Game of Likes
Issue
05 ISSN 2515-6128
Digi Dentistry Chloe Barrett
Harnessing the Patient-centred care and staff power of technology to improve patient wellbeing Point of Care Foundation
satisfaction
Software of Excellence Key contributors to this issue
10 Minutes With... Hazel Coey, BADN
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Welcome Patient satisfaction is an important indicator for measuring the quality of health care. Patient satisfaction affects everything we do in a dental practice, from clinical outcomes to patient retention, which is why we always need to be aware of patients’ experiences, making sure they are happy and healthy! In this edition of Modern Dentist, we are focusing on improving patient satisfaction within the profession. We have experts from across the field, including Guy Meyers from Software of Excellence telling us how the implementation of technology into your practice can add to the patient experience, without adding to administrative burdens. We continue this theme of technology with an interview with Chloe Barrett, CEO and Founder of DigiDentistry, who suggests that education is one of the reasons why patient satisfaction may be overlooked. DigiDentistry aims to reinvent the profession through an advanced way of learning, using augmented reality and animation to teach the next generation of dentists, hygienists, orthodontists and dental nurses coming through. It will be exciting to watch DigiDentistry evolve as millennials become more dependent on technology as it filters into their everyday life. We also have a piece from the Point of Care Foundation, talking about how staff wellbeing is key to ensuring high quality patient care. It became obvious during the construction of this issue that there are many avenues we need to take and be aware of when tackling patient satisfaction and making sure it is of good quality.
have a piece from Aspired Finance about correctly navigating your finances, while we meet Colosseum Dental and learn about the advantages they have found from using recruitment company, Dental Elite. Dr Linda Greenwall tells Modern Dentist about DMG’s new revolutionary treatment and Yo Telecom talks to us about missed calls within your practice and their impact on cost. W&H tells about their range of products that they exhibited at the BDIA’s Dental Showcase this year, while schülke and S4S Dental and Smilelign UK introduce their products. As always, we have our panel of experts on our editorial board featuring their columns – I hope you enjoy this issue, and if you have any comments of feedback, then please do get in touch via the details below.
Poppy
Poppy Green Co-Editor, Modern Dentist Magazine 01765 600909 | @Modern_Poppy poppy@charltongrant.co.uk | www.moderndentist.co.uk
We have reintroduced our special section dedicated to providing advice on top products and services currently in the market. We
Editorial Contributors Adrian Tattersley
Frank Whyte
Dr Richard Brown
Amanda Maskery
Heidi Marshall
Shaz Memon
Amber Auger
Kelly Saxby
Sophie Kwiatkowski
Chris Webb AMCIPR
Kirsty Wainwright-Noble
Stephen Green CRadP MSRP MIPEM
Head of Sales and Marketing Towergate Insurance Brokers
Radiation Protection Adviser, Medical Physics Expert and Radioactive Waste Adviser Stephen Green and Associates
Darren Scott-Guinness
Mike Hughes
Stephen Judge
Emma Buglass
Nathalie Smets
Steve Kuncewicz
Commerical Property Lawyers PFM Dental Legal Healthcare Partner Sintons LLP
MPH Written on behalf of Acteon Director Precision PR
Independent Financial Adviser Dental & Medical Financial Services Sales and Marketing Director Implantium UK
Parrys Lane Dental Practice and Bupa Dental Care Geo Orthodontics
Managing Director Young Innovations Europe
Creative Director Digimax
Partner Dodd & Co
Accountant PFM Townends LLP
Managing Director Green Apple Dental
Principal Dental Practice Consultancy Service
Partner BLM Law
Marketing Ancar
Co-Editor - Poppy Green, poppy@charltongrant.co.uk Project Manager - Amanda King, amanda@charltongrant.co.uk
Sales Manager Bracon Dental & Medical Supplies
Modern Dentist Magazine is published by Charlton Grant Ltd ©2018
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.
Cover Shot
Courtesy of Shutterstock
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Modern Dentist Magazine
Modern Dentist Magazine
Contents
10
DigiDentistry: Reinventing education
07
Harness the power of technology to improve patient satisfaction
33
Educating the patient
News
07
Harness the power of technology to improve patient satisfaction
Ensuring dental patients have a positive experience is good for business but can present a challenge for busy practices. Guy Meyers, Director of Customer Success & Marketing at Software of Excellence, advises how the use of technology can improve the patient experience, without adding to the administrative burden.
Interviews
10
12
DigiDentistry: Reinventing education
DigiDentistry provides an advanced way of learning using augmented reality and animation, using a multi-language system and an intelligent E-learning platform. By collecting detailed data, Chloe Barrett, CEO and Founder, has found that education is one of the major reasons why patient satisfaction is overlooked. Modern Dentist spoke to her and found out about DigiDentistry and what she hopes it will do for education in the profession.
Patient-centred care and staff wellbeing Julian Groves from the Point of Care Foundation talks about how staff wellbeing is the key to high quality patient-centred care.
4|Modern Dentist Magazine
Editorial Board
15
Are there any areas where public perception may be improved in the profession?
Stephen Green CRadP MSRP MIPEM MBIR, Stephen Green and Associates
17
Helping your recruitment agency deliver client satisfaction
19
All the reasons why investing in a new dental chair is crucial
21
What are the biggest influencers of patient choice between practices, and how can practices make the most of these?
Kelly Saxby, Green Apple Dental
Nathalie Smets, Ancar
Stephen Judge, Bracon Dental & Medical Supplies
21
In a world of shouting, the clearest sound you’ll hear is a whisper
25
How are changing patient expectations encouraging more engagement and innovation in the profession/industry?
Frank Whyte, Young Innovations Europe
25 27
What is a brand?
27
Pensions and what that means for your tax bill – a whistle-stop guide!
Emma Buglass BDS, Implantium UK Ltd
Perception of quality
Mike Hughes, Dental Practice Consultancy Service
Sophie Kwiatkowski, PFM Dental Accountancy
29 29
The problems with recruitment
31
What is the insurance impact of client dissatisfaction?
31
How can communication be improved with digital dentistry?
Heidi Marshall, Dodd & Co
How important is the concept of brand in dentistry? Dr Richard Brown, Nuvola Speaker for Nuvola courses
Chris Webb AMCIPR, Precision PR
23 23
Transactions
Amanda Maskery, Sintons LLP
Business growth could be yours by buying your practice property Darren Scott-Guinness, Dental & Medical Financial Services
Kirsty Wainwright-Noble, Towergate Insurance
Mark Barry, ESM Digital Solutions
Issue 5 | ISSN 2515-6128
17 Helping your
recruitment agency deliver client satisfaction
29
62
How important is the concept of brand in dentistry?
10 Minutes with... Hazel Coey, BADN
Subscribe for
FREE at
www.moderndentist.co.uk
33
Brace for impact? Opportunities & risks of social media for the dental profession
Steve Kuncewicz, BLM Law
33
Educating the patient
35 37
Time to embrace social media
Amber Auger, RDH, MPH, written on behalf of Acteon
Shaz Memon, Digimax Dental
40 42
49 51
53
The value of patient trust
Matthew Hill, The General Dental Council (GDC)
Features
38
Product Review
Effective complaint handling
Philip Johnstone, Dental Protection, outlines his top tips for effectively handling complaints within your practice.
Selling a property held in a SIPP
Adrian Tattersley, Commercial Property Lawyer, explains the process of selling a property held by a dentist in a selfinvested personal pension.
Complaints are a blessing, not a curse
Rupert Hoppenbrouwers, senior dentolegal adviser from the Dental Defence Union, explains why six universal principles for complains handling will be good for practices as well as pateints.
55 55 57 57
Case Study: Aspired Finance
Supported By
Navigating your finances.
Finding the right match
Modern Dentist hears from Colosseum Dental about the advantages of using recruitment companies when looking to hire new talent, but also what new skills can bring to a practice.
Introducing new products to your practice
Dr Linda Greenwall tells Modern Dentist how she introduced Icon, DMG UK’s revolutionary treatment for incipient caries and carious white spot lesions, into her practice, and her advice for other dental professionals.
Case Study: Yo Telecom
Did you know that missed calls could be costing you big money?
Case Study: W&H
W&H steals the show.
Case Study: schülke
aspirmatic® cleaner helps prevent biofilm build up.
Case Study: S4S Dental & Smilelign UK
At Smilelign, digital isn’t the future, it’s now!
10 Minutes with...
58
Hazel Coey
Hazel Coey BA(Hons) is the British Association of Dental Nurses’ (BADN) President, 2017-2019.
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Modern Dentist Magazine
SD-730
NEWS
Harness the power of technology to improve patient satisfaction Ensuring dental patients have a positive experience is good for business but can present a challenge for busy practices. Guy Meyers, Director of Customer Success & Marketing at Software of Excellence, advises how the use of technology can improve the patient experience, without adding to the administrative burden. You only had to see the antique dental chair on display in the Future Experience Theatre at the BDIA’s Showcase in October to realise just how much the patient experience has improved over the years. The patient was obliged to sit bolt upright in this wooden barber’s chair with three branchlike arms protruding from the top to support their head - no soft upholstery or smooth reclining action in those days!
and sharing on social media. Unfortunately for dental practices, this means that one dissatisfied customer can influence hundreds of other potential patients and put a serious dent in a hard-won reputation. There is no doubt that the vast majority of dentists enter the profession to provide excellent care to their patients and want to provide a good “customer experience”. The question for many however, is how to improve patient experience when every member of the team is already working to capacity? Making technology work for you
Now, as with every experience, customers expect a high level of service and comfort from their dental treatment and will soon vote with their feet if it is not forthcoming. What is more, if they are dissatisfied, it is much easier for them to make their feelings known, not just to you, but to a large proportion of the local population, via online reviews
The answer is to harness the power of technology. Practice management systems have become much more sophisticated over the years and can offer a host of different functions that enable practices to automate time-consuming tasks, such as sending out recalls, and keeping track of patients and treatments. All businesses must also now
have a website if they wish to keep up with the competition. Ensuring a practice is visible and accessible to patients, even out of business hours, is essential for patient recruitment and retention. At Software of Excellence, we always advise practices to consider all the different touchpoints a patient has throughout the entire patient journey, from finding the practice, right through to after-treatment follow-up. Next, they need to consider what patients will expect at each of these touchpoints and work out how to meet those expectations. Below are eight golden rules that should help a practice attract new patients, improve patient experience and encourage loyalty - many of these can be achieved more easily with the help of computer technology.
