Prevent ‘Wear to Despair’ with Tif Qureshi at the BACD Annual Conference 2014

Find out more about treating tooth wear the conservative way with Tif Qureshi at the BACD’s 11^th Annual Conference.

In his lecture ‘Preventing Wear to Despair…’ Tif will demonstrate how you can use composite filling materials and the Dahl technique to treat tooth wear without having to resort to invasive techniques.

‘I’ve been using this approach for more than 15 years and have carried out the technique on literally hundreds of patients,’ says Tif. ‘It’s so effective I’d say it’s the most important treatment that I do.’

In a comprehensive and wide-ranging lecture, Tif will set out everything you need to know to use the Dahl technique safely, and predictably in practice. He will also show how you can combine it with other treatments to keep your patients looking younger for longer.

So, don’t miss out – contact the BACD and book your place today!

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

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

Always keen to support and give something back to the dental profession whenever possible, Carestream Dental has donated a CS1500 Intraoral Camera for Bridge2Aid’s inspirational Tanzania project.

In response to the charity’s recent appeal for help, the CS1500 will help the clinical team in Tanzania to continue providing essential and often life-changing dental care to thousands of local people.

Through the training of local District Dental officers (DDO) and the provision of basic dental care, projects such as this are improving the quality of life experienced by millions of people every year.

The CS1500 is designed for superior image quality, producing sharper, clear images for enhanced diagnostics and patient education. Additional features include the 8-LED automatic lighting system, auto-focus and an ergonomic handpiece for unparallel usability. To find out how your patient could benefit, contact the experts at Carestream Dental today.

For more information, please contact Carestream Dental

on 0800 169 9692 or visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk

Known for their sound knowledge and extensive expertise in business, the team at 7connections are bringing a little more magic into dentistry.

Providing an array of both digital and hard copy marketing resources, the innovative MagicBox delivers all the tools you need to market your practice effectively for the next year.

Posters, personalised referral cards and social media banners are all featured to name but a few, as well as a 12-month marketing plan and a return on investment tracker enabling you to monitor your progress throughout. 

And more information is available on the fresh new website, www.7connections.com, where you can find out more about other business services available, the team’s backgrounds or upcoming events, while also keeping up-to-date with the industry by reading the team’s blogs. 

Marketing – it’s amazing what you can achieve with a little Magic….

Book your free marketing review with 7connections today, and quote discount code MB004 to receive a 25% on your first three months of MagicBox*!

For more information about 7connections and the MagicBox,

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

*Discount code valid until the end of  May 2014 

Dentistry has come on a long way in the last 25 years, and continues to change at great pace. In the space of a few short years we have seen incredible changes in both the way the industry operates, and the types of treatments dental professionals are able to provide.

New treatments

One of the most important new treatments to emerge in recent years has been short-term orthodontics (STO) for the general dentist. This option has opened up a huge market for patients who want straighter teeth but without the lengthy treatment times and costs associated with long-term comprehensive treatment.

As well as STO, another significant change has come in the form of composite filling materials. With the latest generation of strong, aesthetic materials, dental professionals can now offer ‘white fillings’ that offer a real alternative to traditional silver amalgam.

Digital technology

There have also been many advances in the field of dental equipment. For example the latest digital imaging systems not only increase efficiency and improve workflow but they also reduce radiation dose for the patient. Furthermore, with the latest wave of 3D imaging systems, treatments such as dental implants are becoming safer and more predictable.

Digital technology has certainly had a major impact on dentistry and these changes are not just limited to the treatment room. For example, most practice teams will now use some form of practice management software to help with record keeping and other practice admin. The internet is also playing an increasingly important part in practice life. Many practices will now have their own website to market to patients, while some will even offer patients the opportunity to book appointments online.

Organisational changes

But these aren’t the only things to have affected dentistry. There have also been significant changes in the way the profession is organised. For example, successive amendments to the NHS contract have led some practices to leave the NHS system completely, and set up as solely private practices. This split between the NHS and private system has impacted on the way patients are able to access dental care.

Regulation

Another important area of change has been in terms of regulation. The GDC for example now requires all dental professionals complete a minimum amount of compulsory CPD each 5-year cycle. This includes a set amount of CORE CPD covering key areas such as radiation, medical emergencies and infection control.

Beyond this there has also been a tremendous increase in the amount of regulation applicable to dental practices. As well as the introduction (and successive amendments) of key documents such as HTM 01-05, in 2009 we saw the introduction of the Care Quality Commission in England – a new regulatory body designed to raise standards of patient care.

25 years and counting

Clearly dentistry has come a long way in 25 years, and this doesn’t even scratch the surface of the many changes that have taken place. At DBG we’ve been working alongside dental practices since 1989 and have helped practice teams overcome the many challenges that have come their way. From materials and equipment to training, engineering and compliance support, we have a complete solution for you.

For more information call DBG on 01606 861 950,

Or visit www.thedbg.co.uk

This years’ budget was very positive, with many factors that give the general population more money in their pockets. It encourages saving and investment and includes some much needed pension changes. But how might it affect the dental profession?

For a start the personal allowance changes have raised the threshold for having to pay tax to £10,500, and will generate a saving of around £800 per year. This will be beneficial to every taxpaying earner regardless of their profession.

From 1^st July Stocks and Shares and Cash ISAs will be merged into a single New ISA with a tax-free savings limit of £15,000. For dentists who are self-employed and put money into an account every month to pay for their January and July tax liability, £15,000 tax free growth each year will be quite appealing.

A significant number of dentists invest into Premium Bonds and they are becoming an even more popular method of saving, as there is always that chance of winning the £1m prize, whilst your stake is guaranteed! The current maximum of £30,000 will be increased to £40,000 in June and then next year will rise to £50,000, with the number of £1m winners being doubled every month.

For those looking forward to retirement there will be a new Pensioner Bond for anyone 65 or over. This will pay a market-leading rate from January, with rates from 2.8% for a 1 year Bond to 4% for a 3 year Bond.

Further to this is the removal of the requirement to buy an Annuity, as well as changes to the tax on any lump sum taken on retirement. These changes give dentists more options as previously restricted pension money can be accessed, allowing for the purchase of additional practices or Buy To Let properties, which will help provide an income for their future.

Other advantageous changes to be aware of would include the doubling of the Annual Investment Allowance from £250,000 to £500,000 and its extension to the end of 2015, the fuel duty rise that was planned for September will be cancelled, £200m will be made available for fixing potholes across the country saving us those uncomfortable jolts and £140m extra on flood defence repairs.   

The affects of the Budget 2014 will be felt in homes and businesses across the county. To find out how it will affect dentistry in particular contact the experts at money4dentists today.  

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

Partnership Provides New Milling Machine

With Resin Nano Ceramic Materials for Single-Appointment Restorations

Carestream Dental is delight to announce that its CS 3000 milling machine has earned approval from 3M ESPE to work with the company’s Lava Ultimate Restorative, a resin nano ceramic material. Officially launched as part of the CS Solutions CAD/CAM restoration portfolio, the CS 3000 enables practitioners to mill aesthetic, anatomically accurate restorations in a single appointment.

“As Carestream Dental enters into this new product category, we want to have strong partners who provide versatile block offerings,” says Edward Shellard, D.M.D., chief marketing officer and director of business development for Carestream Dental. “Our partnership with 3M ESPE further expands the variety of materials that practitioners can use with the CS 3000, enabling us to better accommodate professional’s preferences.”

Global business director with 3M Digital Oral Care, Kristan Chesnut adds,  “Our Lava Ultimate Restorative is characterized and finished without firing, which dramatically reduces production time. This convenience, combined with the CS 3000’s quick milling time, allows dentists to rest assured that they will not have to sacrifice workflow efficiency for precise, durable restorations.”

For more information on CS 3000, or any other technology with CS Solutions, please contact Carestream Dental on 0800 169 9692

or visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk

Goodman Grant lawyers for dentists are doing their bit raise money for Bridge2Aid.

The team of experienced solicitors may have a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the dental sector, but this won’t help them in tackling their latest challenge.

On May 23^rd members from both the Liverpool and Leeds offices will embark on a 3 day cycle ride, taking them 180 miles across the width of the country from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. With little previous experience or training this will be no mean feat!

The Goodman Grant coast to coast challenge is intended to raise money and awareness in support of the fantastic work carried out in East Africa by Bridge2Aid. They work endlessly to provide training to increase access to dental pain relief for the millions of people suffering in the developing world.

For more information and details on how to donate please visit the justgiving site: www.justgiving.com/goodmangrantc2c.

Thank you.

For more information contact either

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

Tom Wright on 0151 707 0090 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

www.goodmangrant.co.uk

NASDAL and ASPD MEMBERS

As the beginning of another tax year is upon us, you can make it your resolution to let figurit take care of your tax filing and help maximise your claims and savings.

figurit is a specialist accountancy and tax service exclusively for dental associates – they can help organise your accounts, keep track of important tax deadlines throughout the year, provide you with sound investment advice and help maximise your tax claims so you end up saving the greatest amount in tax money.

figurit also have helpful online tools such as a yearly tax calendar for important deadlines and tips to make filing and paying your taxes an easier and more organised event, year in and year out.

Give your tax affairs an overhaul this new tax year. For the best accountancy and tax advice for dental associates, come to figurit.

For more information on our specialist accountancy and tax package

exclusively for dental associates, visit www.figurit.co.uk

Helping dentists offer treatment options to improve smiles in a minimally invasive way.

Dr Anoop Maini is the President of the European Society of Aesthetic Orthodontics (ESAO). Here he explains the philosophy behind the organisation and the inspiration that sparked its foundation.

The market for general dentists offering orthodontics for cosmetic purposes has exploded in the last couple of years. The number of adult patients requesting treatment by GDPs of fixed and removable appliances to enhance the aesthetics and symmetry of their smiles has been rapidly increasing. Consequently this has been the cause of growing anxiety within the orthodontic community, with concern about the expansion of the market and the quality of the treatments being carried out, which on many occasions has been unfounded due to a lack of understanding about the nature of the treatment.

This apprehension has at times expressed itself in the form of controversial newspaper articles that appear to advise patients not to see general dentists for such procedures. Therefore now is the perfect time to try to support and represent GDPs offering this treatment, whilst simultaneously educating patients.

Comprehensive orthodontics will always be the gold standard of orthodontic care, but unfortunately a lot of adult patients seeking smile enhancement treatments turn down a comprehensive approach as an unrealistic option due to the length or complexity of treatment. The alternative options for such patients seem to be limited to either aggressive treatments that irreversibly damage the teeth with preparations for ceramic restorations, or to simply accept their smiles for what they are without undergoing any treatment at all.

Thankfully another alternative is available. By using orthodontic appliances over a shorter time frame, with specific focus on the symmetry and alignment of anterior teeth only, dentists can offer patients a much simpler, less drastic option. Such minimally invasive approaches to improving smiles are often far more acceptable to adult patients and should appeal to ethical dental professionals who would like to offer conservative aesthetic procedures. 

The ESAO was therefore formed out of a necessity to support ethical general dentists who wish to provide aesthetically limited orthodontics to a good standard. Our philosophy is very much geared towards raising the standards of aesthetically limited orthodontic provision by general dentists by improving their core knowledge.

General dentists are well suited to offer this much simpler form of orthodontic treatment. They will already have a very strong overall concept of smile design, and orthodontic realignment compliments other areas of aesthetic dentistry that a GDP might already offer. We should make it clear that we are not trying to replace orthodontists; we are offering knowledge of a solution that utilises orthodontics to facilitate aesthetic smile design.

A lot of the education that is available at the moment tends to be derived from, and led by, companies which manufacture the orthodontic appliances, and who would therefore have an interest in promoting their own products. On the whole that training is reasonable for a mechanical understanding of those appliances, but what we are trying to do is make certain that the key aspects that need to be covered to satisfy medical-legal issues are not overlooked: things like treatment planning, assessments, consent etc.

Thus the ESAO aims to offer an unbiased perspective on orthodontics. To that end the board is represented by professionals within the industry, and there is no particular commercial agenda from any one specific company. There are dentists on the board from a range of different companies and specialisations across the dental profession to ensure this balanced representation.

The events and conferences provided by the ESAO include talks and practical hands-on sessions with experienced general dentists or specialist orthodontists. They are designed to provide all the experience necessary to deliver aesthetically focused orthodontics in a safe and ethical way, and are aimed at exploring the many ways in which GDPs and specialists can work together.

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

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

What can I claim for tax?

Filing your tax claims can certainly be complicated, as there isn’t a readily available hard-set list of do’s and don’ts on the subject.

To simplify the process, you can apply the ‘wholly and exclusively’ rule of thumb. Using this, you go down your list of claims and check that every item purchased has been solely for business use.

But for dental associates, this guide isn’t as straightforward and encompassing as it sounds.

Take the clothing you use for practicing dentistry, for example. Though you may consider their purchase as a business expense, under HMRC laws you can only claim for the laundering, repair and replacement of these garments, and not for the cost of their initial purchase.[i]

Another example is claiming against subscriptions and joining fees to certain professional organisations, as these are only allowed if they appear on the approved HMRC list.[ii]

The British Dental Association, for example, is listed by the HMRC as a recognised professional body. The Dental Professionals Association, however, is not. Even if you join organisations that are wholly and exclusively for dental professionals, you cannot automatically assume that their fees can be legally claimed.

Another topic seemingly left open to interpretation are the costs of training courses and seminars. The HMRC states that professional development courses are allowable only if they’re designed to further any existing professional skills. If the course is taken to acquire new skills and learning, their costs cannot be claimed.[iii] The question then becomes, how would you categorise a course on, say, implantology or orthodontics? Who do you ask for a definite answer?

As you can see, even the ‘wholly and exclusively’ rule does not wholly and exclusively answer all the questions you might have regarding your tax claims.

These are but a few examples of how tricky tax deductions for dental associates can be. While you can certainly do some research and try to work out the rules of tax claims on your own, this could take up a lot of your free time – time that you would rather spend practising dentistry and earning money. Or, worse, you can get to the wrong or incomplete answer, and miss claiming something, or claim something incorrectly!

Another solution that could end up saving you money is to turn to a professional to resolve all this for you, such as figurit.

figurit is a web-based accountancy and tax solution exclusively for dental associates that can maximise your tax savings with their specialist knowledge and turn your tax returns around within four weeks.

By using figurit you can also reduce the risk of an HMRC inspection, because you can be sure that they have a full grasp of both the nuances of your profession and the laws of taxation. And if you do happen to be unlucky enough to get investigated anyway, their inclusive insurance will mean no additional costs for you to get the enquiry dealt with.

Filing tax returns doesn’t have to turn into the mind-bending puzzle that it can be when you don’t know the law inside and out. You can hire specialists to take care of all that for you so you can do what you do best – practice dentistry with no further distractions.

For more information on our specialist accountancy and tax package

exclusively for dental associates, visit www.figurit.co.uk

Michael Lansdell, of Lansdell & Rose, speaks to small corporations about the benefits of Relevant Life Cover.

Life insurance is vital to ensure the safe continuation of any small company in case of the death or terminal illness of a director or key employee. In the vast majority of corporate cases, Relevant Life Cover (RLC) is the most tax efficient means of guaranteeing a secure future in the event of an untimely loss.

RLC does not attract any liability for National Insurance (NI) from either the individual or the company. From the insured person’s point of view, the premiums are paid by the company, not regarded by HMRC as a ‘benefit in kind,’ and not liable to income tax; nor do they form part of the individual’s annual allowance for pension contributions or lifetime allowance for pension savings. From the company’s standpoint, the premiums are usually deductible against corporation tax.

Compared with ‘non-relevant’ life cover, which attracts employee and employer NI contributions as well as income tax liability, an RLC policy will offer yearly net savings which amount to several thousands of pounds over the life of the plan.

RLC comes in two types of cover. Level policies, with a fixed annual premium, deliver a fixed payout with no regard for inflation. Inflation-linked policies, with premiums that go up every year, offer payouts that rise in line with whichever cost of living index is chosen.

RLC policies are written into trust for the benefit of the employee’s family, and on the death of the insured person the policy will pay out a tax-free lump sum to the named beneficiaries.

RLC covers only death or terminal illness, and cannot be extended to include any other provision(s). Each RLC policy is set up individually and can only be taken out by an employer to insure an employee when both are permanently resident in the UK, and the employee is aged between 17 and 69.

Premiums typically begin at £5 per month with no minimum level of cover, but most insurance companies impose an upper limit of £10million, or 25 times the value of the employee’s earnings, whichever is lower.

Small companies who have not yet explored the option of RLC should look into this tax-efficient way of providing death-in-service benefits for their directors and key employees.

For more information about RLC and the services available from Lansdell & Rose please call on 020 7376 9333

Most estate agents know that when the market for dental practices is up, as it is now, the two factors most likely to persuade you to sell through their company are the valuation price and their agency fees. It then follows that each agency you approach will naturally want to come up with the most attractive valuation.

Trusting the judgement of an agency whose sole viewpoint is to convince you to sell your practice through them can lead to lost time, wasted effort and great disappointment.

On the other hand, it would also be unwise to suggest that the judgement of someone who can only provide rigid and cold calculations is the final word. A practice is certainly worth more than its physical assets and patient base, or its monthly revenue minus the running costs.

The best solution, it seems, would be to turn to a company who can offer both marketing expertise and professional accountability; an agency that has been in the business of selling to people and banks for many years, and one that has professional accreditations to top that experience off.

When it comes to the sale of dental practices, there is only one company with such criteria, and that is Christie + Co – the only national firm that specialises in the valuation and sale of dental practices that is also accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

When you deal with a company that offers both years of real estate marketing experience and RICS accreditation, you strike the perfect balance. What the RICS, and companies and surveyors accredited with them ensure, is that when you sell your practice, the basis upon which you determine your pricing stands both the valuation test and the market test.

The valuation test is important because unless you’re selling your practice for cash to someone who doesn’t bother to bring their own surveyors in for another look, it will eventually have to be valued by an independent firm.

The market test is equally significant because the final selling price of your practice also depends of your agency’s knowledge of the market, and their knowledge of your potential buyer.

Selling your practice is essentially passing the trust and welfare of your patients onto the next person, and is naturally something that will be very close to your heart. This is not something that can be tackled with just pure intellect – accurate and impartial calculations also need to be made.

By turning to a company that understands both sides of the dental estate coin, you can be sure that all considerations are covered and your best interests as a seller are paramount.

BIO:

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

For the last six decades, Eschmann has proven its dedication to the dental and medical community through extensive product research and development.

Its latest innovation comes in the form of the LittleSister SES 3000B Autoclave, which has recently completed a 12-week trial in dental practices and facilities around the UK.

Among these, Dr David Houston, Principal Dentist of The Houston Group of Practices in Somerset says:

“I was pleased with the general design and appearance of the autoclave and found the displays easy to monitor. The inbuilt cycle logger with no trailing leads also ensured that the area remained safe and tidy.

“In addition, the large water tank cut down on the number of refills during a day, and we found the early warning of 'low water' ensured levels were kept constant, reducing the risk of delayed cycles due to insufficient water.

“The large chamber and 10 cassette capacity were certainly a boon to our busy surgery.”

To find out how the LittleSister could streamline your workflow, contact Eschmann today.

For more information please visit www.eschmann.co.uk, or call 01903 753322

Individual Saving Accounts (ISAs) are one of the most popular investment and savings tools being utilised in the UK today.

Over £443 billion has been invested in adult ISAs since their creation in 1999, and since Junior ISAs or JISAs were launched in 2011, they’ve seen more than £557 million in total deposits. With so many UK taxpayers opting in, opening an ISA can’t be a bad decision.

The key benefits of an ISA are its income tax and capital gains tax-free status and its flexibility for either cash or stocks and shares deposits investments. As both children and adults can have multiple ISAs, they are also a great way of helping secure your whole family’s future.

Unlimited transfers can go in and out of ISAs each year with no impact, and they also offer generous savings limits – in 2013/14, the individual allowances for an adult ISA and a JISA are £11,520 and £3,720, respectively.

ISAs are clearly a great investment option – as long as certain things are watched out for.

For example, if you’re moving to another provider, you need to make sure you do not withdraw the funds – rather, complete a transfer form in order to retain your tax-free status.

If you move abroad, you cannot continue putting money into your ISAs as you are no longer a UK resident for tax purposes.

And the ISA’s tax-free benefit is only applicable until death, after which the funds may be subject to inheritance tax.

When investing in an ISA, the key tip to keep in mind is to use as much of your allowance as affordable every year, as these do not carry over. And as with any investment, consulting with a professional before taking any action is always advisable.

For more information about the services available from Lansdell & Rose

please call on 020 7376 9333

Leeds-based healthcare entrepreneur Mustafa Mohammad was recently invited to attend 10 Downing Street as part of the National Apprenticeship Week celebrations.

Mustafa is a well-known figure in dentistry, and is Managing Director of Genix Healthcare and Owner of Sparkle Dental Labs. He is also Chair for the Trailblazers programme in dental health, and has been a key figure in helping to promote apprenticeships in dentistry. As part of his role, Mustafa heads up a group of national associations, employers and educational institutions working to improve the quality of apprenticeships to give apprentices the skills and training they need to help their employers grow and compete.

