish to make. The first is the length of time that you want to invest for, this is awfully important as it will affect the shape of the policy. The length of the investment will hinge on whether you are looking to make your money grow over time or if you are seeking immediate income from the investment. It is also worth deliberating whether you will be looking to spend your savings before your death or whether you will be looking to leave some to your heirs.

The other aspect that must be considered is what the most tax-effective method of investing will be. Depending on your choice, your policy can increase the money you retain from your savings and investments tax. For instance, pension plans are a really tax-efficient option because contributing to them will receive a tax relief depending on how much you earn. There are also other options that offer tax relief however, these are not as stable as a pension plan. Seeking the appropriate advice when looking to make an investment is indispensible. Taking advantage of specialist advice from an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) will help you to pick the most suitable investment option.  

When the financial situation of an individual changes, reassessing your investments should be a priority as they will be affected. For example, a gap in employment may mean that the amount saved in your pension will not be enough to cater for your whole retirement. It is vital that the investor as an investor you are aware of the number of factors that can influence an investment strategy. You may even find that you decided to change your investment policy because you want to be more adventurous or more careful with your financial decisions.

As an investor you will acquire an annual statement, this is to be used in your personal records and to keep a watch on how much your investment has grown. This document will allow you to evaluate the performance of your investment and see if there are any issues relating to your investment fund.

When making an investment a professional fund manager must draw up an Investment Policy Statement (IPS). This statement must be tailored to suit the investor and will lay out a plan of how the investment will be managed and what the aims of the investment are. This document should be reviewed annually, because as the investors financial attitudes change, the investment will, thus the IPS must be altered to reflect this.

An investment balances the level of risk with the level of reward, this of course means that the chance of greater financial gain brings with it uncertainty and an increased chance of a significant loss. This means that as an investor you must prepare yourself and determine the amount of risk that you are willing to make. Some investors are happy to have an unstable portfolio, as long as it still generates money over time. Regardless of this, an IPS must detail an action plan in the event that not everything goes to plan. By doing this you can be safe in the knowledge that even if this don’t work out there is a plan in place to overcome the problem.

Before making any financial decisions it is essential that the advice of an IFA is sought. Not only should the IFA be experienced, they should be able to tailor their knowledge to your individual circumstances. IFAs like money4dentists specialise in assisting those who work in the dental industry to make the right financial choices. Their knowledge extends to tax planning, income protection and mortgages. As a specialist IFA, money4dentists can review your finances and debt and help you toachieve your financial aspirations.

When looking to make an investment there are a number of considerations that must be made, but the first and most important thing to do is seek the services of a knowledgeable and experienced IFA.

For mortgages we act as introducers only.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

For more information please call 0845 345 5060, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.money4dentists.com

Introduction

As dental professionals, we are all aware of the difference an improved smile can make to our patients. There’s inevitably an increase in self-assurance, they’re quick to smile more frequently and this positivity impacts on almost every aspect of their lives. A large number of adults in the UK are dissatisfied with their teeth - 45% according to a recent YouGov study[1] - but are put off rectifying any problems for a number of reasons, such as lengthy treatment time and fear of pain. With a combined treatment approach, we are able to offer a bespoke solution that unites the benefits of minimally invasive dentistry and a faster treatment process to achieve excellent results.

Adult orthodontics has come a long way in recent years and has much to offer in a huge number of cases. Referring dentists are pleasantly surprised when I explain how orthodontic treatment can transform a tricky case to a very straightforward one where extractions, restorative or implant treatment is either minimal or not required at all.

History

This case report demonstrates the joint treatment of a 63-year-old female with a combined orthodontic and restorative approach. Her initial complaint was that she did not like her uneven and worn teeth and in particular “a lower tooth that was crowded out.”

When she was initially seen and examined, it was decided that a satisfactory restorative solution alone would be difficult to achieve due to her upper incisor positions and reduced overjet. This was also a likely factor in her anterior tooth wear, as she was edge to edge. She was subsequently referred for orthodontic alignment of her crowded dental arches and in particular to provide sufficient clearance for placement of new upper anterior restorations, facilitated by a positive overjet. Her medical history was clear.

Clinical Examination

The patient presented with a class III incisor relationship on a skeletal I base, with an increased Frankfort-Mandibular planes angle and increased lower face height. The upper lip line was high and she had increased gingival display on smiling. The overjet and overbite were reduced and showed an edge to edge relationship. There was mild lower arch crowding and a spaced upper arch, with a midline diastema. She had a fairly heavily restored dentition and signs of anterior tooth wear attributed to her malocclusion. Her oral hygiene was satisfactory.