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Modern Dentist Magazine
News
With today’s increasingly demanding consumers, it’s vital for practices to realise that every interaction must be managed with the patient experience in mind 1. Maintain a strong online presence To research any product or service in the 21st century, most people will reach for their smartphones. Practices must therefore have an easy-to-find and informative website. And crucially, it must be responsive, in other words it can adapt to the size of the device on which it is being viewed. Research shows that most consumers are unlikely to deal with any business that has an average of less than four stars when it comes to Google reviews. Practices must therefore ensure that they have a high rating and a healthy number of positive reviews. An automated system that helps practices collect and manage reviews can really help with online ranking and maintain some control over that all-important online reputation. 2. Be accessible 24/7 Booking a dental appointment is one of those administrative jobs that are hardest to fit into a working day. If a person works fulltime, it is often difficult to find a moment to call a practice that has opening times which coincide with working hours. Online booking, accessible 24/7, is therefore essential for any practice that wants to provide a good patient experience. 3. Be a personal assistant Everyone would benefit from a personal assistant who reminds them what’s in their diary and how to reach their appointment. A booking confirmation email confirming the date and time of a recently booked appointment gives patients peace of mind. Further useful information on how to get to the practice, the best place to park or the nearest bus stop takes all the hard work out of planning for the patient. Timely reminders sent by text or email will also make sure appointments aren’t forgotten. Using a practice management system to automatically send reminder and recall texts or emails at specified intervals is a fast and reliable way to give patients great customer service. 4. Reduce paperwork There is absolutely no need for patients to
8|Modern Dentist Magazine
arrive early and fill in reams of paper forms before their first appointment. Your practice management system should provide online patient forms, which can be completed by patients on a tablet when they arrive. Or even better, a link to the forms can be emailed to the patient before the appointment, enabling the patient to complete the form at any convenient time. The most recent version of EXACT also has new functionality, which emails the patient a unique QR code so that on arrival at the practice they can automatically ‘checkin’, saving time for both patients and the front desk staff. 5 .Re-book straightaway Patients can often feel slightly lost after an appointment as they leave the treatment room and make their way back to reception. This is the moment when front desk staff should re-engage with the patient by giving them further information about suggested treatments and booking them in for their next appointment. This is also the perfect opportunity to re-confirm contact details and complete any missing information, including gaining marketing consent so you can compliantly follow-up with patients later. 6. Ask for feedback 68% of retail customers will leave a review when asked. As online reviews are so important, handing a tablet back to the patient with a short set of feedback questions is the most efficient way of capturing this sentiment. If they don’t have time, sending a follow-up email or text at the end of the day with a link to your Google page might prompt them to do it at a more convenient time. Even if they don’t leave a review in the end, patients will appreciate your interest in their opinion. 7. Keep in touch Patient retention is highest amongst practices that keep in touch with patients. Patients always appreciate timely reminders about appointments and a simple way of changing the appointment if necessary. Making sure that the response mechanism is quick and responsive will decrease the chances of a
patient failing to rebook. For instance, if the text asks the patient to call the practice to change the appointment, it’s crucial that their call is answered promptly and they are not kept waiting in a queue. 8. Follow up unfulfilled treatment plans It’s also common for practices to have a significant number of unfulfilled treatment plans. Staying on top of these and encouraging patients to take up recommended treatments is not only good for business, it also improves a practice’s relationship with their patients. Some practice management systems include a module which shows all outstanding treatment plans and enables the user to track progress and contact patients to encourage booking. In this way, practices can convert potential treatment plans into real income and ensure their patients receive the treatment they need. Following these eight golden rules can be straightforward with the right practice management system in place. EXACT has already transformed the efficiency and capability of thousands of practices and has now evolved, in its latest version, to ensure the provision of streamlined patient care and an excellent patient experience. With today’s increasingly demanding consumers, it’s vital for practices to realise that every interaction must be managed with the patient experience in mind. In doing so, a practice can quickly differentiate itself from the competition, enhance its reputation and achieve sustained growth and success. For more information about how EXACT can help you improve your patients’ experience, please visit https://softwareofexcellence.co.uk To transform your practice from Good to Great, talk to an expert at Software of Excellence, call 0845 345 5767 or email contactus@soeuk.com
Guy Meyers
is the Director of Customer Success and Marketing at Software of Excellence.
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Interview
DigiDentistry: Reinventing education
DigiDentistry provides an advanced way of learning using augmented reality and animation, using a multilanguage system and an intelligent E-learning platform. By collecting detailed data, Chloe Barrett, CEO and Founder, has found that education is one of the major reasons why patient satisfaction is overlooked. Modern Dentist spoke to her and found out about DigiDentistry and what she hopes it will do for education in the profession.
Q
How is DigiDentistry using innovative technology to deliver new ways of teaching and educational resources to the dental profession?
A
Education is being reinvented. How we fit in is that we are offering something that is crossed with professional applications. You don’t need Wi-Fi, but it is application driven, so it is accessible wherever and from whatever application you are working from. We are really drilling down into personalised learning and how each individual learns
One of our USPs is offering a multilanguage system. The terminology can be tricky in dental and medical, especially for international students who come over to the UK. For them to be able to switch in-between each language and understand it in depth, that is only going to help the end-patient and enduser.
10|Modern Dentist Magazine
Q
Is there more demand from dental students to try alternative ways of learning opposed to traditional theoretical learning methods?
cancers – some oral diseases are very rare and students either don’t or won’t get the opportunity to see it in real life, so we are bringing that real life scenario to them. So for example, if they spotted something on your soft tissue and thought that it didn’t look right, they can go to the application, which has instant access, and check whether there are any similarities. It is about giving them instant accessibility on a technical platform.
A
Yes, absolutely. The new set of learners that are coming through are growing up with iPhones, iPads and heavily interactive technology, and with dentistry being such a practical area, something needs to be introduced.
When you go through dental school it is very theory based and there is very little practical - there is nothing to bridge that gap, but that is where we come in. We can offer immersive technology, which is accessible to students and it doesn’t cost the students anything because we are a B2B platform. It gives them something where they can train and immerse themselves into each element. For example, there are not many opportunities as a dental student to understand and properly comprehend rare diseases and oral
We have done a lot of focus groups with dental students and they are crying out for more! There is a massive gap between what the schools think they want or can give them and what the students actually want. We did a survey and 90% of students said that if they had live time access to DigiDentistry and online applications they would take that over books. Studies have shown from doing the traditional theory methods, learners are only retaining 5% of information, but if you put them in
Interview
We did a survey and 90% of students said that if they had live time access to DigiDentistry and online applications they would take that over books
tooth around, look at a filling, look at a tooth’s roots and look at different types of teeth that aren’t easily accessible all the time, we can give them that. We are using AR as an interactive technology and it is becoming an immersive technology. AR is all about real-life learning.
The new set of learners that are coming through are growing up with iPhones, iPads and heavily interactive technology, and with dentistry being such a practical area, something needs to be introduced
Q
an immersive and interactive application about the same topic, they are retaining 90% of that information.
Q
How has the skill base of dental students changed with the introduction of more technology into their everyday lives?
A
A
Technology is a part of everyone’s everyday life. A lot dental practices have lots of different types of software, so we are trying to introduce more technology on a day to day learning basis, so when students leave university they will be ready for the outside world.
Q A
How have you integrated Augmented Reality (AR) into your teaching methods?
We implement it as a resource in curriculums. Augmented reality is a parallel stat of social and visual technologies that appear as though they are there in real life. To allow a student to see inside a tooth, twirl a
How did you identify this gap in the market for DigiDentistry and what are your aims and aspirations for the business?
I identified the gap in the market while I was building a dental education company. We had a lot of learners coming through and they were struggling with such a theory based industry and there is a lot of information to take on as a dental student. I was finding that the cost of getting the lecturers to develop the resources was so time-consuming amongst everything else we had to do and the cost of buying external materials, such as books, which need to be constantly updated, plus the learners
didn’t want to carry around books all the time; a trigger appeared and I started from there.
With books you target one learning domain, whereas with DigiDentistry, we target all learning domains, so we offer expert written content, audio content and interactive applications all in one app. So if you are a kinetic learner, visual learner or practical learner, you have got everything you need. 80% of the population are visual learners so it only makes sense to give them visual applications that they can learn from.
We have a very strategic road map for the next five years. Are aims are to scale out in the UK, we have a couple of universities in Europe that we are currently working with as well, which is great for expansion. We have also got good traction from the US, so to build within the US as well would be brilliant.
Chloe Barrett
is the CEO and Founder of DigiDentistry.
DigiDentistry are on the lookout for expert content writers within the dental arena – so please get in touch with Chloe and the DigiDentistry team if interested: digidentistry.co.uk
We are using AR as an interactive technology and it is becoming an immersive technology. AR is all about real-life learning
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Modern Dentist Magazine
Interview
Patient-centred care and staff wellbeing
Julian Groves from the Point of Care Foundation talks about how staff wellbeing is the key to high quality patient centred care.
In the 1990s there was a car advert which described a process of designing the car ‘out’ from the driver’s seat. Using animations and flashy (for the time) graphics, it showed a vehicle being assembled. It started with a seat, then a steering wheel was added, then a dashboard, and so on until the hub caps were added at the end.
The idea that the user should be at the centre of the design process has become fairly ubiquitous in product design – just look at what Apple have done with phones and tablets. It has happened in services too, with disruptive digital firms like Amazon, Airbnb and Uber changing customers’ experiences and expectations.
We work to make healthcare better by helping people delivering care to see it from the patient’s perspective 12|Modern Dentist Magazine
Healthcare, however, seems largely not to have got there yet. The systems for delivering health and care services, for various reasons, seem to militate against this user focus. Yet there is something intuitively right about the idea that for something to work well it needs to be designed with its end-user in mind. There is also a growing body of evidence to show that care, which is patient-centred, can be of higher quality. At the Point of Care Foundation we work to make healthcare better by helping people delivering care to see it from the patient’s perspective. We do this through what we call our ‘Sweeney programme’, where we deliver training in techniques for person-centred quality improvement. These can be as simple as patient
Interview touch with their humanity and compassion. These challenges affect people working in all parts of the health system and at all levels. They affect clinical and non-clinical staff alike – doctors, nurses, AHPs, chief executives, middle managers, receptionists and porters – all of whom play a part in delivering care. So the other side of delivering patient-centred care is looking after the staff who deliver it. To this end, the Point of Care Foundation works to promote and support ‘Schwartz Rounds’ in the UK and Ireland. Schwartz Rounds are a unique form of reflective practice where colleagues come together, usually once a month at lunchtime, to talk about the emotional and psychological challenges they face in their work. They do not attempt to solve clinical problems but are purely about sharing experiences in a safe environment. Any member of staff can attend and the impact on those that take part regularly is startling – a recent study showed that regular attendance reduced rates of psychological distress by half. Schwartz Rounds were developed in the US by the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care, founded by health attorney Kenneth Schwartz in 1995, at the end of his battle with lung cancer. His story inspired work on developing more compassionate healthcare and supporting healthcare staff. In 2009, the Point of Care Foundation brought the Rounds to the UK and Ireland, where we hold the license to support their implementation with advice and training of facilitators.
Schwartz Rounds are a unique form of reflective practice where colleagues come together, usually once a month at lunchtime, to talk about the emotional and psychological challenges they face in their work
shadowing – where health professionals spend time watching people go through the care process – but through these methods, services can be co-designed with patients. We often find that it is small things that make the biggest difference to patients. We have worked all over the world with teams in different settings, and we consistently find that taking a step back, listening and learning from patients, helps people to gather these insights and develop their practice accordingly. The name ‘Sweeney programme’ comes from Kieran Sweeney, a doctor who worked with us in our early days as a project at the King’s Fund health think tank. He was a champion of patient engagement. Tragically he also experienced
some of the shortcomings of care provision when he was diagnosed with a mesothelioma, from which he died in 2009. During his illness he observed that while the care he received was technically excellent, the experience was made more difficult by professionals who struggled to communicate effectively with him. By seeing him as a patient rather than as a human, the hospital team failed to give him the care he needed. Patient-centred care, then, is human care. But the system in which we operate too often makes us lose touch with our humanity. The system is so complex, the pressures on the people within it so great, that many have spoken of working in healthcare as being part of a ‘machine’. In such a system it is not surprising if people feel they lose
At present, Schwartz Rounds operate in about 200 sites around the UK and Ireland, including hospital trusts, hospices, GP surgeries, ambulance trusts and even a group of veterinary practices. We believe they could be of value in other settings too. From our work, talking to people working in health and care, we have learned that all roles are stressful. Reflective practice is beneficial to a wide range of people, making working life easier and reconnecting people with their compassionate selves – the people who chose to enter a caring profession in the first place. This matters not only because it benefits staff, but because it helps them to deliver care that puts the patient at its heart. For more information about patient-centred care or Schwartz Rounds, see www.pointofcarefoundation.org.uk
Julian Groves
is the Head of Staff Experience Programmes at the Point of Care Foundation.
