Kerr is delighted, alongside Sybron Endo, Henry Schein Dental and KaVo, to report that the Innovations in Dentistry Symposium – ‘For the Art of the Smile’ – was a huge success.

The two-day symposium, held on 3^rd and 4^th July in London, provided dental team members with the opportunity to hear leading speakers discuss restorative dentistry, endodontics and new equipment that have transformed the way modern dentistry is practised, as well as attend restorative and/or endodontic hands-on sessions worth 3 hours of verifiable CPD.

In addition, there were live demonstrations throughout the two days and plenty of opportunities to get hands-on with the equipment.

Claudio Massoli, Country Manager Kerr UK commented: ‘We couldn’t be happier with how the symposium was received by delegates. We achieved everything we hoped to, including helping dental professionals to improve their understanding of materials and equipment available in the 21^st century, allowing for superior results to be achieved.’

Robbie McConnell speaking at the Symposium. 

Doing things together can be fun, whether it’s meeting up with friends, working on a project together or taking part in a group activity. If that fun also helps to raise funds for organisations which in turn help others, even more people benefit. This is why raising funds for charity can be such a rewarding thing to do. 

Many of us get involved in fundraising, directly or indirectly, ranging from helping out at the school fete to shaking a charity collection box. While these may just take a few hours out of our daily lives, causes and charities that funds are being raised for go on working everyday to help others.

Raising awareness is important too. Recently, inspirational teenager Stephen Sutton, who is sadly no longer with us, raised over four million pounds for his chosen charity as he battled with cancer, his extraordinary achievement also helping to raise awareness for the thousands of people with the disease around the world. It is a sobering fact that every two minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer.[1]

This was the case for dentist, Dr T, who needed time off work to undergo and recover from cancer surgery. Separated and with two young children to support, Dr T turned to the BDA Benevolent Fund, which helped to pay for childcare costs while she was in hospital, also providing a monthly grant to help during her recovery.

Fortunately, there are many ways to raise funds, ranging from organising a coffee morning to doing a bungee jump. The list is endless, but the funds that charities need are not, which is why your help is so essential.

During 2013, the BDA Benevolent Fund ‘Be Active’ campaign raised £17,000, with a further £125,000 raised by LDCs, BDA Branches and Sections. An auction, photographic competition, climbing Kilimanjaro and a golf tournament were just some of the great fundraising events. These monies meant that over £172,000 of grants and £36,000 of new loans could be provided to those who truly needed the support in 2013.

So please help to raise funds for the BDA Benevolent Fund this year, because with your help, the Fund can continue to help those in need.

The BDA Benevolent Fund relies on your help to continue this work,
so please contact us on 020 7486 4994 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

or to give a donation today, visit www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk
 

And if you are in need of help yourself, please contact us now.

All enquiries are considered in confidence.

Registered cha

With the months flying by, the next The Dentistry Show and Dental Technology Showcase (DTS) will be here before you know it. Preparations are in full swing to make sure that everyone attending gets the very most from the events, and here’s a preview of what you can expect…

More delegates and new dates

Despite having more than trebled the number of delegates at The Dentistry Show since 2010, attendance figures are once again set to increase.

From 2015 the dates have been changed – The Dentistry Show and DTS 2015 will now be held on the 17^th and 18^th April at the NEC in Birmingham.

Why the move to April?

Without the added pressure of UDA cycle end, (in March), even more dentists will now have the time to join in and discover the array of innovations the trade have to offer. This is supported by a survey of 765 dentists; none of whom visited The Dentistry Show 2013 or 2014, and 69% said that they were likely or very likely to visit with the Show now its running in April.

This uplift in attendance from dentists, to a total of over 7,500 dental professionals across just two days, will ensure that The Dentistry Show remains the must attend event for UK dentistry.

A new platform to launch

With these new dates, The Dentistry Show is now perfectly timed after IDS in Cologne every other year, making the 2015 event the ideal platform for launching new products and services in the UK. To facilitate this and provide as much exposure as possible for exhibiting companies, the Show will be running the ‘Launchpad UK’ marketing campaign for the very first time.

Key buyers, dealers and wholesalers will be sent a ‘Launchpad UK’ catalogue and all pre-registered delegates will receive regular updates in the weeks before the next Show, ensuring maximum coverage for all your new innovations, all completely free of charge.

Additional promotion

With over 7500 delegates expected to attend in 2015, The Dentistry Show and DTS will offer a vast range of further benefits for companies exhibiting on the extensive trade floor; product profiles in the pre-Show newspapers, coverage in the 2015 Products & Services Guide and online branding.

We look forward to seeing you there

For those of you who haven’t yet booked your stand for 2015, what are you waiting for? As an event that offers something for everyone, it will provide a great platform to meet new clients, strengthen relationships with existing ones and build your business. With messages being sent to the profession from July 2014, don’t miss out and get the most out of taking part this time around!

The Dentistry Show 2015 will once again be held in conjunction with the next DTS on 17^th and 18^th April at the NEC in Birmingham.

For further details, please visit www.thedentistryshow.co.uk, call 020 7348 5269 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Prior to 2006, life was simple – dentists were unable to incorporate and therefore neither accountants nor dentists nor associates gave even a second thought as to how much their lives might be improved if only they could trade is limited companies.

Then in 2006 came changes to the Dentists Act!

Since then, provided you have a majority of GDC registered directors, you are able to form and trade as a limited company and enjoy the tax benefits which may ensue as a result.

So far so good!

If you have a private practice, life has continued to be good and you can incorporate to your heart's content!

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Principals of NHS practices.

The reason for this is simply that in order for the incorporation to be effective a new NHS contract has to be issued in the name of the limited company, and that can only be achieved with the consent of your friendly local NHS contract manager.

Initially PCT's were generally happy to agree to issue new contracts in the name of the limited companies. They then started to realise that people were disposing of their practices by selling the shares in their limited companies, and thus the PCT's had lost control over the identity of the dentists that they were contracting with.

At that point, an NHS principal’s ability to incorporate depended entirely on the attitude of their local PCT. Every PCT in the country seemed to have a different attitude to incorporation, and even the same PCT appeared to change their mind from time to time, depending primarily, it appeared, on what side of the bed the contract manager got out of that morning.

There were those PCTs who continued to be happy to agree – although it would be fair to say that these were very much in the minority.

Most would agree, but only on the basis that what is known as a "change of control" clause was inserted into the new contract. So that if there was a change in shareholder, then the PCT would have the right to terminate the contract (thus a principle could save some tax, but in the course of doing so could lose the entire goodwill value of their practice!).

Matters were further complicated by virtue of the fact that each PCT seemed to have different wording for their change of control clause – some were reasonable and others entirely not so.

And then there were some PCT's who simply said, "no!".

This was obviously a wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs.

In April 2013, NHS England issued guidance to the LATs stating in terms that, provided there had been no issues with the performance of the contract, they should allow incorporation.

"Hallelujah!" We thought in our innocence.

Despite the guidance issued by NHS England, different LATs have chosen to implement and interpret the guidance in different manners.

Some are insisting that the principal guarantees the performance of the contract by the limited company – which would not be unreasonable, except for the fact that the guarantee is generally worded in such a manner that it will continue even after the sale of the practice.

Others are still insisting that the change of control clauses are inserted – and the wording of these is still wholly inconsistent.

Worst of all, there is one PCT that I have spoken to recently who advised that they, ‘did not like the guidance issued by NHS England’, (apparently and conveniently forgetting that they are part of this organisation) and that they were, therefore, refusing to process any incorporation applications until revised guidance was issued which was more to their liking.

In other words we are back in a situation with an LAT saying "no".

Therefore, despite changes in governance and the guidance issued by NHS England, the LATs still appear very much to be acting as if they are a law unto themselves.

We are therefore back in the position where, at least so far as incorporation is concerned, NHS practitioners are very much the poor cousins compared to their professional colleagues in private practice.

John Grant of Goodman Grant Lawyers for Dentists - a NASDAL member

For more information call John Grant on 0113 834 3705 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.goodmangrant.co.uk

A NASDAL and ASPD MEMBER

By 2018 all employers must by law offer a workplace pension scheme for employees aged between 22 and the pension age and who earn £10,000 or over.

All businesses will have been allocated ‘staging dates’ that the Auto-Enrolment must have been accomplished by, and for dental practices this is likely to be between January 2015 and April 2017. This may seem like a long time away but in order to be properly set up and ready for the transition it is worth preparing for Auto-Enrolment as soon as possible.

According to The Pensions Regulator website, businesses should begin to plan for Auto-Enrolment at least 12 months before their staging date and by six months before should have the chosen pension scheme in place and their staff clearly informed[1].

Any employers who do not enrol their staff into a pension scheme by their staging date will face a fixed penalty fine of £400. If they continue to ignore their responsibilities they will begin to receive daily fines ranging from £50 to £10,000 a day.

It should be noted that workplace pensions schemes are not compulsory for employees; although everyone will eventually be enrolled, employees can opt out if they choose to. Despite the Government’s best efforts to convince the public to save for their futures, it is still estimated that millions will decide to opt out of saving.

For practices, choosing the best pension scheme to enrol your employees into can be particularly complicated, as it’s important that you choose the right one that is appropriate both to you and your employees’ needs. The most common schemes used will be Defined Contribution schemes; where both the employee and the employer make contributions to the fund, which is then invested.

Your practice may already have a pension scheme set up for your staff; this might be a stakeholder scheme or a group personal pension scheme and in some cases you will be able to continue to use this, depending on its suitability and whether or not the provider states that it can be used for Auto-Enrolment.

The best course of action at this stage will be to consult an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA), ideally one with specialist knowledge of the dental sector such as those at money4dentists. They will be able to help you decide which option is most suited to your needs and situation, ensure that all timelines are met. If you’re looking for straightforward guidance and advice around starting the journey into Auto-Enrolment then contact the experienced and reliable IFAs at money4dentists today.

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

When your practice is up and running, it is very easy to lose sight of your goals or to stop setting them on a regular basis. Enlisting the support and guidance of a non-executive director can help get your business back on track. They can help you assess your practice performance, set high but realistic targets and then implement the changes necessary to achieve them.

Geraint Buse, Principal Dentist of Marquess Dental in Wales, decided to do just this:

As a sole-trader of a busy dental practice, set up as a squat 3 years ago, it recently became obvious to me that it was necessary to revisit the business structure and ensure that it was set up correctly. This included looking over the financial reports, ensuring HR and contractual aspects were all in place, and basically setting the business on a sound footing for the next 10 years. I wanted to get this right early on, so that as the practice grew, it would be possible to measure and steer it accordingly.

As such, I decided to enlist the support of a non-executive director to help set the right course. He took the time to get a real grasp of where we were as a business and suggested ways of improvement, both immediate and long-term. He was always positive, helpful, reliable and a pleasure to speak to, which is important when looking for someone to work with. He also provided accountability to make sure I made the changes suggested, although these changes were always mutually agreed upon and all decisions were still mine.

Only five months down the road, the changes are already visible. We now have a clear accountancy structure with monthly, up-to-date KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). We have enhanced the structure in our staffing, with all existing employees now working with better defined roles and management protocols. We also have refined plans for future marketing and business development, which will ensure that our practice continues to grow.

I would advise practice owners who feel that they need a more definitive business structure, who want to assess how the business is progressing on a monthly basis, and who not only want a plan for future business development but also to put that plan into action, to definitely get a non-executive on board to help. There is a lot of work involved in running a practice, and it is essential that you invest your time wisely, ensuring you are steering in the correct direction.

Over the past year I have really got to know the whole team at 7connections. With the strengths of the whole team and all of the different aspects in which they can help with in the running of the practice, to work with them is a pleasure. They are inventive and constantly developing new products that help you to keep evolving as a practice. I would highly recommend Tim Caudrelier and the 7 connections team to all who would benefit from their help.

For more information about 7connections,

please call 01647 478145 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the brand new website www.7connections.com

It is without doubt that people now use the internet most often when searching for goods and services. In 2013 the total number of Google searches was 2.0287 trillion[1]. When we are interested in a product or service we will use a search engine, browse a number of sites and read reviews before making choices and spending our money. 

Websites are undeniably the most cost effective way of marketing within dentistry and practices need to find a way of attracting and converting patients online. When this is successful these patients then become the greatest promotional asset of all, by recommending the practice by word of mouth.

An informative website provides the initial attraction and interest and its success depends on its ability to engage the right people in the right place. A dental practice website should be designed to deliver high quality content in an eye-catching manner and employ techniques to transform a website visitor into a potential patient.

In order to capture leads and to increase the potential of converting, a patient may be asked to complete an online survey, questionnaire or receive a newsletter. This enables contact details to be collected and identify specific areas of interest, which can be gathered and transformed using a lead management system. Lifestyle Marketing[2] state that using automation to deliver content and nurture leads can deliver a 45% increase in qualified leads.

Introducing an online giveaway or a special offer is an effective way of attracting patients and building a relationship. The offer of a free product sample is a simple but effective method of gaining interest. Testimonials, reviews and referrals can be encouraged online, by offering incentives that also increase business growth as well as the reputation of the practice.

Contextual advertising can also be employed to present patients with advertisements based on their recent browsing behaviour. For example, if an individual reads an article about teeth whitening they are presented with a dental practice advertisement on the same page.

Whichever method is chosen it is vital that practices ensure that their website engages with patients productively. To ensure success, the website must be well managed and maintained meticulously. More importantly, it is essential to employ a reliable lead management system to take advantage of the data and information collected online.

Practices should turn to the experience of experts, such as Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’, to fully enhance their website. They can support and advise on all aspects of online marketing, and are able to create a bespoke website that complies with GDC standards which is fully compatible with mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones.

As each year passes technology moves on and people find more advanced ways to make their lives easier. Dental practices need to become web wise to take full advantage of the power of the internet and reap the most cost effective rewards from their marketing budget.

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

About the author:

Alfie Jones is the resident Mobile Web expert and Sales Manager at Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’. Alfie has worked as a web designer, copywriter, college tutor and charity fundraiser before finding his niche with the team at Dental Focus. As an expert in social media and website technology, Alfie is the first port of call for any dentist who is serious about their online marketing.

Dr. James Shorrock BDS runs a successful, 4-surgery private practice in Spalding, Lincolnshire. After working with loupes for years and finding them indispensable he invested in a Carl Zeiss OPMI Pico Dental Microscope.  (The following is an extract from the unsolicited testimonial he provided to Nuview, the full version is published on their website)

Whilst attending an endodontic course a fellow delegate enthusing about microscopes inspired me to investigate the use of a dental microscope myself. After much research I concluded that the Carl Zeiss OPMI Pico Dental offered the optimum ergonomics, durability and performance for my busy practice. This system features a MORAswing mechanism to allow effortless scanning across the mouth at the touch of a finger, and a ‘varioscope’ focusing system that hugely facilitates patient positioning and considerably improves depth of field.

I met Steve Clapman of Nuview, the exclusive UK distributor of Carl Zeiss visualisation systems, at a professional event and he agreed to visit my practice and discuss my requirements. His knowledge and professionalism led me through the options, and I was impressed by his honesty, guiding me away from certain expensive features as they would be unlikely to deliver value for money in my specific circumstances. 

All Carl Zeiss Dental Microscopes are custom built, and pending delivery Nuview invited me to attend the annual 2-day symposium, held in London. As well as international speakers, there were hands-on sessions involving demonstrations of microsurgical techniques and many experts in the field to answer questions.

Steve eventually delivered the microscope and spent several hours instructing me on setup, correct posture and showing me the controls. These were very intuitive, and I was excited to get going. I was determined to fully exploit my investment and not just use it for the occasional tricky endo or crown preparation. I started with checkups the following morning.

Looking ‘forward’ and working ‘down’ was a little alien at first, but the advantages were immediately obvious. Even with only a 4-6x magnification the excellent axial illumination and perfect optics showed the slightest differences in enamel translucency, early subsurface demineralisation and even interproximal caries, while filling defects, failing crown margins and fine cracks literally jump out at you.

The perio probe graduations are easily readable, soft tissue variations are instantly evident and anything of interest can be quickly snapped with the attached SLR, to be shown to the patient, filed for later reference, or printed to accompany a referral.   

The improvement in my posture and comfort was immediate and noticeable, although I would personally recommend the addition of a Support Stool with separate articulated armrests from BQE; 9-10 hour days now cease to be a problem!

After 2-3 days we began simple treatments, descaling and fissure sealing etc, using the microscope at around 4x so generally the whole mouth is visible as with medium powered loupes. Instrument location can initially be difficult, but I found that a sweep in of the hands close under the scope before dropping down into the mouth works well.  It took a week to develop the confidence to use a handpiece under scoped vision, but the advantages were instantly evident. You can see exactly what you are doing.

Using 6-10x magnification, the mind quickly focuses on the task in hand, you soon forget about the decreased field size. Every procedure is enhanced; for example, the very apparent fine differences in shade & translucency reduce the need to double check with a probe whether dentine is sound or carious. Damage to adjacent teeth is easily avoided as the marginal ridge appears like a cliff face next to your class 2 preparation, and a further advantage is the easy visualisation of any incipient defects in the adjacent teeth. Regularly using the scope for full crown preparations took around 2-3 months, but after completing half a dozen you soon miss10-16x magnification!   As a simple reference, at 4x you can see the whole mouth, 6x a quadrant, 10x 2-3teeth, 16x a single tooth, 20x a single canal orifice. 