Treatment Plan

Several treatment options were discussed in-depth with the patient. It was felt that a restorative solution alone to restore the worn upper teeth would not be sufficient to achieve a stable long-term, aesthetic solution. The longevity of such restorations simply could not be guaranteed due to the nature of her current occlusion. She was also unhappy with her lower teeth and preferred a more comprehensive approach to improve the look of all of her teeth, in the most conservative approach possible.

It was agreed to provide upper and lower fixed orthodontic appliances to relieve the lower crowding, reduce the upper spacing (whilst maintaining a discrete diastema) and create a normal overjet, overbite and class I incisor relationship. She was happy to have labial ceramic fixed braces and was aware that interproximal enamel reduction (IPR) was necessary in the lower arch in particular. She was also happy to wear elastics to facilitate retraction of the lower labial segment and control the correction from a class III to a class I incisor relationship. Permanent bonded retainers (PBRs) in addition to removable vacuum formed retainers (VFRs) were planned from the outset and the importance of long-term retention of the final result was stressed. The total orthodontic treatment time from start to finish was five and a half months.

This was to be followed by restoration of her worn incisors and replacement of old discoloured fillings.

Post-orthodontic treatment plan

The treatment plan was revised to account for the reduced need for invasive preparation of the newly aligned teeth. Conservative anterior composite bonding and contouring was carried out using a silicone index method. The patient also had her teeth whitened.

Patient feedback

Primarily motivated by her family to change her smile, the patient is ‘absolutely delighted with the results’. She described the whole experience as ‘brilliant’ and felt fine during the treatment process, in no small part thanks to a reassuring and professional team. The patient said her new smile has exceeded her expectations and given her more confidence.

Summary

By utilising a combined orthodontic and restorative approach at the London Smile Clinic with good communication between each clinician an aesthetic, well aligned and well interdigitated class I occlusion was achieved in a conservative manner.

The result was a much-improved aesthetic and functional dentition and the total treatment duration was just under six months.

The patient was initially very reluctant to the idea of wearing a fixed appliance. This is a very common situation that can be very easily overcome in adult patients. Initially I considered offering her a lingual appliance due to her hesitation but found that she had never seen, let alone held a typodont with a ceramic fixed appliance in-situ and was pleasantly surprised at how discreet and aesthetic it actually was. Backed up by examination of treated cases and good photos, she had no hesitation in proceeding with treatment with ceramic labial appliances over lingual appliances, in this case, as she felt they were “quite attractive in fact!” I have found this time and again that people who initially opt for a more invasive treatment approach, due to the stigma attached to wearing braces as an adult, are happy to proceed with orthodontic therapy following a thorough discussion of the advantages and demonstration of the appliances up close.

This case demonstrates the simple and effective method in which a combined approach can be utilised to give a highly aesthetic and conservative result, which the patient was very pleased with. Clear, effective communication between the orthodontist and restorative dentist is essential, with each clinician working to their respective strengths.

Almost every adult patient can benefit from some form of orthodontic treatment from mild crowding through to the more complex multidisciplinary cases, often requiring surgery. We are responsible as trustworthy clinicians for providing all the relevant and appropriate treatment options to our patients, in order to provide informed consent and avoiding coercion into one particular treatment that we may prefer. As demonstrated, where there is any doubt refer to a specialist in orthodontics who can substantiate the pros and cons of the orthodontic element with solid evidence-based research.

Author

Dr Bhogal graduated from Birmingham Dental Hospital in 2000, winning the Walpole-Day Prize in Orthodontics. He then undertook several posts including Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Paediatric Dentistry and worked for several years in general dental practice. In 2003 he obtained Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and in 2008 obtained his Masters in Orthodontics, MPhil (Orthodontics) and Membership in Orthodontics (M Orth) at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Dr Preet Bhogal is listed in the General Dental Council’s Specialist Register and therefore entitled to use the term “Specialist Orthodontist,” recognising that he has followed the highest standard of training possible in orthodontics in the UK.

Dr Bhogal has a keen interest in the field of contemporary adult orthodontics, interdisciplinary treatment and the use of aesthetic hidden braces, including clear aligner systems (e.g. Invisalign) and lingual fixed appliances (e.g. Incognito Braces)

Follow Dr Bhogal on Twitter at @PreetBhogalUK.

I was shocked and more than a little annoyed to discover an article in the Sunday Express recently that claimed, “Now we pull out our own teeth: Boom in DIY dental kits as patients cannot afford NHS fees”. Of course it doesn’t take too much in the way of imagination to guess what follows next. As you would expect, the writer embarks on a meandering and incoherent tirade claiming that, “Unable to afford soaring charges, almost a fifth of people have all but given up going to their dentist”.