The other side of delivering patientcentred care is looking after the staff who deliver it
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The New a l t e r n a t i ve i n cl e a r a l i g n e r s
Editorial Board
Are there any areas where public perception may be improved in the profession? ‘Are you sure I should be having this x-ray - radiation is dangerous isn’t it?’ This (or some similar comment) is a question we are often told still comes from patients when we visit a practice or are doing our radiation protection training courses. So, what is the truth? Well what we do certainly know is that ionising radiation (of which x-rays are of course an example) can be carcinogenic - the so-called ‘Stochastic’ effect of radiation. This is a ‘chance’ effect in that it may or may not happen, but as the dose increases, the more likely it is to happen. Indeed in 2016, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute announced that they had been able to identify in human cancers two characteristic patterns of DNA damage caused by ionising radiation, and these ‘fingerprints’ may well make it possible for doctors to identify which tumours have been caused by that radiation. High doses of radiation can also cause effects such as reddening of the skin (erythema), cataracts and radiation burns - these are ‘Deterministic’ effects that will happen but only after you get above a certain (threshold) level of dose. As these threshold doses are so high - generally in the region of Sieverts worth of dose - no one in a dental practice will ever get one of these effects unless there is some kind of an accident and one of your x-ray units kept on exposing for a long period of time without anyone being aware of this happening. So the paramount concern in a dental practice (whether staff member or patient) is the
possibility of the induction of a cancer - that is an effect that is related to the level of dose. The current International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) calculation from all the current data indicates that 5 people out of 100 subjected to 1 Sievert of dose would be expected to develop a cancer (5% per Sievert). So, what does that make the chance of cancer induction in a dental imaging situation? Extremely low is the simple answer because typical dental doses are of the order of Microsieverts (that is millionths of a Sievert). Public Health England put the chance in dental imaging somewhere between one in a million to one in ten million and with the more recent continuing reduction in doses (due in particular to the institution of digital image production/processing systems) the risk is being lowered still further. Cone beam CT unit systems are now also being produced with ‘ultra-low dose’ settings, which are enabling the dose to the patient for 3D imaging to be reduced to the equivalent of one or two typical panoramic images. Yes, dental imaging is still a high frequency, low dose technique, but the law quite clearly requires doses to be kept as low as reasonably practicable (the ALARP principle under the IRR17) and to the minimum consistent with the diagnostic purpose (essentially the same principal under the IRMER17 regulations) - and the dental professions should be proud of themselves with their contribution to this. When I first started advising in this area, we used to describe the dose from a set of bitewings to be equivalent to the dose from cosmic radiation from a flight to Madrid in Spain – it’s now more like the dose from cosmic radiation from half that distance (London to Frankfurt).
So, however you explain it, the public and patient perception of the general/medical risk from ionising radiation needs to be changed - and in parallel to this, the dental professions’ reduction of doses to staff and the general public and the optimisation of doses to patients needs to be lauded and applauded.
Stephen Green CRadP MSRP MIPEM MBIR,
Radiation Protection Adviser, Medical Physics Expert and Radioactive Waste Adviser, Stephen Green and Associates.
The public and patient perception of the general/medical risk from ionising radiation needs to be changed - and in parallel to this, the dental professions’ reduction of doses to staff and the general public and the optimisation of doses to patients needs to be lauded and applauded
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Modern Dentist Magazine
Green Apple Dental Recruitment is the UK’s leading Dentist Recruitment Agency As experts in Dentist Recruitment, we help hundreds of GDC registered Associates find Locum and Permanent roles in NHS, Mixed, Private and Specialist practices across the UK every day Why do Dentists choose Green Apple Dental Recruitment to help with their job search? Top Locum and Permanent jobs throughout the UK Extensive knowledge of the marketplace A professional and personal service Discreet and considerate at all times The UK’s most experienced Dentist Recruitment Team Handle the entire process from interview to contract stages
Whether you are finishing your foundation training, relocating or looking for a better contract value; or if you prefer more flexibility in a role or additional days, Green Apple Dental can help you secure your dream job. Don’t just take our word for it, visit our website to read the testimonials we have received and view the hundreds of vacancies we have:
www.greenappledental.co.uk
Contact us today for a confidential discussion about how we can help you find the perfect new role
Call 020 8300 7971 or email dental@greenappledental.co.uk
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Helping your recruitment agency deliver client satisfaction In property, a location can sell itself; in retail, a fantastic product will fly off the shelves; but in a service industry such as recruitment delivering client satisfaction is a much harder task. Matching the right candidate to the right role is a tricky business. Understanding how to be the best possible client to work with will help the agency you choose to deliver the greatest results. There are five key elements to maximising your satisfaction when it comes to working with a recruitment agency. Whether you are recruiting a Permanent Associate, a Locum Dentist, a Hygienist etc., consider the following: 1. Research. This sounds simple enough, you want to use an agency so you look online for companies that recruit the type of staff you are looking for. How do you choose the agency that will most effectively deliver the candidate you want? Look at their website, see if they are advertising jobs similar to yours. If they are, they will have a larger pool of contenders that meet your criteria. See if they have any testimonials or recommendations on their website or on professional and social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Pick up the phone and call them, dealing with any agency that is not only professional but also personable and easy to talk to will make the whole process more pleasant. The consultant you speak to becomes
your representative. Make sure you feel like they will be a suitable extension of your brand. 2. Information. Providing as much information as possible about a role is key to an agency being able to effectively market the vacancy. Knowing UDA values and contracts, private potential and working hours is helpful, but also knowing about what makes the practice a great place to work is even better. Is there natural daylight? Is it recently refurbished with modern equipment? Is there parking? How well-established is the patient list, practice and team? When an agency can champion your USPs with the same knowledge and enthusiasm as you can, they can get more candidates excited about your opportunity. 3. Communication. In order for an agency to be effective in delivering the best candidates, the client needs to be effective in their communication. Being responsive to receiving CVs, arranging interviews and answering questions shows enthusiasm for the individual as well as that you are a proactive, considerate employer. The candidate’s experience starts from the moment the agency tells them about your practice, so make a great first impression and assure their journey is smooth from the beginning. 4. Listening. Yes, this also falls under communication, but it’s so important to remember that an agency that provides the type of candidate you require to hundreds of companies a year will have insight into the job market, candidate requirements and processes that you may not contemplate on a regular basis.
A good agency can help you to create the best possible offer by informing you of what motivates candidates and their decision making process, and providing feedback to the role you have advertised. Listening to and considering their expert knowledge when creating an offer can give you the edge when dealing with a competitive job market. 5. Flexibility. Today’s job seekers are looking for the best possible payment terms as well flexible working hours and days so they can have a better work/life balance. Being negotiable can be crucial when the right candidate comes along. Give consideration to requests when you need to secure the best person for the role. These five points will help you to achieve the best results when dealing with a recruitment agency and hiring staff. A well-suited team member will deliver customer satisfaction to not only the client, but ultimately to your patients as well.
Kelly Saxby
Managing Director, Green Apple Dental.
A well-suited team member will deliver customer satisfaction to not only the client, but ultimately to your patients as well
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Modern Dentist Magazine
NHSmail now available for dentistry
NHSmail is the national secure email and collaboration service for health and care. The service is available FREE for all NHS and private dentistry practices across England. Improve your practice’s cyber security and reduce your reliance on paper and fax processes by registering today.
“We welcome the rollout of NHSmail to dental practices. The service enables us to share information securely with other care providers; delivering benefits for our patients and our practice.” Mark Woodger, Dental Surgeon, Birchwood Practice
More information
https://portal.nhs.net/Help/joiningnhsmail
Editorial Board
All the reasons why investing in a new dental chair is crucial
To properly develop the work in a dental clinic, it is essential that the equipment meets a series of requirements and meets the needs of the dentist. On the one hand, its appearance must convey an adequate and professional image, but, in addition, it is necessary to take care of the well-being and comfort of patients and of the professional team that works in the office for hours. And one of the most important elements of the equipment is to have a modern dental chair. Dental chairs in dentistry are part of the basic furniture in a clinic and must be renewed every so often, as they can become outdated and unsafe (because of ergonomic reasons). Let’s see why. Renewal of the corporate image It is evident that, every so often, changing part of the furniture helps to make a good impression on patients. If a person arrives at the clinic and notes that the chair is outdated, his or her opinion will generally be negative. Over the years, the designs and the image of dental chairs are changing. Among the most common signs of wear we find that, with the passage of time and the use of disinfectant products, the materials of the old dental clinic chairs can change colour if they are made of plastic. If they are aluminium it will not happen. Fractures may appear in the upholstery, so the deterioration is more than noticeable, hence the importance of having a modern dental chair.
Create an investment and amortisation plan The need to update a clinic is appreciated, for example, when the technician goes to make frequent renovations. Sometimes all the plastic elements of dental chairs, such as the hoses, the internal and external suction system or the drains, degrade and dry out, which can lead to losses and leaks. In this sense, it is estimated that plastics have a lifespan of ten years. A modern dental chair has new treatments and materials that extend that useful life. At this point, dental management is essential. Most dental clinics, due to fiscal issues, invest at the end of the year in renewing their equipment. It is important that part of the billing of the query is used to purchase material, so another fundamental reason to switch to a modern dental chair could be to invest and amortise the profits received during the year.
The quality of ergonomics This is the most important sign when it comes to getting a modern dental chair. Each year, the materials must be tested and the advice and updates
offered by professionals in the sector must be listened to. The patient needs attention and that the environment does not cause discomfort. Many clinics already have sedation techniques and systems, but if we have a modern and comfortable dental chair it also helps to combat odontophobia, that is, the fear and anxiety that some people feel when going to the dentist. As we noted earlier, comfort is a key factor. Each patient sits in the dental chair an average of thirty minutes and, if it is long treatments, it could be up to two hours. In the case of dentists, they spend eight hours every day in the chair, so their body could also suffer and they would have to resort to services of physiotherapy professionals, which is also an expense.
European mercury contamination law Finally, it is also necessary to know that the European Union issued a law to recover the mercury remains used in the amalgams, both when they are placed and when they are removed. As you see, not investing in a new dental treatment unit can, at the end, cost you more money and renewing your clinic can lead to saving more than you think.
Nathalie Smets Marketing, Ancar.
To properly develop the work in a dental clinic, it is essential that the equipment meets a series of requirements and meets the needs of the dentist |19
Modern Dentist Magazine
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Editorial Board
In a world of shouting, the clearest sound you’ll hear is a whisper! What are the biggest influencers of patient choice between practices, and how can practices make the most of these? When patients are choosing between practices, they will be influenced initially by their perception of each practice. That initial perception is critical and always related to the patient’s own requirements. This perception begins before they even walk through your door. Let’s take an example of a very nervous patient who has just relocated to a new area and is struggling with her dentures. That patient might look at your website to see if you have a Clinical Dental Technician on your team, or testimonials from previous denture patients. As a very nervous patient they might also be looking at images of your surgery on your website. If they are seeing on one website dental chairs with continental style delivery systems with an array of instruments greeting them, that might in this instance, just steer them away, particularly if another practice has dental chairs with hanging hoses or even cart delivery and these are tucked away out of sight. It is important to differentiate your practice and the services you deliver. That can only be done by identifying the type of patients you are looking for, the ones who seek the treatments you provide. In that way you can influence their initial perception of your practice in a positive proactive fashion. From your website you can also offer visitors free reports, these could provide information to a potential patient on the specific type of treatment that they are seeking, i.e. dental implants, orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry, etc. If you can help people to understand what is involved in various treatments, as well as the procedures and stages in simple easy to understand terminology and how this might solve their problem, then they will be more inclined to visit you. Now you understand the relevance of Miglionico Chair designs having cart delivery, hanging hoses, or continental style; it’s not just about how clinicians prefer to work, but also about patient’s perception when they sit in that dental chair.
