Modern Dentist Magazine - Issue 12

Issue

12 ISSN 2515-6128

‘There has Looking ahead: What should your never been a the future of business strategy better time to be for 2020? dentistry be a dentist’ Sophie Kwiatkowski, Dr Simon Chard

Dr Bethany Rushworth

PFM Dental

Our roadmap for the future Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Oral Health Foundation

Key contributors to this issue

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Welcome Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year!

With the holiday season upon us, our thoughts naturally turn to the year ahead and what it has in store for us, and not only are we entering a new year, but we are also at the brink of a new decade! As January creeps up on us, now is the time to be thinking about the new opportunities that 2020 could bring you and your practice. In this edition of Modern Dentist, we are looking to the future as expectations become higher than ever as we look to make resolutions and plans for the next ten years, not just the next 12 months.

‘There has never been a better time to be a dentist’, said Dr Simon Chard, Dentist, Lecturer and voted one of the most influential dentists in UK dentistry. Focusing on the digital revolution, Dr Chard shared his insights with us at Modern Dentist and discussed how the development of technology and digital dentistry will change the landscape of dentistry. Dr Bethany Rushworth gave us her thoughts on the future of dentistry, stating the challenges and opportunities we can expect from the profession regarding career progression, future trends and expectations.

explains how Yo Telecom has transformed his practice and brought their business into the 21st century through a new telephony and IT network. We met Dr Nina Dollay of Bloom and Gonsai Dental, who tells us why she joined ZoomClinic – the Private Clinic Directory; and following the launch of Isopharm’s new practice account, Julia Wright CertHE, Practice Manager at Chapeltown Dental Care, tells us how their group reporting function has enabled her to keep better track of her whole team’s PDP and CPD progress. Dr Neel Jaiswal introduces Professional Dental Indemnity and how their services can help as dental malpractice claims continue to rise.

And as always, we have our panel of experts on the editorial board offering their advice, which will surely make the new year much easier to navigate. I hope you enjoy this issue, and I wish you a great start to a new year and a new decade!

Take a look at our product review section, dedicated to providing you with advice on everything from keeping track of your team’s CPD progress to dental indemnity. Recognising the need for further implementation of digital dentistry in his practice, Dr Neil Simkin, lead dentist at mydentist (UK) AOHC, Newtown, discusses the benefits of working with Swift Dental Group as he intends to embrace digital dentistry to its fullest. Kevin Evans, Operations Manager at Ferring Dental Practice & Abbots Lodge Dental Practice,

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

Editorial Board Contributors Bill Carr

Mark Barry

Dr Rebecca Smith

Bill Sharpling

Martin Goldwater

Rob Griffin

Associate Director Medifinance Ltd Associate Dean (CPD), Director LonDEC, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences King’s College London

Heidi Marshall Partner Dodd & Co

Kelly Saxby

Managing Director Green Apple Dental Recruitment Limited

Director ESM Digital Solutions Managing Director Accountaholics

Mike Hughes Principal Dental Practice Consultancy Service

Nathalie Smets Marketing and Sales Country Manager Ancar

Co-Editor - Poppy Green, poppy@charltongrant.co.uk Project Manager - Suzy Makin, suzy@charltongrant.co.uk

Associate Dental Surgeon at Lion House Dental Practice On behalf of Geo Orthodontics and Nuvola Business Owner Aspired Finance

Shaz Memon

Founder and Creative Director Digimax

Sophie Gray

Dental Compliance Manager Isopharm

Sophie Kwiatkowski Accountant PFM Dental

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 31 Positive steps for practices

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31 33

Dental Recruitment

Nathalie Smets, Ancar

‘There has never been a better time to be a dentist’

Kelly Saxby, Green Apple Dental Recruitment Limit

How can we encourage patients to value their appointments more?

Features News

07

Improving the quality of life for Brits in 2020 and beyond – our roadmap for the future

Our charity has made great strides in the last year which are helping us edge towards our goal of bringing better oral health to all. Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Heath Foundation, outlines their strategy for the road ahead.

Interviews

21 21

23

‘There has never been a better 23 10 time to be a dentist’ 25

14

Dr Simon Chard, Dentist, lecturer and voted one of the most influential dentists in UK dentistry, spoke to Modern Dentist about the future of the industry. Focusing on the digital revolution, Dr Chard shared his insights into social media whilst discussing the development of technology and digital dentistry, and what we can expect as we enter a new decade.

Looking ahead: the future of dentistry Dr Bethany Rushworth gives us her thoughts on the future of dentistry, the challenges and opportunities, and what we can expect from the profession regarding career progression, future trends and expectations.

Editorial Board

19

What should your business strategy be for 2020?

Sophie Kwiatkowski, PFM Dental

4|Modern Dentist Magazine

What are the pros and cons of associate incorporation?

Pankaj Patel, Aequitas Accountants Ltd

34

New year, new government new plan for your practice?

35

Manage Stress or Build Resilience?

Why should you consider further education?

Alice-Clementine Kamthunzi, ICE Postgraduate Dental Institute and Hospital

How can a practice and its patients benefit from a care plan and patient finance?

Mike Hughes, Dental Practice Consultancy Service

When selling your practice, should you sell to a corporate?

Heidi Marshall, Dodd & Co

With technology becoming more advanced by the day, what new innovations are we likely to see in 2020?

25 Setting smart financial goals

Get your accounts in order 40 27 27 The enhanced CPD scheme 29 Futureproofing your practice 29 Practice purchase deposits 31 Positive steps for practices Rob Griffin, Aspired Finance

Martin Goldwater, Accountaholics

Bill Sharpling, King’s College London

Glenys Bridges CMIPD, Glenys Bridges Practice Pathways Ltd

Bill Carr, Medifinance

Lis Hughes, Frank Taylor & Associates

Terry Streather, Director and Mental Health and Personal Safety Specialist at Oakwood Training, offers his suggestions to help us manage, adapt and grow and build resilience in times of stress.

37 The Implant Centre

Chris Webb, Precision PR

Regardless of your personal leanings, after all the previous uncertainty, 2019 ended with a decisive win for Boris Johnson. So, now the dust has settled (slightly), it’s time to look at what else we can expect from the new government, particularly its tax agenda and how it could affect you personally and as a dental practice owner.

In this edition of Modern Dentist, our Practice Focus features Bill Schaeffer and Guy Barwell, Founders of The Implant Centre. They provide the best of all-round implant experiences, both to patients and referring dentists, and it is clear that their practice revolves around their patients as they aim to shape the future of implantology, while adding some creativity to the dental sector.

College of General Dentistry (CGDent) The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) will be transitioning into the College of General Dentistry. Proving to be a very exciting time for them, the College will aim to elevate the standing of dentistry, consistent with other and equivalent healthcare and medical professions.

Modern Dentist had the pleasure of speaking to Professor Nairn H F Wilson CBE DSc(h.c.) DDent (h.c.) FFGDP FDS FFD FKC, Emeritus Professor of Dentistry and Chair of the College of General Dentistry, who shared their story and ambitions for the dental community as they move forward.

Issue 12 | ISSN 2515-6128

46 Brushbox 62

Mark Seekings, Riverdale Healthcare

42

Payment plans – when low cost doesn’t mean low value

44

Slow Dentistry

46

Save the Planet Twice a Day with Brushbox

48

Conrad Broadbent explains why offering a low-cost solution for patient plans doesn’t have to mean compromising on value and service.

On the 23rd November, Modern Dentist was invited to attend the 1st Slow Dentistry Meeting in London, supported

by Voco, to join the discussion about how going slow can impact your day-to-day practice and improve overall success.

Brushbox is the UK’s first sustainable oral health subscription service, designed with the patient in mind. Over the coming year, Brushbox will be partnering with dental practice owners across the UK to offer a new-to-market, innovative proposition which will provide an additional, passive revenue stream (at no cost) to the practice, while offering a service that has both health, environmental and ethical benefits for the end-user.

51 53

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ZoomClinic – The Private Clinic Directory

57

Keeping track of your team’s progress

Chris McConnell, Vice-President and Communications Director at the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD), observes the continued growth in modern cosmetic dentistry and emphasises the importance of continued learning and development if the industry is to keep up with patient demands.

Embrace digital dentistry

Recognising the need for further implementation of digital dentistry in his practice, Dr Neil Simkin, Lead Dentist at mydentist (UK) AOHC, Newtown, has moved to a full digital workflow with the help of Swift Dental Group. Here he discusses the benefits of their partnership to both his practice and his patients.

Bring your business into the 21st century Kevin Evans, Operations Manager at Ferring Dental Practice & Abbots

FREE at

www.moderndentist.co.uk Supported By

Speaking to Dr Nina Dollay of Bloom and Gonsai Dental, we found out why she has joined ZoomClinic to increase her practice’s visibility to customers.

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Following the launch of Isopharm’s new practice account, including a comprehensive group reporting functionality, Modern Dentist spoke to Julia Wright CertHE, Practice Manager at Chapeltown Dental Care, about how group reporting has enabled her to keep track of her whole team’s PDP and CPD progress.

A new era of dental indemnity

The pursuit of excellence

Product Review

Lodge Dental Practice, recommends Yo Telecom, the company that transformed his practice by implementing a telephony and IT network that immediately improved staff performance and patient expectations.

Subscribe for

swiftdental group

As a practising dentist, Dr Neel Jaiswal, one half of the Directorial team at Professional Dental Indemnity, understands the challenges facing dentists as dental malpractice claims continue to rise. In his interview, he explained how he hopes to help those in need as Professional Dental Indemnity introduce their services to the market.

Case Study

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Why choose Nuvola aligners from GEO? mikrozid® universal – tough on germs, gentle on equipment All-on-Four and Zygomatic Implant Planning

10 Minutes with...

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Mark Seekings

Chairman and CEO of Riverdale Healthcare

Our publications contain advertising material submitted by third parties. Each individual advertiser is solely responsible for the content of its advertising material. We accept no responsibility for the content of advertising material, including, without limitation, any error, omission or inaccuracy therein. We do not endorse, and are not responsible or liable for, any advertising or products in such advertising, nor for any any damage, loss or offence caused or alleged to be caused by, or in connection with, the use of or reliance on any such advertising or products in such advertising.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

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Improving the quality of life for Brits in 2020 and beyond – our roadmap for the future

News

Our charity has made great strides in the last year, which are helping us edge towards our goal of bringing better oral health to all. Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, outlines their strategy for the road ahead.

As we look ahead, a new year brings new opportunities. To make sure we are in the best position to help address the world’s growing oral health needs, we have created a brandnew charity strategy.

In this strategy, we present our roadmap for building a healthier society through eradicating dental disease. There are many challenges to address and barriers to tackle. Our charity is ready to do all we can to make sure more people have a healthy mouth and a greater quality of life.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in the world, and it effects over half of the world’s adult population. The number of people that have been diagnosed with mouth

cancer has doubled in the last generation and a new case is diagnosed almost every single hour.

Another common problem we face is gum disease, one of the most common health conditions worldwide and which is linked to wider problems such as heart disease and diabetes.

These are issues that we can make great progress towards reducing across the UK and beyond in 2020. Together, we can create a

News Together, we can create a future where people live longer and happier lives as a result of having a healthy mouth

future where people live longer and happier lives as a result of having a healthy mouth.

In this new decade, one of our key objectives is to create healthier communities through our efforts to educate and inform about achieving better oral health.

We believe that our dental health campaigns on key issues that affect the most vulnerable in our society can help tackle the growing issue of inequalities in oral health. To achieve this, we pledge to organise new campaigns on key topics, including sugar, alcohol, smoking and mental health.

We will also build on the successes of National Smile Month and Mouth Cancer Action Month.

These two long-running nationwide campaigns have generated fantastic support from the dental profession over many years, and in 2020 we will be giving these groups even more opportunities to take part.

Sharing our messages and information with all audiences, from families and the elderly, to the homeless and those with additional needs, is essential.

Health care professionals, such as yourselves and others who work tirelessly across the country, are at the forefront of that communication network. To make your task of informing your patients about oral health easier, we will expand our range of programmes and resources, so we are better placed to help a diverse community, country and world, address their various needs.

At our core, we are dedicated to empowering people to make healthier choices through education and raising awareness. You play a vital role in helping us to achieve this.

Furthermore, we recognise that changes in policy and legislation can really have a positive impact nationwide, especially in the most disadvantaged communities.

Therefore, we will continue to champion initiatives and actions with policymakers.

Legislation can influence positive changes and lead to substantial improvements in oral health.

It can also reduce the continual inequalities in oral health that are affecting countless people in areas of deprivation and isolation.

However, we are aware that the needs of the population are evolving and wide-ranging.

We understand the importance of knowing there is no one-size-fits-all approach to communication. Oral health is no exception and we must ensure the needs of all are met.

Our relationships with like-minded organisations, who are also passionate about delivering better oral health, are absolutely invaluable. Looking forward, we will welcome the opportunity to build on these partnerships and form new ones. There is no cap on what we can achieve when we are united.

Our commitment to a multi-platform dental advice service will make sure we can achieve this together.

It is with great optimism that we, in this strategy for the next five years, have outlined

In this new decade, one of our key objectives is to create healthier communities through our efforts to educate and inform about achieving better oral health 8|Modern Dentist Magazine

our aims and goals. We are, however, realistic that to be successful we must continue to consistently strive for excellence, adapt to the challenges ahead and do our utmost to support a truly fantastic profession. It is important that we all have the right resources to handle the demands of an evolving population.

As an entirely self-funded charity, that is notfor-profit, we depend greatly on the generous financial support that we receive from all corners. These people and organisations make a huge difference in our fight to eliminate dental disease.

For the part you have played in enabling us to continue our campaigns, programmes and other charitable activities, I would like to give a very warm thank you. Without this support, they would not be possible.

We have already achieved so much together, but there is certainly more to be done.

You can continue to help our charity blossom and together we can get closer to creating a better future for those suffering from oral disease.

Good general health cannot be achieved without good oral health. It is absolutely integral. We are on a mission that started nearly 50 years ago and continues in 2020, to create a world where everybody has a healthy mouth and subsequently, a better quality of life. Give us as much support as you can to help foster a better future for all.

If you are interested in joining as a supporter and helping us further to continue our important work in improving oral healthcare, please visit: www.dentalhealth.org/support-us/.

The Oral Health Foundation’s strategy to 2024 can be downloaded in full by visiting www. dentalhealth.org/strategy2024.

Dr Nigel Carter OBE

is the Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation.

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Interview

‘There has never been a better time to be a dentist’ Dr Simon Chard, Dentist, Lecturer and voted one of the most influential dentists in UK dentistry, spoke to Modern Dentist about the future of the industry.