As testament to Mustafa’s work promoting apprenticeships, he was invited to 10 Downing Street for a reception to mark National Apprenticeship Week. Mustafa attended the event alongside apprentice dental nurse Courtney Morgan-Jones, where they met Chancellor George Osborne MP and Mustafa was congratulated on his on-going commitment to apprenticeships and promoting British jobs.

Mustafa Mohammad said: “It really was a great honour to be invited to 10 Downing Street to such a prestigious event. I have always been passionate about apprenticeships in dentistry, and as such I am proud to be associated with the Trailblazers programme. I believe apprenticeships can be an excellent way to give young people the skills and experience they need to build a successful career within the profession.”

Meanwhile, apprentice Courtney Morgan-Jones said: “I had a sort of nervous and excited feeling beforehand, but it was a great experience – fantastic. And the paintings were fabulous!” Courtney was also eager to sing the praises of the apprenticeship scheme: “I’d definitely recommend it to other young people. It’s given me a great start in the career I want to do.”

Dentist Helen Barnes, who has been training Courtney, agrees. She said: “With the apprenticeship scheme, everybody wins. Courtney is brilliant and is actually one of the best dental nurses I have ever trained. She’s only 17 but she has a fantastic work ethic and takes everything on board. I’d urge other businesses to take on an apprentice – it allows you to train someone from scratch and it gives young people who may not want to stay in academics another choice, where they learn by actually doing the job. Courtney is going to be a very great asset to the practice.”

To find out more about the Trailblazers programme in dentistry, and how your company could get involved, contact Mustafa Mohammed: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Tooth wear is a common condition among patients in the UK. According to figures in the Adult Dental Health Survey, over three quarters of the population suffers from tooth wear of some kind.[1] The treatment of wear poses a dilemma for many dentists. On the one hand there do exist some strict established protocols for the treatment of this condition, but these protocols can be impractical, invasive and expensive to perform.

However, there are other treatment options out there. On Saturday 8^th November, Tif Qureshi will speak at the BACD’s 11^th Annual Conference sharing a minimally invasive interceptive approach to the treatment of tooth wear. As a past-President of the Academy, Tif is a familiar face to regular conference goers, and will present on a topic that he believes is one of the most important treatments that he provides.

‘The idea behind my lecture is to present an “alternative approach” to treating tooth wear,’ says Tif. ‘It’s about using composites to try and restore patients’ teeth rather than having to go down more traditional invasive routes such as using preparing teeth for ceramics.

‘Often it is the case that treating occlusal problems requires certain protocol to be followed. In my lecture however we will be looking at the problem in a slightly different way using composite and the Dahl technique. Of course I understand that for some people the Dahl technique remains a slightly controversial treatment option, as some people think it doesn’t work, however I aim to prove them wrong.’

In a comprehensive and wide-ranging lecture, Tif will set out everything you need to know about the Dahl technique to use it safely, and predictably in practice. This includes when to use it, when not to use it, as well as a range of hints and tips to help you produce consistently excellent results.

‘I’ve been using this approach for more than 15 years and have carried out the technique on literally hundreds of patients,’ continues Tif. ‘Never once have I had to “take it off” or reverse treatment, nor have I ever had any serious problems with it. Of course case selection very important, as it’s not something that every patient can have.

‘As dentists I believe we have an ethical responsibility to be as minimally invasive and conservative in our treatments as possible. By intercepting wear cases sooner, rather than later we preserve more of the patient’s natural tooth structure for longer, and save them time, money and stress of leaving it and then treating them with more invasive methods further down the line.

‘It’s not that there’s a “right way” and a “wrong way” to treat tooth wear. All of the various forms of treatment out there work, however some are simpler, cheaper and more practical than others. To me, the idea of using composite before things get a lot worse makes a lot of sense as it makes it a lot cheaper and easier to maintain.’

As Tif is keen to point out, dentistry has come on a long way in the last few years. Materials technology in particular has progressed immensely, and presents new and exciting opportunities for dentists to provide effective treatments that are both conservative, and highly aesthetic. One particular area that Tif will focus on his in lecture is the use of the Dahl technique in conjunction with other minimally-invasive treatments such as short term orthodontics (STO) in order to enhance the final aesthetic result.

‘With short term orthodontics we have a powerful tool to help us enhance not only the appearance of patients’ teeth, but their overall facial profile as well,’ says Tif. ‘As we know the facial arch naturally narrows over time, which makes people appear more aged than they perhaps are. However with a combination of STO and the Dahl technique we are able to control and intercept this change.

‘This isn’t something that’s commonly dealt with in dentistry, and it’s something I aim to take up in my lecture. As such I aim to draw attention to the many different factors that as dentists, we are able to control. We will talk for example about canine width protection and canine width expansion and how we can use this to control anterior occlusion and maintain facial width. I will also demonstrate how using the techniques I have described we are able to dramatically affect a patient’s appearance and make them stay younger for longer.

‘In my opinion this is an exciting new avenue for dentists to explore, and is an excellent addition to what we can “offer” as cosmetic dentists.’

To find out more about this topic, Tif will present his lecture ‘Preventing wear to despair…’ on Saturday 8^th November at the BACD’s 11^th Annual Conference in Liverpool.

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

The European Society of Aesthetic Orthodontics (ESAO) is committed to raising the standards of aesthetically focused orthodontic provision by GDPs through improving their core knowledge.

Following on from the success of last December’s course, the ESAO will run two parallel courses on 21^st June; one designed for dentists and one tailored toward dental nurses. Delegates will be offered all the hands on experience necessary to deliver aesthetically focused orthodontics in a safe and ethical way.

Attendees to the dentist course will have the opportunity to practice interproximal reduction (IPR) on typodonts, and will explore topics from accessing joint abnormality; accessing occlusion; Incision edge bonding and composite laying techniques; as well as effective retention protocols to avoid relapse.

While delegates on the dental nurses course will be instructed on how to take impressions, the safe removal of retainers and taking effective orthodontic photographs.

Both courses will feature specialist orthodontists who will provide valuable insight into the many fruitful ways that GDPs and specialists can work together. Contact EASO today to find out more, and see how your practice can benefit from offering aesthetically focused orthodontics.

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

In their persistent efforts to be the biggest and best, Sparkle continue to make changes to their service that can improve the way they fulfil all their clients’ needs.

New clear boxes for protection and infection control

Among recent customer care initiatives is the distribution of a new info pack that will be reaching everyone in their client base soon.

Together with updates on their products and services, the info pack will also provide dentists with new clear boxes that will serve to protect all items and products that are shipped between the lab and their customers.

Sparkle Dental Labs believes that this new method of transportation is a better way of ensuring product preservation and cross-infection control for everyone involved in the manufacturing process.

And Sparkle Dental Labs continues their commitment to green operations by making sure that these boxes are fully recyclable and environment friendly.

Sparkle Dental Labs reaches Scotland

Sparkle Dental Labs have also recently extended their scope of service to include dentists in Scotland who are looking for high-quality British workmanship at very competitive prices.

Dentists in Scotland will also receive personal attention from dedicated Sparkle representatives based in the area, to ensure that communications with the lab in Leeds are as smooth and stress-free as possible for practitioners.

Sparkle representative Kay Thompson, who is heading the launch of Sparkle Dental Labs’ Scottish service, says:

“Any problems with the service, any questions with the order, the dentists can call their dedicated Sparkle representative instead of having to spend time chasing up the lab themselves. Their rep is dedicated to making sure that all their concerns reach the technicians in a timely manner.”

“And of course,” Kay adds, “if dentists want to speak with the technicians themselves, they are always available, and this call is also something the rep can gladly facilitate.”

With the dependable delivery of Sparkle Dental Labs’ courier partner FedEx, practitioners in Scotland can also enjoy the same fast turn around times as the rest of their clients all over the UK.

Additional services such as these help ensure the satisfaction of all of Sparkle Dental Labs’ clients. And dentists can expect continued innovation from the laboratory, because service is the core of their business.  They always strive to make sure that every dentist who uses them gets the best in all aspects – in product, workmanship, partnership and customer care.

For any additional information please call 0800 138 6255 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit:

www.sparkledentallabs.com

As self-employed earners, it can be said that associate dentists appreciate the value of money a little more than the salaried employee.

Since you have the capacity to increase earnings the more effort you put in, you naturally see and feel your own value, which in turn can be applied to your life choices. Whether it be for essentials such as weekly shopping or any luxury purchases, value is at the top of the list of your priorities.

Now, you can easily get the value you seek in everything else from your accountancy and tax solution of choice.

figurit is a specialist tax solution created exclusively for dental associates. With this new online system, you can easily have your tax returns filed and your business transactions reviewed by experts. And figurit not only completely understand all of your specific tax needs, you receive a good number of benefits for the fees you pay as well.

figurit provide the following as a one-off exercise when you join, among many other benefits:

• A full review of your previous year’s tax return
• Thorough assessments for any missed tax saving opportunities
• Assistance with setting up your own business bank account (if you don’t already have one)
• A 30-minute personal induction onto the Year 1 Customer Care Program

The low monthly fees include the preparation of your annual profit and loss and tax return in the required format, and secure online access to your financial documents and files. All returns are completed within four weeks, so as long as you supply the information needed in good time, you don’t have to worry about ever filing your taxes late.

The whole package also offers an array of additional annual benefits valued in the excess of £400 a year, all of which you get absolutely free. These include:

• Insurance that protects you against the costs of any HMRC investigations
• An interim tax estimate and planning review
• Easy-to-use online bookkeeping software for more accurate financial records

The figurit team also has helpful account managers who deal with the HMRC on your behalf, taking the hassle away from you. And the package offers an annual consultation with an expert financial advisor who can provide guidance on pensions and investment opportunities for those who are interested.

Because they’ve been servicing the dental trade for quite a while now, the team behind figurit can also provide specialist knowledge such as a full and comprehensive list of what you can and cannot claim as business expenses, and how to record these accurately so you end up with maximum tax savings.

As the only accountancy and tax package exclusively for dental associates that provides this much in added benefits, you can count on figurit to make your financial life not only easier but also more profitable. Now that’s true value for your money.

For more information on our specialist accountancy and tax package

exclusively for dental associates, visit www.figurit.co.uk

Renowned for his highly acclaimed facial aesthetics training courses, Dr Brian Franks offers a variety of courses including Botulinum Toxin and Dermal Fillers at Foundation and Advanced levels, as while as Medical Micro-Needling and Chemical Facial Peels.

Having taken the Foundation level Botulinum Toxin training course with Dr Brian Franks, Deepak Songra, Principal Dentist at Abacus Dental Care in Buckinghamshire, says:

“It was an excellent two-day course that we all enjoyed! Brian and Jan have given me the confidence and reassurance that I needed to happily start building my facial aesthetics practice.

“I would like to say a really big thank you to them.”

Through the comprehensive and structured hands-on training, all the courses are designed to ensure that delegates provide the treatments competently and safely, so they can use their new skills in practice with confidence.

For more information on training courses, and the next dates available, please visit www.drbrianfranks.com, call 020 8446 6518 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We live in a digital age. With e-commerce now one of the fastest growing markets in Europe, many companies are now turning to online stores as way to offer customers even better service, with greater flexibility and the option to place orders at any time, day or night.

Among the companies leading the way in this field is Nobel Biocare, with its new online store found at: store.nobelbiocare.co.uk. The design and layout of the new store has been based on an extended period of research and development to provide customers with the very best experience possible.

Glenn Rhodes is Head of Marketing at Nobel Biocare. With over 20 years’ experience in marketing, Glenn has worked across the dental and healthcare sectors and has overseen the introduction of the new online store to the UK market.

“When we set out to create a new online store we wanted to make sure we got it just right,” says Glenn. “Our customers are always our number one priority, so a long time was spent researching the market and assessing what does and doesn’t work in order to provide the best online shopping experience. The result is a finished product that looks incredibly crisp and clean. The menu system in particular has been designed to be simple and intuitive so customers can find the products they’re looking for in as little time as possible.”

According to Glenn, the launch of the new online store comes as part of Nobel Biocare’s ongoing commitment to providing the very best service and support. Designed to make online ordering easier and more convenient, providing a valuable extra option for customers who may be pressed for time, or who would like to place orders outside of normal working hours.

“We’ve made our entire product range of over 1,700 product available, with everything from implants to tooling and abutments all easily accessible,” continues Glenn. “Each product page contains a detailed description of the product alongside technical specifications and a zoom feature such as you will find in many other high quality stores you will find online.

“To make the ordering process easier, the system also relates products together so that if you’re searching for an implant, you will also find drills, tools, healing abutments and numerous other associated products included below the main listing. You can also design your own personalised product catalogue, so that all of the items you commonly order can be found swiftly at the click of a button. This means you can spend less time ordering, and more time doing the things that really matter in practice.”

Another notable innovation found in the online store is the inclusion of an organic scrolling “home page”. This page provides a stream of regularly updated information to assist customers, and also acts as a portal to additional services and content, such as online training opportunities with iTunes U, social media links, and video testimonials from satisfied customers. Users will also appreciate easy access to information about returns policy, how to contact the company, and further customer support.

Though the new online store has only been in operation for a short time in the UK, according to Glenn, the feedback his team has received so far has been extremely positive.

“The response we’ve had so far has been fantastic,” concludes Glenn. “Our customers really appreciate the chance to be able to place orders at a time and location convenient to them. While of course we are always available during our regular office hours the online store has given our customers that extra option to place orders whenever and wherever they want. Our customers also value the fact that they can review their order history and create their own personalised catalogue to make ordering regular items an absolute breeze.”

To register for the Nobel Biocare online store, simply visit store.nobelbiocare.co.uk and click to “sign in or register” at the top of the page. This will require only a few simple details including your name, email address and customer number. If you are new to Nobel Biocare, you can also request to be contacted by a sales representative who will be more than happy to assist you in setting up your account and getting started.

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

To register for the Nobel Biocare Online Store go to:

store.nobelbiocare.co.uk

Every dentist will strive to give treatment that is tailored to the specific needs of a patient. This approach is also applicable when looking to lease a property for use as a dental practice. Taking into account the very specific service that dentists offer, it follows that their practice will also require specific terms and conditions in the lease to support that service.

Standardised leases

The ability of a dental practice to function as smoothly as possible is of the utmost importance. Standardised commercial leases can often hinder dentists in their work, making them waste time and money unnecessarily. The pitfalls and problems are numerous with standard commercial leases, and it is best to avoid them at all costs.

There is a very real danger that the specific requirements of a dental practice can be overlooked and in some cases actually forbidden under the terms of the lease! For example, the need for practices to store X-ray machines and various drugs is clear. However, it is possible for a standard lease to prohibit the storage of these items. If a dentist does not adhere to the conditions of the lease there is a possibility of the lease being terminated by the landlord and the dentist being evicted from the property, which can lead to otherwise preventable high expense and hassle in order to resolve the situation.

In addition, dentists are often not required to register for VAT in respect of their supply of an exempt service. However a standard commercial lease can leave the landlord with the ability to charge VAT at any point should the landlord so chose. If this were to happen, it would mean an unavoidable and immediate 20 per cent rise in the rent of the property.

The restrictions that standard commercial leases enforce can not only cripple the financial position and functionality of a practice, but can also prohibit anybody from sharing the property.

This is particularly unfavourable when considering commonplace associate agreements. A term that associate agreements usually state is that the associate is given a license to use the property for dental purposes. With a potential restriction on who can occupy the property, an associate agreement can unwittingly lead to a breach of lease, and once again termination of the lease can occur.

The fact is that many general practice solicitors who draw up standard leases do not take into account the particular requirements of a dental practice, as opposed to the requirements of their other commercial clients. Whilst these general practice solicitors may be knowledgeable about commercial leases in the broad sense, it would be extremely advantageous to any dentist considering taking a commercial lease to employ a solicitor who has experience specifically in the dental industry.

In simple terms, the disadvantages a standardised commercial lease presents to a dentist can be overwhelming.

The benefits of bespoke commercial leases

Instructing a commercial lawyer with specialist dental knowledge will offer a solution. A bespoke lease will address the requirements a dentist has for his or her practice and amend the terms a standardised commercial lease overlooks or prohibits. This will provide a successful and hassle free lease, ultimately allowing for a dentist to focus on providing dental treatment, rather than worrying about legal matters.

Using bespoke commercial leases can be a sensible way to avoid time and money being wasted, and the complications that come with that waste. From ensuring that the storage of vital dental equipment is allowed to enabling associate agreements, and making sure there is no unexpected rise in rent, the benefits of a bespoke lease are clear.

 The key points to always bear in mind is not only the employment of a dental lawyer who understands the dental industry, but also the fact that where any legal matter is concerned it is important not to cut corners to save time. Bespoke commercial leases can be extremely beneficial in avoiding unnecessary complications and costs; their importance cannot be stressed enough.

Goodman Grant has a reputation of quality legal advice within dentistry. With this crucial and specialist knowledge, Goodman Grant’s team of solicitors are able to draw bespoke commercial leases to the specific advantage of dentists. Ensure you are not distracted from providing exceptional treatment by taking advantage of the huge benefits a bespoke commercial lease will provide. 

Nicola Lomas Goodman Grant Lawyers for Dentists

For more information call Nicola Lomas on 0151 707 0090 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.goodmangrant.co.uk

 

Dental prostheses are like bespoke pieces of art that require skilled technicians to execute well. And so it follows that when dentists search for a laboratory to create their ceramic restorations, the first thing they need to look for is a supplier that can boast of adept and experienced craftsmen.

Dentists should keep in mind, however, that using a skilled worker only makes up half of the equation. Like commissioning a bespoke piece from an artisan, a satisfactory end product is also largely dependent on the amount of instruction the maker is given.

A client wouldn’t approach a jeweller and simply say, “I’d like you to make me a gentleman’s ring, and I’d like it to be gold.” In order for the client to receive a product that is faithful to what they had in mind, they would supply more information, such as the shade of gold they’d like, how heavily decorated the piece should be, and so forth.

In the same way, dentists cannot expect to receive an ideal prosthetic if all they extend to the dental lab by way of instruction is what kind of prosthetic they require, and what shade it needs to come in.

While it’s true that the technician also picks up a wealth of information from the impression that the dentist sends, not everything can be determined from the model derived from the initial cast. If for example the dentist would like a tooth brought in, or a certain translucency is required to match neighbouring teeth, then all this needs to be made known.

On the flip side, a good technician will also keep the dentist and the patient in mind at all times when creating ceramic prostheses. Whether the technician works in a small laboratory and handles every step of the restoration himself, or labours in a bigger outfit as part of a team whose members concentrate on specific stages of production, the end goal is always to create a dental prosthetic that is satisfactory for both the practitioner and the patient.

One of the main differences between a small and large dental lab is turn-around time – in the teamwork style of production, time-consuming step-by-step processes can be executed simultaneously, bringing about a more efficient process. If the team works well together, this system can function beautifully. The core team of technicians at Sparkle Dental Labs, for example, have been running solidly together for more than a year and have reached a kind of symbiosis with each others’ working styles, leading to excellent ceramic restorations with quick turn-around times.

But whether a dentist chooses to work with a small or large laboratory, the concept remains the same: with the combination of a skilled craftsman and detailed instruction, the creation of excellent dental prostheses can be expected.

For any additional information please call 0800 138 6255 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit:

www.sparkledentallabs.com

BIO:

Richard Shaw is a Senior Technician at Sparkle Dental Labs with over 25 years’ experience as a dental technician. He first started training in a dental lab in 1988, and has since then attended numerous courses on various lab techniques, including ceramic restorations and implants.

Colleagues will be familiar with the old adage, ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’. It ties in with the idea that if someone does something for you, you feel in some way beholden to them, even if they insist that they expect absolutely nothing in return. The psychologists tell us this is because we don’t like the idea of owing somebody – we feel that we should pay them back.

Of course the manufactures and suppliers are well aware the effect that a ‘free lunch’ might have on members of the profession, and certainly don’t hand out incentives without good reason. All well and good in everyday business, but when it comes to the healthcare professions, these practises can sometimes give cause for ethical concern.

You may for example be aware of the controversy that surrounds the medical profession, where the big pharmaceutical companies often go to great lengths to persuade doctors that drug A is better than drug B. You can see why the companies do it – a single doctor will make hundreds of prescriptions each year, which in turn could generate thousands of pounds of revenue for the company in question. But what about the patient? Are these new products really better, or are the doctors being mis-led?

Thankfully dilemmas of this sort of scale don’t really apply in dentistry, and the decisions we make don’t normally mean the difference between life and death. But nevertheless, we should ensure we are always transparent in everything we do. Are we recommending products because we truly believe in their effectiveness, or because it just happens to be the latest product the company rep has sold us?

At EndoCare we are the largest users of a certain NiTi system. The company we purchase this system from is certainly warm and friendly, but we’re never incentivised to use the product – we use it as we genuinely believe it to be the best product available. Because we believe this to be the case, when any of our specialists give lectures we say, ‘We use product A and we therefore recommend it.’ This doesn’t mean that we don’t recommend product B, but it means that as professionals, hand on heart, this is what we use and we believe to be good.

Cases like this are fairly black and white when it comes to ethics. We use the product, and recommend it to colleagues because we believe that it is an excellent product. But unfortunately these things aren’t always so clear-cut. This is especially true in cases where the products are all very similar with very little to differentiate between them. 

In these cases, to have the product recommended by a key opinion leader can make a massive difference to how the product is received. But at what cost? Are these people recommending products because they genuinely believe them to be the best on the market, or because they are paid to say the things that they do? Though we’d like to think that we can all tell the difference between those recommendations that are genuine and those that are not, these distinctions aren’t always obvious to everyone, and we can soon find ourselves in very difficult ethical ground.

