Modern Dentist Magazine Issue 10

Helping you build the foundations for practice success Issue

10 ISSN 2515-6128

The confidence Are you Building a more Unlock the and competence working ‘on’ productive and potential of to lead your your practice profitable team your business? dental business Denise Ciardello, Global Team Solutions

Mark Topley, The CSR Coach

Matthew Levington, Business Doctors

Key contributors to this issue

Andy McDougall, Spot On Business Planning

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*The BDIA Code of Practice and details of the BDIA Certificate, “Introduction to Dentistry” are all available on the BDIA website – www.bdia.org.uk.

Before we introduce our latest edition, we would like to bring your attention to the following statement:

Correction:

We refer to the Product Review advertisement “The thing I wish I knew about taxes before I opened my practice” published on page 55 of issue 09 [24.06.2019] of Modern Dentist Magazine.

The Product Review was supplied by Ogilvy & Haart and purported to contain a photo of and interview with Dr Robert Stone of R.S. Dental, London. Dr Stone has informed us that he did not contribute to nor endorse the interview, that the accompanying photograph is not of him and that he has never engaged the advice of or had any other dealings with Ogilvy & Haart. Ogilvy & Haart have confirmed to us that Dr Stone is correct and that they do not have any relationship with Dr Stone nor any authority from him to produce the Product Review.

We have removed the advertisement from all digital editions of Modern Dentist Magazine and suppressed our remaining print copies from further circulation. We apologise to Dr Stone and any readers who were confused or misled by the Product Review which we accepted from our advertiser in good faith. We remind our advertisers that all material submitted for publication must comply with our terms and conditions and the UK Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code.

Welcome

Long term success is not a coincident, it is the product of proper planning, strategy, a strong team and a lot of time and effort. This edition of Modern Dentist Magazine is all about building a strong foundation destined for business success. Looking after your practice can be a challenge; from choosing a strategic location, navigating the routes of finance, and developing a business plan, the complexity and amount of decisions can be overwhelming, which is why this issue is designed to give you the advice and guidance you will need when working on, not in, your business.

In this edition we have our product review section, dedicated to providing you with advice on everything from cloud accounting to dental marketing. We heard from Lorraine Sithole, Dove Healthcare Agency, who detailed why Accountaholics’s services and software were suited to her business needs. Dr Peter Patel, Beaufort Park Dental Clinic, discussed his partnership with Aspired Finance following the relocation of his practice; whilst Dr Ahmed Samer Tadfi explained the magic of Omnichroma and why he believes it will change the face of dentistry for the better.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is something we’re hearing more of, and as Mark Topley, The CSR Coach, explained, it is both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses. It is becoming clear that businesses, including dental practices, need to become more socially and environmentally responsible if they are to continue being successful. Mark ran through the CSR approach, which will hopefully help you clarify your vision for your practice in terms of people, the environment, and the community.

And as always, we have our panel of experts featuring their columns on the editorial board. I hope you enjoy this issue, and if you have any comments or feedback, then please do get in touch via the details below.

We were also introduced to Denise Ciardello, Co-Founder and a Senior Consultant at Global Team Solutions (GTS). Denise shared her insights regarding practice management, showcasing her strategy when helping dental professionals unlock the potential of their practice. Matthew Levington, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Business Doctors, shared his top ten tips for working on your business rather than in it; while Andy McDougall, Owner of Spot On Business Planning, discussed the importance of a business plan.

Poppy

Poppy Green Editor, Modern Dentist Magazine 01765 600909 | @Modern_Poppy poppy@charltongrant.co.uk | www.moderndentist.co.uk

Editorial Contributors Ray Cox

Kelly Saxby

Rob Griffin

Darren Scott-Guinness

Mark Barry

Shaz Memon

Dr Farah Ramjohn

Mike Hughes

Sophie Gray

Heidi Marshall

Nathalie Smets

Sophie Kwiatkowski

Chairman Medifinance Ltd Independent Financial Advisor Dental & Medical Financial Services Owner, The Ivy Dental Practice Geo Orthodontics Partner Dodd & Co

Managing Director Green Apple Dental Recruitment Limited Director ESM Digital Solutions Principal Dental Practice Consultancy Service Marketing and Sales Country Manager Ancar

Co-Editor - Poppy Green, poppy@charltongrant.co.uk Project Manager - Amanda King, amanda@charltongrant.co.uk

Business Owner Aspired Finance Founder and Creative Director Digimax Dental Compliance Manager Isopharm Accountant PFM Townends LLP

Modern Dentist Magazine is published by Charlton Grant Ltd ©2019

All material is copyrighted both written and illustrated. Reproduction in part or whole is strictly forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. All images and information is collated from extensive research and along with advertisements is published in good faith. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this publication was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Modern Dentist Magazine

Contents 10

Building a more productive and profitable team

07

What does No Deal mean for dentistry?

23

Connecting with your community

News

07

What does No Deal mean for dentistry?

Paul Adams, Managing Director of DD (formally Dental Directory), discusses what Brexit will mean for the dental industry and why the retailer has picked up the baton of responsibility for keeping the sector updated on the risks to the supply chain in the event of no deal.

Interviews

10

14

Building a more productive and profitable team

Mark Topley is The CSR Coach, and he’s looking to help you win more business. It is becoming clear that businesses, including dental practices, need to become more socially and environmentally responsible if they want to continue being successful and have a productive and profitable workforce.

In his interview with Modern Dentist, Mark runs through the CSR approach, tackling three key areas: People, the Environment, and the Community, and how CSR will help to clarify your vision, values and purpose for your team.

Unlock the potential of your practice

Speaking to Denise Ciardello, CoFounder and a Senior Consultant at Global Team Solutions, Modern Dentist asked for her insight when it comes to practice management. Here Denise showcases her approach when helping dental professionals realise their dream of creating a thriving and successful practice.

4|Modern Dentist Magazine

Editorial Board

19

Business structures – is there a more tax efficient way?

21

Advances in Science or Technology. Research & Development (R&D) – is it for me?

Sophie Kwiatkowski, PFM Dental Accountancy

Heidi Marshall, Dodd & Co

21 23 23

Making a good impression

25

Reducing loss from death or critical illness

25 27

Improving your waiting room

27

What questions should you be considering before investing in dental equipment and/or software?

Kelly Saxby, Green Apple Dental Recruitment Limited

What are the benefits of using a professional broker?

29 29 30

A gateway to improved oral health

33

Swift Dental Group; Roadshow with Dr Ash Parmar & Guest Speakers 2019

Dr Farah Ramjohn, The Ivory Dental Practice

Making your Life Assurance cheaper Mike Hughes, Dental Practice Consultancy Service

Mark Barry, ESM Digital Solutions

What questions should be asked before investing in new dental equipment?

Features

Connecting with your community

Nathalie Smets, Ancar

Sophie Gray, Isopharm

Ray Cox, Medifinance

Rob Griffin, Aspired Finance

Darren Scott-Guinness, Dental & Medical Financial Services

Approaches to training

SmileDirectClub is for anyone who wants a smile that they feel confident in. Modern Dentist caught up with Alex Fenkell, Co-Founder, Kay Oswald, President of International, and Dr Jeffrey Sulitzer, Chief Clinical Officer, at SmileDirectClub, who introduced their concept of remote invisible aligner treatment, enabling greater access to care at an affordable rate while improving the state of oral health.

After six successful roadshows, Swift Dental Group’s 2019 road show has come to a close. Modern Dentist had the privilege of attending and speaking with the team at Swift Dental Group and understanding their aim of providing confidence and motivation to dental staff in order to empower their knowledge of digital dentistry, whilst promoting the importance and effective communication between Dental Practices and Swift Dental Group laboratory.

Issue 10 | ISSN 2515-6128

45 Are you working

on your business?

Subscribe for

36

41 45 49

MiSmile - My Success

When launching his first private dental clinic in 2007 Dr Sandeep Kumar recognised the potential to harness Invisalign’s consumer appeal and value to differentiate his practice. We spoke to Sandeep, now CEO of two successful dental brands and a national dental network, to discover more about his extraordinary journey.

57

The magic of Omnichroma

The confidence and competence to lead your dental business Andy McDougall, Owner of Spot On Business Planning, discusses the importance of a business plan and what to consider when determining your route.

Are you working ‘on’ your business?

You may have qualified as a Dentist but how would you fair taking your business degree? Business Doctors introduce their top ten tips for working on your business rather than in it.

The problem with outsourcing Instagram

The strength of any brand lies in the passion (as well as the consistency) of the voice that promotes it, which ensures familiarity and long-lasting appeal. Shaz Memon, Founder and Creative Director of Digimax, discusses whether outsourcing is hindering your reach.

Product Review

53

55

A smooth transition

Built around you

Speaking to Lorraine Sithole, Managing Director of Dove Healthcare Agency, Modern Dentist found out why she and her team decided to invest in Accountaholics’s services and software, and how Accountaholics are working to suit her business needs.

Dr Peter Patel, Co-Owner of Beaufort Park Dental Clinic, discusses his partnership with Aspired Finance following the relocation of his practice.

Modern Dentist heard from Dr Ahmed Samer Tadfi about his introduction to Omnichroma, and why he believes it will change the face of dentistry for the better.

FREE at

www.moderndentist.co.uk Supported By

Case Study

59 Giving it back to charity

Our resident editorial board experts share what they have been up to on their mission to give back to charity.

with Pankaj Patel, Aequitas Accountants 59 Interview

Modern Dentist caught up with Pankaj Patel, Director, to find out more about Aequitas Accountants.

60 60 61 61

The new home of Topdental – Topdentaldirect.com (formerly topdental.org)

ExpertClean Expert hygienist trip to Philips US HQ for preview of Sonicare mikrozid® universal

- tough on germs, gentle on equipment

Nuvola Clear Aligners

A world class product with exceptional customer service

10 Minutes with...

62 Edmund Proffitt

Chief Executive of the British Dental Industry Association.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

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TRIOS Treatment Simulator

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A truly open partner

NEWS

What does

NO DEAL mean for dentistry?

Paul Adams, Managing Director of DD (formally Dental Directory), discusses what Brexit will mean for the dental industry and why the retailer has picked up the baton of responsibility for keeping the sector updated on the risks to the supply chain in the event of no deal.

There has, rightly so, been a lot of discussion about what Brexit will mean for the UK dental sector over the last three years.

Much talk has focused on a potential exodus of European dentists. The General Dental Council released figures claiming that a third are considering leaving the country because of Brexit uncertainty. This could, if proved true, leave NHS dentistry especially, stretched to breaking point.

However, one area that hasn’t really been discussed in any great detail – but will impact every dental practice and practitioner – is how Brexit will impact the supply chain.

Ever since the results of the referendum in 2016, we’ve kept our customers updated about potential changes they should start planning for.

of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to help them and DD prepare for a potential no deal exit. This includes:

We’ve set up a dedicated Brexit team at DD, chaired by me, which is tasked with mitigating the risks of a no deal Brexit for our customers.

Continuity of supply of medicines and medical products

As part of our taskforce, we also created an email channel for customers to ask for Brexitrelated advice and information.

Boris Johnson is said to be ‘turbo-charging preparations to leave the EU without a deal on 31st October’ and calling this, his recently formed Government’s, number one priority.

In response, we’ve updated our customers with the latest information from The Department

The main risk to the unhindered supply of medicines and medical products presented by the UK exiting the EU without a deal remains the predicted reduced traffic flow at the short straits crossings – between Calais/Dunkirk/ Coquilles and Dover/Folkestone.

According to the DHSC, around three-quarters of medicines and over half of the clinical consumables the UK uses come from (or via) the EU, and the vast majority are reliant on those crossings.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

News

The Government’s Border Delivery Group (BDG) has been reviewing the readiness of border infrastructures and of traders to comply with customs and order processes in the UK and the EU. Whilst the predicted flow rate across the short straits has improved slightly since 29th March, significant disruption could be expected for six months following a no deal exit. But it’s predicted that the first three months would see the most severe disruption.

Because of this, the DHSC adds that it remains necessary to maintain a multi-layered approach to contingency to secure continuity of supply for medicines and medical products ahead of a potential no deal exit.

The DHSC, in collaboration with suppliers, is strongly recommending and working on the following actions to protect supply of prescription only medicines (POM), pharmacy products and other related products for the provision of dentistry: • It has secured capacity for rerouting freight away from the short straits immediately after no-deal exit day, in order to avoid the worst restrictions on flow of goods.

This includes express freight services along with ‘roll on, roll off’ freight capacity for prioritised product.

• Advising retailers, like DD, to stockpile product above and beyond business-asusual inventory levels; as a default, this is recommended as six weeks’ stock above business as usual inventory.

• It is seeking assurance on the readiness of DD’s logistics and supply chains to meet the new customs and border requirements for both import and export (sometimes referred to as “trader readiness”).

• It is requiring retailers, like DD, to share detailed plans on the above.

• The introduction of, and working with, a DHSC national supply and disruption response unit (NSDR) that will operate to resolve supply disruption incidents should they arise.

• And DD has use of the DHSC recently procured warehousing capacity to ensure sufficient overspill space is available should it be needed.

On 1st August, the Government announced that it was pledging an additional £2.1bn to support a hard Brexit.

As part of this, the supply of medical products will be taken into account, but we are committed to working with the DHSC to ensure the profile of dentistry is raised so the sector gets the support it needs.

Bucking the Brexit business trend As the probability of a no deal Brexit is looking increasingly likely, we’re proud that at DD we’ve been preparing ourselves over the last three years to ensure that we’re doing all we can, as a

As the vast majority of businesses in the UK have put investment on hold, we’ve done the opposite because we know failure to do so will negatively impact our customers 8|Modern Dentist Magazine

trusted supplier to 12,000 dental practices in the UK, to minimise any impact on the supply chain and continue to deliver the products practices need, when they need them.