But wait a minute; I thought this article was supposed to be about the cost of NHS dentistry? We are only one line in and already the writer has confused the issue. The writer then goes on to claim, “Up to a third of adults no longer have an NHS dentist, according to the latest figures”. But of course, the writer doesn’t say where these figures come from – nor does she explain what she means by the words “no longer”. Are we to take it that everyone is supposed to have an NHS dentist in the current system? Do these people really “no longer” have dentists down to cost and cost alone?

I could go on here, but I am sure readers get a sense of the type of article the Sunday Express has published here. It is but yet another example of appalling, lazy journalism that continues to fill our national media with stories that mislead patients and paint our profession in a negative light. Not only that, but it’s so confusing is it any wonder patients don’t understand how the NHS dental system works?

Of course the whole issue that the article raises is an emotive one, but I think as a profession we need to ask ourselves just why these patients are doing these things in the first place.

As you would expect, the author of the article certainly doesn’t seem to know quite why these patients are pulling out their own teeth. One moment it’s the greedy dentists, the next moment it’s the poor patients, and then it’s the broken NHS. Though the author seems to level blame at just about anything or anyone who comes to mind, she singularly fails to address the three key points: accessibility, education and expectations.

A major problem we all face in our day-to-day work as dental professionals is fighting against the all too common trend of patients not placing enough value in dentistry, and not concerning themselves with their oral health until it gets too late. Is it any wonder then that patients feel aggrieved when they find themselves in pain and can’t receive treatment on account of the fact they aren’t registered? One also has to wonder why, after all these years, has there been no concerted effort to educate and inform patients on a national scale about how NHS dentistry works!

I think what concerns me more than anything about this “DIY dental kits” story is that it’s not an isolated case – these stories seem to crop up almost every week! It worries me the impact these stories are having on our patients. It’s no wonder people are pulling out their own teeth if the papers regularly print horror stories about greedy dentists who do more harm than good.

I wonder do these people have nothing better to write?

For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999

Or visit www.endocare.co.uk

Dr Michael Sultan BDS MSc DFO FICD is a Specialist in Endodontics and the Clinical Director of EndoCare. Michael qualified at Bristol University in 1986. He worked as a general dental practitioner for 5 years before commencing specialist studies at Guy’s hospital, London. He completed his MSc in Endodontics in 1993 and worked as an in-house Endodontist in various practices before setting up in Harley St, London in 2000. He was admitted onto the specialist register in Endodontics in 1999 and has lectured extensively to postgraduate dental groups as well as lecturing on Endodontic courses at Eastman CPD, University of London. He has been involved with numerous dental groups and has been chairman of the Alpha Omega dental fraternity. In 2008 he became clinical director of EndoCare, a group of specialist practices.

On 3rd July this year, Alliance Boots held their annual supplier conference, with all their major suppliers across the healthcare, beauty and baby industries in attendance.

Recognised as the Number 1 product for ‘Innovative Product Launch’ was CB12, acknowledged for its product uniqueness and the effectiveness of the marketing support utilised at the launch.

With ‘bad breath’ found to be in the top five most embarrassing conditions to discuss[i], CB12 provides an effective solution to eliminate both the physical and physiological effects for suffers. The winning mouth rinse formula neutralises the VSCs (Volatile Sulphur Compounds) responsible for malodorous breath, relieving suffers of symptoms for up to 12 hours.

Supplied by Meda Pharmaceuticals, the team are delighted to have faired so well against the industry giants, and would like to thank to all who helped make this possible.

To see what CB12 could do for your patients, please visit www.cb12.co.uk

The NOMAD® Pro represents the pinnacle of handheld digital imaging technology, and is available from Clark Dental in the UK.

Weighing just 2.5kg, the NOMAD Pro produces crisp, clear, high-resolution images time and time again, with no blur from hand movement, and a low radiation dose. Not only is the NOMAD Pro an incredibly safe and efficient unit, but it’s also reassuring – and shareable! Thanks to the great portability of the unit, the NOMAD Pro can eliminate the need for multiple conventional X-ray units, and can also provide X-ray functionality in out-of-office environments such as nursing homes and patient home visits. It also allows the clinician to remain in the treatment room with the patient while the X-ray is being carried out.

Dr Eddie Scher is a Registered Specialist in Oral Surgery and Prosthodontics. He says:

“The NOMAD Pro is great because it allows me to safely stay with patients whilst taking radiographs, which is particularly useful when my implant patients are sedated.”

For more information on how the NOMAD Pro could benefit your practice, contact Clark Dental today.