As dental professionals it should be our duty to always ensure that we are always open and honest about any sort of incentive we may have received from the trade, however big or small. Though incentives don’t always take the form of ‘free lunches’ they do often include other inducements such as free lectures and free CPD. While there is nothing wrong with free CPD, we should always remember that nothing in life is ever truly ‘free’. We are offered these incentives in the hope that they may sway our opinion. Though we may be dental professionals, we are also consumers, and we should always approach these events with an open mind, understanding that companies aren’t just doing these things for purely altruistic reasons.

If we are to maintain our integrity as a profession, then we should be sure to be absolutely transparent in everything that we do, and the product recommendations that we give. Even if we are absolutely certain that we have not been influenced by a company’s advances, we should not shy away from making clear any dealings we’ve had – no matter how insignificant we believe them to be. This isn’t just to preserve our reputation as professionals, but ultimately to protect patients’ best interests as well.

For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999

Or visit www.endocare.co.uk

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

The area of cosmetic orthodontics is currently experiencing much growth and development. As our technology advances and our knowledge broadens, a broad range of appliances are available to enable the provision of fast-working, effective and minimally invasive orthodontic treatment.

Already known around the world for their development and training of the Inman Aligner, the team behind IAS (Intelligent Alignment Systems) recently brought their latest innovation to London. Holding a training course for Powerprox 6 Month Braces, the team explored both the concept and practical implementation of the device, taking delegates through each and every step of the process.

Renowned instructor in cosmetic orthodontics, Dr Rick DePaul, led the two-day course. Recognised for his work in the development of Powerprox 6 Month Braces and for being the world’s most experienced instructor for the appliance, Rick was keen to share his extensive knowledge with delegates and his passion for effective and minimally invasive dentistry quickly became apparent.

A mixture of professionals was in attendance, each with various different levels of past experience both in general dentistry and in orthodontics. The comprehensive training delivered ensured that all delegates could follow both the reasoning behind each step of treatment and the practical indications of them.

Rick opened the first day by determining the benefits available to practitioners once they were able to provide the new appliance to their patients. He highlighted that 6 Month Braces is not only a relatively low-stress treatment option, the patient demand is generally high due to its speed and effectiveness and it is a highly profitable solution for practices to provide.

Delegates were then taken through the four main steps that form the ‘pieces of the puzzle’, providing an efficient treatment strategy to be followed for optimum treatment outcomes every time. These steps included making sure that the patient’s primary complaint is dealt with every time, ‘beginning with the end in mind’, making space and removing any traps for the free movement of the teeth.

From here Rick went on to look at diagnostic criteria and case selection, recommending the types of cases delegates should attempt when first using the appliance in practise. He offered a wealth of practical tips and advice in each instance, keen to help delegates avoid making the same mistakes he had in the past when developing the technique. Rick also highlighted the benefits of using detailed X-ray images to predict the complexity of each case, and looked at patient communication, management of patient expectations and ways in which to reduce relapse with effective retention.

Day 2 of the training then focused on practical exercises, giving delegates the opportunity to apply what they had learnt in theory, practise their techniques and really get hands-on with the appliance. Led by Rick and Andrew Wallace, time was spent looking at bracket bonding for replacements and adjustments, as well as simple ligation. The use of powerchains featured prominently too, and delegates practised using them to rotate teeth to close space, sling-shots to treat anterior cross-bites and attaching them to buttons.

Other aspects of the hands-on day included how to approach spacing cases, open-bite cases, class II anterior cross-bites and combination cases, where a mixture of different techniques were required for the best results.

Tools designed specially by the IAS team were introduced to delegates throughout, including the innovative digital treatment plan aid, ‘Spacewize’. Particularly useful when calculating the amount of Interproximal Reduction (IPR) needed and where it is needed for individual cases, the feature also provides quick and effective case support as well as marketing resources for all certified dentists.

By the end of the course, delegates were impressed both with the delivery and content of training. Principal Dentist of Hillton Dentistry in Kent, Mahesh Patel commented:

“The course was fantastic. The content was broken down into sizeable chunks so that GDPs without extensive orthodontic experience could easily follow. Rick really took the myth out of orthodontics and I was so confident with the new skills I had learnt, that I have already begun discussing the treatment option with two of my patients, one week later.”

Richard Field, an active member of the BACD and dentist at Advanced Dental Clinic in Chelmsford added:

“6 Month Braces seemed like an excellent next step to expand my knowledge and to allow me to provide another treatment option to my patients. Rick is a great teacher, his enthusiasm is infectious and I would definitely recommend this course to my friends and colleagues.”

If you have ever considered expanding your treatment range with easy-to-use and highly profitable solutions in order to reduce the number of referrals you make, IAS has the answer. Whether you are interested in gaining certification for 6 Month Braces, Inman Aligner or ClearSmile, contact IAS today.

For more information on Intelligent Alignment Systems and upcoming training courses, visit www.inmanalignertraining.com, www.6mbrace.com, and www.clearsmilealigner.com

or phone 0845 366 5477

Patient consent is widely acknowledged as one of the ‘grey areas’ of dentistry.  As consent is a process rather than a definitive moment, a patient saying ‘yes’ once is not enough to support the entire course of treatment.

Patients should instead be given the opportunity to confirm their consent to continue at each and every stage of treatment. This needs to be documented so that patient consent can be demonstrated effectively in case of inspection or review. Details recorded should demonstrate how proposed treatment plans were explained to the patient and what information was provided. They should also show that the patient had the opportunity to ask questions about the treatment, and that they were offered all the information they requested.

While it may seem obvious, it is also worth noting at this point that every single treatment offered to a patient must be consented to before it begins, and not just the high-end procedures.

Regardless of the treatment, it is imperative that all records are as accurate as possible, and that they are updated each time a patient visits. Such reliable documentation can prove invaluable in case of a formal patient complaint, protecting you and your team from potentially expensive litigation.

The new Standards for the Dental team reflect the importance of acquiring a high quality of informed consent from each and every patient. The new outcomes are centred around patient communication and enhancing the experience provided, and they highlight the standard of care all patients have the right to receive.

The changes to the Standards came into implementation not long after the number of patient complaints rose an enormous amount. As you may have seen in the media recently, 2278 complaints were received in 2012 by the GDC, questioning dental professional’s Fitness to Practise, which represented a massive 44% increase from 2011[i]. And of course, worse case scenario in such cases can lead to removal from the GDC register and the end of a dental career, so it has never been so important to protect yourself from possible litigation.

Modern technologies offer several solutions to help ensure your records are clear and reliable and the concept of the ‘eSignatures’ has recently entered the dental market. The best systems available in the industry allow patients to provide consent electronically and in ‘real-time’, ensuring they understand what they are signing for. The patient can read through the details of any proposed treatment plans you have discussed, and then sign the bottom of the same page, with the added convenience of establishing an electronic signature for future use.

The eSignatures offer many more benefits both for you and for your patients, and the most obvious of these is the cost-efficiency for the practice. Of particular importance in the currently fragile economic climate, your financial situation should be enhanced wherever and whenever possible (of course without comprising on the quality of service provided.) By eliminating the need for paperwork and mail couriers for all of your patients, you have immediately saved the money it would cost to buy the paper or forms and print the records, while also having a much more positive affect on the environment. In addition, you don’t need to waste all that space storing hard copy paperwork – electronic documents take a lot less space!

The practice workflow can also be enhanced with the introduction of eSignatures, as patients can provide signed consent quicker and simpler than before. The best of the tablet-like eSignature pads available in the industry are easily portable and so can be used anywhere in the practice for maximum convenience. This also saves staff time and hassle, enabling the practice team to go back to concentrating on their patients and improving the service provided.

The last and possibly most important benefit of eSignatures is the protection and security they offer. For a start, electronic files are less likely to be misplaced or lost, and they can be protected by electronic passwords for more security for your patients. This protection also extends to you and your fellow clinicians, as quality records can be used to demonstrate that cases were handled correctly in the case of a complaint.

With several different technologies now available for eSignatures, a little research can highlight the most effective products. The eSignatures module from Carestream Dental for example, uses biometric technology to record the pressure points of a patient’s signature, time taken and angle of the pen, greatly reducing the possibility of illegal duplication. Approved by all the BSA and NHS Protect, this eSignatures module promises to offer the highest possible level of legal protection for both you and your patients.

So whether you are looking for an effective way to protect you and your team, or for a way of ensuring the safety of your patients’ data, eSignatures provide a solution.
 
 

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

Schick 33 is the latest addition to the modular Schick Digital Imaging System and is the perfect choice to take your practice into the digital age. Each system comes complete with cutting-edge DICOM digital radiography software, and you can even include WiFi for even greater freedom and flexibility within your practice.

Featuring the industry's highest image resolution and lowest learning curve, Schick 33 will change the way you see your images — and your practice.

Dr Tony Druttman, a specialist in Endodontics at London Endo Ltd says:

“I have used Schick digital sensors for over twelve years starting with CDR, moving onto Elite and have for the last two years been using the Schick 33 sensors. The image quality with this latest technology surpasses anything that I have used before. I see many radiographs taken by referring colleagues using a variety of sensors and technologies and nothing compares in quality.

“I use size 1 and 2 sensors and this allows accurate positioning and total versatility to obtain accurate and meaningful images of the adult dentition with minimum discomfort to patients.

“Getting the best quality information that I need as an endodontist is of paramount importance to my work both for diagnosis and post-operative evaluation. The images I can show my patients enable them to see clearly and therefore understand more easily either what needs to be done or what has been done. The software is easy to use and very versatile.

“Finally there is no point in having the best technology without having the best support. I have had that consistently and continue to receive a high level of support from Clark Dental. Their response is always efficient and effective. It gives me the peace of mind to know that I have quality and reliability with technology on which I depend so heavily.”

Intuitive Schick 33 software allows you to see and save images the way you and your colleagues want. Interactive image enhancement allows you to quickly adjust image quality and sharpness, while Schick 33’s clinical-specific mapping feature allows you to automatically default to presents for different clinical disciplines. You can even save and share personalised settings for complete flexibility across the practice. 

With an image resolution of 33 line pairs per millimetre, Schick 33 from Clark Dental is the truly industry-leading intraoral digital imaging solution. If you already own Schick products, upgrading to include Schick 33 is easy. You can also trade in your existing digital imaging system up to 50% with Clark Dental’s new trade-in programme for even better value. To find out more, contact Clark Dental today.

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

As self-employed earners, it can be said that associate dentists appreciate the value of money a little more than the salaried employee.

Since you have the capacity to increase earnings the more effort you put in, you naturally see and feel your own value, which in turn can be applied to your life choices. Whether it be for essentials such as weekly shopping or any luxury purchases, value is at the top of the list of your priorities.

Now, you can easily get the value you seek in everything else from your accountancy and tax solution of choice.

figurit is a specialist tax solution created exclusively for dental associates. With this new online system, you can easily have your tax returns filed and your business transactions reviewed by experts. And figurit not only completely understand all of your specific tax needs, you receive a good number of benefits for the fees you pay as well.

figurit provide the following as a one-off exercise when you join, among many other benefits:

• A full review of your previous year’s tax return
• Thorough assessments for any missed tax saving opportunities
• Assistance with setting up your own business bank account (if you don’t already have one)
• A 30-minute personal induction onto the Year 1 Customer Care Program

The low monthly fees include the preparation of your annual profit and loss and tax return in the required format, and secure online access to your financial documents and files. All returns are completed within four weeks, so as long as you supply the information needed in good time, you don’t have to worry about ever filing your taxes late.

The whole package also offers an array of additional annual benefits valued in the excess of £400 a year, all of which you get absolutely free. These include:

• Insurance that protects you against the costs of any HMRC investigations
• An interim tax estimate and planning review
• Easy-to-use online bookkeeping software for more accurate financial records

The figurit team also has helpful account managers who deal with the HMRC on your behalf, taking the hassle away from you. And the package offers an annual consultation with an expert financial advisor who can provide guidance on pensions and investment opportunities for those who are interested.

Because they’ve been servicing the dental trade for quite a while now, the team behind figurit can also provide specialist knowledge such as a full and comprehensive list of what you can and cannot claim as business expenses, and how to record these accurately so you end up with maximum tax savings.

As the only accountancy and tax package exclusively for dental associates that provides this much in added benefits, you can count on figurit to make your financial life not only easier but also more profitable. Now that’s true value for your money.

For more information on our specialist accountancy and tax package

exclusively for dental associates, visit www.figurit.co.uk

Bad breath has always been something of a taboo subject in society. In a recent survey of 2024 people[1] only 29% of respondents said they would tell someone if they had bad breath, while 71% wanted to be told if they were suffering.

Research in the Netherlands in 2005 revealed that halitosis constituted “one of the 100 biggest human overall exasperations,”[2] and a retrospective study conducted over a seven-year period (February 2003-February 2010) by the University of Basel in Switzerland reports:

“In 83.4% (of subjects) bad breath took its toll on one’s social life, manifested to varying degrees of inhibition, insecurity, isolation, withdrawal, reduced social contact, problems in relationships, less talking by an unwillingness to speak or by keeping a distance to others.”[3]

Bad breath is an emotive topic and may need a considerate and sensitive approach. The implications for a patient may go beyond those of simply addressing a physical problem and move into the realms of their personal and social life with possible psychological effects.

But because of the intensely personal nature of the problem, patients may also be reserved about discussing halitosis, and dentists may find themselves in the position of being unsure of whether their advice will be welcomed or not.

According to a study conducted at La Sapienza University of Rome, “What is said, and especially the way of saying it, may play an important role in patient's acceptance of the information without producing, or reducing to a minimum, the undesirable side effects on the patient-professional relationship, and on the personal dynamics of the patient him/herself.”[4]

In the Basel study “almost every patient (94.5%) tried self-remedies to combat bad breath. These included chewing gum, sweets or mouthwashes which had a masking effect but no influence on the cause of bad breath (Quirynen et al. 2002).”[5] Perhaps this can be taken as an indication that those who do suffer from bad breath, albeit quite shy to openly discuss the problem, will welcome recommendations for effective remedies that they haven’t tried.

Meda Pharmaceuticals product CB12, developed at the University of Oslo, offers this, using a combination of low concentrations of zinc acetate and chlorhexidine to neutralise and prevent the production of Volatile Sulphur Compounds (VSCs), combating bad breath and offering relief for up to 12 hours.[6]

Treatment of, and relief from, bad breath can have implications that extend beyond addressing the physical cause of the problem.  Although a visit to the dentist is unlikely to ever rise to the top of the ‘favourite things to do’ list, it may make an important difference to a patient’s enjoyment of life.

For more information on CB12 and the extensive research behind it,

Please visit www.cb12.co.uk

Having listened to your feedback and identified the need for a handmix liner/base solution, 3M ESPE has re-launched Vitrebond Powder & Liquid Glass-Ionomer Liner/Base.

Indicated for lining and basing applications under composites, amalgam, ceramic and metals, Vitrebond powder & liquid offers several benefits to you and your patients.

You can control the mix ratio of powder/liquid to create your preferred consistency, enabling you to dispense just the amount you need.

Vitrebond liner/base also provides extra protection for patients by preventing microleakage under the restoration[i] and releasing fluoride into the tooth for caries reduction[ii].

Providing the advantages of a liner/base and the flexibility to achieve your preferred consistency, Vitrebond powder & liquid from 3M ESPE is back.

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

3M ESPE and Vitrebond Powder & Liquid are trademarks of the 3M Company.

The BACD will hold its 11^th Annual Conference ‘Life LIKE Aesthetics’ on 6^th – 8^th November 2014 at the ACC Liverpool. As one of the highlights of the dental calendar, delegates can look forward to an exciting three days of high quality education and networking opportunities.

Thursday 6^th November will include exclusive hands-on sessions, with delegates able to join one of three separate courses running across the day. These will be run by renowned clinicians Dr Didier Dietschi, Dr Lee Ann Brady and Dr Rahul Doshi, and present a fantastic opportunity to learn from established experts in their field.

On Friday 7^th November there’s even more to look forward to as the main conference kicks off in style. After the opening ceremony two main lecture streams will run in parallel with Dr Didier Dietschi presenting on no-prep comprehensive smile rehabilitations, while Dr Christian Coachman will lecture on ‘The smile designer: a new speciality beyond conventional dentistry’. Both of these extended sessions will run over the entire course of the day, while delegates will also have a chance to attend sessions on clinical photography, BACD members’ pearls, and an ‘Introduction to cosmetic dentistry’.

After a busy day’s lectures, Friday night is gala night, with the return of the BACD’s famous gala dinner and dance. With an exciting evening of fun and entertainment in store, the gala dinner is the must-attend social event of the year, and is a great place to meet new people and make new friends.

If that wasn’t enough, on Saturday 8^th November, the BACD Annual Conference reaches its climax with an incredible packed day of lectures spread over five separate conference streams. In the main hall, Dr Lee Ann Brady will share her top aesthetic tips and techniques, while in the next hall Dr Tif Qureshi will speak on the subject of tooth wear. If business management and marketing are more your thing, Hall 4A is the place to be as a succession of well-known speakers will take to the stage including Mark Oborn, Tracy Stuart, Kevin Rose and Steve Cartin. There will also be a return of the BACD Accreditation workshop other lectures on digital solutions and vacuum forming among others.

The BACD Annual Conference really does represent one of the best educational conferences of the year. As well as great education from renowned mentors the BACD conference is excellent for sharing hints and tips with fellow members and for gaining valuable new knowledge that you can take away and apply in your practice the very next day. Delegates to last year’s event have commented on, ‘Learning you can take straight back to the practice’, as well as, ‘Great networking with colleagues,’ and, ‘If I could only attend one meeting in a year it would be this one!’

As with all BACD conferences, ‘Life LIKE Aesthetics’ is an event not to be missed, so check out the BACD website for early bird discount offers. To find out more, contact the BACD today!

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

SafeSeen Touch – Making a Complicated Job Easier

Providing a complete compliance suit, SafeSeen Touch is a compact tablet designed to help dental professionals enhance their patient consent acquisition, security and CQC compliance.

Paul Kaye, Director of QuiqSolutions, has been working with SafeSeen Touch to ensure the CQC module meets the demands of the industry.

“It seemed like a perfect marriage – our CQC understanding and IT skills combined with the SafeSeen Touch team’s dental experience and expertise,” he says.

“As a result the tablet contains a module that highlights the aspects of CQC relevant to dental practices, helping them implement effective audits and action plans to enhance and evidence their compliance. It’s making a complicated job much easier.

“The module is also very scalable, so information is provided at group, regional and national level and as a collaborative platform, it offers a very useful management tool for dental co-operatives and networks.”

For more information, please visit www.safeseentouch.co.uk, call 0845 576 2833 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Zesty celebrates London’s best Dentists

Zesty announced the winners of its 2013 Awards, celebrating the best London has to offer. From family clinics to orthodontic specialists, Zesty recognised London’s premier award winning practices and expert Dentists.    

Congratulations to all the winners:

• Best Practice – Progressive Dentistry, Principal Dentist Nissit Patel.
• Best Family Practice – The Fulham Dentist, Principal Dentist Dr Sarveen Mann.
• Best Hygienist – Henriette at Open Dental Care.
• Best Dentist for Teeth Whitening – Dr Favero at Favero Wimpole Clinic.
• Best Practice for Nervous Patients – The Gentle Dentist, Principal Dentist Dr Antonia Paolella.
• Best for Restorative Dentistry – Dr Punit Shah of Dazzle Dental Care.
• Best for Orthodontics – Dr Neil Counihan of Victoria Dental Care.
• Best for Cosmetic Dentistry – Dr Thang Nghiem at Ultra Smile.
• Best Holistic Dental Practice – The Neem Tree, Principal Dentist Dr Smita Merha.

Zesty is a new marketing channel for healthcare professionals. Sign up to register your practice and start receiving new patients straight away!

Simply email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.zesty.co.uk or call 0203 287 5416 for more details 

Dental Focus ® CEO Krishan Joshi has been announced as the first keynote speaker at this year’s Practice Management Conferences.

The events, run by Practice Plan, will be held in Bolton on 6 June, Oxford on 27 June and Edinburgh on 7 November, and promise to provide a wide range of relevant and engaging subjects that will help practices to succeed on all levels.

As CEO of the award-winning Dental Focus ® team, Krishan has been working in dentistry for over 13 years, and can draw upon a wealth of research and experience on how to create dental practice websites that work – providing a real, tangible return on investment to help your business grow.

So, don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn from a genuine expert in the field of online dental marketing. If you want to make the most of your dental website, then make sure you attend one of Krishan’s lectures at this year’s Practice management Conferences. To find out more, contact Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’ today.

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

Henry Howard Finance is pleased to be able to offer dental practices an exciting new option to help patients fund their dental treatment.

With 0% finance available up to 36 months, patients will no longer have to save for treatment, and will be able to access immediate funding at the touch of a button. This means necessary treatment can start straight away and patients will no longer have to delay potentially life-changing dental treatment.

Already, the Henry Howard Finance scheme is proving to be a success. One satisfied client said:

“The patient finance is far more efficient than any other in the market. I have proposed £60k of patient finance in the last 3 weeks and had 100% acceptance. The last agreement was proposed, accepted and I had documents within 4 minutes of acceptance during an out of hours application.”