Focusing on the digital revolution, Dr Chard shared his insights into social media whilst discussing the development of technology and digital dentistry, and what we can expect as we enter a new decade.

Q

A

Why did you decide on a career in dentistry?

I would say that my pathway into dentistry wasn’t the most straightforward or traditional. Both of my parents are dentists, and you would have thought that this would draw me in, but instead this indirectly pushed me away from the industry as I was growing

up. I ended up studying Pharmacology at Bristol University, but it was during this time that I met my best friend and coincidentally he was studying dentistry; it was through him that I discovered this community of dental professionals and the hands-on element that suddenly something just clicked, and I realised that this was what I should be doing. However,

Being brought up in an environment where digital is so ubiquitous, it is a great time to be a dentist 10|Modern Dentist Magazine

I completed my Pharmacology degree first and did a fast track. I then went on to King’s College London and the rest is history, and I have never looked back. As soon as I was on that dental course, I really fell in love with it, and luckily, I am still very passionate about it today.

Q

You have used social media to turn yourself into one of the industry’s most recognisable personal brands. How is social media changing the game?

A

Social media is a double-edged sword.

It has certainly been very powerful for me as a method of communication, both

Interview

A

Miguel Stanley, one of the Founders of Slow Dentistry, contacted me and asked me to be a Global Ambassador because he felt that I was already practicing in a way that represented the movement. For me, Slow Dentistry represents taking the time to do things properly, whether that be tooth isolation using rubber dams so as to achieve long lasting adhesive dentistry, or taking the time to use digital smile design or trial smiles to correctly inform your patients of the steps involved; it gives patients much better informed consent on any procedures they are having. It is all about ensuring that the basic steps are being followed correctly. Anything that says that we are flying the flag for these principal steps, I am very proud to be involved with it.

Q

How is digital dentistry allowing dentists to practice at a slower pace and what are the benefits?

A

At the first Slow Dentistry meeting I presented a talk: ‘The digital revolution and Slow Dentistry’, which demonstrated how using digital mediums, such as digital radiography, digital photography and digital scans, can add layers of information, enabling the patient to fully understand what we are talking about during an appointment.

It is up to our governing bodies to create a framework that does right by the patient but also does right by the dental care professional too with other professionals and my patients. It is that degree of transparency and level of communication that I really value from it. Most of my patients come and see me because they see me online, which is amazing considering that it is a completely free resource, but there are some negative aspects of social media to consider too.

Firstly, it can affect your mental health, in that it normalises the exceptional, and that is not just within dentistry but in every industry. We as a profession benchmark ourselves against everyone’s best cases and that can create a lot of anxiety and negativity.

In addition to that, especially on Facebook,

there is a lot of trolling of professionals, which is incredibly sad. I have since stepped away from Facebook because of the negative environment that it was creating. Thankfully, what I have experienced on Instagram is a supportive and positive environment and community.

Q

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How can dental professionals use online platforms to better engage patients?

The beauty of social media is that it allows you to express who you are. The worst thing people can do is replicate what others are doing on their platforms. I just try to be myself and I think that is the best way to be online.

The more you can express the personality within your practice, whether that be the way in which your team interacts or the way in which you do your dentistry, the more patients can get to know your business. The more you work at it, the more you will get back from it.

The more content you get out there, the more opportunities you will have to interact with people.

Q

You are an ambassador for Slow Dentistry – can you tell us a bit more about the concept and how you have implemented it into your work and practices?

In the past, people didn’t have the tools that we have now. Today’s tools facilitate much easier communication with patients. For example, it is very hard for a patient to look at a radiograph and understand that a little dark circle indicates an infection; we as dentists may think that that is blatantly obvious but for a layman that is not always the case. The more we can bring dentistry into the patient’s world and help them to understand, the better dentistry will be, and that is as much as it is for a crown as for a multi-disciplinary smile design, where the layers of informed consent become even more complex.

Q

You are a keen advocate for digital dentistry also; what advancements can we expect?

A

Software development and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the landscape in my opinion. Nowadays the software is so advanced that there is so much less for you to do, and as AI and deep learning continue to process that information, it will only get more accurate and efficient.

I think we will see AI come into play in many different areas within dentistry, hopefully to improve on the accuracy and the diagnostics we are able to achieve. What I have seen

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Interview

in other industries, such as radiology, is by putting AI together with a well-trained humanbeing, you can achieve dramatically higher success rates for diagnosis.

It is difficult to predict the future as the development of technology is so vast, but I see 3D printing and ceramics being an interesting space for us as the hardware continues to develop.

Q

In 2015 you were named Best Young Dentist UK and London, what opportunities and challenges do you think young dentists are currently facing?

A

There has never been a better time to be a dentist. With all the technology and the digital environment that we now work in, it is making life a lot easier. I don’t take silicon impressions anymore, for example. Being brought up in an environment where digital is so ubiquitous, it is a great time to be a dentist.

However, there is a specific challenge that I would like to discuss. In the UK, we have a structure that has born an assumption that we will be sued no matter how well you try and practice. That is a horrible thing to have looming over your head, and it really adds to the pressing anxiety a lot of people within the profession feel today. It is up to our governing

bodies to create a framework that does right by the patient but also does right by the dental care professional too.

Young dentists qualify today with very little hands-on experience and are then put out into a world where they are highly likely to be litigated against. There is no doubt that that is going to lead to a lot of people leaving the profession, because if you were litigated against in your first year of qualifying then what a horrible and harrowing experience to be put under. We need to stand up as a profession and protect people doing good work out there.

Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed is a great book and in that he talks about how the aeronautical industry have dramatically reduced their failures because they are working in an environment where they are open and honest about when things fail and they discuss and share that information. Unfortunately, in dentistry, there is a blame culture and it is not a positive way of thinking for patients or for the profession. We need to do a lot more black box thinking to be honest.

Q

A

What are your hopes for the future of dentistry as we enter a new decade?

I hope that technology helps us to come together as a profession, both through

Social media is a double-edged sword 12|Modern Dentist Magazine

social media and the digital revolution. I hope that we can support each other more, especially our young dentists, and that utilising technology will reduce our risk of failure, and therefore that we are able to provide better dentistry for our patients.

About Dr Simon Chard Dr Simon Chard BDS(Hons) BSc (Hons) qualified with Honours from King’s College London Dental Institute. He has a practice limited to cosmetic and implant dentistry at Rothley Lodge Dental Practice, just outside of London, which he co-owns with his wife, Dr Meghan Chard. He is also the founder of the Chard Advanced Dentistry (CAD) Academy, where he trains dentists from all over the world on digital dentistry.

In 2015 he was voted the Best Young Dentist in London and the overall Best Young Dentist in the UK at the Dentistry Awards. In 2019 he was selected as the 17th most influential dentist in UK dentistry as voted by the profession in Dentistry Magazine.

Simon sits on the board of directors for the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and has a strong focus towards achieving optimal aesthetic results utilising minimally invasive techniques. Simon is a key opinion leader for digital dentistry and lectures internationally on digital workflows in cosmetic, orthodontic and implant dentistry. Follow Dr Chard on instagram: @drsimonchard

Interview

Looking ahead: the future of dentistry

Dr Bethany Rushworth gives us her thoughts on the future of dentistry, the challenges and opportunities, and what we can expect from the profession regarding career progression, future trends and expectations.

14|Modern Dentist Magazine

Interview

One of the biggest challenges we face moving forward is managing patient expectations and remuneration

Q

Q

A

A

Dentistry is an exciting sector to be a part of; what does the profession have to look forward to about the future of dentistry, and specifically 2020?

Recently I have felt a real sense of unity and support amongst members of the profession. In my opinion, dentists are being more open and vocal about the difficulties and pressures they are facing, and there are a lot more dentist-led incentives and projects aimed at helping each other during the crazy journey that is a career in dentistry! Charities such as the Dentist Health Support Trust are gaining support and momentum, programmes such as ‘Mind Ninja’ have been developed to help dentists optimise their mindset through the practice of mindfulness and CBT. I do feel that some progress is being made in that dentists are being heard, and in particular by the GDC. With more effort being put into early resolution of FTP cases and a reduction in annual retention fees, it would seem that progress is being made!

Q

What would you say are some of the biggest concerns for dental professionals about their future within the sector and the challenges this may bring?

A

In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges we face moving forward is managing patient expectations and remuneration. Although it is yet to be seen whether the reformed NHS contract will be rolled out in April 2020, I am concerned that this will ultimately require dentists to provide more care for less payment. I also think that over time patient expectations have increased, and as they become more aware of the options available, in part due to social media and the internet, more is expected of the dentist.

You offer a coaching service for young dental professionals, why did you feel there was a need for such a programme?

Even since I was a student myself, I have been passionate about education and helping others through their undergraduate years and early on in their career. I know first-hand that it can be a stressful and overwhelming time! As a result of the other activities and lectures I was involved with, I spent a lot of time with other dentists early on in their careers and found that a lot of them were reaching out to me and asking for advice on a more pastoral level than academic. There seemed to be an awful lot of people feeling lost and needing more support than they were receiving. I can’t be in all places at once, therefore I thought that by putting together what I have learnt myself through trial and error and further reading/learning, I might be able to help others who feel like I used to do!

of life as a dentist, otherwise we run the risk of those following in our footsteps and seeing the profession through rose tinted glasses, trying to do treatment that is too advanced/complex for their competency level.

Q

There is currently a lot of struggle regarding recruitment and retention in the profession; do you think those that are entering the profession now are aware of the realities of being a dental care professional?

A

There seems to be a large proportion of young dentists with the eventual aim to work privately. The 2019 ‘Dentistry Confidence Monitor Survey’ results from Practice Plan revealed that 77% of predominantly NHS dentists don’t see themselves working in the NHS in 5 years’ time, with 46% of these planning a move to private dentistry, and the rest retiring early or changing career! Out of those who responded to the survey, only 11% of associates saw themselves working as an NHS associate in their future career. I do think that How do you think young professionals young professionals are aware of the hard work see their careers progressing in dentistry required to progress and due to the competitive today? nature of securing a great job, it appears dentists are investing in their education, I think that those going through dental equipment and careers very early on. school are a lot more aware of the negatives of a career in dentistry and the pressures, but I also think they are aware of the opportunities, possibilities and positives!

The conversation about mental health Again, I think social media plays a huge role in in dentistry today is becoming a more the way undergraduates perceive a career in open topic of discussion; what do you think dentistry, but I think overall this is a good thing. are some of the issues that are affecting the There are a lot of support groups, networks mental health of the profession? And what can and mini communities within dentistry which we do as a collective to offer better support students can be a part of from early on, and and services to those in need? they are able to easily access information about From my involvement in various discussions what different specialties/dental environments and panels over the past couple of years, might involve. I do think as qualified dentists we the thing which I feel has the biggest impact on have a responsibility to ensure what we show on social media/online is a true representation dentists (young and old!) is the fear of getting

Q A

Q A

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Interview

Dentists are being more open and vocal about the difficulties and pressures they are facing, and there are a lot more dentistled incentives and projects aimed at helping each other during the crazy journey that is a career in dentistry things wrong and being punished for that!

We are doing our best and of course, humans make mistakes! With ever changing guidelines and advice and more being expected of us with each year that passes, I think there is a real worry amongst dentists that a small mistake might result in either being sued or a fitness to practice case. Whilst we all have indemnity, I think that it is the unknown of this process and not wanting years of hard work building a reputation to be tarnished by either an accident, or simply someone being malicious! It is very easy for the actual risk of a scenario to be blown out of proportion and our perceived risk being much higher than the likelihood of something bad happening.

Q

What trend and/or product/service do you think is going to have the biggest impact on dentistry in 2020?

A

Outside of politics, legislation and contract reforms, I think the biggest negative impact will be the ‘DIY orthodontics’ we are seeing all over the place. It is a concern for me as a dentist figuring out how we manage these patients, as there is a fine line between rolling our eyes and thinking someone is ridiculous for compromising their oral health to save money on braces with one of these systems, and having sympathy that some of these patients genuinely believe that it is a safe alternative provided by a suitably qualified dentist or orthodontist. I think over the next few years we will be the ones picking up the pieces from these cases, hopefully without getting tangled in the inevitable web of legislation that will come with them!

I believe the thing which will have the biggest positive impact is the increased use of digital dentistry (such as digital scanners) in day to day practice. For me this has increased efficiency, decreased turnaround time and reduced waste – winner!

Q

What is your top piece of advice for young dental professionals in today’s age of dentistry?

A

My biggest piece of advice is to identify what you want to achieve, get your head down and work for it, whilst staying in your own lane. We can achieve whatever we set our minds to if we keep trying, and in such a competitive profession, it is easy to get put off or distracted by what everybody else is doing. We cannot be the best at everything all the time, and that is ok. There will be highs and lows; we may have to take a different route to what we originally had planned, however, what is meant for us will not go by us if we commit to achieving it. If I can add a second piece of advice: don’t always believe what you see on social media!

Q A

Do you have a 2020 New Year’s resolution?

I don’t specifically have a New Year’s resolution because for me if there is something I want to change or improve I will do it immediately, why put it off! One thing which I am working on all the time is making time for me, looking after my own wellbeing and doing things I enjoy outside of dentistry.

I think I’ve got a good ‘work/life balance’ and it is something that I will continue to pay attention to.

Bethany Rushworth

is an Associate Dentist at the Ivory Dental Practice.

My biggest piece of advice is to identify what you want to achieve, get your head down and work for it, whilst staying in your own lane

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What should your business strategy be for 2020?

The new year is a chance to reset your business priorities and get in the best financial position possible As we head into the festive period, the New Year is often a time where people set goals for the upcoming year and we find it is a time to re-evaluate your professional life. Having a business strategy in place is important to ensure that you are streamlining your tax affairs and getting yourself into the best possible financial position.

against any future illness. There are many forms of income protection available to you, and it is certainly a worthwhile expense. The nature of the work you will perform as a dentist lends itself to muscular and joint conditions, and so you need to make sure you are protected from the start of your career.

For some of you, 2020 will be the year when you start your associate roles, and enter the world of self-employment, which will be a big change. The key to staying ahead is to keep informed and try to grasp the HMRC tax system. The 1st key date for 2020 will be the 31st January. This is when Tax Returns need to be submitted by and any tax due must also be paid.

Pensions are another worthwhile consideration. If you are listed as an NHS Dental Performer, you may have opted into the NHS pension scheme and be making monthly superannuation contributions.

Although this is a good scheme, it may also be worth considering making additional contributions to a private pension. Not only do pension contributions provide tax relief, but they are another means of saving for the future.