For more information contact Clark Dental on 01270 613750,
email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.nomadhandheldxray.co.uk

The NOMAD® Pro represents the pinnacle of handheld digital imaging technology, and is available from Clark Dental in the UK.

Weighing just 2.5kg, the NOMAD Pro produces crisp, clear, high-resolution images time and time again, with no blur from hand movement, and a low radiation dose. Not only is the NOMAD Pro an incredibly safe and efficient unit, but it’s also reassuring – and shareable! Thanks to the great portability of the unit, the NOMAD Pro can eliminate the need for multiple conventional X-ray units, and can also provide X-ray functionality in out-of-office environments such as nursing homes and patient home visits. It also allows the clinician to remain in the treatment room with the patient while the X-ray is being carried out.

Dr Eddie Scher is a Registered Specialist in Oral Surgery and Prosthodontics. He says:

“The NOMAD Pro is great because it allows me to safely stay with patients whilst taking radiographs, which is particularly useful when my implant patients are sedated.”

For more information on how the NOMAD Pro could benefit your practice, contact Clark Dental today.

For more information contact Clark Dental on 01270 613750,
email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.nomadhandheldxray.co.uk

The thought of creating your own dental practice, or taking over an existing one, can be very exciting. The idea of employing your own staff, working the way you want, in a space you can call your own is perhaps the ultimate goal for any dental practitioner.

However, doing so can be a difficult and time-consuming task. You may have the ultimate dream surgery in your mind, but first of all, you need to find the right site; one that provides you with enough space for the services you wish to provide, has good access, local parking, reasonable visibility to potential customers, and leaves you with enough budget to fit out or refurbish the interior.

Once you have your site, the real work begins. Your new practice may not be set out the way you want it, or have reasonable provision for disabled people. This could mean drawing up and getting plans passed, engaging in building work (and adhering to building regulations), which requires employing and overseeing sub-contractors. Then you will need to source suppliers.

The way your practice finally looks will say a lot about you and the way you run your business, so creating the right environment for both patients and staff is essential. In doing so, you will need to ensure you make optimal use of space for all your chosen facilities and comply with all the necessary health and safety regulations, CQC and other regulatory requirements. You may want to make provision for future services when experience and budget allow.

All this requires a variety of skills, outside those of dentistry, including planning – knowing where to site services such as plumbing and lighting, and the best utilisation of space; organisation – managing multiple sub-contractors at the right time to ensure a continuous flow of work; and supervision – keeping on top of the project so that work is done the way you want it.

If you are refurbishing an existing site, you may have the problem of maintaining a full appointment book alongside the work. If the surgery is brand new, although you will have the luxury of an empty site, you will have no practice income. Either way, the project will need to be completed as soon as possible, and without any extra budgetary surprises.

Suddenly this exciting project can seem like a daunting task filled with problems and pitfalls to snare the unwary. Without doubt, creating or refurbishing a practice is a mammoth job, but you can take much of the stress out of the equation by employing a company that specialises in dentistry assignments, which will organise and run the project with you.

A company of this nature can be involved to whatever degree you require, from initial planning right through to completion if you wish. The first thing they will do is discuss your needs and establish exactly what you want from your surgery.

Having surveyed the premises, taking into account any structural needs, the company will then offer various suggestions and ideas to meet your requirements. They will work out the best use of space that ensures services are properly positioned, fixtures, fittings and equipment are utilised, and ensure the whole thing complies with all the regulations. They will then suggest complementary décor and furnishings.

The company will draw up detailed plans, which can be produced as either 2D or even 3D, full-colour drawings. These drawings will form the basis of your project plan. Because they are produced using computer-aided design (known as CAD), they can take you on a tour of your various options, turning the surgery of your dreams into a ‘virtual’ reality before you make your final decision. Any changes you may wish to explore can be easily undertaken, and the outcome quickly reviewed. Once your plan, budget and timescales are agreed, the company will organise all the necessary contractors, suppliers and materials, as and when they are needed.

A specialist company with more than 30 years’ experience of surgery design and equipment solutions is a family-run business Clark Dental. They not only offer attractive, unique designs, they can also provide the best equipment and furnishings from leading manufacturers. One of their greatest assets is their personal service, treating their customers ‘like family’; building trust to ensure those customers are confident they are getting the best possible advice.

Creating your own dental practice should be an exciting, trouble-free experience, but like any major project, it is fraught with problems that can potentially hinder and frustrate the inexperienced or time-pressed dentist. The design of your practice is important. You want an environment that makes you and your staff happy to come to work, and makes your patients feel comfortable and safe.