To find out more about how your practice could benefit by offering a unique 0% finance option to patients, contact Henry Howard Finance today.

For more information, call 01633 415239 or visit www.henryhowardfinance.co.uk

“Areas where I sit at work are now empty… I'm having a hard time going on.”

“I spend my days fighting off folks who torment me because of this.”

“I am so desperate! I’ve tried almost everything in this world and I still can't find a solution to the problem.”

These are but a few of the many quotes, posted by real people under user names, that can be found in various online forums on the topic of bad breath.

Most people find the subject of halitosis so uncomfortable that a public survey reveals only 9% would speak directly to a colleague about their breath, while a mere 14% would give subtle hints such as offering a mint. The rest would prefer not to mention it, or would avoid the sufferer altogether.[i]

When people who are painfully embarrassed by bad breath feel that there’s no one else to turn to, they may rely on the anonymity of the internet for answers. Online, they can discreetly search for remedies and methods they have not tried; they hide behind aliases to open up about how much bad breath has affected their lives.

According to the web analysis tool Keyword Eye, the terms “halitosis” and “bad breath” have been searched 4,400 and 3,600 times respectively through Google UK alone in a span of less than a month.[ii] And typing in the words “halitosis treatment” on the aforementioned search engine brings up about 1,640,000 results.[iii]

There is a lot of advice on bad breath to be had online – the problem is much of it can be ineffective, invalid, laughable, and in the worst cases, potentially harmful.

One example of a popular internet remedy for bad breath is gargling a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) daily, with recommended dosages and dilutions varying from site to site. Most health care professionals who contribute to these online forums advise users against swishing H2O2 in the mouth[iv], especially when doing so unsupervised.

Another example of a bad breath remedy that can be readily found online is to eliminate certain foods from your diet. Some forum users suggest eschewing carbs and grains, several say avoid dairy at all costs, and others still recommend abstaining from all kinds of meat and acidic foods such as coffee, fruit and fruit juices.[v]^,[vi],[vii]

Chronic halitosis sufferers who have been battling the condition for years can be eager for any kind of guidance, and advice like this may be easily taken too much to heart, putting their long-term health at risk with an unbalanced diet.

Some websites offer misleading information as well – such as that bad breath comes from the gut and can be treated with oxygen therapy[viii], or that the true cause of halitosis can be diagnosed by new age exercise and acupuncture[ix].

While it’s true in about 10% of cases that bad breath can be the result of an underlying medical condition, 90% of the time, foul mouth odour is simply that – a problem that resides in the mouth. Patients led to believe that their halitosis comes from elsewhere in the body can end up following the wrong therapies and treatment plans.

Other sites go so far as to claim that doctors and dentists purposely refrain from actually helping patients in order to keep them coming back.[x] Not only are websites such as these selling what are most probably ineffective solutions for halitosis, they also promote distrust of dental care professionals, and can lead patients to abstain from consulting a dentist about their problem.

While there are many pages that give good counsel for getting rid of bad breath – several recommend proper brushing, interdental cleaning and tongue scraping, for example – there is an equal number that offer ineffective and harmful information. And when chronic sufferers have tried all the sensible advice to no avail, the improbable suggestions may begin look rather attractive.

While it may seem common sense to dental professionals, vulnerable halitosis sufferers who view these pages through a combination of desperation and unawareness can bring their oral health to imbalance by trying remedies that can do more harm than good.

People who chronically suffer from bad breath shouldn’t be left to research their own bad breath solutions without proper guidance. Dental care professionals must always try and educate patients on good oral hygiene, and for persistent bad breath, recommend products that actually work.

Products that contain chlorhexidine and zinc, for example, have been demonstrated to effectively neutralise the Volatile Sulphur Compounds (VSCs) that cause foul mouth odours. CB12 has these ingredients in a patented formula that is superior to that of 18 other mouthwash brands,[xi] and has been proven effective for at least 12 hours.[xii]

Reading through online public forums, the hopelessness and despair of some chronic halitosis sufferers truly show. Dental care professionals are in the best position to help ease such pain by helping their patients become more vigilant about proper oral hygiene. And recommending a truly effective product such as CB12 can help not only the patients’ physical condition, but their emotional and mental states as well.

For more information about CB12 and how it could benefit your patients, please visit www.cb12.co.uk

For most people, the concept of an urban e-topia, a futuristic paradise where everything is streamlined, simplified and perfected by technology, has only ever been the subject of sci-fi novels. But if we take the time to look closer, glimpses of a modern, ideal society much improved by technology can be seen at this very moment.

From bringing down crime through the use of geographic information systems to diagnosing lung diseases bedside with biomarker analysis tools,[i] technology currently works in unseen ways to improve many aspects of modern urban living.

In healthcare, the emergence of commonly used terms such as eHealth and mHealth (or mobile health) signify how technology has changed the way we manage our physical wellbeing, especially in developed countries where internet and mobile usage are now as common as plumbing and heating.

One measurable way in which eHealth and mHealth improves the quality of healthcare is through enhanced appointment accessibility through online booking sites and applications.

Ready access to necessary health services has been known to impact the overall physical, emotional and mental status of a patient. Naturally, accessible healthcare improves the prevention of disease and disability, the detection and treatment of health concerns, and the overall quality of life.[ii]

In a Californian study, children who had easy access to healthcare scored about 8 percentage points higher on a quality of life survey than children who reported want in care — a difference that the researchers described as ‘clinically important’.[iii]

In Cheshire East, a pilot platform allows elderly patients to book and schedule their care requirements with multiple providers through a centralised system. So far this has been estimated to cut about 20% in staff time, and reduce the cost of delivering elderly care services.[iv]

Aside from making it easier to book and receive primary care, eHealth and mHealth also helps patients make informed decisions about the quality of service they choose.

Because the level of primary care they receive can greatly affect their physical wellbeing, healthcare consumers rely on information about potential service providers more than consumers in other sectors do.[v]

In the desire for what is perceived as credible and easily digestible knowledge, word of mouth recommendations by friends and relatives and e-word of mouth (eWOM) via online reviews serve as major sources of information.[vi]

Not only is eWOM a good business driver for practices who keep their patients happy, it can also serve as a great motivator for practices to continually improve their quality of care and ensure that patients receive the best possible service at all times.

Another way in which technology improves the provision of primary care is by significantly cutting wasted time and money that DNAs bring about. Missed appointments, which are estimated to cost the NHS millions of pounds annually,[vii] can now be greatly reduced with automatic text and email reminders sent to patients.

A good example of the efficacy of this technological system is Barts Hospital and the London Hospital NHS Trust, which saved nearly £1m in 2011 by using an automatic appointment reminder text service.[viii]

Taking all these points into consideration, it’s clear that an effective technological platform that provides easy booking, access to information and appointment reminders – such as Zesty – can greatly benefit both patients and care providers alike.

With services such these, we may soon reach a kind of healthcare e-topia – where anyone with internet access can take better control of their health and improve their quality of life in the simplest, most direct way possible.

Simply email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.zesty.co.uk or call 0203 287 5416 for more details of our Free Trial

[v] Robinowitz DL, Dudley RA. Public reporting of provider performance: can its impact be made greater? Annu Rev Public Health. 2006;27:517-36. Review. PubMed PMID: 16533128.

Obtaining valid consent from patients prior to any treatment is fundamental to the proper provision of dental care. It is not only ethical, but also a legal requirement of all dental professionals around the world. Failure to obtain informed patient consent can leave a clinician vulnerable to criticism on a number of accounts, not least those of assault and/or negligence – which can lead to criminal charges, civil actions or disciplinary proceedings, therefore affecting the professional’s reputation, confidence and possibly even their ability to practise.

For consent to be valid it must be informed, competent and voluntary. The patient must be given all the relevant information about proposed treatments, as well as the opportunity to ask questions of their dental professional. Even with all of this, the patient retains the right to withdraw their consent at any time during treatment, so it is essential that accurate and thorough records be kept throughout the entire process.

This seems to be an area that many modern professionals find indistinct and somewhat worrisome. After all, if the patient can change their mind at any point during the process, is there really such a thing as ‘consent’? How do clinicians prove that they were given the information they needed to make an informed decision?

The key here is to document the patient’s permission to continue with treatment, at each stage of the treatment plan. Robust note-taking should record conversations between the professional and patient including any patient concerns or questions and how these were addressed, and then a signature should be obtained to provide evidence of the patient’s consent to begin. Providing written treatment plans are paramount to the process, and additional communication tools such as videos, animations and further written explanations can be an effective way of portraying the benefits and risks of treatments.

That said however, no practitioner wants to spend half their day filling out the paperwork to evidence their patients’ consents. So how can it be documented effectively yet conveniently?

During the recent BDTA Dental Showcase, the developers of the SafeSeen Touch offered a solution. Discussing delegates’ concerns and deliberating over the various rules and regulations in this area of the profession, the team demonstrated how the tablet could help.

Designed to enable patients to read through their treatment plan and update their medication list or personal details, the SafeSeen Touch also enables patients to provide an e-signature for effective and valid consent. In addition, the compact and easy-to-use device contains practice checklists, sign off protocols, training and update requirements, helping to determine the practice’s compliance in all areas of CQC.

So if patient consent is an element that worries you at any time, know that there are ways of avoiding potential problems. Particularly in light of the recent rise in patient complaints made to the GDC, it has never been so important to protect yourself from potential negligence litigation. Ensure valid consent from all your patients, and enjoy the peace of mind it brings.

For more information, please visit www.safeseentouch.co.uk, call 0845 576 2833 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Finding a suitable contractor can be hugely beneficial when building or refurbishing a dental practice. 

If you are looking to build a brand new dental practice, or refurbish and refresh your existing business, you will have an idea of the sheer amount of work such a project involves.

Particularly when starting from scratch, feasibility studies are paramount to ensure the economic viability of your project, while architectural drawings may be required to demonstrate structural and building methods, elevations and drainage. Planning permission also needs to be granted by the Local Authority in order for any structural or sometimes even cosmetic work to begin, and there are some very strict rules and regulations that must be adhered to.

Particularly if you are running or working in a practice full-time already, such a project can demand a huge amount of your time, money and effort, and so enlisting the help and support of a contractor can make the difference between success and failure.

It is important however, that you work with a contractor who has all the relevant expertise and experience.  An in-depth understanding of the building regulations is of course paramount, along with knowledge of planning permission, listed buildings, disabled access and a healthy respect for the environment.

You would also expect your contractor to ensure that all work is carried out using JCT (Joint Contracts Tribunal) contracts, as these are recommended and approved by several organisations like the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and they ensure correct documentation to benefit and assure all parties. There have been recent changes to the JCT contract regarding payments made to contractors that are onerous if you get it wrong – a good project manager will advise you on the details of this.

Thorough and up-to-date knowledge specifically of the dental industry is also crucial in order to ensue all the CQC and HTM 01-5 outcomes are complied with. Such contractors will be able to advise on aspects such as efficient use of space and most suitable equipment, all the while ensuring designs allow for optimum workflow.

Providing architectural design services specifically within the dental industry is Roger Gullidge Design. From concept feasibility studies, to planning permissions, building regulations and project management, the team offers a wealth of expertise to ensure the efficient success of your build or refurbishment.

So whether your project involves building a brand new surgery or refurbishing an  existing dental environment, it pays to get help from a professional contractor with specialised knowledge of the industry. They can not only help you avoid the common pitfalls and problems with property development, but they can also give you peace of mind, knowing that nothing will be overlooked.

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

On-going education is integral not only for your continued registration with the GDC, but also to ensure you provide a high level of service to all your patients. It is also essential that your training is relevant both for your practice and for the patients you see, in order to maximise on the potential benefits.

It is widely accepted that patients today have a much better understanding of the various dental treatments available, and as society focuses more and more on appearances, modern patients expect high quality aesthetic finishes to every treatment they undergo.

Having identified this trend among her own patients, Dr Lee Gemmell from Denmark Street Practice in Gateshead took Dr Brian Franks Facial Aesthetics Training Course on Medical Micro-Needling three years’ ago.

“I wanted to learn some different skills for my practice and this was a field in which I knew very little about,” Lee explains. “I started to look into the courses that were available and realised that it could easily be integrated into my practice.

“I chose to take the training course with Dr Brian Franks because he is a dentist, like myself, and I thought that his course would be more relatable to my practice. I also liked how the courses were limited to five delegates, as I thought this would provide a more personal and individualised experience.
 

“The course day itself was split into ‘bite-size’ chunks – the course covered all the essentials, leaving me with a sound knowledge of the topic. With time to cover everything in detail, it didn’t feel rushed to fit everything in, and I found that I could focus on doing a few treatments well, and then attend more advanced classes once I’d have practised my skills. 

“I have now taken a number of training courses with Dr Brian Franks, and they all share similar qualities – thorough content, clearly outlined learning objectives, friendly delivery and efficient progression. The result ensures you gain a good, sound base with which to approach treatments in practise. The courses also give you confidence and you feel inspired after attending. Dr Brian Franks even provides ‘after-care’ for no further charge after the initial course, enabling you to contact him with any queries you may have with regards to a specific case.  It is comforting to know that this support is available.

“I would definitely recommend Dr Brian Franks Training Courses to other GDPs, and have done so on several occasions.  It's not just about learning the techniques; it's about giving you the confidence to go it alone back in your practice. Instructors Brian and Jan have obviously worked very hard on putting the courses together, which is evident from the smooth-running training days to the information that is provided for delegates to take away with them. I am already building a busier client base week-on-week, and it is great to see patients returning time after time for further treatments.”

If you are looking to expand your treatment range in the popular area of Facial Aesthetics, you really need look no further than Dr Brian Franks Training Courses. Whether you want to develop the skills to provide Dermal Fillers, Botulinum Toxin, Medical Skin Needling or Facial Peels amongst others, Dr Brian Franks offers in-depth training to ensure you have the confidence to use your new techniques straight away.

For further information, please visit www.drbrianfranks.com, call 020 8 446 6518 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In this age of litigation, everyone it seems is worried about being sued and losing their livelihood. For dental professionals in particular, this fear is increasingly pronounced. After all, it only takes one small complaint from a patient and whether you’re innocent or guilty, chances are you will come out the other end questioning your whole career.

All of this means that newly qualified GDPs are now terrified of doing many procedures, having gained little in the way of practical experience while at dental school. While they will certainly know about communication skills, vicarious liability and compliance, some may have only completed a single bridge or root canal treatment before qualifying.

And what are they to do now? Gone are the gung-ho days where dentists could try everything in the first few weeks of practice; the potential repercussions if something doesn’t go according to plan are just too great. It would seem then, that the old adage of ‘See one, Do one, Teach one’ – where students learn by actually practising – has gone forever.

Changing attitudes

So what happened? What has brought about this sea change in the way we approach dentistry? Well for one thing, our society is certainly more litigious than ever before. Compensation or ‘claim culture’ has been with us for many years now, and there will always be someone out there keen to make a fast buck. Not only that but many people these days are very quick to place blame, even when there may be no blame to be found. Often the question of right or wrong doesn’t come into it – if people feel wronged then they believe it is their right to complain, even if it means reporting a complaint directly to the GDC.

But the problems don’t just stop there. In the past treatment options were far more limited than they are today. Our job as dentists was primarily focussed on caries control and treating patients for pain. There were also far fewer specialists back then, so there was much more emphasis on the general dentist, and the skills that each dentist had to offer.

These days however, there is a completely different picture. For a start, the treatments that we can provide are far different to those we were able to offer in the past. Many of these new treatments are focussed on beauty over health. While there is of course nothing wrong with providing patients with brilliant, beautiful smiles, we need to recognise that this has fundamentally changed the relationship we have with patients. This has gone hand-in-hand with a changed role for the NHS that again marks a shift away from the way we did dentistry in the past.

Increasing demands

There can be no doubting the fact that new technologies and treatments have been a fantastic boon for the dental profession. Whether it be fantastic ceramics, microscopes or the latest 3D CBCT scanners, very few would argue that these advances haven’t benefited patients and the profession in one way shape or form. With the latest tools, technology and techniques we can see more, and so we can treat more than ever before. All of these advances have meant that the private sector has grown significantly in recent years, as patients spend more on treatments that make them look and feel better about themselves.

However there is one major pitfall here and it is to be found in the form of patient expectations. Because patients are spending more, they are also expecting more as a result. Costs have gone up and patients expect a perfect cosmetic result every time. They don’t always fully appreciate that there are some factors that are just beyond our control – and many dental treatments just aren’t designed to last for life.

Interesting times

Robert F. Kennedy once said, ‘We live in interesting times’. I really don’t think there is a more appropriate quote to describe the dental profession today. On the one hand, we live in an age of opportunity – we have access to better tools and technologies than ever before that allow us to provide an outstanding level of care. Yet on the other hand, there is a darker side to dentistry, one that challenges us on a daily basis, and threatens to undermine the work that we all so love.

With the ever-increasing burden of compliance, assessments and the threat of litigation, in many ways we live in an unpleasant time to practise dentistry. Colleagues are becoming disillusioned with a system whereby admin work and needless regulations trump good common sense and giving patients the time they deserve.

It would seem that fear today, is one of the biggest threats to our profession. Many colleagues now are too afraid to step outside their ‘comfort zones’ for fear of failure or the repercussions litigation might bring. And yet one can only wonder what the future of dentistry in the UK might be. Currently, if a dentist is tried for negligence, he or she is judged by what one’s peers would do. In the States however, such cases are judged by specialist standards. If these same rules were to come to the UK would GDPs want to perform anything but triage unless they had further postgraduate training? The thought just doesn’t bear thinking about, and would certainly herald the death of the generalist GDP!

For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999

Or visit www.endocare.co.uk

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

The use of antibiotics in the treatment of periodontal pocketing ?5mm exposes patients to the unnecessary risk of antibiotic resistance.

The global threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) continues to grow today, as more new strains of resistant pathogens are continuously found. Though ‘superbugs’ such as MRSA and C. difficile have seen some decline thanks to stringent control systems in the healthcare setting, newer threats such as MSSA and multi-drug resistant E. coli and N. gonorrhoeae continue to emerge.[i]

In the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report published in 2013, it was stated that evidence clearly links the widespread use of antibiotics to the selection of resistant organisms.[ii]

The fight against AMR needs to be a consolidated, global effort, as the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy published in 2013 recognises. As prescribers of antibiotics, dental care professionals have a major role to play in the implementation of the strategy’s main points of action:

• Improve the knowledge and understanding of AMR
• Conserve and steward the effectiveness of existing treatments

Improving the knowledge and understanding of AMR is important for both professionals and patients alike. Wide-reaching awareness movements such as the annual European Union Antibiotic Awareness Day helps spread AMR awareness among the public and can consequently curb the habit of automatically requesting antibiotics with no clinical indication.

Conserving and stewarding the effectiveness of existing treatments is also a shared responsibility that involves correct diagnosis, proper prescription and patient understanding and compliance.

There are several ways in which dental care professionals can cut down on the prescription of antibiotics. For example, an FGDP press release sent out last November 2013 reminded dental practitioners that the majority of uncomplicated dental swellings can be resolved by drainage of the associated abscess, and that dental surgical skills should always be considered before defaulting to antibiotic prescription.

Another example in which routine antibiotic prescription can be cut down is in the treatment of periodontitis. Most dentists and dental hygienists will automatically prescribe metronidazole or amoxicillin as adjuncts to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of advanced gum disease. But in light of the grave threats of AMR it may be time for other therapies to be considered.

Dental care professionals who are looking for effective non-antibiotic adjuncts to periodontal treatment can turn to effective alternatives such as PerioChip®, a small, rounded device indicated for insertion in periodontal pockets that are at least 5mm deep.

There is no alternative product in the market that can match the high local concentrations of chlorhexidine that PerioChip® delivers. The broad-spectrum antiseptic in this formulation is clinically effective at eliminating 99% of subgingival periopathogenic bacteria without the risk of antibiotic resistance.

Dental care professionals have an important role to play in the fight against AMR. By looking to their clinical skills and considering antibiotics only when absolutely necessary, the overuse of the drugs can slowly be stopped, and AMR arrested in its rapid and alarming development.

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

Professor  Machtei is currently the head of the Rambam HCC School of graduate dentistry and chairman of the department of Periodontology

Having seen some momentous advancements in the world of technology, the dental industry has witnessed many significant changes in the past decade. From clinical procedures to practice management and decontamination protocols, new equipment has been introduced and developed to enhance and streamline every aspect of the profession.

As a result, daily processes within the dental practice have become more accurate, more effective and much more efficient, enabling professionals to deliver the highest standard of patient care and service ever seen, while also encouraging heightened practice profitability. 

The relationship between modern equipment manufacturers and the profession has had a huge influence over the quality and aptness of this technology. In order to produce machinery that meets the ever-changing demands of the dental industry, modern equipment manufacturers constantly engage with the profession to identify exactly what is required, and how it is required to function.

Such feedback from those in practice enables manufacturers to create and refine their products according to exact specifications, ensuring the final product is as high quality and as suitable for the modern profession as possible.

Executive Director if the BDIA (formerly the BDTA) Tony Reed comments,

“Effective R & D involving the end user is an extremely important part of product development and these relationships and partnerships play a vital role in the creation of innovative, quality products. By working closely with the dental team, manufacturers are able to tailor their products to provide cost-effective equipment that meets the needs of both the profession and the patient.”

