Head of Dental, Iain Stevenson, for Wesleyan Financial Services, discusses what the upcoming budget could potentially mean to dentists and why having a good understanding of your financial position now, could help you get ahead of the game.

Is your patient journey the best it can be? Are you confident that new patients joining your practice will be wowed by their experience? Could you do better? Practice Plan Regional Support Manager, Louise Anderson, suggests areas to consider for improvement.

As appointments at NHS practices become scarcer, more patients are turning to private practices for their oral health care. Many of them will have been long standing NHS patients and now that they are being asked to pay higher fees for their dentistry, they may have certain pre-conceived ideas about the sort of service they can expect from a private practice.

On Practice Plan’s recent Workshop Tour, Dr Barry Oulton showed attendees how they could offer their patients a first-class service without spending a lot of money. To be able to achieve this he emphasised it was important not just to meet their expectations, but to exceed them.

Take a step back

To state the obvious, before you can start making improvements you need to understand what’s already there. This will involve taking a step back and looking objectively at how your practice team works.

Ask yourself, “What impression would I get of my team and the practice if I were visiting for the first time?” If you’re to get the most out of this exercise, then you have to be prepared for some disappointments. After all, we’re looking for ways to improve things, so there will be things you see your team doing that you know can be done better.

Define what good looks like to you

To focus the review and make it easier for you to assess your team, it’s helpful to first develop your own ideas of what you would expect as a new patient. That way you can gauge your team against the blueprint of how you would like things to be.

It might be helpful to consider these five areas:

• Appearance
• Punctuality
• Public interaction with team members
• Behaviour/mindset
• Skills/capabilities

For each category, write down a few points that you feel are what you would expect from a first-class team. You can then use that as your benchmark and rank your team members against it.

Come up with the standards that you would expect from a team that meets your definition of first-class. This is the sort of exercise that need only take five minutes of your time, so it’s not something you need to pore over for hours!

For example, with appearance – as a minimum, your team members should look clean and tidy. If you have a uniform/workwear is everyone sticking to it or have some people gone rogue and started wearing their own thing?

Punctuality – is everyone at work and ready to START when you open? Or do some team members stroll in on the stroke of 9am and then spend the next 10 minutes sorting themselves out? What about breaks? If you’re lucky enough to get them (and you should!), do some people take longer than they’re entitled to?

Public interaction with team members – is everyone in the team treated respectfully by their colleagues when they’re in public? Or is there passive aggression or antagonism on display for all to see? Patients should not be aware of any personal differences between team members as any clashes should be put to one side in public. Would open hostility be on your list of attributes for a first-class team?

Behaviour/mindset – complementary to the way your team members interact with each other is their attitude to work. Are they enthusiastic and willing or do they sulk and whine? Do they behave in a way that suggests they enjoy their job and want to do well at it or are they just going through the motions. In short, does their attitude and the way they behave enhance or hinder the work of the team.

Skills/capabilities – foes every member of your team have the right skills and capabilities to be able to do a good job? If not, any skill gaps and training needs you have identified during this exercise can be addressed and put right. By doing that hopefully you’ll not only improve performance but job satisfaction for the individual too.

How do they match up?

Once you’ve completed your assessment, you should have a clear picture of the team as a whole. So, do your team members live up to how you defined the behaviours and attitudes you felt marked out teams as first-class when you set your benchmark? It’s likely you’ll have a mixed result, even if you previously regarded everyone as providing a first-class service. There’s always room for improvement, even if it’s only a minor detail.

Another characteristic of a first-class team is constantly striving for improvement. When Sir Dave Brailsford took over at British Cycling, he looked at every aspect of the operation to discover where improvements could be made, no matter how small. It was uncovering every opportunity to achieve ‘marginal gains’ that turned an also-ran team into a world beater. On their own, each marginal gain was negligible, but when they were all added together they made a spectacular difference to the performance of the team.

So, even if you found that your team currently provides elements of a budget standard of service, by repeating this exercise regularly, you can continue to make small changes to refine and elevate things so that, over time, things become truly first class.

If you are interested in finding out more about how we help practices to become more profitable come along to stand K50 at Dentistry Show Birmingham, on 17th and 18th May for a chat. Otherwise, call 01691

About Louise

Magdelena Harding, dental Specialist Financial Adviser at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares research findings that reveal what you need to aim for…

The golden question asked of a financial adviser by dentists is how much retirement income they need to down tools and enjoy life outside of dentistry.

The aviation industry has the best safety record of all forms of transport. This is maintained by meticulous checking and attention to detail. By borrowing a few techniques from flying, dental practices can improve the efficiency of their examinations, save time and increase treatment uptake. Practice Plan Regional Support Manager, Selina Alexander explains how.

Iain Stevenson is Head of Dental at Wesleyan Financial Services and has over 28 years of experience working in financial services.

What has the new Labour government announced so far that could potentially impact financial planning for dentists?

If we consider what has been announced so far, Labour has said it is not planning to raise income tax, National Insurance, VAT and corporation tax. On the face of it, this is a good thing, although, on the other hand, this needs to be balanced against the fact that income tax thresholds are being held and will remain frozen until 2028. This means that more people will start paying tax in the first place and others will be dragged into higher tax bands. Labour has also stated that their plans to end the VAT exemption on private school fees will go ahead – this change may have a significant impact on many of our dental clients whose children attend fee paying schools.

What might change in the future?

At present there is a degree of speculation regarding what was notably absent from Labour’s manifesto and what could therefore potentially change in the future. For example, there has been no specific mention of capital gains tax – this could possibly be an area for reform in the future. Capital gains tax, as we know, is not a tax on income, it's a tax on assets and the sale of assets – something which could perhaps impact the net returns received from the sale of a practice.

Then there is the age-old challenge around pensions – for the 35 years that I have been in this business, pensions have always been a potential target for change and for governments to try and do something in a different way. We know that the lifetime allowance - the maximum amount you're allowed to have in a pension pot or an accumulation of pension pots at retirement - was withdrawn last year, a welcome change that helped to encourage people to continue to save and look after themselves in the long term. Labour has confirmed that it will not reinstate the lifetime allowance, which is good news for dentists; however, another notable omission from the manifesto was around the annual allowance - the amount that you are allowed to contribute to a pension each year. If we look at pensions overall, they're extremely tax efficient and offer a good method of saving – this also means though, that some of the tax allowances may potentially be a target for change, such as pension tax relief to give an example.

The tax-free pension commencement lump sum - this allows you to take a certain percentage (currently 25%) out of your pension as a tax-free lump sum – is another area that has been discussed as a potential for change in recent years. Nothing has been announced however, and this is only speculation. I am hopeful that this government encourages people to save and look to maintain the tax advantages of pension planning and of retirement planning.

What sort of changes would you welcome from the new government?

I would be delighted to see changes made to ISAs to encourage people to invest more, especially so for younger people. If we think of young dentists who are just coming into the profession and how hard they have studied to get started – it would be wonderful to see some sort of scheme specifically for these dentists, to help them save and to encourage them to build solid foundations for their future as well.

What would you encourage dentists to think about now?

I would encourage dentists to look after themselves in the short, medium, and long-term and to not delay making decisions, with regard to their financial planning, in the event that things may change in the future.

My fear is that while there's uncertainty at the moment around what the new government might do, some people may choose to do nothing and that in itself, in the long run, could be even more damaging. By choosing to wait until inflation comes down, until interest rates come down or until the next budget for example, we miss opportunities; and when the autumn statement does come around, it’s likely that other unanswered questions will transpire. There will always be something else, a war that we cannot control or an economic challenge that we weren't expecting, or another reason to delay and before we realise, six months becomes one year, one year becomes five years and so forth, and then the opportunity has gone.

I would encourage dentists to take a step back and use this as a time to reflect and consider the following: What am I trying to do? Am I doing the best I can over the short, medium, and long term?

Speculating over what could happen is an interesting discussion, but it can also create fear. Therefore, we need to be careful that we don't over speculate and just assume that certain things are going to happen. We need to be careful that we don't just keep putting things off and ensure that we continue to make good financial, well-informed decisions.

Bear in mind that the value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest.

Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may be subject to change in future.

For further support and guidance to plan on financial planning, speak to a dental Specialist Financial Adviser at Wesleyan Financial Services by booking a no-obligation financial review or calling 0800 316 3784.

About: Iain Stevenson is Head of Dental at Wesleyan Financial Services and has over 28 years of experience working in financial services. Under Iain’s guidance, Wesleyan Financial Service’s Dental segment helps to support dentists, their families, and their practices with financial planning to secure their financial future.

Wesleyan Financial Services Ltd (Registered in England and Wales No. 1651212) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: Colmore Circus, Birmingham B4 6AR. Telephone: 0345 351 2352. Calls may be recorded to help us provide, monitor and improve our services to you.

Dental Regional Manager, Neil Richardson, for Wesleyan Financial Services, shares his views on what could possibly change for dentists under a new government.

We all talk about wanting to get good value for money. But what does that really mean? Practice Plan Regional Support Manager, Jo Phillpot, talks about the importance of taking some time to evaluate whether you’re getting the best value for money from your suppliers.

Professional Risks Corporate Manager, Thomas Hogan, for Wesleyan Financial Services, outlines the potential impact of business interruption as a result of cyber-attack.

As a seasoned Principal Dentist, you've dedicated years to building your dental practice, and now retirement is on the horizon. Selling your practice is a significant milestone, and ensuring you get the best value for your life's work is paramount. One strategy that can significantly increase your practice's value is introducing profitable dental plans.

Dental Specialist Financial Adviser, Paul Griffiths, for Wesleyan Financial Services, outlines the new tax rates, new allowances and other changes that have come into effect and explains what these will mean to dentists.

Where there is no vision, the people perish - Proverbs 29:18

As a practice owner do you update your team regularly on how the business is going? Can you remember the last time you attended a team meeting? If you answered ‘no’ to those questions, then maybe it’s time you reflected on whether you’re fulfilling your role as a leader within the practice. Practice Plan Area Manager, Suki Singh, explains the importance of leaders being more accessible and sharing their vision with their team.

What is the current state of the practice sales market? Have all of the old certainties been overturned by a combination of the pandemic and the economic disruption of the past 18 months? How should dentists now go about succession planning? Practice Plan Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel Jones, spoke to MD of Frank Taylor and Associates, Lis Hughes, to find out more.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt’s 2024 Spring Budget, was accompanied by a full fiscal statement from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). In any election year, the Chancellor comes under pressure to make announcements that will boost their party in the opinion polls.

Specialist Financial Planner, Graham Hutton, from Wesleyan Financial Services highlights how a practices value plays an important role in retirement planning.

If you offer private dental plans in your practice, are you getting value for money from your existing plan provider? At Patient Plan Direct, we're coming across more practices than ever before that feel they're not getting the attention and service they once received and are left questioning why they are paying what can equate to a considerable practice overhead.

Specialist Dental Financial Adviser, for Wesleyan Financial Services, Stephen Barry, shares his insights on estate planning and how planning sooner rather than later can be beneficial.

Not a week goes by when we meet another dentist who feels trapped in the current NHS system. The continuous issue of clawback, a backlog of patients, recruitment struggles, and more are bringing stress and pressure to many, and it is not what a profession in dentistry is ever supposed to be.

Magdelena Harding, Specialist Financial Adviser at Wesleyan Financial Services discusses what practice owners need to think about when refurbishing their practice.

With all the turmoil caused by the pandemic, the Truss government, rising energy prices and the war in Ukraine, the economic landscape has seen some change over the last few years. So how has all this affected the practice sales market? Practice Plan Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel Jones, spoke to MD of Frank Taylor and Associates, Lis Hughes, to find out more about how things are faring for dentists wanting to buy or sell a practice.

Specialist Financial Adviser Magdelena Harding shares her insights into the key types of cover for business protection for dental practices.

With the issues of patient access to dentistry showing no signs of resolving themselves, could now be the time to consider opening a squat practice? Is it a realistic option for dentists to own their own practice? Mike Blenkharn of UNW, and dental business coach, Chris Barrow, discussed this topic during a session recently at the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show, hosted by Practice Plan Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel Jones.

Dental Regional Manager, Neil Richardson from Wesleyan Financial Services shares his thoughts on what all young dentists should be aware of with regard to financial planning.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, at least in so far as dentistry is concerned, leaves me pondering. Is it a credible attempt at identifying issues and proposing solutions? Or a thinly veiled attempt to win the approval of a public largely unaware of the detailed reality?

Simon Cosgrove, Specialist Financial Adviser for Wesleyan Financial Services, highlights the importance of checking where your pension is and how it’s performing…

Looking to buy a dental practice? Here, corporate law and dental specialists Eugene Pena and Kirsty McKenzie-Hopkins explore the six key steps in the purchase process, answering the most common questions from budding buyers.

1. Find the right legal team

In our experience, no transaction is ever the same. Once you have found the right practice and are in a position to start the buying process, your first step should be to find the right lawyers to represent you and guide you through the process. You can instruct lawyers even before you’ve made an offer.