If you have been employed all year, you might think that filing a Tax Return won’t apply to you, but that isn’t necessarily the case. You are still entitled to claim tax relief on your professional expenses such as subscriptions and indemnity insurance. If you have had to purchase loupes or other dental materials required for your job, then these can be claimed for as well. It is worth speaking to your Accountant to see what the best course of action for you to take is in order to maximise your tax position.

If you are a Practice Owner, you need to be looking at Making Tax Digital for 2020. Having your practice book-keeping on a cloud-based software is key to growing your practice and maximising profitability. It can help you monitor your costs and is a useful tool for tax planning.

Tax Returns are not the only consideration you have to make as you are responsible for all aspects of your finances. There are a few key areas that you need to be aware of in order to be able to plan. Once you are out of employment, you are no longer entitled to sick pay. We would advise that you adopt a long-term plan and safeguard yourself

Finally, long-term plans also need to be taken into consideration.

Many of you will be at the stage in your life where you are looking to buy a house, or even a practice in the upcoming years. Being selfemployed makes securing a mortgage or bank loan more difficult, due to the potentially fluctuating levels of income monthly. If you are looking to raise finance as a first-year associate, you will encounter the problem that most lenders require two full years’ worth of accounts and tax calculations. As a newly qualified associate, you won’t have this information. It is important that you work with your accountant to try and forecast earnings so that you can still obtain any financing required.

The new year is a chance to reset your business priorities and get in the best financial position possible – so please ask, as help is always at hand.

Sophie Kwiatkowski Accountant, PFM Dental.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

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What are the pros and cons of associate incorporation?

A popular question from many dental associates that we come across is whether they should operate as a limited company.

Incorporating can be beneficial but only in certain circumstances; it is certainly not the Holy Grail. There are several factors that would need to be considered: Incorporation can lead to immediate tax efficiencies for higher rate taxpayers as profits, instead of being taxed at 42% as selfemployed, can be sheltered at 19% in a company.

However, there would be additional income tax on any dividends drawn by higher rate shareholders at 32.5% on dividends. So, ultimately, to take out your profits from a company could cost you 51.5% in tax, compared with the higher rate tax of 42% being self-employed.

So, when can incorporation work for you? Consider, for example, you are saving to place a deposit for the purchase of a practice in the future. In this instance, if you can limit the drawing of dividends to low levels all those profits retained in the company will suffer tax at 19%. Compare this with being self-employed and suffering tax at 42% means a saving of 23% in tax and will allow you to build up your deposit quicker.

Incorporation could also work to maximise your partner’s tax allowance. You can appoint a non or low earning spouse as a shareholder to receive both income and dividends from company up to their tax-free allowance.

Why should you consider further education?

Dentistry is an ever-changing profession and you need to move with it. This includes educating yourself. This is true whether you are newly qualified or highly qualified. Regardless of where you’ve reached in your career, training courses can be hugely beneficial in helping you to develop new skills. Who you work with, and how, will depend on varying factors.

The skills There is a myriad of reasons as to why a dental professional should consider further education; career progression and opportunities, convenience and better patient satisfaction, to name a few.

In terms of delivering a wider range of treatment, courses that enhance your clinical and research skills are imperative to delivering faster, more precise treatments. The advantages include being able to learn with the support of a team of experienced dentists and trained mentors. As a result, dental professionals will be able expand their skills and overcome obstacles faster.

Continuing education will allow dental professionals to increase their theoretical knowledge, ultimately enabling them better precision for procedures. Above all, professionals can benefit from receiving a certificate of competency, which they can display in their practice therefore giving them more confidence and recognition.

There is increased administration in running a Limited Company in terms of both time and costs. It should be noted that where an associate’s income is on the lower end of the scale than any potential tax savings may not counter the additional burdens.

Not only is it advantageous for a dentist to study further education but this can also have a knock-on effect for nurses and hygienists within the practice to consider career progression. Therefore, the quality of service offered to patients becomes second to none. Unwavering commitment to any postgraduate education will be one of the main characteristics to set you apart from other practitioners and practices.

If an associate earns a high proportion of their income from NHS work and contributes to the NHS pension scheme, then this could be a deterrent to incorporating as the NHS Pension Scheme is not open to limited companies. Funding the same level of pension privately can be expensive and we would advise consulting a Financial Adviser.

Expanded knowledge brings with it a more holistic awareness therefore facilitating better treatment. There is a saying known as the law of the instrument, or Maslow’s hammer: “When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”. While no clinician is singular, by investing in their education, dental practitioners both metaphorically and literally give themselves more tools to work with.

All cases are individual, and we always recommend speaking to an accountant for further advice on how incorporating would affect your tax position.

Pankaj Patel

Managing Director, Aequitas Accountants Ltd.

Acquiring necessary postgraduate knowledge takes quality education, and that can be found at ICE Postgraduate Dental Institute and Hospital based in Salford Quays.

Alice-Clementine Kamthunzi

Marketing Executive, ICE Postgraduate Dental Institute and Hospital.

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How can a practice and its patients benefit from a care plan and patient finance?

When selling your practice, should you sell to a corporate?

Mike Hughes

Principal, Dental Practice Consultancy Service.

Care Plans We all like a bit of certainty in life, particularly where our health is concerned, therefore the use of a payment plan to budget for at least part of our dental needs can be a great comfort from the point of view of a patient. If a patient knows that they have in effect prepaid their examination and their hygiene visit, they are probably going to attend to take advantage of that which they have paid for.

From the point of view of a practice owner, the reason that practices have a value for goodwill is that there is an expectation that there will be ongoing income after a practice is sold. A practice offering only a fee per item model has little in the way of a predictable income stream. Whilst many practitioners would not want to move over to a full capitation model, the use of a patient registration scheme from one of the many providers available, can be of great assistance to us as valuers and, of course, does provide an underpinning of income to the practice. I think it is realistic to assume that a patient that is prepared to enter into a regular payment arrangement with their dentist considers themselves to be a patient of the practice.

As with all things, setting the structure of a scheme in a manner that is appropriate for the practice and its patient base is at the heart of successful implementation, and we have recently been assisting practitioners in looking to implement or develop such arrangements.

Patient finance In the 20 years or so during which I have been advising practitioners, the range of available treatments has increased considerably, with many patients being encouraged to opt for implants or being interested in taking up orthodontic treatment.

These treatment options are generally significantly more expensive than those that were historically available, and the use of a payment plan can sometimes bring an option within financial reach that might otherwise be unattainable. Such arrangements have the potential to improve treatment conversion rates, thus making it more attractive to practices to discuss more complex options, safe in the knowledge that objections on the ground of cost might be overcome.

This completely depends on the practice owner and what their priorities are. I have clients who have refused point blank to sell to a corporate because they strongly believe that their staff and patients will be better looked after by another independent owner. They are even prepared to take less money to ensure this happens. I have others who just want the highest price possible and some, particularly small practices in remote areas, who really can’t afford to be fussy about who is buying their practice.

Putting aside the emotive reasons and assuming you are lucky enough to have a few buyers interested, then here are the questions you should be asking yourself: 1. Are you prepared to carry on working? Most corporates will tie you in for a period somewhere between two and five years. If it is the stress of running a practice you are trying to remove rather than doing the dentistry, then this should be fine.

2. Can you work in your practice now it belongs to someone else? In my experience this is the part my clients find the most challenging.

This practice is your baby and it’s guaranteed the corporate is going to make changes and possibly changes that you don’t like.

You need to be prepared for this.

3. Are you happy with the earn out deal? Most corporates will offer you part of the money up front, say 70%, and the rest is based on you hitting targets over the next few years. Are these targets manageable? if you haven’t been able to hit them when it was your own business, you are not likely to hit them now it is someone else’s and you no longer have control! If the targets are based on maintaining current levels, then that is much more achievable.

4. The corporates often have particular ways they like to structure a deal and clauses in their sales/purchase agreements, and it is not always easy to negotiate changes.

Regardless of who you sell the practice to (large corporate, mini corporate or an independent), there are a number of things to consider, so it is important that you have good, knowledgeable professional advisors to help you.

Heidi Marshall

Partner, Dodd & Co.

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Setting smart financial goals

With technology becoming more advanced by the day, what new innovations are we likely to see in 2020?

Without doubt, 2020 is going to be the year that 3D imaging and 3D printing take off in dentistry.

Intraoral scanners that can be used to create surface models are becoming common place. And now, CBCT 3D-extra oral scanners are appearing more frequently, able to provide the data to create detailed ‘3D solid models’ of the whole mouth, including underlying structures – a great advance over 2D OPG images that are sometimes difficult to interpret.

Meantime, at least two companies (Dentca in the USA and Pro3dure Medical in Germany) have developed resins that can be used to direct-print dentures. These can be used with several established printer machines to manufacture directly from the design model. The one-day denture fitting process is just around the corner!

Another area of technology that will arrive in 2020, perhaps without quite so much fanfare, is the introduction of Unique Device Identification (UDI). This is a system to mark and identify medical individual devices within the healthcare and dental supply chain. UDI could stamp out counterfeit instruments overnight and will allow tracking and traceability linking instruments to individual patient treatments. As this is introduced, initially into secondary services, it in turn means that practices will soon need to implement supplier management and automated stock control systems to help manage those records.

And in the background, practice management systems (PMS) will become platforms which other technologies link to. The new generation of cloud-based PMS provide facilities to interact with other systems, and this will become increasingly important in 2020 as more and more applications link to patient records.

I believe that digital technology has come of age in dentistry. The profession has perhaps lagged a little in recent years, but it is now set to return to the cutting edge and to embrace technologies and ideas that will improve productivity, reduce treatment times and improve outcomes.

Digital dentistry has been a buzzword for a while now, but in 2020, digital technology will finally deliver greatly improved patient journeys and far happier customers.

Chris Webb

Director, Precision PR.

Why is it important to set smart financial goals each year, and what benefits can this bring to a practice?

Setting smart financial goals is critical for any business. Goal setting can improve daily performance, increase turnover and support growth and vision. You may have an idea of how you want your business to look or perform for 2020, 2022, or 2025, but setting smart financial goals and sticking to them, could make your business stand out from the crowd.

Most practices have many challenges and difficult years, but it’s important to stay on trend with media, production and technology available in the dental market. In today’s dentistry world, more effort is required for success today than simply opening the door and waiting for patients to arrive and with predictions of further growth in the dental market, setting financial goals to invest in your future can be key to your success.

With digital technology becoming more advanced and important in the workplace, financial goals will allow you to understand your own potential whilst being mindful of costs and competition.

Growing a practice effectively requires an investment of time and money and a thorough understanding of your costs versus your return on investment.

Many Principals will no doubt have different financial goals, some may focus on their overheads and margins whilst others maybe looking to grow the practice in other ways. Ultimately, setting your financial goals tailored to your vision and practice, should allow you to build your business based on your strengths.

When looking to invest, it’s always practical to outweigh your cost against the return of investment, working out what the cost will be per day. Will the investment increase your profits by the amount it will cost per day? Will that investment be supporting your financial goals without impacting your margins or overheads?

In 2020, you may be considering more internal marketing, new equipment or growing the practice. Either way, reinvesting back into the business will support you with growth. Working out your budget, the cost of your investment, and knowing what you need to earn to cover that cost, will always support your decision making.

FAILING TO PLAN… is PLANNING TO FAIL!

Rob Griffin

Director, Aspired Finance.

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Get your accounts in order

The enhanced CPD scheme

What should businesses be considering as we move forward into 2020?

Two years in – how are you getting on?

Making Tax Digital Making Tax Digital is an HMRC initiative that will come into force for all HMRC services in 2020, revolutionising the UK tax system. Its primary aim is to make tax administration more effective, efficient, and easier for taxpayers through the implementation of a fully digitised tax system, while reducing HMRC’s overheads for managing tax affairs. The changes apply to a wide range of taxpayers, including most businesses and self-employed professionals, requiring most business owners to maintain digital records using compatible softwAre.

During the 5-year CPD cycle, Dentists need to complete a minimum of 100 hours verifiable CPD; Clinical Dental Technicians, Dental Therapists, Dental Hygienists and Orthodontic Therapists need to complete a minimum of 75 hours verifiable CPD. Dental Nurses and Dental Technicians need to complete a minimum of 50 hours verifiable CPD. All registrants can continue to do non-verifiable CPD if they wish but only verifiable CPD must be submitted to the GDC.

Self-assessment tax returns The self-assessment deadline is fast approaching. The HMRC must receive your tax return and any money you owe by the 31st January 2020. You can submit your online return by the 30th December if you want the HMRC to automatically collect the tax you owe, but you must be eligible; otherwise the HMRC must receive a paper tax return by the 31st January if you’re a trustee of a registered pension scheme or a non-resident company. It is important that returns are correctly completed, that they are filed on time, and that all back-up records are retained for the appropriate amount of time.

Managing your cash flow Cash flow is one of the most important aspects to the ongoing success of a business, yet it can be one of the hardest to manage.

The key to proper management of your cash flow is to have a reliable forecast that highlights any areas of weakness, enabling you to take a more pragmatic approach to any problems. Cut costs if you need to, reduce stock, adjust your payments terms and hold fire on any developments – these could be the difference between surviving your cashflow problems or not.

Hiring an accountant Hiring the service of an accountant is something both big and small businesses should consider. Accountants can save you time and money; they can deal with the complex issues, such as VAT; they can provide strategic and sound advice, enabling you to take your business to the next level. Having an accountant means you will have your financial records in order, have a clear picture on forecasts and trends, while providing accurate and timely payments to HMRC. Something every business should consider as we move into the New Year.

Martin Goldwater

Managing Director, Accountaholics.

For further information or personalised quotes, please contact Accountaholics.

The enhanced CPD (eCPD) scheme, introduced for Dentists on 1st January 2018 and for other members of the dental team from 1st August 2018, brought changes to what is expected from dental professionals regarding CPD.

How is your Personal Development Plan looking?

The eCPD each of us undertake is determined by our unique Personal Development Plan (PDP). Completing our PDP provides us with the chance to consider what CPD is necessary specifically for our own individual development so each of us maintains our skills in our areas of practice.

Formally competing our PDP ensures we define our goals, helps us set deadlines and understand our strengths and areas that need developing.

Will your planned CPD conform to the GDC Development Outcome A, B, C or D? The GDC encourages registrants to cover all four development outcomes in the 5-year cycle, however this is not a compulsory requirement. Registrants must make sure each planned and completed activity has at least one of the outcomes (A, B, C, or D) linked.

You can choose when to do CPD within your five-year CPD cycle. Do remember though that the GDC recommends you participate in CPD activity regularly and take account of their recommendations about certain CPD topics, which may change throughout the 5-year cycle as the profession changes and different needs met. Ideally, the CPD would be divided evenly between each of the five years of the cycle.