Dental microscopes have traditionally been associated with endodontic procedures, and I now understand why. Pursuing my own interest in endodontics, I always strived to find the MB2 in upper molars and was probably successful using loupes about 20-30% of the time, but with the microscope this leapt immediately to more often than not.  It’s hard to overstate the difference good lighting and higher magnification make to both pre-treatment diagnosis and the potential quality of the actual outcome. Since acquiring the microscope I revisited several previous problem cases, using 16x magnification, it’s been possible to identify and remedy causes that had remained hidden even after apparently flawless x-rays and repeated attempts at correction. I have heard said on several courses – if you can see it you can do it, with a scope you can see and do a whole lot more.

After 4 months I use my microscope 75% of the time, although obviously there are occasions when the ‘macro’ picture is more relevant.  Although initially learning to work with the scope somewhat slowed me down, I am now back up to 95% of my original throughput and am confident that the overall quality of my work is considerably higher. It has been possible to undertake more complex procedures with confidence without the need to invest in additional instruments or attend lots of additional specialist courses.

In spite of the capital cost, I can heartily recommend the investment as a sound career move to any dentist who takes pride in their work, likes to be comfortable during their working day and puts quality patient care first.

I would be happy to discuss how to integrate a microscope into your daily practice and am easily contactable at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 

For more information please call Nuview on 01453 872266,

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

Time is a valuable and precious commodity, which should be managed wisely in order to generate the best and most cost effective practices. As well as treating their patients with knowledge and skill, dental professionals have to manage their time and resources to work effectively within the team. Practitioners must be constantly mindful to set up and implement the most proficient practice procedures to ensure a successful, time efficient and stress free working day.

Digital impression systems are now popular with practitioners, as not only do they increase clinical accuracy, but they also reduce overall procedure time. The conventional impression procedure is often associated with imperfections and inaccuracies and is generally uncomfortable for patients. Furthermore traditional methods have the potential to lead to lengthy corrections, remakes, faulty restorations and ineffective use of professional time.

Creating conventional impressions can be messy, prone to problems with drag and setting and often make patients feel vulnerable. The taste of impression fluid is unpleasant and many patients find it difficult to control the gag reflex. Often dentists must take time away from the procedure to relax patients and address unexpected side effects. The importance of careful technique to create a dental impression first time round is paramount as any errors can have a detrimental effect on the patient’s experience and confidence in their dentist.

Some Some dentists have noted that in many dental procedures, a minor mistake can be corrected or adjusted quickly, without the patient knowing that anything has gone amiss. However, this is not the case with impression taking. Retakes make it obvious to patients that something has gone wrong, and typically patients are not very pleased about having to undergo the procedure again. This makes the impression-taking process a very important step, with the potential to have a big impact on the patient’s confidence in the dentist’s skills.

The use of digital impression scanners means that patients receive a more comfortable, non-evasive procedure with the advantage of radically improved accuracy. Although the actual scanning procedure can take approximately five minutes longer to complete than conventional impressions, the digital alternative reduces the risk of errors and the potential need for remakes. The treatment instills increased confidence in the patient and the practitioner is able to produce a precise digital impression of a patient’s mouth within minutes.

Impressions can be cleanly made using digital images. The images and data can be easily integrated and sent wirelessly to CAD/CAM systems, milling units and laboratories. The advanced intraoral scanning technique saves precious time communicating patient’s details and requirements to technicians and reduces the potential for human error.

As digital intraoral scanning has the potential to produce high quality, anatomically accurate images, the precision of the scans facilitates natural, functional restorations requiring fewer alterations and adjustments. Practitioners are even able to expand their digital technology with additional equipment and software to enable them to scan, design, model and mill restorations and crowns chair-side, if they wish. This choice provides maximum flexibility to the practitioner. Due to the accuracy of the scanning techniques, a considerable amount of time can be saved at the fitting stage reducing the overall treatment time.

The CS 3500 intraoral scanner from Carestream Dental provides practitioners with the ability to obtain 2D and 3D detailed images and precise colour matching. The handpiece can be angled up to 45 degrees and is able to scan to a depth range from -2mm to +13mm. It also incorporates an innovative light guidance system designed to optimise image and data capture while enabling the dental professional to concentrate on the patient rather than watching a monitor. The CS 3500 is fully portable; it does not require an external heater, powder, liquids or trolley system and can be plugged into any workstation using a USB cable. These features streamline the scanning process, saving time and providing an improved treatment experience to patients.

Fast results without errors keep patients happy and confident in their dental service. Many individuals are nervous or simply find it difficult to allow the time to attend multiple appointments. The potential for a reduction in treatment time is an extremely valuable asset, and patients cannot help being impressed and pleased with the care they receive. Confidence in their dentist grows, and satisfied patients means that dentists can enjoy the benefits of return visits, recommendations and increased referrals. Furthermore when procedures are time effective and accurate, a growth in business strength follows naturally.

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

The success of your practice can be measured in many different ways – by your patients’ satisfaction, the number of new patients you acquire each month, your annual turnover or the happiness of your staff. In most cases it is likely to be combination of these aspects and more, together demonstrating the overall growth of your business.

Developing relationships

As important as it is to remain abreast with the latest developments in the industry, source the most effective equipment and ensure staff training is up-to-date, it is also crucial to build and maintain effective relationships with your patients.

From the moment someone first shows interest in your practice or a service you provide, right up until they have been with you for 30, 40 years and beyond, the relationship you share with them is integral to your business’ success. After all, it is not simply about getting new patients through the door (which is of course essential), it’s about giving them a reason to keep coming back.

This is demonstrated perfectly by the concept of lifecycle marketing. Tried and tested for small businesses in several different industries, this concept establishes seven steps for effective marketing:

1. Attract strangers,
2. Capture leads,
3. Nurture prospects,
4. Convert sales,
5. Deliver and satisfy,
6. Up-sell and
7. Generate referrals.

As mentioned, step 1 is important to drive new people into the practice, and these leads then need to be captured by encouraging them to visit the website or even the practice.

The area most often neglected by practices when it comes to their marketing strategies, is step 3 – nurturing prospects.

In order for patients to accept treatment, they need to have trust and confidence in your practice and the skills of your staff. This is relevant both with new patients and existing, and on-going communication is important to help build that rapport.

For example, some people may not require dental treatment for another couple of years, but by keeping them informed of the services you offer and the benefits available to them, they are more likely to visit you when that time comes. Similarly, patients who have been visiting your practice for years, experiencing a divorce, a birthday or the end of a child’s education fees, they may reach a position where they can enhance their appearance or undergo the dental treatment they have wanted for a while.

Once these relationships have been established and nurtured, the following few steps of the lifecycle fall into place much easier. Assuming that the patient is satisfied with the outcome of their treatment, they are likely to consider further procedures and recommend you to family and friends.

The cost of effective marketing

It is widely accepted that around 5% of your gross revenue should be spent on step 1 of lifecycle marketing. Whether you use newspaper adverts, A-boards or post leaflets through doors, it is important to raise awareness of your business in the local and wider area.

Once you have built up a database of potential patients (this can include existing patients who visit regularly for routine dentistry), money then needs to be spent on maintaining those relationships. Keeping these people informed of new treatments, services and special offers through direct mail or newsletters can however require a lot of time, money and effort.

Making life easier

Instead of compromising on the quality or regularity of marketing material sent out, there are ways you can make the process a whole lot more efficient and cost-effective. Companies such as Infusionsoft provide the perfect opportunity for you to prepare and initiate a long-term effective marketing strategy, without the associated costs and time. Through effective planning, proper structure and a tracking system to measure return on investment, it offers all the tools small businesses need to attract new patients, automate marketing and grow sales.

In view of the recent partnership between Infusionsoft and 7connections, together they can help you organise, implement and analyse your marketing strategy for maximum success in the dental industry.  They can help you sustain and develop patient relationships that maximise on your marketing, by utilising the power of a specialist service that saves you precious time and money.

Looking to the future

By truly nurturing your patient relationships, you can help build a sound foundation for the future of your business. A proven and cost-effective lifecycle marketing strategy will ensure you make the very most of your investment and encourage the long-term success you seek. What are you waiting for?

For more information about 7connections or the new partnership with Infusionsoft, call 01647 478145 or email pThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Alternatively, please visit the brand new website www.7connections.com.

A dazzling smile does not merely indicate healthy teeth and gums; your dental health also plays a significant role in how confident you feel. If you are self-conscious about your smile, you will not feel good about interacting with other people. When your teeth look white and healthy, you can relax, be in the moment and laugh. It is widely acknowledged that changing your expression to a smile or mimicking another’s smile can cause involuntary biological changes[1]; a smile can lower blood pressure, release endorphins, increase serotonin and reduce stress¹. Smiling boosts your mood and has a contagious effect; others are likely to smile back and become more drawn to you, thereby increasing your confidence and happiness even more.

Various research projects have shown that people who smile more often have a far more positive effect on their environment, and are much better received by others[2]. A radiant smile tells people that you are happy to be in their presence, indicating that you are sociable, trustworthy and intelligent.

People who avoid smiling usually do so because they are unhappy with the appearance of their teeth. They invariably stop smiling or assume a closed-lip grin, which at best is perceived as awkward, or at worst as not genuine.

Teeth can become discoloured by stains on the surface or by changes in the tooth material. Of course, extrinsic discolouration occurs when the enamel is stained, often caused by drinks such as tea, coffee and red wine, foods that contain strong colours and smoking. Intrinsic discolouration arises when the dentin darkens or adopts a yellow tint. Contributory factors include too much exposure to fluoride during early childhood or experiencing a trauma in a permanent tooth whereby internal bleeding resulted in tooth discolouration. Age-related discolouration is a combination of both extrinsic and intrinsic factors, as dentin naturally yellows over time.

Many extrinsic stains caused by food and drink can be removed by regular professional cleanings and good home care, which includes brushing, flossing and rinsing after meals.

Tooth whitening can be a very effective way of lightening the natural colour of the teeth without removing the enamel or damaging it.

In Europe, only a qualified dental practitioner can legally carry out tooth whitening.  New EU guidelines introduced in October 2012 state that only qualified dental practitioners can buy whitening products containing or releasing up to 6% hydrogen peroxide. These regulations are in place to protect the patient. They ensure that anyone carrying out whitening has the correct skill and knowledge to execute the procedure without risking permanent damage to the teeth and gums.

It is the dentist’s responsibility to first assess whether tooth whitening is suitable for the patient and then to outlay the suitable options. Not to be recommended are the often cheaper, over-the-counter home kits, which are not always tested for safety and can potentially damage patients’ teeth and gums. Regulations differ between countries; while kits sold in Europe cannot legally contain more than 0.1% peroxide, which is too little to be effective, in other countries, stronger peroxide is allowed. Products sold over the internet may contain damaging acids and abrasives, which can attack tooth enamel.[3]

Many people turn to unregulated methods as they regard dental costs as prohibitive. In the past, it was possible to choose from only a limited selection of products. However, there are now many different options available, making teeth whitening more accessible and affordable than ever.

Professional teeth whitening options available include teeth whitening trays, gels and strips. Common in most dental practices, tray whitening offers patients a brighter, whiter smile and improved appearance with no side effects. Initially a customised whitening tray, similar to a gum shield is made. This is then taken home and used in conjunction with a bleaching gel. The gel is regularly applied over two to four weeks and worn for between 30 minutes to an hour.

Likewise, teeth whitening strips are a great choice to offer patients. Representing the latest innovation in whitening technology, Professional Whitening Strips from WhiteWash Laboratories contain the optimum amount of whitening gel to simply, safely and effectively whiten patients’ teeth. With a unique and gentle mint-flavoured whitening formula and slow release ingredients, the cost-effective and comfortable strips provide reason enough for a more radiant and whiter smile within only 14 days!

In addition, products that can maintain healthy teeth and enhance their appearance are of paramount importance when encouraging patients to sustain an effective oral hygiene routine. The WhiteWash Laboratories range of oral care products includes brushes with ergonomically contoured handles to fit the shape of the hand and fluoride toothpaste that can help to remove surface stains and restore teeth back to their natural whiteness.

Advocating a good oral hygiene regime will reap long-lasting benefits for your patients, promoting strong teeth and gums and keeping teeth whiter for longer. With newfound confidence on board, a sense of ease will prevail, mental well-being will improve and relationships will flourish. And that is definitely something to smile about!

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.whitewashlaboratories.com

How To Grow Your NHS Dental Practice

I wrote part one of How To Grow Your NHS Dental Practice a few weeks ago, the reason that there has been a little delay is that I have been putting into place a new product to help solve this problem.

So let's have a look at the issues for most NHS dental practices. Unless you can get the local PCT to give you some more UDA's you simply can't grow your NHS dental practice revenues and because staff costs, and inflation continue to grow this in effect means your revenues fall every year.

Add to that the growing uncertainty about the new contract, it puts practices that are wholly or mainly dependent on an NHS contract in a difficult position.

So what is the solution? Well of course there really only is one solution to grow your NHS dental practice and that is to sell private treatment, which I assume doesn't come as any surprise whatsoever, in fact it is blindingly obvious.

But here's the catch, just how do you grow your NHS dental practice with private work, because there are some very difficult obstacles to overcome when trying to sell private treatment when you depend on your NHS patients and that contract.

Let me put one myth to bed straight away, it doesn't matter where your practice is or what the demographics are, there are people out there who will find the money for private treatment, however deprived your area is, please believe me on this one. despite what your associates may tell you.

However there is one practical problem to growing your NHS dental practice you will have to overcome and that is this. Can you actually deliver the private treatment e.g. straightening, whitening, implants, smile makeovers. If you can't deliver then you need to find a way to do this. But I am going to assume that you can deliver private treatment in some form or other.

So we know what the problems of how to grow your NHS dental practice are, how are you going to overcome them. The biggest problem you have to solve is letting your patients know what you can offer them.

If you take nothing else from this article remember this statement... It is not your patients job to find out what you can do for them. It is your job to tell them what you can do for them!!!

So how are you going to sell private treatment, let's just remind ourselves of the issues again:

1. You don't have time to discuss with your patients the various private options you offer.
2. Your patients subsequently don't know what you do.
3. There is now an information block, your patients don't know what you can do for them and you don't have time to tell them.

It's not often I plug my products or services in these blogs but I now have the perfect solution, it is our  "Reception Information Centre", this comprises of three elements.

1. The first is a bespoke video which will run on your TV from a DVD, computer, iPad, YouTube etc. etc. It tells your patients exactly what you can offer them in a 5-10 minute video. This video can either be an animated type of video or a professionally shot video where we bring in a film crew, not only can it run in reception but also on your website, via email or on a tablet.
2. The second element is a practice brochure which matches the video EXACTLY it is designed specifically for your patients to take away and remind them exactly what they saw when they were waiting to see you.
3. The third element are pull up exhibition stands which will have the bullet points of what you can offer and again matches exactly the style of the video and the brochure. It will guide them to watch the TV and pick up a brochure.

In order to grow your NHS Dental Practice you need time to tell your story and you simply don't have it in an NHS practice so this system does exactly that for you, it will encourage your patients to ask what you can do because they are now informed, even asking for a white filling rather than a standard one. All the above is bespoke to you with your logo, colours and even YOU in it. It is the perfect solution to the age long problem of how do you sell private treatment to NHS patients.

I will have examples of the above in a couple of weeks with pricing to match.

There are other options for informing your patients what you can do and I'll cover these in a couple of weeks, but they all involve much more expense and time and effort on your part.

So if you would like more information on the "Reception Information Centre" or how to grow your NHS dental practice or any other dental marketing issues, call me on 01767626398 or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the website www.dentalmarketingexpert.co.uk

Whether it is an idea or a plant, when something takes root, it hopefully grows and develops. If all goes well, a healthy future can lie ahead, but if damage occurs, the outcome may be disappointing or worse. Because roots are often invisible, problems can lie hidden and cause difficulties.

When it comes to teeth, endodontics involves the treatment of root canal problems, while periodontics deals with the “prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the supporting and surrounding tissues of teeth”.[i]

Although periodontal disease attacks the gingiva, it has additional, sinister potential. The relationship between periodontitis and endodontitis has been described as a continuum i.e. “a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, but the extremes are quite distinct”[ii] and this aspect was considered in a review of 2008.[iii] This inter-relationship has “aroused much speculation, confusion and controversy” and the review looked at various aspects, including the cause and development of perio-endo lesions. In respect of periodontal lesions on pulp, the review notes that while factors relating to the evolution of these lesions can vary “it is widely accepted that microbial agents are the main cause”.  In relation to the transmission of disease between pulpal and periodontal tissue, it also observes that there are studies that showed “microbiological similarities between infected root canals and advanced periodontitis”.

Where there has been root canal surgery, periodontal disease may go ‘underground’ in the form of apical periodontitis. In a French study of 1035 root-canal treated teeth, apical periodontitis was found in 33% of the treated teeth, with only 19% of the teeth found as receiving ‘adequate endodontic treatment’.[iv] The relationship between the quality of root canal treatment and the prevalence of apical periodontitis was also considered in a Palestinian study where 15.1% of teeth examined “had radiographic signs of apical periodontitis”.[v]

With regard to treatment when apical periodontitis has occurred, the Quality Guidelines of the European Society of Endodontology[vi] note that “treatment is aimed at restoring the periradicular tissues to health: this is usually carried out by root canal treatment”.

The treatment of periodontal disease is very important, particularly bearing in mind the observations of the 2008 review.[vii] Treatment depends upon the disease type and “no single treatment approach can provide the only means of any one or all periodontal diseases”,[viii] with different treatments being appropriate for different sites including good oral hygiene, antibiotics, and/or root planing and scaling. However, given that microbial agents can play a part in the evolution of perio-endodontic lesions, combating these agents is important, and scaling and planing may not necessarily be adequate.