To do just that, we’ve invested more than £5m to buy additional stock. We’ve invested even more to increase our warehouse overspill capacity at our state-of-the-art site in Witham and at other locations around the UK to allow us to over-stock where we feel demand will be high.

And we’ve pumped millions of pounds into our back-end infrastructure to ensure market-leading levels of customer service and technology akin to Amazon.

We’re a bit of a rarity in business terms during the age of Brexit uncertainty. As the vast majority of businesses in the UK have put investment on hold, we’ve done the opposite because we know failure to do so will negatively impact our customers.

The potential impact of Brexit has been considered across our whole business and a large part of putting into place our contingency plans has been liaising with our key supplier partners to understand their plans at a granular level so we – together – can ensure continuity of supply.

We’ve also made suggestions to our customers on how they can prepare for all Brexit eventualities, including sensibly keeping stock to healthy levels.

As it stands, we’ll leave the EU on 31st October and until that time (and beyond), we’ll continue to keep sharing our plans, progress and any information we receive to give some sense of certainty for our customers in what’s clearly an uncertain time.

Paul Adams

is the Managing Director of DD.

Interview

Building a more productive and profitable team

Mark Topley is The CSR Coach, and he’s looking to help you win more business. It is becoming clear that businesses, including dental practices, need to become more socially and environmentally responsible if they want to continue being successful and have a productive and profitable workforce. In his interview with Modern Dentist, Mark runs through the CSR approach, tackling three key areas: People, the Environment, and the Community, and how CSR will help to clarify your vision, values and purpose for your team.

Q

A

What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?

CSR is something we’re hearing more and more about, and it’s both a challenge and an opportunity for business.

It stands for Corporate Social Responsibility, and it’s generally agreed that it covers the responsibility that a company has towards its team, its environment, and to society. Fair business dealings, paying taxes, and honesty with customers are all part of the picture.

Most people see it as giving to charity, and

10|Modern Dentist Magazine

that forms a part, but only a small part, of what CSR really is.

It’s a challenge in that it’s an expectation 88% of consumers now expect the companies they buy from to ‘do social and environmental good’ as an integral part of their business strategy.

It’s an opportunity in that it’s a great way to show those consumers that you have a conscience as a business, and an opportunity to build your team.

Q

A

How can CSR be applied in a dental practice?

As with anything, it has to be built into what’s going on already. 85% of what I do as a CSR Coach is tweak or restructure the way that businesses are operating already.

Many of my clients have already got the commitment to do the right thing, and what they need is structure to organise that so that their commitments turn into consistency and effective actions that then come across as authentic rather than tokenism.

Interview

It stands for Corporate Social Responsibility, and it’s generally agreed that it covers the responsibility that a company has towards its team, its environment, and to society

The approach I take is to look at three areas People, Environment and Community.

• What will you contribute financially and how will you raise funds?

We dig into the values of the business and why they are important. We bring that to the surface and make it clear for the team, as well as showing them what it looks like in practice. We then formulate a set of commitments based on those values:

• What can you change to improve your environmental responsibility?

• Who do you want to help?

• How will you care for and develop your people?

Q A

What benefits does CSR offer a practice and both its patients and team?

Going back to what I said before about what today’s consumer is looking for, there are some really important rewards for you if you are a responsible business:

• What will you actually do together to make a difference?

• 93% will have a better image of you

The evidence is clear about what is the best approach - find causes that fit the business, commit to your plan wholeheartedly, connect it to everyone in the business, and manage it effectively (like you would anything else).

• 88% will trust you more

• 90% will be more loyal

So they are looking for responsibility, but they will reward you if you demonstrate it.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Interview I think we’re all seeing that there’s now something more important than convenience, and that’s the greater good, and in particular the greater good of the planet Standing out from competitors is important for any business, but it’s more difficult now than ever before. Competency no longer sells because nowadays everyone expects it. Your competitors are competent too otherwise they wouldn’t be in business - so what sets you apart? Patients looking for dentists they can trust, where they feel comfortable and confident. They want you to care about what they care about. By organising your CSR carefully and making it consistent, and then talking about it appropriately in your communications, or applying for Dental CSR Certification, you will show that you care. If you get your communications right, patients will see your commitments, they will see the evidence of them, they will see consistency, they will trust you more.

CSR also has a massive impact on the team.

By far the biggest problem that I hear about from owners and managers are team related issues. Finding the right people, motivating and engaging them, and then hanging on to them! CSR plays a big part In helping you as award winning businessman and dentist Neel Barchha says: “Having a team working towards a cause greater than themselves is the key to staff retention.”

Here’s why: • CSR will clarify your vision, values and purpose for your team. Where are you heading as a business? How will you

12|Modern Dentist Magazine

behave on the way? Why is that the goal?

These questions all offer inspiration.

• CSR activity provides a means of engaging people in something purposeful, and creates a positive culture of generosity, as well as demonstrating that you care. There’s a buzz generated as people get involved and see the business caring. One Practice Manager said: ‘The entire team loved it and it is just amazing how everybody was so dedicated and supportive during the event. It was definitely a really good experience. The team can’t wait to do another one!’

• Fundraising and volunteering changes people for the better. You will probably have seen examples of this when people are changed by being stretched and serving others.

• Leadership and communication - by adopting a structured approach to CSR means you have to think about and improve the level of leadership and communication in the business.

Q A

How do you think patient’s demands are changing? And how can the sector keep up with their wants/needs?

I think we’re all seeing that there’s now something more important than convenience, and that’s the greater good, and in particular the greater good of the planet.

Consumers now carry ‘keepie cups’ for their coffee when it would be far more convenient not to and use a paper one. Wherever you look, the ‘David Attenborough effect’ is in

evidence. Consumers are starting to choose the planet over convenience. The same shift is coming to dentistry, and you need to be ready for it. A friend and dental business coach tells me that he already has clients who are reporting patients turning their noses up at plastic interdental brushes. The same coach says: “What they are really testing are your values, the real conscience of your dental business and it’s worth being prepared.

Consumers are going out of their way to spend their money with businesses that are like them and to that extent nothing has changed.

The forward thinking business is not ignoring them.”

Business coach Chris Barrow recognises the same trend: “Nowadays, when patients look for quality, they take into consideration more than the simple offer of clinical excellence and customer service. They are interested in your core values.”

So they are changing to now expect more, and you have to be able to demonstrate that you’re doing that, and for it to be authentic and not tokenism, because otherwise that will backfire.

Q

You look at three aspects that engage with CSR, and that’s people, the environment and the community. Let’s start with people – why is it important to build a value driven culture? And how does this help to engage, develop and care for a business’s people?

A

One of the hangovers from the industrial age is that we have driven business improvement through systems. That’s important, but where the real added value comes from today is in engaging your team.

Engaged employees are key. If your culture is right, then you have an agreed basis on which everyone operates, there’s the way we do things together, what’s OK and what’s not OK, and that gets reinforced through leadership and positive peer pressure. The engaged or ‘we’ people in your business will do more for you, they will make fewer mistakes, weather more change, and advocate for the business. Not only does it save you money in recruitment, it boosts capacity and crucially, means that your patient facing staff really care.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Branson is right - team first, shareholders last - that way everyone wins.

Interview

Q

Environment – Why do we need to become responsible for the environment through our businesses and what benefits will this have for both the dentistry sector but also wider society?

A

The only way we navigate the climate crisis we’re facing is if everyone plays their part and makes the effort to live more sustainably. Domestically we can do that, the governments and international community are stepping up (and need to do more), but business has a huge role to play. You would be amazed how much impact a dental practice can have by changing things like power consumption, transport policy, recycling, sourcing sustainable supplies etc. For now, our hands are tied by regulation in many areas, but there is a lot of work underway to change that. In the meantime, we all have a responsibility to do as much as we can. The excuses just aren’t valid anymore if we want to leave the planet in a liveable condition for generations to come.

Q

Community – How do you encourage practices to engage with and make a positive contribution to their communities; and what benefits does this have for both the practice and the local community?

A

Smart businesses recognise that they are made up of people, and that those people have a connection to the community they are part of. So if you want to build trust with your staff and your patients, showing that you care about what they care about is important.

Dental practices are also part of the sector community, and so have the opportunity and resources to make a contribution to the work of dental charities both in the UK and overseas. I think the best way that practices can make a contribution is to have a multipronged approach, which helps to ensure that the widest number of people possible will feel engaged with their efforts. The level of this will change depending on the size of the practice and the resources it has available.

Firstly, choose a healthcare charity to support, preferably dental. This not only makes the best use of the skills you have, but also broadens the knowledge of your team, and makes sense to patients.

Secondly, choose something local you can support with fundraising or volunteering. This ties you to the community and shows people you are ‘one of them’.

Finally, and depending on the size of your practice, create a budget to respond to small requests from local groups for whom these amounts would make a big difference.

Smart businesses recognise that they are made up of people, and that those people have a connection to the community they are part of

Build the activity that you choose into your calendar and remember the ‘Goldilocks effect’ - although you need to commit fully to CSR, make sure you get the right amount of activity planned. Too much and people will reject it, not enough and they will lose interest.

Q A

How can dental practices and businesses look to weave CSR into their strategy plan?

The reason larger and smarter businesses have embraced CSR is because it’s not just the right thing to do, it’s a value creating asset, and so you need to treat it like one.

That means having a target, working out how you will get there, and then incorporating it into your management system.

Q

What further advice would you give to individuals/practices looking to build a more fulfilling, trusted and responsible business?

A

Have a look at my website marktopley. co.uk, and spend some time working through the free ‘60 minute CSR plan’. Start small, look to grow. Apply for Bronze Dental CSR Certification at dentalcsr.co.uk and work your way up. If you want the thinking and legwork off your desk, you can bring me in to help you get a bespoke plan embedded in your existing business strategy.

Mark Topley

is the Owner of The CSR Coach and Founder of CSR Certification Ltd.

About Mark: Mark Topley helps people to run responsible businesses, coaching them through the frustration and challenges that come from putting CSR into practice. He works alongside dental practices and businesses to help them create clarity, structure and momentum with responsible business planning, targeting people, planet, and community. He writes at marktopley.co.uk, and provides free articles and advice on his Facebook page – facebook.com/toppernator; Twitter: @Mark_Topley.

Modern Dentist Magazine

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Interview

Unlock the potential of your practice Speaking to Denise Ciardello, Co-Founder and a Senior Consultant at Global Team Solutions, Modern Dentist asked for her insight when it comes to practice management. Here Denise showcases her approach when helping dental professionals realise their dream of creating a thriving and successful practice.

Q A

How did you enter the world of dentistry?

As I was checking out after getting my teeth cleaned, I was asked if I wanted a job. I didn’t know anything about dentistry and told them so, however, it didn’t matter to the office.

They informed me that they were looking for a personality like mine at the front desk. It was a

concept that I hadn’t thought about before yet now incorporate it in most offices with which I work.

I had held positions in many industries – real estate, accounting, retail and food services – and it quickly became evident to me that my new position didn’t differ from any other business; it

The biggest hurdle is getting to the point where people will trust the process 14|Modern Dentist Magazine

was all about putting the right systems in place to get the practice to operate efficiently and productively.

Q A

Where did the idea of Global Team Solutions (GTS) come from?

Global Team Solutions was founded in 2010.

Janice and I had our independent consulting companies prior to joining forces to give creating Global Team Solutions a go. Our approaches and philosophies within the dental practice were very similar, and we knew we could serve the dental community even better if we teamed up – bringing to the world Global Team Solutions.

Interview

Q A

What skills and attributes would you say are required to successfully run an independent practice in today’s modern world?

I believe every practice needs strong leadership in order for the team to know where the practice is going and how they will get there. This leadership begins with honest communication, including transparent communication with patients.

Teams that embrace the diversity of each other’s personalities through understanding and grace tend to find more harmony within the workplace. This continues to build on itself and the team finds that they can truly focus on exceptional patient care.

Q A

What do you find to be the biggest problem when working with practices, and how do you help them work through this?

We often find offices that use those five dangerous words that can kill any business… ‘We’ve always done it this way’.

Change is difficult for many people and yet it’s important to remember that the world changes so much everyday. With our bird’s eye view of the practice, we can quickly identify the areas that could be improved, along with emphasising those areas in which are already excelling. Once we get team members to realise that we are there to help, and to make their lives easier, the practice can’t help but grow and be more productive than ever.

I read many reviews on dental offices and have yet to find one that mentioned anything about the skill of the doctor or how perfect the x-ray was taken. I read reviews that mention how caring, helpful, and professional the staff were during the visit

business solutions, the doctor can devote more time on patient care than on running a business.

GTS primarily works with privately owned dental practices. Our clients have ranged from small offices with one doctor and only 2-3 team members to multiple doctor practices with 20+ team members. Our belief is that when all employees work cohesively, the office is more productive, creating a true team environment.

Q A

We have all walked in the shoes of the team members. The phrase we hear more than any other from doctors is that they ‘just want to do dentistry’. There is no care being delivered or money being made unless the doctor has a handpiece in hand. We understand the dental office through practical application and realise that when a team focuses on proven, efficient

We love what we do and we want those that we coach to love their jobs as well. We believe that when you remain focused on the important business systems, the practice will be successful and you can have fun. Patients are always more attracted to an office that is happy and upbeat than one filled with stress and negativity.

What principles is GTS build upon?

We work with dentists and their teams to create tools that are needed to maintain an organised, business-focused, yet FUN environment!

The biggest hurdle is getting to the point where people will trust the process. Dovetailing on this thought is the need to find ways to be proactive.

If ‘you’ve always done it this way’ and now there are ways to do things more efficiently, incorporate the new way. You might find that you get paid faster, or can complete a task quicker.