Remember: You must plan your CPD activity as it relates to your field of practice during your CPD cycle. The GDC recommends some important CPD topics that will relate to many dental professionals and their field of practice.

As a Dentist, if you are completing CPD regularly as recommended by the GDC, you should have completed 40 hours of CPD and have your next 60 hours of development relevant to your specific skills and aspirational skills set out within your PDP. Dental Nurses and Dental Technicians should have completed 12.5 hours of professional development by the start of 2020 and should have their next 37.5 hours of development mapped out. Clinical Dental Technicians, Dental Therapists, Dental Hygienists and Orthodontic Therapists should have completed approximately 20 hours of profession development and have a PDP set for the remaining 55 hours.

Once you have decided your areas of development feel free to visit www.londec.co.uk to see the variety of courses available.

Bill Sharpling

Associate Dean (CPD), Director LonDEC, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London.

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Editorial Board

Futureproofing your practice Practice purchase deposits Is your practice ready for new challenges?

As dental professionals, and as a Primary Care Patient, the visions of care quality standards are increasingly evident. For patients, this is demonstrated in the proactive emphasis on patient education, their involvement in decisionRebecc making about prescribed treatment options. For healthcare professionals, the new emphasises providing consistently high-quality sustainable services.

The challenge here is to find ways that practitioners can introduce more non-clinical work to their extensive workload to enhance the patient experience; when they are already working at full stretch. The solution involves the development of new roles and extended duties for dental care professionals. Inclusive teamwork has never been more essential for driving forward the quality of care, without exhausting care providers. Since the introduction of DCP registration, the door is open for qualified, confident and competent DCPs to play an active part in the new care pathways.

In many cases, DCPs with extended duties qualifications are ready willing and able to expand the treatment hours available for patient care. What is needed for this to be a productive way forward is for the management to address three issues. Firstly, the structure and organisation of work to allow expanded duties to add value to the practice, secondly, to alter the mindset of practitioners so that they are prepared to welcome inclusive teamwork patterns, and thirdly, to motivate DCP’s to take on appropriate lead and patient care roles by recognising and rewarding their input.

The dental education framework is in place for inclusive teams to provide the patients with the healthcare education and inclusion they are increasingly demanding and that dental regulators require. The challenge is to accommodate change, something which an increasing number of practices are achieving. These trailblazing practices are lighting the way for others to follow.

We can either be passively swept along with the ongoing changes required in dental regulation or proactively use change as the vehicle towards a more fulfilling and prosperous future. If you opt for the proactive route, we can provide you and your team with high-quality dental-specific qualifications and professional development.

Glenys Bridges CMIPD

There are several variables with regards to deposits for purchasing a practice which differ between lenders and their individual policies. As a general rule of thumb, you will be expected to fund around a 20% deposit, but this figure can be made up in different ways.

It may well be that you have other assets that are unencumbered that you are able to utilise as a ‘make weight’ deposit. Many dentists have bought properties on a buy-to-let basis that are unencumbered or have enough equity to enable a bank to obtain a value for the purpose of security. This is where differences in policy can come in, with some banks extending the market valuation as certified by a qualified valuer before any debt is taken off, which will give a higher value. Others may extend perhaps 70% of the open market valuation prior to this calculation.

If you are an existing practice owner, the bank may fund up to 100% of the market value, dependant on the finance facilities that you have in place already. This is normally secured against the existing practice and utilises its net worth against future borrowing.

Ideally, your deposit would be made by using cash, or possibly a nonrepayable loan from a relative. It is not unheard of to look at borrowing the deposit, i.e. taking out a loan for the deposit, however, this in turn could affect your ability to service the debt levels and with credit searches being undertaken by lenders - this is easily spotted and could cause you to have the deal rescinded.

It would be prudent to talk to an independent finance broker, such as Medifinance, who have extensive experience in the dental market and are aware of all the banks’ requirements, to ensure that you are placed with the lender that best suits your overall requirements. Some banks may have a tempting rate but will not offer as much finance as is required or you may have been offered the full amount and a good rate for repayments but with a 5-year term agreed. This means that you may well have to renegotiate your rate and repayments again at the end of the 5-year term which could incur further fees.

Bill Carr

Associate Director, Medifinance Ltd.

Managing Director, Glenys Bridges Practice Pathways Ltd.

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New Year, New Practice Let our expert team guide you through the process to becoming a dental practice owner.

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Positive steps for practices

Dental recruitment

To say that dentistry is recession proof would be a bold statement, but it’s not far from the truth. Despite the general feeling of uncertainty as the impact of Brexit is still not fully understood, exit deadlines are extended and deals renegotiated, the current market conditions within the dental sector remain reassuringly healthy. This confidence is borne out by some healthy statistics.

At Frank Taylor & Associates we have 5,046 dentists registered with us looking to buy a dental practice, in fact the aspiration to buy a dental practice has never been higher. This is backed by the support of 14 high street banks who consider the dental sector to be very much an area for which they are happy to provide funding. Access to such funding is, of course, fundamental for purchases to take place. If there is an economic downturn the banks (who must lend money) will likely be even more interested in the dental sector as it will provide a level of security and stability that won’t be seen in many other industry sectors.

Over the past six months we have also seen an increased interest in private dentistry. This is great to see as for quite a while this sector of the profession was the poor relation in comparison to predominantly NHS practices. Mixed income practices remain the most popular type though as buyers get the guaranteed income a NHS contract provides with the potential of higher income from the private sector.

The sale of freeholds remains high as most buyers aspire to buy the bricks as well as the business, however, it is becoming increasingly commonplace for principals to retain the freehold, and create a lease with an option for the new buyer to purchase the freehold at market rate or above in the future.

Lease purchases do not deter buyers and we always advise current owners to ensure there are as many years left on the lease as possible at the time of sale; banks lend against the terms of the lease, so in short, the longer the better.

Naturally we can’t assume the positive position we enjoy today will last for ever, however, the availability of good quality, qualified buyers coupled with competitive finance means that outstanding goodwill values can continue to be achieved.

Lis Hughes

Managing Director, Frank Taylor & Associates.

0330 088 1156 team@ft-associates.com www.ft-associates.com

What are practices looking for when recruiting for new dental staff?

Creating the right team dynamic is essential when recruiting for a dental practice, or any business in fact. From an employer’s perspective, the most crucial factors when selecting a suitable candidate are reliability and professionalism. Beyond these features, there are additional qualities that come into play when choosing the right person for the role that both the Principals (or Recruitment Managers) and applicants should consider.

Now more than ever, employers are looking for candidates who are computer literate and who can easily adapt to new technologies for recording information, as well as network-based programmes for marketing services. With new equipment continuously emerging on the marketplace, it is important to keep abreast of new professional opportunities and ways to offer a better customer experience. Those with the desire to learn more and understand the learning process are valuable to employers.

Ambition is another positive attribute a Principal looks for. Candidates who are ambitious and interested in their own achievements as well as the success of the establishment they work for are much more likely to be team players as well as problem solvers. Forward thinkers who are passionate about creating an environment that is conducive to offering the highest level of service and care is a true character strength.

It is important for candidates to remember that every role they have is a part of their overall career achievement. Being a good employee (self-employed person in contract) is important in your current role, and leaving a respectable impression is important as your last employer is your most current referee.

Dental practices and general companies alike are interested in wellrounded individuals who will commit themselves to achieving the highest standards in everything they do.

Kelly Saxby

Managing Director, Green Apple Dental Recruitment Limited.

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How can we encourage patients to value their appointments more?

Despite its importance, many patients still think that teeth cleaning appointments are not essential. It is a problem that hygienists continue to face as patients cancel their teeth cleaning visits or fail to schedule their appointments regularly.

Appointments to maintain dental hygiene not only help maintain the oral health of the patient, but also directly influence a healthy relationship between the patient and the clinic. Without these routine and usual visits, your patients could lose contact with you, become inactive and even consider going to another dentist if they have a problem in the future.

To ensure that your patients begin to value their appointments more in order to maintain their dental hygiene, follow these recommendations: 1) “Clean” your vocabulary. If at times you, your dental hygienist, your appointment coordinator or other staff, call these dental hygiene appointments “cleanings”, you should stop doing so. By using this terminology, it lowers their value and makes the patient believe that they are not so important. Use a new and more appropriate term, such as “appointment for maintenance of oral health” or “continuous examination of periodontal care and prevention of oral cancer.”

2) Educate your patients not only in dental care from home, but also in the services offered during the appointment. The average patient only has a vague idea of the ​​ services offered by the dental hygienist.

Editorial Board

Encourage your hygienist to briefly comment on what he or she does in each step, and why.

3) Consider using a hygiene checklist for patients. This “report” will help patients understand and appreciate dental hygiene services.

4) Add value to your services by offering dental hygiene products. Make it easy for your patients to purchase oral health products that both you and your hygienist recommend as dental professionals. If you offer them directly in the clinic, you will strengthen your relationship with the patient and emphasise the importance of arranging regular appointments to maintain dental hygiene.

5) Train your receptionist to make sure all patients have scheduled appointments. When patients reject the next appointment, cancel an appointment without arranging another or simply do not appear, a coordinator with a good training is able to “apply pressure” in a subtle but efficient way, in order to get, in many cases, the patient to change their mind.

Use these and other techniques to convince patients that appointments to maintain dental hygiene are much more than “cleanings”. This way your patients will see the benefits… and the clinic as well.

Nathalie Smets

Marketing and Sales Country Manager, Ancar.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Features

New year, new government – new plan for your practice?

Tax and you…

The previous government had already pledged changes to how Capital Gains Tax (CGT) relating to selling residential property is reported and paid. Briefly, the changes – which remain on track to start from 6 April – will tighten the tax reliefs available and trigger earlier repayment of CGT due.

Thinking back to the end of last year, do you remember how you felt when you woke up on 13 December? I’m talking about the result of the General Election rather than your post-Christmas party haze, of course.

Regardless of your personal leanings, after all the previous uncertainty, 2019 ended with a decisive win for Boris Johnson.

Central to all the major parties’ campaigns – and the reason for the first December General Election since 1923 – was Brexit, and the result gave the PM a mandate to get it “done”.

The reality is that “done” actually means “can move to the next phase”.

So, now the dust has settled (slightly), it’s time to look at what else we can expect from the new government, particularly its tax agenda and how it could affect you personally and as a dental practice owner.

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Entrepreneur’s Relief (ER) from CGT had been mentioned in Mr Johnson’s campaign manifesto, with a promise to “review and reform” the current rules. We’ll probably have to wait until the Budget to see if any changes will indeed be made, though. There will also be a review of ER in 2020/21, to establish whether it does encourage business investment as was intended, so any fundamental change/repeal of the system is unlikely to happen until then.

Over the course of the next parliament, the annual NIC starting threshold will gradually rise from £8,863 to £12,500 – again, this is in line with previous policy. The first raise will be to £9,500 from April. Like Income Tax rates, NIC rates will be frozen for this parliament, and the State Pension triple lock will remain too, as per a commitment made during the election campaign. Other points of note? Harsher punishments for tax avoidance!

Another topic of possible interest, and something I have previously covered in this column, concerns the measures the Treasury had put in place to limit the cost of pensions tax relief. As reported last year, senior clinicians in the NHS were turning down extra hours (or taking early retirement) because their increased pay was exceeding the tax allowances on their pension contributions. In other words, some found the result of working more was a whopping tax bill. The “compensation” measures the new government has put in place are temporary so, again, we’ll probably have to wait for the first Budget for clarity.

Tax and your business…

The rate for corporate tax for 2020/21 had previously been set at 17% and companies must

use this for their deferred tax calculations when doing their annual accounts. But one campaign pledge was to set the rate for 2020/21 and the rest of the new parliament at 19%. Your business will need to review its deferred calculations once this change happens.

As a continuation from previous plans, restrictions to payable Research & Development (R&D) tax credits from April will remain in place (a measure to prevent abuse to R&D tax relief by small-to-medium sized enterprises). A commitment to bringing in a Digital Services Tax (DST) was restated.

A “fundamental review” of the business rates system was also promised.

Tax and your dental team…

The new government promised not to increase NICs for employers; but they do plan to increase the NIC Employment Allowance to £4,000 and this should help small business employers.

The B word!

Seeing as this was the central issue, we can’t ignore Brexit completely! The shape of the new trade deal (at time of writing) is yet unknown, as well as what our immigration system will look like (the government says it will be pointsbased). These are the main elements that might impact on your operations. As stated above, we are not so much “done”, but entering a new phase and transitory period.

Good tax planning, a flexible, pragmatic and organised approach will help keep you profitable and doing the best for your business.

All this must be underpinned by great advice – enlist the services of a specialist accountant, like the experienced team at Lansdell & Rose, to make 2020 a very happy new year.

Michael Lansdell

is the Business Director at Lansdell & Rose.

To find out more, call Lansdell & Rose on 020 7376 9333, or visit www.lansdellrose.co.uk

Good tax planning, a flexible, pragmatic and organised approach will help keep you profitable and doing the best for your business

Features

Manage Stress or Build Resilience?

Terry Streather, Director and Mental Health and Personal Safety Specialist at Oakwood Training, offers his suggestions to help us manage, adapt and grow and build resilience in times of stress.

You go the extra mile, grin and bear it, stiff upper lip and all that blah, but don’t kid yourself... coming back day after day for more of the same, expecting a different outcome, is not resilience. I think Einstein called it ‘insanity’.

A better way

Nearly half of dentists say that stress in their job is exceeding their ability to cope.

Contrary to popular belief, ‘resilience’ is not a fixed personality trait. We can build personal resilience and the evidence suggests doing so is up to 3 times more effective than ‘stress management’ alone.

Considering the countless studies that highlight the significant impact workplace stress can have on our physical and mental health, that is worrying.

Excessive stress increases the likelihood of job dissatisfaction; absence; staff turnover, developing depression; anxiety; cardiovascular disease; diabetes and even premature death.

Stressed brains make bad decisions; a significant risk to any business, especially those where customer/patient interactions are at the heart.

Stress management?

For some, ‘Stress Management’ is the answer. Venting by going for a run or having a ‘medicinal’ nightcap to help you sleep. If you find yourself ‘deserving’ a glass/bottle of wine or gin every night, then things might be in a downward spiral.

And don’t get me wrong, I’m as much a fan of burpees as you are! Hitting a punchbag or walking the dog for twenty miles a day may help deal with the immediate stress. But any relief is often short lived as the next inevitable challenge roles in.

This ‘reactive approach’ only returns us to our ‘normal’ level of functioning, to cope in our current situation, and maintain our current level or performance. It helps us hang on by our fingernails; to survive rather than thrive.

In times of increasing uncertainty, that is not good enough. But there is a better way. Develop resilience.