You should consider working with lawyers that specialise in the dental sector — in particular, those with significant experience in buying and selling dental practices.

Most sellers are keen on a speedy transaction, so having the right team in place will put you in the best possible position.

2. Consider funding

Next, you’ll need to know how the purchase is going to be funded. Most lenders will require you to have a deposit, so having this ready and being able to show how this amount has accumulated will save you time further down the line.

The more information you have available at the outset, the better. Knowing what type of security the bank will take will also help your lawyers to determine what additional work (if any) will be required.

3. Terminate your contract

Buying a practice can be a lengthy process. Most first-time buyers are also associates working elsewhere and are required to give notice to terminate their contract.

Timing when to hand your notice in is key. While this decision is ultimately yours, having expert lawyers who are aware of the process and the intricacies involved in dental transactions, as well as the potential issues that may arise, can help to ensure that you aren’t left without work. They can provide guidance and help to reduce the risk of you being left without a source of income.

4. Recruit your team

You may be eager to make your mark as soon as you get the keys to the practice, but recruitment is a big issue in most sectors and dentistry is no exception.

You may be acquiring a well-established practice with members of staff that have worked there for many years. While there are regulations that protect employees’ rights, it’s possible to implement certain changes (known as measures) — but you’ll need to consider how any changes (whether big or small) would affect the workforce.

It’s usually a good idea to maintain the status quo (provided that it’s working) until you’ve embedded yourself with the team.

5. Register with the CQC

Be prepared to go through a CQC (Care Quality Commission) registration process. This may differ depending on the type of practice you’re looking to acquire.

First time buyers may be asked to attend a fit person interview with a CQC assessor, so preparation is key. Again, having lawyers who are familiar with the CQC process is crucial to enable a smooth purchase. Your solicitor may even be able to make the application for you.

6. Manage time effectively

Finally, a simple but critical piece of advice — don’t leave things until the last minute. Set time aside to deal with matters related to your purchase — sometimes, the last thing you want is to read an email from your lawyer or action any documents, but always try to keep your end goal in mind. Make sure that you know what you’re signing up to and allow time to negotiate any points that you’re not fully comfortable with.

If, for example, you have agreed that the seller will be remaining as an associate, try to finalise the agreement in advance of the exchange of contracts. Even if you have agreed headline terms with the seller, circumstances may have since changed — so you don’t want to be renegotiating terms late in the transaction.

How we can help

Buying a dental practice may well be one of the biggest decisions you ever make. Avoiding common pitfalls by having an expert legal team with specialist dental experience makes a huge difference. You need a team that can calmly guide you through each step of the process.

We are proud to provide market-leading legal solutions to dental practices across the UK. Our dental team contains true specialists who understand the unique pressures you face.

We play an active role in the market for dental practice sales and purchases, working alongside third-party brokers to ensure smooth transactions. Advice is provided across multiple specialist practice areas, including practice sales and acquisitions, property acquisition or leasing, property disputes, regulatory (including a CQC application service), fitness to practise, litigation, international recruitment, employment and litigation.

Talk to us by calling 0151 600 3000 or complete our contact form and have a member of our team get in touch.

We’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and dentists are not exempt. When buying or selling a dental practice — likely one of the most important decisions in your life — cashflow is key. So should you spend money instructing a specialist dental lawyer or go with a generalist ‘high street’ option?

In our latest Q&A with leading law firm Brabners, corporate law and dental specialists Eugene Pena and Kirsty McKenzie-Hopkins weigh up the pros and cons.

Niche area of law

On average, dental sales and purchases take around six months to complete. However, this can be extended by a range of external factors, so a deep level of understanding and forward planning is key.

Law, like dentistry, has its specialist areas. The rules and regulations affecting the dental industry can be subject to change at both national and local levels. Instructing a specialist dental lawyer ensures that the advice you’re receiving is in-line with the most up to date law.

Dealing with complexities

There are also many dental-specific complexities during the buying or selling process that only those with years of sector expertise will know how to navigate. These include the transfer of NHS contracts from sellers to buyers, ensuring that the correct CQC (Care Quality Commission) applications are carried out, the transfer of capitation schemes and conducting due diligence.

For buyers, entering into an agreement without asking the right questions could be a costly mistake. It’s critical to take due care in reviewing all documents thoroughly. Any terms that are out of the ordinary in a standard general dental services (GDS) contract will be picked up by specialist dental lawyers, who review these regularly.

For sellers, the need to respond to specific questions about the NHS, CQC and capitation schemes is very common.

Providing tailored advice

A specialist dental lawyer will ask the right questions — tailored to your specific circumstances — and will ensure effective collaborative between you and your legal team. This is essential for smooth transactions. If issues arise, you need a legal team that can draw on its experience to get all parties back on track.

High street lawyers with little or no experience in dental practice sales and purchases may take longer to understand the process and suggest an appropriate strategy. This could cause huge delays, spiralling costs and ultimately jeopardise transactions.

Before you instruct a lawyer, think carefully about the level of support and experience you need.

How we can help

We are proud to provide market-leading legal solutions to dental practices across the UK. Our dental team contains true specialists who understand the unique pressures you face.

We play an active role in the market for dental practice sales and purchases, working alongside third-party brokers to ensure smooth transactions. Advice is provided across multiple specialist practice areas, including practice sales and acquisitions, property acquisition or leasing, property disputes, regulatory (including a CQC application service), fitness to practise, litigation, international recruitment, employment and litigation.

Talk to us by calling 0151 600 3000 or complete our contact form and have a member of our team get in touch.

Neil Richardson, Dental Regional Manager at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares how the Spring Budget’s biggest announcement can be addressed from a financial planning perspective…

Following the news of an urgent recall of emergency oxygen cylinders from one supplier, Hewi Ma of Brabners LLP writes a Q&A blog on the topic, especially aimed at a buyer or seller, in the present timeframe.

Graham Hutton, Specialist Financial Planner at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares a key business management area that poses a significant financial risk to your practice…

Stephen Barry, Specialist Financial Adviser at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares the latest retirement research from the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA)…

Parliament may finally be debating what to do about NHS contract reform, but for many dentists and practice owners it’s all too late.  

Iain Stevenson, Head of Dental at Wesleyan Financial Services, shares key financial planning areas for dentists to address for the year ahead…

Michael Copeland, Dental Regional Manager for Wesleyan Financial Services, reveals sought-after financial nuggets when it comes to life after work for dentists…

How mentoring in implant dentistry can improve clinical outcomes and create a more rewarding professional life

Taking the first steps into implant dentistry can seem a daunting prospect for those lacking practical experience, and to successfully introduce and benefit from implant treatment in practice is something that’s not easily achieved alone. Academic training and having the most up-to-date knowledge of the processes involved is of course essential, but having limited experience and lacking confidence in hands-on practical skills can make things far harder in moving forward with treatment planning and placement.

Where to begin

For those who want to take their career to the next level and develop their skills in implant dentistry, yet are unsure how this can be achieved, should consider the benefits from ongoing guidance and support in the form of clinical mentoring. Mentoring can be successfully used to accelerate the development of skills, improve clinical outcomes and help in making complex clinical judgements to assist in building confidence and gaining essential hands-on experience in planning and placing implants.

Mentoring is a long-term relationship and a good Mentor is someone who genuinely cares for the mentee’s development and knows how to combine the desire for learning with practice clinical skills. They have the experience, teaching and support skills to offer high-level guidance for long-term development, to find a clinician’s strengths as well as weaknesses, and know precisely when to step in to help achieve successful treatment outcomes.

The role of a Mentor is not to tell or lecture mentees about what to do, but instead to come into their working environment to offer advice to help them think through challenges and find their own way through the myriad of clinical choices and treatment solutions available. Mentors are not there to undermine a clinician’s skills and competencies, but to guide and reassure them through their first cases and beyond based on individual skill levels and training requirements.

Support where it’s needed

Just as starting out in implant dentistry without expert guidance can be a challenge, finding a suitable Mentor without help can also prove to be problematic. Straumann, a market leader in implant dentistry are ideally positioned to partner clinicians with highly-experienced Mentors throughout the UK and Ireland through their Clinical Mentoring Programme, to deliver high quality and consistent clinical and educational skills in implant dentistry.

The benefits of a reputable training pathway and working closely with a Mentor to achieve consistent clinical outcomes and gain valuable hands-on experience in implant procedures should not be underestimated. This level of guidance is the safest and most effective way to start successfully and confidently placing and restoring implants within your practice.

“In my first year all my cases were first and second premolar implant placements, but through the guidance of a mentor I have been able to develop my skills and undertake the placement and restoration of implants in all sites, as well as sinus and bone grafts. When I compare my level of clinical care now to when I first started out in implants I can see a huge difference in not only my clinical capabilities, but my restorative skills too.”

Milisha Chotai, DDS, MSc, PGDip, PGCert

For more information on how to get started with dental implants visit straumann.co.uk or call Straumann on 01293 651270. To join the Straumann Clinical Mentoring Programme visit straumannmentoring.co.uk

How MClinDent  helped Dr Wahab Shakir

Many delegates value Tipton Training’s close ties with the City of London Dental School’s Masters degree programme known as ‘MClinDent’.

This ‘fast-tack- degree partnership means that successful completion of Tipton Training’s dentistry courses can lead to a PG Diploma from the British Academy of Restorative Dentistry(BARD) or British Academy of Dental Implantology(BADI). Delegates with the PG Diploma can register with The City of London Dental School, to facilitate their APL entry into the third year of either the MClinDent Restorative and Cosmetic degree, or the MClinDent Dental Implantology degree.

Student to master

One dentist that has followed this route is Dr Wahab Shakir - who is now one of Tipton Training’s faculty members. After studying at Newcastle University and experiencing life at a private practice in London, Wahab furthered his career by taking on The Restorative Course and The Phantom Head Course at Tipton Training in 2013 and 2014 respectively. What’s more, Wahab was presented with the Best Dentist Award for The Phantom Head Course.

“I completed The Restorative and Phantom Head Courses with Tipton Training. Both courses have changed the way I do dentistry, I would definitely recommend the courses to clinicians at wanting to upgrade their skills. It will take your abilities, understanding and treatment planning to advanced levels,” explains Wahab.

“The courses are strongly rooted in evidence and they provide both the practical and theoretical knowledge necessary to treat patients to the best standards. I especially liked the way Paul and the team teach occlusion, TMJ diagnosis, articulators and occlusal splint therapy.

“The courses also had a big positive impact on my monthly salary before I even finished. They gave me the confidence to diagnose and carry out work I would have referred off and not attempted before. Which is great as the I started to work solely in a private practice.”

'Not only do I think it's the best training pathway out there, and there appears to be more and more courses setting up daily as we speak run by dentists who have a spare room and turn it into a 'lecture theatre' or 'conference centre' (and Tipton Training has trained most of them) but it's the only one I know of that has this unique pathway between the course, BARD/BADI and MClinDent to make it such an easy transition in your own time to a Masters. So there's the second reason if you needed one to do these courses."

“Further training is obligatory nowadays, especially when moving into private practice. If you are need a boost in the world of dentistry, if you want to expand your knowledge and take your operative skills to top class levels then the Tipton Training Courses are a must,” adds Wahab.

Wahab was one of the first dentists to take advantage of the partnership between Tipton Training and the MClinDent in Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry at the City of London University. He found the conversion process was easy and that the teaching from Paul and the team have helped him prepare for the complex curriculum of the MClinDent.

An excellent industry reputation

Wahab is now passing his expertise to Tipton Training’s latest pool of ambitious delegates and enjoys a reputation that is typical of our lecturers. In particular, Wahab is respected for his knowledge of up to date cosmetic and general dental techniques, in addition to occlusion.

He believes the in-depth knowledge of the available evidence, thorough treatment planning habits and exacting clinical protocols that the Tipton Training courses instil in the delegates are invaluable. This in turn helps delegates produce dentistry with a good prognosis and pleasing aesthetic results.

Delegates particularly benefit from Wahab’s ability to advise them of the best ways to produce outstanding restorations and high-quality preparations for (amongst other things) anterior and posterior composites, crowns, inlays, onlays, veneers, post and cores and bridges.

Studying dentists can also gain insights into how Wahab uses the principles of occlusion to restore his patient’s worn dentition with the utmost respect for their TMJ, parafunctional habits and any associated pain or tension.

ABOUT TIPTON TRAINING

Tipton Training aim to provide the best courses for dental professionals in the UK by drawing on the experience of their talented dental team. They aim to increase levels of confidence and self-belief in their delegates and to teach them excellence in dental techniques so that they can achieve their career ambitions. Tipton Training provides access to specialist guest speakers to ensure that delegates receive the most advanced knowledge available.

Patient Plan Direct’s commercial director, Simon Reynolds, discusses key considerations in managing a patient membership plan ‘in-house’

Often the rationale for a DIY project is the perception that doing ‘it’ ourselves is likely to be lower cost and will enable us to achieve our desired outcomes in line with specific objectives. We adopt the mind set of “how hard can it be” and get to work.