Look ahead and find things that will potentially be pitfalls that will cause to you to go back and have to do it again.

Q A

What would you say is the secret for patient retention?

Patient retention is only as strong as the patient attraction. How are people introduced to your practice? Do you make it a point to find out? How are they welcomed as a new patient? It all begins with customer service.

Let’s say that Sarah came to your office as a new patient; the proverbial red carpet was laid out – tour of the office, offered water, was given a thorough break-down of her insurance, treatment plan and financial options available then finished the appointment with a warm face towel and lip balm. She goes to lunch that day where she gushes to all her girlfriends about how wonderfully she was treated at the dentist’s office. This inspires Monica to make an appointment at the same office. At the end of the appointment, although everything else was exactly the same, Monica didn’t receive a warm face towel and lip balm. Monica feels cheated and not treated as wonderfully as Sarah had

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Interview

Every practice needs strong leadership in order for the team to know where the practice is going and how they will get there been. How will Monica describe her visit to the dentist at the dinner party next week?

Patient retention begins with customer service, and it continues with the follow-up.

Do you promote pre-appointment of their next cleaning? How often do patients have interaction in the office between visits? This could include social media posts; both educational and fun.

When your team takes an outing for CE, do you let your patients know that your office is on the cutting-edge of technology or your team participated in a community activity that promoted oral health, feeding the poor or filling the backpacks for school? And when a patient

16|Modern Dentist Magazine

does not schedule a next appointment, at what point are they contacted? How often? What do you say when leaving a voicemail?

Patient retention occurs when you stay at the ‘top of their mind’ for all the patients that come through your door. When Sarah begins gushing about her appointment and Monica cannot even remember her dentist’s name, or the last time she was there, it’s a problem. Continuing to contact your patients to maintain their oral health is the responsibility of each office.

Retaining them as a patient is step #1 in anyone’s marketing book. It costs three times as much to attract a patient than to retain one.

Q

What is the significance of creating greater patient satisfaction through a total team approach within a dental practice?

A

Patients do not like to go the dentist. It’s a fact! People describe root canals as worse than childbirth – and have probably never been through either process. When patients are lining up to come through your door, it’s not because they like the idea of going to the dentist, it’s because they like the experience of going to the dentist.

Maya Angelou said it best: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

Interview

A manager, on the other hand, is the person that maintains the operations of the office.

Every job is actually performed by two people – the employee who is paid to accomplish results and the manager who is paid to ensure that this happens.

In a dental office, both aspects are equally important. I personally like to see this be the same person. Someone who can work alongside the people that they are charged to lead and not just ‘boss’ them around.

Q

If a practice is looking to re-fresh its business strategy, where would you suggest they start?

A

I might be a bit biased, however; GTS would be my first suggestion. We are quite successful at re-energising a team. We can either get them back on track or take them to the next level.

If a practice is looking for a bit more on the DIY (do it yourself) side, I would begin by looking at the team’s meetings. Are they productive? If not, find a way to boost them up so each team member is engaged and participating in the meetings. Here’s a shocker - we have a system for meetings also.

Meetings are meant to concentrate on the operations of the practice. I have seen team meetings that range from one hour each week to ½ day every 3rd Tuesday in the month. It’s productive time and not a gripe-session. Make time for a little training, such as: get someone to perform a task on the software – an extensive treatment plan. Does everyone do it the same way? Is it giving the admin team the information they need to complete the financial discussion?

This takes 10-15 minutes and yet provides so much value to the entire team.

Q A

What is your number one, top business tip for dental practice owners and/or managers?

This happens when someone answers the phone, checks in a patient, takes their x-rays, cleans their teeth, and extracts a tooth; the entire process is a team event. Each and every team member is responsible for how they make their patients feel. In a world that continues to go down the impersonal, unfriendly road, it’s so nice when a patient feels that a team truly cared.

I read many reviews on dental offices and have yet to find one that mentioned anything about the skill of the doctor or how perfect the x-ray was taken. I read reviews that mention how caring, helpful, and professional the staff were during the visit. They mention the little things that have absolutely nothing to do with dentistry and everything to do with caring about another human being.

Q

What is the difference between managing and leadership, and which avenue should be taken when working in a dental practice, and by who?

Invest in your team. Continuing education, lunch and learn; anything that supports growth in skills, technology or team building is never wasted time.

Giving someone the title of Office Manager does not make anyone the leader. In fact, there are significant differences between being a manager and a leader. For instance, a manager tells their employees what to do, while a leader encourages them.

I often hear that doctors do not feel that they can afford to lose a day’s production to attend CE, yet I will guarantee that a day spent out of the office will elevate the practice in ways that are immeasurable. The knowledge learned will help in the business and the bonding time with the team will help each other understand and accept the diversity everyone has as individuals.

Leadership isn’t making people drink; it’s making them thirsty. A leader challenges people to look outside the box, strive for more, go bigger, and dare to be better. The leader isn’t always the person in charge, although it’s nice when it works out that way.

is Co-Founder and a Senior Consultant at Global Team Solutions.

For questions or comments, Denise can be reached at: Denise@GTSgurus.com or via the website: www.gtsgurus.com

A

Denise Ciardello

Modern Dentist Magazine

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Editorial Board

Business structures –

is there a more tax efficient way?

A question that is frequently asked by associate dentists is ‘Should I become a Limited Company?’

Sadly, there is no clear answer.

Whether it is beneficial to incorporate your business or not will depend on the individual in question and their personal circumstances. In some cases, you could end up paying more tax by operating as a Limited Company. I would always advise speaking to a dental specialist accountant and having them prepare some illustrations specific to your financial situation to determine if the change in business structure would be tax efficient.

However, the article below will aim to highlight the key considerations when looking at changing your business structure.

Limited Company Tax

• You will pay Corporation Tax on your profits at 19% • You are allowed a tax-free dividend of £2,000 for 2019/20 • Any tax on dividends over £2,000 up to the basic rate band will be payable at 7.5% • Any tax on dividends at higher rate will be payable at 32.5% • Any tax on dividends at the additional rate will be payable at 38.1% • If you wish to pay yourself a salary in the L imited Company, you will need a payroll scheme setting up

• You can avoid National Insurance if your remuneration is correctly structured • You have more flexibility over your personal income levels

Key Considerations • The NHS Pension Scheme does not allow dentists who trade through a Limited Company to make superannuation contributions. This could be a significant factor as Employer Contributions are currently 14.3% of your net pensionable pay.

• Limited Companies can be structured so that they utilise a spouse’s allowances in addition to your own. By adding your spouse as a Shareholder, you may be able to make use of their personal allowance and their tax-free dividend amount.

• If you require most of your monthly earnings to live-off, then Limited Companies become increasingly less beneficial. The greatest tax savings can be obtained by leaving the money in the Company, as opposed to paying personal tax by drawing it out as dividends.

If you decide that the Company route is right for you, there are a few administration points that are very important to ensure that you are trading correctly as a Limited Company in the eyes of HMRC. 1. Your contract and payslips will need to be transferred into the company name. Sadly, it isn’t just a case of having your income banked into a Limited Company bank account, the monthly schedules must be in the company name as well.

If the payslips are still showing your personal name, you will need to be taxed as a sole trader until they are changed over.

2. Everyone must be aware that you are trading as a Limited Company. Both suppliers and patients must be aware of your trading structure.

Remember, just because paying tax at 19% on your profits as opposed to 40% for a higher-rate taxpayer might seem like an easy decision – the personal tax implications need to be fully understood before making the change in your business structure.

Sophie Kwiatkowski Accountant, PFM Dental Accountancy.

Just because paying tax at 19% on your profits as opposed to 40% for a higher-rate taxpayer might seem like an easy decision - the personal tax implications need to be fully understood before making the change in your business structure

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Moden Dentist Mag1_Layout 1 17/01/2019 16:53 Page 1

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Editorial Board

Making a good impression

Advances in Science or Technology. Research & Development (R&D) –

is it for me?

Kelly Saxby

Managing Director, Green Apple Dental Recruitment Limited.

The tax relief on R&D for small and medium entities is extremely generous. If your claim is successful it can save real cash as it can significantly reduce your corporation tax bill. So, what is R&D? The company (not sole traders or partnerships) must be doing innovative work into new or improved systems, processes, services or products in the areas of technology or science. It must be a project – it cannot accidentally make a breakthrough – it must be planned with aims and objectives.

The R&D project must seek an “advance” in science or technology.

The concept of “advance” is crucial; it is not enough that it is a good novel or creative idea; it must seek to extend the overall knowledge or capability in a field of science or technology (although there’s no requirement for the company to share its solutions with anyone).

There must be “uncertainty”, which means that it’s not clear how the project objectives are going to be met/how the technical problems are going to be solved, or if they can be solved. Connected with this is the important requirement that the solution cannot be “readily deducible by a competent professional”. This means that even a person who is a specialist in the industry/area in which the project is being undertaken could not easily work out a solution, doesn’t know how to meet the objectives, and would have to undertake trials and tests.

Whilst R&D is a fantastic relief, it comes with a warning. HMRC have invested in their internal teams so claims can be considered more thoroughly. Therefore, aggressive claims which push the boundaries of R&D should be approached with caution and HMRC can enforce penalties.

My advice is for practices to look at their projects with a critical eye and if something looks like it meets the R&D criteria then it really must explore the possibility of an R&D claim further by speaking to a specialist. Think carefully about making a claim if you cannot genuinely say the R&D tax criteria is met. These days it’s not a case of “give it a go”; the hassle of an HMRC enquiry, and the potential exposure to penalties may cause you to regret making an aggressive claim.

Heidi Marshall

Partner, Dodd & Co.

Are there any key elements from other industries and businesses that dentistry can apply to the running of a dental practice in order to boost patient satisfaction and gain loyalty?

How to create customer satisfaction and loyalty are fundamental questions every business owner has. Many of the same principles apply to a dental practice as would to any retail or service industry. Regularly reviewing the customer’s journey from start to finish is a great first step to understanding areas where improvements can be made to create the best experience and gain trust and commitment from patients.

You get one chance to make a good first impression. A clean, tidy and welcoming reception area sets the tone for the rest of the visit. Having well-trained front of house staff who can make patients feel comfortable and well attended to will put them at ease, especially nervous patients.

In today’s world everything is digital, so having a computer system that makes it easy to book appointments and send patient recalls is imperative. Technology that sends out a reminder about upcoming appointments by SMS is also beneficial to your patients and your dental team as missed appointments are costly to everyone in the practice.

Waiting rooms need to be comfortable and hospitable areas.

Having magazines or leaflets for a patient to browse through, or small toys or colouring books that children can play with helps to both comfort and distract them. And surgeries need to also be sterile, organised and welcoming spaces with working equipment where patients are put at ease and a dentist can do their job smoothly and safely.

Great staff are the backbone of customer loyalty in every industry. Being able to assure appointments are available for emergencies as well as long standing check-ups and treatments means making sure the practice is fully staffed. And a welltrained team who put the patient’s concerns and care first will shine through. Nurses with a gentle chair side manner, dentists who can offer a wide range of treatments in a professional manner and a hygienist who can assist with educating patients on daily care, will help not only ensure patients return but that they give good feedback and recommendations.

Customer loyalty to a dental practice will come from a patient being happy with your entire offering. You can also look at creating loyalty programmes based on regular attendance as well as referrals. There are loyalty programmes available online that practices can adopt or outsource to, or creating your own rewards programme of some sort shows patients that you are there for their long term assistance rather than short term needs. Asking satisfied patients to write online reviews will help to boost your online presence and invite new patients in, thus sharing your customer’s satisfaction for all to see.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

PGCert in

Accredited PGCert in Non-Surgical Facial Aesthetics at Level 7 (NSFA) - in partnership with the University of Salford - offering hands-on training in a clinical setting. This is a new course starting this October, which will offer you experienced mentoring support and will help secure your future in aesthetics. This course will be lead by dental and clinical practitioner Dr Tracey Bell, who runs Tracey Bell Dental and Aesthetic Medical Clinic, along with lectures from internationally renowned speakers. At level 7, this course has been designed and created with the requirements of both HEE and JCCP.

Semester 1 - Botulinum Toxin and Semster 2 Dermal Fillers: Basic principles of dermatology Facial anatomy & physiology of ageing as applied to NSFA Risk factors related to lips, cheeks & nasolabial regions Complication avoidance techniques Law, ethics & consent principles applicable to Botulinum Toxin & Dermal Fillers

Dental Practitioners Medical Practitioners Registered Nurses All applicants must hold post-qualification experience in hospital service or general medical/ dental practice.

All applicants must have full indemnity insurance, including cover for treatments given during the course.

You will complete an e-portfolio of cases along with a personal learning plan which will allow you to target your theoretical learning needs and your clinical application. This PGCert will focus on law, consent and ethics helping you to become a more ethical and skilled injector, placing you ahead of your competitors.

Unique state of the art facilities Internationally renowned speakers in facial aesthetics Supervised learning environment Mentors are provided at ICE to offer clinical support and feedback

I believe, by providing an overview of facial cosmetic procedures, it will lead the way in an educational structure that will become a necessary framework for practitioners like myself to achieve.

- Dr Tracey Bell

garry.peel@icedental.institute

0161 413 8335

http://icedentalimplants.co.uk/non-surgical-facial-aesthetics/

Editorial Board

What are the benefits of using a professional broker?

Connecting with your community First and foremost, you require the very best options available to you, but have you got time to source the best products within the market place?

How can more involvement within your community help to build up your practice?

Many of the best options are not available directly to you so it is worthwhile choosing a specialist independent finance broker who has a working relationship with all the major funders available.

As the owner of a mixed, two-surgery practice, interacting with my local community has proved invaluable and extremely worthwhile.