The term itself is derived from the Latin ‘Resilire’, meaning ‘to leap back’, and has been defined as: “The capacity to mobilise personal features that enable individuals, groups and communities (such as a workforce) to prevent, tolerate, overcome and be enhanced by adverse events and experiences” (Mowbray, 2010).

Resilient people have greater immunity to illnesses like depression and are less likely to be absent or leave. They are more productive and behave in ways that benefit other people and departments.

They reframe adversity, are more innovative and creative and show greater job and career satisfaction, motivation and commitment.

So, how to build personal resilience…

The more mental effort we expend, the more recovery time we need. And I don’t just mean shutting down the laptop and laying on the couch.

If we understand what brings energy to our lives, and do more of those things, we experience a deeper level of recovery, which builds our resilience and capacity to cope with the inevitable stresses and strains of life.

Understanding the bigger picture is also essential. What is your purpose? How satisfied are you with your current circumstances? Your income? Time for you? Family time?

We are more than just the job we do. When we only prioritise one aspect of our lives (work), we compromise our ability to be more resilient by depriving ourselves of what we need to thrive.

What about resilience in the workplace?

From the evidence we draw these four simple suggestions to help manage, adapt and grow: 1. Foster A Sense of Community - Employees who have positive relationships in the workplace are more likely to enjoy coming to work and be productive.

2. Build A Psychologically Healthy Environment – Develop a culture that promotes mutual trust and respect through recognition, reward, job security and management style.

3. Promote Learning and Development – Developing new skills enhances a person’s capabilities, is empowering and supports wellbeing.

4. Provide Resilience Training Opportunities – Engaging with evidence-based programs can support employees.

Resilience is about growth. Stop surviving and start to thrive.

Terry Streather

is a Mental Health and Personal Safety Specialist and Director at Oakwood Training.

Resilience is about growth. Stop surviving and start to thrive

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Features

The Implant Centre

In this edition of Modern Dentist, our Practice Focus features Bill Schaeffer and Guy Barwell, Founders of The Implant Centre. They provide the best of all-round implant experiences, both to patients and referring dentists, and it is clear that their practice revolves around their patients as they aim to shape the future of implantology, while adding some creativity to the dental sector.

The Implant Centre is a state-of-the-art practice, equipped to the highest standards.

We are dedicated to offering the best all-round implant experience both to patients and to our referring dentists in the most empathetic manner. This is evident in every aspect of the practice from our clinical standards, patient care and internal teamwork to our relationships with referring dentists; from the professional support we provide to our engagement with the local community.

Our team at The Implant Centre, in our practices in Hove and Haywards Heath, have

some of the most experienced and talented groups of dental professionals in their field.

Our surgeons and dentists are leaders in the field of implantology, and regularly lecture both nationally and internationally on new advances and developments in the industry, helping to shape the future of implantology and establishing The Implant Centre as the foremost authority when it comes to dental implants. Our clinicians are committed to constantly furthering their knowledge within the field and our huge haul of industry awards, including being awarded the title of Best Implant Practice, on four occasions, by the Private Dentistry Awards certainly proves it.

We’ve built The Implant Centre to be a place of excellence and that means we’ll continue to invest and improve, whilst striving to give patients and referring dentists the very best

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Features

Our reputation in the industry precedes us.

Over one 12-month period, more than three hundred dentists in the South East referred their patients to us at The Implant Centre resulting in 2,050 implants and more than nine hundred patients receiving expert care – all of them happy with their treatment.

Independent patient feedback site Feefo rates The Implant Centre an almost perfect 4.9 out of 5 stars (and 5/5 for ‘Customer Experience’), our website hosts a collection of patient stories championing the treatment, our staff and experience.

We carry out an annual survey of our patients to obtain the ‘Net Promoter Score’ (an acknowledged measure of customer loyalty) for the business. In May 2018, we surveyed 137 patients, of whom 100% would recommend us to family or friends, and 72% rated us 10 out of 10. This year our NPS score was 82, whereas Apple’s (a company considered a benchmark of

Our patients – and those of our referring dentists – are the centre of our universe 38|Modern Dentist Magazine

excellence), was only 72. We are constantly looking for ways to improve the customer experience here and happily, it would appear this is appreciated!

The feedback is even more impressive when you consider The Implant Centre takes on some of the more challenging cases, including supporting patients who have acute dental anxiety through to correcting failure issues and building patient confidence in their bite and smile.

Some of the most challenging cases we at The Implant Centre see are patients who come to us having already had implant treatment elsewhere, either here in the UK or abroad, and unfortunately the work they’ve had hasn’t gone to plan. Bad surgery, poor aftercare or a lack of patient knowledge on how to maintain their implants can cause some seriously nasty issues that not only result in the patient lacking confidence in their teeth and their smile, but also damages the patient’s perception of dentists too.

Often when a patient comes to us with issues from previous implant work, they’re desperate to have the problem fixed but also, understandably, cautious about having more dental work. It’s our job to build trust with patients and give them their confidence back.

For anxious patients, and for all larger cases, we appoint a designated Sedation Coordinator, who they can always contact to allay any concerns. Someone who will ‘hold their hand’ throughout the treatment and will follow up the day after to make sure they are happy and recovering well.

Our patients – and those of our referring dentists – are the centre of our universe: n Our role here is not to sell implants, but to show what possible solutions might suit each case. Indeed, we don’t hesitate to recommend a non-implant treatment where more appropriate for the patient. n We give every single new patient a detailed ‘whole mouth’ assessment (rather than just assessing for an implant). Thanks to our sophisticated scanning technology this frequently enables us to spot asymptomatic problems elsewhere in the mouth that their own dentist can then deal with at an earlier stage than might otherwise have been possible. n Our patients value this approach so much that they often refer friends and family to us for an opinion, even if they haven’t themselves had any implants: they know they’ll get an honest opinion from real experts in the field. We pay the utmost regard to patients’ comfort and reassurance.

Features We actively encourage patients to become involved in the creative process: this assures them of receiving a perfectly fitting, colourmatching crown and leads to very high levels of patient satisfaction

n We have established ourselves as a centre where dentists can get help for implant cases that have developed complications, whether originally placed here or abroad. We’ve worked hard to develop a reputation for our friendly and blame-free approach. Because of this, more and more dentists are now sending us these cases, knowing that we’re simply here to find the best solution to their patients’ current problems and not to cast judgment. n Some of these cases are extremely complex with multiple restorative, occlusal and surgical challenges. These patients are seen in our multi-disciplinary clinics, where our hugely experienced clinicians can throw out dozens of ideas over the course of the hour before deciding on the very best way of addressing that patient’s needs.

The Implant Centre embraced the latest forms of Digital Implant Dentistry from day one. We have led the field with starting with CBCT as soon as we opened, through the early days of CT Guided Surgery. The digital age has now caught up with developing Intraoral Digital Imaging that can be merged with CBCT – finally this allows the accuracy we demand for our patients.

The whole experience for patients is smooth and seamless thanks to our on-site state-ofthe-art laboratory packed with all the latest

digital technology manned by some of the best in the business. Equipped with the very latest in CAD-CAM technology, our lab operates under the same quality assurance regimen that we employ in our clinical work.

Being able to digitally design, mill and even 3D print everything on-site allows for the advance of techniques we could only dream of a few years ago.

fully digital dentistry complete. It allows us to provide our patients with the very latest and very best in care.

Having control over the laboratory fabrication of implant restorations has proved to us that careful clinical techniques can both save money and improve outcomes. This close collaboration has significantly improved the quality of the treatments from all the individual parts that make up our large team.

It’s impossible to overstate the impact of the major investment we made in establishing our own on-site laboratory at Hove. Operational for five years, the Hove lab is fully integrated into the practice and delivering significant patient benefits.

Being able to do ‘everything implant’ in house and without delay has completely streamlined the way we work. It means fewer appointments and an even more personalised service: we no longer simply tell the technicians what we need - we can now bring them in to see the patients and show them directly.

Our laboratory has an open-door policy for dentists from across the South East, London and beyond to come and explore. We regularly host open days so they can come in and see what the team can achieve and the technology we have in action.

Unusually, too, we actively encourage patients to become involved in the creative process: this assures them of receiving a perfectly fitting, colour-matching crown and leads to very high levels of patient satisfaction.

The laboratory, called Ceramic Designs, was established in 2013 and has underpinned the quality of patient outcome – we really could not do this without the attention to detail the laboratory produces.

We’ve built The Implant Centre to be a place of excellence and that means we’ll continue to invest and improve, whilst striving to give patients and referring dentists the very best.

The addition of Trios intra-oral scanners to our two centres has made our transition to

Bill Schaeffer and Guy Barwell

are the Founders of The Implant Centre.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Features

College of General Dentistry (CGDent)

The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) will be transitioning into the College of General Dentistry. Proving to be a very exciting time for them, the College will aim to elevate the standing of dentistry, consistent with other and equivalent healthcare and medical professions. Modern Dentist had the pleasure of speaking to Professor Nairn H FÂ Wilson CBE DSc(h.c.) DDent (h.c.) FFGDP FDS FFD FKC, Emeritus Professor of Dentistry and Chair of the College of General Dentistry, who shared their story and ambitions for the dental community as they move forward.

Q A

What is the vision of CGDent?

The College of General Dentistry (CGDent) will be a collegiate home for all members of the dental team involved, or with interests in any aspect of general dentistry. CGDent will set standards, provide new, fit for purpose, motivational career pathways, promote professionalism, quality of care and be a new voice for dentistry.

Also, CGDent aims to increase awareness, both amongst other healthcare professionals and the public at large, of the importance of oral health to general health and wellbeing.

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Dentistry needs to continue to evolve and become an integral element of general healthcare. CGDent intends to champion dentistry realising its full potential in future healthcare provision.

Q A

Why is CGDent being formed now?

The formation of a UK-wide, collegiate home for general dentistry, which will

In a world of constant change, the ambitions of CGDent will be under constant review to inspire and promote excellence, improve oral health and enhance professional fulfilment across the profession

Features

CGDent will also build on the unswerving work of FGDP(UK) in standard setting, promoting a culture of continuous quality improvement and effecting the shift from outmoded, episodic, interventive treatment to preventatively orientated, patient-centred, minimum interventive, longitudinal care the College established as soon possible, serving the diverse needs and expectations of an inclusive dental team membership.

Q A

The College of General Dentistry (CGDent) will be a collegiate home for all members of the dental team involved, or with interests in any aspect of general dentistry hopefully be granted Royal status when awarded a Charter, is a long-overdue development. Dentistry is an exception amongst the healthcare professions in the UK in not having its own College, let alone a Royal College. With many uncertainties over future arrangements for the dental workforce and the provision of oral healthcare, the sooner CGDent is established and realising its vision the better. To fulfil its roles and responsibilities, and in the best interests of the profession in general dentistry and the patients it serves, the CGDent Board of Trustees is working to have

What is the relationship between FGDP(UK) and CGDent?

The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) (FGDP(UK)) instigated the formation of CGDent. FGDP(UK) is not becoming CGDent; it will merge into CGDent, forming the core membership of the new College, as and when its separation from the Royal College of Surgeons of England has been completed.

The divisional structure of FGDP(UK) will become a foundation on which to build strong, proactive dental team communities across the UK. CGDent will also build on the unswerving work of FGDP(UK) in standard setting, promoting a culture of continuous quality improvement and effecting the shift from outmoded, episodic, interventive treatment to preventatively orientated, patient-centred, minimum interventive, longitudinal care.

Q A

Will there be transitional arrangements to join CGDent?

When CGDent begins to build its membership, it is hoped that existing members of FGDP(UK) will accept an invitation to take up Membership or Fellowship of CGDent, according to their status in FGDP(UK). Concurrently, all other members of the dental team who have signed up as a supporter of CGDent (https:// cgdent.uk) will be offered Foundation Membership of the new College. It is hoped that all Foundation Members will wish to make early application to become an Associate, Member or Fellow of the College, according to qualifications held. As CGDent aspires to develop strong international standing, colleagues holding Membership and Fellowship qualifications by examination from selected overseas Colleges will be

encouraged to apply for Membership or Fellowship of CGDent.

Q A

What are the ambitions of CGDent?

Over and above the ambitions already mentioned, CGDent wishes to: strengthen the capacity and resilience of the dental team and its approach to oral healthcare provision; help all members of the dental team realise their potential, with possible changes to the scope of practice in general dentistry; enhance management and leadership skills in general dentistry, and attract future generations of gifted, innovative, young people into dentistry as a dynamic, modern healthcare science. In a world of constant change, the ambitions of CGDent will be under constant review to inspire and promote excellence, improve oral health and enhance professional fulfilment across the profession.

Q A

How can a member of the dental team get involved?

All members of the dental team who have not yet registered their support for CGDent are encouraged to do so by visiting the CGDent website (https://cgdent. uk). In the near future, there will be a call for expressions of interest to serve on an inclusive Advisory Board to advise the Board of Trustees on priorities, arrangements, and direction of travel. In the meantime, I (nairn.wilson@btinternet.com) will be pleased to answer any questions and receive offers of assistance and suggestions to help establish CGDent as a new force in dentistry.

Professor Nairn H FÂ Wilson CBE DSc(h.c.) DDent (h.c.) FFGDP FDS FFD FKC

is Emeritus Professor of Dentistry and Chair of the College of General Dentistry.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Features

Payment plans – when low cost doesn’t mean low value

Conrad Broadbent explains why offering a lowcost solution for patient plans doesn’t have to mean compromising on value and service.

Eighteen years ago, I began a business focusing on providing payment solutions to small and medium-sized companies.

Having already established a flourishing successful business, we looked to identify an opportunity in a mature established single market sector that was prime for change through the launch of a new business disrupter model. After considering several vertical sectors we targeted the dental plan sector and launched a business model that offered incredible value when compared to the competition without compromising on service levels and Patient Plan Direct was born!

A new type of plan During the planning phase, I came to realise

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that many of the payment plans in the dental sector were very much paper-based. My colleagues and I were experts in cloud-based solutions, so we were the first to bring a 21st century, web-based paperless solution to the dental payment plan market, resulting in a simple, efficient, secure and competitive offering.

Alongside the ability for patients to join dental plans online and to link in with the practice’s own website – all the information can be accessed via a secure intuitive client portal 24/7 – came the opportunity to

I have been leading the campaign to bring the bulk change process to dentistry, bringing all dental plan providers in line with the rest of UK PLC. This provides dental practitioners with the freedom to transfer plan patients’ Direct Debits (DDs) automatically from one plan provider to another

Features

We looked to identify an opportunity in a mature established single market sector that was prime for change through the launch of a new business disrupter model. After considering several vertical sectors we targeted the dental plan sector and launched a business model that offered incredible value

streamline costs and services that clients wanted and needed.