An adjunctive treatment may also be needed, with the use of antibiotics as one possibility. However, given the clear links found between widespread use of antibiotics and the selection of resistant organisms, a better adjunctive treatment for periodontal pockets of 5mm or more may be a PerioChip®. Once inserted into the pocket, the wafer thin gelatin chip immediately releases a high local concentration of chlorhexidine diglucontate, continuing as it biodegrades over approximately a seven-day period and suppressing bacterial flora for up to 11 weeks.[ix] The process should be repeated at three monthly intervals if the pocket remains larger than 5mm as part of an ongoing periodontal treatment programme.

As the British Endodontic Society observe, “Endodontic treatment saves teeth that would otherwise need to be extracted”.[x] Ensuring good periodontal health can help to play a part in this and other treatments.

For more information or to contact the team behind PerioChip®, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0800 013 2333

DPD/14/0021

Location, location, location?

Martyn Bradshaw explains why location is important but not everything when it comes to practice values

Our national press love a headline quoting a statistic on the average house price or the average wage. Statistics containing an ‘average’ often make a good story because they divide opinion. However, some should be treated with caution.

Practice values are often subject to similar treatment and while surveys might contain some useful guidelines on the general state of the market, they often fail to uncover the finer points of valuing the goodwill of your dental practice.

There is no doubt that there is a significant variance in the values of practices in the south east of England, the major English cities and more remote locations. The same can be said of Scotland, with practices commanding higher prices if they are in or close to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen.

Price hotspots

Hotspots by location tend to be town centres/highly populated areas. This is simply because these areas enjoy a higher concentration of dentists seeking to buy a practice. In these locations the majority of sales are likely to be to dentists wanting to be ‘owner occupiers’ as they are the largest group of interested buyers. Typically these hotspots are (but not restricted to):

• Within the M25, Birmingham and other Midlands cities, Manchester and the north west cities, Bristol, Newcastle and cities in west and south Yorkshire.
• Likewise, the major Scottish cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen will command higher prices than the less populated areas of Scotland. Interestingly, Scottish practices often enjoy interest from buyers across the UK, largely due to the (non-contract based) nature of NHS income.

When hotspots are less important

Body corporates are as active as ever and are seeking to purchase across the country. Do they pay different values dependent on the areas? Not generally. Their assessment of goodwill value relies on the ‘super profit’ that the practice generates (a multiple of the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation – known as EBITDA). This calculates a value, regardless of where the practice is.

It would be wrong to say that location doesn’t influence the price a corporate will pay for your practice. Location becomes important if a corporate has a foothold in a particular area. Running a group of practices in proximity will bring economies of scale, which is a key mantra to the investors behind corporate dentistry. Therefore, the location factor on price in this case is more regional than national.

What impacts on price other than location?

Obviously, the location of a practice isn’t something practice owners can change so if yours is not in a price hotspot, what can you do to increase its value? Most patients will come from the locality – which can sometimes be quite a small area depending on the transport infrastructure and other factors. There are exceptions, but few general dentistry practices find it possible, despite good marketing campaigns, to broaden the area from which patients attend. Offering specialised services (cosmetic dentistry being an obvious one) can, however, be effective in drawing patients from further afield.

The biggest single factor affecting values is probably the basis of the treatment provided. Some practices sell for significantly over the asking price due to the high volume of offers at the closing date for sealed bids. These tend to be NHS practices. The banks see strength in an NHS income stream and will lend readily as such, hence the high number of finance-ready buyers available. An NHS practice in a northern city or even a more remote location is very likely to command a higher price than a private practice in the south east.

While private practice values may be enjoying a value resurgence due to the improving economy, buyers are more likely to pay 'top dollar' for those practices where capitation scheme income is greater than Fee Per Item income. Again, banks are more comfortable lending on this proposition as they perceive the income stream to be more secure.

Turnover is vanity, profit is what matters

To understand how we might break a value assessment down even further, let’s consider two similarly-equipped NHS practices with the same turnover, in the same city, in the same street. One has a consistently higher level of profit than the other due to lower staffing costs or better cost control. I know which would command the higher price.

Martyn Bradshaw is a practice valuer and sales agent with PFM Dental. For further information on PFM Dental visit pfmdental.co.uk

Cometh the hour, cometh the man?

That phrase may be a cliche but where does the profession go from here? We have seen careful reaction in the form of a press release from GDC defending themselves against criticism, showing they are not totally thick skinned.

There has been action on all the UK dental websites, GDPUK has been busier then ever, and response to GDPUK on Twitter has increased by 1061% within the last week.

Vereen Gupta's petition has over 11,500 signatures at the time of writing 

Prem Pal Sehmi's Facebook group has over 4000 likes, and many more are now "liking" the GDC's Facebook page. there must be several more strings of anger, please let me know and I'll add them to this blog.

GDPUK forum has several threads ongoing on this topic, with over thousands of readers and over 350 dentists posting.

But . . . . I think the binding together of all the strings of anger into a rope of action is where the profession is still lacking leadership. We need a person or a body to emerge which has great respect on all sides, and there needs to be practical leadership, not pie in the sky. This leadership has to take on the GDC, warn them or provide proof which makes the PSA or DH take serious action to regulate this out of control regulator.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man?

This June, A-dec launched their first Scottish showroom in Livingston, West Lothian. It was officially opened by A-dec Vice President of International Sales, Wayne Aho. This new venue, just off Junction 3 of M8 and 15 minutes drive from Edinburgh Airport gives dental professionals in and around Scotland the chance to experience the right equipment package for them, in a convenient location.

This new addition joins the three industry leading A-dec showrooms located across the UK in Surrey, Warwickshire and Manchester. Each of the experience centres contain a comprehensive range of chair packages enabling the dental team to find a solution that works for them. Appointments to view are entirely at their convenience and individual or team member visits can be offered in the private, modern and relaxing showroom environments.

Why choose A-dec?

The A-dec Livingston showroom also offers a unique training venue for those looking to host dental courses in a dental environment. Whether it’s a practical hands-on course or traditional lecture it is the perfect venue to host dental courses. It includes lecture style seating which comfortably seats 35 delegates, six fully loaded A-dec dental chairs for hands on practical sessions, free WiFi and AV facilities. There is even a fully functioning chair including air, water and vacuum where live dentistry can take place under the camera for the delegates to watch from their seats.

A-dec are thrilled to have opened a new showroom in Scotland. Wayne Aho, Vice President of International Sales at A-dec Inc officially opened the venue to A-dec authorised dealers, trade partners and the dental press telling the audience, “The UK & Ireland is an important market globally for A-dec and we are delighted to offer a showroom and education centre in Scotland. This is not just an A-dec showroom. It is a showroom for our authorised dealers, trade partners and customers to utilise.”

Contact us on 0800 233 285 for email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Simon Reynolds, Commercial Director of Patient Plan Direct, highlights recent activities and trends amongst dental plan providers, which provides some interesting food for thought.

The dental plan market has become more competitive in recent years as new plan providers have come to market (including Patient Plan Direct over five years ago now), and each provider looks to differentiate themselves, create a competitive edge, retain business and put their own slant on enabling practices to administer a dental plan for patients.

Furthermore, factors such as the imminent NHS changes, challenges associated with profitability, changes in practice purchase and sales, as well as the importance of cost analysis in the sector have all impacted on whether, and how, practices opt to administer a dental plan for patients.

All this activity has sparked certain changes and movements in the plan market, some of which Simon explores below.

Plan providers are reducing their fees to retain business

“It’s no secret that Patient Plan Direct is a price-led proposition. Our competitive fee structure is significantly less costly than other plan providers and practices look to transfer the administration of their dental plan to us from other providers to make significant cost savings, whilst still benefiting from a great service,” explains Simon.

“More and more often I come across scenarios where, after a practice informs their existing plan provider that they intend to transfer to Patient Plan Direct, a new “special deal” is quickly fabricated by the practice’s existing plan provider in a desperate attempt to retain the practice’s custom. These deals usually take the form of significant fee reductions representing huge cost savings.”

“This begs the question as to what value these plan providers place on their service and why the threat of transferring should be the catalyst that warrants sudden special attention or significant fee reductions? Why should only practices looking to move away benefit from a “special deal”, and why has the practice had to pay the higher fees until now?”

Simon goes on to explain: “These deals have been offered on numerous occasions from many of the major plan providers. I would encourage any practice that administers its dental plan through a plan provider to ask for a fee reduction or “special deal” that other practices have been receiving. Why should your practice pay more whilst it remains loyal? Alternatively, you could explore Patient Plan Direct’s transparent and honest approach to administering your practice’s dental plan.”

The Hoover versus the vacuum cleaner

“Some plan providers profess that patients ask specifically for their plan brand, but do they really, or do they simply ask for the brand that they associate with the service they require and the benefits of the service concept?” asks Simon.

Simon goes on to say, “This weekend you may decide to “Hoover” your living room and use a vacuum cleaner to get the job done. Whilst you may refer to vacuuming your living room as “Hoovering”, you are simply referring to the common brand associated with the functionality you require. It is, in fact, vacuum technology that you require. The particular brand, “Hoover” or the term “Hoovering”, has nothing to do with your core requirement. Moreover, the brand “Hoover” may not necessarily be the best brand to meet this requirement.

“Relating this to dental plans, if a patient asks for a specific plan brand, they are more than likely looking to take advantage of  the core principles and benefits of a dental plan rather than anything associated with a third party brand that has no impact on the actual dentistry delivered. Don’t assume you need to pay inflated fees to offer a particular plan brand and promote a third party brand. It is the core principles of a dental plan a patient desires, not a particular plan brand.”

Transferring provider to increase value

Finally, Simon explains why some practices opt to transfer plan provider in order to achieve a greater practice valuation. “It is common knowledge that a practice with a capitation or maintenance plan in place generally achieves a greater valuation than a fee-per-item private practice. Why? Because the reassurance of recurring income provides both lenders and potential buyers with greater confidence of the businesses’ long-term sustainability.”

“If there is a way of making the practice’s dental plan more profitable then this further increases the practice’s value. Take, for example, a practice with 600–1,000 patients on plan. By transferring the administration of its dental plan to Patient Plan Direct from one of the major plan providers, this practice would stand to save between £4,500 and £15,000 per annum which directly increases the bottom line.”

“Using the EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) valuation method, a practice’s profit is generally multiplied by four or five times. Therefore, a cost saving and representative increase in profitability of £4,500 to £15,000 can increase the value of a practice by £22,500 to £75,000. No wonder dentists are exploring plan provider transfers as part of their exit and retirement strategy.”

Simon Reynolds is the commercial director of Patient Plan Direct, the UK’s fastest growing dental plan provider. To discover an approach to dental plans that makes sense and cuts costs contact Patient Plan Direct.

Tel: 0844 848 6888

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

Mob: 0754 070 6323

Visit: www.patientplandirect.co.uk

Grateful thanks

Like many I am grateful for the services of the GDC. I pay the ARF secure in the knowledge that my patients are safe and the money well spent.

Presently though I feel I have more to thank them for than usual.  I hope my readers understand irony ...

Professional disunity?

Just when the state of the dental profession cannot look more perverse, the GDC have achieved something that the last 8 years of the DH and their man at the helm of the 2006 UDA disaster has failed to cause.

Numerous LDC Conferences calling for this and calling for that – the ever calm and serene profession of dentistry has just adapted and carried on.

Implosion at the BDA and barely an extra glass of claret was supped at the ripples on the water of our profession as calm discussion took place about politics.

A raft of daft changes came along such as the UDA system, the HTM document, the OFT report you all now the form – and we ranted for a few months but quietly took another blow to the body, absorbed the costs and “moved on”.

The public acknowledgement that the Contract Pilots have been a sham and that any changes to come will be merely prototype in nature and at least 2 years down the line.  Dentists have had a bit of a cough to their colleagues and carry on, “being busy”.

The dreadful farce of Foundation Dentists lacking places allied to their debt and many were heard to comment widely and indeed care deeply, but the rump of the profession have likely returned to their skate-like lying on the bottom.  “They’ll get by” we all thought. “Wouldn’t recommend it to my chidren” we muttered. Next please.

The CQC came over the horizon brandishing a large bill and a lot of empty folders and by and large we have paid the charge and filled the folders, only to carry as before doing what we do – meeting, greeting, interacting with & treating patients with their range of ailments and fears.

Incoming, incoming ...

But the GDC, in their proposed hike of the ARF to £945, allied to a comical  consultation so pre-determined as to be reminiscent of a past communist regime have caused the profession to both awaken and threaten to unite in a way never seen before.

Just when it was looking very interesting, the satellite of the GDC, the Dental Complaints Service fire their own salvo at the profession. The DCS may be “at arm’s length” and independent or so they claim – but they are wholly funded by the GDC, ergo our ARF’s – so how independent they are is, shall we say, somewhat debatable.

What effect was intended, I wonder when the DCS took a full page advert in the weekend colour magazine of the Daily Telegraph claiming to act on anything less than COMPLETE satisfaction for every patient.

I have a three letter acronym of my own - FFS!!

Professional unity?

Never in 35 years have I seen such united sentiment and anger, perhaps however more importantly associated with individual response and action. The electrons are red hot with e-mails, complaints and letters to MP’s and these bodies.  How ironic that when a patient complains about us, we are always assumed to be in the wrong. When we complain about these bodies, they are always correct and indeed learning. Is it just me? 

So, what now?

Well this is an unprecedented time, and it will call for unprecedented action.

Perhaps a mass sentiment requires a big organisation to coordinate a big response. There seems to be a widespread sentiment that the GDC has lost completely any confidence it may have had with the profession. Of course they will blandly point to some piece of biased research they did to show how well regarded they are. 

They may not realise but the rules have changed and the gloves are off. Big boys games demand big boys rules. And it is the GDC and the DCS who started this.

Who will rid us of this poison organisation, who will deal it a fatal blow, for it is a big monster and well protected by the armour of politics?

We must thank the GDC & DCS – the profession appears to have finally awoken, and if I am not mistaken, this time it is getting to its feet.

Interesting times with a little smoke of excitement.  Who will wager what we see next? I won’t!!

Have a good week, worker bees. Tootle pip.

 

Dr. James Shorrock BDS runs a successful, 4-surgery private practice in Spalding, Lincolnshire. After working with loupes for years and finding them indispensable he invested in a Carl Zeiss OPMI Pico Dental Microscope.  (The following is an extract from the unsolicited testimonial he provided to Nuview, the full version is published on their website)

Whilst attending an endodontic course a fellow delegate enthusing about microscopes inspired me to investigate the use of a dental microscope myself. After much research I concluded that the Carl Zeiss OPMI Pico Dental offered the optimum ergonomics, durability and performance for my busy practice. This system features a MORAswing mechanism to allow effortless scanning across the mouth at the touch of a finger, and a ‘varioscope’ focusing system that hugely facilitates patient positioning and considerably improves depth of field.

I met Steve Clapman of Nuview, the exclusive UK distributor of Carl Zeiss visualisation systems, at a professional event and he agreed to visit my practice and discuss my requirements. His knowledge and professionalism led me through the options, and I was impressed by his honesty, guiding me away from certain expensive features as they would be unlikely to deliver value for money in my specific circumstances. 

All Carl Zeiss Dental Microscopes are custom built, and pending delivery Nuview invited me to attend the annual 2-day symposium, held in London. As well as international speakers, there were hands-on sessions involving demonstrations of microsurgical techniques and many experts in the field to answer questions.

Steve eventually delivered the microscope and spent several hours instructing me on setup, correct posture and showing me the controls. These were very intuitive, and I was excited to get going. I was determined to fully exploit my investment and not just use it for the occasional tricky endo or crown preparation. I started with checkups the following morning.

Looking ‘forward’ and working ‘down’ was a little alien at first, but the advantages were immediately obvious. Even with only a 4-6x magnification the excellent axial illumination and perfect optics showed the slightest differences in enamel translucency, early subsurface demineralisation and even interproximal caries, while filling defects, failing crown margins and fine cracks literally jump out at you.

The perio probe graduations are easily readable, soft tissue variations are instantly evident and anything of interest can be quickly snapped with the attached SLR, to be shown to the patient, filed for later reference, or printed to accompany a referral.   

The improvement in my posture and comfort was immediate and noticeable, although I would personally recommend the addition of a Support Stool with separate articulated armrests from BQE; 9-10 hour days now cease to be a problem!

After 2-3 days we began simple treatments, descaling and fissure sealing etc, using the microscope at around 4x so generally the whole mouth is visible as with medium powered loupes. Instrument location can initially be difficult, but I found that a sweep in of the hands close under the scope before dropping down into the mouth works well.  It took a week to develop the confidence to use a handpiece under scoped vision, but the advantages were instantly evident. You can see exactly what you are doing.

Using 6-10x magnification, the mind quickly focuses on the task in hand, you soon forget about the decreased field size. Every procedure is enhanced; for example, the very apparent fine differences in shade & translucency reduce the need to double check with a probe whether dentine is sound or carious. Damage to adjacent teeth is easily avoided as the marginal ridge appears like a cliff face next to your class 2 preparation, and a further advantage is the easy visualisation of any incipient defects in the adjacent teeth. Regularly using the scope for full crown preparations took around 2-3 months, but after completing half a dozen you soon miss10-16x magnification!   As a simple reference, at 4x you can see the whole mouth, 6x a quadrant, 10x 2-3teeth, 16x a single tooth, 20x a single canal orifice. 

Dental microscopes have traditionally been associated with endodontic procedures, and I now understand why. Pursuing my own interest in endodontics, I always strived to find the MB2 in upper molars and was probably successful using loupes about 20-30% of the time, but with the microscope this leapt immediately to more often than not.  It’s hard to overstate the difference good lighting and higher magnification make to both pre-treatment diagnosis and the potential quality of the actual outcome. Since acquiring the microscope I revisited several previous problem cases, using 16x magnification, it’s been possible to identify and remedy causes that had remained hidden even after apparently flawless x-rays and repeated attempts at correction. I have heard said on several courses – if you can see it you can do it, with a scope you can see and do a whole lot more.