Whether your project is large or small, choosing a reputable, established company with specialist knowledge and skill in the dental industry, and a proven record of keeping projects on track, will make the experience a more enjoyable one that will turn your dream surgery in to a reality.

For more information call Clark Dental on 01268 733 146, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.clarkdental.co.uk.

Thomas Norlin recently opened his brand-new practice Esthetique Dental, Shropshire. He says:

‘I opted to work with Richard Beal and the team at Clark Dental, as they seemed to really understand exactly what I wanted. Richard picked up on my vision very quickly and turned it into something far better than I could have designed myself. Throughout the design process they were able to provide me with 2D drawings and then 3D designs as well. This was really useful as it helped me to picture what each room would look like once the work was complete, and also enabled me to try out various colour schemes as well as different worktop configurations.

‘The next stage of our project was then to start choosing the equipment packages we would need. I’ve always liked A-dec dental units, and Clark Dental are experts at dealing with A-dec equipment, so we decided to go with Clark for that reason as well. They really did do a very good job throughout, from the design stage right the way through to delivery and installation.’

For more information contact Clark Dental on 01270 613750,
email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.clarkdentalsurgerydesign.co.uk,

The years towards the end of a dental professional’s career can be the most fruitful, with greater financial rewards. The height of a lifetime’s knowledge places dental professionals at the top in their career and with this in mind, CPD places heavy emphasis on lifelong learning to keep the brain astute. But what measures can be put into place in order to ensure that the modern practice supports the clinician’s body for longevity in a profession that demands physical agility and health?

Planning retirement from dentistry may be the last thing on a young dental professional’s mind, but thinking about the future is not just about pensions. People are living longer and the UK government’s policy is set to increase the number of people aged 50 + in employment by over 1 million.[1] Dental professionals are subject to higher risks of work- related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and repetitive strain injuries, which over time, may lead to long-term disability and in extreme cases, early retirement.

Dentistry requires repetitive motions of the fingers and wrists, forceful pinching and prolonged awkward positions. These factors make the clinician susceptible to MSDs, and this risk can be increased if the equipment that they use is poorly designed or improperly used. Problems that can develop may not only cause forced retirement, but also hinder their performance. The best clinician is surely a healthy one; painful working conditions and lost workdays will not be conducive to the best results.

With this in mind, preventing MSDs from occurring in the first place should be priority when considering the design of a dental practice. “Ergonomics” may have become something of a buzzword, but applying principles of safety and efficiency to the practice is a lifetime investment. The focus of ergonomics is to make the workplace and the equipment within it fit the practitioner – not the other way around. Not only this, but ergonomic design will maximise the space in the dental operatory so that patients are comfortable and the best possible clinical outcome is achieved.

Ultimately, the key objective for clinicians is to find a position that allows them to achieve optimum access, visibility, comfort and control at all times. At the centre of all clinical work is the dental unit, and one that is ergonomically sound will not only increase comfort and ensure safety, but will also account for the spatial and interactive relationship between the dentist, patient and assistant for the ideal situation: true four-handed dentistry.

Four-handed dentistry means that the practitioner and assistant act on time and motion principles and use ergonomic equipment, so that all four hands work together to deliver treatment. This approach has been praised in dentistry as the best way to increase productivity and reduce stress. If done effectively, four-handed dentistry can conserve motion so that the risks of repetitive strains and MSDs can be reduced.

In response to the demands of the industry, modern dental units have come a long way to combine aesthetics with ergonomics. The new Skema 8 from Castellini for example, has been designed to respond to all the classic two-handed and four-handed treatment procedures. Its special sliding patient chair mechanism, gives the clinician unparalleled access to the patient, as the lowering of the backrest moves with the seat rising – for a constant distance ratio between the dental unit modules and operating zone.

Ergonomic dental units should acknowledge that treatments require specific ergonomic needs. Equipment that factors this into design, will allow dentists to work with optimum freedom in any clinical situation. Good ergonomic design will also enhance seating the patient, instrument exchange, oral evacuation and infection control.

Dental units that exude the benefits of modern design will not only make the most out of the space in the dental operatory for seamless treatment, but will make your practice look sophisticated. Ergonomic design is visually stimulating and state-of-the-art dental units have impressive finishes and precise lines that emanate professionalism. 

With intelligent design the body does not have to compromise to fit to the working environment. A healthy dentist is the most important asset to any dental practice, and looking at treatment from the best possible angle, will always require ergonomic design that maximises good posture and conserves movement.

Ergonomic design in the practice is not only good for your posture but also vital for your career, especially since the attitudes towards work and ageing are changing to favour dental professionals who may wish to make the most of advanced skills and knowledge later in their lives. As technology prevails, the advancement of new treatments will continue to require acute precision and physical agility and choosing ergonomic design in practices, will preserve these attributes.   