In some instances, with the right planning and commitment a successful DIY project can be highly rewarding. However, in other cases we can be left to reflect on blood, sweat, tears and challenges that were far greater than we had anticipated. In hindsight, perhaps it may have been a better option to have turned to professional support in the first instance.

When it comes to patient membership and capitation plans many practices may have considered, or have already adopted, administering their own patient plans ‘in-house’. Let’s face it, when stripping back to its bare bones the work involved in administering a patient plan, it isn’t rocket science. The basics being; determining the care and benefits included in your plans, setting plan prices, collecting regular payments from patients and promoting your plans effectively to encourage uptake from patients.

However, as with many things in life the devil can often be in the detail and there are important considerations that may be overlooked when opting to administer a patient plan in-house rather than the outsourced option of working with a plan provider.

Direct debit vs. Standing order

Often mistaken as the same thing, there are significant differences between standing order and direct debit payments – the most likely means of managing regular plan payments. A standing order is an instruction set up by the payer i.e. your patient via their bank, which can limit the ease of patients joining your plan in practice. If a patient cancels their standing order you will not be notified, instead you’ll have to perform manual checks every month. Moreover, managing periodic plan price increases can prove somewhat challenging as a change to the value of a standing order requires each patient to amend their individual standing orders – a tedious task for patients that is not under your practice’s control.

Managing plan payments by direct debit on the other hand offers the beneficiary (your practice) greater control. This is an instruction by the payer giving permission for your practice to collect a regular amount, which can be amended with advance notification to the payer. However, obtaining sponsorship in to the direct debit scheme via your bank can be a lengthy process and thereafter you’ll have to utilise some form of Bacs approved platform to manage collections. This can prove complicated and costly in addition to the processing charges your bank is likely to apply.

Admin: Time versus Real cost

Time is money. Often the reality of managing a patient plan in-house can be more administratively demanding and time consuming than you may think. Preparing and submitting collection files, identifying payment cancelations, managing plan related communications to patients, creating promotional material, training your team in promoting your plans and so much more can be a real bind on your time. No matter who takes on the role of managing an ‘in-house’ plan, there’s every chance this time could be better spent elsewhere in delivering first-class care and building a successful practice.

When you come to sell your practice

In consideration of the complexities that can be involved in managing a plan in-house, when you come to sell your practice potential buyers may be put off. Moreover, in some instances if you have your own sponsorship in to the direct debit scheme, it is not a given that the new vendor will be able to obtain their own sponsorship via their bank to take on the goodwill of plan patients. Finally, historical records of plan collections via a third party can prove more favourable throughout any due diligence processes.

In summary

For some practices, managing their patient plans in-house may be the most effective means of offering patients a plan. However, for many, utilising the services of a trusted plan provider is much more likely to be the more time and cost efficient method. Working with a plan provider does not have to mean huge administration costs and overhead. There are more plan providers than ever before to choose from, each offering their unique service proposition, support and fee structure. It is simply a case of taking the time to discover each provider and working out which is the best fit for your practice.

Patient Plan Direct is a membership plan provider recognised for its low-cost admin fees and is also the winner of the 2016 Dental industry awards – Outstanding Business of the year (under 25 employees). Plan launch, Provider transfer and NHS conversion experts.

www.patientplandirect.co.uk

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08448486888

The below blog has been written by Howard Thomas - Chairman at Curaprox 

When it comes to day-to-day life, culture plays a pivotal role in the behaviour and practices of communities – and oral health is no exception. Defined as learned behaviours that have been socially acquired and passed down from one generation to another, cultural practices can be affected by a number of factors including religion, race, ethnicity and geographical location.

In some countries, folk remedies and traditional methods are still used to treat and maintain oral health. It is well known, for instance, that some Somali people either use a stick collected from the branches of a tree called Roomay or a stick called Muswaki to clean their teeth instead of a toothbrush. The Chinese are also widely acknowledged for their deep-rooted culture and traditional practices, such as their use of powdered alum, musk and frankincense to treat what they call ‘hot’ gum disease.

Here in the UK, it is personal experience, education and the media that tend to sculpt cultural beliefs, values and practices. Television and print media in particular have played a pivotal role in the state of UK citizens’ oral health, not least because of the way that certain advertisements can reach a wide audience. Crisps, chocolate, sweets and sugary drinks – all of these products are widely publicised on a day-to-day basis. Plus, since culture is learned, shared and transmitted, the media has also contributed to the gradual desensitisation of poor dietary intake and the detrimental affects it can have on general and oral health.

Smoking and drinking are normal lifestyle choices too, and are some of the leading causes of oral health issues in the UK. Like other western, developed countries, some of these problems are as a result of the greater independence and freedom of choice that teenagers and young adults now have, not to mention the ease at which these substances can be accessed. It is also important to note the impact differences in social class can have upon oral health, from level of education to income and socio-economic status.

While it is likely that some cultures such as Somalia and China will hold on to their traditions, there is no denying that there is scope for future change, especially in the UK where society can be quite flexible and open to new things. Simply by changing cultural perspectives on dietary intake, lifestyle choices and encouraging patients to use effective adjuncts in a daily oral care regimen – such as CPS prime interdental brushes and the CS 5460 ultra soft toothbrush from Curaprox – communities could significantly improve behaviour and practices for future generations to come.

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

Denplan has announced today that it has completed its first two 50/50 dental partnerships with dental practices in South Yorkshire. Plans to set up a pilot scheme to enter into equal partnership with individual member practices were revealed last year by Denplan and Simplyhealth. 

The new partnership model ensures that both partners have equal rights in practices and enables dentists to retain day-to-day clinical management of the practice. The business model has been created to reduce the barriers to an associate taking over a practice and supports the eventual transition to a new owner, who will then acquire the retiring dentist’s 50% share of the practice.

The first two new partnership practices are: The Dental Practice, based in Dronfield Woodhouse, in Sheffield; and Mapplewell Dental Centre in Barnsley. The Dental Practice is a family run private practice, owned by Dr Colin Doody, and has been in business for over 36 years. Mapplewell Dental Centre is owned by Dr Mark and Dr Elizabeth Bishop who have been in business for over 21 years.

The Partnership Programme offers peace of mind to dentists as it sets out the basis on which the remaining 50% of the practice will be valued, providing certainty to the dentists who participate at a time when they might have concerns over retirement and what might happen to their practice. It also helps dentists to enjoy their hard earned success by immediately freeing up some of the finances that would otherwise be reserved to fulfill the obligations of running a successful practice – and continuing to allow them to take responsibility for the day to day management of the practice, clinical activity and patient care.

The Partnership Programme resulted from a strategic review from Simplyhealth, of which Denplan is a part, who are focusing on further investment and innovation in the dental market.

Steve Gates, Managing Director of Denplan, commented: “We are delighted that we have completed our first two dental partnership agreements with The Dental Practice and Mapplewell Dental Centre.  Succession planning for retirement is an increasing priority for many dentists and one which we believe Denplan and the Simplyhealth team can play a positive and active role in. We are well positioned to partner with member dentists due to our existing strong relationships with them and our expertise in the dental marketplace.  

Romana Abdin, Chief Executive of Simplyhealth added: “This is a really exciting development that has attracted a great deal of interest from dentists looking to secure the right future for themselves, the practice and their patients. Our sole focus is everyday health and this demonstrates an ongoing commitment to dentists and the market as a whole.”

Dr Colin Doody, owner of The Dental Practice, said: “I was thinking of my exit strategy as I am getting to ‘that age’, and I wanted to ensure that I was leaving my practice in good hands for my son, who is our associate dentist, and also my wonderful long standing staff and patients – many of whom have been coming to see me for the last three and half decades! This Partnership Programme offered me the ideal solution.”

Dr Mark Bishop, owner of Mapplewell Dental Practice, commented: “We decided to partner with Denplan to ensure that there would be a legacy of high quality dentistry after we retire. Denplan are a respected and trusted brand who have always had the same ethos of customer care as we have.  As we really care about our practice team, this model allows a smooth transition and ensures they will be well looked after in the future.”

The new businesses have been set up as ring-fenced partnerships. These will operate separately from Denplan, bringing in additional expertise from across Simplyhealth, with their own governance to ensure that there is no potential for any conflicts of interest to arise.

About Denplan 

Denplan Limited is the UK’s leading dental payment plan specialist owned by Simplyhealth; with more than 6,500 member dentists nationwide caring for approximately 1.7 million Denplan registered patients. Established in 1986 by two dentists who pioneered the concept of dental payment plans, Denplan has been at the heart of dental care for nearly 30 years. Today, Denplan has a wide range of dental plans for adults and children, enabling patients to spread the cost of their private dental care through a fixed monthly fee. Denplan supports regular attendance and preventive care, reducing the need for clinical intervention and helping patients to maintain healthy teeth and gums for life. Patient enquiries telephone: 0800 401 402   Dentist enquiries telephone: 0800 328 3223. www.denplan.co.uk

·         Denplan Care: all routine and restorative care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover 

·         Denplan Essentials: routine care only + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover 

·         Plans for Children: routine and other agreed care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover 

·         Membership Plan: registered with the dentist + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover 

·         Denplan Emergency: worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover only 

·         Corporate Dental Plans: company funded, voluntary and flexible benefit schemes 

Denplan also provides a range of professional services for its member dentists and their practice teams, including the Denplan Quality Programme, Denplan Excel Accreditation Programme and Denplan Training.  Plus regulatory advice, business and marketing consultancy services and networking opportunities.

For more information about Denplan: 

Kate Maybank

Denplan Press Office 

Tel: 01962 829 179

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Patient Plan Direct has been awarded Outstanding Business of the Year (under 25 employees) at the 2016 Dental Industry awards, hosted at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kennington earlier this month.

A judging panel of leading industry clinicians and figures, chaired by Dr David Houston, selected patient payment plan provider – Patient Plan Direct, as the winning company from a wide array of entrants.

The judging panel, which included; Julian English, James Goolnik, Peter Rees, Chris Orr and others, selected Patient Plan Direct as the company that demonstrated, throughout 2016, the strongest development, growth, competitive edge, staff loyalty, culture and first-class service.

Pictured Above:- Simon Reynolds and the team at PPD receiving the award for Outstanding Business of the Year

Simon Reynolds, commercial director of Patient Plan Direct, commented “We have worked hard throughout 2016, expanding our team and further enhancing our patient payment plan solution whilst maintaining our low-cost fee structure – enabling practices to retain more of their payment plan income.

“Cost management is an important focus for many dental practices in consideration of uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the rising costs associated with running a modern day dental practice. As a low-cost plan provider, PPD meets this market demand and ensures we have a strong competitive edge, whilst other providers are pressured to justify the value of their fees. 

“I’d like to extend my congratulations to the rest of the dental industry award finalists and winners, as well as a big thank you to all of the Patient Plan Direct team for their hard work and commitment as we look towards a highly successful 2017.”

Patient Plan Direct is a highly cost effective dental plan provider embracing 21st century web-based technology to offer a sophisticated solution to running practice-branded dental plans.

Thanks to an administration fee of £1.20 per patient per month (including A&E cover and VAT), Patient Plan Direct often proves to be 2-3 times more cost effective than working with other plan providers.

A highly-experienced team has helped over 400 practices nationwide either; launch a dental plan for the first time, utilise a plan to convert from NHS to Private, or transfer from another plan provider to make huge cost savings!

Web: www.patientplandirect.co.uk

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

Tel: 0844 848 6888

Denplan is celebrating another successful award win after their NHS if campaign was named ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’ at today’s FMC Dental Industry Awards 2016. (Denplan Marketing Team Pictured above.)

Denplan has been running the if (“In Front”) marketing campaign since March 2016. The aim of the campaign has been to inform and engage dentists about NHS dental contract reform and help them consider how any future changes to the present NHS contract could impact their practice going forward, both in terms of patient care and profitability

The NHS campaign was featured across the dental trade press in 2016, as well as featuring prominently on GDPUK.com. 

The award ceremony took place at lunchtime on Friday 18 November at The Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington and was a well-dressed event attended by many of the dental industry’s leading names.

The judging panel was led by renowned dentist Dr David Houston and over 20 of the dental industry’s most experienced professionals. 

The Dental Industry Awards were created in 2015 to acknowledge excellence in the UK dental industry and to reward progress, effort and enterprise across a number of different categories from marketing and PR, social media, events, teams and customer service.

The ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’ award category was created for the company or brand who were judged to have used the most effective mix of marketing in its promotional work over the last year. Denplan were up against stiff competition in their award category from Implantium, Leca Dental Laboratory, Oasis and Stockdale Martin.

Jolian Howell, Head of Marketing at Denplan, said: “I am delighted that the Denplan marketing team has won this award and received the recognition that they deserve. Our ‘if’ campaign has demonstrated the thought leadership centred around NHS contract issues within the dental industry. We have used a wide mix of activity from trade press advertising, online banners, PR and social media, to seminars and research, and plan to continue developing the campaign throughout 2017.”