Understanding which finance house has an appetite for your requirements can be a crucial part of the proposal because although most funders want the straight forward deal, they all have slightly different criteria for different projects, existing practice/squat practice, refurbishments, building work and your experience and this can be reflected in the rates they will charge you.

Also, rates change at different times with different funders, working with a professional broker allows you to seek the best options from the whole of the market at any given time.

By using the help of a professional broker, who understands which funders would support your application based on your own background and experience and project, they can provide you with the best rates to suit your circumstances, which can result in massive savings for you and also ensure the proposal is accepted first time.

At Aspired Finance we know which funders will be more likely to support your application at the most competitive rates, saving you a great deal of time hassle and money!

Running your business is time consuming enough, but by using the help of a professional broker they can package a proposal to ensure you secure the best finance solution in the quickest time.

At Aspired Finance we provide you an initial quote to plan your project so you will know full costings at the beginning, and we complete the whole process by dealing with your suppliers and invoices and ensuring payments are made on time to enable a smooth process.

Some of the additional options that are available can be either stage payments to enable suppliers to have funds paid during various stages of the project or you can secure deferred payment options to help with other costs during your project, especially at the beginning, so deferring payments during the first few months can help with cash flow.

We believe it is all about trust, if you can trust your broker to provide you the correct options at the best rates and secure your approval, then you do not have to worry about your application.

Rob Griffin

Director, Aspired Finance.

I bought my practice eight years ago with a small patient population, quite inexperienced at growing a business and several diurnal challenges. I set out to learn about my community, assess their needs and tailor my craft to be of benefit. I learnt of poor children’s oral health where basic health messages were being missed. I found that many of the local businesses did not know of our existence and sensed the mistrust of being a new face in an already avoided profession.

Within a matter of months, I have engaged with several of the communities. I have regular baby and toddler days. We hand out free party bags and have lots of fun in the chair. As a jazz singer, I joined forces with a local actor from the sitcom “Desmonds” and hosted a Christmas jazz evening for the local pensioners day care centre.

As the area is constructing lots of new-builds, I was one of the few local businesses to attend all of the resident meetings and lend a professional voice. We have featured in several of their monthly newsletters. As there was much dental neglect in the local area I liaised with two of the local schools to give frequent PowerPoint presentations to parents at their coffee mornings. I have engaged with students by setting up a stall at their fresher’s fair and handing out freebies as well as advice. Recently, I have sponsored the local police in their outreach project to target youngsters’ anti-social behaviour.

I have engaged with both the Catholic, Jewish, Hindu and Muslim communities, who all occupy the main road and thrive successfully.

By connecting with the local community, people go out of their way to inform me of other ways I can get involved. It’s fun being recognised in the street, when children wave and are happy in your presence. It’s endearing when nervous patients recommend others to you. It makes treatment acceptance easier, when those attending already trust you, and it brings back fun to the profession.

Dr Farah Ramjohn BSc. (Hons) BDS (Livpl) MJDF RCS (Eng) PG Dip (Eastman) PG Cert (Bed) Owner, The Ivory Dental Practice.

Written on behalf of Geo Orthodontics.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

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Editorial Board

Reducing loss from death or critical illness

Improving your waiting room Nathalie Smets

Marketing and Sales Country Manager, Ancar.

One of the most important elements of financial planning for dental professionals is to design a plan that protects your income and helps to preserve your wealth in the event of long-term illness, disability, or death.

Many people fail to think about the impact on their finances if they are unable to work for months or even years, and we often find that many people simply refuse to think about what would happen in the event of their death.

However, a crucial role as a financial advisor is to help our clients see reason – to see the risk in doing nothing. The reality is that accidents happen, people get sick, and death is inevitable. If you fail to plan for these events, you can’t be sure how this will affect you and your family.

“I am writing to say thank you for your good advice 11 years ago regarding critical illness cover, as this has reduced my worries about our home being taken away if I could not afford to pay off the mortgage.”

Where should you start?

Ensuring your livelihood stays intact in the event of illness, injury, or death is even more critical if you are self-employed and/or are the sole breadwinner in your household. The stakes couldn’t be higher if you lose your income as the burden normally falls only on your shoulders, but there are a variety of ways to ensure you’re protected.

The first step in building your wealth protection and preservation plan is to decide on the level and type of protection you desire.

In an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to choose between: • life cover • critical illness cover • income protection, and • a variety of private insurance options.

Not only do they all give you have maximum protection from losing your income, falling ill, and preserving your home for your family in the event of your death, but you’ll also be able to employ tactics that will help preserve your wealth for generations to come. However, it’s a financial advisor’s job to help you prioritise and select the right coverage for you.

That is why we offer personalised financial plans to provide the right safety net that you and your family need.

Darren Scott-Guinness

Independent Financial Adviser Dental & Medical Financial Services.

This does not constitute advice and advice should be sought in all instances before acting on it.

The patient’s experience begins in the waiting room so it is imperative that practices do a thorough assessment of the waiting area. What should practices look out for when looking to improve the patient’s experience through the design and atmosphere of the waiting room?

In a dental clinic there are hundreds of elements to consider.

One of those things that we do not have in mind at the beginning is how the patient feels when entering the practice for the first time. And although it may seem less important, the reception and waiting room is the first thing the patient sees and therefore it will affect their first impression. It is essential to transmit an image of professionalism and credibility from the first second.

First, the reception area must generate a very good first impression to the patient. Important elements are the treatment received, the cleanliness of the place, the information given, or the waiting time. All of this affects, in one way or another, the way in which the patient perceives the experience, so you must take care of these little details to the fullest.

If the waiting room is neglected or outdated, the patient will associate it with obsolete practices and techniques and a careless approach. At least I do. A well-kept waiting room, modern but welcoming, has a good influence on the mood of the patient. Patients with fear of the dentist will feel more at ease.

You must see the interior and decoration as an extension of the corporate identity and the website. Tip: Hire a photographer to take fun photos of the team and give them a prominent place on the wall. Does the area where your clinic is located have a beautiful history? Refer to the past with an artistic wall.

Daylight, plants and flowers reduce stress. And another advantage of plants is that they purify the air and, therefore, are good for the indoor climate. Or, if the style of your clinic allows it, drawings or photos of plants or forests painted on the wall are always a success.

Remove those standard photo frames, chairs and racks.

Nowadays, a touch of creativity in the clinic is needed. Decorate your waiting room as your living room at home: with quality materials, original but soothing colours and design furniture.

In addition to the appearance of the waiting room, the most important thing for a patient is that the waiting time is as minimal as possible. This means that the time between the data collected at the reception and the dentist cannot exceed 15 minutes so as not to create a negative experience for the patient.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Green Apple Dental Recruitment is the UK’s leading Dentist Recruitment Agency As experts in Dentist Recruitment, we help hundreds of GDC registered Associates find Locum and Permanent roles in NHS, Mixed, Private and Specialist practices across the UK every day Why do Dentists choose Green Apple Dental Recruitment to help with their job search?

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Don’t just take our word for it, visit our website to read the testimonials we have received and view the hundreds of vacancies we have:

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Contact us today for a confidential discussion about how we can help you find the perfect new role

Call 020 8300 7971 or email dental@greenappledental.co.uk

Editorial Board

What questions should you be considering before investing in dental equipment and/or software?

Making your Life Assurance cheaper

Mike Hughes

Principal, Dental Practice Consultancy Service.

So you incorporated the practice and have settled into a regime of taking personal income through salary, bonus and dividend, but have you considered some of the other advantages that an incorporated business structure brings?

The one on which I am concentrating here is that of Life Assurance.

Investing in new equipment, technology or software can be an exciting yet daunting prospect for any business owner, dentists included. Whether it is cabinetry, chairs or intra-oral scanners, there are numerous options available and navigating through products and reseller options can be an arduous task.

The majority of practitioners are still covering the cost of life assurance from personal income that has been heavily taxed so would it therefore not be a good idea to consider rewriting the insurance, such that is it legitimately paid for by the business?

What are your needs? First of all, identify your key needs and what objectives you would like the investment to serve. Do some research, ask your peers, join forums on social media and try to learn more about the options available. This is a dynamic process and as you learn more about what you are planning on buying, your needs may adapt to what is available.

Relevant Life Cover is a tax-efficient life insurance policy, allowing companies to offer a death-in-service benefit to its employees (including salaried directors). It is set up by the company and pays out a tax-free lump sum on the death (or diagnosis of a terminal illness) of the person insured.

All Relevant Life policies must be written into a discretionary trust.

Unlike most other types of trust, discretionary trusts offer flexibility if a new discretionary beneficiary needs to be added at any point.

If circumstances change, it can be altered by the trustees to make sure it’s still effective.

When a discretionary trust is set up, the employee will name all the people that may want to benefit from it in the future. This can be specific people or groups (such as children or grandchildren).

The employee can use a nomination form to specify how they’d like the assets to be split. However, the trustees can decide if they want to follow these instructions or not.

Whilst an accountant or tax adviser should be consulted for confirmation, HMRC usually treat the premiums as an allowable business expense (so not included as a P11D benefit).

Please note that this cover is not available to sole traders or unincorporated partners There are no hard and fast rules as to how much benefit can be provided by a Relevant Life plan, but generally speaking, the benefits have to be reasonable in relation to the overall benefit package of the individual but can take into account other financial liabilities such as, for example, mortgage debt.

Your decision making process can be based around some key questions:

Why are you planning on making this investment? Do you need the new equipment? Will it add value to your business? Will it make life easier for you, your staff and your patients?

How is it going to work for you? Not all practices are the same so always scrutinise how the potential investment will work for your practice. This could be down to space availability, staff availability, or impact on practice workflows.

When is the right time to make the investment? If there are tax implications, your financial advisors will be able to give the best advice regarding your tax calendar. If there will be downtime required for installation, maybe a holiday period is the best time to invest, or if there is a significant training period or learning curve, then consider traditionally busy or quiet times to minimise impact.

Who do you intend buying from? For many products there are multiple resellers selling the same products. Never assume that you will get the same service from each. Speak with each reseller, scrutinise their ability to service you. What backup support can they offer you? Is this product a speciality of theirs? Ask for references from other customers to learn about their experiences.

Always your own judgement. This is an investment you are making for your business. Take on board what sales people and peers have to say about their preferred product but be mindful of the potential bias. Even a colleague might be biased towards the product they invested in because they are too proud to admit there was another product out there that might have worked better for them. Be confident and happy about your decision. It is your business.

Mark Barry

Director, ESM Digital Solutions.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

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Call us now: 03331 500 287 practice purchase Whether an experienced operator, or looking to buy your first practice, Medifinance can provide an independent assessment of a potential acquisition through the lens of a potential lender, and can help you to raise finance on very competitive terms

Editorial Board

Approaches to training

Sophie Gray

Dental Compliance Manager, Isopharm.

How can the sector best adopt training approaches in order to correctly equip their employees to manage changing variables within the sector?

Dentistry is a fast-paced environment where approaches, regulations, and legislation are continually evolving. In addition to this, a practice will have employees with a wide range of roles and contrasting expertise, all of which require continuous professional development.

While it’s feasible for a practice to carry out regular in-house training in topics such as hand hygiene and personal protective equipment, more indepth topics such as radiography and radiation protection require expert tuition.

Practices often outsource training to some degree, inviting an external company to carry out training on-site, utilising an online training platform, or attending seminars and lectures. When this is the case due diligence should be carried out to ensure the training is fit for purpose, that the company updates content after any changes and the certification is compliant with the General Dental Council Enhanced CPD stipulations.

Providers must include the below information within evidence of completion, in the majority of cases this is in the form of a certificate, however in some circumstances this can delivered in an alternative format.

• The subject, learning content, aims, and objectives.

• The anticipated GDC development outcomes of the CPD. • The date(s) that the CPD was undertaken.

• The total number of hours of CPD undertaken.

• The name of the professional who has participated in the CPD activity.

• The participant’s registration number.

• That the CPD is subject to Quality Assurance, with the name of the person or body providing the quality assurance.

• Confirmation from the provider that the information contained in it is full and accurate.

While a range of training approaches is encouraged by the General Dental Council, more and more practices are adopting the use of E-learning platforms due to the below advantages.

• It can be difficult for the whole team to take time out together to complete training.

• Individuals can work at their own pace.

• Content can be created by multiple industry experts and collated within one platform.

• Due diligence is carried out once by the practice.

• Training can be delivered in various formats, such as text, audio, and video to suit different learning styles.

• Usually more cost-effective than sourcing numerous external training companies.

• Training can be completed at a convenient time for an individual.

What questions should be asked before investing in new dental equipment?

Ray Cox

Chairman, Medifinance Ltd. Sophisticated technical equipment has always been part of a dentist’s life and intrinsic to performing the science of dentistry. Over the last 100 years, and in particular since the early seventies, advances in technology have proceeded at an astonishing pace and allowed dentists to perform ever more advanced and complex procedures.

The fundamental surgery set up of a chair, delivery unit and cuspidor has remained standard since the 1940’s, but the introduction of low seated dentistry, high speed air and electric turbines and more efficient aspiration systems have changed even this basic equipment out of all recognition. Add to that, recent advances in digital x-ray, 3D imaging etc. and you have a vast array of high-tech available to today’s dentist… but at a cost.

Relatively, dental equipment has never been cheap and technology has pushed costs to amounts undreamed of by yesterdays’ practitioners. So, investment, and that’s what it is, should always be carefully considered. All businesses need to invest and if the business is to remain efficient and competitive, then this is an ever-rolling cycle.

Replacing outdated or unreliable equipment is vital to the efficient operation of the practice and the capital cost of this should be weighed up against the costs of trying to keep inefficient equipment in service. Investment in new technology should be considered in respect of what new procedures it may allow the dentist to perform and what the cost benefit ratio of undertaking these are. Patient’s expectations, especially in private practices, need to be considered.