For this reason, some manufacturers test prototypes of their new equipment in realistic environments before going into mass production, as Eschmann did recently when trailing the brand new LittleSister SES 3000B autoclave in dental facilities across the UK.

Jayne Younghusband, Practice Manager from Victoria Dental Practice in Darlington, was one of many involved in the 12 week trial. The good service she received from Eschmann in the past contributed to her taking part in the trial. “Having worked with Eschmann nearly two years’ ago to replace our entire decontamination room, we already had experience of the high level of service we could expect throughout the trial,” she says. “The LittleSister itself looked fantastic and was of a convenient size to allow easy placement within decontamination room. We did have a couple of issues with the machine, which was exactly why Eschmann wanted to trial the product in practice in the first place, but all minor concerns were quickly overcome. As such, we would definitely work with the team from Eschmann again in the future!”

In some cases, manufacturers like Eschmann who supply equipment directly to the profession are also able to provide new opportunities for practices to try equipment they previously haven’t been able to. From Kirkgate Dental in North Yorkshire, Jennifer Pearce says: “We were delighted to take part in Eschmann’s product trial as we had not previously had such equipment in the practice, and this provided an opportunity to see how easy the autoclave was to use, and which instruments it would be best suited to for our practice.” With professionals using such technology for the first time, Eschmann were able to ensure that the autoclave was easy to use and that the instructions were simple to follow, ensuring further clarity for all their customers. 

Claire Hinchcliffe, Senior Dental Nurse and Decontamination Lead at Dental Directions in Sheffield, confirmed this. “The new autoclave was absolutely brilliant – a clear upgrade from the previous model we had been using, well-made and easy-to-use. The instruction manual was also very clear and concise, and an engineer even talked us through it prior to installation.

“With an 8-surgery practice we have a high demand for efficient decontamination equipment, and this trial was an effective way of testing this machine in action,” adds Claire. “Any minor concerns or problems we came across were resolved quickly by the team at Eschmann, and we were so impressed by the LittleSister that we are already considering purchasing one for ourselves when it goes on general sale!”

The University of Portsmouth Dental Academy also trialled the LittleSister as part of the brand new decontamination training room supplied and installed by Eschmann. Of the LittleSister, the University Decontamination Technician Michael Tyler says: “This was a great piece of equipment for the students to have access to, as it helped them understand the stages of successful decontamination better. Other than a minor issue which had already been identified and addressed by others trialling the LittleSister, we had no problems at all, and we are very much looking forward to using the new autoclave with the students going forward.”

As a student-focused facility, it was particularly important for the University team to have access to fast and comprehensive technical support. “We are always happy to work with Eschmann in all areas of decontamination as they are always highly receptive, and genuinely interested in the feedback we provide, which is want you want from an equipment manufacturer. I believe we will therefore continue working with them in the future.”

Following such feedback from those who trialled the autoclave, Eschmann was able to make all the necessary final tweaks before mass production, ensuring the equipment will be as capable and efficient as possible. By involving the profession in the early stages of equipment manufacture, companies such as Eschmann ensure the best possible service and equipment is delivered every time.

For more information please visit www.eschmann.co.uk, or call 01903 753322

“I have been involved with implants and restoring them since 1986 when I went to Malmo on my first implantology course,” says Professor Paul Tipton. “During this time I have seen many changes in techniques, systems and expectations.

“Nowadays patients require not only a long lasting functional stable implant, but also an aesthetic one that can be delivered immediately – hence the rise of immediate loading cases and provisionalisation.”

As a Specialist in Prosthodontics, Paul Tipton has restored thousands of dental implants in a career spanning almost 30 years. But while he may have used almost all of the major implant systems available today, which system would he use in his own mouth?

Unfortunately for Paul, this was the very question he found himself asking, after a fractured crown left him weighing up his options.

“Imagine my anxiety when just over a week ago whilst eating a chicken sandwich I encountered a foreign body in my mouth,” continues Paul. “It was my upper left lateral incisor crown, fractured off at gum level!

“Upon looking in the mirror I saw no ferrule and my mind was settled: no RCT, crown lengthening with bone removal and post crown; it was to be root removal, immediate implant, definitive abutment and reline the original crown over the top, followed by occlusal adjustment.

“I had this done the very next day by two colleagues well versed in implantology and my implant system of choice. I now await my final restoration in 6 months’ time.”

But what system did he choose?

“There was only one implant for me,” says Paul. “After 28 years in implantology I chose Nobel Biocare for its longevity, ease of use, success rate, and innovation.”

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

To register for the Nobel Biocare Online Store go to:

store.nobelbiocare.co.uk

From aesthetic brackets to IPR ortho-strips to aligner patient kits, The Dental Directory’s Orthodontic Product Catalogue carries an amazing variety of materials and brands that can suit all of your orthodontic treatment needs.

This dedicated range from The Dental Directory was compiled after talking to many orthodontists, and represents the very best when it comes to variety, quality and value for money.

You can order any of the orthodontic products available in the catalogue at your convenience – via website, phone, fax or the Desktop Directory ordering system. And as with all other products from The Dental Directory, every order placed before 4 pm is despatched the same day, free of delivery charge.

If you haven’t spoken to your Dental Directory representative about their extensive orthodontic range, call today and find out how the UK’s largest independent dental dealer can help you deliver the best orthodontic treatment to your patients.

The Independently Verified Best Priced Dealer!

For more information, contact The Dental Directory Orthodontics on

01376 391 291, or visit www.dental-directory.co.uk.

The ability of a dental practice to function as smoothly as possible is of the utmost importance. Standardised commercial leases and the numerous pitfalls and problems that they bring can often hinder dentists in their work, making them waste time and money unnecessarily.

With standard leases, there is a very real danger that the specific requirements of a dental practice can be overlooked, and in some cases actually forbidden under the terms of the contract.

For example, the need for practices to store X-ray machines and various drugs is clear. However, it is possible for a standard lease to prohibit the storage of these items.

Another restriction that a standard commercial lease can enforce is the prohibition of sharing the property with a third party, which can be a problem when considering associate agreements. With a potential restriction on who can occupy the property, simply hiring an associate can unwittingly lead to a breach of contract.

A standard commercial lease can even allow an unexpected and unavoidable rise in rent any time the landlord so chooses. Dentists are usually not required to register for VAT, as you supply an exempt service. However, a standard commercial lease can leave the landlord free to charge VAT whenever they like.

Any time you break the rules of a standard lease even if simply functioning within the normal confines of a dental practice, you risk unexpected termination of your agreement and the emotional and financial burden such an event can bring.

Instructing a commercial lawyer with specialist dental knowledge will offer a solution. A bespoke lease will address your specific requirements as a dental practice and amend the terms a standardised commercial lease overlooks or prohibits. This will provide a successful and hassle free contract, so you can focus on providing dental treatment, rather than worrying about legal matters.

Using bespoke commercial leases can be a sensible way to avoid wasting time and money. From ensuring that the storage of vital dental equipment is allowed to enabling associate agreements and making sure there is no unexpected rise in rent, the benefits of a bespoke lease are clear.

Goodman Grant has a reputation for providing quality legal advice within dentistry. With this crucial and specialist knowledge, Goodman Grant’s team of solicitors are able to draw bespoke commercial leases to the specific advantage of dentists. Ensure you are not distracted from providing exceptional treatment, and take advantage of the huge benefits a bespoke commercial lease can provide.

Nicola Lomas Goodman Grant Lawyers for Dentists

For more information call Nicola Lomas on 0151 707 0090 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.goodmangrant.co.uk
 

An area of increasing concern in modern dentistry is that of ownership, with so many different options, which is the right one for your practice? Historically, the only legal way that dental practices could be  owned was under either individual ownership or by a partnership. Though there were a few dental corporates in existence this is a relatively new phenomenon. Laws were changed in 2006 to allow dental practices to become limited companies and since then we have seen an increasing number of incorporated dental practices popping up.

However, the idea of incorporation brings with it a plethora of legal requirements which must be successfully negotiated and can only be done so with advice from a reliable legal firm. The significance of comprehensive legal advice in this situation can not be underestimated. Without access to well informed guidance a dental professional will be left exposed to complications that can be difficult to break free from.

These problems are often the result of confusion or the practice owner being misinformed as to what the requirements are to incorporate a dental practice. The legal position on allowing dentists to incorporate is that a non-dental professional can own shares in the company (which can be as much as 100%), but the law states that at least half of the directors of the company must be registered with the GDC. For example, you could have a husband and wife run the practice as a limited company. This scenario is perfectly lawful as at least 50% of the directors of the company are dental professionals. A dental practice with a majority of non-dental professional directors will not be lawful and in fact, is a criminal offence.

Though accountants may be under the impression that by suggesting their client incorporates they are doing them a huge favour and saving them a lot of money, the reality is that their lack of knowledge of dental regulations may cost their client much more, and not just financially!

Usually problems will occur as the result of advice from accountants or lawyers who do not have a good understanding of the dental industry.

The ownership of a limited company can be contrasted with a situation where partners or expense sharers are the principals and where, for a partnership to be legitimate, all partners must be registered dental professionals. A partnership consisting of individuals not registered with the GDC is not only unlawful, it is also a criminal offence. By trading unlawfully a dentist can get himself or herself into trouble with the GDC and will run the risk of being prosecuted.

The dental industry possesses its own unique characteristics and regulations that make it quite distinct from other professions. It is for this reason that when deciding upon your business structure, the advice of a qualified and experienced specialist is sought. Whether searching for an accountant or a solicitor, the very best advice can only be obtained from a specialist who has a firm understanding of dentistry’s legal demands. By seeking advice from someone who lacks a sufficient understanding of the industry, the dental professional is running the risk of problems developing which can jeopardise the future of their practice.

There are a number of specialist legal firms operating in the UK and although using any specialist is better than no specialist, it is still important to search for a firm of distinction. It is worth looking for a legal firm that is a member of either NASDAL (National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers) or ASPD (Association of Specialist Providers to Dentists), Goodman Grant is a specialist legal firm that is a member of both organisations and its solicitors have a combined experience of more than 75 years.

A lot of the time the problem of unlawful ownership goes unnoticed. However, it is now becoming an increasingly common problem. This is because it is only when the owner is looking to sell that their flawed incorporation forms a barrier preventing them from doing so. With the ability to incorporate having been introduced seven years ago, for many the time has now come to sell, only to discover that they can’t. This problem is quite difficult to fix and can be costly. The irony is that to have sorted it out properly in the first place would not have been expensive, nor would it have been difficult with the right help.

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

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

www.goodmangrant.co.uk

A NASDAL and ASPD MEMBER

Nobel Biocare long history of innovation continues with the launch of yet another new product...

creos™ xeno.protect is a biodegradable non-crosslinked collagen membrane designed for use in guided bone and guided tissue regeneration procedures. With excellent handling properties, extended barrier function and high tensile strength, creos xeno.protect produces reliable clinical results, time and time again.

Experience the difference

Dr. Paul Worskett from Amblecote Dental Care, West Midlands, has experienced the benefits of creos xeno.protect first hand. He says:

"I recently used the creos membrane for the first time. My case was the placement of two NobelReplace^® tapered fixtures in the upper anterior region. Due to a shortage of bone buccally, and for aesthetic reasons, I augmented the area, a standard GBR technique using creos as the covering membrane.

“This was the first time with this product and I have to say it was very easy to use. It has an almost paper thin consistency which means it is easy to cut, shape and manipulate. Placement and handling was a lot easier than some membranes I have used in the past and complete flap closure was possible without relieving the periosteum. This was, I am sure, appreciated by the patient in terms of reduced swelling and discomfort postoperatively. At suture removal follow up a week later, I found the tissues to be in excellent condition and the patient was very happy. I will certainly use this product again and look forward to further success in the future."

In keeping with all Nobel Biocare products, creos xeno.protect is manufactured to the highest standards, with a strictly controlled and standardised manufacturing process. The following benefits of creos xeno.protect will help build clinician confidence:

Unique handling

creos xeno.protect is extremely easy to use because it has a minimal increase in size when hydrated and is easy to unfold and reposition, for a predictable placement.  Importantly, creos xeno.protect does not cause any confusion in a clinical setting as it has no functionally preferred side. This means the product can be placed with either surface facing the defect, with the same excellent results.

Easy to fix and suture

Thanks to the dense network of interwoven fibres, creos xeno.protect is a naturally strong and tear resistant material that exhibits high mechanical strength to prevent the migration of bone graft material. This high mechanical strength makes it easy to fix and suture.

Extended barrier function

For resorbable collagen membranes, efficient biodegradation is crucial for treatment success and final outcome. Nobel Biocare’s creos xeno.protect has been designed specifically to provide high stability over a prolonged degradation period. This, combined with 100% tissue compatibility, and the pure, non-crosslinked nature of creos xeno.protect make it the ideal choice for bone and tissue regeneration procedures. Furthermore the product also demonstrates excellent revascularisation behaviour, with fast and predictable healing for optimal clinical outcomes.

The natural choice

Designed to be the natural choice for guided tissue and guided bone regeneration procedures, creos xeno.protect is composed of highly purified porcine collagen fibres inter-mingled with elastin fibres to form a strong and tear resistant network. This fibrous network creates a favourable environment for bone regeneration at the defect site by preventing the migration of undesired cells from the surrounding soft tissue, and allowing the in-growth of osteogenic cells.

To learn more about the market-leading qualities of creos xeno.protect, contact Nobel Biocare today on 0208 756 3300 (option 1) or visit www.nobelbiocare.com

Data on file, Matricel GmbH

Roger Gullidge has more than 20 years experience in providing interior design and architecture services to the dental practice sector and beyond. After training, Roger completed various projects in the USA before returning to the UK to work with several design consultancies before setting up Roger Gullidge Design. Roger is a keen advocate of using well-designed spaces to create a positive environment for living and working

In his spare time Roger enjoys rock climbing and undertaking expeditions as part of the British Cave Research Association (BCRA), jive dancing and spending time with his young family.

The dilemma of the ‘one stop shop’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teeth whitening is an important part of modern dentistry, and is proving increasingly popular with patients who seek a simple yet effective way of improving the appearance of their teeth. While in the past patients had a limited selection of products to choose from the launch of several new products in the UK has made teeth whitening both more accessible and more affordable than ever before.

One such new product is offered by WhiteWash Laboratories, with the company’s Professional Whitening Strips representing the latest innovation in whitening technology. These mouldable plastic strips contain the optimum amount of mint flavoured whitening gel to safely and effectively whiten teeth.

“Every patient who took part in the trial was more than happy with the results we were able to achieve,” says Brad. “Results ranged from an improvement of three shades over the 14-day treatment, to in some cases an improvement of up to nine or ten shades! The only patient who wanted their teeth even whiter was an elderly lady we treated who was in her 70s. The problem in her case wasn’t so much the shade difference we achieved, but the fact her old upper crowns were so significantly lighter than her lower teeth – even though we took her lower teeth up 7 shades from C4!”

While teeth whitening certainly has a lot to offer patients in terms of creating whiter, more attractive smiles, it also has other benefits to offer besides. One benefit that many practices find is that whitening can often lead patients on to other cosmetic treatments. At the very least it encourages patients to engage more closely with their oral health.

“Teeth whitening definitely makes people more aware of their teeth,” says Brad. “They want whiter, brighter teeth, and they want to keep their teeth that way once their treatment is complete.

“From a practice business perspective this is great news for us, as it allows us to boost our oral hygiene product sales. Some patients will even then ask about other treatments to improve their smiles further still. For example we had one young couple who had really good results with the strips but who then decided to move on to tray whitening for even whiter teeth. We also had one patient who took part in the trial who is now considering investing in short-term orthodontics to straighten her teeth. That’s a major investment to come out of what was essentially a £50 box of Strips.” 

As Brad is keen to point out, whitening can be an important tool in the “business of dentistry”.

“As long as you approach the subject in the right way, I think patients are very open to the idea of teeth whitening,” concludes Brad. “Especially with something like Professional Whitening Strips, it’s a very reasonably priced product that achieves fantastic results for the price. Even just talking about the sorts of options that are available with patients can set the ball rolling for other conversations further down the line. Thanks to this trial I am now able to far better focus my efforts when suggesting whitening options to patients. I also have a better understanding of what Professional Whitening Strips can achieve and I can offer this treatment confident that patients will be happy with the result.”

For more information call 0844 68 69 150, email

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

In November 2013, the Resuscitation Council UK launched new guidance focussing on quality standards for Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training. However it has recently become clear that The Resuscitation Council now no longer provides advice on general medical emergencies within Primary Dental Practice settings.

Thankfully, dbg is here to help. Dbg has been working alongside dental practices for 25 years, providing invaluable help and support in areas ranging from engineering services to materials, compliance, and core CPD training.

To help practice teams keep up to date with the latest medical emergencies protocols, dbg has appointed medical emergencies expert Craig Nelson to join the compliance team.

Craig is a highly experienced Emergency Medical Paramedic and has delivered lifesaving emergency support to over 30,000 patients across a career spanning 21 years. Craig is also an IHCD qualified tutor, and for the last 8 years has dedicated himself to the education and training of ambulance paramedics and other medical professionals to ensure they deliver the highest standard of emergency care.

As dbg’s ‘Resuscitation Officer’ Craig will be utilising his extensive experience to help shape dbg’s medical emergencies and AED training. He will also assist members in light of the change in medical emergencies guidance standards, ensuring that all dbg members remain compliant through the introduction of new and innovative training content.

With dbg you can be sure that your training will be of the highest quality, with relevant and engaging content from professionals who are acknowledged experts in their field. This training will take place at your practice, and will give your team ‘on-site’ training on CPR, emergency drugs, equipment and up to date legislation. The trainer will also carry out and audit, and provide recommendations as per the Resuscitation Council guidelines.

To find out more about medical emergencies training and support, contact dbg today.

For more information call dbg on 01606 861 950,

Or visit www.thedbg.co.uk

Blogs are an essential part of online marketing, and are an excellent way of building your practice ‘brand’ online. Not only that, but a well-run, regularly updated blog will also help to boost your ranking on Google. Search engines absolutely love new content, and blogs provide a simple and effective way to add new content and so boost your practice website’s Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Picking your subject

Your practice blog can cover any subject matter relating to dentistry, though ideally should be geared towrads the treatments and services that you offer. Oral health topics are a great way of stimulating conversation and can also help educate patients on good oral hygiene habits. You may also choose to write on relevant stories in the press, or even practice news. All of these things help make your blog personal, and show that you and your team are real people as well as dedicated dental professionals.

Points to note

Any blog post your write should be a minimum of 350 words, supported by an image wherever possible. Your tone should be friendly yet professional, and the content you write should be unique. Never copy and paste material from another source as search engines hate duplicated text, and you will not be doing your practice brand any favours by copying material produced elsewhere.

To optimise your blog in searches it can help to include the associated keyword and location (if used) in the title as well as the body of the text. So for example if you are writing about dental implants, make sure that ‘dental implants’ features somewhere in the title. However, at the same time be careful not to overuse any particular keywords you are featuring in your blog post. Keyword stuffing is no longer an effective way of boosting search ranking and can be extremely off-putting to the reader!

Keeping things fresh

To keep your blog varied and interesting for your readers, you don’t always have to post just text and pictures. Infographics are a particularly good way of sharing information, and you could also consider adding interviews or videos to mix things up and keep your content fresh.

You might also like to consider writing blogs around testimonials. Instead of just posting a quote from a patient, why not build the testimonial into a news story about the patient’s journey to show how you helped them. You could even add in ‘before and after’ photos to support the story and show your readers the quality of the dentistry you can provide.

Get blogging!

If you haven’t set up a practice blog already, now really is the time to get one. A Google-friendly blog will not only help raise your profile online, but it will also help you to educate and engage with your patients in ways unlike ever before.

To help you make the most of your practice blog, it can be useful to work with a team of experts with experience in dental online marketing. Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’ can guide you on every aspect of blogging from setting up your blog to link building, content ideas and social media.

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

About the author:

Naz Haque aka the Scientist is SEO Project Manager at Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’. Naz has a background in mobile and network computing, and has experience supporting an A-Z range of blue chip brands from Apple to Xerox. As an expert in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Naz is passionate about helping clients build strategies to enhance their brand and increase the ROI from their dental practice websites.

Tim Caudrelier looks at how the introduction of a Non-executive or Interim Director can benefit dental practices of various size, structure and development.

Generally speaking, businesses fall into three categories, bronze, silver and gold. Those in the bronze group are the ‘Easyjets’ of the world – those who have the desire to offer their services or products at the lowest possible rate, who search for an ever-enhanced efficiency.

Gold businesses focus on being the best in whichever specific market they are in – the Virgin Atlantic’s who focus on their service / product and customers first, relying on the fact that profit will result from the quality provided.

Those in the silver group are sat in the middle, not entirely sure who their target market is, who they are serving or what their main focus should be in order to better themselves.

There are many dental practices in the UK, and indeed around the world, that express a desire to join the gold category and to become champion league practices opposed to simply increasing profitability. But in reality, there is a GAP between where they are now and where they want to or could be.

Any individual practice may believe their GAP is in their turnover or profit, but find that it is in fact in their:

• Business model
• Branding and brand standards
• Company culture
• Marketing
• Product range
• Customer relationship management
• Staff
• Or systems.

A solution to this can be the employment of a Non-executive or Interim Director.

What is Non-executive or Interim MD?