For more information on the if campaign, visit www.denplan.co.uk/if-nhs

Notes to Editors: 

About Denplan 

Denplan Limited is the UK’s leading dental payment plan specialist owned by Simplyhealth; with more than 6,500 member dentists nationwide caring for approximately 1.7 million Denplan registered patients. Established in 1986 by two dentists who pioneered the concept of dental payment plans, Denplan has been at the heart of dental care for nearly 30 years. Today, Denplan has a wide range of dental plans for adults and children, enabling patients to spread the cost of their private dental care through a fixed monthly fee. Denplan supports regular attendance and preventive care, reducing the need for clinical intervention and helping patients to maintain healthy teeth and gums for life. Patient enquiries telephone: 0800 401 402   Dentist enquiries telephone: 0800 328 3223. www.denplan.co.uk

·         Denplan Care: all routine and restorative care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover 

·         Denplan Essentials: routine care only + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover 

·         Plans for Children: routine and other agreed care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover 

·         Membership Plan: registered with the dentist + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover 

·         Hygiene Plan: A dental payment plan without dental insurance for all types of practice from NHS, mixed and private to support patients commit to a consistent hygiene programme.

·         Denplan Emergency: worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover only 

·         Corporate Dental Plans: company funded, voluntary and flexible benefit schemes 

Denplan also provides a range of professional services for its member dentists and their practice teams, including the Denplan Quality Programme, Denplan Excel Accreditation Programme and Denplan Training.  Plus regulatory advice, business and marketing consultancy services and networking opportunities.

Sarah Weston (pictured above) has been working for {my}dentist – a member of the Association of the Dental Groups (ADG) – since 2013 and currently works in Woodbridge, Suffolk. Here, she explores what a normal day entails…

I qualified from Guy’s hospital in 1996 and have worked in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. I have worked across most sectors of the profession – as a house officer in New Zealand, in NHS and private practices and as a partner and an associate.

At my current practice in Woodbridge, we are predominately NHS in a small market town, but do offer a range of private services. With an interesting demographic of patients we get the chance to utilise all our skills. It is a busy practice as we routinely see 25-30 patients a day. I am lucky that I work with a really great team and most of us have worked together for a while now. It’s good to be with other people who understand the stress and strains of the job and can have a good laugh together at times.

I work full time so my days tend to be fairly similar. I start with a coffee then move on to checking day-lists, patient records and lab work etc. I hate surprises so I like to know what’s coming. I spend my day performing a mix of examinations and treatments with the odd interesting case thrown in.

I also offer facial aesthetic procedures and have recently been on the denture excellence course. It is great to be able to offer such a wide choice of treatment options to patients and the denture excellence has really taken off. It’s an area I really enjoy as a good denture can make so much difference to someone’s quality of life. I am hoping to undertake an implant restoration course soon as well, so I will be able to restore the implants placed by colleagues at local practices in the group.

Since working for the corporate I have also become a mentor, which has definitely been a highlight for me. It is a role I really enjoy, as after 20 years in the job it is nice to pass on some of my experience to the younger generation. I had a great VT instructor when I started and I hope I can be as good to new associates as he was to me. It’s a job that is mutually beneficial – it is extremely rewarding to see a mentee improve and gain in confidence and it does the same for the mentor.

Within the corporate we are so lucky to have a high level of support from practice and area managers through to clinical support managers (CSM) and clinical directors. They are there to help prevent small problems becoming larger ones. I know that the ‘red flags’ and KPIs can feel intrusive at times, but I do feel they are there to help clinicians above everything else. A visit from the CSM should be seen as a positive thing and I am lucky to have a great CSM in my area. One thing I have learned is that it can be lonely in the independent sector and there is no-one looking out for you in the same way. I think the support network available is the real strength of corporate dentistry.

We are also incredibly lucky to have the online academy and the reminder to complete CPD when it is required. This can be a burden for dentists and if there is any way to make it easier then we should be grateful! My practice manager keeps us in check with when our CPD is due and the opportunity to complete it online is a great help, especially when I am busy in practice five days a week. Overall, I feel that my move to {my}dentist was the best thing I could have done for my career. The opportunities are there to further my career in ways that I didn’t feel existed in the independent sector.

Having worked for most of my career in the independent sector I was aware of the negative press surrounding corporate dentistry before I joined the group, but I have to say that those rumours were all unfounded. In fact, I feel quite passionately that new graduates are still being given that negative message and as a company we should try to give the next generation the facts and talk to them directly.

I enjoy my job enormously but I would relish the chance to move out of the surgery environment a little in the coming years. I would like to expand on my mentoring role and continue with more training and support of new dentists and I hope I can achieve this within the company.

For more information about the ADG visit www.dentalgroups.co.uk

Pathological tooth wear (also known as tooth surface loss) is on the increase, as indicated by the most recent Adult and Children’s Dental Health Surveys.^1,2

Recognising that tooth wear has the potential to be a serious issue in the UK in the future if preventive action is not fully embraced, its incidence and significance was recorded in the Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) for the first time in 1998, and this exercise was repeated in the latest offering. Comparison of the two surveys shows that in just 11 years the incidence of tooth wear in England has increased by 10%.¹

As for the Children’s Dental Health Survey, it tells us, for example, that 33% of 5-year-olds

demonstrated tooth surface loss (TSL) on one or more of the buccal surfaces of the primary upper incisors, while a quarter of 12-year-olds were reported to have TSL on the molars and the buccal surface of the incisors. In addition, 15-year-olds were shown to be more adversely affected than the 12-year-olds when TSL on the occlusal surface of molars was measured (31% compared to 25%).²

So, what does this mean in reality for dental professionals and patients looking to the future? As Poyser and colleagues (20015) so succinctly stated: ‘The prevalence of tooth wear is likely to escalate as life expectancy continues to increase. As people expect to retain their teeth throughout life this has important implications on the type of preventative and restorative care that the profession will need to provide in the future. This also has an implication for training and funding for dental services. The management of TSL and the eventual failure of restorations placed to manage this problem are likely to be a significant issue in future years.’³

Commenting on this worrying trend, Prof. Andrew Eder, said: ‘Irrespective of age and circumstance, patients need to be aware that, amongst other issues, poor drink and food choices, eating disorders, stress-related bruxism and traumatic oral hygiene measures can all cause considerable tooth wear.

‘Once the first signs of tooth wear are recognised, a partnership approach offers the most effective way in which to prevent further damage. Left in the dark, patients – especially those in the younger age groups – are likely to continue in ignorance with their destructive habits, which will have nationwide dental health repercussions for many years to come if the figures published in the most recent surveys are anything to go by.

‘So, if we are to have any chance of subverting the oral health outcome that the statistics indicate, it is incumbent upon all dental professionals to meet this challenge head-on.’

The London Tooth Wear Centre^® offers an evidence-based and comprehensive approach to managing tooth wear, using the latest clinical techniques and an holistic approach in a professional and friendly environment.

For further information on the work of the London Tooth Wear Centre^®, please visit www.toothwear.co.uk, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 020 7486 7180.

References

1. Adult Dental Health Survey 2009. Report 2: Disease and related disorders. Health and Social Care Information Centre 2011

2. Children’s Dental Health Survey 2013. Report 2: Dental disease and damage in children: England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Health and Social Care Information Centre 2015

3. Poyser NJ et al. The Dahl Concept: past, present and future. BDJ 2005; 198: 669-676

Professor Andrew Eder is a Specialist in Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics and Clinical Director of the London Tooth Wear Centre^®, a specialist referral practice in central London. He is also Professor/Honorary Consultant at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute and Pro-Vice-Provost and Director of Life Learning at UCL.

Dr Mark Hughes is a Clinical Lead for Bupa Dental, which is a member of the Association of Dental Groups. Here, he discusses how his daily life has changed since joining the corporate…

It has been just over two years since Bupa Dental acquired our group of practices. I was previously a partner in the business, based in the City, West End and Canary Wharf. Our focus was primarily corporate dental clients, with an emphasis on dental insurance schemes alongside private patients. 

I took on the role of Clinical Lead for the group, while also caring for a full patient list. Having been involved from 1998 to 2014, I had become very busy with regular and new clients covering all aspects of general dental care. In addition, I was liaising with the other dentists, dental nurses and hygienists regularly to identify any issues. We prided ourselves on responding to clinical and personal concerns quickly, despite the increasing size of the group.

When we announced the change of ownership, there were varied concerns from both the clinical and administrative staff. I suppose we all have an image of a faceless, financially driven, uncaring business when the word ‘corporate’ is linked with dental practice, so there was a degree of scepticism to manage. As there had been a long consultation process prior to the sale, however, we were convinced that the new group shared our goals and beliefs in how to care for patients and move the business forward. As such, we were pleased to find these concerns did not come to fruition.

I was offered the role of Clinical Lead within Bupa alongside my usual clinical duties. This has involved being a part of the clinical governance process including audits, interviewing new clinicians, complaint handling and acting as a link between practitioners and management. I was keen to undertake this role to facilitate the transition between private and corporate ownership, as well as helping the continuity of patient care.

Which brings me to the main question many will ask – what is it like working as part of a large organisation?

First the caveats; I came from a relatively large group practice where, whilst clinical autonomy was valued, there was a sense of team and shared attitudes to patient care. We had a very low turnover of staff and encouraged meetings and communication in what we hoped was a relaxed working environment.

Also the experience we had joining the corporate were, it goes without saying, unique to our situation and the attitudes and approach of the management team.

I hope that I can comment from a relatively impartial standpoint despite being pro-takeover from the outset. In addition, part of what I can report comes from the opinions expressed to me from other staff members after 18 months of new ownership.

So what has changed? On a day-to-day basis, very little. Bupa Dental has great belief in clinical freedom while remaining aligned with mainstream dental thinking. This extends to a very broad, though not limitless, choice of materials, along with keeping individual dentists’ favoured laboratories open to them. In fact, when the practices meet for CPD evenings, exploring new techniques and materials is actively encouraged. This is not to say that the commercial aspects of the dental business are overlooked, rather that the importance of high clinical standards is a priority. This leads to another plus of operating within a larger group; the depth of clinical experience available across the whole spectrum of general and specialist dentistry. The ability to send an email out across such a large number of dentists asking for opinions cannot be underestimated. What’s more, a larger corporate can market and promote its services, skills and individual practices to a much wider audience than could be achieved by a single practice.

I think some of the benefits of working for a large organisation depend on your perspective – for example, a practice owner will drastically reduce their paperwork by selling to a corporate and becoming an associate. In my experience, other members of the team have reported seeing little difference in their administrative responsibilities, or indeed a slight increase in line with the corporate’s emphasis on self audit and appraisal. Whether this is symptomatic of working for a large organisation, or merely representative of the increasing governance faced by all clinical staff, is debatable ­– similarly, some people appreciate the email reminders and others find them intrusive!

Ultimately, the fact that the practice I work in is owned by a corporate has made little impact to the way I approach my clinical day – I have retained my clinical freedom and responsibility to patients. However it’s great to know that I have the support of a larger healthcare company backing me up so I can focus on being a dentist.

To find out more about the ADG and member groups, please visit http://www.dentalgroups.co.uk

NB: The views expressed in this and similar columns by individual ADG members are intended to stimulate constructive debate about current issues in dentistry. Thoughts are the authors’ own and not necessarily those of the ADG.

Christine Gordon is a young associate dentist at Putney Bridge Dental Centre in London, a MyDentist practice which is a member of the Association of Dental Groups (ADG). Since graduating from The University of Sheffield in 2012, she has worked in both an independent and now a corporate practice. Here, she discusses her career so far and how the move into corporate dentistry has impacted on her working life…

“I completed my foundation training at an independently-run practice, which I very much enjoyed. It was in North London, with three surgeries. After finishing my foundation training I took a maternity cover position within a corporate; and have since been lucky to secure a full-time position when another associate left. I've been working at my current practice for almost two years now.

“Working in an independent practice was a little different to where I work now. Firstly, I would say the principal had more control over the associates in terms of materials and their hours. I now have increased flexibility regarding both how I work and the products I work with. For example, I can put in a request for the materials I would like to order and, within reason, these are usually authorised so that I can use the materials I prefer.

“For me, one of the main benefits of a corporate is knowing that all the relevant protocols such as health and safety and cross infection control will be followed to a high standard across the board. We have a CQC inspection coming up and I am not concerned about it in the slightest. I can simply get on with my job with total peace of mind and no last-minute panic that the practice won't pass and will need to implement any big changes! 

“Also, when I finished the initial maternity cover with the corporate, there was about a month before my full-time role began and I was worried about having no Units of Dental Activity (UDAs) to do during that period. But then I was told about a nearby practice in the group that I would be able to work with in the meantime. Once you begin working within a corporate, it is easier to pick up more work and opportunities at different locations, should you wish to – which is great.