We were mindful that we needed to have knowledgeable business development managers who could sit down with the dental practitioner and make sure that they were appropriately supported to achieve their goals, without charging for extra ‘frills’ they didn’t need or want. All our business development team have a minimum of 10 years’ dental sector expertise, including in clinical and business management

We continue to work hard to keep our plans competitive and despite adding to our services, the price has pretty much remained the same. Our business model is based on 25 years of running businesses based on efficiencies and economies of scale, so we know what we are doing and that is why we’re able to remain competitive.

Added to that is the human touch. When our clients call us, they get through to a human being who will deal with any queries efficiently and in a timely manner, no call backs, no answerphones, no “call centre mentality” at Patient Plan Direct HQ.

Change is afoot When we started to create Patient Plan Direct, having a background in payment services, we intended to utilise a banking process called the bulk change process (BCP).

Essentially, it allows for plan patients’ Direct Debits to be transferred automatically from one provider to another, making life simpler and more convenient for everyone involved.

The regulators have now agreed that it is now not only possible for the majority of plan providers to utilise the bulk change process, it is now mandatory to do so.

However, we found push back from our competitors in the dental sector. Essentially, they were forcing many clients, against their express desire to change provider, to stay exactly where they were, continuing to pay, in many cases, exorbitant fees. A rather unfair and anti-competitive business model in my opinion! To change provider, practices had to get each patient to complete a new Direct Debit instruction making a potential change more difficult than it needs to be.

An exciting opportunity

There’s any number of reasons why that could be problematic. If you have to write to patients, they might not get the letter.

They might get the letter, but they might not respond. And if they don’t sign the new Direct Debit instruction, they then don’t make a payment and potentially no longer qualify for the service they initially wanted.

He added: ‘Patient Plan Direct team’s commitment to service is great too, for example they handled everything for the bulk change process, there was no workload put on the practice team and retention following the transfer was extremely high.’

With all of that in mind, I have been leading the campaign to bring the bulk change process to dentistry, bringing all dental plan providers in line with the rest of UK PLC. This provides dental practitioners with the freedom to transfer plan patients’ Direct Debits (DDs) automatically from one plan provider to another electronically without the requirement to re-sign new DD instructions, making life simpler and more convenient for everyone involved.

When Liverpool-based practice Ollie & Darsh transferred their payment plan to Patient Plan Direct, clinical director, Dr Daz Singh, commented: ‘There was an economic aspect to our choice, as we were looking to add value for patients at the same time as being as cost-effective as possible, and some other providers had added frills that we just didn’t want or need to pay for.’

For further information on how Patient Plan Direct can benefit you, your team, your practice and your patients, please visit www. patientplandirect.com.

Conrad Broadbent

is the Managing Director of Patient Plan Direct. With a background in commercial finance and the UK payments sector, he brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to patient payment plans in the dental sector.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Features

Slow Dentistry When Dr Koray Feran was asked to talk at Slow Dentistry’s first meeting on 23rd November at Westminster’s Millbank Tower, it was a no brainer (no pun intended) to accept the invitation since he had been practising slow dentistry anyway throughout his career, except that there was no name for it. So, linking his presentation to Dr Khanemann’s findings, that our minds utilise two fundamental different modes of thoughts when making choices: fast, intuitive emotional thinking and slower, more rational thinking; this is what he refers as the “dual-process” model of the brain which shape our judgments and decisions, this was his way to fully endorse Slow Dentistry’s philosophy and underline how pertinent this campaign was for him and his peers.

“Lots of people get in hot water because they think fast. The answer is to think slow to be able to work fast. The Slow Dentistry movement is encouraging dentists not to think on the hoof which leads to more efficient dentistry, and that means not following your instinct, but rather thinking rationally”.

Multi-award-winning dentist Dr Rhona Eskander, who also spoke at the event, admitted that her previous pace of dentistry had hindered her growth and concurred that speed did not equate to success.

“The Slow Dentistry campaign is about doing things properly. The four pillars are not intended to dictate the way in which your practice should be run, but guide the way, to ensure you lead a fulfilling practice and don’t cut corners.

Every patient is deserving of proper consent, disinfection, pain control and rubber dam during endodontic treatment. In fact, these little things can also prevent stress and minimise mental health-related factors for the dentist”.

For speaker Dr Simon Chard, voted 17th most influential dentist in UK dentistry, the Slow Dentistry concept really resonated with him. “It is about quality and care and dedication and many of us dentists have all worked at this level, but the campaign takes it to a different level -to communicate this to our patients. The principles encompass everything I am doing already, and it just highlighted many important facts that matter to us and to our patients. It allows patients to differentiate dentists by the quality of care and attention that they are putting into their work”.

Slow Dentistry is about the patient.

Unconditionally so. It is about allowing extra time before and during appointments to inform patients about their treatment; for them to ask questions; and for teams to care for their teeth – compassionately and safely.

Dr Jameel Gardee from Glasgow Smile Clinic, one of the Slow Dentistry Ambassadors, explained: “My ethos since I qualified was really to practise dentistry as closely as possible to the gold standard way and that meant spending more time with my patients. Inculcating Slow Dentistry principles allows us to focus on the wellbeing of the patient primarily. It gives dentists more time to do the dentistry they want to do and which the patient deserves, hopefully reducing the stress levels the dentists are under. So, what we really want to do is to give the patient the ability to look for some specific criteria when looking for a dentist.

And these aren’t comprehensive criteria that cover every aspect of dentistry, but these would be cornerstones that they can look out when searching for a dentist. Patients should be reassured that the dentist is really focusing on their wellbeing rather than focusing on the business or the number of patients they can get through”.

The digital revolution and Slow Dentistry Interestingly, many of the speakers recognised that the advent of new advances in digital

It gives dentists more time to do the dentistry they want to do and which the patient deserves, hopefully reducing the stress levels the dentists are under 44|Modern Dentist Magazine

Features Slow Dentistry is about the patient.

Unconditionally so.

It is about allowing extra time before and during appointments to inform patients about their treatment

On the 23rd November, Modern Dentist was invited to attend the 1st Slow Dentistry Meeting in London, supported by Voco, to join the discussion about how going slow can impact your day-to-day practice and improve overall success. technology is helping them to achieve the Slow Dentistry cornerstones.

Dr. Engelschalk, a German dentist, who specialises in oral surgery, implantology and implant prosthodontics, explained that digital and Slow Dentistry are not dissimilar in many aspects and they do have lots of common traits.

“The concept of ‘time’ will change with Slow Dentistry in the same way as digital dentistry has redefined the pace of work within our practice. We need more time to get better results and digital technology helps us produce a high level of dentistry in a shorter time period”.

“Patients are now asking what I mean by ‘Slow Dentistry’ and whether I now work at a slower pace. Of course not. It is about rethinking all areas of dentistry and taking the time to be better for the benefit of your patients. Sooner rather than later, patients are going to drive this, they will choose which practice delivers the best for them. So, like digital dentistry, Slow Dentistry is a movement that all dentists will adhere to, it is not a matter of if this is going to happen but when”.

Rhona Eskander added: “Digital dentistry helps reduce human error and contributes to more accuracy. It requires patience and skill and adds to the patient experience. The experience is key.

Patients value trust and quality more than cost and the digital era is here. With easier to process and concise information they will demand this in the future. Digital does not cut corners and only complements the Slow Dentistry ethos”.

‘The digital revolution and Slow Dentistry’ presented by Simon Chard is about how digital dentistry allows dentists to practise at a slower pace.

“One of the main cornerstones of the campaign is consent - informed consent - and using new digital technology really allows us to present treatment plans to patients in a way we have never been able to before. Advances in technology are enabling us to enhance the patient journey, improve predictability, make a positive difference to the whole profession, which I am strongly advocating. My talk was an opportunity to show how I am using digital technology for my cosmetic dentistry patients to help with the informed consent process”.

Slow Dentistry for a fast-paced world Dentist Miguel Stanley who initiated the Slow Dentistry movement highlighted the importance of Slow Dentistry as a new concept in today’s fast-paced world.

“As dentists we all want to deliver the best quality patient care. I believe that the number of safety breaches could be reduced

significantly if dentists had the right amount of time to deliver care. Time is crucial when consenting patients, delivering treatment, and, importantly, when preparing a safe, hygienic environment for every patient. As dentists, we enter the profession with an aim of helping as many patients as possible, so its vital to make patient safety a top priority.

The Slow Dentistry concept is the brainchild of a group of renowned international dental clinicians, and is a global initiative designed to improve the standards of dental care.

Accreditation Being a recognised Slow Dentistry Practice will be a mark of high standards of care and quality dentistry. There is an accreditation process for dental practices which want to sign up, Nina Blaettler concluded: “Dental practices need to go through careful checks to ensure they adhere to the four Slow Dentistry cornerstones.

There is then an annual levy towards a fund which will be used to promote them as a Slow Dentistry practice, and to educate the public about the benefits of seeking out a Slow Dentistry practice”.

For more information, please visit: www.SlowDentistry.com

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Features

Save the Planet Twice a Day with Brushbox The Sustainable Oral Health Brand Taking the UK by Storm

Brushbox is the UK’s first sustainable oral health subscription service, designed with the patient in mind. Over the coming year, Brushbox will be partnering with dental practice owners across the UK to offer a new-to-market, innovative proposition which will provide an additional, passive revenue stream (at no cost) to the practice, while offering a service that has both health, environmental and ethical benefits for the end-user. Find out more information below, including details on how you can get involved.

Brushbox is the UK’s first toothbrush/oral care subscription service that offers an environmentally friendly way to ensure your patients maintain a healthy mouth and a beautiful smile. Brushbox’s goal is not only to change the way people think about and look after their teeth, but to implement a step change in improving the oral health of current and future generations, while offering a sustainable alternative to current dental products that can cause unintentional damage our environment.

Single-use plastics are an everyday occurrence in many dental practices, clinics,

46|Modern Dentist Magazine

hospitals and homes, and are unfortunately often deemed a necessity. However, there are many things that dental professionals can do in order to minimise their own amount of environmental waste created by unnecessary

plastic use in their practices, and one suggestion is to consider providing your patients with the option of using sustainable oral care products such as bamboo toothbrushes and biodegradable floss.

Brushbox’s goal is not only to change the way people think about and look after their teeth, but to implement a step change in improving the oral health of current and future generations, while offering a sustainable alternative

Features

time the dentist/dental practice’s bespoke discount code is redeemed, Brushbox will then make a revenue share payment of up to £10 (per customer) to the dentist/practice involved.

Importantly, with Brushbox’s CDU proposition there is zero-cost to the dentist/ practice, they do not have to hold or acquire any stock, and they do not have to worry about making any sales themselves. The proposition provides a simple, zero-risk, zeroeffort, and entirely passive additional income stream for the dentist/dental practice whilst also pushing a convenient (and sustainable) health benefit for your patients. But that’s not all…

‘Buy 1, Give 1, Plant 1’ initiative For every brush that is purchased by one of your patients (or by any customer for that matter!), a brand new brush will be donated to a person in need (via Brushbox’s partnership with Dentaid), and a tree will also be planted (via their partnership with Eden Reforestation Project)on behalf of your patient.

So, in addition to helping put a stop to the 3.6bn plastic toothbrushes going to landfill and our oceans each year, you will also be responsible for helping to facilitate the ongoing donation of free toothbrushes to disadvantaged children and ongoing planting of new trees, thus providing an amazing opportunity to leverage these metrics and shout about your sustainability and CSR achievements.

How does it work? n Email Brushbox at info@brushbox.com with Subject Header ‘Dental Partnership’ to sign up for your free Brushbox CDU n Brushbox will send you the CDU alongside some free display brushes, example mailer box and your bespoke, personalised discount vouchers n You then display the CDU on your counter with discount vouchers made available to your patients n Brushbox then make revenue share payments of up to £10 each and every time your unique discount code is used So, what are you waiting for – reach out to Brushbox today and jump on board in their mission to ‘Save the Planet, Twice a Day’!

By offering a range or raising awareness of such sustainable products in your dental practice, you will not only be highlighting your practice’s own eco-credentials, but you will be educating your patients on some of the simple steps they can take in order to create a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. To this end, Brushbox offer a range of eco-friendly products through their unique subscription box service, including sustainable bamboo toothbrushes, environmentally friendly floss, innovative ‘Zero-Waste/Zero-Plastic’ toothpaste tablets and eco-friendly tongue cleaners, to name a few.

Partnership with Dental Practices Brushbox’s partnership proposition for dentists is designed to be as value driven and hands off as possible. In essence, partnering dentists and dental practices are able to place a small, yet eye-catching Counter Display Unit (CDU) in their reception area which will show off ecofriendly products and also hold a number of free discount cards/vouchers for patients which they can then use to sign up to Brushbox’s subscription service, should they subsequently decide to. Each and every

It is estimated that 70% of us don’t replace our brushes when we are supposed to (every 2-3 months), and with 80% of adults having at least 1 filing, 66% visible plaque, and 29% suffering from regular dental pain, this is a problem. Furthermore, with tooth decay being the #1 reason children have to take off school and the #1 reason for hospital admissions (between the ages of 5-8), it’s clear that a new approach to looking after our teeth is needed.

By signing up to Brushbox’s convenient subscription service, patients can benefit from the convenience, wellbeing and peace of mind they need safe in the knowledge that they will be receiving a brand new bamboo toothbrush (and toothpaste) direct to their door, every other month, right when they need it.

www.brushbox.com info@brushbox.com

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Features

The pursuit of excellence Chris McConnell, Vice-President and Communications Director at the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD), observes the continued growth in modern cosmetic dentistry and emphasises the importance of continued learning and development if the industry is to keep up with patient demands.

Just fifty years ago, cosmetic dentistry was limited to invasive tooth preparation techniques that were employed to achieve the perfect Hollywood smile. Today, these unnatural looking “tombstone teeth” are no longer the ideal as advances in the field have extended patients’ treatment options. Dental professionals can now help patients improve the health and appearance of their smile using more conservative techniques, which often ensure that as much of the natural tooth structure as possible is preserved. With the excellent results that can be achieved from modern cosmetic dentistry, the profession can expect to see continued growth in the market as patient demand for treatment rises.

This emphasises the importance of continued learning, particularly in the face of an increasingly litigious climate. Patients are much more aware of the options available to them, but also have high demands and expectations about treatment. Dental professionals put themselves at risk of complaints and litigation unless they can demonstrate infallible recordkeeping and obtaining proper patient consent.

Furthermore, clinicians must show that they have the expertise to deliver consistently high standards of treatment. Therefore, the need to evidence a pathway of professional development has never been more pressing.

