AMN News Flash - Article Page

AMN News Flash - Article Page

Albirea dintilor acasa. Luxury Smile

Albirea dintilor acasa. Luxury Smile

Albirea dintilor acasa. Luxury Smile

Albirea dintilor acasa. Luxury Smile

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British Men Don’t Brush!!!

Shocking statistics show that nearly 6% of all men in Britain do not brush their teeth regularly and even go weeks without brushing. This survey was carried out by a leading tooth brush provider.

Surprisingly women are the worst offenders for not brushing their teeth prior to going to bed. Amazing considering that most women have a nightly regime for cleansing and moisturising their skin and they forget their teeth.

The British population has been the butt of jokes for years about how British people have poor teeth and now with this survey it seems we do have bad teeth. 50% of people surveyed felt as a nation we have poor teeth.

Young people are putting up a fight, with a large percentage of young people intent on having good oral health which is good news for the nation as a whole for the future.

Your work colleagues know when your missing out on brushing your teeth ona regular basis, how do the know? Your breath will smell and the longer you don’t improve yur oral health your breath will just get worse.

Large swathes of men and women cliam they regularly go whole weekends without brishing their teeth. Not good.

Leading European Dentist Dr Luana O’Connor of HappyDental says “To attain and retain good oral health you need to brush your teeth twice per day as minimum of good housekeeping for your mouth. When I see and hear of people passing up on brushing their teeth it is very worrying.”

Dental Advertising - Helps or Hinders Patients

Dentists have been around for a long, long time. Archaeological evidence points out that some form of dentistry existed as early as 3000 BC. Mankind has always been in need of these able care givers to relieve them of the severe pain that is associated with tooth and oral problems.

Yet, the dentist has always been associated with pain. A visit to the dentist is never considered pleasant. The dentist has an ugly reputation, and he knows it. That is why, the profession is now warming to advertising as a method to improve the image of the dentist and increase business. But how much credence can the consumer give to such dental advertising messages?

Most consumers get their information from the media, without ever being sure of whether they can rely on it or not. Consumers are bombarded with ad messages every day. Some sources say that the normal American is subject to about 6000 ad messages in various forms every day.

Advertising has become the normal means through which every industry and commerce communicates with their customers. The dental profession has long scorned advertising, claiming it to be unethical or unprofessional. The results? Lesser and lesser people visit dentists. Oral hygiene is declining. Conscious of these trends, many dentists and dental associations have consented to advertise both the profession in general and individual practices.

If the matter was only about dentists wanting to advertise their business or make advertising for dental products, we would certainly have nothing to fear. Indeed, it is a blatant reality that the dentist is the custodian of good oral hygiene. If advertising helps consumers understand this, then it is a laudable effort.

However, behind the scenes of dental advertising lurk Wall Street pundits and pharmaceutical companies, desirous to skyrocket their profits with dental products advertising. Dental management firms, backed by Wall Street, are becoming more prevalent. These firms use advertising routinely as a method of increasing their business and dental products sales.

Crudely put, dentistry is becoming just another product to be sold to the end-consumer. One website, advocating the need for dental advertising, gave analogies of the beef and milk industries as examples to follow. While this situation exasperates many dentists, it is a fact that dentistry is becoming a sophisticated business and that individual practices that refuse to advertise or cannot do so are being phased out. And there the danger lies.

Is the trustworthy dentist round the corner a thing of the past? Is the dentist becoming a mere employee in some intricate multinational network—a cog in the wheel of a larger machinery that neither listens to the consumer nor cares about him? For the time being, most people are content with the dental profession. Over 83% of Americans report to be satisfied with their dentists. Dentists are rated highly (61%) for their honesty and trustworthiness.

Consumer associations recognize the need for reliable and independent information about dental practices. The fact is every one of us, at any given time, may be required to visit a dentist. Information should be available to the consumer on the different offers in his region so that he can make a pick. Advertised dental care is often not equal to advertised dental care. Dental advertisers are bent on generating the "desire" to visit a dentist.

Past "prevention" programs are being dumped to the profit of ads that promote dental care as a way to have a better smile or nicer breath. Yet, nearly 66% of people visiting the dentist claim to have done so preventively. Demise of preventive advertising is decreasing awareness about issues such as the connection between periodontal disease and heart disease. Advertisers want to create demand while consumers want dental health. The two views seem incompatible.