“At my current practice there is good private potential. I have taken the Inman Aligner course so I can provide simple orthodontic treatment to patients, which has been quite popular. I'm also now offering anti-wrinkle treatments (using Botulinum Toxin) which I'm really enjoying - it helps to keep things interesting. I have a private target every month, separate to my UDA target, so I try to zone my diary to allocate time methodically and ensure I meet both targets. 

“In terms of my typical day, it doesn't differ too much from life in an independent practice. I start at 9am, but try to get in early to review my diary and check any lab work. I took on a list from a dentist who had been there for 15 years, which was a challenge initially as patients were so familiar with her but I think they're used to me now. I see a lot of new patients now too, mostly young professionals, which reflects the area the practice is in; with lots of flats and new builds. My other daily responsibilities are essentially the same as  an independent dentist: working closely with other members of the team to make the patient journey as pleasant as possible and record keeping is very important so I spend time making sure this is accurate. The MyDentist special app reminds me whose notes I still write and this is so helpful, especially when I'm very busy.

“There is a great, friendly atmosphere within my practice – I certainly don’t feel like there is someone miles away, controlling everything, which I think certainly used to be a common misconception regarding dental corporates. I appreciate the clinical support too. We have a Clinical Director and if I have any problems I can just fire off an email and he will help in any way he can. I feel I have access to a lot of people who will help me to develop my career and because I am just three years out of university, this is really important to me. There is obviously a degree of personal preference here, but the strong support network I have found within the dental corporate makes going out into the big, bad world of work a lot less scary for young dentists.”

To find out more about the world of ADG please visit http://www.dentalgroups.co.uk

Oral-B has released the dates for their next series of Up To Date seminars.  Each of these popular evening sessions will be comprised of two 45-minute lectures.

Prof Nicola West will be exploring clinical strategies to prevent and manage dental erosion. She will unveil the aetiology, susceptibility and impact of erosive toothwear as well as giving advice on preventative management and when to refer. (pictured below)

Dr Phil Ower will be reviewing the aetiology and classification of gingival recession, showing how to manage recession defects for different groups of patients and giving guidance on when it is appropriate to refer patients and what specialist care may be appropriate. (picture below)

Clinical dental professionals are invited to attend this complimentary CPD accredited evening event at one of seven locations:

London -3^rd November 2016 – Hilton Hotel (Watford)

Edinburgh - 14^th November 2016 – Houston Hotel

Bristol – 21^st November 2016 – Aztec Hotel

Birmingham - 20^th February 2017 – St Johns Hotel (Solihull)

Leeds - 9^th March 2017 – Village Hotel (North)

Manchester – 27^th April 2017 – Copthorne Hotel

Newcastle - 4^th May 2017 – Hilton Hotel (Gateshead)

As well as two and a half hours of verifiable CPD every delegate is invited to enjoy a complimentary meal at the beginning of the evening.  Registration and buffet is from 5.45pm with the first lecture starting at 6.30pm.  The evening will finish at 9.00pm.

Spaces at these events are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.  If you would like to attend register online at www.dentalcare.co.uk/uptodateseminars.

For enquiries please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0870 2421850.

In April 2016 GSK, the manufacturer of Corsodyl®, Poligrip®, Sensodyne® and Pronamel®, launched four free certified CPD modules. Each provides 1.5 hours of verifiable CPD and so far over 2000 modules have been completed, meaning GSK has provided over 3000 hours of free, verifiable CPD to DHCPs across the country.

The modules focus on a range of topics including gum disease and the Basic Periodontal Examination (BPE), the effects of tooth loss and dentures for patients, the mode of action of NovaMin® in Sensodyne® Repair & Protect and the Basic Erosive Wear Examination. All modules can be completed remotely at a pace that suits the user. There is a selection of multiple-choice questions at the end of each module and, upon answering the questions correctly, the user is issued a certificate for completing the CPD module. 

GSK sees delivering quality education and CPD as a core part of its mission and strives to continuously meet the needs of DHCPs through online learning as well as face to face lectures.

Access to all modules, as well as information on GSK products, is available at www.gsk-dentalprofessionals.co.uk

-ENDS-

Product Information

Corsodyl Mint Mouthwash

Active Ingredient: Chlorhexidine digluconate. Indications: Plaque inhibition; gingivitis; maintenance

of oral hygiene; post periodontal surgery or treatment; aphthous ulceration; oral candida. Legal Category: GSL. Licence Holder: GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (UK) Trading Limited, Brentford, TW8 9GS, U.K.

Information about this product, including adverse reactions, precautions, contra-indications and method of use can be found at:

https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/21648

Trade marks are owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies.

CHGBI/CHGOC/0036/16

The SOLID Retainer System – it stands for Single-visit Orthodontic Lingual and Invisible Dual Retainer System – is an all-new concept in orthodontic retention. 

In a bid to prevent post-alignment relapse, SOLID combines an invisible fixed-lingual retainer with a removable acrylic retainer, which means clinicians can place two different types of retainer in only one appointment.

And even better, SOLID has revolutionised retainer placement so dentists can now place this retainer WITH the orthodontic fixed brackets still in place on the teeth, thus ensuring zero tooth movement before or after the traditional bracket de-bond process.

The system also satisfies advice from members of both the British Orthodontic Society and American Association of Orthodontics who recommend provision of fixed-lingual and removable retention for more security in limiting the potential of orthodontic relapse.

Created by Dr Thomas Sealey, the Cfast SOLID Retention System is a hybrid-designed retainer that utilises fibre-reinforced composite technology and modern bonding techniques to create a virtually invisible fixed lingual retainer, that’s complemented by a traditional removable acrylic retainer.

Thomas explains: ‘I developed the SOLID retainer to be placed before brackets are removed to ensure absolutely no tooth movement can occur from your final and perfect end positioning. The SOLID retainer can also be used after clear positioner orthodontics. In this scenario, once you have achieved the correct alignment of your final positioner, you can simply send the last 3D-printed model to Cfast and they will make you the SOLID retainer – you don’t even need to see the patient for an impression.

‘Without having to remove orthodontic brackets, you can place and polish a SOLID retainer in less than 10 minutes.’

He adds: ‘Cfast SOLID is not only the fastest placed invisible dual-retainer system in the world, it also provides a second removable Essix retainer – this spare retainer is also a great sales point for the patient as new retainers can usually cost them around £100.

‘The SOLID invisible retainers are kept at least 1.5mm from the incisal edge and from the gum level to ensure ease of cleaning. In the past, the final cosmetic result was often spoiled with visible wire retainers or ceramic retainers that made the lower teeth look twice as thick as they should. SOLID is discreet, easy to clean, totally smooth and requires no additional cost to the dentist or patient. As the “ortho-dentist” has evolved to provide short-term tooth alignment for the cosmetically focused patient, so orthodontic retention has evolved to meet the needs of the modern patient in the form of SOLID.’

• For more about SOLID, visit www.cfastresults.com/how-does-it-work/solid-retainer/, call 0844 209 7035 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Denplan, the UK’s leading dental payment plan specialist, is celebrating another successful award win, after winning ‘Best Dental Benefits Provider’ for the seventh consecutive year at the 2016 Health Insurance Awards.

Held on Thursday 13 October at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, the Health Insurance Awards gathered together around 900 industry leaders in the health insurance and protection industry to recognise the achievements of exceptional individuals, providers, and intermediaries across a range of categories.

At the glamorous black tie event, guests celebrated the best achievements in the industry and were treated to a champagne reception and three course meal. They were entertained throughout the evening by popular prime-time TV presenter Stephen Mulhearn.

Pam Whelan, Head of Corporate at Denplan, is in centre right with a pink flower dress on holding the prestigious award

Head of Corporate at Denplan, Pam Whelan, said: “We’re over the moon and extremely proud to win the award for Best Dental Benefits Provider for the 7th year in a row. The fact that these awards are won thanks to the votes from intermediaries means a great deal to us, and we would like to thank everyone that voted again for us this year.  It’s important that we don’t get complacent so we are always looking for fresh inspiration in order to continually develop new and innovative ways to enhance our services for the employee benefit market. We are also keen to continue our success in the future and achieve an eighth award so will continue to work hard to support our much valued intermediaries and clients throughout the year.”

For more information about Denplan’s range of corporate plans, please call 01962 828 008 or go to www.denplan.co.uk/companies

At the end of 2015, there were 41,095 dentists registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) – a small increase from the previous year.[i] Despite these growing numbers there is evidence to suggest that some practices are struggling to recruit associates. This is particularly true for those offering NHS services.

One of the reasons behind this is a shortcoming of dentists with Performer Numbers, which means there is an undersupply of licensed candidates available to work in the NHS. Obtaining a Performer Number can be somewhat of a long winded and drawn out process with a lot of paperwork involved.

Because the process can be time-consuming and practices are often on a tight schedule, employers can sometimes end up just requesting applicants that already have a Performer Number. As a result, some dentists end up getting overlooked and practices miss out on taking on a promising individual that could have been an asset to the business. Smaller, more rural practices on the other hand are much more likely to offer a job to someone without a Performer Number due to lack of choice. As I’ve seen many times before, though, these practices run the risk of an employee handing in their resignation shortly after receiving their Performer Number to pursue a job in the city.

Because UK dentists automatically graduate with a Performer Number after the completion of their foundation training, there are no restrictions as they enter the world of employment – unless they leave the UK for 12 months, in which case their number is often archived and they are back to square one. In contrast, some foreign applicants have to pass the overseas registration exam (ORE) before they can register with the GDC, apply for their Performer Number and take on jobs. For some, this process can take up to two years and leaves a number of dentists without a job and practices without great applicants.

The other possible reason why practices occasionally struggle to find suitable staff despite a superabundance of dentists is that too many applicants either require mentorship or don’t have enough experience. At the end of the day practices have UDAs that must be completed and if a dentist with little experience cannot meet their allocated target, the practice will end up with a UDA deficit. In my experience, NHS practices also tend to prefer dentists with UK experience and knowledge of the NHS and UDA systems.

Then there is the matter of dentists that are looking to specialise somewhere down the line. It can be difficult for a general practice to take on someone who has ambition to become a specialist, because they are either going to leave or request that they go part-time to practise elsewhere. As such, some businesses are reluctant to take on such individuals, which in turn means they are required to consider applicants that might actually be less suitable for the vacancy.

And that’s not to mention the impact that competition has upon the recruitment process, not just from an associates perspective but also from an employers. To attract the best dentists in the profession, practices are now offering what is known as a golden hello – a one off payment of anywhere between £1,000 and £10,000 to entice them into joining the practice. This is usually tied in with a clause so that if they leave within the first 24 months of their contract, they’ll be required to pay that money back.

We have also noticed a rise in the price being offered to dentists per UDA, which is also likely to attract a high calibre of ambitious dentists. Before, the going rate was £10 per unit in most cities and towns. In an effort to make contracts more appealing to top tier candidates, however, some practices are now offering £10.50 to £11.00 per UDA – and that number could well creep up over the coming months. The other popular financial incentive is to offer commission for referring a patient to the hygienist.

A tactic used by larger, more established practices is to offer more clinical freedom to associates looking for a less regimented work environment. From what I’ve seen, the practices that tend to be most successful are usually those that are more forward thinking in their approach with staff. This includes allowing staff to have more flexibility in their working hours to attend training and to continue with their studies.

It is also important to remember to be forthcoming with applicants about the patients that are on the books, for instance, the ratio of private to NHS, demographics and so on. This can help to give them an idea of what it would be like working for the practice.

With so many factors to take into consideration, recruiting an associate is no easy feat. For that reason it can be prudent to enlist the services of a specialist agency such as Dental Elite. With the right help and expertise, the profession can operate at its full potential.

For more information on Dental Elite visit www.dentalelite.co.uk, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01788 545 900

Following the recent announcement that the US government is withdrawing its recommendation to floss from its dietary guidelines, based on the lack of definitive scientific studies to prove its effectiveness on gum disease and tooth decay, Denplan has shared its response.

“When talking about evidence and studies, it’s important to distinguish between the terms ‘flossing’ and ‘cleaning between teeth’,” says Henry Clover, Chief Dental Officer at Denplan. “Floss, whether it’s tape or string, is only one of the methods to clean between teeth and some studies have shown that traditional floss is not always effective for some people. This is partly due to patients not always being able to use the floss correctly and the fact that a thin piece of floss might only remove a proportion of plaque and food particles between teeth. There is, however, strong evidence* to show that other methods of cleaning between teeth, such as interdental brushes, are highly effective in removing plaque and helping to prevent or treat gum disease.

“Tooth brushing only reaches around 70 percent of tooth surfaces, so if you’re not regularly removing plaque from in between your teeth, there will be bacteria building up and potentially causing problems. This includes an increased risk of gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath.

“It’s vitally important that patients don’t misinterpret the US government’s recent withdrawal of the recommendation to floss as a message that they only need to brush their teeth, and never clean in between them. We would strongly urge patients to follow an evidence-based approach continue to clean between their teeth, as advised by their dental team, using whatever method work best for them, be it floss, interdental brushes or waterpiks.”