Stephen Judge
Chris Webb, AMCIPR Director, Precision PR.
Marketing has never been easy. But at least it used to be simple. You spent money on advertising and the phone started to ring. The more you spent the more often the phone rang. The more noise you made, the more business you gained. Those days are gone. There is simply so much ‘noise’ out there that only the true giants are ever going to be heard by bellowing at anyone and everyone. We believe the right approach now is (metaphorically speaking) to walk up to someone and whisper in their ear. Think about it. They’ll hear you. They’ll pay attention. And if you say the right thing to them at the right time, they’ll act the way you hope too. The art and science of marketing is now to find ways to ‘whisper’ the right thing to the right people at the right time. I believe the first thing to do is to think about what you are really trying to achieve. Are you trying to sell more of something? Are you trying to prove your credibility as an industry expert? Are you trying to educate your existing customers? Are you trying to attract investment? Everything starts here. Then you can write a story – your story. Only afterwards should you decide how you will deliver that story. At this point, every kind of marketing specialist will tell you that their speciality is the most important place to spend your money. They’re probably wrong. Every single way you can think of to pass on a story - social media, your website, even Modern Dentist Magazine – is just one connection in our interconnected world. Making lots of noise is no-longer the way to make people take notice. To be heard you have to learn to whisper.
Sales Manager, Bracon Dental & Medical Supplies.
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Business growth could be yours by buying your practice property Darren Scott-Guinness
Independent Financial Adviser, Dental & Medical Financial Services. This article does not constitute advice. Professional advice should be taken prior to acting on any part of it.
Transactions A dental practice transaction can be through an asset purchase or a share sale. The purchaser’s solicitor will provide an information request in respect of business. They will then review the replies and raise any further enquiries. This is an important exercise as it can flush out any major issues at an early stage. The sale agreement will be negotiated between the seller and the purchaser. The seller will want to make sure that his/her post completion obligations and liability are minimal and the purchaser will want to ensure that they have coverage for anything that might go wrong with the practice post-completion. Running alongside the commercial aspects of the transaction will be the property transaction. It is usual now that a separate solicitor will deal with the property elements of the deal. Throughout the transaction, the purchaser’s solicitor will be liaising with the funders of the transaction to ensure that their requirements are met. The funder will want to see that the title to the assets is appropriately transferred and that adequate security is given. There will be a number of employees and the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations may apply. The purchaser’s solicitor will need to be aware of the terms the employees are contracted. The solicitors will often liaise with NHS England to ensure that the contract is correctly transferred and to make sure there are no issues arising which would affect the smooth transfer of the business between the seller and the purchaser. One of the biggest ways in which a lawyer can help in a transaction such as this is providing general commercial sense and assistance. If a solicitor is experienced in this sector then they will be able to provide a much better service.
Amanda Maskery
Healthcare Partner, Sintons LLP.
If you’ve been successfully running your practice in a rental unit, it may be time to look into buying a commercial property that could potentially provide a great profit for you in the future. Maybe you need a bigger space, or your rent is becoming too high. Whatever the reason, it’s possible you could be better off buying your own practice premises. You must take into consideration, however, that owning your own company as well as a commercial property is a big undertaking, and not just financially.
Put your money and mind to good use The most convincing argument for property ownership is that you’re making a tangible investment. By paying the mortgage every month you’re closer to owning your property instead of lining the pockets of your current landlord. Beforehand, you need to consider every aspect of becoming a property owner. You’ll need a solid business plan and be prepared for the added responsibility. It’s important to not only think about the short-term benefits, but also the long-term effects. You’ll also need to do your research: preferable location, good transport links, room for expansion, building condition – as this will all have an impact on the success of your investment.
Financing the dream Once you’ve found the right property, your next step is to secure it as a reasonable price and with a great mortgage deal. Commercial mortgages come with benefits – regular monthly payments help you balance your budget and your mortgage interest is also tax deductible. Different commercial mortgage providers have different lending criteria so a commercial mortgage broker can help you to navigate the market and guide you towards a lender that not only understands your industry but also your individual business’ needs. As specialist mortgage providers, Dental & Medical Financial Services give dentists expert professional advice on a whole range of products, including commercial mortgages.
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Modern Dentist Magazine
Moden Dentist Mag4_Layout 1 03/07/2018 15:43 Page 1
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Are you interested in cloud accounting for your dental practice?
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How are changing patient expectations encouraging more engagement and innovation in the profession/industry?
WHAT IS A BRAND? Emma Buglass BDS
Sales and Marketing Director, Implantium UK Ltd.
“A brand is simply an organisation, or a product, or service with a personality. So why all the fuss?” - Wally Olins.
Frank Whyte
Managing Director, Young Innovations Europe. Photo: private
During the last decade we have observed a growing awareness that prevention is the key to oral health. That is why Young Innovations, as the US market leader in this segment, decided in 2017 to expand our products and brands in Europe. We wanted to support this process and fully share products developed over decades of research and refinement in the USA with our European customers. We have been seeing high demand for our range of prophy products and have now officially introduced our YoungTM and Zooby® brands onto the European market and made the expertise, which we have built up over the years, available. Both product lines are used in professional dental cleaning for adults and children. Preventative therapy can avoid tooth decay and secondary diseases. Professional tooth cleaning is carried out in a riskoriented manner and should start at a young age because the breakthrough of the second teeth brings about changes such as incomplete enamel formation, unfavourable topographical position of the chewing surfaces or retention niches and thus increasing the risk of plaque deposits. Also Orthodontic braces, as well as the increase in sugar intake and acidic foods effect plaque build-up. Zooby’s child-friendly prophylaxis system offers a wide range of tools to significantly increase patient compliance in children. Young is our brand for adults. We strongly believe in supporting the development of preventative therapy in dental practices. Our focus is to offer increased efficiency, greater clinical added value for patients and better comfort for dental professionals. We work constantly to deliver reliable, high-quality products to help dentists to consistently achieve the best results for their patients and ensure that dental staff always have the best equipment to hand.
Within dentistry we have seen the development of strong branding over the last few years across dental practices that traditionally were just called by the dentist’s name and the practice address. 35 years ago, professional advertising was illegal. Healthcare providers and hospitals essentially did not advertise prior to 1977. With the growth of advertising the traditional method of building brand awareness to generate new customers has been embraced across the profession. A good brand makes it easy for customers to buy from you, facilitates selling and adds additional value to the dental practice. Branding is now a crucial mainstream management activity. It can be used as a marketing, design, communications and behavioural resource. So what is a brand? A brand is a core idea that is generated by the relationship between a product or service and the environment within which the brand operates. It is developed by communication and the behaviour of those people within the organisation and the world outside. At its core is the fundamental idea behind the brand that drives the organisation and can usually be stated in two to three words.
So how important is the concept of brand within dentistry? At the grass roots of practical dentistry the relationship between the individual dentist and the patient is probably more valuable than the brand. However, by establishing a brand these ideals of this personal relationship can be packaged as a whole and spread amongst the organisation so everyone within the practice is aware of the practice ethos, encapsulated by the brand. info@implantium.co.uk
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Modern Dentist Magazine
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Contact us For advice or for further information on all of the services we can provide to you please visit our healthcare page at www.blmlaw.com. E: amanda.watson@blmlaw.com T: 0161 819 3218
Editorial Board
Pensions and what that means for your tax bill – a whistle-stop guide!
Perception of quality
Mike Hughes
Principal, Dental Practice Consultancy Service. In compiling this article I have tried to consider dentistry looking at it from the outside as a patient coupled with the knowledge that I have acquired in the running of dental practices over the years. Perception 1 - “I will need treatment” If you ask most people they will tell you that they hate their experiences at the dentist. Use the practice team and in particular hygienists who are generally cheaper to engage than dentists to alter this perception. The key message should be on preventive maintenance with treatment provided on the occasions where things go wrong which inevitably they will. Remind people that if they are averagely fortunate they pass into adulthood with thirtytwo perfectly healthy teeth and that the need for treatment will either arise out of something that the patient does such as eating the wrong foods or failing to brush and floss.
Perception 2 – “I am being passed off to the hygienist” In the practice at which I attend, the bulk of my appointment time is with the hygienist who carries out an oral cancer screen, provides a thorough cleaning and reports to the dentist on any perceptions concerning my teeth. At which the dentist carries out what really is quite a brief examination. My perception of the hygienist is that they are an extremely valuable member of the team who makes it less likely that I am going to need the intervention of the dentist. Do your patients see your hygienist in this way?
In Conclusion • Build your practice team to provide the most cost effective of delivery. • Do everything to improve patient perception as to the value in clinical rather than financial. • Ensure that this message passes right through the practice team. Improved perceptions will lead to happier patients, lower overall practice expenses and potentially higher levels of profit.
Sophie Kwiatkowski
Accountant, PFM Dental Accountancy. Pensions are a useful investment to help you save towards your retirement, as well as providing you with tax relief each year.
If you perform any UDA’s you can be part of the NHS pension scheme. You can also have a Private pension to make additional contributions. Each individual has an annual allowance which is a limit on the amount that can be contributed to your pension each year, while still receiving tax relief. It is based on your earnings for the year, and the maximum amount is £40,000. If you contribute to both an NHS and Private pension, this limit will be spread across both schemes. For those of you that are very high earners, there is a tapered annual allowance. This means that for every £2 of income over £150,000 each year, £1 of annual allowance will be lost. This could reduce your allowance to as little as £10,000. You will face additional tax charges if you exceed the annual allowance. The charge will be added to the rest of your taxable income for the tax year, and you will pay this through your Tax Return. If the allowance charge is more than £2,000, you can look to nominate the pension scheme to pay the charge from your scheme funds. If you use all your annual allowance for the current tax year, you can carry over any unused allowance you haven’t used from the previous three tax years, using the earliest tax year first. Basic rate tax relief is given by adding 20% to the net contribution made, so that the gross amount is invested into your pension. For higher rate taxpayers, tax relief is given by extending the basic rate band – so you pay more tax on your earnings at 20% as opposed to 40%.
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Modern Dentist Magazine
Editorial Board
The problems with recruitment
How important is the concept of brand in dentistry?
Heidi Marshall
Partner, Dodd & Co.