After 4 months I use my microscope 75% of the time, although obviously there are occasions when the ‘macro’ picture is more relevant.  Although initially learning to work with the scope somewhat slowed me down, I am now back up to 95% of my original throughput and am confident that the overall quality of my work is considerably higher. It has been possible to undertake more complex procedures with confidence without the need to invest in additional instruments or attend lots of additional specialist courses.

In spite of the capital cost, I can heartily recommend the investment as a sound career move to any dentist who takes pride in their work, likes to be comfortable during their working day and puts quality patient care first.

I would be happy to discuss how to integrate a microscope into your daily practice and am easily contactable at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 

For more information please call Nuview on 01453 872266,

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

Promtemp Crown from 3M ESPE – “It just makes perfect sense”

Dr Anoup Nandra from Edgbaston Dental Care in Birmingham has been impressed with Protemp Crown temporary material from 3M ESPE for many years.

“I first came across the material seven or eight years ago – few seemed to know about it at that time but it certainly had a ‘wow’ factor and I thought it was a great product.

“I have been using Protemp Crown routinely for the last two years now and I like everything about it – it just makes perfect sense. I am able to choose a pre-made crown that not only looks good but that also fits well. It is easy to use, easy to manipulate, the occlusion is always good because the patient’s mouth is used to help achieve good positioning: it just works exactly as it is designed to do so.

“Other temporary restoration techniques can be fiddly, messy and much more time-consuming. Protemp Crown material requires little time to place, offers really good aesthetics and it is long lasting– it is like a permanent crown. If circumstances require a patient to keep a temporary crown in place for some time, this is the perfect indication for this material – I am very confident leaving this in place, a lot more so than I would be with a normal chairside created temporary restoration.

“As a result, I already routinely recommend Protemp Crown to other practitioners.”

For more information, call 0845 602 5094 or visit www.3Mespe.co.uk

On Friday 20^th June, Sparkle Dental Labs welcomed a selection of esteemed professionals to its remarkable premises in Leeds. The event presented a fantastic opportunity to celebrate both the company’s first year of business as well as its successful drive for dental technician apprenticeships.

MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones, was in attendance and commented:

“Apprenticeships are one of the most important parts of education in Britain…I believe few sectors will however create as much excitement and as much drive as the dental laboratory industry has, and for that I would like to congratulate everyone involved.”

Delroy Beverley, Chairman of The National Apprenticeship Ambassadors Task Force for Yorkshire and Humberside, offered high praise for Owner of Sparkle Dental Labs, Mustafa Mohammed:

“Crucially, Mustafa has recognised the need to do something… Asking for no personal accolade, he has nurtured this idea and is dedicated to providing a blueprint that shows the Government and other businesses alike, that you really can ‘practice what you preach’. Sparkle Dental Labs is a great example of just this.”

To find out more about the laboratory, or about how you can get involved with the apprenticeship scheme, contact the dedicated team today.

For any additional information from the National Apprenticeship Service, please visit www.apprenticeship.org.uk.

For more details about Sparkle dental Labs, please call 0800 138 6255, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit:

www.sparkledentallabs.com

Friday 13^th June saw the coming together of the great and the good in dentistry for the launch of Barker PR at the Cinnamon Club in Westminster.

Formerly known as GG Communications (GGC), Barker PR was launched last week to focus on its core business: PR and communications in the dental industry.

Gemma Barker, Managing Director, said: "This launch was to celebrate our last six years in dentistry and to mark the start of a new and exciting era as Barker PR.

“We feel passionately about our industry and work hard to create content for our clients’ brands that the dental profession is genuinely interested in and can connect with.”

The team at Barker PR shares a strong vision to impact the public perception of dentistry and is proud to make that difference through the many communications they write and distribute for their clients.

Barker PR’s perfectly formed team of passionate and experienced writers, marketers and dental journalists look forward to making an even greater impact in the dental industry in the years ahead.

For more information, please visit www.BarkerPR.com or email the team on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PFM Dental and Patient Plan Direct, proud sponsors of GDPUK, have come together to create a new blog area on GDPUK: Professional Services for Dentists

The area will provide expert opinion and advice in key areas relating to professional services within dentistry including:  Practice valuations, Business management and operations, Financial, Accountancy and Legal. Guest bloggers are experts in their field with one thing in common – they all work exclusively with dentists. The blog represents an excellent all-you-need-to-know source to keep you ahead of the field in non-clinical matters.

PFM Dental are one of the leading specialists providers to dentists within the UK providing: a dental sales agency, practice valuations, independent financial advice and chartered accountancy services.

Patient Plan Direct is the fastest growing, most cost effective and flexible plan provider in the market - Experts in plan launches and plan transfers.

Social Media outpouring from UK dentists, against GDC ARF rise, July 2014.

Since news emerged at the very end of June that the General Dental Council [GDC]  was planning to raise its annual retention fee [ARF] from £576 to £945 per year for all dentists in the United Kingdom.  This coincided with an announcement of a consultation on the matter of this fee, yet the fait accompli of the rise proposed was publicised.

GDC maintains a register of all dentists working in the UK, and it remains illegal to practice any form of dentistry without this registration. This monopoly held by the dental profession is there to protect the public from imposters, and despite this serious registration process there are always queues of impending prosecutions of people who feel they can practice forms of dentistry without a degree, training, nor the proper registration and indemnity cover.

Dentists are livid and united about this unprecedented rise in costs by an increasingly out of touch, unjust body.

It appears the large rise has been caused by the exponential increase in complaints against dentists administered by the GDC, a very stressful process for dentists who remain innocent until findings are proven. GDC accepts cases, investigates, and will proceed with a risk to the professional future of a dentist even if there is a single incident of complaint. This wall of actions has led to delays and blockages in the GDC processes, something dentists are finding unacceptable, and this is one of the factors behind the social media congregations in the last 48 hours.

GDPUK has had a large rise in visitors, one thread on the topic has had over 90 replies from dentists within 36 hours of the first posting on the topic. Twitter has been ablaze, and on Facebook, one page, The Project, in which dentist Prem-Pal Sehmi has commenced a campaign for colleagues to pay £576 when the ARF becomes due next December has attracted more than 2400 colleagues on Facebook, also within a very short time frame. [At the time of writing]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE_Project/1378516855727456

On twitter this image shows the sort of exchange progressing. The profession is like a bear which has been poked in the eye too many times, says Eddie Crouch of the BDA PEC and Birmingham LDC.

On the Government’s e-petitions page, Dr Vereen Gupta commenced a petition on the matter, and within 24 hours, this has over 5,500 signatories.

https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/66982

Statistics emerging on GDPUK show that the anger is derived from this rise in Fitness to Practice [FtP] cases, which GDC figures state are stand at 3,700 presently. There are around 24,000 dentists in general practice now, so almost 15% have a case against them. Foir na serious and learned profession, this alone shows the system is very wrong.

The Professional Standards Authority, which oversees the GDC, has reported its grave concerns with the running and governance of GDC, which seems to roll along, unfettered.

All the groups must unite and harness the energy being generated on this matter, so it is up to BDA, Facebook groups, GDPUK, Twitter devotees to keep up the pressure, ensure this campaign goes to the heart of its target.

Patient Plan Direct has appointed Bernard Danquah, a long standing and successful Business Consultant previously at Denplan, as their new Head Business Development Manager South.

Bernard’s appointment signifies Patient Plan Directs’ objective to further establish itself in the mature dental payment plan market as many dentists question the value provided by other plan providers.

Bernard has recently completed a MBA at Warwick University, one of the leading business schools in the UK, specifically researching marketing within dentistry.

Simon Reynolds, Commercial Director of Patient Plan Direct, commented: “The commercial acumen Bernard encompasses, nurtured from his experience within the industry and his strong academic background, fits with our developing business strategy of offering first-class support to dental practices to improve their profitability whilst sustaining our position as the most cost effective and flexible plan provider in the market.

“Bernard will be a key influence in the strategic direction of Patient Plan Direct and will represent an excellent source of support and guidance for the practices that choose to work with us, whether launching a plan for the first time or transferring from another plan provider. I’m looking forward to working alongside Bernard and the rest of our expanding team.”

Bernard added: “Patient Plan Direct is a forward thinking and vibrant organisation that is truly flexible, growing rapidly and has all its operations and processes aligned to help dentists save money and improve their business.  In a mature market where other plan providers seemingly increase their fees year on year in administering a practice’s capitation or maintenance plan, Patient Plan Direct has been able to offer a low cost, flexible and proven approach to administering a dental plan to suit any practices requirements.

“I believe Patient Plan Direct’s approach is one that fits with the needs of a modern dental practice. As the UK economy picks up so will the costs in running a dental practice and one place dentists can look to reduce their costs whilst increasing their margins is the administration fees of their payment plans.”

Patient Plan Direct is the fastest growing, most flexible and cost effective payment plan provider in the dental market.

For more information:

Call: 08448486888

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

Visit: www.patientplandirect.co.uk

From 1st July the biggest ever change to Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) takes effect with the introduction of NISAs (New ISAs).

As announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his March budget, NISAs are a single, simpler tax-free savings vehicle with no  confusing rules relating to the separation of cash and investment elements. Here are the main features of the NISA:

• £15,000 annual limit
• No limit on use of cash or investment elements up to £15,000 maximum
• Back and forth transfers allowed between cash and investment elements

Jon Drysdale of PFM Dental says: "Net returns on most cash savings accounts remain below the rate of inflation (1.4% May 2014). Although most commentators believe interest rates will rise in late 2014, or early 2015 the pace and scale of the increase isn’t likely to be swift or significant. This will probably leave savers frustrated and borrowers relieved."

Jon Drysdale is an independent financial adviser with PFM Dental. Visit pfmdental.co.uk for further information on saving and investments.

The value of your investment can go down as well as up. You may get back less than your original investment.

For more information contact pfmdental on 0845 241 4480 or visit www.pfmdental.co.uk

Learn the secrets to aesthetically-driven treatment planning with Ken Harris at this year’s BACD Annual Conference.

On Thursday 6^th November, Ken will lead a hands-on session on the Kois Dento-Facial Analyser, and will demonstrate how it can be used to direct aesthetically-driven treatment plans in even the most complex of cases.

Ken says: “As a practising cosmetic dentist the use of the Kois Dento-Facial Analyser has made communication with my laboratory so much easier and quicker, so I can make smiles my patients really like.”

As it stands Ken Harris is one of only two people in the UK to have been awarded BACD Fellowship – the highest accolade the academy can bestow.

So, don’t miss out on your chance to learn from one of the UK’s top cosmetic dentists – book your place today!

The BACD’s 11^th Annual Conference will take place on 6^th – 8^th November 2014 at the ACC in Liverpool.

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.bacdconference.co.uk

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed UK house price annual inflation has reached 9.9 per cent. The latest figures, released on 17^th June, also reveal that the rate of the increase to UK house prices is escalating month on month.

These are worrying times for all first-time buyers but particularly for dentists who qualify this year. They now need to find on average £196,000 to buy their first home, have the probability of an interest rate rise soon, are subject to a recent tightening of mortgage lending criteria, will already be burdened with student debt and, what's more, are not looked upon favourably by most high street mortgage lenders.

Natalie Williams, a specialist mortgage adviser with PFM Dental says: “Many dentists are leaving university with significant levels of student debt and at the same time are facing an increasingly challenging housing and mortgage market. All the indicators point to securing a house purchase as soon as possible. Most high street mortgage lenders won’t lend to self-employed dentists within three years of their leaving university so it is essential they get specialist mortgage advice in order to secure the necessary loans.”

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with payments on a loan secured against it.

For more information contact pfmdental on 0845 241 4480 or visit www.pfmdental.co.uk

Below is a review of the new Sheila Scott book "Putting Health at the Heart of your Practice". Review by Dr John Bates BDS

The original title was “it’s not about the dentistry” and I think this is just another way of describing an old saying “they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”

You need to be able to do the dentistry, but your patients will judge you on how that is delivered. This also, as Kevin Lewis writes in the foreword, will help you avoid the increasing perils of litigation and referral to the GDC, CQC etc.

In many ways I think this book demonstrates the similarity between what Sheila is helping your practice do, and what the health centred practice is doing for their patients. In both cases what appears to be a straight forward process is littered with difficulties and possible miss communications. What appears easily said, is not so easily put into practice, as years of habits and culture have to be altered, adjusted and improved.

What this small but dynamite book will do is help you put your practice on the correct path, if like mine; you want that path to lead to better health for your patients. It is a fantastic distillation of Sheila’s advice, and has helped me re learn and find new gems I had forgotten or missed over the years she has helped us (just don’t tell Sheila I’ve forgotten anything!)

Find out what your patients want (it may not be what you think), why it’s a Dental Health Check, what is important in how patients are referred to the hygienist,  what is the crucial role of the hygienist (not scaling or polishing), why a membership plan and what they all have to do with health.

I have no hesitation in recommending this is read by any member of the dental team, whatever point in their career they are at, because putting health at the heart of your practice is a team effort.

by John Bates BDS 

Book can be ordered from Sheila's website

Further information on the book can be found here

The countdown is on for Renamel® - The London Sessions, Enlighten Smiles’ extraordinary 2-day programme dedicated to Renamel microfill, the outstanding composite material used in over 70% of AACD Accreditation cases.

Taking place in Central London on 27^th & 28^th June, Renamel® - The London Sessions will be hosted by industry experts Jason Smithson and Corky Willhite, both internationally renowned for their courses in composite resin artistry.  

Comprising of engaging lectures and hands-on sessions, delegates will gain an enhanced understanding of Renamel’s® superb properties, including long-term wear resistance, natural translucency and outstanding colour stability - making  Renamel® - The London Sessions the perfect opportunity to build your skillset and start enjoying successful and profitable minimally invasive dentistry.

Grab the last few tickets today by visiting http://www.enlightensmiles.com/Buy-Ticket or call Enlighten on  020 7424 3270.

FEES

Friday 27^th June

Jason Smithson: Half day Lecture: £95.00 +VAT.

Jason Smithson: Lecture and hands-on session: £595.00 + VAT

Saturday 28^th June

Corky Willhite: Half day Lecture: £95.00 +VAT.

Lecture and hands-on session: £695.00 + VAT

Both days

Smithson and Willhite two full days: £995 + VAT

Facebook: Enlighten

Twitter: @EnlightenSmiles /@drpay

Pinterest: Enlighten

The dental sector offers a unique challenge for RICS Registered Valuers when undertaking the valuation of a practice. In a market experiencing constant and rapid change, many factors can affect valuation including ownership, income mix, contract type, UDA value and location.

In order to avoid confusion, it is important to have an understanding of the terminology used by agents and RICS accredited valuers when considering a Market Value. This can include distinguishing between valuations for marketing purposes and professionally qualified RICS Registered Valuations. It is also important to understand the fundamental differences between EBITDA valuations against turnover valuations. 

A valuation for marketing purposes as opposed to an RICS Registered Valuation is a market assessment that takes competitive bidding, desirability and special purchase value of a practice into account. The value is based on what an agent considers they could achieve rather than purely on market evidence from previous transactions. In contrast to this, an RICS Registered Valuation is “the estimated amount for which an asset or liability should exchange on the valuation date between a willing buyer and a willing seller in an arm’s length transaction after proper marketing and where the parties had each acted knowledgeably, prudently and without compulsion”. It is also the Market Value that a lending institution would be willing to lend, or securitize monies against and is considered an Open Market appraisal.

An EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) valuation is based on the loan serviceability of the asset. The EBITDA relates to the ability to repay the debt and costs incurred in operating the business, while a turnover valuation is based simply on a percentage of the turnover of a practice, and not its profitability.

When it comes to borrowing, although the dental industry is often referred to as a ‘green-light’ sector in terms of securing finance for practice purchases, this is founded on commercial valuations rather than proposed sale prices. It is useful to note that banks will only lend against the RICS value incorporating both EBITDA and turnover approaches and not just the predicted sales price.                                                                             

Serviceability of debt funding

When considering purchasing a practice, practitioners should be aware of the dangers in neglecting the serviceability of the debt incurred. This can result in there being insufficient monies to pay the debt down and meet practice bills, once a personal salary has been deducted. In a situation where an owner-operated practice has a profit of say £100,000 per annum, the practitioner may desire a salary of £80,000, leaving £20,000 to meet any finance charges. However, as a practice that makes £100,000 profit is likely to be worth £400,000, if the practitioner has borrowed the full value i.e. £400,000, the serviceability of such a debt on this business is going to be approximately£45,000 to £50,000 per year over ten years, resulting in the practitioner earning a figure closer to £30,000 a year. The situation is therefore not financially viable, the practitioner’s judgement clouded by the turnover value of a practice and the desire to operate their own practice. Ignoring the serviceability of debt funding can sadly result in being unable to afford the practice.

Competitive bidding

There is a significant gulf between market value – what a bank-backed valuation would amount to – and special purchase value – what an individual would be willing to pay. Indeed, due to the high desirability of owning a dental practice compared to the relatively low supply available, private individuals are often prepared to pay more than corporate bidders who are interested in the profitability and performance of a practice. This creates an environment of competitive bidding, which tends to inflate values and prices significantly.

This unique situation in the dental market causes difficulties for RICS Registered Valuers seeking to draw on previous ‘deals’ as precedents, posing further complications in the valuation process. The dental sector also demonstrates a reluctance to reveal details behind previous transactions, due to the highly competitive arena. This is in contrast to other areas, such as the residential market, where valuers might share information, providing a clear picture of the market landscape.