The best way for the consumer to go about dental advertisement is to consider the source. If the source of an ad is a huge multinational company, then the objective of the ad is clear. One must be cautious of such ads, even if the message is enticing. Second, like with any dental product advertising, the consumer should analyze his own needs. Does he really need tooth whitening right now? Thirdly, he should purposefully seek out independent information. What are the risks involved? What has not been divulged in the ad? These questions help the consumer make an informed decision.

Dental Tourism Romania for affordable dental implants-Implant Dentar

Author:

Dr Luana O'Connor

One of the key parts of our business we intend to grow over the next five years is the dental tourist.

This week we have started to see a solid start to our marketing initiative with a patient flying in from Italy to do some dental work the patient deemed essential to his well being mentally and physically.

The patient contacted our dental practice last week explaining what he felt was needed to be done after consulting a dentist locally where he resides. We discussed via email and eventually by telephone what was required. I explained to him in writing what we would require before we could treat him.

We required from the patient for the dental implant ( implant dentar ):

1 x Panoramic X-Ray

1 x Local dental advice

1 x Blood Analysis proof of no blood related diseases

1 x medical practitioner declaring the patient of good health and no ongoing medical conditions including heart, circulation or blood problems

1 x list of current medications being taken

The patient emailed all the required documentation so we could make sure all the possible problems could be coped with should the need arise.

Our suggestion for the patient was the following:

2 x Implants

5 x Amalgam Replacements

1 x root canal

1 x extraction

General Cleaning and gum treatment

We organised several hotels for the patient to choose from and we also organised the transfers for the patient while he was here.

Once we had agreed all with the patient he booked his flight in for a lunchtime arrival and a following evening departure.

When the patient arrived the first thing we did was to have x-rays done locally followed by our first consult where we confirmed the work that would be required and commenced immediately on the removal of the amalgam to be replaced with suitable more aesthetically pleasing fillings.

This work was able to be completed in a timely fashion but we found that one of the potential filling replacements might be unwise as the amount used was quite large so we decided to leave for later in the procedure list so the patient could decide.

After this we undertook the root canal which was fairly straightforward and was completed quickly.

As we completed the first stage of the works that had been planned the patient took a break for 90 minutes to go for some fresh air and a rest at his hotel.

Part two of the procedures was the placement of two implants in the lower jaw. We prepared for the implant surgery in the approved fashion as required by local law with all wearing surgical clean suits to minimise the risks of infection while completing the implant procedure.

The implants procedure went smoothly, as we all know this is not always the case but we were confident having examined the patients initial x-rays and x-rays done locally we had a strong jaw to work with and good bone density, so we were able to place the to implants with little difficulty or procedural problems.

After the finishing of the implant placements the patient was dispatched to the hotel to rest and recover from a long day in the chair and the surgical procedures he had undergone that day. The patient was also given 7 days of antibiotics to minimise any risk of post surgical infection. The patient was also supplied with several contact numbers should he have any discomfort during the night.

The patient was picked up in the morning and returned to the surgery for the final procedure which was the extraction. This was relatively quick and simple as the tooth was in poor shape. Once the extraction was done we placed Bios Bone which will need 6-9 months to bed into the extraction point so the patient can consider an implant to replace the extracted tooth.

The patient was then kept under observation for the rest of the day with hourly checks to make sure the work that had been completed was settling in with no discomfort to the patient. Once I was satisfied that the work completed had been successful from the patients point of view and myself the patient was signed out and returned to the airport to fly home.

I then breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Dental Tourism is going to grow but it is also very stressful as a dentist to be involved with supplying this service as unlike traditional patients where you have time to organise work and stage it over a period of time dental tourists are usually on a strict schedule an they are looking for cost effective and timely procedures. This particular case went smoothly from both mine and the patients point of view but you can also have terrible problems when the patient expects too much or they don\'t realise you can only put the mouth through so much stress before you over exert the healing capabilities of the mouth.

Educating the patients on what is possible and what is impossible is one of the key elements to providing a successful dental tourism offer to international patients. Managing expectation prior to their arrival is how you stop issues arising.

One of the key factors for dental tourists is savings to the patient. This is the highest motivation for dental tourists.

Teeth Whitening

About the Author

I am the first dentist in Romania who is qualified to provide patients Lumineers. I have been a dentist in Romania for 10 years. I created my first practice which is has now grown to 3 surgeries and I have recently opened a new dental practice in Gorneti where I have one surgery. I currently employ 2 other dentists and I am looking for a third. Later this year I hope to open another dental practice here in Romania followed by my first one overseas in the UK where I am a GDC Approved dentist as well.