Brexit is happening whether we like it or not - we have to make the best of it. The majority of the UK’s dental supplies are imported from the EU. Over the past few years material costs have increased steadily. This is because suppliers have been increasing prices due to the weakening of the pound. However, there will always be fluctuations to the exchange rate regardless of Brexit. The major problem is recruitment. Recruitment of associate dentists is getting harder. Recruitment is problematic for various reasons such as an ageing workforce, lack of UK trainees, more women than men now training to be dentists, this isn’t a sexist comment it’s a fact. Only women can have children and therefore likely that they will have time off and/or work reduced hours during their careers. The reduced number of dentists coming over to work from Europe since the referendum has increased the shortage of associate dentists further. I genuinely hope the government make it easy for European workers to continue to work in this country post Brexit and/or find the funds to put significantly more UK dental students through their studies. In the meantime, practices will need to work on retention of their associate dentists. Not just money but the working environment, perks, attitude of the principal, friendliness of colleagues, feeling appreciated, involved, challenged are all thrown into the mix. The recruitment issue is likely to give associates more say over their earnings. The average UDA rate paid to an associate has increased recently even in London. For NHS practices there is no way to increase their earnings to fund this other than increasing private work. Many practices have already handed back NHS contracts due to recruitment and financial issues and moved towards private work instead. This looks set to continue. So what can practices do? Like all businesses, at this moment in time, we’re all in the hands of the politicians and the Brexit negotiators. But like all businesses, practices need to remain flexible so they can adapt to change. Keeping an eye on material costs and shopping around whenever possible, together with concentrating on keeping your workforce happy will be crucial to maintain practice profits in the years to come.
Dr Richard Brown
Parrys Lane Dental Practice and Bupa Dental Care, Nuvola Speaker for Nuvola courses. As dentistry marches more and more rapidly into the digital age, it is easier than ever for both dental practices and dental companies to promote themselves and their brand. A brand is a combination of all elements that customers associate with a product or organisation. It is more than a logo or an advertising campaign and cannot simply be made. A brand is the product of all the experiences that an organisation creates for its customers, employees and communities, and is the result of the emotional response that each of these groups develop from their experiences. In dentistry it is not enough to simply package a product and service and put a worthy statement around it – the team in the practice has to live and breathe its brand values every day and communicate these every single time they meet, greet and interact with patients. Being a market leading brand undoubtedly has its benefits, once you establish a position atop the marketplace, you have more people using your products and, hopefully, more positive reviews. Word of mouth and personal recommendation is still one of the most very powerful ways in which you can be promoted. I would point out that brand in dentistry is best set out early on. As time passes, the values of the business become ingrained, second nature, to those staff that have come along the road with you. Branding in healthcare is more about trust than in many other professions and the more loyal, happy patients you retain, the stronger that trustworthy reputation becomes. Branding goes beyond what treatments you offer and having the most modern clinic, it applies to how you interact with patients before, during and after an appointment - every element needs to be defined by the brand values you are trying to create. A brand is how people can easily recognise your work and share the word about how amazing your services are. In turn this results in the fact that every dental practice and business has a brand, no matter how big or small they are, whether they want it or not! The brand can be positive or negative and ultimately will determine whether your efforts succeed or fail.
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Modern Dentist Magazine
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Call: 0330 123 5149 Email: newmedical@towergate.co.uk Visit: www.towergateinsurance.co.uk Towergate Insurance Brokers is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Registered in England No.4043759. Registered Address: Towergate House, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EN. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Editorial Board
What is the insurance impact of client dissatisfaction?
Kirsty Wainwright-Noble
How can communication be improved with digital dentistry?
Mark Barry
Head of Sales and Marketing, Towergate Insurance.
Director, ESM Digital Solutions.
While we would all always hope our clients/patients feel satisfied with the service they receive from us, we also know it’s not realistic to expect that this happens 100% of the time. In any industry, it would be expected that at times clients won’t be completely satisfied and this may lead to a complaint or as a minimum, an expression of dissatisfaction.
Communication within dentistry has always come with challenges whether that be between the dentist and patient or between the lab and the dentist. For the patient, the language of dentistry is often a difficult one to understand and relies a certain element of trust. A good lab – dentist relationship depends on many factors, a key one being that the lab technician understands the dentist’s expectations. It is not unusual for a dentist to say they like working with a particular technician because ‘they know how I like things’. This inherent ambiguity leaves plenty of room for ambiguity in these situations and inevitably this has the potential to lead to disappointment, cost, good will and perhaps a loss of business.
As a business regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), you will already be aware of your requirements under the Duty of Candour – Regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities). There is a duty to be open and transparent with service users when a ‘notifiable safety incident’ occurs in the course of providing care and treatment, as a regulated activity. In the event of an incident occurring, the registered person for the practice must, as soon as reasonably practical after becoming aware: 1. Notify the relevant person (usually the patient) in person that an incident has occurred, and provide reasonable support. 2. Provide, to the best of the registered person’s knowledge, an accurate account of all known facts as at the date of notification. 3. Advise what further enquiries into the incident are appropriate. 4. Include an apology (defined as an expression of sorrow or regret that the incident occurred). 5. Record the notification in a written record which is kept securely. 6. Follow 1-5 above with a written notification of the facts, details and results of any enquiry, keeping a copy of all correspondence.
Digital technology used within the scope of dentistry can undoubtedly improve communications between lab, dentist and patient.
You need to give notice in writing to your insurance provider, along with details of the incident, as soon as possible after the incident has occurred – do not wait for a complaint to come in. This will allow your broker to offer you appropriate assistance and advice around the next steps to take to avoid prejudicing your claim.
• Full colour, shade realistic intra oral scans enable the dentist to clearly explain the need for treatment to the patient. • Submission of scans through a seamless and secure cloud platform along with detailed prescription information and other relevant information ensures the lab receives everything relevant to the case. As well as being unsecure, the use of email and other file transfer solutions inevitably result in information being lost and cases being delivered wrong, not delivered on time, or not delivered at all. • Digital wax-ups produced by the lab can be superimposed on patient photographs to give the patient a clear picture of how they will look after treatment, a considerably more informative technique when compared with conventional wax-ups. • Orthodontic simulations are used to present how a patient’s malocclusion can be corrected and why one treatment proposal may be preferable to another.
For example, your insurer will advise that, although in your apology you should express your regret that the incident occurred, you should not admit fault or accept responsibility, as this would be classed as admitting your liability. If this is done prior to engagement with your insurer, it could result in you not being able to make a claim on your policy.
Digital dentistry offers communication benefits in addition to the cost, accuracy and time benefits already established. Like everything else it should be used carefully and correctly. Fundamental dental principals should always be considered and the technology only used to enhance the great work done by dentists and technicians rather than attempt to replace it.
Because of this it is common for dental practices to react and follow the above process without considering the implication it could have on their ability to make a claim against their insurance policy in the future.
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Editorial Board
Educating the patient Brace for impact?
Opportunities & risks of social media for the dental profession Social media offers a wealth of potential opportunities for any business willing to invest in it. However, as with all regulated professions it also poses some very real risks. Many cases involving professionals who find themselves on the wrong side of the “wisdom of the crowd” tend to underappreciate the effect that a poorlychosen opinion expressed virtually can have upon the real-world practice of a professional. As well as the risk of defamation or other civil proceedings, there is potential censure by the Advertising Standards Authority as a result of marketing messages disseminated online that fall foul of the Code of Advertising (CAP). Thankfully, the General Dental Council has issued guidance on the use of social media within Dental Practices. The guidance also relates to personal behaviour by practitioners on the social web, and on advertising more generally, as well as through social networking platforms. That guidance is practical, based largely upon existing law and prevailing professional standards and reflects good common sense. If the coming into force of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) hadn’t firmly entrenched the importance of confidentiality and data protection in your mind, Section 4.2.3 of the Standards for the Dental Team is referred to within the GDC’s Guidance, confirming that patient details should never be posted online, with even anonymised case studies being carefully risk-assessed before publishing. The most fundamental point, remains true of pretty much any social media user – the standards expected of dental professionals don’t change when communicating on social media. Certainly, it’s advisable for practices to maintain their own social media policies to make clear what is and isn’t acceptable, as well as containing examples of good practice. Preparation and planning to set appropriate standards for individual practices over and above those set by the GDC is the best way to prepare for a social media crisis, however minor. The GDC recognises this, and the profession needs to do the same to fully embrace the opportunities of engagement in the continuously-connected world.
Steve Kuncewicz Partner, BLM Law.
Amber Auger RDH, MPH
written on behalf of Acteon. The roles of the dental hygienist are an educator, clinician, researcher, manager and an advocate for prevention of diseases. We have the ability to address the patients’ high-risk factors for tooth decay, periodontal disease, and systemic diseases while bridging the educational gap between periodontal health and systemic health. This unique role could save the life of a patient by identifying symptoms for lifethreatening conditions. Influential patient education is essential to establishing change in the life of the patient, and an intraoral camera elevates our ability to connect the education to the patient. Acteon has created the SoproCare camera that differentiates the colour of tissues to reveal inflammation. SoproCare was created for dental clinicians to educate during periodontal and prophylaxis treatment. The camera offers three modes: Perio mode, Cario mode, and Daylight Mode. Each mode has been designed to engage patients and increase compliance to treatment recommendations. Perio mode allows the clinician to provide a more complete assessment of the patient’s oral health by rapidly assessing gingival inflammation, plaque, and calculus. Through the usage of LED lights, the camera demonstrates new plaque, which is shown as white, and the old plaque that is demonstrated in a yellow and orange shade.
This allows patients to see the bacteria that was left behind even after their most recent brushing, which increases their need to change their oral health regime. The degree of gingival inflammation is detected with a light pink colour to represent mild inflammation through a deep magenta to represent severe inflammation. In addition, the images allow the clinician to identify specific areas for the patient to improve on, and the images can be used document current oral conditions. The initial images can serve as a baseline to track improvements or progression of disease. Clinicians can praise the patients’ enhanced home care techniques during their preventive care appointments.
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Time to embrace social media How can dental practices use social media to their advantage instead of being subject to social media scrutiny? Social media – is an essential part of marketing. Millions of businesses sport online profiles posting links and stories spanning numerous platforms, all fighting to make their voices heard, products sold, and services delivered. Dental practices that embrace this fare well. Of course, the flipside is online reviews and the ability to share opinions with thousands of people within a matter of seconds far and wide is made easy by the internet – a simplicity arguably fuelling social media scrutiny. This is not to say you should admit defeat. The promotional opportunities social media offers without much cost – is invaluable. So,
give your dental practice a voice by becoming a digital marketing warrior. Be proactive rather than reactive. Have a strong positive presence. This goes beyond simply responding to poor reviews. Defending your practice from online criticism is only half a job. An active online presence is essential if you are to own your brand and encourage new patients. Make sure your posts are consistent and varied. Engage with the public across a number of platforms – in particular, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Avoid posting more frequently when you receive a bit of bad press. Integrity is important and users are quick to bite if they feel your marketing is false or forced. Presence is important on both public and private platforms. This means responding
quickly. On Facebook Business Pages, typical response times are calculated and made public. The faster this is, the more reliable your business appears. Cater your approach to each social media platform. Video, for example, works best with Instagram and links to blog posts are more suited to Twitter and Facebook. Be smart with your posts and you’ll reap the benefits. Finally, stay on the right side of the law. Your marketing tactics must comply with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the General Dental Council (GDC). A firm grasp of their rules are essential.
Shaz Memon
Creative Director, Digimax Dental.
medical
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Editorial Board
The value of patient trust November and December is the time of year when dentists must renew their registration and, alongside making statements on CPD and indemnity, this also means paying the Annual Retention Fee (ARF). The ARF has been the subject of much discussion in recent years, and a regular theme of some of that discussion is the level of the fee and what dentists get in return for their money. As part of its annual reporting responsibility, the GDC publishes a breakdown of its spend, which illustrates the various regulatory activity undertaken – essentially where the GDC spends the funds raised through the fees it charges. But it is the combined result of that activity, the sum of the individual parts, from which dentists derive the most value for the fee they pay; the trust that
the public can confidently place in dental services provided by those on the GDC’s registers of dental professionals. When someone becomes a healthcare professional, they join a group of people in whom the public places its trust. Joining that special group – in this case the dental profession – comes with both privileges and important obligations. The privileges arise from the fact that no-one else can lawfully do the things that dental professionals do. The obligations arise from the need to act in an appropriate, professional manner, ensuring that individual patients can benefit from safe, effective care delivered in circumstances of dignity and respect. In the vast majority of cases, dental professionals meet those obligations with enthusiasm, which means the public can confidently place their trust in their dental professional. It is the job of the regulator, with its absolute focus on public safety, to ensure that the obligations are delivered and to act in the rare occasions when they are not.