Freehold

Finally, freehold properties can present some of the biggest points of contention within the sector. For instance, a practitioner may purchase a residential building for a certain amount and then decide to spend a further £100,000 converting it into a dental practice. In their opinion the practice should then be worth the original value of the house plus the money spent on converting it. However, when a rent investment calculator is applied to it, it may actually only be worth a figure much closer to the initial cost of the residential building. Furthermore, because of its residential setting it could then be difficult to re-market or sell for D1 planning purposes. 

More complications will occur if looking to sell on as a residential building, as it may be worth the initial price as set by a local estate agent, but only once converted back into a residential building. This would then make the building worth less than the initial price paid for it. As this example demonstrates, the importance of understanding freehold property valuations cannot be underestimated. 

When trying to understand what a practice is actually worth, achieving a true market value assessment from an RICS Registered Valuer will always be extremely beneficial.

Christie+Co has a thorough understanding of the dental market and 15 regional offices providing a consistent approach across the country. This also allows local valuers who understand regional variances to assess the value of the asset. When looking for a practice valuation that is appropriate to your situation and that will achieve the best price, contact the experienced brokers at Christie+Co.  

To discuss how Christie+Co might help you achieve your future plans please contact Chris Vowles on 0121 456 1222

Christopher Vowles MRICS is an RICS Registered Valuer specialising in dental valuations and a Director at Christie+Co.

On the 18^th-19^th September 2014 The Academy of Clinical Excellence in Wakefield is running two one-day hands-on training courses on the use of dental microscopes.

In association with Nuview, the exclusive distributor of Carl Zeiss magnification systems in the UK, the Academy of Clinical Excellence will be welcoming renowned practitioners Dr. Maxin Belograd and Dr. Jason Smithson who will be providing lectures and interactive sessions.

Dr. Maxin Belograd is a specialist in advanced microscope dentistry and his lecture, Micro access. The new endodontic idea, will focus on how practitioners can integrate micro-dentistry into everyday General Practice.

Dr. Jason Smithson’s session, Adhesive, minimally invasive tooth coloured restorations, will present a comprehensive approach for the restoration of posterior teeth. This session will also have a strong hands-on component that will count towards 6½ hours of CPD.   

If you are excited about exploring the possibilities presented by utilising dental microscopes in your practice, book a place on the training course today.

For further information or to book on the

training course, please contact Naomi Hamilton

by calling 0845 201 1515.

For more information please call Nuview on 01453 872266,

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

Online booking services are becoming increasingly popular across all areas of public provision. Cinema tickets and food shopping can be booked online, as well as hotels and air travel. So why wouldn’t you offer your patients the opportunity to do the same when making dental appointments with your practice? 

The benefits of using internet booking software seem endless. Alongside decreasing no-shows and the ability to fill last minute cancellations, comes enhanced patient perception as your practice is seen to enter the modern age. The technological advancements also allow for easier advertising methods that will reach a wider audience.

Ava Farvahari Practice Manager at Putney Dental Surgery in London reveals how working with Zesty to increase booking options enhanced her working practice.   

“Last year the team from Zesty came in to begin a three month trial of their services.

At the time the booking process we followed was always over the phone; we didn’t have any facility for patients to book though our website or online at all. We were thinking about exploring more booking options, but were not aware that such service as Zesty even existed. That people could go onto the internet, find a website and book an appointment and then get connected to us seemed incredible.

“Installing the system was very smooth: the representative was able to do everything himself. I gave him the list of patient names and he provided me with a link and my login details and then everything was set up. So now when I have a free slot in the booking schedule, all I have to do is put it onto the website and wait for it to be filled. We’ve never had any problems with the system. I’ve only had three instances where patients failed to attend, and even then they have re-booked their appointments straight away.

“Putney Dental Surgery has been open for more than 25 years and the use of Zesty has thoroughly modernised the practice, helping us to appeal to the younger generation. A lot of young people want to book everything online and not to call a practice; this is therefore the perfect portal for them to do this. It is so easy to find a local dentist and book an appointment straight away and Zesty has helped to bring in a whole new generation of patients to our practice.

“Getting new patients is what, as practice manager, I endeavour to do all the time, through networking and enhancing our online presence. Thankfully the new online booking system now makes my job much easier by streamlining the whole appointment process. But attracting new young patients is not the only advantage we have seen; current patients can also use the online booking system. I’ve had a couple of patients that booked appointments out of practice hours and it was only when I tried to add them to the system that I realised that they were already existing patients here. Zesty brought surprising benefits for advertising for our business as well.

Previously I was spending my time organising leaflets and exploring search engine key words and internet ranking to improve our website hits, which was very time consuming. But Zesty already does this and through using it, we are linked to their website to further improve our online presence.

“In fact before Zesty approached us we were looking to produce more leaflets to start the New Year, which we no longer need to do. This has obviously saved us money, which we can invest in enhancing other areas of the practice. We still plan on producing some leaflets to encourage other new patients but there is not the urgency for this as there once was, as we are now getting more and more patients all the time.

“I would recommend Zesty to any practice manager; the principal dentist here now always has a full surgery and is very impressed. The influx of new patients in the practice has been really noticeable. Whenever a booking is made online I make a note of it and all the practitioners here can see the improvement in patient numbers.”

To find out how your practice ban benefit from the introduction of an online booking system, contact Zesty today

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 0203 287 5416 for more details of our Free Trial

The biggest step
I finished out that week pondering on my therapy session and the work stresses. My wife, ever the paragon of being right, shied away from the blunt “I told you so” but did make it clear that I should be taking it easier. I asked the PM to block out some time where cancellations had arisen so that I would have a little breathing space, with the proviso that I would of course see any emergencies in those gaps if necessary. I did at this point advise the PM that I was having some issues with stress and needed to cut back a bit (master of understatement here!), and would be looking to book some time off when the books were quieter – about 4 weeks into the future.

I was by now quite aware of the mask I was wearing at work, and of the times when it would slip. I was concerned that it could create problems for the staff directly and put them in an awkward position if my behaviour impacted on a patient. I had seen this happen before when a colleague had suffered from depression, and their extended absences had been explained away at the time as a back injury – a number of patients refused to believe it and some even hassled the staff with questions such as “it’s the drink isn’t it?”.

This led me to discuss the most difficult step in dealing with depression with both my wife and my therapist – that of telling my workmates and staff. It’s one thing to admit to oneself that you need help, another entirely to admit it to others. It’s natural to want to hide our weaknesses from others, even those closest to us, but you can’t expect to get support without laying a decent foundation. My wife was concerned, as was I, that such a disclosure could leak to the patients and potentially put them off seeing me. My therapist countered with the argument that if I didn’t have support in my recovery, I potentially wouldn’t be in a position to see patients anyway. I couldn’t argue with that logic, particularly being a Star Trek fan, so I decided to tell everyone at work and hope for the best.

Except – I couldn’t actually bring myself to tell them face to face. Every time I looked at my nurse, my colleagues and thought of saying what I was going through I felt I may cry. I chickened out and put it in writing, asking the PM to read it to everyone at the staff meeting that week as I wouldn’t be present. The PM graciously agreed, following a short but teary chat at the end of the day.

Below is a copy of the letter. I know this may identify me to any of my colleagues who lurk on GDPUK, but their response to the letter at the time assured me that I can trust them to maintain my anonymity.

As a dentist, you probably have some basic criteria in mind as to what you’re looking for in a dental laboratory. Fast turn around times, reasonable prices, and reliable quality might be at the top of your list. From what most dental labs choose to highlight on their websites, these are the benchmarks that suppliers deem most important to you as well, and ones that can possibly be met from anywhere in the world – hence the rise of dental lab outsourcing in recent years.

Arguments to and for the outsourcing of dental lab work have been made and discussed in various articles, blogs and dental publications. It’s been put forward that outsourcing dental lab work overseas may be detrimental to our local industry, and that we can’t really be sure about the quality of work or material we get when placing orders for crowns and bridges from halfway around the world. Then the flip side of the issue comes up: with all the economic difficulties in the UK today, and prices of local goods and labour ever rising, how do we expect dental practices to keep their heads above the water without turning to suitable money-saving methods such as delegating some of the work they need done to cheaper suppliers?

All these arguments raise a valid point, but in the noise from both sides of this debate, a more vital issue is lost – no matter where you choose to have your lab work done, isn’t the kind of relationship you have with your lab ever as important?

Some dentists seem to have forgotten that in order for effective dentistry to be performed, dental labs should be full practice partners to those requiring their services, and not just mere vendors selling a product needed to complete a treatment. Considering that coming up with excellent dental restoration work is the shared responsibility of both technicians and dentists, shouldn’t you seek a more personal working relationship with your dental lab of choice?

As easy as it may sound for simple restoration work to be sent off and made without the need for anything other than a lab ticket, there are of course more complicated cases that can benefit from another critical eye, and restorations that can’t really be crafted to the best standards without an actual discussion. And on the off-chance that you mistakenly omit a seemingly negligible but vital piece of information from the lab ticket, the lab you outsourced to based in a different country might not be able to get in touch with you to double check the facts handed to them.

Of course, there may be some dental labs outside the UK who do offer an effective, personal service. But more often than not, if you choose to outsource your dental lab requirements overseas, communication is unfortunately limited to lab tickets and emails. This lack of deeper communication might lead to small mistakes and even big mishaps in the end.

In an ideal world, what every dentist should be getting from their dental lab is this: a technical manager whom you can bounce ideas back and forth with and cares about the end result of your treatment; a technician who is on exactly the same page as you when it comes to ideal treatment outcome; and the feeling that you’re not performing the restoration on your own, that the lab you choose to work with views your patient as someone they are partly responsible for. In an ideal world, you should be able to call your dental lab with regards to a order you’ve placed, and have a helpful discussion with an experienced professional who can give you some input on the work you’re planning to do. But this of course is the ideal, and something that might not be entirely possible when you take factors such as economics into consideration.

For those who do deem the monetary advantage of outsourcing to be more important than the dentist-lab relationship fleshed out above, it may be enough for you to send an order off and get the restorations back at a cheaper price. But you also end up losing out when you receive a less than perfect crown or bridge from a supplier whose communication with you may have been somewhat sparse. You may have saved money on the product, but if you had to spend an extra half hour trying to make that crown fit properly into your patient’s mouth then you would have lost a considerable amount on additional chair time anyway.

And the loss can be even greater when a restoration won’t fit at all and needs to be sent back. Then you not only lose the chair time, you lose your patient’s trust as well, because as far as the patient is concerned you, the dentist, made the mistake – they don’t know that the lab you chose to work with is responsible for the unwanted outcome.

With the work dental labs provide being such a huge part of treatment outcome, it really pays to have a lab you can work with, not just send work to. Though your initial impression may be that finding such a lab with expertise and quality assurance in the UK will cost your practice way too much monetarily, you should be aware that there are options available out there today. There are dental labs in the UK that provide expertise, personal service and unparalleled quality for economical prices. Sparkle Dental Labs can be one such example, as they invite visitors to their website to call and discuss their latest cases in an effort to supply their customers with solutions for their treatment plans.

Finding a lab you’re happy to work with is a delicate balance of economics and gain. Dental laboratories are responsible for far too much of the treatment to be regarded as mere vendors to your practice, but at the same time you need to find a lab whose prices you can realistically afford over a longer period of time.

Thankfully, there are options out there that can give you the kind of service you ought to receive at better prices, making the possibility of an actual working partnership with your dental lab possible once more.

For any additional 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

Whether you are passionate about cosmetic dentistry or just want to keep up to date with exciting developments in the industry, the 2014 BACD Annual conference is the place to be. This year’s Conference will be taking place between Thursday 6^th November and Saturday 8th November at the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool, alongside the famous Mersey riverfront, and close to Tate Liverpool.

The focus of this year’s Conference is “Life LIKE aesthetics”. Those who attended last year’s BACD Conference may recall the theme was “Evolution of the smile” and this theme is echoed on Friday 7^th November this year in one of the many lectures that will be taking place. Presented by Dr. Christian Coachman, his all-day lecture “The smile designer: a new speciality beyond conventional dentistry” will explore the exciting new concept of Digital Smile Design which has been developed by Dr. Coachman.

Communication is a vital part of life and something we spend a lot of time doing, both with and without words. Non-verbal communication is all around us in gestures, body movement and of course, facial expressions.[1] Our expressions are an important way of communicating emotions and how we may relate to others. A baby’s first smile can produce tears of parental joy, while throughout our lives a smile can mean many different things.

Dr. Coachman, well known for his work in digital smile design, feels “there are not many things in life more important than a healthy natural, confident and beautiful smile!” As a dentist, dental technician and lecturer, Dr Coachman advocates a new and “more humanistic, emotional and artistic” face of dentistry. His approach is based not only on planning and design, but on improved communications between both specialists, and specialists and patients.

After graduating in dental technology in 1995, and then in Dentistry in 2002 at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, Dr Coachman has worked internationally. This year he will be travelling globally to destinations ranging from Russia to Japan, delivering lectures and courses on Digital Smile Design. Dr Coachman has described the DSD concept as -

“The concept aims to assist the dentist in three aspects. To improve the aesthetic planning and smile design, to improve communication between specialists involved and to also improve communication with the patient, increasing their participation on the designing process of their own smile design, motivating and educating them about the benefits of the treatment and increasing the case acceptance”.

Acknowledging that patients want smiles that not only integrate physically but are “also in harmony with their emotional aspects” the DSD concept harnesses technology readily available in most practices. It also brings together the various specialists involved to ensure the best aesthetic result.

Using digital photography and video, the patient’s face is analysed with a view to ascertaining the “ideal smile”. A presentation is then prepared using software (Keynote for Mac or Powerpoint for PC) enabling practitioners to work together and with the patient. Dr. Coachman observes: “The fundamental question is: what the patient wants to express with their smile? We can create different smile designs, each one with a specific character. The key is in discovering what is the design that will harmonize with the morphopsychological aspects of the patient.” Once the ideal smile has been agreed, a wax-up is produced to aid the design process prior to treatment.

Teamwork in all walks of life is important and for the dental team this is especially so. Indeed, the General Dental Council 2013 Standards for the Dental Team says professionals must “Work effectively with your colleagues and contribute to good teamwork.” Dr Coachman’s DSD techniques recognise the importance of both teamwork and an interdisciplinary approach between both professionals and the professional-patient relationship – an approach which he considers can help to produce a result meeting the patient’s needs as well as their emotional and aesthetic requirements.

If you would like to join this fascinating one-day lecture on Digital Smile Design, you can register and book a place by going to the BACD’s website at www.bacd.com.  Dr. Coachman says:

“I am looking forward to attending the BACD Annual Conference and the opportunity to share my ideas and concepts. My all-day lecture on the Digital Smile Design process will show how we can move beyond conventional dentistry by not only improving the aesthetic planning of smile design, but in improving communication between specialists and patients too, resulting in better case management.” 

The BACD Annual Conference is a great way to meet like-minded professionals, keep up-to-date, hear lectures presented by notable speakers, enjoy hands-on sessions and discover information about developments in the profession. Make sure you put the BACD dates in your diary and come along and participate on the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th November 2014. 

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.bacdconference.co.uk

Lifecycle marketing is a tried and tested concept for small businesses and, these principles must be applied in dentistry to attract new patients and to encourage them to keep coming back.

US marketing giant Infusionsoft has already demonstrated a huge rise in revenue when lifecycle marketing is implemented effectively, with some business reporting a 400% increase![i]

The team at 7connections understand this and have recently partnered with Infusionsoft to offer even more effective support to practices around the UK.

Together, they can help you organise, plan, implement and analyse your marketing strategy to ensure that you use the most effective tools for your business, without huge further expense. With a tracking system to measure your return on investment, you will even be able to measure and monitor your progress as you grow.

Take advantage of lifecycle marketing the easy way, with 7connections and Infusionsoft.

Quote code LC14 and book your free marketing review with 7connections today!

For more information about 7connections or the new partnership with Infusionsoft, call 01647 478145 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Alternatively, please visit the new website www.7connections.com

The Dental Directory would like to congratulate Sterling Dental College on its successful opening this May. Many esteemed professionals, colleagues and friends attended the inaugural opening evening, showing their support of the College, its aspirations and its philosophy.

As a platform for quality dental education, with a high emphasis on charity, Sterling Dental College is dedicated to enhancing the learning opportunities available to local and international communities. The College in Southall will offer an array of postgraduate training courses covering everything from endodontics to periodontics and aesthetics. It also aims to increase access to CPD activities for dentists and DCPs, providing courses in the core topics as well. All course content will be highly structured and accredited by BPP University and COLDS, so that students both from the UK and abroad can achieve qualifications recognised and managed by British standards and regulations.

Ensuring only the highest calibre of education is provided, a selection of leading speakers and instructors will deliver the programmes. The College also features state-of-the-art facilities, with brand new dental surgeries and training rooms furnished with cutting-edge equipment and a dedicated OPG unit.

The Dental Directory is delighted to have been a part of the founding of Sterling Dental College and pleased to be able to help and support the design process of the now outstanding resources.

Mike Volk, Sales and Marketing Director at The Dental Directory, says:

“With a focus on improving dental education and students’ access to it, this is a great intuitive. For our part, The Dental Directory is thrilled to have been involved with building the new Sterling Dental College, and pleased to have been able to offer the advice and support needed to ensure the best training facility possible.”

Raj Majithia, Education and Clinical Advisor to the Sterling Group, adds:

“The Dental Directory was instrumental in bringing Sterling Dental College to life. Many thanks to the team for all their help and support.”