Castellini UK Ltd

Please call 08000 933975 for details of your local Castellini dealer: Castellini has service centres through out UK

We live in an age of mobile telecommunication. Since the first commercially available mobile phone arrived 25 years ago, we have watched it morph from a house-brick-sized novelty for the few, to a slender necessity for the masses.

More recently, laptops, tablet computers and PDAs have added to our expectation of being connected to the rest of the world at any and every time and place we wish. People of all ages from those in school to those in retirement reap the benefits of such technologies, whether they use them for communication, entertainment or information sources. And while the type and complexity of the device may vary depending on people’s social status, background and living situation, this seems to have had little influence over whether they actually own a device, particularly when looking at phones. In fact, modern statistics for mobile phone use are staggering; in the UK alone there are more than 80 million subscriptions, with the volume of calls now exceeding that of fixed phones[1].

One of the greatest innovations added to the mobile phone has been the text message. Whether you are a sophisticated 4G tech-savvy professional or a simple mobile user, texts, or SMS (short message service) have very much become part of our everyday life. For many people, this simple method of transmission is now the first choice for communication with friends, family and colleagues across a whole range of mobile devices. With more than 150 billion messages sent every year[2], it has become the fastest growing use for the mobile phone[3].

In recent years, text messaging has become a much more widespread tool for businesses to reach their customers. It is not unusual to receive a text informing you that an item of interest to you is currently in store, provide you with the delivery details of a recent purchase, or remind you to pick up a reserved product.

And research has shown it to be an effective form of correspondence between business and customer. A survey by SinglePoint revealed that text message open rates exceed 99%, with 90% of all text messages opened within the first three minutes of being received on the phone[4], while email open rates are generally believed to be around 33%. The convenience of the text is of course paramount to these figures, as recipients can access the information quickly and repeatedly, wherever and whenever they need to. Unlike email, there are no spam filters to divert a text message, so it can’t get lost in amongst the excessive amount of junk mail received daily. In direct contrast to phone calls, text messages are far less intrusive and enable the user to keep their conversation private, making it an effective form of communication for healthcare providers and their patients.

While some business may take advantage of the text message to market themselves, many dental practices are now utilising the service as an effective reminder tool for upcoming appointments. For patients it is far more convenient than a phone call or a letter in the mail, and the information is immediately saved in a place they can access it when they have time.

From the dental practice’s point of view, text message reminders have been proven to reduce the amount of time and revenue lost through missed appointments.[5] For dental practices, this could mean a decrease in ‘no shows’ of up to 50 per cent. According to the British Dental Association, approximately 3.5 million appointments are missed each year, equating to nearly two full weeks of work for one dentist. Clearly paper mail and email reminders are not as efficient as they were once believed to be, and this is where the text message has flourished. Not only can a practice save money by reducing ‘no shows’ with mobile reminders, but text messaging is also nearly 80% cheaper than traditional mail, ensuring optimum cost efficiency.

There are a variety of service providers now in the dental market, offering the text message reminder as either an additional or incorporated programme. Providers such as market leaders Carestream Dental offer the service as part of their innovative and fully integrated CS R4 Clinical+ Practice Management Software. Using the data saved securely in the patient records, the software sends patients text message reminders for upcoming appointment automatically, saving staff both time and effort in addition to directly saving the practice money. Any replied requests for cancellations are also then updated in the appointment diary, freeing up space in the appointment schedule for other patients or emergency cases.

So regardless of where your practice is situated, what type of treatments you offer and how many patients you have, text message reminders might be just the solution you need. You can now reduce your ‘no-shows’ and encourage higher and more consistent revenue while saving your staff time and money.

For more information, please contact Carestream Dental on 0800 169 9692

or visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk

Starting a new job is a massive challenge for anyone, but starting a new job in a new country is even more challenging still – especially when the first language is not your own! After qualifying in Tartu, Estonia in 2003, Maryana Milerman moved to London in 2005, where she began working as an Associate. Though when she first moved to London she didn’t know anyone, and struggled to find her feet in the local dental community, a colleague invited her to attend a meeting held by the Alpha Omega London Chapter.

“I graduated from dental school in Estonia in 2003 and moved to London a few years later. I now work at City Smile Dental Practice, Hackney,” says Maryana. “During the course of my work I met a dentist who was a member of Alpha Omega, and he invited me to come along to one of their regular meetings. I can’t really say one thing in particular attracted me to attend – it was everything really: to make new friends; find some connections; to learn more about dentistry in the UK; to meet other dentists. It’s strange to think that when I moved to the UK I didn’t know anybody at all! I didn’t even know what the NHS was or how it worked, so I was looking for people to help explain it all really as when I first came over here, nothing seemed to make sense!