Handling complaints well locally provides the opportunity to correct something if it has gone wrong and this leads to a quicker resolution for the patient and a deeper level of confidence in the service provided
These are the high-level principles of healthcare regulation. There is much more, however, that dental professionals can do to foster this trust at a local level. This comes down to how individual interactions are managed, in practise, every day. A practical example of this at work is the profession-wide complaints handling initiative which launched in November. The initiative saw 28 organisations from across the dental sector come together to develop and endorse a shared understanding of what good local complaint handling looks like. The wide-support the initiative enjoys came from the recognition that handling complaints well at a local level wherever possible is in everyone’s best interests. It means fewer inappropriate Fitness to Practice complaints arriving at the GDC which equates to less stress for patients and professionals, and less money spent on this activity. Handling complaints well locally provides the opportunity to correct something if it has gone wrong and this leads to a quicker resolution for the patient and a deeper level of confidence in the service provided. This is a win-win and I hope dental professionals really get behind the initiative. Engaging with patients in this way will only help to enhance the levels of trust that already exist between the public and dental professionals.
Matthew Hill
Executive Director, Strategy, the General Dental Council (GDC).
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Features
Effective complaint handling Philip Johnstone,
Dental Protection, outlines his top tips for effectively handling complaints within your practice. A complaint may be defined as:
Any oral or written expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, from, or on behalf of, a person about the provision of, or failure to provide, a service.1 It is important that every team member takes responsibility and ownership for complaints management and is trained and confident to identify, capture and act on any signs of patient dissatisfaction. A problem intercepted in the right way can diffuse a potential complaint and act as a practice builder. This demonstrates team members and the practice as a whole is listening, cares and are doing the right thing. The key to effective complaint handling is good communication. Patients can use a variety of channels to express dissatisfaction and it is important to communicate effectively whilst trying to resolve the matter constructively, with every effort to try and retain the patient’s trust. It is essential to have a readily accessible practice complaints policy which signposts a mechanism for patients to direct concerns to the practice.2 It is always challenging to receive a complaint from a patient. In this digital age and era of social media, complaints can be made online. Practices having Facebook pages or appearing in Google searches, allow patients to review service provision online which can be an opportunity to show the positive comments but also poses a risk to the practice’s reputation when the reviews are unfair or inaccurate.
38|Modern Dentist Magazine
Although responding to the complaint promptly is good practice, it is important to consider any response thoroughly and to be mindful of the issue of confidentiality. The GDC states: “You must not post any information or comments about patients on social networking or blogging sites. If you use professional social media to discuss anonymised cases for the purpose of discussing best practice you must be careful that the patient or patients cannot be identified.” 3 Although online and hence ‘public’ complaints may seem like one of the most threatening types of complaints, they may be avoided if patient dissatisfaction is identified promptly. The steps below can help improve the complaint handling process as well as providing an opportunity to perhaps turn any negative into positive feedback: 1. Identify the patient’s dissatisfaction. Surveys or feedback cards distributed to patients can canvas feedback and provide an opportunity to identify and then address any dissatisfaction promptly before it becomes a complaint. This can help protect the practice against complaints; including online negative reviews. 2. Accept complaints and acknowledge the patient concerns. Explain that the practice takes concerns seriously. An apology, if applicable, should be given as early as
Learn from the process; a complaint can be an opportunity to reflect possible if something has gone wrong or if the patient believes that something has gone wrong. 3. Obtain the views of all parties involved. If more than one party is involved, listen to all. 4. Investigate the matter fully to give the most accurate answer. 5. Respond to the complaint promptly and sympathetically. This should be done in an informed, measured and professional manner, both offline and online. 6. Follow-up to ensure the complaint has been satisfactory resolved. Offer the patient your contact details or contact them. This shows care and it provides a further opportunity to rebuild a positive relationship with the patient. 7. Learn from the process; a complaint can be an opportunity to reflect if the concerns raised could have been avoided and whether the practice needs to make any changes in its procedures or clinical management to avoid repetition and mitigate further complaints. Seek early professional advice from your medical defence organisation to avoid compromising the future handling of the complaint. Dental Protection has produced a complaints handling advice booklet which you can access on this link: https://www.dentalprotection.org/uk/ articles/effective-complaints-handling.
1 Handling FCA Complaints “What is a complaint?” Available at: https://treatingcomplainantsfairly.co.uk/regulation/what-is-a-complaint.html accessed 30/04/2018 2 https://standards.gdc-uk.org/pages/principle5/principle5.aspx 3 https://standards.gdcuk.org/pages/principle4/principle4.aspx
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Features
Selling a property held in a SIPP My grandma used to say “sip it and see� if a cup of tea she made might be too hot to drink. Similar cautionary advice applies to dentists considering selling properties held in their self-invested personal pension (SIPP) or similar schemes. First, ask the SIPP company the rules to observe and procedures to follow for selling the property and see what the response is.
Owning commercial property in a SIPP To capture tax advantages and build a pension pot to help fund retirement, some dentists transfer their property to a SIPP company or trust. The SIPP company, as owner of the property, acts as a landlord and grants a lease to the dentist either personally or to their company or LLP. The dentists, as tenants, pay the SIPP company
40|Modern Dentist Magazine
an open market rent, which goes towards their pension fund.
When the dentist comes to retire, they can decide either to transfer the lease to the buyer of the dental practice (the buyer pays rent into the SIPP company as continuing contributions to the retiring dentist’s pension pot) or to cancel the lease and sell the property to the buyer of the dental practice. The part of the practice sale price allocated to the property is paid to the SIPP company which, together with the cash already in the pension pot, is administered by the SIPP company and paid out as a pension to the retiring dentist.
However, a dentist cannot sell their practice without first planning the sale with their SIPP
company. Often, the dentist must make a formal application to the SIPP company for the sale to proceed and the company may insist on an independent valuation to establish a minimum price for which the property can be sold.
Pension management rules For the sale of a dental practice, the seller and buyer agree to divide the sale price between the business, its assets, goodwill and the property. Sometimes the amount allocated to goodwill (or other assets) will increase and there will be a corresponding decrease in the property price. However, when a property is held in a SIPP, the SIPP company will be keen to ensure the amount allocated to the property is not less than its true open market value. If it is, the SIPP company may
Features
Adrian Tattersley,
Commercial Property Lawyer, explains the process of selling a property held by a dentist in a self-invested personal pension.
consider that the part of the sale price allocated to the property is inappropriately low and the extra money allocated to the goodwill (or other assets) too high. This may be considered as the selling dentist diverting money from the pension pot to themselves, which would undermine the rules of pension management.
1. Contact your SIPP company early, either directly or via your financial adviser, to plan the sale.
Needless to say, where property held in a SIPP is concerned, the importance of specialist legal advice goes hand-in-hand with the need for independent financial advice.
3. Establish the value of the property and the minimum price the SIPP company will accept – to avoid issues about dividing the sale price between the business assets, goodwill and property.
Golden rules for a smooth transaction
4. Liaise with your solicitors and the SIPP company throughout the transaction and especially on the completion day, so you know how much money is coming to you from the sale of the dental practice and how much is being paid to your SIPP from the sale of the property.
When selling a property held by your SIPP company, observe the following rules:
2. Explain to your SIPP company whether you intend to continue owning the property, with the buyer paying rent to your SIPP, or if you plan to sell the property with the dental practice.
Once you have all this planned, sit back and sip that cup of tea but be careful – it may be too hot!
Adrian’s Bio Adrian Tattersley is a Commercial Property Lawyer with PFM Dental Legal, part of the PFM Dental Group, which also provides practice valuations and sales, dental accountancy and chartered financial planning.
www.pfmdental.co.uk
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Features
Complaints are a blessing, not a curse Rupert Hoppenbrouwers,
senior dento-legal adviser from the Dental Defence Union, explains why six universal principles for complaints handling will be good for practices as well as patients. Nobody likes receiving a complaint, but an expression of concern well-handled can stop matters escalating out of your control. This is the thinking behind a set of universal principles for good complaints-handling, which have been developed by 26 organisations, including the Dental Defence Union (DDU). 42|Modern Dentist Magazine
The principles set out what patients have a right to expect when providing feedback or making a complaint and are designed to encourage patients to raise issues with you. If patients raise their concerns directly, you have a golden opportunity to address them at an early stage and to show your practice at its best. Plus, patient feedback may also highlight areas for improvement or issues that need to be addressed. In the DDU’s experience, most complaints can be resolved in-house if practices have the right approach. During 2017, the DDU assisted members with over 1,800 complaints from patients and our data indicates that around 90% of complaints were resolved at practice level.
As a dental defence organisation, the DDU supports dental professionals with patient complaints and we see at first-hand what can go wrong. In particular, when complainants encounter obstacles or a defensive approach, they understandably become frustrated and problems can escalate quickly. Occasionally an unresolved complaint can lead to serious dento-legal problems, such as an investigation by the GDC, Ombudsman or even a claim. The six principles are: • All of your feedback is important to us. • We want to make it easy for you to raise a concern or complain, if you need to. • We follow a complaints procedure and keep you informed.
Features awareness of their practice complaints policy. We also recommend that practices regularly review their complaints process to ensure it is consistent with good complaint-handling principles. Here are a few areas to consider: Publicise your complaints procedure: Full details should be included on the practice website (a GDC requirement) as well as in the practice information leaflet, and a suitable notice should be displayed prominently at the practice reception and/or in the waiting area. The complaints procedure itself should be in plain language and explain how to make a complaint, contact details for the complaints manager, the timelines for responding to the complaint and information about independent organisations that patients can contact for help. Try to resolve complaints there and then: Your aim should be to resolve the complaint at practice level speedily and amicably as they arise. The NHS Complaints procedure in England2 states that where complaints can be resolved within 24 hours, there is no need to acknowledge its receipt. Acknowledge complaints: All other complaints, made verbally or in writing, should be acknowledged within three working days, by confirming receipt of the complaint, explaining that it is being investigated under the practice procedure, and enclosing a copy of the practice procedure. If there will be a delay in responding to the complaint (for example, because the dental professional concerned is away on holiday), this should be explained in the acknowledgement. There is no need at this stage to mention other avenues of complaint.
Nobody likes receiving a complaint, but an expression of concern well-handled can stop matters escalating out of your control • We will try to answer all your questions and any concerns you raise. • We want you to have a positive experience of making a complaint. • Your feedback helps us to improve our service. The GDC has produced a range of resources1 to help dental professionals communicate these principles to patients, including a poster and leaflet for practices to display in waiting areas. It has also produced advice on how the principles relate to the CQC’s inspection framework and the complaints guidance in Standards for the Dental Team. The DDU encourages dental professionals to adopt the universal principles to support and raise
Respect patient confidentiality: When acknowledging complaints (and in your complaints procedure), explain that you may need to access the patient’s confidential records to investigate their complaint and seek their consent. In addition, if a third party is complaining on behalf of the patient, establish their right to do so before responding.