A Non-executive is a part-time role as opposed to the normal full-time Director of a company. A professional in such a role brings expertise, skills, contacts and guidance to the business, normally with the aim of driving growth, industry excellence or both.

Traditionally, larger companies have been more suitable for the concept of introducing a Non-executive. In recent years however, many smaller companies, start-ups and specifically professional practices have experienced the significant financial and performance benefits that Interim Directors can provide.

What are the benefits?

Firstly it is important to recognise that Non-executives really become a part of your existing management team, and therefore they are usually more integrated than consultants or even mentors. With their specified knowledge, broad experience and extensive professional networks, Non-executive Directors can deliver a spectrum of benefits.

• They provide crucial guidance at critical stages of business development that you may otherwise not be able to reasonably afford or financially justify.
• They fill particular skill gaps, which the owners or founders of a young company may have.
• They can help to prepare, structure and systemise your practice for efficient growth and management changes.
• They can set up the position so it is ready for the appointment of a new, permanent Managing Director.
• Having worked in this position in different businesses, Non-executives can offer sound advice when looking at proposed business plans and analysing options for growth and future investment.
• They are often more committed than business consultants or professional advisors as they frequently have a legal obligation to the business.
• They may already be a part of a network that facilitates sales, understanding the market or establishing suppliers. This can help develop strategic alliances within the profession and market sector.
• They have experience in structuring and creating performance environments specifically for dental teams to flourish.
• Remuneration for a Non-executive is often dependant on the practice’s performance, so you can be sure to get the very most from your money.

With all this in mind, a Non-executive Director should work both strategically and tactically to become the custodian of accountability within your business. Whether your practice requires a sequential approach with a narrow focus on the development of one area, or a wider and more holistic approach, Non-executives establish an effective strategy and help your business stick to it. This also involves ensuring proactive leadership, installing a suitable management structure tailored for your particular business, identifying your market positioning, promoting a clear set of brand standards and ensuring systems are in place to sustain such development.

A Non-executive does this with the desired end result in mind, consistently analysing your business’s progress and ensuring it is on the correct course at all times. In turn, this can have a very tangible effect on the growth of your business and its profitability, in a relatively short space of time. And as you can pass the responsibility onto someone else with the skills and expertise to ensure success, you can get back to what you do best – treating your patients.

For more information about 7connections contact Phillippa Goodwin on 07508 184 044 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On Thursday 5^th December, Chancellor George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement to Parliament. In his speech the Chancellor announced that the UK economy is to grow 1.4% this year – more than double the 0.6% predicted in March.

Though the recession has certainly been hard on many businesses, we are now starting to turn the corner and many of our clients are seeing their books filling up. As such we are in a position now where dentists can look to the future with some amount of confidence, as the economy starts to grow again, and the Chancellor has set out a number of small, but not insignificant, changes for the coming year.

Tax relief

ISA allowances will increase from £11,520 to £11,880 in April 2014. This is a relatively small inflationary increase, but one worth using. Any increase in tax relief is a good thing, and ISAs are a very tax-efficient investment. Note that half of this £11,880 can go into cash funds. This gives the guarantees and flexibilities to withdraw like a regular bank account but all the interest accrued is tax-free. It’s amazing how many dentists do not maximise their cash ISA allowances each year, and so are not taking full advantage of a very simple method of saving in a tax-efficient way.

Taxation and property

Tax avoidance was a key area of focus in this year’s Autumn Statement, and the Chancellor emphasised a renewed focus on employees posing as the self-employed. While it still remains to be seen how this will play out in dentistry, if you are unsure as to your employment status, and whether you are working within the legal framework set out by the HMRC then you should seek specialist financial advice.

Another interesting development in the Autumn Statement was the announcement that non UK-residents are to pay Capital Gains Tax on selling UK residential property. While this doesn’t necessarily directly affect dentists, it will hopefully deter more overseas investors and so in the long term, impact upon the inflated housing market in the UK. This may benefit first time buyers in the long term, and should level out the playing field when it comes to investing in property.

Business rates

The Government’s ‘small business rate relief’ scheme has been extended for a further year, while business rates have also been capped at 2% in 2014. Businesses can now also pay in 12 monthly instalments to help spread the burden, and aid in better financial management going forward.

These changes impact on 99% of dental practices in the UK, as nearly all practices are classed as ‘small businesses’ under HMRC guidance. It is quite surprising to note here that many dentists still don’t claim what they are fully entitled to in terms of business rates relief and other related schemes. For example if you own your dental practice freehold you can claim capital allowances on wiring, cabling, sanitation and so on up to a value of £250,000. This isn’t some obscure tax avoidance scheme – this is just following the HMRC rules. If you buy a dental chair then you can take account of this in your finances. After all, it’s a business expense, and a Chartered tax advisory firm can help you to do this.

Further points of note

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement is weighty document. At 130 pages, there are a lot of points covered, and some more relevant to dentists than others. To help you fully understand the impact of the Autumn Statement, and make the most of your finances, it can pay to use to services of a specialist Independent Financial Adviser (IFA), with experience directly within dentistry.

There are a number of companies out there, but not all are experienced in the unique needs that the dental profession brings. As a dentist you will likely earn a large amount of money over the course of your career. With the services of a specialist IFA you can make your money go further and work more efficiently for you.

For more information please call 0845 345 5060,

email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.money4dentists.com

Dentistry has changed an awful lot in the last few years, and not least in the way we market our services to the general public. Most dental practices now have their own website, and many will also have social media pages where team members can interact with patients in ways like never before. But while the internet has clearly had many positive repercussions in the way we market our practices, it has also had a number of important consequences as well. This includes a shift in the way the public perceive our profession, and the value the public place in the services we have to offer.

Commoditisation culture

Anyone who is anyone these days will know that the internet is literally teeming with online retailers all trying to ‘out do’ each other to offer the most choice and the best value possible. The success of Amazon and the slow demise of the high street bookstore is but one example of how online retailers are fast become the go-to place for the best offers and the cheapest products.

But it doesn’t just stop with online stores. The internet is now the place to find the lowest prices for just about anything at all. Even insurance is a massive area of competition on the internet now, and I am sure colleagues will be familiar with the advertising campaigns that have been run by the likes of Compare the Market, Go Compare and Confused.

While of course there is nothing wrong with people trying to save money where they can, the problem arises when you consider the impact that this price-driven buying culture is having on dentistry. Quite simply our profession, and the services that we offer are becoming commoditised, and our patients are being encouraged to mistake price with value and quality.

Finding the real value in dentistry

If any proof was needed of the ‘commoditisation’ of dentistry, I recently stumbled upon a newly launched website: CompareMySmile.com. As you may expect, CompareMySmile does exactly as its name suggests – it allows members of the public to compare price estimates for dental treatment in locations across the UK. So, your average Joe Public can log on, type ‘Veneers in London’ and they will then receive a list of quotes from registered practices in the area.

To most dentists, the problems with CompareMySmile would seem clear. On one level, it pampers to the misconception that good dentistry is just a numbers game. If I can do a root canal treatment for £X and you can do a root canal for £200 less, then clearly the patient will opt to have the treatment with you and not me. After all, your treatment is cheaper, so if the product is identical then one is better value and the other a rip-off.

The worrying thing here is that many patients really do believe this to be the case. They don’t appreciate the value to be found in good dental treatment; nor do they understand the simple fact that not all dentists are the same, and not all dentists can provide the same standard of care.

As you would expect, CompareMySmile makes no attempt to dispel this myth. However it does go to great lengths to assure patients that the treatment they will receive will be of the highest quality. On the ‘Our Dentists’ page it clearly states that all its members must meet ‘strict criteria to ensure that only the UK’s most reputable practices become part of the CompareMySmile.com family’. These criteria require that dentists: 1) Are registered with the GDC, 2) Have completed 1 year’s accredited private or hospital based training, and 3) Have completed at least 75 hours of verifiable CPD in the last 5 years. I think these strict criteria speak for themselves!

Still plenty of work to do

As a profession, clearly we still have an awful lot more work to do. While websites such as CompareMySmile and GroupOn encourage patients to look at our work in purely financial terms, our efforts should be directed to showing patients what real value in dentistry is – that teeth are just too valuable to be treated as something that can be bought and sold.

Good dentistry is – and always will be – about forming strong professional relationships with our patients, understanding their needs and providing the very best standard of care possible. We are, at our heart, a caring profession, and if we let price become the determining factor in what we do, then that relationship will slowly start to fade.

For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999

Or visit www.endocare.co.uk

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

For the last six decades, Eschmann has proven its dedication to the dental and medical community through extensive product research and development.

Its brand new autoclave, the LittleSister SES 3000B, has recently been trialled in 12 dental practices and facilities across the UK, in order to assess how the equipment performs in realistic dental environments.

Decontamination Technician at The University of Portsmouth Dental Academy, Michael Tyler, says: “This was a great piece of equipment for the students to have access to – the display interface was clear, it was very user-friendly during operation and with regards to maintenance, its design made identifying potential errors easy, and it handled a full load effectively and without problem.

“Having worked with them in the past, the team at Eschmann are always highly receptive and genuinely interested in the feedback we provide. We are very much looking forward to using the new autoclave with the students going forward.”

Now offering a complete solution with the new essential range of cleaning and disinfection products, you need look no further than Eschmann for all your infection control needs.

For more information please visit www.eschmann.co.uk, or call 01903 753322

As we move through the start of the year, the cheers of the New Year celebrations probably seem a distant memory. The great Oprah Winfrey calls the event “another chance for us to get it right”, and many people will have done the time-honoured commitment of making resolutions – perhaps to lose weight or give up smoking – but by now, many of those well-intentioned pledges will have been broken.

However, one resolution worth making, and sticking to, is ensuring your finances are in order. Financial planning is especially important when you are running a business, whatever the situation. Indeed, it is just as easy for a new company to rush ahead and overlook financial necessities, as it is for an established one to become complacent and lose sight of monetary efficiency.

Planning for the year ahead

The dental practice is no different from any other business and requires the same degree of consideration, and, as the new tax year looms, now is the ideal time to take stock and create that chance to “get it right”.

Maximising your personal and business tax-efficiency is certainly a good place to begin. With the 2013/14 tax year is almost over, now is the time to start planning for the year ahead. After all, the tax situation for you and your practice can change over time, so it is important to review all allowances, expenses and exemptions to ensure that each is being utilised to the full.

Points to consider

All salaries and investments are taxable above a certain level, but there are a variety of investment vehicles to choose from that are tax-efficient within the UK, depending on circumstances. This includes the Individual Savings Account (ISA) for individuals, which allows tax-free interest on savings.

Pensions are a hot topic now, especially with the Government’s new Workplace Pension scheme. If you have not already set up a pension scheme for your practice, it is important to find out when this will become obligatory for your business. Apart from the obvious end-value to an individual, pensions can also be tax efficient, as contributions attract tax relief not only for the member, but may also do so for the employer if they contribute.

In the main, the dental industry falls outside the scope of VAT, however purchases still attract the tax. With sole traders and partnerships taxed as individuals, it could be time to review the trading structure of your practice.

Insurance is another area to consider. Insurance cover is the foundation of sound financial planning.  While life, vehicle and property cover are obviously essential, protecting your income in the event of you being unable to work through sickness, injury or accident, is equally important.

Once your fundamental financial situation is sorted, you may care to think about more advanced forms of investment such as buying and selling shares. These “speculative” products can provide high rewards and offer excellent tax breaks, but they can also be more volatile and represent a high degree of risk.

Specialist advice

Clearly there are many facets to financial planning and it can be a complicated undertaking, fraught with danger for the unwary or inexperienced. If you feel that your finances are getting beyond your capability, or you are looking for more advanced products, it is time to call on a professional for help. The provision of financial advice is strictly regulated in the UK, so all advisers are highly qualified, highly trained individuals, able to look at your situation in an impartial way.

There are various types of financial adviser you can call on. However, only an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) will be in a position to look across the whole market to find the financial products that best suit your needs. They will look at your financial circumstances as a whole, consider your existing situation, your objectives for the future, and ascertain any existing or potential problems. They will then make suggestions for products based on any gaps they identify in your provision.

Many IFAs will focus on particular industries, so it is important you find an IFA with experience in the dental sector. money4dentists is one such company with a strong reputation for providing advice and guidance to those working in the dental profession. A member of the Association of Specialist Providers to Dentists since 2004, and with over half a century of experience, the Birmingham-based company has an extensive understanding of the particular challenges faced by the profession.

Helping you reach your goals

In addition to providing a range of guides to help you manage your own finances, a specialist IFA can also offer a number of other services to help you reach your financial goals. These may include advanced financial planning and debt management through to preparing for retirement. They can advise on matters such as mortgages and loans, investments, and tax efficiency, and help you make the most of your money.

Financial planning is important at any time, but the New Year can give you the impetuous you need to “get it right”. Taking stock of your situation makes good business sense, and with the support of an IFA, especially one that specialises in your industry, you can be confident you are making the best decisions for the year ahead.

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

What New Year’s Resolutions are you making for 2014? What do you want to achieve? Who do you want to help?

The BDA Benevolent Fund has been supporting dentists through difficult times for more than 130 years. The Charity provides one-off grants, regular grants and loans
to help beneficiaries cope with unexpected illness, accident or another stressful life-changing event. 

If it wasn’t for the work of the Fund, hundreds of dentists would be left struggling to pay heating bills and put food on the table for their families.

Whether you can contribute a one-off, monthly or annual donation, every penny goes towards improving beneficiaries’ quality of life and helping them build themselves a more positive future.

By helping the Ben Fund as part of your New Year’s resolution, you can make a huge difference to dentists across the UK.

To give a donation go to www.bdabenevolentfund.org.uk or send a cheque made payable to ‘BDA Benevolent Fund’ to 64 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8YS.

For more information about the BDA Benevolent Fund’s work
call 020 7486 4994 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
All enquiries are considered in confidence.

Registered charity no. 208146

Dental professionals will be aware that mercury is a key component of dental amalgam, and there is a significant debate as to the impact and toxicity of amalgam used to fill patients’ teeth. However, while the debate still rages in terms of the impact of amalgam fillings on patients, in other dental contexts, the dangers of mercury exposure are far more clear-cut.

Mercury vapour

In 1996 Parsell et al, found that mercury vapour levels within the room where amalgam was exposed to steam autoclave sterilisation reached levels that constitute an unnecessary health risk to members of the dental team.[1] This is because the heat generated in the sterilisation process causes mercury to turn into a vapour – a dangerous form of the element that can easily be inhaled by clinical staff. While the dangers of autoclaving amalgam-filled teeth such as in the Parsell study may appear obvious to many readers in a modern context, the dangers of mercury vapour from autoclaves still exist to this day.

This is because instruments used in the placement or removal of dental amalgam can also be contaminated with amalgam containing mercury prior to sterilisation. Heating instruments that have been used in such instances can also therefore cause mercury to vaporise. This vapour will then emit from the autoclave after the door is opened at the end of the cycle, and can also potentially enter vital parts within the autoclave, causing contamination and possible failure of the unit. To complicate matters further, if there is a suspicion that the failure of the autoclave is mercury linked, then the engineers tasked with trying to repair the fault do themselves run the risk of being contaminated.

Reducing the risk

To minimise the risks associated with mercury there are several steps you can take to reduce the chance of biological or mechanical contamination. Firstly, you should ensure that any instruments used for placing or removing amalgam are thoroughly decontaminated and inspected before sterilisation.

Work with the experts

Autoclaves are an important part of the decontamination cycle and should be considered an integral part of any modern dental practice. Though they are of course designed to facilitate the sterilisation of pathogens, dental team members should be aware that there are still other dangers within the dental practice setting. Though the debate over mercury in dental amalgam still rages to this day, there can be no mistaking the danger of vaporised mercury released during the high temperatures of the sterilisation cycle.

To help you understand the dangers associated with mercury in autoclaves, the experienced team at dbg can guide and support you in your efforts to minimise risk and establish a safe and effective decontamination protocol. Not only that, but dbg can also provide you with the complete engineering solution including validation and servicing packages for all equipment within your practice.

For more information call dbg on 01606 861 950,

Or visit www.thedbg.co.uk

Most estate agents know that when the market for dental practices is up, as it is now, the two factors most likely to persuade you to sell through their company are the valuation price and their agency fees. It then follows that each agency you approach will naturally want to come up with the most attractive valuation.

Trusting the judgement of an agency whose sole viewpoint is to convince you to sell your practice through them can lead to lost time, wasted effort and great disappointment.

On the other hand, it would also be unwise to suggest that the judgement of someone who can only provide rigid and cold calculations is the final word. A practice is certainly worth more than its physical assets and patient base, or its monthly revenue minus the running costs.

The best solution, it seems, would be to turn to a company who can offer both marketing expertise and professional accountability; an agency that has been in the business of selling to people and banks for many years, and one that has professional accreditations to top that experience off.

When it comes to the sale of dental practices, there is only one company with such criteria, and that is Christie + Co – the only national firm that specialises in the valuation and sale of dental practices that is also accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

When you deal with a company that offers both years of real estate marketing experience and RICS accreditation, you strike the perfect balance. What the RICS, and companies and surveyors accredited with them ensure, is that when you sell your practice, the basis upon which you determine your pricing stands both the valuation test and the market test.

The valuation test is important because unless you’re selling your practice for cash to someone who doesn’t bother to bring their own surveyors in for another look, it will eventually have to be valued by an independent firm.

The market test is equally significant because the final selling price of your practice also depends of your agency’s knowledge of the market, and their knowledge of your potential buyer.

Selling your practice is essentially passing the trust and welfare of your patients onto the next person, and is naturally something that will be very close to your heart. This is not something that can be tackled with just pure intellect – accurate and impartial calculations also need to be made.

By turning to a company that understands both sides of the dental estate coin, you can be sure that all considerations are covered and your best interests as a seller are paramount.

To discuss how Christie + Co might help you achieve your future plans please contact Simon Hughes on 0207 227 0749

BIO:

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

From 2009 to 2012, the number of adult patients who struggled to find an NHS dentist dropped from 35% to 29%.[i] Although these statistics are a welcome development, they still leave a significant percentage of the population without ready access to subsidised dental care.

In a survey that involved more than 11,000 British people, 44% of respondents don’t visit their dentist as frequently as they should because they can’t afford it. [ii] And 54% of adults in the UK are worried about having the budget for their dental care needs in the future.[iii]

This trend of foregoing dental care due to financial strain can see some people skip going to the dentist altogether. As recently as two years ago, 5 million people in the UK hadn’t been to see their dentist in ten years,[iv] and it’s safe to assume that a considerable percentage of these absentee patients have financial concerns to blame for their non-attendance.

Most people probably view dental visits as an unnecessary expenditure, as long as they are asymptomatic. But dental professionals know that this can’t be further from the truth. Prevention is of course the most efficient way of improving the overall state of oral health in the country, and in this light affordable dental care should be accessible for everyone.

For patients who have difficulty getting onto an NHS dental register and can’t afford regular private care, there is the option of a dental payment plan, which spreads the cost of basic dental check-ups throughout the year.

Payment plans are a great way to ensure that patients attend to their oral health more regularly, but as a product it can also easily be miss sold. The guaranteed income that dentists receive from this scheme may see some professionals unnecessarily selling more expensive packages to patients in good oral health, making them pay upfront for treatments that they may not need.

As we’ve seen happen with dental insurance, for example, payment schemes that turn out to be less than straightforward and leave the consumer out of pocket can fast earn a bad reputation.[v] And unless they are offered in the most scrupulous manner possible, payment plans can fast suffer a similar fate among consumers.

In a 2010 survey of 499 private dental patients with payment plans, 29% of respondents felt that they were required by their dentists to sign up as a condition of attending the practice. [vi] To further investigate how dental payment plans are offered to consumers, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) conducted their own survey into the matter the following year. 20% of OFT respondents said that they felt somewhat pressured into joining a payment plan scheme, with 4% feeling that their dentists have placed them under ‘a lot of pressure’.[vii]

The 2012 OFT Final Report states that “because dentists often have a high degree of influence over patients' decisions, care must be taken by dentists to ensure that they are not at risk of unduly influencing patient decisions regarding whether or not to join a dental payment plan.” [viii]

While it is a reality that practices need to turn a profit, dental professionals must always keep in mind that the patient will rarely distinguish between professional advice and a sales pitch while they’re lying in the dental chair. The feeling that they have been sold to unnecessarily may come after the patient leaves the clinic, which can then sour the dentist-patient relationship.

In order to avoid this, dentists must make sure that patients aren’t given the impression that they have no other choice but to accept the payment plan on offer. If and when a practice decides to make such a product available to their patients, steps must be taken to ensure that these are presented in light of all the other payment options the patient may have, and that these plans truly give them their money’s worth.

An example of a solid payment model is the Gencare Payment Plan, the scheme that Genix Healthcare will be launching soon. Designed to be as affordable as possible for patients, the Gencare Payment Plan will offer basic check-ups, X-rays and prophylaxis at proposed payments of around £10 a month, putting its costs well below that of other offers that include similar treatments. With basic payment plans such as these, patients shell out the least amount of money for quality care, and there’s little danger of giving them the impression that they are being sold to needlessly.

If used the way they are intended to, payment plans may get more people visiting their dentist regularly. This in turn can elevate the state of the nation’s oral health and advance the dental profession towards the preventive practice that it aims to become.