“It was just so nice to become part of a community of people who all do their best to look out for one another. Everyone I met at Alpha Omega tried to help me and explain different things to me. A few of the members even pointed me to the Eastman to do some postgraduate study, which they said was very good, so I went to study there and improve my understanding of dentistry further still. I even met some Alpha Omega members there who were working as tutors!”

As well as lecture evenings, Alpha Omega also organises a number of other events throughout the year. These include the annual Annenberg Lecture day, as well as trips to conferences and social events held overseas.

“The social side to Alpha Omega is very important to me,” says Maryana. “I have already been to Israel to take part in the Jerusalem Conference. Whilst we were there we visited The Hebrew University: School of Dental Medicine, Hadassah – Ein Kerem Campus, attended a conference day, and took part in an exhausting social programme. I really enjoyed the trip, my first with Alpha Omega.”

All in all, Maryana is delighted to have discovered Alpha Omega, and is looking forward to continuing her membership for many years to come.

“Alpha Omega is such a great resource, I recommend it to anyone,” continues Maryana. “It’s a fantastic pool of information for any dentist. With so many highly skilled, knowledgeable dentists a part of the group, it’s very easy to get answers to your questions, and get second opinions on difficult cases. The strength of the community is another important factor for me. It’s nice to have things in common with fellow members, and you know that everyone is always looking out for one another. All in all it’s a really nice organisation to be a part of.”

For more information on the Alpha Omega London Chapter, visit www.alphaomegauk.co.uk

People far wiser than myself; tell me with a hint of frustration that the Dental Industry has historically always been a few years behind what is happening in other professions & industries. I believe this applies when looking at the dental industry in relation to advertising & marketing to dentists, their customers.

Online Marketing is about attracting your target market to you by making sure you’re on the platforms that your prospects are using to search for their wants and needs. Online marketing has been increasingly taking a prominent role in businesses that realise the older-fashioned; more established methods such as cold calling, direct mail and print advertising were becoming less and less effective.

Traditional advertising power houses have seen their print advertising revenues decline over the past few years, with huge investment & growth taking place in their online versions. One great example of this is the Daily Mail. Even with its traditional, conservative reputation, The Daily Mail has seen huge revenue decline over the last few years in relation to their print advertising. In the meantime the Mail online website has become a huge draw for advertisers because of its 6.6 million unique visitors a day, which makes it the largest newspaper website ahead of The New York Times and The Guardian. Through a combination of comprehensive news, sports and showbiz reporting, the Daily Mail have embraced online publishing and of course the revenue possibilities.

Over the last few years, we know consumers are making the majority of their purchases online but now this also incorporates industries and professions.

So where am I going with all this? Let’s have a look at the profession we all care about; The Dental Profession. Historically, companies would put special offers or promotional material in trade magazines and expect a response and some return on investment but at GDPUK we know and can see this is changing. The printed magazines are no longer being opened and read like they once were, in my humble opinion they are often left in a heap in the corner of the dental practice. Dentists are looking online for their information, plus they love to share their knowledge with each other. One of the places this is done on an increasingly regular basis is the GDPUK Forum.

GDPUK has been established since 1997 and has evolved into the largest online community for dentists and dental professionals in the UK with approx 6000 members signed up to the site. The site is not open to the public, which means that the GDPUK Forum has become a form of social media for the dental community, where dentists discuss what materials or equipment they use, advise each other on surgical procedures, have lively discussions on the future of UK Dentistry and most importantly feel like they are in a secure environment that provides support and expertise.

Like other online publications, GDPUK has seen huge growth over the last the least few years, while 2013 has been exceptional. The below graphic shows the surge in unique visitors and number of visits in a month since Jan 2013, one we are very proud of. The image illustrates that dentists are using the site day in and day out, they have understood that joining an online community like GDPUK offers a place where they can learn, receive the latest dental news and opinion, take part in the discussions, gather information and form long lasting friendships.

GDPUK Server Statistics August 2013.

Membership of the site is free and we look to earn revenue from companies who want to embrace a terrific target audience of dentists. GDPUK offers a number of advertising opportunities on the site. These range from publishing articles in our blog section to a full marketing campaign that can be spread over a number of months. Our clients can try a number of marketing ideas and see what results and ROI online marketing brings them. This is the huge advantage online marketing brings, results are totally transparent and with weekly reporting our clients know when campaigns are successful or need tweaking. Over the years we have seen that marketing on our site has increased numbers at trade shows, improved brand awareness and has been instrumental in the promotion of new products or services which have entered the dental market. As I wrote earlier, “Online Marketing is about attracting your target market to you by making sure you’re on the platforms that your prospects are using to search for their wants and needs”. As you can see from the stats above, GDPUK is one of those platforms.