*Sources: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19820738

                 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19138177

About Henry Clover

Henry Clover joined the Professional Services team of Denplan in 1998, having worked as a dentist for 17 years looking after patients’ oral health in his own practice. He now holds the position of Director of Dental Policy at Simplyhealth and is also Chief Dental Officer at Denplan. Henry playing a vital role in Simplyhealth’s Leadership Team and is at the forefront of private dentistry liaising with more than 6,500 member dentists.

About Denplan

Denplan is the UK’s leading dental payment plan specialist, with more than 6,500 member dentists nationwide caring for approximately 1.7 million registered patients. Established in 1986 by two dentists who pioneered the concept of dental payment plans, Denplan has been at the heart of dental care for nearly 30 years and today the company is owned by Simplyhealth. Denplan has a wide range of dental plans for adults and children, enabling patients to budget for their private dental care by spreading the cost through a fixed monthly fee. We support regular attendance and preventive care, reducing the need for clinical intervention and helping patients to maintain healthy teeth and gums for life.

For further information visit www.denplan.co.uk. For oral health tips and advice visit www.myteeth.co.uk. Patient enquiries telephone: 0800 401 402   Dentist enquiries telephone: 0800 328 3223

• Denplan Care: all routine and restorative care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
• Denplan Essentials: routine care only + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
• Plans for Children: routine and other agreed care + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
• Membership Plan: registered with the dentist + worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover
• Denplan Emergency: worldwide dental injury and dental emergency cover only
• Company Dental Plans: company funded, voluntary and flexible benefit schemes

Denplan also provides a range of professional services for its member dentists and their practice teams, including the Denplan Quality Programme, Denplan Excel Accreditation Programme and Denplan Training, plus regulatory advice, business and marketing consultancy services and networking opportunities.

For more information about Denplan:

Sara Elliott

Denplan Press Office

Tel: 01962 828 194

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

Technology continues to evolve bringing new challenges and opportunities to dental practices. The role of the practice manager in particular has changed considerably, and now requires candidates with increasing knowledge of IT systems[i].

Taking on younger candidates can be an ideal way to meet the changing demands of the job and usher in the sort of diversity that is required. Many companies welcome young employees, while others tend to avoid them, opting for more mature and experienced individuals[ii]. However, while there are advantages and disadvantages of recruiting from either age group, the changes dental practices are and will continue to face favours the younger generation who are more readily able to understand and apply technology into business.

Good dental practices operate on a hierarchical system with patients’ interests and the dentist at the top and other members of the team supporting them to enable the practice to run to its optimum capacity¹. The manager has to help deliver the most efficient service possible and contributes significantly to the smooth running of the business. With the increase in laws and regulations in recent years, there has also been a huge rise in administrative work, which the modern day practice manager must complete in a timely manner, along with their other duties. Implementing new IT systems and advanced technology can reduce time spent on mundane tasks, allowing the manager more time to provide support and direction to the team.

Having young employees can bring in fresh perspectives, providing new ideas and solutions to enhance workflow and meet the changing demands. They are often more adaptable, have an abundance of energy and a natural thirst for knowledge, which can inspire colleagues around them and invigorate the workplace. Hiring a young person can also give practices the opportunity to have a greater influence in the kind of employee they become².

Youngsters can provide an inexpensive way to grow the workforce, particularly when taking on an apprentice. In recent years there have been significant improvements made to the UK’s vocational education and training systems, as well as an increase in government funding for apprenticeships, especially in England[iii].

Through well-developed pathways, apprentices can learn the skills in the workforce that go beyond general employability. The schemes allow individuals to gain essential experience in the workplace by learning from real professionals and thus acquiring industry-specific knowledge. Senior staff will be able to work with the new recruit to encourage common values and good ethics from the outset, giving them a chance to truly understand the practice. Having learnt from current team members, the practice manager will be more able to deliver a high performance in line with the practice’s strategy, goals and values³.

Currently, practices can benefit from offering individuals the Apprenticeship in Dental Practice Management. Barnet and Southgate College is a lead provider of the scheme and offers intake for the programme periodically throughout the year, with the next start dates on: 4^th May, 6^th July and 14^th September 2016 with other dates to follow. Find out more today about this exciting scheme and start building your business for tomorrow.

For more information on the Apprenticeship in Dental Practice Management, please contact Barnet and Southgate College:
www.barnetsouthgate.ac.uk

0203 764 4333
employer@barnetsouthgate.ac.uk

www.facebook.com/barnetsouthgate

twitter @barnetsouthgate

The Apprenticeship for Dental Practice Managers has recently commenced at Barnet and Southgate College, London. Employers have the opportunity to train staff members on this fantastic new course, which aims to develop candidates’ ability to lead and support the workforce, manage a practice competently and drive the business forward.

The first 6 months of the apprenticeship programme is dedicated to the Level 4 ILM certificate in Management and Leadership covering three skill domains – leadership, management and communication. Dentabyte is delighted to be involved in delivering this nationally recognised qualification – a tremendous asset for any dental practice manager and a chance to progress into a number of career pathways. Here the renowned healthcare lecturer, Seema Sharma, explains how this section of the course will be structured:

“I am conducting the ILM Certificate part of the apprenticeship programme with full workshop sessions. These workshops encompass the three skills development domains but are cleverly wrapped into a project format and conveniently designed into three core units.

Understanding the managers role

The first unit will teach apprentices the specific responsibilities of middle managers to enable a dental organisation to achieve its goals. They will learn how communication and interpersonal skills affect managerial performance and how to assess personal development opportunities to improve their own managerial performance.

Managing a complex team activity

The second unit will show learners how to plan a complex team activity, communicate information effectively and how to lead a team. Candidates will need to organise efficient operational practice systems including elements such as:

- setting SMART objectives

- planning and delegating work

- allocating resources efficiently to produce reports and meet deadlines

- monitoring, evaluating and improving individual and team processes

- developing advanced IT skills to meet requirements in their management role

Leading innovation and change

This unit will teach apprentices how to improve through innovation. It will cover interpreting and presenting data, negotiation skills and overcoming barriers to change in order to improve compliance, patient care and business growth.

“Trainee managers will complete an assignment for each of the three areas. This could include completing a work-based assignment, a reflective review, a practical task and report or a group discussion and write up. It is hoped that during the ILM Certificate programme each trainee will learn one topic in depth whilst completing their own project and also gain an overview of how they can approach the other topics from their peers.”

The Level 4 ILM certificate in Management and Leadership is Phase 1 of the apprenticeship programme. Candidates are then required to compose a portfolio of evidence of practical skills gained, before end point assessments take place. All aspects of the course have been structured and designed by leading employers working within the dental sector to ensure that delegates meet the standards required to become valuable, leading members of the dental team.

“I will closely supervise the first assignment and then candidates will be required to complete further projects (eight in total) for their portfolio, with the support of their mentors,” continues Seema. “Along with the workshops, delegates will be expected to conduct independent study with access to email and telephone support from myself as well as online resources from the Dentabyte Learning Zone and the ILM Learning Zone.”

Barnet and Southgate College is running the Apprenticeship for Dental Practice Managers periodically throughout the year and the next start date is 16^th March 2016, with more dates to follow.

For more information on the Apprenticeship in Dental Practice Management, please contact Barnet and Southgate College:

www.barnetsouthgate.ac.uk

0203 764 4333

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

www.facebook.com/barnetsouthgate

twitter @barnetsouthgate

For more information on content and assessment, please contact me on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jon Drysdale of Chartered Financial Planners, PFM Dental, assesses today’s Budget. Headlines may focus on the fragility of the economy and the need to further cut public spending The Chancellor offered positive news on personal finances which could benefit dentists.

·         Higher rate tax threshold to rise from £42,385 to £45,000 in April 2017. The majority of dentists are higher rate tax payers and will therefore feel the benefit. 

·         Many dentists employ their spouse and will take advantage of the tax-free personal allowance to rising to £11,500 also in April 2017. 

·         Annual Isa limit to rise from £15,000 to £20,000. This is a welcome increase to the alternative savings vehicle for those dentists no longer funding personal pensions (due to lifetime and annual allowance limits). 

·         Dentists trading as a limited company will welcome the changes to corporation tax, cut from 20% to 17% by April 2020. This may somewhat offset previously announced increases to dividend tax effective from April. 

·         Reforms to business rates will mean 6,000 small businesses pay no rates and 250,000 have their rates cuts from April 2017. 

·         Dentists buying a practice with a freehold property are likely to be affected by changes to commercial stamp duty – 0% rate on purchases up to £150,000, 2% on next £100,000 and 5% top rate above £250,000. The freehold of a dental practice is often valued at less than £250,000 so this could be an advantage to many buyers. However, buying a larger freehold practice, especially one in the south east, could make you worse off.

The much anticipated changes to personal pensions and tax relief didn't transpire - but we already expected that didn't we?

A more detailed appraisal of the 2016 budget will shortly be available at pfmdental.co.uk

The 2016 Talking Points in Dentistry lecture series, presented by the Sensodyne® brand, offers tailored sessions for different team members to maximise relevance for the whole dental team.

“The personal and social impact of dentine hypersensitivity”

Lecture one: for dentist, hygienists and therapists 

Professor Peter Robinson BDS MSc PhD FRACDS FDSRCS FHEA FFPH – is Head of School and Professor of Dental Public Health at the School of Oral and Dental Sciences, University of Bristol.  Professor Robinson’s research interests include the evaluation of oral health care and the impact of oral conditions on everyday life.

Lecture title - Measuring the effect of dentine hypersensitivity on everyday life

Professor Barry Gibson BSc MMedSci PhD – Professor in Medical Sociology and Head of Academic Unit of Dental Public Health. His research interests include medical sociology and oral health related quality of life. Professor Gibson was involved in the development of an OHQoL measure for assessing the impacts of dentine hypersensitivity.

Lecture title - The changing meaning of dentine hypersensitivity: understanding the social dynamics of the concept

 “Dealing with nervous patients”

Lecture two- for dental nurses and other practice staff

Professor Tim Newton – Professor of Psychology as Applied to Dentistry at King’s College London Dental Institute. Professor Newton has worked in the behavioural sciences in relation to dentistry for over 20 years and his particular interests include the management of dental anxiety.

Lecture title - Psychological approaches to dental anxiety: A proportionate approach

Brid Hendron – Brid has worked in general practice for many years and has a specialist interest in relaxing nervous, anxious and phobic patients. Many practitioners have enlisted her help communicating with patients and she lectures extensively throughout the UK.

Lecture title - “Be not afraid” - practical tips on caring for anxious patients

This year’s venues include:  

5^th May                                                Hastings Europa                      Belfast

12^th May                                              Watford Colosseum                Watford

17^th May                                              GSK House Brentford              London           

19^th May                                              ICC Birmingham                     Birmingham

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW! – VISIT http://talkingpoints2016.eventbrite.com

Not able to make it to a venue?

This year a special bitesize video of the speaker’s lectures will also be available shortly after the event at www.gsk-dentalprofessionals.co.uk

We look forward to seeing you at the 31^st year of Talking Points in Dentistry! 

Designed by The National Apprenticeship Service, this special week celebrates the positive impact that apprenticeships have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. It highlights how apprenticeships can help businesses across all sectors ‘rise to the top’ with young, enthusiastic talent and invites employers to get involved.

Apprentices follow a comprehensive work-based programme and work towards a recognised qualification that is relevant to your business. You can harness fresh new talent to your team or use the schemes to develop the skills and experience of existing employees.

In dentistry, newly approved, employer led apprenticeships are available for:

·         Dental Nurses

·         Dental Practice Managers

·         Dental Laboratory Assistants and

·         Dental Technicians

With almost 9 in 10 of every employer that takes on an apprentice reporting benefits to their business[1], there has never been a better time show your support.

The National Apprenticeship Service has set up an online tool – Pledge-o-meter for businesses to share their apprenticeship and traineeship pledges – get involved and show your commitment at:

www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/national-apprenticeship-week-2016

Find out more about dental apprenticeships at one of the
TRAILBLAZERS LAUNCH EVENTS
on March 16^th at Barnet and Southgate College -
www.barnetsouthgate.ac.uk and
on March 17th at the University of Bolton University - www.bolton.ac.uk/dentalapprentice

For additional information from the National Apprenticeship Service, please visit: www.apprenticeships.gov.uk

Dr Andy Lane is one of the UK’s foremost experts on dental occlusion and he will be delivering a seminal session on this commonly misunderstood field as part of Step Education’s exceptional new learning programme. Here, he details a few of the points he will be discussing… 

“The relationship between all the components of the masticatory system in normal function, dysfunction, and parafunction, including the morphological and functional features of contacting surfaces of opposing teeth and restorations.” (Jablonski 1982).