For additional information please call 0845 838 1122, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.genixhealthcare.com

Being an associate puts you in a rather special category when it comes to income tax considerations. Although you do fall under the HMRC’s description of a self-employed earner, you also have very different financial circumstances to that of, say, a freelance artist or a small business owner.

You don’t own a business, and yet you work for yourself. You’re not an employee, yet you report to a specific place (or places) of work on a regular basis. And unlike most freelance workers, you’re required to wear a uniform whenever you’re on duty!

The same anomalies your working status brings into your everyday life also apply to your tax needs. So if you’re looking for a tax solution to help with your returns, you need to find a service that caters specifically to associate dentists. This way, you can be sure that your particular tax requirements are being met.

A tax solution must first of all prepare your annual accounts and tax returns accurately and efficiently whilst communicating with you in each step of the process, and deliver this service in the shortest time possible so you don’t incur late penalties.

They also need to have the specialist knowledge to be able to ensure you can make the most of your tax claims. Some items that you think are claimable may very well not be, and other items you haven’t thought to put on that list can result in lost savings.

A tax service that can provide you with a comprehensive list of dental specific claimable expenses and ensure you are informed of how to record these accurately will end up saving you quite a lot in the long run.

You should also consider finding a tax solution that’s based on an easy-to-use online system, so you can supply your tax solution providers with income records and other information quite easily, with minimum interruption to your busy schedule. An online-based system can also give you easy access to your financial documents and files any time you might need them.

One very important factor to consider when you work for yourself is the possible risk of an HMRC investigation.

As the HMRC conducts a certain percentage of random inspections each year, you’re never guaranteed to avoid one; although there are certainly measures that can be taken to ensure that the risk is reduced as much as possible and any pain to both your time and pocket are minimised. Free insurance for such an event can be invaluable.

As a self-employed earner, you also need to look toward budgeting for the years to come quite carefully, and extras which can help you plan your financial future can be most welcome. These free benefits can include interim tax estimates that help greatly with your yearly budget, or a consultation with a financial advisor to speak about investments, pensions and the like.

If you hope to gain practice ownership someday, a tax package that comes with a free formal accountant’s reference which you can use to look for financing will help a great deal. And assistance with setting up your own business bank account if you don’t have one yet is another great bonus.

All this may seem like a lot to ask for, but there is a company that can deliver all this, at a very affordable price as well. figurit is a new accountancy and tax solution exclusively for dental associates that can take care of all your tax returns, and delivers the most in free added benefits.

Filing your taxes and taking a hold of your finances shouldn’t send you into a panic, if you turn to a company that understands your specific needs and can deliver the kind of service that you deserve.

For more information on our specialist accountancy and tax package

exclusively for dental associates, visit www.figurit.co.uk

Every dentist will strive to give treatment that is tailored to the specific needs of a patient. This approach is also applicable when looking to lease a property for use as a dental practice. Taking into account the very specific service that dentists offer, it follows that their practice will also require specific terms and conditions in the lease to support that service.

Standardised leases

The ability of a dental practice to function as smoothly as possible is of the utmost importance. Standardised commercial leases can often hinder dentists in their work, making them waste time and money unnecessarily. The pitfalls and problems are numerous with standard commercial leases, and it is best to avoid them at all costs.

There is a very real danger that the specific requirements of a dental practice can be overlooked and in some cases actually forbidden under the terms of the lease! For example, the need for practices to store X-ray machines and various drugs is clear. However, it is possible for a standard lease to prohibit the storage of these items. If a dentist does not adhere to the conditions of the lease there is a possibility of the lease being terminated by the landlord and the dentist being evicted from the property, which can lead to otherwise preventable high expense and hassle in order to resolve the situation.

In addition, dentists are often not required to register for VAT in respect of their supply of an exempt service. However a standard commercial lease can leave the landlord with the ability to charge VAT at any point should the landlord so chose. If this were to happen, it would mean an unavoidable and immediate 20 per cent rise in the rent of the property.

The restrictions that standard commercial leases enforce can not only cripple the financial position and functionality of a practice, but can also prohibit anybody from sharing the property.

This is particularly unfavourable when considering commonplace associate agreements. A term that associate agreements usually state is that the associate is given a license to use the property for dental purposes. With a potential restriction on who can occupy the property, an associate agreement can unwittingly lead to a breach of lease, and once again termination of the lease can occur.

The fact is that many general practice solicitors who draw up standard leases do not take into account the particular requirements of a dental practice, as opposed to the requirements of their other commercial clients. Whilst these general practice solicitors may be knowledgeable about commercial leases in the broad sense, it would be extremely advantageous to any dentist considering taking a commercial lease to employ a solicitor who has experience specifically in the dental industry.

In simple terms, the disadvantages a standardised commercial lease presents to a dentist can be overwhelming.

The benefits of bespoke commercial leases

Instructing a commercial lawyer with specialist dental knowledge will offer a solution. A bespoke lease will address the requirements a dentist has for his or her practice and amend the terms a standardised commercial lease overlooks or prohibits. This will provide a successful and hassle free lease, ultimately allowing for a dentist to focus on providing dental treatment, rather than worrying about legal matters.

Using bespoke commercial leases can be a sensible way to avoid time and money being wasted, and the complications that come with that waste. From ensuring that the storage of vital dental equipment is allowed to enabling associate agreements, and making sure there is no unexpected rise in rent, the benefits of a bespoke lease are clear.

 The key points to always bear in mind is not only the employment of a dental lawyer who understands the dental industry, but also the fact that where any legal matter is concerned it is important not to cut corners to save time. Bespoke commercial leases can be extremely beneficial in avoiding unnecessary complications and costs; their importance cannot be stressed enough.

Goodman Grant has a reputation of quality legal advice within dentistry. With this crucial and specialist knowledge, Goodman Grant’s team of solicitors are able to draw bespoke commercial leases to the specific advantage of dentists. Ensure you are not distracted from providing exceptional treatment by taking advantage of the huge benefits a bespoke commercial lease will provide. 

Nicola Lomas Goodman Grant Lawyers for Dentists

For more information call Nicola Lomas on 0151 707 0090 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.goodmangrant.co.uk

 

After the first quarter of 2014, you may have more patients ask about the effective bad breath solution that is CB12.

CB12 will be sponsoring the local weather on ITV news from the beginning of January to the end of March, in an effort to make the product top of mind for consumers who seek effective relief from chronic halitosis.

There are many scientific reasons why CB12 should be top of mind for dental professionals as well. Heading the list is its patented formula with low concentrations of zinc acetate and chlorhexidine, which have proven effective at neutralising all three Volatile Sulphur Compounds (VSCs) that cause halitosis.

Other excellent reasons for recommending the product are its long-lasting 12-hour protection,[i] and its superior performance against 18 other leading mouthwash brands.[ii] For patients looking to effectively manage bad breath, CB12 is great news.

For immediate and lasting relief from foul mouth odours, you can confidently recommend CB12.

For more information about CB12 and how it could benefit your patients, please visit www.cb12.co.uk

Optimise Treatment Quality, Workflow and Patient Experience

With CS Solutions from Carestream Dental

Widely renowned for providing top quality digital imaging systems and practice management software, the experts at Carestream Dental have developed the innovative CS Solutions. Designed to offer maximum flexibility to the practitioner, the system represents the very cutting-edge of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry.

Offering ultimate versatility, CS Solutions consisting of:

 CS 3500 Intraoral Scanner

 CS 9300 or CS 9000 3D CBCT Impressioning Scanner

 CS 3000Milling Machine

 CS Restore

 CS Connect

Available as stand-alone technologies or as a complete and comprehensive system, CS Solutions provides the option to scan, design, mill and place restorations in a single appointment. This enables the clinician to work the way they prefer, whether they wish to scan their ‘analogue’ impressions; scan the patient directly; create the restoration chairside; or send their digital impressions to a laboratory.

Carestream Dental has listened to the profession and developed CS Solutions to accommodate the specific requirements of the modern dentist, technician and patient.

With this in mind, each component is user-friendly and easily portable. The system can also be fully integrated into any existing practice management software, for optimum workflow and communication between the entire dental team. In addition, patient experience has been enhanced with quiet and vibration-free technologies, ultimate precision for fast yet accurate treatment, and improved handling for maximum comfort.

For more information on CS Solutions from Carestream Dental,

please call 0800 169 9692 or visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk

Schick 33 is the latest addition to the modular Schick Digital Imaging System and is the perfect choice to take your practice into the digital age. Each system comes complete with cutting-edge DICOM digital radiography software, and you can even include WiFi for even greater freedom and flexibility within your practice.

Featuring the industry's highest image resolution and lowest learning curve, Schick 33 will change the way you see your images — and your practice.

Dr Tony Druttman, a specialist in Endodontics at London Endo Ltd says:

“I have used Schick digital sensors for over twelve years starting with CDR, moving onto Elite and have for the last two years been using the Schick 33 sensors. The image quality with this latest technology surpasses anything that I have used before. I see many radiographs taken by referring colleagues using a variety of sensors and technologies and nothing compares in quality.

“I use size 1 and 2 sensors and this allows accurate positioning and total versatility to obtain accurate and meaningful images of the adult dentition with minimum discomfort to patients.

“Getting the best quality information that I need as an endodontist is of paramount importance to my work both for diagnosis and post-operative evaluation. The images I can show my patients enable them to see clearly and therefore understand more easily either what needs to be done or what has been done. The software is easy to use and very versatile.

“Finally there is no point in having the best technology without having the best support. I have had that consistently and continue to receive a high level of support from Clark Dental. Their response is always efficient and effective. It gives me the peace of mind to know that I have quality and reliability with technology on which I depend so heavily.”

Intuitive Schick 33 software allows you to see and save images the way you and your colleagues want. Interactive image enhancement allows you to quickly adjust image quality and sharpness, while Schick 33’s clinical-specific mapping feature allows you to automatically default to presents for different clinical disciplines. You can even save and share personalised settings for complete flexibility across the practice. 

With an image resolution of 33 line pairs per millimetre, Schick 33 from Clark Dental is the truly industry-leading intraoral digital imaging solution. If you already own Schick products, upgrading to include Schick 33 is easy. You can also trade in your existing digital imaging system up to 50% with Clark Dental’s new trade-in programme for even better value. To find out more, contact Clark Dental today.

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

Dental prostheses are like bespoke pieces of art that require skilled technicians to execute well. And so it follows that when dentists search for a laboratory to create their ceramic restorations, the first thing they need to look for is a supplier that can boast of adept and experienced craftsmen.

Dentists should keep in mind, however, that using a skilled worker only makes up half of the equation. Like commissioning a bespoke piece from an artisan, a satisfactory end product is also largely dependent on the amount of instruction the maker is given.

A client wouldn’t approach a jeweller and simply say, “I’d like you to make me a gentleman’s ring, and I’d like it to be gold.” In order for the client to receive a product that is faithful to what they had in mind, they would supply more information, such as the shade of gold they’d like, how heavily decorated the piece should be, and so forth.

In the same way, dentists cannot expect to receive an ideal prosthetic if all they extend to the dental lab by way of instruction is what kind of prosthetic they require, and what shade it needs to come in.

While it’s true that the technician also picks up a wealth of information from the impression that the dentist sends, not everything can be determined from the model derived from the initial cast. If for example the dentist would like a tooth brought in, or a certain translucency is required to match neighbouring teeth, then all this needs to be made known.

On the flip side, a good technician will also keep the dentist and the patient in mind at all times when creating ceramic prostheses. Whether the technician works in a small laboratory and handles every step of the restoration himself, or labours in a bigger outfit as part of a team whose members concentrate on specific stages of production, the end goal is always to create a dental prosthetic that is satisfactory for both the practitioner and the patient.

One of the main differences between a small and large dental lab is turn-around time – in the teamwork style of production, time-consuming step-by-step processes can be executed simultaneously, bringing about a more efficient process. If the team works well together, this system can function beautifully. The core team of technicians at Sparkle Dental Labs, for example, have been running solidly together for more than a year and have reached a kind of symbiosis with each others’ working styles, leading to excellent ceramic restorations with quick turn-around times.

But whether a dentist chooses to work with a small or large laboratory, the concept remains the same: with the combination of a skilled craftsman and detailed instruction, the creation of excellent dental prostheses can be expected.

For any additional information please call 0800 138 6255 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit:

www.sparkledentallabs.com

With more than 115 years’ combined experience, Castellini and Tavom have become leading suppliers of quality dental and medically cabinetry and equipment.

Dr Mike Booth, Founder of Total Dental in the Lake District, recently worked with both teams to create a brand new dental surgery in the heart of Windermere.

“I have enjoyed a very happy working relationship with RPA Dental, my regional Castellini dealer, and Tavom UK for nearly 20 years now,” says Dr Booth. “Due to their strong heritage, attention to detail, quality of product and workmanship and unparalleled customer service, they’ve been the sole suppliers of our surgery equipment during this time.

“In order to meet the high standards of dentistry we strive for, my team and I simply can’t rely on anything but the very best in the market. Castellini / Tavom technology is sophisticated and reliable, and the teams know the dental industry inside out – they know the challenges that dentists face and they proactively work to make their lives easier.

“We would certainly recommend the teams from Castellini and Tavom to any practice owners looking to create a new surgery with minimum hassle!”

For more information on how Castellini UK Ltd and Tavom UK could help you transform your dental environment, please visit www.tavomuk.com or www.castellini.com

The social stigma that comes with halitosis makes it such a sensitive topic, that even dental professionals might find it hard to bring the subject up.

In a work situation, only 9% of people would tell a colleague that they had bad breath, while one in five would give subtle hints such as offering a mint. The rest would rather not talk about it, or would just avoid the person altogether .[i] In our society, bad breath isn’t something that can be candidly discussed.

Though it may feel like you’re stepping into your patients’ personal space, it’s your duty as a dentist or a dental hygienist to discuss the problem of bad breath on a professional level.

To delve further into the subject, we speak with Professor Stefan Renvert, a renowned expert on peri-implantitis, periodontitis and halitosis, with more than 100 peer-reviewed publications on these subjects.

“From my experience, most patients are not aware that they have this problem,” Professor Renvert says. “I think a lot of people fear that it’s insulting to tell someone they have bad breath. Therefore, many individuals with halitosis are not knowledgeable about it.

“This is one of the reasons why we as dental care professionals need to be informative about halitosis to our patients.”

Professor Renvert stresses that good oral hygiene is the very first thing that dental professionals need to instil in their patients. However, not everyone who practices good oral care can escape bad breath completely.

“There are some patients who, despite brushing and flossing, can’t get rid of their bad breath,” Professor Renvert says. “In which case we turn to scraping the tongue, or using rinse solutions.”

When asked how he would choose a mouth rinse to recommend, the Professor said, “I will of course only suggest something that has proven effective in literature. And there are several of those in the market today, such as Halita, UltraDEX, and CB12.”

A clinical study on the efficacy of various mouthwash brands shows that the combination of chlorhexidine and zinc in low concentrations is effective in suppressing oral gasses that produce foul mouth odours.[ii] CB12 could  therefore be recommended for the treatment and prevention of bad breath.

Despite halitosis remaining a delicate issue for many, Professor Renvert advises professionals to push whatever reservations they may have aside in order to help their patients.

“Even if you feel like you are moving into your patient’s personal space, you still need to speak up and discuss bad breath, for their best interest,” the Professor says. “When you help a patient get rid of bad breath they really feel that you improve their social interactions and quality of life. It is very rewarding to help those individuals in such a way.”

The next time you feel even the slightest bit awkward about bringing up the subject of bad breath with your patients, just think about the embarrassment their condition causes them, and how fulfilling it will be to restore their confidence with a simple and effective solution like CB12.

For more information about CB12 and how it could benefit your patients, please visit www.cb12.com

Government austerity measures have recently been scrutinised by a number of publications during what the Telegraph has termed, “The Great Recession.” The conclusion is simple, as one paper pronounced, “austerity is seriously bad for health.” [1] With this in mind, the public attitude to oral health may be somewhat negatively impacted if austerity is the buzzword of today. Where the general consensus is cutbacks, the nation could easily put oral health on the back burner. Appointments may be considered a luxury rather than necessity and much needed treatments could easily go on hold.   

Encouraging patients to be proactive when it comes to basic oral healthcare is difficult at the best of times. Use floss, clean your teeth twice a day and eat a healthy diet is plain advice offered by dental professionals, but it can often fall on deaf ears. Exploring this issue, the British Dental Health Foundation found that in 2011 over a quarter of the population admitted to not brushing their teeth even once in 24 hours. [2] With failing numbers of patients deeming oral healthcare to be important, the fact remains that oral health is connected to general health with a clinical connection that cites the presence of advanced gum disease to an increasingly wide range of conditions. Heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and dementia, have all been linked to the presence of serious gum disease.

The association between oral and systemic health is clear, yet the British Dental Health Foundation also recently found that the nation appears oblivious to these links. 90% of people were unaware that poor oral health could potentially be linked to dementia and only 40% knew that heart problems could be connected to bad oral health. Severe gum disease is an indicator of risk to overall general health, and dentists may recognise the early indications of a general disease during checkups.

Referral to a physician could prevent a condition from worsening if dentists can spot the early signs. At the least, visits to the dentist can include a thorough cleaning of the teeth and gums by a dentist or dental hygienist. This removes plaque and this procedure, alongside advice for persistent oral hygiene can reduce and reverse the effects of gingivitis and inflammation that can lead to other chronic health complaints such as periodontitis.

It seems important now, more than ever to align oral healthcare with general healthcare to reiterate that the mouth is vital to overall health and wellbeing. Public health promotion and disease prevention should be on the cards and although practitioners cannot reach all those with poor oral health, there is certainly hope if dental professionals are able to reach their own patients with positive messages and advice for effective and preventative oral healthcare.

Alleviating barriers to preventative oral health could be a start by way of patient education that can be achieved by those with less disposable income. Oral health is much more than clean teeth. It involves the gums, the bones and the tongue to say just a few, and caring for all of these aspects needs due education and attention. Often patients are unaware of the range of dental and oral hygiene products available to them. Some may not know the importance of flossing and its prevention of plaque, instead deeming the procedure to be a luxury rather than necessity. Also patient surveys have reported difficulties using floss with many older patients finding their poor dexterity to limit their use of manual floss.

Recommending easy-to-use products such as interdental brushes or oral irrigators as an alternative to floss, or an electric toothbrush for those who cannot clean their teeth thoroughly can be simple ways to make optimum oral healthcare achievable. The key may be finding an oral healthcare regime to suit the patient while reiterating the importance of brushing twice a day with a good fluoride toothpaste. Using adjuncts and taking care of diet is simple advice that is inexpensive for patients, both in the short and long term.

One area of focus for education could be oral healthcare in children where parents can be advised during appointments on effective ways to care for their children’s teeth – right from the first tooth. A regular teeth-cleaning routine can keep children’s teeth decay-free and should be started when the first milk tooth comes through at around six months. Recommending fluoride toothpaste to parents for their children (1,000 parts per million fluoride for those under the age of three) can be most effective at preventing decay if used twice a day. Regular dental check-ups for children should also be encouraged to prevent tooth decay and promote life-long oral healthcare. 

The emphasis should be on the fact that dental disease is largely preventable.

Recommend simple and easy to use oral health and hygiene products by Curaprox, oral healthcare specialists to patients.

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

When looking to buy a dental practice, what the buyer is effectively seeking is the ability to earn his or her own income. Unfortunately, hand in hand with practice ownership come a number of responsibilities, such as an obligation to pay tax.

Whilst a specialist dental accountant will be able to point the buyer in the right direction with advanced tax planning, it is important to keep in mind that when you buy a practice all of the relevant information is obtained from the seller during the transaction. New rules have made this particularly vital when it comes to the possibility of claiming capital allowances for the cost of equipment and fixtures. Capital allowances allow the owner of the practice to claim tax breaks in relation to money that has been laid out for the purchase of plant and machinery at the practice. There is extensive documentation of what can be included within the definition of ‘plant and machinery’. The best way for a buyer to to  find out what does and doesn’t fall into this classification is to seek the assistance of a specialist dental accountant. However, it will include most essential items, such as the dental chair.

The introduction of the Finance Act 2012 introduced significant new obstacles for a buyer who wishes to claim capital allowances for second-hand fixtures and equipment. The new rules mean that in practices where equipment and fixtures have been installed after April 2012 and a practice seller has already claimed some capital allowances in relation to those items, the buyer of the practice will need to make a disposal value statement in order to receive entitlement for capital allowances on those items. The process of making a disposal value statement can be that either the buyer elects (with the co-operation of the seller) to attribute certain values to the fixtures and equipment or that the buyer has the value of the items set by a tribunal.

As a result of this new complication, it is now extremely important for a buyer to know whether or not any of the fixtures in a practice have been installed since 2012. But not only this, they must also discover whether or not the seller of the practice had been claiming for capital allowances whilst they owned the practice.

The best way of approaching a conundrum such as this is to seek the expert assistance of a specialist dental lawyer, who will have the knowledge and experience to ensure a smooth transaction. A specialist dental lawyer will understand the complexities of such an undertaking and will therefore know to raise enquiries on behalf of the buyer that can then be fed back to the accountant. If the lawyer does not make the necessary enquiries it may make it extremely difficult for the buyer to claim their full entitlement to tax allowances in the future. A knowledgeable dental lawyer will understand the idiosyncrasies of dental law and this unique understanding will benefit their client no end.