With over 27,000 products available, The Dental Directory is one of the UK’s largest dental dealers offering everything from consumables to equipment. The highly knowledgeable and experienced team are always on hand to provide any unbiased information or advice you may need, continuing their commitment to the dental profession.

The Independently Verified Best Priced Dealer!

For more information, contact The Dental Directory on

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

3M ESPE has been named the ‘Most Innovative’ company in the global dental industry by The Anaheim Group, distributor of Dental Fax Weekly, for the ninth consecutive year.

The recognition was published in the 2013 Dental Industry review and was based on new product approvals and international patents – of which 3M ESPE achieved 63 in 2013.

In addition to new product clearances and patents, the review highlighted several products introduced by 3M ESPE in 2013, including Sof-Lex Spiral finishing and polishing wheels, Imprint 4 VPS impression material and a software update for the 3M true definition scanner.

To find out what solutions from the industry recognised ‘most innovative’ company in dentistry could support your practice, contact 3M ESPE today.

For more information, call 0845 602 5094 or visit www.3Mespe.co.uk

3M ESPE, Sof-Lex and Imprint 4 are trademarks of the 3M Company.

On Sunday 14^th April I ran the London marathon. Covering the miles, it occurred to me that a marathon is about more than just running– it’s about practise, training, perseverance, and pacing yourself to avoid burning out. In fact, it’s a bit like dentistry.

Recently, I feel that there are an increasing number of young dentists who have stopped seeing dentistry as a profession. They see it as a short term fix with a quick sprint for cosmetic treatment rather than a slow life long career full of learning, growth and development. Dentistry is a long-distance profession, and while it may be painful, with little gratification along the way, when you get to the finish line, it is certainly worth it.

Today, graduates sprinting for the ‘smile’ clinics and cosmetic centres are really going into the beauty industry rather than traditional dentistry, but without a general practice foundation and experience they can miss out. By contrast, because I was not allowed to undertake my Masters course until I’d completed five years in general practice, I saw a bit of everything and learnt more about dentistry and people in those five years than in any other training I’ve ever had.

In the past, there was pride in the profession, a sense of duty and a desire to serve your patients. What I see now is graduates sprinting for the spas and cosmetic centres, who are more interested in facial fillers rather than dental fillings. This rush not only to get rich quick, but to exit the NHS as quickly as possible, is a bit like entering a race without being properly prepared

Like a marathon, dentistry is very much a personal journey and doesn’t need to be competitive. It’s about being proud of what you’ve done and do, competing with yourself to advance your knowledge. It's also important to preserve a sense of balance and the realisation that this great profession is for the long term – not just for the time it takes to get out in front – can help to achieve this.

I feel the profession is up against many obstacles, one of which is that we no longer feel trusted, feeling the need to ‘look over our shoulder’ all the time, being dragged down to the ‘lowest common denominator’ by the mounting rules and regulations. I’m sure 99% of the profession want to do what’s best for the patient, but because of cuts to NHS funding, monies are limited and in the NHS life-saving procedures are likely to take priority over dentistry.  Nevertheless, teeth for the rich and dentures for the poor is not a choice that should have to be made.

Despite all this, dentistry is a great career. It is a privilege to help people, relieve pain, and make them feel good about themselves. It is also the result of a lifetime of learning, not only about teeth but about people. As professionals we can build real relationships – it may be a marathon, but it’s one worth running.

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.

People are living longer. The Office for National Statistics[1] recorded that the most common age at death in England and Wales in 2010, was 85 for men and 89 for women. Between 1960 and 2010 lifespan increased by an average of eight years (female) and 10 years (male) and the number of those reaching 100+ years is increasing too. While the population has been slowly living longer, technology has been simultaneously developing quickly.

The use of CAD/CAM technology for dentistry began in the 1970s with Dr. Francois Duret who considered how technology from other industries could be adapted for use in dentistry. From there it has progressed to the integrated systems on offer today, allowing scanning, design and milling chairside, with restoration work all being performed in practice if desired. But what is the connection between dental CAD/CAM and the increase in national longevity?

Increased longevity means an ageing population. There were ten million people over the age of 65 in 2010, with a projected 19 million by 2050[2]. NHS spending on health provision for the retired is nearly double that for non-retired[3] and the dental needs of older people will continue to rise. The older generation – sometimes referred to as the ‘heavy metal generation’ - now retain more teeth and wish to keep them[4]. McHarg J. and  Kay, E.J[5]. point out that :

“Those who were middle aged in 1978, with heavily restored mouths, will have become elderly. Unlike in previous generations, the teeth are likely to be retained, albeit in a compromised state of advanced restoration, due to the restorative cycle the teeth have been involved in for the previous 40 years”.

They go on to highlight that we “face an ever growing number of very elderly people with complex oral health needs”.

In a review of dental CAD/CAM, Miyazaki, T. et al[6] of the Showa University School of Dentistry in Japan note that, with an increasingly ageing society, the continued development of technology will impact on dental services. This is in terms of the quality of life, maintenance of oral function and good quality dental treatment of older people, which CAD/CAM technology can contribute to.

The contribution that CAD/CAM currently makes to workflow and treatment times and methods is already considerable, with some restorations being completed in a single appointment. A scan is first carried out to provide digital images for the design process. This can be either via a scan of the analogue impression or alternatively, an intraoral scanner. The latter can be used to send images direct from the patient’s mouth avoiding the need for analogue impressions (much to the relief of some patients!). Once scans are sent to the imaging system the information is converted into a digital three-dimensional model from which the design process can then take place.

This digital workflow from scan to three-dimensional design removes the need for temporary prosthesis and can enable all the work to be completed rapidly. Using the dedicated software to undertake the process, a precision design can be worked out and implemented, often with the option to customize where needed.

CAD/CAM systems can also offer an integrated connectivity between all components. Once the process is complete, the files are sent to either the integrated milling machine where a crown can be produced, or to a laboratory of choice. Choosing to mill in-house provides the option to complete the restoration process in one appointment, offering both patient and dentist valuable time-saving benefits and an enhanced and technologically-driven service for the patient.

Miyazaki, et al[7] also looked at the advantages of using CAD/CAM technology. They number amongst these the reduction of labour involved in contrast to conventional laboratory production, the reduction in cost when milling from a pre-fabricated porcelain block as opposed to the laboratory process, quality control benefits, and  being able to follow up saved data which can assist with the restoration prognosis.

The potential benefits offered to a practice by a fully-integrated CAD/CAM system are considerable, but making changes can sometimes be daunting. Being informed and supported can make a difference and one such company who offers CAD/CAM systems together with accessible training and support, is Carestream Dental.  Its range of solutions can be bought separately or as a package in CS Solutions and include the CS 3500 intraoral scanner, CS 9300 and CS 9000 3D CBCT systems, CS Restore software and the CS 3000 milling machine, enabling single tooth restoration in as little as an hour. Carestream Dental also supplies CS R4 practice management software which combines the management of clinical notes, care pathways, baseline charts and more, for enhanced service, functionality and productivity of your practice.

A popular quote points out that “Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional”[8]. Dental practices face the challenge of growing up and moving on in today’s fast moving technological environment. The fact that patients may be growing older simultaneously should not be a barrier but a motivation, to ensure that the dental services on offer grow with them efficiently.

For more information on CS Solutions or bespoke advice on CAD/CAM technologies, please call the experts at Carestream Dental

on 0800 169 9692 or visit www.carestreamdental.com

The new Product Guide Update

The Dental Directory is launching a brand new mini Product Guide Update. Packed inside its 384 pages you will find over 6,800 essential dental products – a comprehensive range of the most widely used products required by today’s modern dental practice. You’ll find innovative new products from leading brands, plus high quality own-label alternatives on a wide range of consumables, instruments and materials.

As comprehensive as this Product Guide is, there are limits to the number of products that can be featured. Our massive stock holding includes over 27,000 lines, so if you can not find what you need within the Product Guide, please call us free on 0800 585 586 or visit www.dental-directory.co.uk.

With the expertise of our knowledgeable customer service team for assistance, we offer brands you can trust at the best possible value every time. Register online today to receive our newsletter and promotions straight to your inbox.

The Independently Verified Best Priced Dealer!

For more information, contact The Dental Directory on

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

You may already know that The Dental Directory offers 27,000 top quality dental products at amazing prices. But now we have a series of ‘not to be missed’ 5-day promotions running until the end of July.

You will have access to an array of exclusive discounts on top selling and trusted products and equipment. Just sign up for our newsletter, send us your email address and we will make sure you don’t miss out on any of these fantastic promotions.

Ordering online is so easy and convenient – order whenever it suits you and enjoy free delivery and no minimum order value.

For fast and convenient access to great deals on brands you can rely on, look no further than The Dental Directory.

The Independently Verified Best Priced Dealer!

For more information, contact The Dental Directory on

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

There are around 800,000 people currently suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in the UK[i], which cost the UK £23 billion in 2012 for their care[ii]. A new study has found that patients with poor oral hygiene could be putting themselves at risk of developing the disease later in life. Providing your patients with advice on how to look after their own oral hygiene could potentially help lessen this risk.

Researchers from The University of Central Lancashire School of Medicine and Dentistry discovered a link between the disease and poor oral hygiene. During the study brain samples of ten patients without dementia and ten patients suffering from dementia were examined. The academics discovered the presence of products from Porphyromonas gingivalis in the samples donated by the dementia sufferers.

P. gingivalis, as it is more commonly known, is a bacterium found in the oral cavity and linked to certain forms of periodontal diseases. These bacteria enter the bloodstream when patients eat, chew and brush their teeth on a daily basis, and following invasive dental treatment. After entering the bloodstream these bacteria then potentially enter the brain on a regular basis.

Following the discovery of P. gingivalis in the brain samples, the research suggests that every time these bacteria reach the brain they trigger an immune system response by already primed brain cells, causing them to release more chemicals that kill neurons. These changes in the brain, which are typical of Alzheimer’s disease, could be responsible for causing symptoms such as confusion and deteriorating memory[iii].

P. gingivalis also causes inflammation of the periodontium, leading to periodontal diseases. Periodontis is a common, progressive disease that affects the supporting structures of the teeth, which can cause loss of attachment to the bone and, of course, tooth loss. It has been shown that having excellent oral hygiene means periodontis can be prevented. A study to detect P. gingivalis on individuals with periodontis and those without, found that patients with periodontis were 112 times more likely to have the bacteria present[iv]. This study highlights the importance of oral hygiene, as it prevents periodontis from developing and P. gingivalis from being detected. In turn this means the bacteria cannot enter the bloodstream and into the brain, which research suggests, reduces the risk of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

There are many products that you can recommend your patients use to keep their mouths healthy and free from periodontal diseases and P. gingivalis. Products, which can be used easily by a patient at home, include interdental brushes, toothbrushes, toothpastes and mouthwashes.

Patients of all ages should obviously be encouraged to brush their teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque and food debris from interdental spaces. It is recommended that patients should spend two minutes brushing their teeth and that a toothbrush should be changed every three months. Older patients who may not have the dexterity to use a toothbrush or dental floss effectively should be encouraged to add an antiseptic mouthwash into their daily routine. This enables older patients to remove food debris efficiently and reduce bacteria in the mouth, helping to prevent the onset of periodontal diseases.

In addition, older patients are more likely to be at risk of xerostomia, which seriously increases the risk of dental disease. Mouthwashes that contain alcohol as a key ingredient are unsuitable for patients suffering from a dry or sensitive mouth, as alcohol can irritate oral tissues. For these patients a Chlorhexidine (CHX)-based mouthwash would be more appropriate as these mouthwashes are more effective at controlling bleeding, inflammation and sub-gingival plaque than other products.

However, patients using CHX-based products have reported side effects such as altered taste perception and staining of the teeth, gums and tongue. To combat these side effects, oral healthcare experts have worked extensively to create a more suitable mouthwash. One leading oral healthcare expert, Curaprox, created a mouthwash which is free of alcohol, free of foaming agent SLS and doesn’t come with any of the possible side effects that patients usually experience with CHX-based products. Their ‘gold standard’ Curasept ADS® range includes an alcohol-free mouthwash as well as SLS-free toothpastes and gels.

The Alzheimer’s Society supports the theory that good oral hygiene could help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s in the future, but believes more research is needed into the area. The Society recommends that one of the best ways to reduce the risk of dementia is to lead a healthy lifestyle. This means eating a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and oily fish, enjoying regular exercise and not smoking[1].

As a dental professional, encouraging your patients to care for their oral health at home should be part of every day practise. But given the findings of the research, encouraging patients to care for their oral health should become even more prevalent if it can potentially reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.

For more information, please call 01480 862084, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.curaprox.co.uk

Periodontal assessments are an important part of the work of a dental hygienist. This is because all we do is based on thorough assessment, and nothing can be done without one. But while the protocols and processes for a periodontal assessment have been well established for many years now, this is not to say there is not room for improvement in the way we conduct our exams. The latest technological advances have, for example, played a major part in enhancing the care we can provide to patients in other areas of our practise, so why not periodontal exams as well?

One particular development of note in this area has been The Florida Probe – an all-inclusive computerised probing and charting system. Once you’ve mastered this simple and highly effective system, a periodontal exam can be completed in less than 10 minutes, while the innovative software is invaluable in helping to educate and motivate patients to accept the treatment they need.

The system

The Florida Probe system offers a number of advantages including the fact that only one person is needed to conduct the exam – you don’t need an assistant to be tracking for you. It also provides invaluable documentation of every patient assessed, and settings can be customised to meet the requirements of each particular case.

At the heart of the system are two key components: the handpiece and the software. The handpiece consists of a spring-loaded calibrated probe that exerts a consistent 15g of pressure. This ensures that the evaluation is uniform throughout the mouth, and helps to prevent cases of under- or over-probing. The handpiece also includes an override button for instances where you need to use your tactile perception to overcome barriers inside a periodontal pocket. This is also useful for where you need to feel for the curvatures of the root, subgingival calculus, or the general morphology of the tooth.

Readings are recorded automatically at the press of the footswitch, and you can choose to set the system to read each result out for the patient’s benefit as well as your own. Results are then displayed on the colour-coded display with different colours and markings to show recession, pocket depths, borderline areas and bone loss. The software also has a bleeding and suppuration section, which is a particularly useful tool for showing patients their level of disease activity.

Educating patients

All dental professionals will understand the importance of patient education. However as a profession it is often the case that we focus too much on informing patients about their results, as opposed to actually engaging them with their oral health. Periodontal exams are an excellent example of this. Conventional periodontal charts will generally take the form of a graph, that (let’s be honest) means absolutely nothing to patients – they see numbers and lines, but these things mean nothing to them.

It’s in areas such as this where technology really can enhance the quality of care we can provide. By tracking results visit-on-visit patients can see for themselves the progress they’ve made, via visual indicators and ‘scores’ that the system can read out. Bleeding scores especially are a good way to track progress. While we are of course hoping to achieve pocket reduction, our focus should be a reduction in bleeding. For patients, a reduction in bleeding means we are ‘winning’ with the treatment. This is where technology really shines over conducting exams by ‘traditional’ methods. The Florida Probe is particularly useful in this regard as it supports you in your efforts to motivate and engage patients with their oral health. If patients can see their scores coming down each time you know that your patient is ‘on board’ with you, and your treatment is more likely to end in a successful long-term outcome for the patient.

Communication is key

As with any piece of technology, an electronic probing and charting tool is only as good as the operator using it. The key then is to really focus on communication and explaining to the patient precisely what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. It is at the point that you can then show patients how you will use technology to assist you in your efforts – to support you with your periodontal exam. In this sense then, The Florida Probe is an excellent means of validation. If patients don’t quite appreciate that they have severe levels of bone loss, to have a computer confirm your assessment takes oral health engagement to a new level.

The future is here

In order to successfully evaluate and treat patients’ periodontal condition, first you need to have the patient ‘on board’. This is just as important as your clinical skills as an engaged and motivated patient is crucial to determining the final outcome of the treatment. With the latest developments in electronic probing and charting we now have a new set of tools to put to use to help us in our day-to-day work. By taking advantage of systems such as The Florida Probe we can chart accurately and efficiently, in less time than ever before. We are also able to draw upon a whole range of audio-visual tools to assist us in our educational mission, to help actively engage patients with their oral health, and so provide a better standard of care as a result.

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

About the author:

Flo Couper is a dental hygienist with over 15 years’ experience. She is a member of the Cherrybank Dental Spa team and Fresh Smile Clinic, Scotland’s first independent dental hygienist clinic. At Fresh Smile Clinic she has was responsible for the launch of the clinic, the day to day running and developing and implementing processes and protocols.  She has also recently set up her own business to provide dedicated coaching and training services to dental teams. You can follow her on Twitter @FCouper.

Beginning any building project comes with a plethora of hurdles and hazards to watch out for. This is especially true for professionals, such as dentists, planning a new practice or renovating an old one. The first question often is: Where do I start? 

It has always been essential that when beginning a building project a dentist should sign a contract with their chosen builder. In the past and up until very recently, the contract of choice would have invariably been a Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT).

This is a well-rehearsed, finely tuned document created for balance and fairness to both the contractor and client. It very clearly encompasses for each party what must be done, by when, by whom and for what price, and as with many contracts the real benefits only come to the forefront if there is a dispute.

A definitive aspect of a JCT is the strict adherence to procedure. A dentist may want the builder to change certain aspects of a project, but what a JCT does is state that there is a clear process of information that must be followed in order to do this. They cannot simply approach the builder themselves but must go through a contract administrator. The dentist can potentially fall foul of the contract if they stray from this course.