So, the questions that should be asked before making capital investment in equipment are: • Is the equipment necessary or merely desirable?

• Is it replacing old equipment or is it new technology?

• Will it allow new treatments to be undertaken?

• Can a price be charged for these treatments that will show a return on the investment over time?

• Is the cost of maintaining the old equipment a short term false saving?

• What will be the impact of the investment on practice cashflow?

The decision is never easy but has to be made with the future health and profitability of the practice in mind. Rarely is investment in equipment wasted if made for the right reasons.

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Features

A new gateway to affordable clear aligner therapy SmileDirectClub is for anyone who wants a smile that they feel confident in. Modern Dentist caught up with Alex Fenkell, CoFounder, Kay Oswald, President of International, and Dr Jeffrey Sulitzer, Chief Clinical Officer, at SmileDirectClub, who introduced their concept of remote clear aligner therapy, enabling greater access to care at an affordable rate while improving the state of oral health.

Q

Tell us about SmileDirectClub‌

Alex Fenkell: We have a mission at SmileDirectClub to democratise access to safe, affordable, and convenient teeth straightening solutions through doctor-prescribed, doctor directed and doctor managed remote clear aligner therapy. Since launching in 2014, we have enabled 650,000+ customers to get a smile that they love. Our mission is about empowering transformation and bringing the confidence from having a straighter smile.

Dr Jeffrey Sulitzer: Dentistry has always been about looking for new solutions and thinking beyond the bricks and mortar of a practice, which can be the most restrictive components of dentistry today. At SmileDirectClub we are able to expand on what is on offer using our teledentistry platform and create something unique and out of the box, catering to people who may have restrictive access to dental care because of time, location or cost.

Q

What is the gap in the market you are trying to fill with SmileDirectClub?

AF: 40% of Britons are unhappy with their teeth, and it is therefore no surprise that the UK household income spend on dental services has doubled in the past two years. The gap we are filling is an affordable product that is up to 60% less in price than other options out there, and it is really the convenience and the affordability of making it more accessible that matters. We help treat people with mild to moderate teeth alignment challenges.

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Our mission is about empowering transformation and bringing the confidence from having a straighter smile

Features

Q

What do you think is influencing people in the UK who want to improve their smile?

AF: Our product is about empowering transformation and creating the confidence that comes with a straighter smile, so just making that accessible is why we are here and making an impact in the UK. Kay Oswald: We did extensive customer research in the UK and found that a lot of our UK customers are interested in progressing professionally so they are really working towards improving their confidence, and teeth obviously play a key role in that.

Q

How does the system work – what is the turnaround time from initial visit to a happy smile?

Dr S: SmileDirectClub has pioneered a unique teledentistry platform to connect its customers with an affiliated network of UK-based registered licenced dentists and/or orthodontists, who direct all aspects of clinical care using SmileDirectClub’s platform.

In order to get the ball rolling, patients will come to one of our SmileShops and they will firstly fill out some information regarding their dental and medical history. The patient will then have a scan taken of their teeth and gums which will gather a three-dimensional image that we can then build on to create a treatment plan for them. We also take a number of additional photos, six thousands photos a second, which gives us the greater detail we need. All of that information is then placed onto the platform.

Our SmileGuides will take the patient through the whole process while at the SmileShop, they will also create the treatment plan which is sent on to be approved by our doctors. This whole process will take 24 hours from the time our patient has visited the SmileShop and their information has been input into the platform. Each customer’s clear aligner treatment plan is shipped in an “all in one” box directly to the customer’s door within 4-5 weeks.

As it is in traditional dentistry, there are different levels of people that you can communicate with but your first line of support is our customer care team which is available 24/7. As our patients start their treatment plan, they will get email reminders about when to change their

aligners, however, if they needed more assistance during their treatment, our dental support team is on hand and can communicate with our patients however they prefer.

Q

How are SmileDirectClub’s clear aligners different to others on the market?

Dr S: Invisalign and similar products are delivered through the doctor channel and the traditional bricks and mortar environment, our product is different because it is delivered through a teledentistry platform which enables more convenience and better access. It is a gateway to oral health because once patients begin to realise that they can straighten their smile, they start flossing and brushing more and visiting their local dentists more frequently. We believe this product will bring overall growth to the dental market in the UK. KO: We are also fully vertically integrated, from the front-end marketing shop component to the treatment plan software, to manufacturing, quality control and after sale care – we are owning the entire value chain, which creates a lot of extremely satisfied customers because we are able to react quickly to any given situation.

Q

Why has the company decided to invest in the UK market as its first European offering, and how will its services compliment the UK’s dental sector?

AF: The UK is globally known for its innovation, technology and healthcare, which is why we are committed to investing in the UK market and have a lot of ambitious and exciting plans for the future.

SmileDirectClub is going to begin by offering 70 new jobs during our grand opening, plus we are going to have shops throughout London, Manchester and Birmingham, as well as a partnership with Well Pharmacy. We are a gateway into oral health care and a natural extension for businesses like pharmacies where we can really offer more comprehensive services to customers.

Q

What does the future hold for SmileDirectClub?

Dr S: It is one smile at a time for us, while we are growing in leaps and bounds, it is about making sure everybody has access to what they need and addressing any concerns that come up.

Alex Fenkell

is the Co-Founder of SmileDirectClub.

Kay Oswald

is the President of International at SmileDirectClub, EMBA, YPO.

Dr Jeffrey Sulitzer

is the Chief Clinical Officer of SmileDirectClub.

It is one smile at a time for us

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Features

Swift Dental Group;

Roadshow with Dr Ash Parmar & Guest Speakers 2019 After six successful roadshows, Swift Dental Group’s 2019 road show has come to a close.

The inspirational and unique series of lectures were targeted at dental teams from across the UK in order to improve their knowledge and experience of the latest innovations from the industry. Modern Dentist had the privilege of attending and speaking with the team at Swift Dental Group and understanding their aim of providing confidence and motivation to dental staff in order to empower their knowledge of digital dentistry, whilst promoting the importance and effective communication between Dental Practices and Swift Dental Group laboratory.

With nearly 450 clinicians in attendance, Swift Dental Group’s Roadshow has had a significant response from the industry, with many looking to the event to help improve and update their understanding in order to maximise high-quality results and, ultimately, ensure they have happy patients.

The three-hour CPD course met both the GDC’s development outcomes A and C. There were representatives from Henry Schein, Straumann, Clark Dental, Smile Imaging, Optident, Phillips, M C Repairs, Bryant Dental, Klipp Wealth Management, Aequitas Accountants & Auditors, and Dental Decontamination.

Kirsty Barnes, one of Swift’s Business Development Managers, introduced the Roadshow and the agenda for the evening: “Established in 1984, Swift Dental Group is the

UK’s largest Dental Laboratory and continues to maintain its core values of high quality products and excellent customer service – we believe that a case only ends when a patient leaves the practice smiling. A happy patient always means a happy customer,” said Kirsty. Over the last two years Swift has grown substantially via the acquisition of both large and small laboratories into the group and they currently have a very active pipeline for further growth. Kirsty continued, explaining that “Swift Dental Group have created a network of manufacturing and logistical sites to ensure they can provide the same quality of customer journey throughout the whole of the UK. We are immensely proud to provide services to a third of the industry, working with a number of key opinion leaders, specialists and clinicians across the UK without ever compromising on the quality or service.”

“Designed and produced by Swift Dental Group, our bespoke software ensures full traceability of all orders and account information to ensure the team can support both you and your practice with every step of your journey,” said Kirsty. Swift Dental Group’s digital journey began over five years ago, and today, 90% of their crown restorations are digitally processed. The benefits are many, including fewer remakes, high consistency, high quality, and shorter turnaround times, predictable results, fantastic aesthetics and the latest materials available. Kirsty also mentioned their Zirconia product, which has quickly become the fastest growing product of the last 18 months. As the industry starts to look for metal free restorations, Zirconia provides an excellent alternative solution. Swift Dental Group, have seen a 91.5% rise of Zirconia in the last year alone, proving that it is something to look out for as the industry continues to progress.

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We are in business to find solutions - a dentist has to do that every day.

We want to be an extension of their dental practice and find solutions that suit them The main lectures featured Dr Ashish Parmar, Straumann, Henry Schein and Clark Dental.

Dr Ashish Parmar covered the following topics: • Do more private dentistry – tips on communication and effective/ethical selling strategies.

• Ash’s top 10 clinical tips – things you can get on with in general practice to improve your dental treatment and patient care.

• Top 10 laboratory communication tips for anterior aesthetic dentistry – how to get accurate, well-fitting restorations, and excellent shade/aesthetics to avoid remakes.

Straumann delivered a lecture on their latest innovations in new technology and products they have available.

Henry Schein presented an exciting lecture on Zirconia and its rediscovery.

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The lecture from Clark Dental was around Digital Occlusal Analysis, dentistry’s only clinically recognised and research validated digital occlusion analysis system.

Supporting the industry Roy McGillivray, Managing Director, and Bernadette Dainton-Cartwright, Sales Director of Swift Dental Group, both felt that the Roadshow had been a roaring success, especially with it being the first time a laboratory had embarked on such a project. Both Roy and Bernadette wanted to thank all sponsors and delegates for being a part of the Roadshow in 2019, marking the event as “outstanding”. Bernadette explained that the Roadshow was a chance for Swift Dental Group to “share with the industry how Swift Dental Group can support dentistry, plus a chance for our sponsors to demonstrate the latest innovations, whilst bringing the lab and dental partnerships together.” “This whole

event is about providing dental teams with a full solution and the control to make their own decisions based on what they have learnt tonight,” explained Roy. “We are in business to find solutions - a dentist has to do that every day. We want to be an extension of their dental practice and find solutions that suit them,” he concluded.

Because of this year’s success, Swift Dental Group will be looking to do more educational events for dental professionals like this throughout the UK. Swift Dental Group have also confirmed that they will also be attending next year’s dentistry show in 2020 and look forward to continuing their conversations with clients old and new.

To find out more about Swift Dental Group, you can contact them on 01204323323, or visit their website:

www.swiftdental.co.uk

Features

MiSmile

- My Success So, why dentistry?

Sandeep Kumar qualified as a dentist in India and came to the UK in 1999. After qualifying with the GDC here, he bought his first dental practice in 2003. “I soon decided to go into private dentistry and became certified with Invisalign in 2007,” he explains.

So what made him choose a career in dentistry?

“When I was 14 years old in India, I had an accident on my bike and broke some of my teeth and was in severe pain,” he says. “My father took me to the dentist and after several visits I was able to smile again. I was really inspired by the whole experience – how I built a relationship with the dentist and I was fascinated with how that dentist instilled me with confidence again. I wanted to be part of that.”

A love affair with Invisalign When Sandeep launched his first cosmetic dental clinic in 2007, it was a given that Invisalign would sit at the heart. “I became attracted to Invisalign

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due to its simple and easy process. Patients love it and it has the advantage of being discreet and convenient. In addition, it is non-invasive and there’s always a great outcome.”

Over the years, Sandeep implemented a highly successful lead generation and nurturing process and grew his Invisalign case volume submissions from just seven in his first year to more than 400 cases annually.

By 2016 he was one of the few UK practitioners to have successfully treated over 1,500 patients with Invisalign and Sandeep is now a longstanding member of the ‘Invisalign Diamond’ club - a membership he is immensely proud of.

Sandeep is also part of the Invisalign Elite Club and has earnt his place as one of the top 50 Invisalign Providers in Europe.

Invisalign only Sandeep’s ambition amplified even further when, in 2014 he transformed his private clinic into

the first Invisalign focused and branded dental practice in the UK. The clinic has gone from strength to strength, bursting at the seams with patient demand, so when earlier this year the next door’s premises became available, Sandeep jumped at the chance to extend and expand.

The adjacent unit was a wedding dress shop and required a significant overhaul. Both units were gutted and reformed to create three hi-tech surgeries, a beautiful waiting area and a fully functioning training and lecture room.

Technology sits at the heart of the practice which is what makes it such an enjoyable experience for patients. From the sophisticated lead generation strategies and tactics to find the right kind of patient, seamless bespoke lead nurturing and management via DenGro, to the slick front of house patient experience and fully digital patient journey, the whole clinic seeks to operate in a way which exceeds the expectations of today’s time-poor, tech-savvy patients.

Features

When launching his first private dental clinic in 2007 Dr Sandeep Kumar recognised the potential to harness Invisalign’s consumer appeal and value to differentiate his practice. We spoke to Sandeep, now CEO of two successful dental brands and a national dental network, to discover more about his extraordinary journey.

Although the practice specialises in Invisalign, complementary treatments are also offered to help deliver a complete smile makeover.

The MiSmile Network Following the tremendous success of his Invisalign-only MiSmile practice, and after innumerable requests by other practitioners to learn the secret of his success, Sandeep launched The MiSmile Network, a group dedicated to support other independent general dental practitioners with their Invisalign growth.

The network, which launched with 20 members in 2015, is led and mentored by Sandeep and his team. Together they’re consistently delivering on their objective to drive Invisalign case growth. In the first year alone group members submitted 1,177 cases and reported an average of 126% growth compared to their previous year.

Five years on, The MiSmile Network comprises of 70 independent dentists located across the

UK, each with a vested interest in growing their Invisalign expertise and case submissions.

Between them, the network has now created more than 10,000 new Invisalign smiles.

The MiSmile Network members all have experience treating patients with Invisalign, however, Sandeep’s long-standing relationship with Align Technology offers additional benefits to all members of the group. Benefits include access to the latest clinical developments, innovations, training, discounts, marketing support and advice, which means that they are able to treat more interesting and challenging cases with confidence. Network members are also provided with collective and localised marketing support, and qualified lead generation campaigns.