Continually developing skills and knowledge is especially important considering cosmetic dentistry can be challenging, particularly if patients present with multiple problems. There

is no small amount of expertise and artistry involved with treatment. Having an in-depth understanding of the latest – and sometimes complex – procedures, as well as how to use materials and technology in the most effective way, is vital in order to achieve an excellent, predictable outcome.

Clinicians have to optimise dental aesthetics and function but must also ensure that the smile is balanced with the overall appearance of the face. The modern dentist should understand and employ the most minimally invasive, longlasting techniques to deliver the best results.

This constitutes the need for practitioners to expand on their skills and knowledge within various dental disciplines, which may include restorative dentistry, prosthodontics, oral surgery and orthodontics.

Not only a leader in providing outstanding educational opportunities that support structured learning, the BACD also provides a training pathway for cosmetic dentistry through its own Wheel of Knowledge. This is designed to be a useful guide that highlights core development criteria for advancement as a cosmetic dentist. In addition, the BACD offers a chance for clinicians to achieve industry-recognised accreditation within the field. Regarded as one of the profession’s most prestigious and respected accolades, BACD Accreditation distinguishes successful candidates for their clinical excellence and improves the credibility of their cosmetic dental work among both patients and peers.

Dental professionals ultimately must continue adding to their armamentarium of skills and knowledge in order to stay ahead of the curve in cosmetic dentistry 48|Modern Dentist Magazine

BACD members themselves are expected to ensure they continually update their skills and decision-making in the interests of patients and the Academy. That’s why they benefit from unlimited access to social and educational events such as Recommended Meetings and the celebrated Annual Conference. These events promote shared learning for the betterment of the profession overall, which ultimately embodies the BACD’s values of community, passion, innovation, collaboration, integrity and adherence to uncompromising ethical standards.

Having the platform to build on experience and develop the expertise to achieve exceptional treatment outcomes enables practitioners to improve as cosmetic dentists. What better way to do this than to join a highly inclusive and dynamic organisation like the BACD? Members of the Academy are already sought after by many patients, who recognise the BACD as a leading authority on the delivery of safe, ethical and high-quality cosmetic dentistry.

Furthermore, BACD members are valued for their utmost commitment to excellence and improving standards within the field.

Dental professionals ultimately must continue adding to their armamentarium of skills and knowledge in order to stay ahead of the curve in cosmetic dentistry. This is essential if the profession is to continue meeting and exceeding patient demands both now and in the future.

Chris McConnell

is Vice-President and Communications Director at the BACD. For further enquiries about the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, visit www.bacd.com

PRODUCT

REVIEW P51 Embracing digital dentistry Recognising the need for further implementation of digital

dentistry in his practice, Dr Neil Simkin, Lead Dentist at mydentist (UK) AOHC, Newtown, has moved to a full digital workflow with the help of Swift Dental Group. Here he discusses the benefits of their partnership to both his practice and his patients.

P53 Bring your business into the 21st century Kevin Evans, Operations Manager at Ferring Dental Practice & Abbots Lodge Dental Practice, recommends Yo Telecom, the company that transformed his practice by implementing a telephony and IT network that immediately improved staff performance and patient expectations.

P55 ZoomClinic - The Private Clinic Directory Speaking to Dr Nina Dollay of Bloom and Gonsai Dental, we found out why she has joined ZoomClinic to increase her practice’s visibility to customers.

P57 Keeping track of your team’s progress Following the launch of Isopharm’s new practice account,

including a comprehensive group reporting functionality, Modern Dentist spoke to Julia Wright CertHE, Practice Manager at Chapeltown Dental Care, about how group reporting has enabled her to keep track of her whole team’s PDP and CPD progress.

P59 A new era of dental indemnity As a practising dentist, Dr Neel Jaiswal, one half of the Directorial team at Professional Dental Indemnity, understands the challenges facing dentists as dental malpractice claims continue to rise. In his interview, he explained how he hopes to help those in need as Professional Dental Indemnity introduce their services to the market.

swiftdental group

Roy McGillivray, Managing Director, said: “What a fantastic achievement for the whole team to win Best Dental Lab – this iconic award reflects all of the teams‘ continued hard work, support and dedication, as well as our position in the marketplace. Also, a BIG thanks goes out to all our clinicians and businesses for their custom and support.”

Swift Dental Group awarded ‘Best Dental Laboratory’ of the year…

On the night, Swift Dental Group won FMC Dentistry’s most prestigious award, Best Dental Laboratory.

This distinction will sit alongside previous wins, including Best Implant Laboratory, Best Digital Laboratory, Best Team and a past Best Dental Laboratory award.

Product Review

Embracing digital dentistry Recognising the need for further implementation of digital dentistry in his practice, Dr Neil Simkin, Lead Dentist at mydentist (UK) AOHC, Newtown, has moved to a full digital workflow with the help of Swift Dental Group. Here he discusses the benefits of their partnership to both his practice and his patients.

Q

You and your team at Newtown Dental Surgery are new customers to Swift Dental Group this year; what made you decide on their services, and how have you found the experience so far?

We have had a digital scanner for over 18 months which we used primarily for implant planning and orthodontic, but after an engagement event at Swift about the digital services available, we decided the time had come to try the move to fully digital. The lab set up was very impressive and had a very good feel about it. The way they had embraced and integrated a digital workflow made us feel confident in trying their service, and frankly, we haven’t looked back.

A

Q

Can you tell us a bit about the products and/ or services you have used after partnering with Swift Dental Group, and the impact they have had on you, your team and the overall practice?

Since we have started using Swift, we have tried to engage with their full range of services. We now use them for all aspects of indirect dentistry - crowns, bridges, dentures, orthodontic retainers - both fixed and removable, and implant work everything! The speed and efficiency are excellent, with a next day service available on most products if needed. The quality of the work is superb and the fact that adjustments are now a thing of the past means both we and patients are thrilled with the work. This increases patient confidence and enhances their journey.

A

Q

How has the implementation of a digital workflow benefited your practice; and how did Swift Dental Group ensure it was the right digital journey for you and your team?

Swift are always keen to receive feedback - good or bad - and it is clear from our experience that this is acted on quickly. There has been a two-way

A

engagement throughout our time with Swift and they are always looking to make sure our needs are fulfilled. This has confirmed that our decision to engage with Swift was the right one. The benefits to the patient have been great, with no need for impressions being a big winner, and the quick turnaround time along with the excellent fit, all enhancing their experience and increasing their confidence.

Q A

Why have you decided that now is the time to embrace a digital journey?

Digital dentistry is coming and there is no denying it. We had access to a scanner as an Advanced Oral healthcare Centre in the mydentist group, initially primarily for implants, then short term orthodontics. Although I was initially reluctant to commit to crown, bridge and denture work in the digital format, once we had seen what Swift were able to offer it gave us the confidence to commit to a full digital workflow and we have had absolutely no regrets.

Q

What is your practice’s relationship like with Swift’s Dental Lab, and why is it important that there is a clear line of communication between a practice and a laboratory?

One of the worries about ‘going digital’ is that it can all happen without any verbal communication or sense of a relationship with the lab. Swift address this by having team members out and about, giving you a face to speak to, ensuring that traditional relationship between the dentist and the lab which is so important. Some aspects of treatment are hard to express in a message, but a phone call makes a big difference and it has never been an issue speaking to the technician doing your work if there is something to discuss. The lab is also very welcoming of visitors, which further enhances that relationship.

A

Q A

Would you recommend Swift Dental Group, and why?

In short, I would recommend Swift simply because everything fits, first time. Their embracing of digital technology has allowed us to offer patients exceptionally high quality and craftmanship with a rapid turnaround, improving all aspects of the indirect treatment ‘journey’ both for the patient and the dentist.

Dr Neil Simkin

is the Lead Dentist at mydentist (UK) AOHC, Newtown.

About Swift Dental Swift Dental was established in 1984 by Roy McGillivray and Mark Stevenson and has since evolved into the UK’s largest dental laboratory group, employing over 300 dedicated team members nationwide.

We are proud to have celebrated our 35th year within the industry, and are continuously innovating, training and researching in order to stay at the forefront of the dental industry.

We pride ourselves on the high quality of the products we offer to our customers, the personable service they receive and our collaborative approach. Our integrity, innovation and transparency as a business has supported our growth, making Swift Dental Group the preferred choice for clinicians.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Product Review

Bring your business into the 21st century Kevin Evans, Operations Manager at Ferring Dental Practice & Abbots Lodge Dental Practice, recommends Yo Telecom, the company that transformed his practice by implementing a telephony and IT network that immediately improved staff performance and patient expectations.

Q A

What were your reasons for investing in Yo Telecom’s products/services?

We were looking for a strategic partner to work with us to propose, design and implement our telephony and IT networks across our practices.

We have started to see the benefits of this strategic partnership. We wanted a complete cloud-based system at the cutting edge of technology and we are moving forward exactly the way we want with exactly the services that we require.

Q

How has the introduction of Yo Telecom’s services into your practice enhanced staff performance, but also improved patient relationships and expectations?

Yo Telecom support us on a monthly basis this gives us the peace of mind that, should the server of our digital imaging equipment or our telecoms systems stop working, the team at Yo Telecom can solve the problem with little to no disruption to our practices and patients. Their hardware and software installation were seamless, they are always available and on the rare occasion when a problem occurs someone is here within a few hours with minimal disruption. All the technicians are knowledgeable and very skilled.

A

Q A

Why is a streamlined communication solution important to dental practices?

The detailed planning and hands on approach Yo Telecom have shown us, enabled us to scale our business demands and provides us with a consistent set of applications across our practices.

This is proving a great success because of its speed and flexibility.

Q A

How has their technology helped to modernise your practice?

Having one of our practices operating from a Grade 2 listed building has proven challenging for all parties involved. Yo Telecom have never let our business down whatever the challenges we have given them. They always find an effective way to provide the services; it’s incredibly helpful having a dedicated Account Manager and Communications Consultant who we can call at any time.

The detailed planning and hands on approach Yo Telecom have shown us, enabled us to scale our business demands and provides us with a consistent set of applications across our practices

Q A

How easy was it to implement their products into your practice?

Yo Telecom proposed, designed and implemented our telephony and IT networks across our practices. As well as providing Telephony service across all our sites, they are also our IT Helpdesk and support for one of our practices, we have one company that delivers what we need and have experience of Software of Excellence.

Q A

Would you recommend Yo Telecom?

Yes! Yo Telecom are a well-run, friendly company with expertise and interest in the products they supply. They are such a great business to work with and we would highly recommend them. They did everything that we needed for our IT and telecoms to run our practices.

Q A

What benefits have you seen in terms of revenue?

We needed a whole telephone system, and a complete network system for all our practices - Yo Telecom provided that solution for us. We also decided to have Yo Telecom provide us with our PDQ machines (Process Data Quickly), their partnership with First Data has been fantastic, and we are pleased we moved away from our old main high street provider. If you want to bring your business into the 21st century use Yo Telecom.

Why choose Yo? We’re powered by purpose Everything we do, every product we provide, and every innovation we create is all for one powerful purpose. Helping businesses increase their success. So from the moment we first talk, all the way through to your installation and beyond we operate on the basis of helping you increase your success.

Phenomenal training Some telecoms companies don’t train their clients. Some telecoms companies train their clients how to transfer a call and place someone on hold. Yo Telecom educates and coaches leaders of businesses on how to increase their success. Not something you’ll directly pay us for, but worth way more than everything you’ll ever pay us.

A culture built on great service Here’s one way we’re innovating customer service. We found out, that a lot of businesses find it hard to contact their telecoms provider.

We’re different, we want to make it as easy as possible to contact us, which is why our clients can dial “888” from any one of our handsets and be connected to our support team in 5 seconds. 24 hours a day. 365 days a year.

Kevin Evans

is the Operations Manager at Ferring Dental Practice & Abbots Lodge Dental Practice.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

The Private Clinic Directory

n Register your clinic for FREE. n No monthly subscription fees. n Receive a FREE profile. n Receive a FREE booking diary. n Upload clinician and clinic images. n Set your own appointment slots. n Set your own fees.

n Booking fees will be forwarded to your nominated account. n FREE marketing for your clinic. n Increase your brand visibility. n Receive client feedback. n Advertise your services including dental and aesthetic treatments. n Clinics are joining now. Make sure clients can find you in our directory.

Join for FREE now at

www.zoomclinic.co.uk ZoomClinic : Connecting Clients and Clinics ZoomClinic Terms and conditions, Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy apply.

Product Review

ZoomClinic The Private Clinic Directory Speaking to Dr Nina Dollay of Bloom and Gonsai Dental, we found out why she has joined ZoomClinic to increase her practice’s visibility to customers.

Q A

Tell us about your practice Bloom and Gonsai Dental.

We have been practising for over 20 years and Raj and I have had this practice for 10 years. We are an independent practice; we are not corporate.

We care about our patients, and we like to feel that we treat our patients as we would our own family and friends.

Q A

Why did you decide to join ZoomClinic?

ZoomClinic is a safe and trusted platform. All clinicians registered will have their professional registration and insurance verified.

It is free to register and create a profile. There is no subscription fee. With other advertising there is often an upfront cost involved, however with ZoomClinic it is free.

Q A

How does ZoomClinic work?

Each individual professional can create their free profile now at www.zoomclinic.co.uk.

You can advertise and promote your clinic, upload photographs, and create booking slots, which clients can book into directly from the app because they will be able to view your availability. When the ZoomClinic App becomes live you will be sent a link to open your appointments.

You will be able to set your own booking fees on the app.

Once clients book appointments, the processed booking fee will be sent to your nominated account.

Q A

What type of Clinics and services can you advertise on ZoomClinic?

As far as I am aware, ZoomClinic lists almost all types of private clinics in the UK. For example, you can also create a separate profile for aesthetic services that you may be offering in your clinic. Clients will be able to search, view and book appointments directly with you.

It can be used to fill any unfilled appointments or used as your main booking software application.

Established clinics can use this alongside their current booking system, and it simplifies setting up a private clinic for newcomers because you can advertise to customers and receive free appointment booking software.

It will also help you find other clinicians that you may want to refer clients to. It is free to create a profile, so there is nothing to lose but everything to gain.

Dr Nina Dollay

is Clinical Director of Bloom and Gonsai Dental.

ZOOMCLINIC

ZoomClinic is a Private Clinic Directory that is being created by healthcare professionals and an award-winning software development team based in Shoreditch in London.

The ZoomClinic app will only list professionals who have valid registration numbers with healthcare bodies and verified insurance. This helps us to make sure that clients will be seen by professionals that are regulated, qualified and insured.