This is an accurate definition of occlusion, but what we’re really concerned about when we study this field, and in particular, how we apply those principles in practice, is great dentistry. That’s dentistry that is appropriate and timely; looks good and feels comfortable; lasts as long as possible; needs as little maintenance as possible; and causes as little damage to other structures as possible.

“Occlusion” is a funny word, as in dentistry it means the way teeth bite and function together, but it’s also related to the word occluded, another word for closed, or hidden. Let’s face it; occlusion seems to be a subject that remains pretty closed and hidden to a lot of dentists doesn’t it?

Occlusion is really the secret of great dentistry. When we learn to understand occlusion fully we begin to understand that patients have been giving us multiple clues, both spoken and unspoken, that we may have missed over the years.

When designing the courses I have been involved with since 1985 in the UK, Niles Guichet and his Associates in NGA Seminars wanted to make very high-end, high quality, comfortable, long-lasting, aesthetic, functional, valuable dentistry available to all at affordable prices, not just to the super-rich in Hollywood as it had been. Great dentistry for all? It’s a noble goal.

The key to that kind of dentistry, the cornerstone, the guiding principle if you like, is occlusion. Without a thorough knowledge of occlusion much of what we do in dentistry is more unpredictable, open to chance, and potentially a lot more stressful. Occlusal principles provide the road map; they increase the certainty of knowing where you are, where you’ve been and where you’re going to end up.

As such, occlusion relates to almost every aspect of work that a dentist can carry out:

Diagnosis and Treatment Planning: To provide great dentistry we have to consider the role of occlusion in the aetiology of disease and the effect that occlusion will have on the prognosis of any intervention.

Fillings: Whenever we restore a tooth we have to assess how well that restoration will restore the function of that tooth, including any contacts with opposing and adjacent teeth. Failure to do this might result in heavy contacts that cause pain, fractures or mobility, or spaces that create instability.

Extractions: Whenever a tooth requires extraction we need to assess whether the resulting space will create instability in the occlusion. We must ask ourselves: A) if an extraction will affect function? B) are we removing the only tooth in contact on that side of the mouth? C) if so, what will be the consequences of that action?

We will also need to ask ourselves if the muscles of mastication or temporomandibular joints are healthy enough to allow you to perform a difficult extraction (e.g. a third molar) without causing an exacerbation of joint or muscle problems?

Orthodontics: Any form of orthodontic intervention will have a potentially major impact on the way teeth contact and upon the function of muscles and joints; it’s a form of full mouth reconstruction after all.

Crowns, bridges, veneers, implants, dentures: Whenever we provide advanced restorative solutions for patients, we’re certainly going to be changing the functioning surfaces of teeth most of the time. It is, of course, essential to have an understanding of the existing occlusal scheme and the occlusion that will be required in the new restoration in order to either conform with it or to plan a reorganized occlusion.

Occlusal Disease

It is commonly considered that the primary cause of dental disease is infection, resulting in periodontal disease and caries; certainly this is the focus of undergraduate training in most universities around the world. There is, however, a much wider range of diseases and symptoms that can be caused by, or are related to, occlusion. This is particularly true when parafunction, occlusal disharmony or a combination of both is present and those changes are enough to move the body beyond a position of adaptation and coping into a diseased state.

The range of such diseases will normally reflect the weakest link in the chain for that individual, so a similar cause may result in a wide variety of effects.

The weak link could be in muscles, joints, teeth or supporting structures. When the muscles are least able to adapt the result might be a headache, when the teeth and muscles adapt the jaw joints might suffer, and when the joints, muscles and periodontal tissues are able to adapt well, in the presence of parafunction, the teeth will wear away.

Occlusion is important in all aspects of dentistry, and by understanding the fundamental principles of this field, we can ensure better practice in our everyday provision of better dentistry.

To learn more about Step Education visit www.stepeducational.com, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

or call on 0800 130 3573

Andy Lane MPhil, BDS, DGDP(UK)

Andy qualified from the University of Bristol in 1978, was awarded the Diploma in General Dental Practice in 1993, gained a Master of Philosophy degree for research into the aetiology of caries and the properties of light-cured materials at the University of Manchester in 1999 and won the Manchester Postgraduate Dental Society Award for research, also in 1999.

He now works full time in general practice, has been fully private since 1991 and his practice recently became part of the Portman Healthcare group. Andy has been amalgam-free since 1991, and currently spends approx. 50% of his time providing fixed appliance orthodontics and treating chronic pain conditions of the head and neck on referral.

Andy is the head of Stockport Dental Seminars, which has provided training in occlusal principles since 1981, and was co-founder of the British Society for Occlusal Studies in 1986. As secretary of the society for 10 years he organised many postgraduate training courses, bringing many of the world's foremost experts in the field of TMD to the UK for the first time. 

Other positions held include founder of Private VT, Dental Vocational Training Advisor in General Dental Practice (NW Region), UK Chairman of the American Equilibration Society, Founder and Chairman of Dental Relief for Romania Appeal, leader writer for Dentistry Monthly magazine and founder/editor of the Biological Dentistry newsletter.

Andy's main hobby is classic rally driving and he is noted for having won Europe's toughest event, the Land's End to John O'Groats Reliability Trial, 4 times.

NSK recently offered GDPUK users a trial of their new autoclave - https://www.gdpuk.com/resources/professional-services/entry/1503-would-you-like-to-trial-a-state-of-the-art-autoclave

Practices are now in the process of being notified if they’ve been selected to trial the NSK iClave mini, which will be delivered to them shortly. Over the next two months we will keep you updated with the progress these practices are making and at the end of the trial we will publish a roundup of the feedback we have received.

We are confident the trial practices will find the NSK iClave mini really useful as it is the perfect handpiece autoclave and is small enough to fit even the smallest decontamination area. Complying with Europe’s Class S sterilisation standard, the iClave mini sterilises even the invisible parts of handpieces, and with a footprint approximately the size of an A4 piece of paper the iClave mini fits into the smallest space possible.

The iClave mini delivers up to 12 ‘dry’ handpieces in less that 12 minutes using direct-heating technology. This is coupled with a sophisticated design of the control panel and excellent visibility, with ease of use and day-to-day maintenance in mind.

The NSK iClave mini:

·         Small enough to fit in the smallest spaces

·         Effective sterilisation for hollow instruments

·         Fast and compact but with large capacity

·         User-friendly and easy to operate

·         Perfect solution for quick handpiece turnaround

The NSK iClave mini is small enough to use anywhere!

If you would like more information about NSK’s care and maintenance range contact Mark Beckwith on 07900 246529 or visit www.nsk-uk.com

www.myNSKdecontamination.co.uk

www.nsk-uk.com

Twitter: @NSK_UK

Facebook: NSK UK Ltd

In conjunction with NSK, GDPUK are offering 3 lucky practices the opportunity to trial and review the new NSK iClave mini - NSK’s smallest and lightest autoclave

The NSK iClave mini is the perfect handpiece autoclave and is small enough to fit even the smallest decontamination area. Complying with Europe’s Class S sterilisation standard, the iClave mini sterilises even the invisible parts of handpieces, and with a footprint approximately the size of an A4 piece of paper the iClave mini fits in to the smallest space possible.

The iClave mini delivers up to 12 ‘dry’ handpieces in less that 12 minutes using direct-heating technology. This is coupled with a sophisticated design of the control panel and excellent visibility, with ease of use and day-to-day maintenance in mind.

The NSK iClave mini:

·         Small enough to fit in  very small space

·         Effective sterilisation for hollow instruments

·         Fast and compact but with large capacity

·         User-friendly and easy to operate

·         Perfect solution for quick handpiece turnaround

The NSK iClave mini is small enough to use anywhere!

For your chance to be one of just three practices to trial and review the NSK iClave mini for 2 months FREE of charge simply send an email with your details to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and they will be in touch to let you know if you have been selected.

Chosen practices will have the opportunity to use the NSK iClave mini free of charge for 2 months and then be asked to complete an online questionnaire and telephone interview. After the trial period these practices will be offered the opportunity to buy the NSK iClave mini at a discounted price.

For more information on NSK’s care and maintenance range contact Mark Beckwith on 07900 246529 or visit www.nsk-uk.com

www.myNSKdecontamination.co.uk

www.nsk-uk.com

Twitter: @NSK_UK

Facebook: NSK UK Ltd

A review of the top five lenders on comparison website Moneysupermarket.com revealed they will not lend to newly self-employed dentists regardless of income. Chartered Financial Planners PFM Dental undertook the review and found that self-employed dentists without at least two years of accounts were barred from obtaining a mortgage.

Jon Drysdale of PFM Dental commented: "We based our review on a first-time buyer wishing to borrow £180,000 for a house purchase of £200,000. The majority of dental associates would easily afford the repayments and they have virtually guaranteed job security. The good news is that specialist dental advisers are aware of lenders happy to accept mortgage applications from newly qualified associates."

Around 1,000 dentists have now completed Foundation Training in the current academic year and the majority will start associate positions during August and September. The move to self-employment usually results in an immediate uplift in income, causing many dentists to think seriously about their first property purchase.

Jon Drysdale is an independent financial adviser for Chartered Financial Planners PFM Dental. He specialises in pension and wealth management advice exclusively for dentists.

For more information visit www.pfmdental.co.uk

Dr Bob Ballard and Hema Dhingra of Ballard and Tucker Dental Practice in Bedfordshire explain the positive impact of transferring their dental plan to Patient Plan Direct.

At the beginning of 2014 we set ourselves a realistic target of growing our practice turnover and profitability. As part of this exercise we looked at every cost centre in our business to try and identify where we could potentially cut costs and increase profitability. One area that stood out the most was the administration fees that we were paying to our plan provider at the time. Nearly 10% of our plan income month on month was eaten up in administration fees, so we set out to explore alternative solutions to running our practices dental plans.

Discovering Patient Plan Direct

We looked at other plan provider propositions in the market and were attracted to Patient Plan Direct thanks to their low and flat administration fees, strong reputation, administrative efficiency and experience of managing lots of successful plan provider transfers.

In meeting with one of Patient Plan Direct’s business development team we were not only put at ease regarding the management of the transfer process and what was involved, but were also impressed with the advise we received around growing our plan base further which was inline with our overall objectives.  

We were so confident the transfer and on-going plan growth strategy was the right move for the practice and our patients that we committed there and then.

With almost 400 plan patients we stood to save over £8,000 per annum (£40,000 in the next five years) in administration fees year on year as a result of the transfer.

Patient retention as a result of our transfer

We were understandably nervous initially that transfer would result in some patient drop off. However, Patient Plan Direct fully managed and fulfilled the mailing to patients and supported us throughout the transfer process to ensure retention was maximised. The communication of the transfer to patients was presented in a positive manner to ensure patients were assured that the move was in the best interest of both the practice and our valued patients in the long term. 

As a result of the effective management of the transfer we lost literally a handful of patients, no more than we would normally expect as a result of the annual fee increase we had always been encouraged to apply year on year by our old plan provider.  

A revised plan strategy and subsequent growth

Once our transfer was underway we applied the strategic changes Patient Plan Direct recommended. Previously we had only offered and promoted to patients a capitation (care) based plan. We felt we had exhausted the promotion of such a plan proposition to our patient base. As such, we opted to introduce a simple, value driven maintenance plan as a new option for patients. This was in line with current consumer habits and market trends which Patient Plan Direct explained to us.

Once we had determined the best plan structure and price point that would prove beneficial and attractive to patients and profitable to the practice, we completed a full team training session with one of Patient Plan Direct’s experienced business development managers. The session ensured the whole practice team was clear on the overall objectives, recognised the benefits of the plan to both the practice and patients and ensured everyone was confident in speaking about and promoting the plan.

One year on from when we completed our plan provider transfer we have increased our total plan base by a further 50% representing a significant increase in plan income month on month. Moreover, the plan continues to grow week on week. We now have even more loyal patients at the practice that have committed their oral health care to us for the long term.

Assessing your dental plan provision

Patient Plan Direct is a plan provider offering a low cost plan administration fee of £1 per patient per month (inc. VAT and Worldwide Dental A&E cover).  Patient Plan Direct has helped practices across the UK successfully transfer their existing dental plan from other plan providers, benefiting from significant cost savings and first-class support.

Web: www.patientplandirect.co.uk

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

Tel: 08448486888

Winchester based Janice Charlton has joined cost effective and technology embracing plan provider – Patient Plan Direct, heading up the business development team in the South of the UK. Janice brings to Patient Plan Direct a wealth of experience specifically in the dental plan market and strengthens the plan provider’s overall proposition as the company continues to experience significant growth.

Following an initial career on the clinical and practice management side of dentistry, Janice moved to the trade side of the industry in the early 90’s and has worked in the dental plan market specifically for over 17 years. Janice has supported hundreds of dentists and their teams in introducing and developing successful dental plans; whether that’s offering plan membership alongside private fee-per-item, transferring an existing base of plan patients from another plan provider or indeed taking steps to offer private dental plans as an alternative to the NHS.