Sandeep has identified what makes the ideal MiSmile Network member: “They will be a general dentist – a practice principal – who has been certified as an Invisalign trained doctor and will have submitted between 5 and 25 cases. At this level they are starting to treat confidently,

Creating a group of dentists who can learn, encourage and support each other has been one of my best decisions

but want to grow their patient numbers by taking on more complex cases. They also have the right mindset to invest in their practice and their future success, and are keen to learn from more experienced providers to accelerate their progression and their practice growth.”

Why does Sandeep think The MiSmile Network has been so successful? “We’re a community of like-minded people who are open to sharing and learning,” he answers. “Everyone is on the same growth journey and has the same vision so it’s a true peer to peer learning experience.

Another advantage is leveraging the collective marketing budgets, branding and artwork to deliver greater brand and product awareness, and a more consistent prospect journey.

Resulting in increased lead generation, and ultimately an increase in patient numbers.”

Vision and balance Sandeep believes in his visions and bringing them to reality. “Creating a group of dentists

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Features

who can learn, encourage and support each other has been one of my best decisions,” he explains. “You must be prepared to take risks, and accepting that not everything will work out.

I always look forwards not backwards,” he adds.

Sandeep stresses the importance of excellent patient communication. “The backbone of any relationship or business is to be able to communicate effectively with people who you come into contact with. One must connect with another on a personal level before they will decide to do business with you.”

Is there anything in particular that he is proud of? “Creating a platform where I can share the secrets to my success with others and support them to grow and become more confident, both in a clinical and business remit has been very rewarding for me,” responds Sandeep.

“I thrive on success – both my own personal success but also seeing others grow and prosper.

I continually strive to learn and better myself.

Seeing my vision become reality creates an ongoing motivation to push myself further.”

Sandeep makes sure he has a good work-family balance. “I’m blessed to have a beautiful wife and two great children. As you can imagine work takes up a lot of time – I never work on weekends, and try to dedicate as much time as possible to personal development and family. In my free time, I love spending time with family and friends, and on the weekend, activities like cycling, swimming, cricket, and going to the gym with my children.

As the businesses have grown I have taken a step back from clinical dentistry and am focusing on strategically growing the MiSmile brand.”

When asked about any lessons he has learnt over the course of his career, Sandeep says: “Be

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accountable for your actions. There will be times when things won’t go according to plan. One of my favorite quotes is ‘there are no failures in life, only lessons.’ Learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward with passion, integrity and dignity.’

take their own life and businesses to levels which make them happy,” he adds.

Dr Sandeep Kumar

is the Founder and CEO of MiSmile and Smile Stylist.

You can find out more at mismile.co.uk/join

Looking towards the future, Sandeep has set clear and high goals. “I’m aiming to make The MiSmile Network a global brand, helping to connect likeminded dentists, who are willing to learn, share and help each other. And in the process,

I’m aiming to make The MiSmile Network a global brand, helping to connect likeminded dentists, who are willing to learn, share and help each other. And in the process, take their own life and businesses to levels which make them happy

Fact File: Dr Sandeep Kumar Qualifications: Statutory Examination 2000 Position: Founder and CEO of MiSmile and Smile Stylist Dental interests: Invisalign

Head Quarters: Birmingham, UK Interests out of Dentistry: Spending time with family, cycling and F1.

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Features

The confidence and competence to lead your dental business Andy McDougall, Owner of Spot On Business Planning, discusses the importance of a business plan and what to consider when determining your route.

Business planning is about determining how to achieve a significantly more profitable future. It’s about leading and running your business in pursuit of the planned result.

It’s not airy-fairy either. Like dentistry, it is derived from tried and tested principles and techniques that enable you to make better decisions, the right decisions, in a specific order and sequence to underpin success. And, most importantly, because it prompts you to make decisions and take action by delivering change – your circumstances change.

Our experience indicates that implementation is something principal dentists often avoid.

Ninety-five per cent of the time, our clients double their net profits within three years, but the common denominator for the 5% who don’t is their unwillingness to make and implement decisions. If you don’t take action, you can’t expect a different result.

A business plan covers every aspect of your business, all of which is reflected in the financials. Everything from tactical pricing, associate pay, staffing levels and remuneration, recall and stock processes to brand, key performance indicators (KPIs), performance management and monthly management accounts. It’s like a satnav: you know where you are, you know where you want to go, and your business plan is your map – the blueprint for the journey. Business planning, like the satnav, offers you an early warning of when you are off track and need to take corrective action.

Business planning essentially involves answering four strategic questions: 1. Where are we now? (situational analysis) 2. Where do we want to be? (strategy) 3. How do we get there? (strategy and tactics) 4. How do we know when we have arrived?

(KPIs and performance measurement)

Business planning is about determining how to achieve a significantly more profitable future. It’s about leading and running your business in pursuit of the planned result

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Business planning is the key that unlocks the door to profit

When we work with clients, stage one alone can take 4–6 weeks, so comprehensive is the analysis. Identifying the ‘now’ involves a series of techniques focusing on the financial and non-financial aspects of the business. Everything from the financial profitability of the practice, clinicians, and specific treatments to the nonfinancial scrutiny of the culture, people, brand, marketing activities and make-up of the patient base. You can’t determine where you want to go without a thorough understanding of your present position.

Tactical pricing is just one example of how stage one throws up so many opportunities. Practices mistakenly believe they follow the hourly rate, but when we dig into the mechanics of how they price, it is fundamentally flawed and often draining away thousands of pounds of profit.

It is amazing how unsophisticated pricing is.

Invariably there is no recognition of the future costs and income required (no business plan), it does not factor in the income generated from the different income streams, nor does it reflect discounting and loss-making treatments.

Business owners frequently don’t know which income streams and treatments make them a profit or loss. Astonishing really!

The next stage is all about determining how we want the future to look over a three-year planning horizon. Following rigorous self-analysis, a gap that reflects where the business is now and where it wants to be in a given period of time is identified and the changes necessary to fill that gap are agreed. In-depth financial modelling then projects the future financial results based on the correction of all the things that are wrong

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and a plan for implementing those changes in the correct order and sequence is determined.

The implementation of those changes in stage three requires meticulous change management with regular reporting against targets to monitor progress.

Stage three – how do we get there? – is the point at which real action happens. Having worked out what is wrong with the practice, and why you aren’t achieving the desired results, we plan to correct the broken parts.

It’s a time of change, when strong leadership is needed to steer the team to the Promised Land.

This key stage of implementation, be it fixing pricing, changing associate pay, refinancing the business, introducing key performance indicators, whatever… is what most principals find difficult to achieve.

It means potentially changing the way things are done and coaching people to do things differently. We implement performance management with KPIs reflecting the important actions that underpin our success. The business leaders will ensure everyone is aware of their contribution to the result and how they are performing against specific goals through regular performance reviews. You are only as strong as your weakest link. There is a lot of truth in the saying that what gets measured gets done. This way the business will know if its actions are delivering the required results and the management team can steer the organisation towards success.

The last strategic planning question is all about knowing when we have arrived. We monitor progress using monthly management accounts,

which are an essential part of the business planning process often widely misunderstood.

True management accounts compare your actual monthly and year to date financial performance against a budget. The budget is an output of the strategic business plan and is refreshed on a quarterly basis in the form of a forecast.

Business planning is the key that unlocks the door to profit. So many dental practices just amble through, not knowing how they are performing from one month to the next. It is astonishing that so many principals rely on a set of annual accounts that are 12 months old, as their grip on the business. As the principal dentist you are expected to combine your clinical expertise with leadership and commercial acumen. In the same way that you would not undertake a treatment unless you were confident and competent to do so, we recommend you apply the same principle to running your business and develop your commercial and management skills

Andy McDougall

is the Owner of Spot On Business Planning.

Features

Are you working ‘on’ your business?

You may have qualified as a Dentist but how would you fair taking your business degree? Matthew Levington, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Business Doctors, introduces his top ten tips for working on your business rather than in it.

It’s that time of year again when our Facebook timelines are full of friends and family graduation pictures. It takes us back to a time when we were excited about our future careers, and untouched by the realities of meeting our professional obligations and the stresses of running a business.

So, you’re a business owner… now what?

There are many reasons why you may have chosen to be a dentist, from helping people to feel better, or look better, to making a genuine difference to people’s lives and well-being.

It’s a common problem for dentists running their own practice. With industry pressures, the constant stream of clients and dealing with staff issues, you find yourself spread so thinly there is no time to develop a strategy and take it forward.

But how many of you were drawn to the profession purely to make money or become a successful entrepreneur?

There are many dentists who aspire to running their own business, and this may be one of the key reasons for joining the profession.

However, there are many others who don’t have that ambition and find themselves becoming accidental managers/finance directors/ marketers and HR professionals.

Your main priority is helping people, fixing teeth and doing what you’re trained to do. This is great, but how much time does this leave for working on your business? We spoke to a dentist practicing in the North West, who told us “I only spend about 20% of my time working on my business. With a large practice loan to pay off, NHS requirements, and keeping up with regulation changes, it doesn’t leave much time to focus on a growth plan for the business.”

Developing a strategy is a lot like looking after teeth…

• Have a (treatment) plan • Carryout the plan (treatment) • Regular review (check-up) • Maintenance (brush and floss)

We’ve come up with our top 10 tips to help get you working on your business and start seeing the benefit.

1

Ditch the business plan

Although it makes a lot of sense to have a business plan, they tend to be a set of spreadsheets, numbers, and words that are usually written to raise finance. They rarely see the light of day, and make very little impact on how we run our businesses on a day-to-day basis.

It’s time to think about something different, in other words, a strategy! Yes, it all sounds very corporate, but strategy works just as well for small businesses as the large corporates.

It’s about lifting the plan off the page, getting inspired, and creating something that’s living and breathing in your business. Getting everyone involved with the strategy helps to develop a shared vision for the future of the practice.

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2

Understand why you want it It’s time to be selfish. What are your personal objectives for the business?

“Apart from providing good quality dentistry, my ambition is to build a scalable business to allow me to move out of practice.”

Once you know what you want, it’s time to get the business working for you. Often, we find ourselves being the last one to leave the office, the last one to get paid, and the last one to take a holiday. So, it’s time to get selfish and think about number one for a change. Try and think about what you really want out of your business and what it’s going to do for you personally, for your family, for your future, and your future financial security and freedom.

3

Build on firm foundations Understand what is most important, and what you’re passionate about. Basically, why you do what you do!

If you really want to set your business apart and get it flying, you need to invest some time into thinking about what you really believe in as a business. What’s important to you? What traits and values do you look for in your partners, staff members, suppliers, and even your target customers?

In other words, what does your business stand for and how do you want it to be perceived by others?

4

Understand what business you’re in

Simply describing yourself as a dental practice means absolutely nothing. Customers don’t want dental treatment they want something else, but what is it? It’s important to start thinking like a customer and working out what they’re buying from you. Going back to our North West Dentist, “Patients vary in what they’re buying from you. NHS patients just want their teeth fixed while private patients are buying a better appearance.” And this is what you need to focus on.

5

Get ready to break big

Once you’ve understood why you do what you do, what business you’re in, and what you believe in as an organisation, it’s important to set a destination. A vision that your company starts to live by will carry it a long way. Even if you never reach the destination, it means that you can start planning your journey and working out what you need to do differently, when you need to do it by, and who you need to involve to make it happen.

46|Modern Dentist Magazine

6

Know your market

It’s amazing how much market intelligence we have just by looking inside our businesses and within our local business communities. It’s not about commissioning expensive market research, it’s about understanding who the most valuable customers are, which customers value you the most, and which customers are the most/ least profitable. With many customers being unwilling to receive your services as dentists, it’s important to focus on those who do.

When done properly, this exercise can produce a huge list of opportunities that can take you towards that destination we mentioned earlier.

The big question is which ones to focus on.

7 8

Look in the mirror

Take a good look in the mirror and understanding what you’re great at, where you can improve, where you are vulnerable, and most importantly where your edge is. From here you can work out which opportunities you should focus on to grow your business, and more importantly which ones you should not be focusing on.

Stand out from the crowd

Once you’ve got a clear focus, you need to make sure you stand out from the crowd and create the x factor that attracts people and the right customers to your business.

Companies get paid not just for performing a valuable task, but for being different from their competitors, and the sharper the differentiation the grater the advantage.

For many small businesses, the difference lies in the detail of the offer to the customer, and that’s what needs to be sold.

9

Create a sales plan Once we have clarity on our value proposition, and our most valuable customers, we can then map out how we can get to these people and do business with them.

You can’t try to be all things to all people and expect to succeed which is why precise targeting is so important. At the same time, how you develop the relationship you have with your target customers is key.

10

Press the reset button

Remember you can’t do this on your own.

You’ve only got one pair of hands, so you need to involve the rest of your team, share the vision with them, and get them to come up with a plan of how you’re all going to do it.

Build the people around the business, not the other way around.

Matthew Levington

is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Business Doctors.

Business Doctors are a network of businesspeople helping SME’s to achieve their vision. We offer hands on support to business owners enabling them to overcome their individual challenges.

Whether that’s growing the business, managing change or planning for the future we can help transform your business.

To find your local Business Doctor, visit us at businessdoctors.co.uk

If you really want to set your business apart and get it flying, you need to invest some time into thinking about what you really believe in as a business

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31/07/2019 16:12

Features

The problem with outsourcing Instagram The strength of any brand lies in the passion (as well as the consistency) of the voice that promotes it, which ensures familiarity and long-lasting appeal. Shaz Memon, Founder and Creative Director of Digimax, discusses whether outsourcing is hindering your reach.

Whilst delegation and team work are core principles of the business of dentistry – think scope of practice and clinical skills – when it comes to developing an Instagram profile, this is often best left in the hands of that one person who best understands you – you or someone within the four walls of your practice.