Another element of a JCT to be aware of comes toward the end of a project, when seeking documentation of practical completion. This signifies that all the works in the contract have been carried out and that the defects liability period can begin. This can only be achieved once the contract administrator is in receipt of all the certification manuals for the building’s mechanical and electrical infrastructure, thus indicating that the building can now be used for what it was originally designed for.  

This can be a disputable area, as what the builder believes is practically complete could be seen as a matter of perspective. The contract administrator therefore has the right to deny practical completion until issued with all the manuals. This can prove onerous for the dentist, who will be keen to attain his CQC inspection and sign-off, but cannot proceed until in receipt of building regulations and fire certification etc.

Upon practical completion there is a list drawn up of any defects in the building and these must be dealt with within the defect period. This is written into the contract and may be 3 months, 6 months or even a year.

When there is a problem within that period there are 3 categories where the contractor must respond within certain time limits. From ‘emergency’, which must be responded to within 24 hours, to ‘urgent’, to be dealt with within 7 calendar days, and finally ‘non-urgent’ where the contractor has 31 days to take action. Obviously a good contractor will try and do everything as quickly as possible, but they don’t have to under a JCT.

In the past contractors have found themselves at the wrong end of practical completion and defect liability, not receiving their final payment until considerable time after because the client was unhappy with a certain portion of the project. This is in spite of there being a retention clause in a JCT to cover defects.

Recently, however, there was a revision to the construction act that came into force in the latter part of 2013 and included JCTs. The act gives contractors entitlement to be paid their entire application, irrespective of whether the figures are correct or agreed, if they have not received a payment certificate by the date prescribed in the contract.

In other words if nothing was written in the contract about final payment dates, the dentist would have to pay the contractor within a set time. Under a JCT this can be as little as five days after the interim valuation date, and twelve days after practical completion.

What this means is that a smart builder who has a sharp quantity surveyor can make the documentation complicated by adding in figures that weren’t previously there, putting pressure on the client to overpay. A dentist could spend the whole twelve-day period trying to work through the numbers, and end up paying the entirety, even if it’s wrong.

This is where, in more recent circumstances, a JCT may no longer be the most suitable option. A client who chooses to take more time to look through the details of the application would be in opposition to the contract. If this were to go to court, many judges would now uphold the terms of a JCT, making it a pretty powerful weapon against the client.

Thus after many years of JCT contracts seeming to be the strongest option for a dentist beginning a building project, it would now seem to be worth getting a new contract written. Ideally, one that is not under the rules of a JCT and does not include such awkward timing aspects.

Of course, this may incur some additional cost; the dentist would need a solicitor to draw up the new contract, but it could well be a better means of dealing with a project in the future. Certainly there are benefits to the contractor in using a JCT, as it now appears strongly weighted toward them, but it has recently become harder and harder to see the benefits to a client. The best way to ensure the dentist’s needs are suitably met, whilst getting the builder on board is to write a separate contract where arbitration can be agreed.

All in all, there are so many particulars and potential stumbling blocks involved when beginning building work on a profession practice, that it can seem overwhelming from the offset. An architectural design service will be able to help navigate the pitfalls of such an endeavour. Advisers at Roger Gullidge Design are committed to helping dentists achieve the very best results, and dentists will undoubtedly benefit from their experienced guidance.

If you are looking to build or refurbish your practice, clearly consideration needs to be made in selecting the best contract available to you. Working with a specialist really could save you significant time, money and stress.

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

Property – a wise investment

(Part 3)

When it comes to investing in property, having a good team backing you can make all the difference.

There’s more to investing in property than finding the money, clearly. Sometimes just having a mortgage to pay on your own home can be a source of worry, never mind that of additional properties, as well as meeting landlord responsibilities, finding tenants, chasing rent, being available to take a tenant’s calls 24/7 – the list goes on.

To ensure you stay on top of all this ‘red tape’, the best thing you can do is adopt a team approach to share the burden. Some of the extended members your network will need are:

• Letting agent – it is often wise to let someone else manage your property rather than managing it yourself. You can waste a lot of time in the little things required to let a property

• Insurance broker – you will need buildings insurance for any properties you rent out. You can also consider rent guarantee insurance. A company that has specialised knowledge helps, and one that reduces their premiums for multiple properties is a must

• Gas safety checker – it is a legal requirement for any rented property to have an annual gas safety test. (A good tip is to get the details of the company your letting agent uses and approach them directly; you will save the premium the letting agent will add to their bill)

• Various tradespeople – when doing remedial or maintenance work on a property you rent out, you will require tradespeople to carry out the necessary works

• Mentors – why learn the hard way and make your own mistakes and waste money?

Learn from someone who has been there, done it and still does it. You will save a lot of heartache and money

• Surveyors – they will value the property, so you can know the true market value. Then you can make an offer with confidence because you know your numbers. It may be prudent to accompany them when they visit; then you can communicate your criteria and thus avoid any unnecessary marking down of the value of the property

• Property finders – they can do the legwork and find you leads/deals, but you will have to pay them a few thousand pounds.

Dentists new to the idea of investing in property with the aim of accruing additional income are often worried about the implications of making investments. So, the final message is a caveat of sorts. The truth is, of course, that investments can go up or down.

Property investment is not a ‘get rich quick scheme’ but with proven, reliable tools you have an improved chance of success. One element of that is to work with the right team; by combining time, talents and expertise, all of you can benefit from stress-free, money-making property investment.

If you want to know more about making property investment work for you, the Dental Property Club is hosting a three-day ‘Property Advanced Workshop’ on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 September, plus Saturday 18 October 2014, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. This programme is designed to empower delegates with the cutting edge systems, skills and strategies needed for creating an invincible advantage in the professional property game.  You can find out more here: http://bit.ly/1jXKiSO

The content of this article is for information purposes only and should not be relied upon when making financial choices. It is recommended you seek the help of a financial adviser to assess your needs fully before making any decisions and/or making changes.

Soon to commemorate its first year in UK dentistry, Sparkle Dental Labs has already earned a reputation for quality service and commitment to the profession. MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones, will be visiting the laboratory this year to help celebrate its fantastic achievements in such a short space of time.

In addition to already establishing dedicated and highly qualified professional teams in the areas of orthodontics and implants, Sparkle Dental Labs has demonstrated an absolute commitment to education and the provision of quality learning opportunities. While ensuring on-going training of the whole team, the laboratory has also become one of the first in the UK to get involved with the Government’s new Trailblazer Apprenticeship Scheme.

Trailblazer Scheme – New Opportunities

Designed to initiate the improvement and development of apprenticeships in 29 different sectors, the project is focused on creating new opportunities both for the public and UK organisations. Particularly beneficial to those less suited to academic learning, the programme will provide a fantastic option for people to gain new practical skills and qualifications, while earning at the same time.

As 47% of graduates are thought to find employment in non-graduate jobs in the first six months[i], the apprenticeship scheme will also offer an effective option for young people looking for employment and a promising new career.

Employer-led, the Trailblazer initiative will offer a wealth of advantages for companies who take part as well. Not only will apprentices become experienced and highly skilled employees on completion of their training, but it has been statically proven that apprenticeships increase productivity[ii] and reduce staff turnover[iii]. Increased loyalty and a better understanding of the company and its ethics all contribute to a more reliable and happy workforce, encouraging stable and highly efficient productivity for increased profits.

Strengthening the dental lab industry

With hundreds of dental technicians believed to be leaving the UK profession each year, concern is growing over the amount of work sent overseas. This Trailblazer Apprenticeship Scheme is a fantastic initiative to train new professionals in the sector, strengthening the industry once again, and Sparkle Dental Labs is keen to help lead the way.

For any additional 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

The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) is offering a limited opportunity for 12 dental professionals to participate in their Diploma in Advanced Dental Implantology. Developed by a team of internationally renowned clinicians including  the likes of Patrick Palacci, Jonathan Parkinson, Paulo Malo, Nikhil Sisodia, Joe Bhat and Rishi Patel and more, the highly anticipated programme for the Diploma in Advanced Dental Implantology will commence this September in London.

The course will challenge participants to reflect on and record the decision-making process required to ensure optimal chances of success in complex cases, and will be supported by worldwide leading dental product supplier Nobel Biocare.

Delivered by the prestigious RCS, course participants can also expect state-of-the-art training facilities and first-class tuition from truly inspirational professionals in advanced centres in the UK, Lisbon and Marseille.

To find out whether you have sufficient experience and skill to apply for the course, visit www.rcseng.ac.uk/fds/courses. With limited availability for such a fantastic opportunity, places will be allocated by competitive entry.

For enquiries or applications, please contact the FDS Education department at the RCS on 020 7869 6815/6814/6813 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information on Nobel Biocare please call 0208 756 3300 or visit www.nobelbiocare.com

Sparkle Dental Labs is delighted to be celebrating its first year in the UK dental industry.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough will be attending an event in June to congratulate the team and help them celebrate 12 months of success.

In its first year, Sparkle Dental Labs has already established dedicated and highly experienced teams for both orthodontic and implant work, ensuring outstanding standards for all products crafted.

The laboratory has also fully embraced the Government’s innovative Trailblazers Apprenticeship Scheme, demonstrating its total commitment to first-class education and training and the creation of new learning opportunities throughout the UK.

To find out more or to discover how you could benefit from working with a laboratory so devoted to dentistry and education, contact Sparkle Dental Labs today.

For any additional 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

The key to successful property investment is to approach it in the same way as the professionals. Here, we present an overview of what this means in practical terms.

A recent report, published by the Economic Voice, suggests that the UK is one of the cheapest places for property investment¹. Nonetheless, this alone does not provide the recipe for success. You need to choose your property carefully and have a savvy approach when it comes to your financials.

Nobody knows this market better than those who deal in property on a full-time basis, so what might they know that we, as yet, don’t?

Let’s consider, first, sellers’ motivation; fundamental to success is acquiring property below market value. For the most part, successful investors will consider who is selling the property, not just the property itself. So, who do you want to buy from? Well, certainly not someone who is comfortable and has the time and money to wait for what they consider to be the ‘right’ offer.

We’re looking for someone in financial straits. Perhaps they’ve missed a few mortgage payments and their credit is on the line. Maybe they are getting divorced and need to split the proceeds quickly. What these types of seller have in common is that they are open to an offer below market value. Come in low (but not insultingly so), and see where it takes you; don’t be shy to negotiate. Essentially, you are looking for a win-win situation, for example to help sellers avoid repossession, which can affect their financial standing for years to come, and for you to get a good deal. Always consider what the sellers want from their situation and see if your requirements tally.

Also consider how you are going to finance these properties. The professionals know that there is more than one route for this, so let’s consider four of the simplest options:

• Apply for a buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage where, for example, you would put in 25% of the purchase price and the lender would loan you the remaining 75%

• Cash purchase is where you – the investor – pay the entire price up front

• Partial private investor input – a private investor would, for example, pay the 25% deposit (£25K) and the remaining 75% (£75K) comes from a mortgage lender

• Total private investor input, whereby you get all of the money from a private investor, so to complete a cash purchase they would lend you the entire purchase price.

The critical element is not how you finance the deal, but how quickly you can recycle your money to start the whole process again. No matter how much capital you have, you will eventually run out of money. If you use a combination of funds from private investors and advanced strategies that enable you to withdraw all your money after six to nine months, you are free to go on to another deal.

Always remember, property is a long-term investment; you’re not going to make money overnight. However, if you have the wherewithal to invest in the future, you may well be setting the scene for your financial freedom.

Please keep an eye out for Part 3 in this series, which will consider the benefits of a good team approach.

Reference

1. http://www.economicvoice.com/uk-is-one-of-the-cheapest-countries-to-invest-in-residential-property/. Accessed 19 May 2014

If you want to know more about making property investment work for you, the Dental Property Club is hosting a three-day ‘Property Advanced Workshop’ on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 September, plus Saturday 18 October 2014, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. This programme is designed to empower delegates with the cutting edge systems, skills and strategies needed for creating an invincible advantage in the professional property game.  You can find out more here: http://bit.ly/1jXKiSO

The content of this article is for information purposes only and should not be relied upon when making financial choices. It is recommended you seek the help of a financial adviser to assess your needs fully before making any decisions and/or making changes.

Forgive him, he’s an idiot.
Well, it’s been a wee bit longer a break than anticipated. I had intended to give you all a break from my depression over the Christmas period as, let’s face it, Christmas can be depressing enough on its own! I then felt that January wasn’t a particularly cheery month due to

a) the weather
b) the Christmas bills shock
c) tax bills

So I figured I’d leave things a bit longer. Of course, life then intrudes and so here we are nearly half way through the year.

My last blog had seen me arrange the first counselling session. I can’t really say much about that session, apart from it involved a large quantity of tissues, several glasses of water, and a short episode of hyperventilation. I seem to recall some questions over whether I felt I was a risk to myself or others, but as these were asked at a number of the sessions I’m not entirely sure. What I CAN say is that I felt a billion times better when I left the office than when I arrived.

With the benefit of hindsight, I know that this vastly improved mood was both transient and conniving, unfortunately at the time I felt that – having taken that sizeable first step in seeking help – everything would just be OK soon enough. WRONG!

Yes, my mood had lifted. Yes, I wasn’t crying as much. Yes, I thought I could get back to working as normal. Yes, I thought I was “better”.

Yes, I’m an idiot and was nowhere near better, but that’s the fragile balance of ego & id for you!

The following day at work I was cheery, chatty and pleasant. Some of the staff joked a bit about my finally getting out of the right side of the bed, or of wanting “some of whatever you’re on”, but I just ignored them and got on with my day. I had a pleasant weekend with my wife, relaxed, watched some TV. In other words I behaved normally. This, I now know, was the problem. I was BEHAVING normally, not actually being normal.

This pattern continued through the next week at work, although I would often feel panicky on the way to work and my mood would darken by the end of each day, and often sooner if problems arose. We aren’t talking major problems here, just late arrivals, delayed lab work, snotty patients, etc. Our usual daily niggles frankly.

The next counselling session came about, and I was stunned by how quickly I broke down again in the office. It didn’t occur to me during that week that I was just putting on a show for everyone around me, until the therapist metaphorically whipped back the curtain and popped the spotlight straight on me. Right on cue, I sobbed my heart out.

My therapist was concerned about my having continued to work without at least easing back on the hours or workload, and was clear that my arguments about NHS contracts and targets were all well & good, but were a contributing factor in my stress and depression. It was clear that I still had a long path ahead.
 

The recent BDIA Tech Show was a new venture for the Association, run in partnership with the Dental Technologists Association (DTA).

Hundreds of technicians, laboratory owners and CDTs sampled the unique mixture of over sixty live demonstrations and talks, hands on master classes, a trade exhibition and lectures from world class speakers at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena on 16-17 May 2014.

Tech Show offered arguably the widest scope of any technician facing event in the UK for many years and Edmund Proffitt, BDIA Policy and Public Affairs Director, commented, “Our Tech Demo Zones proved extremely popular, giving technicians a chance to get up close and personal to the demos, providing visitors with a real feeling of involvement”. 

Tech Show’s key note lectures and master classes were delivered by Dr John Besford and Ruth Bourke on the first day, themed around advances in prosthetics and Dr Christian Coachman started off the second day which focussed on advances in restorative dentistry.

Mike McGlynn, DTA President, stated, “We were delighted to be part of Tech Show which offered so many fascinating and insightful sessions to visitors, combined with the opportunity to meet their favourite suppliers, watch the product demonstrations and learn about many new products and systems”.

Tech Show exhibitors took full advantage of this unique event with a range of new product launches and an impressive array of stands and product displays, including the milling, digital printing and imaging technologies that are revolutionising and changing the face of laboratory work.

Technicians attending the show gave positive feedback on the day and Tony Reed, BDIA Executive Director, commented, “Tech Show indicates that there are clear distinctions between what different members of the dental team want and require from dental shows. Our Tech Show experience demonstrated that technicians are interested in close-up, practical demonstrations with interactive activities and hands-on involvement”.

BDIA Tech Show took place in the Jaguar Hall, Ricoh Arena, Coventry on 16 & 17 May 2014. 

The latest indication on likely interest rate movements from George Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, should reassure both dentists looking to buy a practice and those seeking to sell. The Governor has indicated that rates are unlikely to rise much before 2017 and even then not above 2 per cent – lower than before the 2008 banking crisis.

Dentists borrowing money to purchase a practice usually have their interest rate linked to the Bank of England base rate, which is currently an historically low 0.5 per cent. So what difference would a 1.5 per cent rate rise make to the average borrower? A dentist borrowing £300,000 over a 20-year period might typically expect to pay finance costs of approximately £21,100pa, based on a lending rate of 3 per cent above the Bank of England base rate of 0.5 per cent. A 1.5 per cent rise in the base rate would increase their finance costs to approximately £23,000pa. Is this enough to put off prospective buyers? Probably not.

Practice owners should likewise be reassured that demand won’t be affected by a lack of finance-ready buyers should they decide to sell.

Martyn Bradshaw, an independent financial adviser and director of PFM Dental, says: "Most likely the knock-on effect of interest rate rises on the practice sales market will be minimal."

For more information contact pfmdental on 0845 241 4480 or visit www.pfmdental.co.uk

This year’s Essex Dentist Ball will be held on 28^th June in the stunning location of Hylands House, arranged by Pure Orthodontics of Chelmsford in partnership with the BDA Benevolent Fund. The prestigious black tie evening will provide entertainment all night with a raffle and auction, while raising money for a fantastic cause.

All funds from the event will be donated to the BDA Benevolent Fund, enabling the charity to continue its invaluable work with dentists in times of need.