Simon Reynolds, commercial director of Patient Plan Direct explains; “As we continue to evolve and build on our strong reputation as the low cost/first-class support plan provider, Janice brings to the mix a unrivalled level of experience and knowledge that will benefit the practices we already work with in further developing and growing their respective dental plans, as well as other practices looking to take advantage of working with Patient Plan Direct and maximising the profitability of their dental plan.”

Janice Charlton added; “I was attracted to joining the Patient Plan Direct team after taking the time to understand more about their service proposition and technology. Patient Plan Direct’s streamlined, fully practice branded and web based approach to dental plan administration along with the support and advice that is delivered for £1 per patient per month is the right fit for so many practices both clinically, financially and operationally.

“I’m really looking forward to spreading the word and letting more practices take advantage of Patient Plan Direct whatever their objective; transferring from another plan provider to make significant cost savings, launching a plan for the first time or making a move away from the NHS.”

Patient Plan Direct is a dental plan provider now working with over 300 practices across the UK that is recognised for its cost effective approach to dental plan administration and support as well as its innovative web-based technology, continually developed with the future of dentistry in mind. 

Web: www.patientplandirect.co.uk

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

Tel: 08448486888

Dental plan provider Patient Plan Direct has partnered with Chrysalis Finance to promote a solution to offering patient finance that is quick, simple, low cost, sophisticated and unique.

Plan provider Patient Plan Direct and Chrysalis Finance have joined forces to market their respective services to the dental community. Both companies share the same ethos of embracing technology, making life simple for dental practices and ensuring a practice can maximise the profitability of the dentistry they deliver.

Chrysalis Finance recently launched their unique approach to offering patient finance that takes away the head ache and requirement of a practice obtaining a consumer credit licence directly with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

As Chrysalis Finance is authorised with full permission as a principal firm by the Financial Conduct Authority, a dental practice is able to become an appointed representative of Chrysalis Finance, as such taking away any regulation, risk or authorisation responsibilities for a practice.

This is a new genuine forward step within the industry and Chrysalis Finance is the first finance company to offer this service to dental practices, enabling them to focus on growing their business and not yet more compliance and regulation.

This unique approach is made even more attractive thanks to the super quick and simple set up, unbeatable subsidy rates, first-class dedicated support, payments made quicker than any other finance provider and some of the best acceptance rates in the market.

Simon Reynolds, commercial director of Patient Plan Direct, explained; “We are very pleased to be announcing our partnership with Chrysalis Finance. We identified demand from the practices we work with for access to a first-class and simple patient finance facility that attracts low subsidy rates, enabling a practice to maximise the income they retain when providing treatment through finance.

“This is exactly what Chrysalis Finance is able to deliver, which is made even better because of their unique authorisation with the FCA taking away the head ache of a practice needing to obtain and pay for their own licencing.”

Chris Baldwin, Head of Sales at Chrysalis Finance, added; “Our unique approach to enabling a practice to offer patient finance quickly, simply and at low cost mirrors Patient Plan Direct’s approach to enabling a practice to run and develop a successful patient dental plan. As such, a partnership was a very obvious strategy and we look forward to supporting each other in helping more practices throughout the UK.”

Chrysalis Finance specialises in dentistry finance and is the only provider requiring a practice not to be licensed directly with the FCA. Chrysalis Finance manages any risk and compliance on a practices behalf along with the best funding rates and options available in the market. 

www.chrysalisfinance.com

Patient Plan Direct provides an easy to use, highly efficient and very cost effective method of enabling practices to offer patients a dental plan. Patient Plan Direct’s unique approach embraces 21st century technology, gives a practice control and is proven to improve plan income and profitability.

www.patientplandirect.com

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, delivered his second Budget of 2015 today, 8th July 2015. Following the promises made in the election campaign the main focus was, unsurprisingly, on cuts to welfare spending. Nevertheless, there were items of interest to dentists as Jon Drysdale explains.

Two tax measures will benefit most dentists

First, the higher rate threshold will increase from £42,385 in 2015-16 to £43,000 in 2016-17. This will undoubtedly benefit many dentists as the majority are higher rate taxpayers. The amount people will have to earn before they pay tax at 40% will increase from £42,385 in 2015-16 to £43,000 in 2016-17.

Second, the tax-free Personal Allowance will be increased from £10,600 in 2015-16 to £11,000 in April 2016. The tax-free Personal Allowance – the amount people earn before they have to start paying Income Tax – will increase to £11,000 in 2016-17.

Buy–to-let landlords lose tax break

Many dentists invest in buy-to-let property – a strategy that is already under pressure from decreasing yields. Landlords who currently receive tax relief at 40% and 45% on their costs – including mortgage interest – will be restricted to claiming 20%. This is to be phased in by April 2020 and puts further pressure on buy-to-let yields.

Incorporated dentists: dividend tax rates reformed and corporation tax reduced

The dividend tax credit (which reduces the amount of tax paid on income from shares) will be replaced by a new £5,000 tax-free dividend allowance for all taxpayers from April 2016. Tax rates on dividend income will be increased and are likely to affect those dentists who take income in the form of dividends. However, Corporation Tax will be cut to 19% in 2017 and 18% in 2020.

Pension reform

A major 'root and branch' reform of pensions was announced with a Green Paper for consultation to be published shortly. The implication is that tax relief on pensions may be reduced and tax-free access to pension pots further eased.

Those dentists with incomes over £150,000pa will be restricted to claiming tax relief on no more than £10,000 of pension contributions. This may make the NHS pension significantly less viable for dentists with this level of income.

Comment

Jon Drysdale, an independent financial adviser from Chartered Financial planners PFM Dental, says: “This budget didn’t contain too many surprises, although dentists who have incorporated will need to consider their remuneration strategy carefully due to dividend tax reform. Landlords were hit with the withdrawal of some tax relief and this may see buy-to-let yields fall significantly.

Jon Drysdale is an independent financial adviser for Chartered Financial Planners PFM Dental. He specialises in pension and wealth management advice exclusively for dentists.

For more information visit www.pfmdental.co.uk

Plan provider Patient Plan Direct and Goodman Grant Solicitors have teamed up alongside a range of expert speakers to put together and host a series of unique and not-to-be-missed seminars focusing on how to develop a profitable practice in today’s challenging market.

The seminar series kicks off in Manchester on the 19th June at the Lowry, with further events later in the year to be held in Birmingham and London.  

The Manchester event sees speakers share their expertise in six of the most important areas influencing a practices growth potential, sustainability and profits; legal considerations, business finances, personal finances, patient membership and capitation schemes, business and marketing planning and of course CQC compliance.

Simon Reynolds of Patient Plan Direct and John Grant of Goodman Grant Solicitors will be joined in Manchester by Brendan Coburn of dental specific financial advisers – Essential Money, John Minford of leading UK dental accountants – Minfords, CQC compliance specialist Keith Hayes and Andy McDougall of Spot on Business Planning.

The full day events provide a holistic view of what it takes to succeed in developing a profitable practice, explained by experts that have proven to help practices achieve this exact objective whilst offering the best in patient care. Delegates will be treated to a top quality lunch hand-prepared by chef’s on-location and gain 4.5 hours CPD.

Simon Reynolds, Commercial Director of Patient Plan Direct commented; “There is plenty to consider when it comes to developing a profitable practice and lots of pieces of the jigsaw to put together to keep up to pace with the many changes experienced within the industry in recent times, as well as potential changes on the horizon. In attending any of the seminars across the UK, dentists can expect to take away plenty of food for thought and expert advice to help them maintain competitive edge and nurture profitability.”

For more information about the seminar series and to book on to any of the events, visit: www.patientplandirect.co.uk/events  

About Patient Plan Direct

Patient Plan Direct provides an easy to use, highly efficient and very cost effective method of enabling practices to offer patients a dental plan. Patient Plan Direct’s unique approach embraces 21st century technology, gives a practice control and is proven to improve plan income and profitability.

The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has awarded PFM Dental (Financial Advice) Chartered Financial Planner status, the financial planning industry’s gold standard of excellence and integrity. PFM Dental, which offers independent financial advice, a professional dental sales agency, practice valuations, and chartered accountancy services, is the first organisation dedicated to advising dentists to be awarded Chartered Financial Planner status.

To be awarded Chartered Financial Planner status, an organisation has to have CII approved financial qualifications well beyond the minimum requirements, be able to demonstrate relevant experience, adherence to the CII's Code of Ethics and Conduct and a commitment to continuing professional development.

PFM Dental director, Jon Drysdale, commented: "Because such high standards of professionalism, capability and ethics are required, Chartered Financial Planner status is conferred on fewer than 10 per cent of UK financial advisory firms. We are delighted to be the only financial advisers dedicated to the dentistry profession to meet the criteria."

PFM Dental offers independent financial advice exclusively to dentists. For more information visit www.pfmdental.co.uk

Simon Reynolds of Patient Plan Direct, explains why when it comes to dental plans, simplicity is the winning formula

In helping practices day to day develop successful dental plans that prove profitable to the practice and attractive and beneficial to patients, my colleagues and I get a good feel for what works best when it comes to dental plans.

We work with a wide range of practices across the UK, all of which have different patient demographics, a different split of private and NHS care, and their own unique objectives. However, there is one common factor across all the practices that run the most successful dental plans: Simplicity!

Defining success

I define a successful dental plan as one that is an integral part of the practices patient journey. It is mentioned on a regular basis to patients (new and existing) and the message about the plan is rehearsed and consistent. The whole team believe in the plan and recognise that it is of genuine benefit to the patient’s pocket and long term oral health.

As such, a steady and regular number of patients join the plan week on week and loyalty once a patient joins a plan is excellent and long term. The plan generates a healthy regular income that proves profitable, aids cash flow and commits patients to regular visits, providing the opportunity to promote other treatments and services (clearly in an ethical fashion), generating further revenue streams and profits.

Defining simplicity

The simple and successful dental plans can be summarised as having three common factors:

1.      Limited choice – There may be a couple of different plan options available to patients to suit different requirements and budgets. But there should never be a overload of different plan options for patients to choose from. I have come across practices that have 10+ different types of plans. This serves only to confuse patients and your team, likely resulting in them not being comfortable or motivated to mention the plan to patients and thus hindering uptake.

2.      Simple marketing – Any marketing literature promoting the plan is concise, to the point, transparent and highlights the key messages in language the patient can understand. A brochure with paragraphs of text is not the answer.

3.      Quick and simple – The sign up process when a patient commits to the plan is rehearsed, quick and simple. Whoever is responsible for the final stage of sign up should be crystal clear in undertaking this process and explaining the detail of the plan to patients.

Stick to the above and you won’t go far wrong with making your dental plan a success.

Back in the fifteenth century Leonardo da Vinci explained; "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". As such, it’s no new modern day phenomenon that simplicity is a solid strategic approach. It shouldn’t be an approach that is limited to developing a successful dental plan. It is likely to prove beneficial when determining many other practice processes.

Patient Plan Direct is the UK’s most cost effective plan provider: Experts in dental plan launches, plan provider transfers and introducing private dental plans to create less dependence on NHS income. 

Tel: 08448486888 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Visit: www.patientplandirect.co.uk

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, delivered the last Budget of this parliament today. Jon Drysdale highlights items of interest to dentists.

Tax cuts

Big tax cuts for income tax payers and help for savers through greater flexibility on ISAs. With the majority of dentists being higher rate tax payers, this is positive news.

Simplification of the tax system was announced with the annual tax return removed - more details to follow. The fuel duty increase will be frozen again.

The personal tax-free allowance will be raised to £11,000 in 2017. The higher rate tax threshold, which affects most dentists, will rise to £43,300 in 2017/18.

Pensions hit

On a more negative front, the Lifetime Allowance on pensions is to be reduced to £1m from next year. This is likely to significantly impact dentists with NHS pensions. It remains to be seen what transitional protection will be offered to those breaching the new reduced allowance. The change is potentially going to encourage dentists to draw their NHS pension earlier than planned to avoid a Lifetime Allowance charge. 

Savings

Four major new steps on savings were announced:

1. Greater access to pension annuities. 

2. A more flexible ISA with annual savings limit increasing to £15,240 (2014/15) and allowing withdrawals and re-contributions in the same year without losing tax-free allowance.

3. 'Help to Buy' ISA for first time buyers with a 25% top-up – effectively tax relief on ISAs.

4. First £1,000 of interest on savings income to be tax-free.

Business

Corporation tax will be cut to 20% in two weeks time, with small business rates also to be cut. Class 2 National Insurance to be abolished.

Comment

Jon Drysdale, an independent financial adviser from PFM Dental, commented: “While there are positives in this budget for dentists the most worrying single announcement today is the further cut to the Lifetime Pension allowance to £1m. Many dentists are already subject to a charge as the allowance has fallen in recent years. Hopefully, some transitional protection will be available and we will be following developments on this closely. The need for specialist advice in this area has never been greater." 

PFM Dental offers independent financial advice exclusively to dentists. For more information visit www.pfmdental.co.uk