So I am posing a number of questions that I would love to be discussed.

Should you still be throwing money at traditional advertising streams? Should companies be embracing online only? Would you rather focus marketing on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Are we still at the point where companies like to mix their budgets all around the industry and see benefits in all mediums? At GDPUK towers we are obviously firm & passionate believers in the online platform and can see signs the dental community is moving closer to embracing the social media and marketing world but what do you think? I look forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts. 

If you would like more information on GDPUK, how we can work together and make online marketing work for your business, please get in touch with Jonny Jacobs – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I will be glad to chat and show how you can work with our growing community of dentists to grow your business. 

New blog for LLOC

http://www.londonlingualbraces.com/blog.php

A leading orthodontic practice, the London Lingual Orthodontic Clinic, unveils its new blog this week with the aim of sharing insights into its work as well as reflections on dental health and beauty issues.

The first orthodontic clinic in the UK to specialise in the lingual technique (brackets behind the teeth), LLOC hopes the blog will attract new visitors to its website as well as educate patients about health and hygiene while they are in treatment.

Asif Chatoo, Principal of the practice, said: “We are often asked for our views on orthodontic issues and a blog seemed a good way to encourage conversations and engagement.”

The blog will include posts by in-house hygienist Katharine Wright, practice manager Carla Reed and by Asif himself. Among the topics at the launch of the blog:

·    What makes a million dollar smile?

·    The impact of robots on treatment planning

·    Teeth whitening and the General Dental Council

·    Why fizzy drinks are destructive to teeth

There will be monthly updates to the blog and as time progresses, other members of the LLOC will contribute posts.

Over the past few years there’s been a big change in the way dental practices are operating. More people are now entering the private market and so are trying to find ways to attract more patients and compete against their local rivals. The problem however is that while all practice principals will have gained excellent clinical skills over the years, very many lack the business skills to help them realise their practice’s full business potential.

The first thing you need to do is ask yourself: what sort of dentistry do you want to do? Once you’ve decided this you then need to attract the right sort of people to your practice. This is marketing, and it comes in many different forms. If you ask me, ‘What sort of marketing activity will attract me 100 new patients?’ I will tell you that you’re looking at marketing the wrong way. What you really need to be doing is carrying out 100 activities that will give you one patient each, so that if a few of these patients drop out you still have 80 or 90 new patients to treat. Instead of looking for a quick fix you need to build a robust system over time that will give you solid long-term growth.

Digital marketing is a particularly hot topic at the moment. The thing is, it’s not just about having a website, but how you use that website and what you do with it. The same applies to social media. It’s not simply a case of having a social media account, but it’s considering what you actually do with that account, and how you use it to interact with patients and build relationships. It’s all about creating a ‘brand’ for your practice – creating a set of unique selling points that establishes your identity and creates something patients can trust and believe in.

Once you have people coming through the door who are wanting the type of dentistry that you offer it’s then about the changes that you can make to make their experience within the practice as good as possible. These sorts of things depend very much on your team, and having the right team of people who reflect your business values. You can’t do anything without a great team in place so it’s important that you build a team that you can rely on to help your practice grow.

If you’d like to learn more about some of the issues I’ve discussed here – and many more besides – on Saturday 9^th November I will be presenting a lecture alongside my wife Bhavna at the BACD Annual Conference. In our lecture, ‘Entrepreneurial Thinking for Strategic Success!’ we will cover many different facets to strategic thinking and business management to help you take your practice to the next level. We will use examples from big business, and some of the world’s most successful CEOs and apply their thinking to dentistry. Leadership in particular is an area we will give a lot of attention to, and we will also explore strategies for eliminating local competition and making your practice really stand out from the crowd. We hope delegates will leave our lecture feeling inspired and reinvigorated, armed with plenty of hints and tips they can take away for strategic success!

This year’s BACD Annual Conference will be held on Thursday 7^th, Friday 8^th and Saturday 9^th November 2013 at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel. For further information call 0207 612 4166, fax 0207 182 7123, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.bacd.com

About the author:

Dr Rahul Doshi qualified from Guys Hospital in 1991.  He is the clinical director and founder of The Perfect Smile Studios and the Advanced Training Institute, where he teaches Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Aesthetic Hands-On Dentistry. He is also on the Board of the BACD.