The rules associated with capital allowances are likely to change again for expenditure that takes place from April 2014 onwards. The changing of regulations will once again increase the difficulty of claiming capital allowances. With this in mind it is therefore, essential that both appropriate legal and accountancy advice is sought. Navigating such an altering and fragile area of dental law is not something to be approached lightly. The assistance of a skilled and experienced dental lawyer will make all the different, helping the buyer of the practice to make the most of capital allowances.

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

http://www.goodmangrant.co.uk/

A NASDAL and ASPD MEMBER

Register today for the free seminar, taking place at The BDA office

Zesty, in partnership with Practice Workshop, is proud to bring you the Full Appointment Book Seminar – designed to help you fill all your dental chairs, every day your practice is open.

Take part in this FREE seminar at the BDA and let the expert speakers tell you how to generate the most revenue for your practice by:

• Attracting new patient enquiries and turning them into appointments
• Having a full and profitable appointment book
• Using online bookings to fill appointment book gaps
• Making existing patients your brand ambassadors
• Offering patients the opportunity to book online out of hours and at weekends
• Using patient reviews & testimonials to build your online reputation

And much more!

This tutorial only has 25 places for practice managers and owners,* allocated on a first come, first served basis, so register today to secure your spot.

The event takes place from 19:00 to 21:00 on Thursday 13^th February 2014 at The BDA office in London.

Fill your appointment books and your bank accounts in 2014 – spend a few hours with the experts to learn how.

Simply email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.zesty.co.uk or call 0203 287 5416 to register for this exciting and educational tutorial today!

*Limit 2 places per practice

Choosing the right dental equipment is vital for guaranteeing the best treatment a practice can offer. The Dental Directory’s 2013 Equipment and Digital Imaging brochure ensures you can do just that.

The brochure offers sensational deals on a wide variety of dental equipment from ergonomic chairs, to imaging devices and treatment centres.

The Dental Directory is committed to offering the most comprehensive range of Equipment from the world’s leading manufacturers. Our highly-trained and experienced sales teams will offer you unbiased and impartial advice on which solution is best for your practice and guide you through planning, installation and commissioning.

With highly competitive prices, attractive finance options and outstanding customer and product support, we believe it’s time you made the right choice and included The Dental Directory as part of your winning team.

For a friendly and informative chat, or to book a demonstration on a product of interest, please call The Dental Directory free on 0800 585 585 or visit www.dental-directory.co.uk.

Your practice doesn’t need to be in great trouble in order to benefit from business support. You might think you and your team are already doing a pretty good job, staying in the black, receiving few patient complaints and providing a quality service to the local community.

While this may be the case, it is also true that a few tweaks here and there to the management system or daily protocols may enable you to provide an even better service, or enjoy a larger turnover.

A business coach works with you to streamline and improve your practice processes and help you and your team work as efficiently and productively as possible. They can also help you define your future aims and goals as a practice, ensuring you have realistic expectations and practical systems in place to help you achieve those goals in the future.

Michelle Malone is a Practice Manager at Apex Dental Studio in Elgin, Scotland. While Michelle and her team had their own ideas on how to take their practice forward, she made the decision to source some outside guidance and make sure they were on the right track from the beginning.

“Since taking on an associate last year and a local NHS practice taking on extra patients we wanted to re-evaluate our practice to make sure we were offering the best service, while of course running an effective and profitable business,” explains Michelle. “We also needed ways to attractive new patients – while we had our own ideas about what we could do, we wanted to call upon the expertise of someone who could advise us on what really would work, and identify what needed changing.

“As a result we sourced the help of a business coach. We needed someone with the skills and experience to get straight to the point, and to make sure we were headed in the right direction.

“The coach visited our practice for a day, and it was great to receive advice designed specifically for our practice and our team. I also think it was great that the team were addressed directly with any issues and praise, rather than just hearing it through me.”

A good business coach of course has both experience and skills in a wide variety of areas, from finances, to staff training and treatment coordination. As one of their main aims was to bring in new patients to grow the practice, Michelle and her team were keen to focus on their marketing strategies.

“We wanted to concentrate on how we could take the practice forward as a team and really develop the business in the long-term,” says Michelle. “We had only recently started utilising social media for marketing and we knew that we needed an up-to-date website. Our business coach was able to work from our fundamental ideas and designs, and suggest ways of making them more effective for us. He was able to offer some fantastic advice on potential marketing campaigns – particularly with regards to how long they should be run for, which treatments we should promote, where they should be run and who we should be targeting.

“During the day, Nicci, our practice owner, and myself did have some one-on-one time with the coach to go through the business strategy. In these situations, I think it is important that you work with a professional you feel comfortable with and are really able to talk to. We were lucky to work with such a person, and we did in fact cover many areas that we hadn’t planned to bring up, which was really helpful. In the end however, we focused mainly on the KIPs of the business and how to apply these successfully, as well as how to implement effective marketing strategies.

“In the afternoon, our staff had the opportunity to air any of their own questions. Everything from ethical sales to patient communications and treatment coordination was brought up, and I think it was brilliant for each member of our team to get all the answers they needed.

“Since that day, we have begun employing the new protocols and ideas put in place that day, and we found that being able to contact our coach for on-going support has been a huge benefit to us. There is hard work still to be done, but the day with an expert definitely helped set us in the right direction.”

These ‘Discovery Days’ are designed to be the starting blocks of a long and successful practice. Such services are provided by leading business consultants at 7Connections, who will come to your practice and evaluate every aspect from a professional and practical point of view, before helping you and your team implement new ideas successfully.

If you think your practice could use a little refinement in order to really thrive, a business coach might just be the answer.

For more information about 7connections business coaching

please call 01647 478145

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

dbg – 25 years and counting!

At dbg we’ve been working alongside dental practices for 25 years, providing complete solutions to meet our members’ needs. As a member of dbg you can benefit from…

• Membership: Join us to access industry leading benefits and free compliance cloud software.

• Business Services: Access to services designed to save you time and money.

• Compliance: Unlimited access to compliance experts.

• Materials & Equipment: We stock all major brands and even offer our own!

• Engineering & Calibration: Inspection, repair, maintenance and servicing for all of your vital equipment.

• Training: Dedicated training focussed on all CPD topics.

Each of our solutions has been tailor made to meet the stringent demands of modern dentistry, and we offer solutions in all areas of practice. We are also offering an exclusive 25% discount on membership when you recommend a friend, saving both you and your referred friend £82.50 off your annual fee!

To find out more about our complete solutions for your practice, contact dbg today.

For more information call dbg on 01606 861 950,

Or visit www.thedbg.co.uk

@dbg_uk

On Friday 24^th January 2014, Goodman Grant and PFM Dental will host the first in a series of seminars covering everything dental practice owners need to know about retirement.

The full day sessions will be packed full of highly specialist advice and will cover key topics to ensure you make the most of your retirement and don’t get caught in any legal loopholes.

Lawyers for dentists Goodman Grant will deliver a presentation on how to prepare your practice for your buyer’s due diligence checks, and what to expect from a sale/purchase contract. There will also be additional presentations from chartered accountants and financial advisers, making the event a must if you are considering retirement in the next 10 years.

Dates for 2014 include:

• Leeds – 24th January
• Manchester – 21st Feb
• Birmingham – 21st March
• Holborn – 25th April
• Newcastle – 23rd May
• Southampton – 20th June
• Liverpool- 19th September
• Oxford – 24th October
• Watford – 21st November

Each event will run from 9:00am to 3:30pm, with lunch included, and will cost only £50 per delegate to attend.

To find out more, contact Goodman Grant today.

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

www.goodmangrant.co.uk

A NASDAL and ASPD MEMBER

Aside from their technical expertise, efficient service and competitive prices, there are now two more reasons why you should make Sparkle Dental Labs your laboratory partner of choice.

On 29^th November 2013, representatives of the very best dental labs from all over the UK gathered in central London for the 2^nd Annual Laboratory Awards.

By the end of the evening, Sparkle Dental Labs had two trophies to boast of: Best NHS Laboratory and Best Laboratory Website.

Sparkle Dental Labs is a full-service facility that produces high quality dental work of all kinds; they offer expert craftsmanship, full accountability for all their products, free pick-up and delivery and fast turnaround times.

Sparkle Dental Labs prides itself in being the biggest dental lab in the UK that is committed to providing quality British workmanship at extremely competitive prices. Despite having been operational for just over a year, their consistent excellence in products and service have already made them a winning dental lab for both the Laboratory Awards and their satisfied customers.

Visit their award-winning website and see for yourself why Sparkle Dental Labs truly deserve these honours, and how they can be your ideal dental lab partner.

For any additional information please call 0800 138 6255 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit:

www.sparkledentallabs.com

Long has the threat of CQC loomed over dental practices in the UK, and in recent months we have seen more fall into the clutches of inadequacy.

Failing to meet all the regulations and comply with the various CQC outcomes can lead to serious problems at best. As we have seen on several occasions now, the CQC does have the power to close a practice it feels is endangering the public in any way. You may have seen the closure of a dental practice in Dudley in the last couple of months, when it failed to meet expected standards in three main areas – care and welfare of people, cleanliness and infection control, and record keeping.

In this particular case, the CQC inspector reported gaps in patient records with missing data that could not be located at all. There were also questions over the security of the records held, with some found in members of staff’s personal cars.

When dealing with paperwork for hundreds or indeed thousands of patients, it requires unnecessary time and effort from professionals and a huge amount of space for storage. When retaining such records for years, it is no wonder that data is misplaced or lost, particularly when the practice is busy and staff have several things on their minds at once. There are, however ways of protecting your practice from the same fate.

This is just one reason why modern technologies have replaced paper records, and the concept of a ‘paperless practice’ is rapidly spreading across the global market. By storing patient records electronically, practices can instantly save resources, time and space, enabling staff to concentrate on their patients. Such records are also easy to update when necessary, and files can be reviewed or emailed to patients accordingly.

The CS R4 Clinical+ practice management software from Carestream Dental demonstrates the latest innovation in such technology. The fully integrated system encompasses everything from appointment schedules to treatment plans, patient records and automatic text message reminders, all easily accessible by any authorised member of staff.

While ensuring your practice is CQC compliant, the software also helps streamline your daily processes and enhance the service you provide your patients as a simple yet effective management tool. In addition, CS R4 Online Backup and Recovery is also available from Carestream Dental to provide added security for all your data in case of a crisis.

So if there is any doubt at all over the reliability or security of your practice records, make sure you so something about it. Various electronic solutions are now readily available on the dental market, all provided with complete installation, training and on-going technical support. Don’t take the risk.

For more information, please contact Carestream Dental

on 0800 169 9692 or visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk

As the UK climbs out of the recession, it is essential that all businesses utilise every financial opportunity provided for them. The Autumn Statement in fact offers several possible benefits for dental practices, and it is crucial that you know and understand which will affect you.

Initiatives introduced or confirmed that could benefit your practice include:

 No NIC is payable for employees under the age of 21, saving your business thousands of pounds every year on younger staff.

 The capping at 2% of the increase in business rates on commercial premises from 1 April 2014.

 50% business rates relief for business moving into retail premises that have been empty for a year or more.

In addition, the Chancellor announced a clamp down on aggressive tax avoidance, with taxpayers encouraged to stay away from ‘tax schemes’ through penalties and accelerated tax payment during avoidance investigations.

So to find out how you could take advantage of the new initiatives while protecting your practice from the threat of penalties, speak to the experts at Lansdell & Rose today.

For more information please visit www.lansdellrose.co.uk or call Lansdell & Rose on 020 7376 9333.

As the demand for aesthetic dental treatments continues to rise, it is up to you as the practitioner to find new ways of providing for your patients. Orthodontic appliances such as the Inman Aligner offer a minimally invasive approach and highly effective results for patients with protruding or crowded anterior teeth.

Dr Abhishek Agarwal from Canada Water Dental Health in London, recently added the Inman Aligner to his treatment range.

“As a GDP I have seen a lot of interest from patients, both young and elderly, wanting to correct simple mal-alignment of their anterior teeth,” he says. “I would normally hesitate to recommend conventional braces for such cases, but one day a patient asked me why I didn’t offer the Inman Aligner treatment – I then had no choice but to find out for myself why it's one of the most talked about orthodontic systems in general dental practice. 

“Having first come across the orthodontic appliance in the 'Dental Update' journal, I was quite impressed by the ABB (Align, Bleach and Bond) concept but thought my lack of orthodontic experience made it an unsuitable option for me. I was delighted to discover that no previous training was necessary in order to gain certification with the Inman Aligner.”

From here, Dr Agarwal decided to attend the hands-on training course for the Inman Aligner, which offers a complete overview of the appliance in a single day.

“It was one of the most well-organised training courses I have ever attended. The booking process, the pre-course preparation of material and instructions, as well as the course day itself, were all executed very systematically.

“The tutors were extremely knowledgeable and I felt that the course content started at a suitably basic level of orthodontics and gradually built up throughout the day. One-to-one discussion sessions were immensely helpful as the advice I received was tailored to my individual needs. Direct interaction with the laboratory personnel throughout the day provided another great benefit, and the course provided all the necessary information needed to get started right away.

“I left the course feeling very satisfied, excited and confident that I could now address the basic orthodontic needs of my patient base. Also, knowing that post-course support was available online from tutors and colleagues, provided me with added peace of mind.”

Looking at how the Inman Aligner has affected his everyday practise, Dr Agarwal is one of many advocates for the innovative appliance.

“I can already feel a positive change in my workplace,” he adds. “The course has sparked my interest in orthodontics and the results of my first few cases so far, seem promising.

“I can’t believe that I didn’t explore the true potential of the Inman Aligner system earlier. The training course is definitely a must for any GDP wishing to extend their scope of practise. The Inman Aligner is a straightforward, rapid and a very efficient method of obtaining remarkable results and the availability of laboratory support and the online discussion forum make it a truly exceptional orthodontic system.”

For more information on the Inman Aligner and upcoming courses, please visit www.inmanaligner.com or call 0845 366 5477

The team from Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’ didn’t only exhibit at this year’s IAAFA conference in London – CEO Krishan Joshi (aka the Master) also presented to a packed audience his talk “Google Page 1 in 60 minutes”. In a fun and engaging lecture, Krishan revealed his secrets to Google Page 1 ranking, which included a LIVE and interactive demonstration of the secrets in action.

Dental Focus ® brings together a team of highly talented, passionate online marketers dedicated to making your practice an online success. With over 12 years in dentistry, the Dental Focus ® team can draw upon a wealth of research and experience in producing dental practice websites that work – providing a real, tangible return on investment to help your business grow.

To find out more about Krishan Joshi’s lecture, and how you too can achieve Google Page 1 in 60 minutes, contact Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’ today.

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

Most dental practitioners appreciate the fact that implantology is an exacting and delicate procedure which takes a whole team of talent to execute well. As the first point of contact with the patient, restoring dentists are often the ones to decide whom they want to work with on an implant treatment, and it’s their choice of surgeon and dental lab that can make or break a case.

So what should dentists look for in a dental laboratory when it comes to implant work?

First, the restoring dentist needs to make sure that the lab he or she is interested in working with can be held accountable for their role in the treatment. In general, accreditation from the ISO, DAMAS and MHRA are good to look out for, among others.

Another good thing to look for is a laboratory that works with a wide range of major implant brands. It’s much better for practitioners to develop a long-standing working relationship with one lab that can offer them a wide choice of material and make, rather than jumping to a new supplier every time they want to switch brands.

Also critical is the ability of a dental lab to keep up with industry technology. CAD/CAM technology, for example, is a great advantage for a dental lab, as it means the restoring dentist can be sure that the technicians are working as precisely as possible with the master casts they are sent.

Then there are the more intangible aspects of what makes a laboratory an excellent partner for implant work.

One key factor is communication between the dentist and the laboratory. Good communication from the time the lab receives the master cast to the day they send off the order will determine a huge part of the treatment’s success.

If the dentist is looking at a lab he or she has never worked with before, a personal visit to check out the facilities or a consultation with their technical manager is also a good idea.

Some dental practitioners, especially if they’re at the early stages of their implant work experience, may rely quite heavily on input from their lab for the kinds of materials and abutments best used in a specific case. If the practitioner can speak with an experienced technician who has the right qualifications, this exchange can be very helpful indeed.

Though there are many factors beyond the control of the dentist in implantology, there are things that with careful consideration can be taken off the mitigating factors list. Choosing a reputable and experienced dental lab that you can rely on, such as Sparkle Dental Labs, is one of these.

For every implant the dentist performs, if the team is chosen well and everything else beyond their control goes according to plan, good treatment outcome can be expected.

For any additional information please call 0800 138 6255 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit:

www.sparkledentallabs.com

Dr Maddy Managooli is Technical Manager at Sparkle Dental Labs.

I have been in dentistry for14 years, having worked as a dentist, dental technician and Head of Quality Control for one of the biggest labs in the UK. I am very excited about the Sparkle project as we have the best technology and a highly skilled Technical Team to deliver superb quality prosthetics at affordable prices.

Dr Amit Gupta is practice principal, clinical director & co-founder of Smile in London, with practices in both Wanstead and Leyton. In 2008 he worked with Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’ to develop his website www.smileinlondon.co.uk, and has seen an excellent return on his investment.

‘We established our practice website in 2008, a few months after my wife [Dr Preeti Gupta] and I bought our practice,’ says Amit. ‘I had already devised the name “Smile in London” after a brainstorming session, and bought the domain name to match as well. The next stage was to devise the website. I wanted to consult with an online marketing company that deals exclusively with dentists. After some research I discovered Dental Focus ®, and I remember being impressed with their website and their portfolio of example sites they had created for other dentists. I also read up on their team members including their Internet Marketing Director Krishan Joshi, so I contacted him directly. He was really extremely helpful, so I decided to go ahead and get the project underway.’

Design is a crucial part of any dental practice website, as it needs to be eye catching and attractive, as well as being simple to navigate and easy to read. To really establish a practice ‘brand’ a good website should also reflect the practice identity with style, and should ideally tie in with the practice’s other marketing material including patient information leaflets, and of course the practice logo.

‘When we first bought the practice and agreed upon the name, Preeti and I designed a logo that we were both happy with and we used in all our promotional material, including practice stationary and business cards,’ says Amit. ‘So as soon as the website project was underway, I sent Krishan and his team plenty of background information about us, as well as our other dentists and so on, along with our newly-designed logo and photos of our practice.

‘For the content of the website I was keen to incorporate MEDiVision patient education animations, so patients could envisage videos of different treatments in a clear way. I also decided that I wanted Flash images on our homepage to make the page more interesting, and we even had a soundtrack added as well, which I think works really well.’

Thanks to a combination of engaging content, good website design and some clever marketing Amit and Preeti have been able to generate many new patients leads through their practice website, and it continues to be a useful marketing tool to this day.

‘Alongside word of mouth advertising, I’d say our website is one of our most important forms of marketing,’ says Amit. ‘We receive a lot of new patient enquiries directly through our website, and people often comment that they’ve found us because of our website.

‘If you want to remain competitive these days in dentistry it’s really important you have a practice website. We used Dental Focus ® to help us create ours and they have done a really professional job. They have also recently completed work making a mobile version of our practice website so patients can easily view our site on their smart phones and tablets. Again, Dental Focus ® did a great job with this, and I would highly recommend them to anyone seeking to create a practice website!’

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

Join The Fight Against Mouth Cancer

Mouth cancer cases are increasing at a catastrophic rate, according to The British Dental Health Foundation. In 2011 there were 7,698 new cases in the UK, an increase of 50% since the turn of the century.  With more than 6,000 new cases in England alone, Scotland has the most cases per 100,000 people and almost double the number of men contracted the disease compared to women. It is one of the few cancer variations on the rise and claims more lives than cervical and testicular cancer combined, yet four out of five people still do not know any symptoms of the disease.[1]

Mouth cancer (or oral cancer) can occur in different forms on the mouth, tongue and lips. Rare types of mouth cancer include salivary gland, lymphoma and melanoma.

The two most common symptoms of mouth cancer are an ulcer that does not heal and constant discomfort or pain in the mouth.

Mouth cancer can be treated more successfully when it is diagnosed early, and this is why it was added to the GDC’s recommended core CPD topics. It is thus important for dental professionals to highlight the importance to patients of looking out for any changes in their mouth, including ulcers and red or white patches that have not cleared up within 3 weeks.

Most causes of mouth cancer are linked to alcohol and tobacco. The risk of mouth cancer is increased if tobacco and alcohol are consumed together. A diet containing large quantities of red meat and fried food can also be a contributory factor. As highlighted in media coverage of Michael Douglas and his 3-year battle with this disease, recent research has linked mouth cancer to the human papillomavirus (HPV).[2]

What can dental professionals do to help?

It is important for all members of the dental team to raise patient awareness of the simple lifestyle changes that can help prevent developing mouth cancer (or prevent it reoccurring after successful treatment). These are not smoking, keeping to the recommended weekly limit for alcohol consumption (21 units for men and 14 units for women) and eating a healthy, balanced diet, full of fresh fruit and vegetables, olive oil and fish.

It is the clinician’s responsibility to perform checks that include feeling the neck and face to check for swellings, as mouth cancer can often be discovered in its early stages. Regular dental appointments are thus imperative in the prevention and early detection of mouth cancer. Patients with particularly busy lives need simple and convenient methods for booking regular dental visits. As the dental industry heralds the power of the internet, it is becoming easier for patients to book their appointments online.