The nurturing of an online personality, or indeed the marketing of any brand, plays an essential supporting role in the promotion of services – and success lies in the authenticity of all communication both online as well as face-to-face.

In dentistry, a culture of honesty and openness lies at the heart of best practice and the same should apply to your digital marketing. There are many dental professional who often seem confused about how to use Instagram to their advantage – and, whilst my area of expertise is dental marketing, I believe outsourcing the job to an agency is not always the best option if the practice is looking to achieve and nurture long-term and fruitful relationships with patients.

Frequent activity plays a considerable part in building a successful Instagram presence, and outsourcing your account might involve a lengthy process of approval that goes against the ‘in the moment’ principles of online interactions.

So, if you are already outsourcing your Instagram account, your brand may be at risk. Can they replicate your authentic voice on treatments and procedures? Do they have authority – or, more importantly, the clinical knowledge – to answer

queries from potential patients? Do they understand how to evaluate a negative incident? Have you the time to monitor their conversations? Quite simply, is outsourcing this task helping or hindering your profile?

As a dentist, it is important to maintain control of your own storytelling. You have experienced your career pathway, you understand your areas of expertise and you know your patients. With your voice – and branding – ingrained in each and every post, followers get to know you and understand what to expect and are therefore more likely to respond and interact.

So, how can you outsource something to a person or company outside of your organisation that will then limits scope to generic content?

Instagram gives people an easy way to connect with you via images and without the added pressure of complex social relations. Often, the most engagement comes from live posts that capture real moments in real time. And it is in the authentic content you post that you will find best connects with your followers – particularly so if it offers insight to your practice culture. Genuine photos of your dayto-day life, that captures you at work and play, make for an easy introduction to you and your business ethos.

Do the litmus test and take time to assess other dentists’ accounts. Does the competition lack personality thanks to an outsourced team handling the account? Are they just one of a long list of clients vying for attention in a whole list of accounts they are managing?

You may be wondering, that all sounds good but where on earth will I find the time? I feel you only need a maximum of 30 minutes a week from yourself or a team member to manage and run your Instagram account.

This year, I am releasing my book ‘Instagram for Dentists’ which will walk you or your chosen team member with all the key principles and how to implement them to be successful on Instagram.

Visit www.instagramfordentists.co.uk and preregister to be notified when the book is released.

Nobody understands your brand better than you and your team.

Shaz Memon

is the Founder and Creative Director of Digimax.

People buying into your practice and treatments consider your online profile to be representative of the experience they will enjoy in your surgery illustrated in what you say and how you say it.

|49

Modern Dentist Magazine

If your patients take a glass of water to bed…

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REVIEW P53

Built around you

Speaking to Lorraine Sithole, Managing Director of Dove Healthcare Agency, Modern Dentist found out why she and her team decided to invest in Accountaholics’s services and software, and how Accountaholics are working to suit her business needs.

P55

A smooth transition

Dr Peter Patel, Co-Owner of Beaufort Park Dental Clinic, discusses his partnership with Aspired Finance following the relocation of his practice.

P57

The magic of Omnichroma

Modern Dentist heard from Dr Ahmed Samer Tadfi about his introduction to Omnichroma, and why he believes it will change the face of dentistry for the better.

|51

Modern Dentist Magazine

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Accountaholics

Product Review

Built around you Speaking to Lorraine Sithole, Managing Director of Dove Healthcare Agency, Modern Dentist found out why she and her team decided to invest in Accountaholics’s services and software, and how Accountaholics are working to suit her business needs.

Q

How has the introduction of Accountaholics helped the running of your practice, and do you consider Accountaholics to now be a part of your team?

Their advice covers all bases and they offer us unlimited support when we are faced with any issues

A

The unlimited and 24/7 support that Accountaholics offers works perfectly for us as we are a 24/7 care home. The packages that they offer are far cheaper than previous services we have used, and the fact that they are 100% paperless and use cloud software means that we can save time and get on with the job at hand. We feel that they have become a part of our team, they are always at the end of the phone if we have any further questions.

We look forward to continuing to work with them.

Q

Why is a paperless, cloud-based system ideal for you and your team? And how have Accountaholics assisted with the implementation of your cloud software?

A

Accountaholics’s on-boarding team were extremely helpful and explained in a nontechnical way how to use their system to its full potential. With a little bit of practice, we can now simply download a photo from our mobile devices to the cloud software, and the rest integrates with our bank account/invoices/payroll and book keeping including VAT returns.

Q

How has the guidance and advice from Accountaholics helped you to navigate the financial hurdles of running a business?

A

As we now have a dedicated accountant, we get the advice we need to help us run our business.

Their advice covers all bases and they offer us unlimited support when we are faced with any issues.

Q A

How have you benefitted from the advice and mentoring service that Accountaholics offers?

Martin Goldwater, Director of Accountaholics, is our mentor and has helped us with everything, from company set up to IT, the website, the sales process, procedures, and to finding new clients, plus printing and HMRC stuff as well. He has been extremely helpful and enables us to grow as professionals and as a business.

Q A

Why would you recommend Accountaholics services to others in the sector?

They really get to grips with us as a business and their understanding and knowledge of the industry is second to none. Their hands on approach is greatly appreciated and has helped our business become much more efficient and effective as a result.

COMMENT I started working with Lorraine in October 2018. Her book-keeping and tax affairs were all over the place and this was causing her a lot of stress.

First and foremost our team straightened out the books and then prepared her Accounts and HMRC submissions.

We then set Lorraine up with Making Tax Digital cloud software so she had a straight forward system to use.

Lorraine uses the camera feature for all her receipts and invoices, bank reconciliation and book keeping, saving her time and money, and at a glance she can see where she is in real time.

The next stage was the Business Advice and Mentoring, we started from scratch with her IT/Marketing/ Sales/Telephoney/Website/Digital Brochures and business planning and financial forecasting.

Lorraine now has a plan in place and is growing her business exponentially.

I look forward to helping Lorraine with stage 3 expansion in due course.

Martin Goldwater,

Director, Accountaholics.

Lorraine Sithole

is Managing Director of Dove Healthcare Agency.

The fact that they are 100% paperless and use cloud software means that we can save time and get on with the job at hand

|53

Modern Dentist Magazine

Product Review

A smooth transition Dr Peter Patel, Co-Owner of Beaufort Park Dental Clinic, discusses his partnership with Aspired Finance following the relocation of his practice.

Q A Q A

What services of Aspired Finance have you used?

We used Aspired Finance to help finance our whole relocation project.

How has Aspired Finance helped your practice?

Our practice was being relocated due to the intended demolition of our existing premises.

In the process we were hoping to expand from our existing, tiny two surgery practice, still stuck in a 1970’s time warp, into bright new spacious accommodation with more surgeries and the very latest equipment.

All great in theory but financing the project was always going to be difficult as we were going from low rent local council premises into new commercial accommodation, where rents were always going to be more expensive. We had a decision to make at that time; whether to rent premises or to purchase them outright. We decided that equipping the premises was going to be expensive and we wanted to guarantee our security of tenure, so we decided to purchase the premises.

Our existing bank, who knew us as a business and with whom we have banked and have had a long term relationship with for over 12 years, were very reluctant to finance our project, despite us demonstrating an excellent track record, in fact the best they could offer was 70/30 funding, with a hefty arrangement fee and with us providing 30% as a cash deposit, you can imagine the stifling effect that would have had on cash flow, that too in the critical early days. I think that is just the way banking has become – a lot more cautious and risk averse. Rob Griffin of Aspired Finance was introduced to us by our intended equipment supplier. He managed to arrange the finance for us

with an absolute minimum of fuss and at extremely competitive rates, not only for the purchase of the property but also the building works and equipment.

Q A

How has your practice grown since using Aspired Finance’s services?

With the finance that Aspired Finance arranged for us; effectively 100% (obviously everybody’s circumstances vary, but remember we were being offered 70/30 by a bank who knew us very well), we were able to transition from our small two surgery practice into a beautiful bright new four surgery practice fairly smoothly with the cash flow essential to take care of the numerous unexpected expenses that any new business would encounter along the way.

So how has our practice grown? We now have four surgeries, we are a training practice for newly qualified dentists; with only one Foundation Dentist previously, we have now been asked by NHS England to take on two FDs; we now also have hygienists and specialists in Periodontics and Endodontics. In terms of patient numbers, we are consistently attracting over a hundred new patients to the practice every month since we opened in November 2017, I think that speaks for itself.

Q A

What sets Aspired Finance apart?

Aspired Finance are not just like any other finance company; Rob Griffin in particular took a keen interest in our project from the moment we were introduced to him, initially just to finance the equipment however, this progressed to arranging the finance for the whole project as he came to understand our difficulties with our existing bank. Rob is very knowledgeable and we found him easy to talk to with our financial problems as they unfolded and each time he provided the perfect solution.

Q A

Why would you recommend Aspired Finance’s services to others in the sector?

Finance is a crucial aspect of any project and can have a drastic effect not only on the success or failure of a business, but even whether it gets off the ground in the first place.

Finance is a crucial aspect of any project and can have a drastic effect not only on the success or failure of a business, but even whether it gets off the ground in the first place COMMENT Aspired Finance is headed up by Rob Griffin, who has spent his whole career in finance and the last 15 years specifically within Healthcare.

Rob set up Aspired Finance to provide a trusted relationship for his clients looking to achieve their aspirations for their own businesses.

Providing full assistance in securing both Asset finance and Practice funding, Aspired Finance provide a complete service from quote to completion.

Working alongside many of the leading dental suppliers and manufacturers, Rob has built trusted relationships and maintained long term working relationships with most major Banks, finance houses and commercial funders.

Rob provides a transparent approach when working on behalf of his clients and has built a large client bank who return each time they require help in securing funding.

We would have no hesitation in recommending Aspired Finance to anybody, not just in this sector but probably in any other sector too.

Dr Peter Patel

is Co-Owner of Beaufort Park Dental Clinic

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Tokuyama’s spherical revolution!

SHADELESS

Matches every tooth Infinite shades... all in one syringe!

Each tooth filled with uncured Omnichroma A1

A2

A3

A3.5 A4

B1

B2

B3

B4

C1

C2

C3

C4

D2

D3

D4

Each tooth after light curing Seeing is believing!

Visit www.trycare.co.uk/omnichroma Call us on 01274 88 55 44 or visit www.trycare.co.uk/omnichroma

Product Review

The magic of Omnichroma Modern Dentist heard from Dr Ahmed Samer Tadfi about his introduction to Omnichroma, and why he believes it will change the face of dentistry for the better.

Q A

Q A

I have now been using Omnichroma for about 3 months and it keeps surprising me with how good its chameleon effect is! Whatever shade tooth I put it into it matches the shade perfectly, see figures 1 and 2. N.B. The UL6 was an indirect composite overlay not Omnichroma!

The other really big plus is that you don’t ever need to take a shade match because Omnichroma matches every shade. This saves time and prevents the disappointment and embarrassment of taking a shade and finding out it is not correct when you switch off the operating light and the patient is about to leave the surgery.

How has the introduction of Omnichroma enhanced the patient experience, but also facilitated the practice and dental professionals?

When I first heard about Tokuyama’s new shadeless composite, Omnichroma, I was very sceptical because I could not believe that one shadeless material could possibly match every single shade of tooth. However, being a regular user of the Tokuyama Estelite composite range, I was keen to get hold of their brand new product, Omnichroma.

So, when they sent me the demonstration set, I was amazed! The same white opaque composite was placed into the cavities of three different coloured teeth, light cured each one for 20 seconds and each restoration literally vanished and merged seamlessly with the colour of the surrounding tooth. It was unbelievable so I bought a pack straight away.

As my confidence in it has grown, I have even begun showing its magical features directly to my patients.

The response is the same “wow” as the composite is transformed from white opaque into the existing tooth colour.

The results that can be achieved have led me to share my experiences on social media with fellow colleagues from all around the world. Colleagues from Norway, Belgium and Saudi Arabia have contacted me requesting demonstrations and asking how they can get their hands on the product themselves.

Q A

Is it easy to work with?

As with any new product, once you become accustomed to how the material works and handles, it works very well. Initially, I struggled with handling, but after a demonstration from my local Trycare Representative I haven’t had any problems with it whatsoever.

I also noted that in this case it is better to work with when it is cold rather than heating it, unlike with many other composites on the market.

Q A

How has it improved the way you and your team work?

As it only needs to have two syringes stocked, the standard material and blocker, it makes for easier storage, less packaging and waste, and less syringes or PLTs in the drawers.

For me I have less to worry about with picking shades and my nurse has less to worry about finding them. This improves the overall workflow between the Dentist and nurse and as an overall patient experience.

What are the benefits of Omnichroma?

With Omnichroma you just need two syringes or packets of PLTs. One the standard material and the other the blocker for use on incisal edges or deep or dark cavities. This means that Omnichroma is a truly universal material, one that matches every shade of tooth not just some. Consequently, there is no need to stock any specialist shades, ones that might rarely get used and might even exceed their shelf life before you have managed to use them all up. This is a huge plus because the nurse isn’t having to search for a particular shade, which may be out of stock or out of date, and thus leads to a more harmonious and stress free working environment.

Q A

Would you recommend Omnichroma to other Dentists and Practices?

Absolutely. The results speak for themselves and my colleagues who have tried it, like myself, could not believe that it actually works.

As previously mentioned, through social media I have been able to reach a larger audience and share my experiences and cases using this wonderful new material.

Q A

How can you see the need for products like this evolving in the future?

I think if the handling of the material is further improved, along with possibly eliminating the need for a blocker, it would lead to the ultimate super material that could replace all others. This will be better for practices in terms of stockpiling, ordering etc., but ultimately, better for the environment because we won’t have as much waste.