Our aim is to build the largest private clinic directory in the UK, which will also allow clients to search for clinics based on their specialty, location and availability. We list almost all types of private clinics. Clients will also be able to book appointments and provide feedback to clinics on a 1-5 star rating. Clinicians can use this for advertising and appraisal purposes.

Essentially, it is free for clinicians to create profiles and upload clinic details into the directory. It is an opportunity to advertise your clinic with no upfront costs or subscription fee.

Clients will be charged a 10% booking fee which will help pay for running costs. We operate in a community centric way meaning that clinicians can also use our soon to be released app to find other clinicians to refer clients to.

Our objective is to provide great value to both our clinics and clients.

Clinicians can create their free profiles now at www.zoomclinic.co.uk

ZoomClinic is a safe and trusted platform. All clinicians registered will have their professional registration and insurance verified

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Product Review

Keeping track of your team’s progress Following the launch of Isopharm’s new practice account, including a comprehensive group reporting functionality, Modern Dentist spoke to Julia Wright CertHE, Practice Manager at Chapeltown Dental Care, about how group reporting has enabled her to keep track of her whole team’s PDP and CPD progress.

Q A

How has the introduction of Isopharm’s group reporting functionality improved the way you work?

I have found that group reporting is really helping me to save time. All our team members’ subscriptions are dealt with, and I can check training dates and certificates for the whole team instead of waiting for them to check for me and provide the documentation. The group reporting dashboard is beneficial as everyone’s PDPs, and CPD details are listed together, making it more straightforward to keep track of everyone.

Q A

What features did you look for when choosing such a product?

We looked for something easy to implement, utilise and with an approachable company if support was needed.

Q A

How easy was it to implement into your practice?

It was very easy to implement in the practice.

For the subscriptions, it was a matter of filling in a spreadsheet and the lovely team at Isopharm set up the group reporting quickly, so all we had to do was log into our account.

Q A

Why would you recommend Isopharm’s services and products to others?

I would recommend this product to others as it helps you to get all the items and information that you need for compliance. All the training details for the whole team are there in one place so you can track everyone’s progress with their PDP and CPD cycle.

Q A

How can you see this type of product evolving in the future?

I can see this product expanding to allow allocation of CPD modules to individual team members, so everyone knows what they need to do to keep up with their CPD. Isopharm is a very forward-thinking company who strive to produce products that will help the dental team, so I am looking forward to seeing how this will evolve.

Julia Wright CertHE

is the Practice Manager at Chapeltown Dental Care.

ISOPHARM

Isopharm provide a professional, interesting and easy way of completing your learning requirements whatever role you play in the dental team.

Our dental training is offered via our E-Learning platform, as we understand that you have busy professional lives. This means you can access CPD and learning when you have time.

Isopharm comply with GDC Enhanced CPD stipulations, including reflective learning, linking all courses to relevant development outcomes and quality assurance on course content. Annual subscribers benefit from automated PDP functionality, enabling the achievement of compliance goals and enhancing a user’s current knowledge base.

Isopharm utilise SWOT analysis to identify areas that may affect progress and allow successful planning throughout your CPD cycle.

Subscribe and save, with instant access to all our online verifiable CPD courses for only £36 per annum.

Isopharm is a very forward-thinking company who strive to produce products that will help the dental team

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Modern Dentist Magazine

Product Review

A new era of dental indemnity As a practising dentist for over twenty years, Dr Neel Jaiswal, one half of the Directorial team at Professional Dental Indemnity, understands the challenges facing dentists as dental malpractice claims continue to rise. In his interview, he explained how he hopes to help those in need as Professional Dental Indemnity continue to introduce their services to the market.

Dental malpractice claims and the costs for Q defending them are steadily on the rise; what cover does Professional Dental Indemnity’s medical malpractice policy provide?

Litigation claims and costs are rising, and A we are fighting to defend cases and reduce payouts. Unfortunately, as claims and thus legal

costs are increasing and that places a burden on premiums. However, at Professional Dental Indemnity we proffer a bespoke service to ensure that safer dentists pay an appropriate amount and are not subsidising others. We look at everyone as an individual and understanding their needs and circumstances and advise on a product that is suitable for them; we aren’t just limited to one product where one size tries to fit all.

Q The Governing bodies are making changes and A we have seen them make some improvements, but they still have a long way to go. Using detectives What more can the governing bodies do to help protect dental professionals?

in pursuant of cases has dismayed the profession and the introduction of remote orthodontic aligner providers needs addressing. They should be examining current systems of patient care services and bring trust to the public by championing great dentists and the amazing dental care that occurs. In the meantime, all we can do is keep pushing at their doors for improvements.

are the current challenges facing dentists Q What during this litigious period?

We appear to be in a climate rife with a A complaints culture and litigation. Historically, this has come from a no win/no fee culture, dissolving personal responsibilities and from past culture of settling claims.

Dentists may also be put under pressure too in limited time/resource systems chasing illconceived targets, meaning issues will continue to rise. As corporates continue to rise due to increasing burdens on individual practice there’s a responsibility to understand that holistic care also applies to the dental team as well as the patient.

Q A

How does PDI want to improve the current landscape for dentists?

I am a dentist and I have been working for over twenty years running a successful practice, but during my time I have seen a lot of dentists too afraid to practice advanced treatments because of their fear of having a case made against them.

Our ethos is to help dentists to deliver the best patient care without this climate of fear. We want to improve the landscape for the profession, and I believe our unique position has allowed us to understand our clients and their immediate needs with a view to ensuring a climate change.

Q A

How is PDI different to other providers in the market?

It’s our personal ethos to make sure our clients are being looked after, and we have proven to maintain our integrity in this. This is reflected in our testimonials and we are grateful for the trust that the profession has placed in us and behind us is a huge network of resources with years of experience.

Being a bespoke and dynamic business, we can provide an individual service to suit any dentists’ needs.

PDI is a bespoke, highly experienced provider of dental indemnity. Uniquely positioned in the market, PDI can introduce policies from several insurers and provide claims made as well as claims occurrence schemes. PDI only deals with experienced underwriters and lawyers and adopts a highly personable approach to each and every client. Founders, Neel Jaiswal and Gary Monaghan, have a very hands on approach to ensure service levels are extremely high borne out by the large number of testimonials the company has from its clients: I based my decision on: A) Good advice if you need advice, especially in the preliminary stages to actually make cases go away because they are HANDLED correctly.

B) A company that will actually DEFEND when your case is defensible (notes, records, depending on situation etc.), and not just settle to make claims go away (that’s in my opinion why this sector has seen such an increased litigation).

C) Is this cover discretionary or not – can the company refuse to defend you.

D) Costs: I want to see the costs reflect the relative risk. If I have been practicing for years without any claims, that must be a good sign and I should be lower risk.

- Dr Jan Einfeldt

Mr Neel Jaiswal

is a Director at Professional Dental Indemnity Limited.

We want our business to not only protect dentists but to help them deliver the high standard of care they deliver day in/ day out without fear

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Case Study

Why choose Nuvola aligners from GEO? Nuvola aligners are aesthetic – as close to invisible as you can get.

I think, compared to other commercial aligners, their aesthetic properties are enhanced both at insertion and after two weeks of wear. They are suitable for my patients’ most common concerns (mostly anterior segment crowding), but actually there are many indications. The polyurethane Nuvola aligners’ material quality is superb – aligners are not bulky, but are resilient and flexible.

Of course being removable aligners, patients can eat, brush their teeth, and go out for dinner unhindered. They are hygienic and patients can achieve better home dental care.

Treatment plans from Nuvola are easy to amend and review with the technician, and turnaround times from the lab are quick.

The predictable treatment plans enable most appointments to be relatively short, which is good for efficient practice and also patients prefer this.

Working with Nuvola is really smooth. After submitting a case, the online space for the case on Nuvola Web is created. There you have access to a direct chat with the technician working on your case. The technician can send notifications to you, and answer your queries the same day – often 20 minutes later, rather than waiting days. Due to the speed of communication it is easy to adapt treatment plans on the go if necessary.

On that note, the customer service in general is exceptional, Nuvola really take care of the user, and I must thank Director, Cinzia, for such quick and helpful responses too.

It is also a privilege to be working with an orthodontic company so innovative – for instance their innovation of the ‘OP System’ (the complimentary use of aligners and the functional appliances to increase the types of movements achievable).

I absolutely recommend Nuvola to other clinicians due to everything from the training course provided before, to the support throughout, and the results achievable. Also, I am using Nuvola to correct my own crowding, so I think that is a testament!

Dr Rebecca Smith

is an Associate Dental Surgeon at Lion House Dental Practice.

mikrozid universal – ®

tough on germs, gentle on equipment Effective cleaning of surfaces is essential to protect both staff and patients from the risk of cross infection. The mikrozid® range offers products for all areas of the dental practice. Low-alcohol mikrozid® universal is effective against bacteria including TB, as well as viruses like norovirus. It offers dual cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, contains added surfactants to boost cleaning performance and is available in both liquid and wipes. mikrozid® universal is fast acting and has excellent material compatibility. It can be used to clean touch screens, keyboards and other sensitive equipment, as well as dental chairs and surfaces.

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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 Telephone: 0114 254 3500 Web: www.schuelke.com Email: mail.uk@schuelke.com.

Case Study

All-on-Four and Zygomatic Implant Planning CBCT Scanner: Gendex CB500 CBCT Imaging Protocol: 14cm diameter x 8.5cm height, 0.25mm voxel Effective Dose: 0.095 mSv Clinical Information: Pre-implant assessment for all-on-4 procedure, and potential planning for zygomatic implants if necessary.

Radiographic Findings: A small dome-shaped homogeneous area of increased density was observed in the sphenoid sinus. Periapical radiolucencies were associated with the maxillary right canine and maxillary left first and second premolars. Curvilinear areas of increased density were noted lateral to the pituitary fossa in areas anatomically associated with the carotid artery; these appears to be consistent with calcification of the carotid artery. Such calcifications may be a potential indication of an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Correlation of the radiographic observation with any clinical history of high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, smoking and stress would be suggested.

The left external auditory meatus appears partially obstructed by an irregular area of increased density consistent with earwax accumulation, which may diminish hearing acuity; correlation of the radiographic observation with the patient’s clinical history is suggested.

The selected images below and to the right are from the volume illustrating the findings

Reconstructed panoramic radiograph; a localised area of increased density was observed in the maxillary right second premolar region and appears consistent with residual dental material. Periapical radiolucencies were associated with the maxillary right canine and maxillary left first and second premolars.

Curvilinear areas of increased density were noted lateral to the pituitary fossain areas anatomically associated with the carotid artery; the area appears to be consistent with calcification of the carotid artery. A small dome-shaped area of increased density was observed within the sphenoid sinus. The right and left osteomeatal complexes were patent.

CT Dent www.ct-dent.co.uk 020 7487 5717

Cross-sections through the zygomatic arch.

Cross-sections through selected areas of maxilla.

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Modern Dentist Magazine

10 mins with...

Mark Seekings

Q A

Has the industry changed drastically since you started working in it?

I was working in the sector 20 years ago, and recently came back when I formed Riverdale. During that time, we have seen lots of changes and mostly for the good.

A

A key positive for us as an independent dental group, is the range of opportunities available to us now.

As an owner/dentist, there is a huge strain on your time with regulations, marketing, staffing etc., before you even start to perform dentistry. We are seeing an increase in enquiries from owners who want to start enjoying their dentistry again or maybe even retire, and our reputation grows through

We have seen increased regulation, which is great for our patients, maybe not so

Q A

Have you had/got a mentor? If so, what was the most valuable piece of advice they gave you?

I haven’t had a real mentor as such since I have been responsible for businesses since I was 28. I pretty much learnt ‘on the job’. I have, however, worked with some fabulous board members over the last 30 years, and learnt from all of

Deliver what you set out to do in the day, and ensure, if anything doesn’t go to plan, why didn’t it, and work out how to make sure it does next time much for independent dental practices, but from an independent Group perspective, we welcome regulations and assessments to ensure we keep our team and patients safe.

The internet and social media have also been a massive game changer.

Practices are much more competitive when attracting private patients, which is a real strain for some smaller practices, but equally social media, if done properly, has become a means to promote your practice for very little cost. The popularity of reviews is hugely powerful, with online world of mouth being a key driver in new patient enquiries.

Q

What has been the key positive or negative impact of change in your area of the market?

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referrals from the practices we have already invested in.

This often has a ripple effect upon the team too, as some of the admin duties which took them away from looking after the patients are supported by the experienced Riverdale team, therefore easing the pressures and enabling them to deliver a better patient experience.

Q A

Who inspires you and why?

Passionate people inspire me. You have to really care to make a difference and we really want to make a difference in modern dentistry. We want our teams to be passionate about delivering excellent care, excellent service, and most of all, excellent dentistry.

them. A key piece of advice I was given and still use now, is to try and finish the day with two main objectives. Deliver what you set out to do in the day, and ensure, if anything doesn’t go to plan, why didn’t it, and work out how to make sure it does next time.

Self-evaluation is critical to personal development.

Q A

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

A struggling artist! I gave up art to do science at school….

Mark Seekings is the Chairman and CEO of Riverdale Healthcare.

GROW WITH PRICE BAILEY Small enough to really listen, big enough to make a difference.

Get in touch: Howard Sears +44 (0) 2073 827407

Sharon Fox +44 (0) 1353 613155

#PBGrow

#PBGrow pricebailey.co.uk/grow pricebailey.co.uk/grow

Price Bailey LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales, number OC307551. The registered oďŹƒce is Causeway House, 1 Dane Street, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts, CM23 3BT, where a list of members is kept. Price Bailey LLP is registered to carry out audit work in the UK and Ireland by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

PLAQUE CONTROL: ‘GOOD’ CAN BE BETTER

THE PROVEN ORAL CARE COMBINATION A combined analysis of 29 clinical studies on essential oils has been published in the Journal of the American Dental Association.

This showed that after 6 months of using LISTERINE®, after brushing and inter-dental cleaning, 37% of patients had at least half their mouth free from plaque, compared with only 5.5% of those who just brushed and used inter-dental cleaning.1 LISTERINE® contains a unique anti-plaque agent , 4 powerful essential oils.

These penetrate the plaque biofilm to kill 97% of bacteria left behind after brushing.2 For some patients ‘good’ can be better.

To see the full study visit http://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(15)00336-0/abstract

FAMILY OF CONSUMER COMPANIES

www.listerineprofessional.co.uk References 1. Araujo MW, et al. J Am Dent Assoc 2015;146:610–622.

2. Johnson & Johnson. Data on file.

Date of preparation: April 2016 Job code: UK/LI/16-6530

BRING OUT THE BOLD™