The Fund provides financial support, with one-off and monthly grants to help pay living expenses to dentists and their families.  Whether professionals have fallen on hard times due to bereavement, illness or other unforeseeable events, the Benevolent Fund is there to offer hope when there’s no one else to turn to.

To get involved and show your support for the BDA Benevolent Fund and colleagues in need, book you place at the Essex Dentist Ball 2014 today.

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

Following on from the success of last year’s incredible fundraising event, Straumann UK are proud to announce the second intercontinental Straumann Charity Bike Ride.

Commencing on Tuesday 2nd September from Milan, Italy the ride will finish at Straumann Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland on Saturday 6th September. Headed by Managing Director, Stephen Booth and consisting of several members of the Straumann UK team, alongside some very loyal customers, the group will be taking in the cultural sights of Austria, Liechtenstein and Germany during the 5-day journey.

With the Charity Bike Ride including one of the most iconic routes through the Stelvio Pass - 2757m (9045 feet), our dedicated cyclists will be travelling on the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, which is a definitive test of mental and physical strength and endurance!

The goal is for each person taking part to raise a minimum of £1000 in sponsorship money and Straumann are ultimately aiming to raise over £30,000 for the chosen charities, Bridge2Aid and the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA).

For more information or to give a donation visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/teamstraumann14

Welcome back from the long weekend, now just a few weeks to run and you can all zip off to the sun again  

Monday  was perhaps the new Independence Day, as the Euro results poured in. I worry that this word 'Independence' is being politically hijacked

So:   Are you independent of mind and decision? Really?  Truly?

The EU elections this weekend have thrown three major GDPUK topics into a shaft of light.

Those of you who gaze from a distance at the sheer energy of some of our more vocal members will have notice three threads of great length. One touching on that supposedly untouchable subject, matters of belief and faith, while another has been exploring the issue of the Scottish vote on Independence due to take place later this year. 

Combined with the now famous histrionics of the orthodontic thread, you would be forgiven for having pressed the ‘snooze’ button.

So wake up at the back.   I want you to answer a question for yourself.  What does being independent mean to you?

Mr Farage is celebrating scoring some points in what is normally a three horse race, by arguing for the UK’s independence, and arguing against the £12Bn net spend to the EU every year.

As dentists, we pride ourselves on being independent – in practice, in thought and in action.

Ask 10 dentists a question to which the answer is Yes or No and you will get 20 different answers.

But are we independent? Really? Truly?  Where is the fine line between that and bloody mindedness?

If you practice under Government funding in any of the 4 parts of the UK, do you really feel independent? Or are you reluctantly beholden to how someone else wants you to help and practice dentistry for your patients against your better instinct??

If you are in private practice, are you one of those for whom the next big case is always the one to clear the overdraft?  Therefore you are always on the lookout for some poor soul to benefit from your great skills? Or perhaps you feel you cannot practice good dentistry because of a limited private capitation funding stream not of your making?

We even have this long abused concept of Independent Practice, as though “Private Practice” could be rude and insulting perhaps?  Will the BDA rinse that off for the next batch of unknown NHS England contract changes, I wonder?

Perhaps independence of thought and action is actually impossible without feeling pressurised or being selfish.

Cooperation over independence?

What dentists are masters at is cooperative action.  We run or work within highly efficient micro businesses and at a moments notice we can adapt and cooperate with whomsoever requires our skills and time.  The CQC roll into town – we change and adapt.  A patient arrives – we change and adapt.  New staff requirements develop - we change and adapt.

Long may this be the case because with EU and Scotland and a General Election, the next 18 months are going to be interesting.

That old French phrase has come to life.  Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Strangely while everything around you seems to be up in the air, it takes a very strong sense of independent spirit to simply wind the windows shut and focus on your patient needs with one hand while with the other you change and adapt

So that’s why four-handed dentists have developed !!

May your June be flaming. Ta-rah for now, fellow enamel warriors

If you are a leader in your field with a special interest in:

• the benefits of zinc and chlorhexidine in combating VSCs
• advocating the use and benefits of a product that can relieve halitosis
• participating in peer group opinion, debates and ideas development
• commenting  and supporting halitosis management products in publications and at events

Then you can join CB12 in championing the management of halitosis.

To talk about this exciting opportunity and for more information please contact Neil Lawrence by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This week marks the official start of National Smile Month – 31 days of campaigning by the British Dental Health Foundation, to promote oral health across the country.

This year we are delighted to be officially partnering with the BDHF, launching our first annual National Bridge2Aid Day – Smile in Pink for Bridge2Aid on 6th June.

This will be a fantastically fun event for dental practices up and down the country to take part in, and it’s very simple - just wear pink and host a collection box on the day to help raise money for our work in East Africa.  In addition, practices will be learning about and promoting to patients, the challenges of the lack of access to simple basic emergency dentistry for most of the world.

The sad thing is that oral health education and indeed even emergency dentistry are low on the list of priorities when it comes to health care in developing countries.  This is further compounded by most countries choosing to use the little money they do have for oral health on traditional approaches is of employing a very small number of fully trained dentists along with complex equipment and expensive materials. This makes even simple treatment inaccessible to the vast majority of the population. 

In response to this, WHO launched in 2004 the Basic Package of Oral Care.  This was intended to be a community based approach to oral health which would replace the traditional western model and focus on affordable, community based delivery of basic treatment and education.

The global health community is becoming increasingly aware that oral health education is extremely important.  As well as dental caries being the number one disease of the 261 identified conditions global  there are more and more links emerging between poor oral health and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Unless we root out the causes of poor oral health and the subsequent prevalence of pain which results (which is what we get mostly involved in) then the problem will always persist.  This is why upstream interventions to teach people about oral health and get them cutting out things like sugary soft drinks and brushing regularly with fluoride toothpaste are so important.

However, if we focus solely on oral health education then this ignores the millions of people that are already in pain.  In my generation, and probably the one to come, we will not be able to see a dentally qualified person available and located within the vicinity of most people living in the developing world.  This means that for the next 100 years or so these people face a life of pain without the hope of treatment - unless we do something different.  This is why our approach to training local health workers in basic emergency dental skills is so important.

Of course it is not an either/or situation.  What we want to do at Bridge2Aid is not only to treat people through the free training clinics that we offer on our training sites, and train local health workers, but we also want to educate.  Recently we ran an interesting pilot where free toothpaste and toothbrushes were distributed during our training programmes to around 1000 patients. Our aim, and that of the sponsor, was that in being relieved of their pain and then given an education message as well as the tools and understanding of how to use them, people could prevent future problems by establishing good brushing habits with affordable fluoride toothpaste. The combination of treatment with education is key - distributing free product without a context is in my opinion not effective. Sadly that partnership is not continuing, but we are hopeful of finding partners in the future to help us build a rounded upstream and downstream strategy that tackles the pain people are currently in, provides a sustainable access to ongoing pain relief, and also educates people on how to prevent dental problems in the future.

We are very proud this week to be officially partnering with the BDHF – a fantastic organisation who work hard all year round to promote awareness of good oral health and its importance in people’s lives.  Smile in Pink will hopefully be a fantastic fun day for everybody who takes part, I will certainly be donning my pink t-shirt in Tanzania on 6^th June and helping to raise awareness of 2 fantastic causes pursuing the same aims.

Sign up your organisation by visiting: www.bridge2Aid.org/NSM2014

As the deadline of 30 June for submitting the NHS Pensions annual reconciliation report (ARR) approaches, many practice owners will be scratching their heads over how to complete it.

The ARR is the practice owner’s opportunity to confirm the pensionable pay allocation for the practice and is vitally important to ensure they and their associates maintain accurate NHS Pension Scheme records.

Here is a recap on how the ARR is calculated:

1. The Pensionable Pay ‘ceiling’ for the practice is the gross amount of the NHS contract multiplied by 43.9%.
2. For associates their pensionable pay figure is what they actually get paid rather than any calculation involving the UDA value.
3. For practice owners the pensionable pay figure is the total ‘ceiling’ amount less the following:
4. Total of all associates' pensionable pay
5. Actual pay for any dentists working at the practice who are already in receipt of their NHS pension
6. Actual pay for any associates who operate through a limited company.

The remaining amount may be claimed by the practice owner as their own pensionable pay. However, the Dental Services team at the NHS Business Services Authority is quite clear that practice owners don’t have to claim all of the remaining amount as their own pensionable pay.

Why wouldn’t practice owners claim the maximum pensionable pay? Well, an increase in pensionable pay could mean practice owners breach the new HMRC lifetime and annual limits for pensions. Furthermore, practice owners must have sufficient earned income (net profits/salary/dividends) to justify the level of pension contributions that they can claim tax relief on.

There is still general confusion over this among dentists, their advisers and accountants. Consequently, make sure you seek advice from a specialist if you are unsure about your options.

PFM Townends is team of specialist dental accountants. For further information please visit www.pfmdental.co.uk

Dr Andy Wallace qualified as a general dentist in1998 in Queen’s University in Belfast. For the first 6 years he worked in an NHS practice and then, approximately ten years ago bought his first practice just outside Belfast.

When I first began to be interested in cosmetic dentistry I attended a lot of courses, the majority of which were based on ceramics and composites. However, I found a lot of the invasive and damaging procedures involved to be outside of my comfort zone. For the majority of my patients seeking cosmetic improvement I found that veneer treatments were not appropriate, as they tended to be very invasive and destructive. 

In late 2008 I read an article on Inman aligner treatment and managed to get a place on one of the first training course in the UK for this type of procedure. That course has really transformed my professional approach to dentistry and I have since attended numerous courses on different aligner and fixed bracket systems, focusing on minimally invasive cosmetic techniques. Recently I have also been involved in the teaching side of some of these treatments.

I think that in order to move forward the industry really needs an organisation that is not based around one particular system or company; one that is truly independent and free from bias or profit seeking. This will help provide focus on promoting good ethical treatment and give dentists a sound footing to practice from. This could also provide a forum for dentists of varying levels of skill and expertise to share their knowledge and experience with like-minded practitioners and specialists who have a passion for minimally invasive, aesthetically focused orthodontics.

I initially became aware of the European Society of Aesthetic Orthodontics (ESAO) following the adverse press that had been directed towards general dentists providing orthodontic treatments. I saw that an organisation was being put together to put forward the views of those dentists providing cosmetic orthodontics, it intended to drive forward the education of dentists performing cosmetic orthodontics, and offer them support and mentoring – I thought that this was a fantastic idea and so attended the inaugural meeting in December 2013, signing up to become a full member on the same day.

The organisation’s aim is to benefit any ethical dentist offering any type of cosmetic orthodontics. Through its courses that are designed to help form a better understanding of the available treatments and procedures and through increasing the perception of aesthetically focused orthodontics within other areas of the profession. Of course, as dentists we should practice within our competencies, but that doesn’t mean that our competency should remain static, that we shouldn’t want to incorporate new things into our daily practise.

The ESAO is therefore also a great platform for those that are involved the education of cosmetic orthodontics and who want to drive the profession forward through teaching. I have been fortunate to have been given the opportunity to participate in some of the teaching and I will be speaking at the next conference in June, discussing safer and more ethical enamel reduction, as well as providing a programme for nurses on record keeping through photography.

For anyone interested in the provision of cosmetically focused orthodontics an organization like the ESAO could prove invaluable. To find out more about the organisation and the courses it provides visit the website today.

For more information visit esao.co.uk or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

When selling your dental practice there is a seemingly endless maze of considerations and potential stumbling blocks to navigate. Without help and expert advice, you will find yourself stuck in the middle of this labyrinth not knowing where to turn.  

However, with a little knowledge and experience some confusion can be avoided. Here are a few relatively simple tips that will help to facilitate the smooth sale of your practice for the maximum value.

1. Get the price right

Valuation and pricing your business correctly for the market is paramount. Expert advice in this forever-fluctuating arena is equally important. Virtually all buyers will have undertaken an independent valuation before purchasing a practice; if your price is unrealistically high it will get knocked down, so it is important to get it right first.

The trick is to think like a buyer. Looking at your own business through critical eyes and as if you were the purchaser, will give you an insight into what others might see. Ask yourself: how does it look and feel? Is it fit for purpose? First impressions of the practice are very important and the asking price is a significant part of this. View other practices from similar price ranges: would you consider them to be a bargain, fairly priced or overpriced? Your expert adviser will have comparable evidence from which to draw – the more experienced the adviser, the more evidence there will be.

2. Ensure the property is in order

Making sure that your property lease is in order and that you have sought out clear and succinct advice is also important. For instance, if your property is leasehold, are you offering a sufficient lease term to make it worthwhile for the buyer?

It is also worth checking that all regulatory data is accurate and correct. Your practice clearly wouldn’t be trading if you weren’t CQC and HTM01-05 compliant, but do you have all the necessary documentation to hand should you need it?

3. Ensure all operations are in order

Every experienced buyer understands that all businesses have their own staffing challenges and issues, so absolute honesty is the key to maintain the credibility of your business valuation. If you paint too perfect a picture then a potential buyer may be suspicious. Equally, if you have got a lot of staffing issues, then this can present problems as well.

If the practice has vacancies then highlight this. If you choose not to replace missing associates, turnover will go down and the value of the business will follow suit. Too much vacant chair space will cost you in the long run and will be reflected in your income and valuation.

4. Planning and preparation

Preparation is key; this is the most significant aspect of getting ready for any sale. Insufficient planning and preparation may ultimately cost you. Many deals are agreed quickly but end up going nowhere due to a failure to sufficiently plan in advance.

It is important, therefore, to collect all the key pieces of information a prospective purchaser might want. One of the most fundamental considerations in any sale process is making sure that profit and loss accounts are relevant; any NHS vital signs reports need to be up-to-date, and all other due diligence information that any reasonable buyer will want should be available and easily accessible.

5. Get your adviser right

The best option is always to turn to a company who can offer both marketing expertise and professional accountability; an agency with experience in the dental sector and that also has professional accreditations is ideal.

By turning to a company that understands the dental industry like Christie+Co, you can be sure that all considerations are covered and your best interests as a seller come first.

To discuss how Christie + Co might help you achieve your future plans please contact Simon Hughes on 020 7227 0749

BIO:

Simon Hughes joined Christie + Co in 1987 and has responsibility for the further expansion of its brokerage services into the Primary Care sectors of dentistry and GP surgery sectors. In the past three years, Christie + Co has advised, valued or sold almost £1 billion worth of businesses. Simon heads up a dedicated team of specialist advisers and agents based in regional locations throughout the UK.

The demand for GDPs offering orthodontics for cosmetic purposes has dramatically increased in recent years and the treatment options available are increasing too.

The European Society of Aesthetic Orthodontics (ESAO) offers general dental practitioners the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and experience of aesthetically focused orthodontics to aid in its provision.

Dr Nadim Majid, the Communications Director of the ESAO states:

“At the moment there are a lot of companies that provide orthodontics and aesthetically limited orthodontics and until recently there didn’t seem to be an umbrella organisation that could offer unbiased advice and guidance for GDPs.

“Our organisation aims to bring impartial training and education to those dentists who want to build upon their core knowledge of aesthetic orthodontics. The ESAO supports ethical dentists who wish to offer minimally invasive treatments, and also voices any concerns from dentists and patients.”

For more information on offering aesthetically focused orthodontic solutions and for details of upcoming ESAO events visit the website today.

For more information visit esao.co.uk or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Exclusive to The Dental Directory, BurButler bur stands are the perfect storage and sterilisation system for all types of bur.

Designed by a practising dentist, you can be sure of its practical usage and efficacy in every day practice. Its patented hole design allows safe and secure storage of any bur, regardless of shank type and the silicone block has an ideal non-slip surface that facilitates easy placement into each hole.

The BurButler resists distortion at high temperatures and is fully autoclavable and, unlike other bur storage systems on the market, the BurButler’s transparent lids (available separately) are fully autoclavable too.

Available in seven colours to match your surgery aesthetic and in five sizes of 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 holes, the BurButler fulfills all your bur storage needs.

Contact The Dental Directory today to find out more about the BurButler – a bur management system that you can trust.

For more information, contact The Dental Directory on

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

For your total peace of mind, The Dental Directory has been independently verified as the best priced dental dealer in 2012 and 2013.

The Dental Directory is here all year round to ensure you receive the best products at the best prices.

The latest issue of our bi-monthly Inside Ortho flyer offers an exciting choice of products ranging from innovative bracket systems to high quality hand instruments. Inside you will find special offers on the exclusive Pink Line range of standard and self-ligating bracket systems, molar bands, archwires and buccal tubes. The Pink Line range offers fantastic value for money without compromising on performance or patient comfort. Take a look today and see how much you could save.

If you need advice or more information about a product, our dedicated Orthodontics Product Manager and nationwide team of business consultants are here to help.

Our comprehensive range of quality orthodontic products is competitively priced and everything is delivered free with same day dispatch for orders placed before 5pm.

Independently verified as the best priced dealer, you can trust The Dental Directory to look after your professional needs and your budget.

The Independently Verified Best Priced Dealer!

For more information, contact The Dental Directory on

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

With the popularity of facial aesthetic treatments growing daily, The Dental Directory provides a quality service you can trust. 

From skin peels to dermal fillers and cosmeceuticals, these are just some of the wide range of essential products The Dental Directory provides, ensuring quality every time and making sure you get outstanding results.

Parneet Sehmi, principal dentist at Hermes Dental Clinic, London says:

“I’ve used The Dental Directory for all my other dental services but I started using its facial aesthetics range two years ago. The Dental Directory provides a wonderful service, supplying us with the facial aesthetic products I need at a great price. The local rep, Zara, goes above and beyond what is required and I would highly recommend them to any dentist who offers facial aesthetic treatment.”

 The Independently Verified Best Priced Dealer!

For more information, contact The Dental Directory on

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