Robert’s Bio
Address all the complainant’s concerns: Understand why the patient is complaining and investigate all the issues they raise. If necessary, clarify this with the patient to ensure that your written response addresses all their concerns. Respond constructively and offer a fair solution. This might include a sincere apology, an offer to meet the patient face-to-face or refer the patient for a second opinion. In some cases, you might want to include a goodwill gesture such as an offer to refund the whole or part of the fees, or to provide remedial treatment free-of-charge. Encourage patients to come back to you if they are still not satisfied. If you reach an impasse… If, despite you best efforts, you are unable to resolve a complaint, advise the complainant how they can take things further, such as to the relevant Ombudsman or the Dental Complaints Service for complaints about private dental treatment. Bear in mind that the GDC will not usually have a role to play in resolving individual patient complaints. Learn from complaints: Advise the patient what action you have taken to learn from their complaint and prevent it happening again. Many successful businesses spend a lot of time and effort analysing complaints, recognising that they offer unique feedback on their service. Similarly, complaints that have been suitably anonymised to preserve patient confidentiality can be shared with the rest of the dental team, providing the basis for useful discussion and training at staff meetings.
Rupert Hoppenbrouwers
is a senior dento-legal adviser from the Dental Defence Union.
1 Complaint handling best practice, GDC website, accessed 22 November 2018
https://www.gdc-uk.org/professionals/standards/complainthandling 2 Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009/309
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/309/contents/made
Rupert Hoppenbrouwers BDS LDSRCS was head of the DDU until his retirement at the end of 2015. He is a former general dental practitioner and was director of the School of Dental Hygiene at University College Hospital, London, from 1980 to 1986. He has lectured and written widely on risk management and dento-legal matters, has previously chaired the UK Dental Law and Ethics Forum, and has a particular interest in complex ethical and legal issues affecting dental members.
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Features
Making a complaint about dental services
All of your feedback is important to us
We want to make it easy for you to raise a concern or complain, if you need to
We follow a complaints procedure and keep you informed
We will try to answer all your questions and any concerns you raise
We want you to have a positive experience of making a complaint
Your feedback helps us to improve our service
The principles of good feedback and complaints handling for dental patients were developed jointly by the following organisations: Association of Dental Administrators and Managers, Association of Dental Groups, British Association of Dental Nurses, British Association of Dental Therapists, British Dental Association, British Orthodontic Society, British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy, Bupa Dental Care, Care Quality Commission, CFC Underwriting, CODE, Dental Complaints Service, DDU, Dental Protection, Dental Technologists Association, Department of Health and Social Care, General Dental Council, Health Education England, LDC Confederation, MDDUS, mydentist, NHS Digital, NHS England, Orthodontic National Group, Orthodontic Technicians Association, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Simplyhealth, Society of British Dental Nurses. This work was informed by the views of dental patients.
44|Modern Dentist Magazine
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Introducing new products to your practice Dr Linda Greenwall tells Modern Dentist how she introduced Icon, DMG UK’s revolutionary treatment for incipient caries and carious white spot lesions, into her practice, and her advice for other dental professionals.
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We doubled in size again and the quality of the new practice and the state-of-the-art machinery and beautiful patients helped us attract some of the best young dentists in the UK to join our team.
Rob at Aspired Finance has been instrumental in this journey. He is different from many banks and mainstream lenders in that he actually cares about our business and wants genuinely to help. He’s also different in that he always does what he says he will do. An unfortunately rare thing in 2018. He doesn’t sugar coat things and will give you a straight answer and solid advice about the best ways to get capitalised and about the benefits, risks and ways forward regarding each transaction.
Now we are 18 months later, our books are full and we’re looking to double in size yet again.
Our first challenge was an initial loan for some equipment to grow from a facial aesthetics practice to a two surgery dental practice. Zero to one is always the most
Fast forward a couple of years and we were absolutely buzzing and making huge profits from the extremely lean business model we’d adopted.
Finance is a reality of business growth in the 21st Century and you need someone who can help you navigate the sometimes muddy waters so that you can achieve your maximum potential.
Dr MJ Rowland-Warmann & Ed Challinor
Founders of Smileworks Liverpool.
Is it as straightforward as you think? What are your requirements when securing Finance? First and foremost, you require the very best options available to you but have you got time to source the best products within the market place? Many of the best options are not available directly to you so you need to use a specialist independent finance broker. Secondly you need to know the best way to structure an agreement to ensure your business secures the maximum tax reliefs available to your trading style. Thirdly you need to ensure funding is agreed in principal so you can plan your purchase, installation, refurbishment, without worrying about the final invoice. At Aspired Finance we have many years’ experience of working with Dentists and specialised funders also
talking with Dental Accountants to provide you with tailor-made solutions for your business. Typically, when sourcing your equipment, you don’t look for the cheapest option available, you work with your suppliers and maybe purchase from recommendations from colleagues but with finance you always want the cheapest option!!
We provide an initial quote to plan your project so you know full costings at the beginning and complete the whole process dealing with your supplier and invoices and ensuring payments are made on time to enable a smooth process… Aspired Finance – Trusted Funding for Professionals… from Quote to Completion…
At Aspired Finance we believe it is all about TRUST, if you can trust your broker to provide you the correct options at the best rates then you do not have to worry about your application. We have superb relationships with all the leading healthcare funders to provide you a service you can trust. Running your business is time consuming enough, we know exactly how to package a proposal to ensure we secure the best finance package in the quickest time.
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Product Review
Finding the right match Modern Dentist hears from Colosseum Dental about the advantages of using recruitment companies when looking to hire new talent, but also what new skills can bring to a practice.
Q A
What are Practice Managers looking for when recruiting new talent?
When recruiting new talent into our clinics, a passion for dentistry is the number one attribute we look for at Colosseum Dental. Of course, having the right experience or credentials and knowledge about us is also needed! Clinic teams are at the heart of the business, caring for our patients and therefore, someone who is passionate about providing good patient care and ensuring patients have the best experience is what we look for. As a growing company, candidates looking to develop their career in dentistry, bring new ideas, bags of enthusiasm and really play their part of the team are always well received.
Q
What advantages does using a recruitment agency have when looking to employ a new team member?
A
Recruitment agencies can vet candidates more thoroughly, which is a bonus for the company as it saves a lot of time and leg work, both for us and prospective candidates. Candidates and recruiters talk more openly about what the candidate is looking for, enabling a closer match between candidates and dental companies. Recruiters also negotiate salaries and working patterns, which can sometimes place candidates at a disadvantage if they attempt this themselves. It’s about meeting the needs of both parties, which really is what a recruiter’s role is all about.
Q A
How can the dental profession encourage new talent towards a career in dentistry?
The dental profession is exciting and enjoys rapid industry changes, which brings lots of progression and long-term career opportunities. At Colosseum Dental, our clinic staff tell us it’s the results which give them satisfaction in their roles. It seems more than ever before, patients want to look after their teeth and are interested in cosmetic dentistry. Our staff take great pleasure from delivering good results and seeing patients leave, quite literally, with a big smile on their faces.
Q A
What skill sets will be needed in the dental practice of the future?
As dentistry develops, advanced skills and specialist experience will be more soughtafter, for example implants, facial aesthetics, teeth straightening and whitening. Training and development coupled with high standard equipment in clinics will help facilitate this. For example, nurses with advanced training or qualifications in implant and impression taking enables the dentist to achieve more.
Q A
What advice would you give to candidates looking to enter the profession?
Any candidate should do lots of research to ensure they understand the dental industry and be confident it’s for them and their career. Working with patients also requires empathy and a ‘caring professionalism’. Naturally, good communication skills are essential, especially for nurses, as dentists tend to have high expectations. Nurses would also need to accept and use feedback from dentists and trained colleagues and take every opportunity to learn and develop themselves to progress their career.
As a growing company, candidates looking to develop their career in dentistry, bring new ideas, bags of enthusiasm and really play their part of the team are always well received DENTAL ELITE
Dental Elite is recognised as the UK’s premier partner for practice sales, valuations and finance, alongside specialist dental recruitment. With unrivalled success in providing an all-round service for dental practitioners, from the start of their career and purchasing their first dental practice, to exit strategy and planning for retirement; Dental Elite’s expert advisors will lead you to achieve the best, strongest and most powerful results for you and your practice.
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Modern Dentist Magazine
Images: Dr. Marie ClĂŠment (France)
B EF O RE Icon treatment
AF TER Icon treatment
The answer to white spots: I can Icon! Quick, gentle, aesthetic: Infiltration treatment with Icon. Cariogenic white spots – as unwelcome as they are frequent, particularly after bracket removal. Now you can offer your patients a gentle form of treatment rather than an invasive intervention. Infiltration with Icon has
been shown to enable the effective masking of white spots on smooth surfaces. Mild to moderate fluorosis can also be successfully treated. Quick, gentle, aesthetic. In just one session. Good news for you and your patients. www.dmg-dental.com
Product Review
Introducing new products to your practice Dr Linda Greenwall
tells Modern Dentist how she introduced Icon, DMG UK’s revolutionary treatment for incipient caries and carious white spot lesions, into her practice, and her advice for other dental professionals.
Q A
How does this product facilitate the practice and dental professionals but also enhance the patient experience?
Icon is a great practice building product, which offers minimal invasive treatment options which are attractive to patients. Icon means that we do not have to use local anaesthetic or dental drills, which enhances the patient experience making it a comfortable treatment in a relaxed environment. Patients often talk about their experience having Icon treatment, and recommend the treatment and practice to others due to the comfortable treatment approach and great aesthetic results.
Q A
What research should you do when choosing a restorative product?
Dental professionals should always undertake product research before using a new product for the first time. The kind of research I undertake would be to check that the product is safe to be used for the intended use. In the first instance, I would contact the manufacturer to ascertain this and look for product instructions and directions for use. I also look to see how effective the product is in clinical hands. To do this I look at clinical cases and user reports. Articles from dental journals are also a good indication of product effectiveness and a good informative article provides a lot of information. Long term effectiveness is also important, so looking for long term studies is also vital so you can relay this to patients and alleviate any fears they may have. Evidence based clinical studies from respected sources are extremely important in looking at restorative products. They help me determine the best products for use in my practice.
Any introduction of a new product should be a team approach
Q A
How easy is it to implement this product into practice?
It is extremely easy to implement Icon into my practice. As with using any new restorative product for the first time I contacted the team that represent the product in the UK. I arranged for them to visit the practice and discuss the product with the whole practice team. This gave us the opportunity to have the product fully explained and ask any questions about using the product. It also gave us access to resources the company offer to help us facilitate the use of the product in practice.
Q A
How does it improve the way the dental teams works?
Any introduction of a new product should be a team approach. The whole team should be involved in the training and feel part of new product implementation. This means that anyone in the team that the patient asks about Icon should be able to explain the product and treatment with confidence. This helps all the team feel involved in every aspect of the patient journey and they feel a sense of worth in helping the patient achieve their desired results. Any practice team is invaluable in helping the patient through their treatment journey and they should be able to offer help and informed advice at any stage.
Q A
How can you see the need for products like this evolving in the future?
The dental profession is always looking at ways to offer minimally invasive treatment where possible, now more so than ever. Icon offers a minimally invasive treatment option with an excellent aesthetic result. The need for doing dental treatment with less tooth loss is the way dentistry is progressing and I think we will see a lot more of these kinds of products in the future. Also, research shows that white spots are getting more prevalent in our society and we need more treatments available to combat this growing trend.
Dr Linda Greenwall, BDS MGDS RCS MSc MRD RCS FFGDP(UK), Prosthodontist and Cosmetic, Restorative Dentist.