COMMENT Tokuyama’s shadeless Omnichroma combines patented “structural colour” pearl technology with advanced resin expertise so that just one shadeless Omnichroma and Omnichroma Blocker is all you need to replace all 16 Vita shades of any other composite system.

This means that there is no need to shade match ever again and that just one pack saves the time and cost of on average 20 shade matches. Whilst its white opaque uncured appearance makes it clearly visible when packing and carving it becomes invisible when cured.

For more information about the complete Tokuyama range, including Omnichroma, contact your local Trycare Representative.

Call 01274 885544 or visit

www.trycare.co.uk/omnichroma

Furthermore, I think if the technology of this product could be applied to indirect dental work such as crowns, overlays and bridges, it would change the face of Dentistry for the better. There will be less shade mishaps, less confusion, less stockpiling thus less waste, more time to spend on the clinical work and ultimately improve the overall workflow for the dental team and experience the patients have at the dental appointment.

Dr Ahmed Samer Tadfi

is a private cosmetic dentist in central London.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Case Study

Charity Challenges Some of our editorial board members share their charity challenges of 2019.

On 30th November 2019, PFM will be supporting on a Big Vision ‘Empowering Women in Dentistry’ Conference. Taking place at a quirky loft place in London, this is a unique event aimed at merging dentistry with personal challenges.

The event is supporting the charity Mind which raises money for mental health, which is becoming increasingly important in today’s world.

PFM are proud to support and speak at an event aimed to challenge inequalities women face in the industry. Getting the chance to collaborate with so many inspirational women is sure to make the event a great success.

Water Walk | Tribute to Dr Anoop Maini

Regent’s Park (London) have just confirmed that we can hold a sponsored walk to raise funds for Wells on Wheels. Together, I want us to raise enough funds to purchase 500 wheels (£28 each) from this walk. This would transform the lives of 2500 individuals.

I would like to invite you to come and walk on Sunday 15th September, and to bring your teams and families. It would mean a lot to me if you could attend and help me to give young girls in rural India a better future.

We recently received some extremely sad news. The passing of Dr Anoop Maini has truly shaken the dental profession. Anoop was not only a renowned dentist, he was a Father, Husband, Son, Mentor and overall inspiration to anyone he came into contact with. This event, with the permission of his wife Neera Maini is a tribute to Anoop. Let’s do something amazing together in his name. Register at www.waterwalk.co.uk

Sponsored Charity Walk

Sunday 15th Sept Regent’s Park, London

Shaz Memon, Digimax Dental.

Interview with Pankaj Patel, Aequitas Accountants

Q A

Tell us about Aequitas Accountants and the services that you offer?

Our firm was established over 20 years ago; starting as a small practice with two people running the business and growing organically over time, mainly through recommendations and referrals. Today, we are a team of 17 in the UK, in addition to an office in India.

We have always felt strongly that our strength is in building relationships with our clients. Our goal is to become an integral part of your business, not just in preparing the numbers at the year end, but by providing meaningful management data and analysis throughout the year to assist you in running your business successfully.

At Aequitas we offer the following services: • Management Accounts with tailored reports produced on a monthly or quarterly basis as required • Full bookkeeping services, including guidance on tax allowable expenses and ways to reduce your tax

• Timetabled meetings to discuss management account figures in depth and facilitate strategic planning • Preparation and filing of annual accounts and corporation tax returns • Tax planning during the year and advance notice of future tax liabilities • Payroll bureau, encompassing the full suite of filing to HMRC as well as auto enrolment processing

data, tailored to your industry. We want to help you boost profits, be more efficient and at the end of the day we want to help you achieve a work life balance that is right for you.

We will also take the time to help you set relevant goals for yourself and your business, asking clients the right questions means we can plan for matters ranging from business expansion, to exit through to retirement.

• Personal tax returns, including guidance for new businesses and directors on best practice • Retirement planning • Due diligence and advice on any sales and acquisitions

Q

What makes Aequitas Accountants different to other services in the sector?

A

At Aequitas our services are not limited to producing accounts; we pride ourselves on providing our clients with something extra. We analyse your performance figures to provide value added

Pankaj Patel

is the Director of Aequitas Accountants.

|59

Modern Dentist Magazine

Case Study

The new home of Topdental – Topdentaldirect.com (formerly topdental.org)

Here you will find everything you need for the modern dental surgery, from patient bibs to high level infection control products. Our aim is to provide busy and successful dental practices with a top quality, cost effective and professional service that meets their ever-increasing demands. We are now able to offer 30 day business accounts along with an instant credit/debit card payment facility, ensuring you can get the products you need without delay. Many of our products are designed and manufactured exclusively on-site so not only are we able to bring you high levels of customer service but this is accompanied by competitive prices direct from a well-known manufacturer with an excellent reputation.

Topdental have been providing dental practices across the UK with a comprehensive range of superior quality and affordable dental consumables for almost 20 years. All our products are price checked at regular intervals against other leading dental suppliers to ensure the best prices are passed on to you, while not compromising our total commitment to quality. Our special offers consist of discounts, multi-buys and free gifts which are updated every 60 days, so it’s always worth checking out Topdentaldirect.com to see our latest deals.

Passionate about providing great customer service, our experienced sales team includes qualified dental nursing staff to help advise and answer any questions you may have about our products and services. We are proud to offer a next day delivery service for all orders placed before 2pm via trusted couriers to ensure your dental practice runs efficiently and effectively every single day. Product MSDS, IFU and instructional videos are all also available for download directly on Topdentaldirect.com.

We are part of the well-known and wide reaching Directa Dental Group, a group of companies specialised in providing great products, expert knowledge and fantastic service to the dental industry, Topdentaldirect.com is able to provide you with products and services direct from established and reputable manufacturers, ensuring excellent service comes with amazing value for money.

We would like to invite you to log on to Topdentaldirect.com and enjoy an introductory 10% discount off your first order placed by using code TOP10 at checkout.

Expert hygienist trip to Philips US HQ for preview of Sonicare ExpertClean As one of Philips KOLs, Anna Middleton who is behind The ‘London Hygienist Ltd’ and has become a multi-award winning and influential dental professional with a thriving business, was invited to visit the company’s world HQ in Seattle Washington. Over two days Anna and hygienist Laura McClune, were given an insight into the development of the first Sonicare toothbrush 25 years ago, as a precursor to learning about the latest Sonicare 7500 ExpertClean which is about to be launched in the UK. This new brush, with its connected technology, is designed to guide patients to better oral care habits. Sensors track and measure patients’ brushing behaviours while pressure sensors in the brush handle provide instant feedback and guide the patient to adjust their brushing style. Over time, the Sonicare app retains and analyses these habits and generates a progress report for both them and their dental professional, to help develop and maintain better brushing technique.

The ExpertClean brush comes with a new head featuring soft, flexible bristles which are designed to curve around the contours of the teeth, giving four times more surface contact and up to 10 times more plaque removal from hard-to-reach spots. 1 Studies show that people who use this brush head have up to 100% less gum inflammation and up to 7x healthier gums in just two weeks. 1 Patients would have to brush for a whole month to achieve what Philips Sonicare can do in just two minutes.2 Anna commented “On the first day we learnt about the in-depth work that goes into the design process and evolution of Philips products and had a tour of their quality testing labs. It soon became apparent why Philips is at the forefront of technological innovation and development and reassured me that their products are the best to recommend to my patients both from an efficacy and quality perspective. On day two we returned to learn more about Philips’ goal to improve the lives of three billion people by 2025 as part of their healthcare continuum.“ “One of the highlights of the trip for me was an exclusive look at the future of digital dentistry. We saw a demonstration of the new company’s new teledentistry app which will link the patient directly with a dental professional at any time”.

More information about Sonicare ExpertClean will be announced in the UK in September.

For more information please visit: www.philips.co.uk/sonicare ENDS 1 More than a manual toothbrush

60|Modern Dentist Magazine

2 An electromagnetic drivetrain inside the Sonicare handle delivers more brush strokes in two minutes than an entire month of manual brushing

Case Study

mikrozid universal - tough on germs, gentle on equipment ®

mikrozid® universal from schülke UK – experts in infection prevention – has a unique low alcohol formulation, with a dual action. Offering both cleaning and disinfection of surfaces in a single product, mikrozid universal is ideal where short contact times are required and prolonged exposure to moisture could cause damage.

Effective against bacteria including TB, and viruses like norovirus, mikrozid universal is compatible with a wide range of materials including keyboards, touch screens, leatherette furniture, surfaces of medical equipment and work surfaces.

Mikrozid universal is fast acting (bactericidal in 15 seconds), has excellent material compatibility and contains added surfactants to boost cleaning performance. It is available in both liquid with integrated spray and high quality fleece wipes for enhanced coverage.

To find out more about how schülke’s extensive infection prevention and control range can help your practice, contact:

schülke UK, Cygnet House, 1 Jenkin Road, Meadowhall, Sheffield, S9 1AT 0114 254 3500 www.schuelke.com email: mail.uk@schuelke.com

Nuvola Clear Aligners - A world class product with exceptional customer service

I first came into contact with Nuvola aligner by visiting the Dentistry Show in Birmingham several years ago. Its CEO, Massimiliano Bucceri, immediately introduced me to a general practitioner who used Nuvola, and was able to give me an honest and unbiased view. At this stage I had limited experience in clear aligners, but was keen to introduce it to my patients at a cost-efficient price. By the time I had left the showcase, I was already booked onto an introductory course.

My aim was to source a product that my patients could afford, that offered value for money, from a company that could provide a dependable service for a novice. I indeed found that from Nuvola. These transparent aligners move the teeth with gentle pressure until the desirable effect is achieved. The aligners are produced using 3D printers and scanning technology and are delivered directly to your practice, from Italy with the treatment plan.

The course discussed both the history of digital orthodontics, and the reasoning (supported by literature), for their choice of thermoplastic material. Limitations of digital orthodontics such as: posterior sector mesialisation, anterior or posterior open bites and derotation of molars/ premolars were presented in a non-biased view. It was all based at the level of the general practitioner with limited experience in orthodontics.

The Nuvola web was easy to use and allowed cases to be uploaded, and a 3D video animation to be delivered showing the finished treatment plan. I found that patient enjoyed Nuvola View, an interactive programme where I was able to manipulate single or double arch 3d models.

For a general dentist, this product was remarkable. But for a single-handed practitioner, the company is exemplary. I had the great pleasure of having them spend the day with me at my practice. They taught me how to use a digital scanner, and spent the entire day at my Nuvola Open day. Once again, I was able to offer my patients a more comfortable experience with digital technology as opposed to cumbersome, messy traditional impressions.

Nuvola goes above and beyond at developing small businesses. Not only have they helped me design open day flyers using their own designer, but also invited me to their laboratory in Rome. As someone with limited experience in orthodontics, I have truly been inspired to push my business forward heralded by their product – Nuvola clear aligners

A testimonial from Dr Farah Ramjohn BSc. (Hons) BDS (Livpl) MJDF RCS (Eng) PG Dip (Eastman) PG Cert (Bed), Owner of The Ivory Dental Practice.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

10 mins with...

Edmund Proffitt Q A

Has the dental industry changed since you started work in it?

I joined the BDIA several years ago and even over this relatively short period of time there have been significant changes in the industry, the profession and the market. We have seen the continuing growth of corporate dentistry bringing changes to the marketplace, we have a protracted dental contract reform process

the dental materials and products sector, nor does the ‘digital’ revolution slumber. Developments in digital dentistry are constantly with us, with broader adoption and transformational results. Technology does not stand still, and the dental industry is ensuring that this can be put to best use in the dental practice.

On the negative side, the industry has seen a growth in the availability,

get there, a post-Brexit UK system.

Add to this that the new EU system may be missing a few vital pieces of the jigsaw when it is scheduled to go live in May next year and we have some challenging times ahead, including, according to the EU Commission, possible short-term impacts on the availability of some products on the marketplace next summer.

Technology does not stand still, and the dental industry is ensuring that this can be put to best use in the dental practice

which is crawling steadily ahead, and latterly, we have been grappling with the many commercial and regulatory impacts associated with the Brexit process. Added to this, the dental and medical device industries are also facing the greatest changes in regulation and control of their products in decades with the subsequent challenges that this brings with it. We have also seen changes across the dental show sector, with a growth in the number of national and regional shows, followed by some consolidation, with more challenges to come as the buying profile of dental practices continues to consolidate too.

Q A

What have been the key positive and negative changes in your area?

On the positive side, the industry never stops innovating and developing products to improve clinical outcomes and benefit patient’s oral health and wellbeing across the board. Materials science never slows down, with continuing developments right across

62|Modern Dentist Magazine

usually online, of counterfeit and noncompliant dental equipment, with all the dangers that this brings to patients, users and GDC registration. The industry works closely with its regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), to educate the profession to only purchase from reputable suppliers. If that deal seems too good to be true, it probably is!

Q A

What are the biggest challenges now facing the dental industry?

The dental industry and, indeed, the whole medical devices sector, is currently facing something of a ‘perfect storm’. This is the result of the particular timings of Brexit activity, which has a profound impact on the regulation and marketing of products, coupled with the major overhaul and reform of the EU regulatory regime for medical and dental equipment. This means that, in particular, the UK industry is really caught between two possible regulatory systems, the new EU system and, if we

Q A

Who inspires you and why?

I draw inspiration from many people.

From current industry colleagues, to some of my motorsport heroes, like Niki Lauda, and Kiwi record breaker, Burt Munro, to historical figures, like Brunel and Nelson. The common factor in those who inspire me is a sense of mission, dedication, the ability to achieve, and the confidence to get things done their own way.

Q A

If you were not in your current position, what would you be doing?

If dreams came true, I think I would like to be more involved with my passion, which is motorsport, perhaps managing a small racing team or restoring historic racing cars.

Edmund Proffitt

is the Chief Executive of the British Dental Industry Association.