ICON
See the Linda Greenwall video on DMG’s UK website Icon is DMG UK’s revolutionary treatment for incipient caries and carious white spot lesions… without drilling! Icon is an innovative caries infiltration therapy. It represents a breakthrough in micro-invasive technology that reinforces and stabilizes demineralised enamel without the need for drilling or sacrificing healthy tooth structure. The first product to bridge the gap between prevention (fluoride therapy) and caries restoration, Icon’s micro-invasive infiltration technology can be used to treat smooth surface and proximal carious lesions up to the first third of dentine. In just one visit Icon can arrest the progression of early enamel lesions and remove carious white spot lesions. Icon offers a simple alternative to the “wait and see” approach, enabling Dentists to offer an immediate treatment without unnecessary loss of healthy tooth structure. It prevents lesion progression and increases life expectancy for the tooth. Providing a highly aesthetic solution, carious white spot lesions treated with Icon take on the appearance of the surrounding healthy enamel. Total treatment time is about 15 minutes. To find out how Icon can enhance your Practice and introduce a new revenue stream watch the Linda Greenwall video on DMG UK’s website uk.dmg-dental.com. Follow the link uk.dmg-dental.com/products/cariesinfiltration/icon/product/caries-infiltrantsmooth-surface/ For further information contact your local dental dealer or DMG Dental Products (UK) Ltd on 01656 789401, email info@dmgdental.co.uk or visit www.dmg-dental.com
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Modern Dentist Magazine
Discover the difference a Miglionico Dental Chair could make to your practice
BRACON Clinical Products
Finance packages available from £139.51 a month including VAT
Miglionico Dental Chairs available in a variety of delivery systems
For further information on our latest promotional packages call Bracon Ltd on 01580 817000 or email sales@bracon.co.uk Bracon Limited • Unit C • Swife Business Park • Burwash Road • Broad Oak • East Sussex TN21 8UP t: +44 (0)1580 817000 e: sales@bracon.co.uk w: bracon.co.uk
Search ‘Bracon Ltd’
@braconltd
Product Review
Did you know that missed calls could be costing you big money? On average, dental practices will miss eight to ten calls per day due to engaged tones, being away from the phone on lunch or when the practice is closed. Many of these calls will be from potential new patients enquiring about using your services. When you add in the fact that the average lifetime value of a patient can range from £500 - £1k + profit. Can you really afford to be letting that kind of money just slip down the drain, especially when it’s so easily prevented? Well, what’s the answer? Let us introduce ourselves. We are Yo Telecom and we’ve helped over 400 dental practices across the UK bring their communications into the 21st century. Our state of the art phone system is specifically designed to help increase the success of your practice and it’s packed with features to make sure you never lose business due to a missed call again!
How do we do this? It’s simple, our system comes standard with call logging. This feature will log all your inbound and outbound calls at the practice and show you a clear list on your computer. More importantly, it will allow you to see all the missed calls at your practice (and who they were from), so you’re able to call back and capitalise on any missed appointment enquiries; generating thousands in revenue. Yo Telecom also proudly provide 24/7 support - so we’re only a phone call or message away!
02380 516986!
This is just one of the ways Yo Telecom can help your practice, if you want to find out more call Book an appointment with us throughout December and quote YO-18-FREE to get FREE INSTALLATION and 7 YEARS WARRANTY when you sign up.
W&H steals the show
Leading manufacturer W&H stole the show with its extensive range of products at this year’s BDIA Dental Showcase. This includes the new handheld Osstell Beacon device, which can be used to determine optimal implant loading conditions. Delegates were able to explore the almost limitless capabilities of the Piezomed surgical unit with specialist implant tips, as well as the efficacy of W&H handpieces such as the innovative Tigon Ultrasonic Piezo scaler.
W&H also provided insight on how advanced systems such as the Lisa type B vacuum sterilizer and the Assistina TWIN handpiece processing device could enhance modern decontamination procedures. For further details, contact the experts at W&H.
To find out more visit
www.wh.com/en_uk, call
01727 874990 or email office.uk@wh.com |55
Modern Dentist Magazine
In a world of shoutIng, the cLeaRest sound you’LL heaR is a whisper Getting your message across to people isn’t about making the most noise. It’s about making the right noise, in the right place at the right time. Precision PR is a specialist in marketing communications for digital imaging and dental technologies. If you’d like to hear about the noises we could make for you, call us on 07432 189149 or email whisper@precisionpr.co.uk
P R EC I S I O N
PR
Precision PR Limited : www.precisionpr.co.uk
Reg. Office : Pickering House, 40A York Place, Leeds LS1 2ED. Company number : 10604823
Product Review
aspirmatic cleaner helps prevent biofilm build up ®
aspirmatic®cleaner from schülke, experts in infection prevention and control, is designed for cleaning dental suction systems and spittoons. Regular use helps prevent the build-up of biofilm. During routine use of the suction unit, organic and inorganic substances can be deposited, which may dry in the tubes potentially leading to contamination and the risk of cross infection for staff when changing the filter. aspirmatic® is effective against bacteria (including salmonella and legionnella), fungi and viruses (including HCV, HBV, HIV) in thirty minutes. Extensive testing of aspirmatic in leading dental practices has shown the non-foaming formulation is quick and easy to use, with a broad spectrum of efficacy. aspirmatic has a three in one action and cleans, disinfects and deodorises in a single application. A two litre bottle reconstitutes to 100 litres, helping to save on storage space as well as cost.
Contact schülke UK, Cygnet House, 1 Jenkin Road, Meadowhall, Sheffield, S9 1AT
Tel: 0114 254 3500 www.schuelke.com email: mail.uk@schuelke.com
At Smilelign, digital isn’t the future,
It’s NOW!
An innovative laboratory, S4S Dental are the exclusive manufacturers of Smilelign clear aligners. Early adopters of digital dentistry, S4S were one of the first labs to introduce a digital workflow to produce dental appliances and clear aligners.
Since its introduction in the 1990s, Intra-oral scanning has increasingly become a preferred option for producing impressions – for both the dentist and the patient. Advancements in technology have contributed to this, with scanners now providing a smooth technique, and a high-quality end product. Why choose an Intra-oral scanner? Patient comfort – physical impressions often cause discomfort, due to the material placed in the impression trays. Increased accuracy – IOS simplify the impression process, leading to more accurate results that greatly aid the technician producing the appliance. Improved accuracy also leads to reduced retakes for the dentist. Lower costs – Though a large investment at the initial stage, IOS remove a number of costs for the practice, including impression materials, shipping, and model archiving. Time efficiency – Several studies have shown that IOS impressions are time-efficient, leading to reduced chair time, and cost, for the dentist.
Digital Dentistry with Smilelign S4S has been accepting digital cases since 2005 and actively encourage the use of digital impressions, having made large investments in 3D CADCAM technology and 3D printers. This growth in digital dentistry means that each month, over 60% of our retainer cases are received digitally. Smilelign encourage digital impressions by offering free 3D printing. How to send your scans Smilelign accept scans from all leading platforms, including iTero, 3Shape, CS Connect and Sirona. With a designated team of technicians, we invest in cutting-edge technology with ten form labs and two vector printers, printing over 200 models per day.
Maddie Udall
is the Marketing and Communications Manager at S4S Dental & Smilelign UK.
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10 Minutes with... Hazel Coey Recognition of dental nurses as health care professionals and vital members of the dental team, along with Continued Professional Development and the GDC Scope of Practice, has allowed dental nurses to take on more roles in dentistry, furthering their careers and future prospects as well. I went on to teach dental nurses at the local further education college after my working day at Halton. At that time (1990s), most dental nurses were taught in the evening, once a week, after work. I am pleased to say that, most training providers now recognise that being taught during the day, when you are not hungry or tired, is more conducive to active learning! I carried on teaching and furthered my own education by achieving a BA(Hons) in Education. This led to running many dental nurse training programmes, including NVQs, Apprenticeships and the NEBDN Certificate in Oral Health Education. I think the most valuable piece of advice that I was given, was from my own Mother, “You can do anything, if you put your mind to it!”
dental nurses to take on more roles in dentistry, furthering their careers and future prospects.
Key negatives are the difficulty dental nurses have in being heard. Dental nurses are the largest GDC registrant group, and BADN, which represents thousands of dental nurses, is recognised as the Association to be consulted on dental nursing issues; which is why it is so important to join! The other negative is of course the cost of registration. The GDC continues to charge the same ARF to dental nurses, many of whom are part time and paid minimum wage, as to other DCPs who earn more than twice as much as dental nurses!
Hazel Coey BA(Hons)
is the British Association of Dental Nurses’ (BADN) President, 2017-2019.
Q A
Has the dental profession changed since you started work in it?
Well yes, quite a lot actually. When I first started out as a dental nurse in a village practice we were called Dental Surgery Assistants, and that was what it stated on my qualification certificate from the National Exam Board for DSAs!
We used to boil dental instruments in a water boiling machine, instead of using a steriliser. I have since discovered that I was actually boiling up some sort of bacterial broth, but no one appeared to come to any harm! We didn’t wear gloves or masks... need I go on!
Q A
What have been the key positive or negative changes in your area of the profession?
Key positive area in the profession has been the registration of dental nurses with the General Dental Council, something for which BADN campaigned for many years. This recognition of dental nurses as health care professionals and vital members of the dental team, along with Continued Professional Development and the GDC Scope of Practice, has allowed
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Q A
Who inspires you and why?
Q A
In dentistry, Dame Margaret Seward, who was the first female President of the GDC, first female Chief Dental Officer, and second female BDA President. She was always very supportive of dental nurses and supported BADN in our campaign for dental nurses’ contribution to oral health care to be recognised. Despite her many achievements, she was always very down to earth, approachable and had a very hands on attitude.
Q A
Have you got a mentor? If so, what was the most valuable piece of advice they gave you?
I did have a mentor, my boss in the periodontal research team at RAF Halton, the late Wing Commander Graham Smart. He not only encouraged me to push for my ideal post, working as an Oral Health Promoter, but encouraged me to develop academically
If you were not in your current position, what would you be doing?
Until recently, I worked for Health Education England as a Dental Tutor. This post enabled me to organise courses for dental teams, ensuring that they kept up to date with clinical and non-clinical work and advances in Dentistry. As President of BADN, I am still networking and keeping myself up to date within the profession as the Association is consulted on dental nursing issues, dental health related research and hot topics frequently. In fact this has turned into another job! Although the President of BADN is a voluntary role, it is a great privilege and very rewarding. If I was not busy with this position, I would be taking it easy, walking and sight-seeing around the UK, particularly near to the stunning coast in Cornwall, and watching my little Granddaughter grow up there (she is just two)!
EEN S AS N O NS O AG DR EN D
Don’t just brush, Playbrush! Playbrush is a smart toothbrush system that allows children to play games whilst brushing with their toothbrushes controlling the game! Connect the toothbrush via a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone or tablet to play games, unlock rewards and see statistics!
ex
to
sive u l c
A brilliant business opportunity is staring you in the face By adding facial aesthetics procedures to your practice you could inject substantial new revenue streams into your business – Facial aesthetic work charges in excess of £600 an hour. Med-fx will provide everything you need, from training to get you started to marketing and business support to help you get things off the ground.
Glabellar £120 RRP* Crow’s Feet £150 RRP*
Vertical Lip Lines £250 RRP*
Gummy Smile £180 RRP*
Dimpled Chin £120 RRP*
Neck £250 RRP*
To register for a ‘Get Started in Facial Aesthetics’ seminar, call 01376 532800 or email sales@medfx.co.uk Part of:
Group.
medfx.co.uk *RRP based on estimate of recommended charge for standard procedure