Portable Hand Held X-Rays for Dentists

Portable Dental X-Rays are the future for dentists

Working here in Romania and working on small margins can make it difficult some times when you want to acquire cutting edge technology.

This is a problem that is faced by dentists here in Romania and I would say in most developing nations. So how do we fix this?

My example for you is the Hand Held Portable Dental X-Ray unit that is slowly coming on to the markets here in Europe and other parts of the world.

Currently, like a lot of dentist in Romania I do not have an X-Ray service in my dental practice.

Reason #1 Expensive Investment in excess of $20,000.00

Reason #2 My location is in a building that is residential as well

Reason #3 The cost of preparing a space to accommodate the X-Ray Unit

So I refer my patients, like other dentists in my position, to a Radiology Centre which is located near to us. So the patient has to go and get an x-ray and come back and see us at another time. Not good and I feel very unprofessional when we have this situation.

How to fix it?

By using the internet and keeping myself abreast of what is happening in the world. Attending events and listening to what other people are saying. Using this method I discovered some dentists in Bulgaria had what was described to me as military portable x-ray unit they were using for their patients.

This got me interested in hand held x-rays, I spoke to colleagues about this and asked what they knew, none of them had heard of anything like this type of product.

I then started doing research and after some time I found 3 companies who produce the portable x-ray unit. I then began communicating with the companies to find out more about what they had and what we could do to access the units.

SUCCESS!!! (Partially)

I was able to drill down and finally get the cost per unit, which ranges from $2000.00-$4000.00 which is a HUGE saving on the current offers for standard x-rays and the retail prices quoted by one online supplier. ALL the units work with self developing x-ray materials which is great because the digital x-ray sensors will cost me $5000.00 so I will use self developing x-rays.

FAILURE!!! (Partial)

I contacted my local dental council to discuss my findings about the products and lo and behold they had not heard of hand held portable x-ray units. So I explained to them the concept and as it stands today they want the same safety procedures in place as a fixed x-ray unit. So I am back where I started, today that is, but I know for a fact that in the UK and Germany the portable x-rays have been approved with far less stringent protocols as fixed x-rays. Now I begin the process of getting my dental council to approve portable x-ray units like they have been approved in the UK and Germany.

This is how you get ahead of the competition in your area, think, react, research and get ahead of the curve of what is available to other dentists and be the first to get something.

EasyJet Dental in the UK - possible?

Is there room in the UK for an EASYJET Style Dental Practice?

WIZZ Air (a Hungarian based low cost carrier) and British Airways both fly to Bucharest in Romania. The difference between British Airways and WIZZ Air is two things, one is price with WIZZ Air being far, far cheaper but using the exact same aircraft, two is the locations while British Airways flies from Heathrow WIZZ Air flies from Luton. Both airlines have aircrafts with leather seats, on WIZZ Air you have to buy your drinks and food but on a three hour flight is this an issue?

I am totally intrigued on this matter so I decided to put down some thoughts.

Here in Romania at HappyDental we regularly get enquiries from patients in the UK who want to discuss having dental work done. The common theme to all the enquiries is the excessive prices they are being quoted in the UK by private practice dentists.

As a dentist I am concerned about peoples dental health and this comes through in my work and has helped me create a nice dental business here in Romania. I try and instil this ethos into the dentists that work for me here at HappyDental.

I maintain a property in London so I regularly get utility bills so I know the base costs for those are similar to here in Romania. Actually our gas here is slightly more expensive. So I see heating, lighting and general costs are similar. So where are the extra costs coming in from for the fees to be this high? I have been looking for properties in the UK and Ireland to expand so I have made myself aware of the base costs for property rentals and I have discovered the cost for a new location in the UK and Ireland is about 20% more expensive than here in Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania. This is a reasonably sized town with a population of 300,000 souls. The average salary here in Ploiesti is €400.00/month, that’s Four Hundred Euros not Four Thousand so no-one thinks there is a typo. Here in Ploiesti the competition is stiff with over 200 registered dental clinics. My clinic has three surgeries and is based in a property in the north of the town.

I have been thinking of opening a more Spa like clinic here in Ploiesti to attract the wealthier clients that are here in Ploiesti. But with the rents that are being quoted here and the rents being quoted in the UK and Ireland it brings me full circle to my opening question.

Now the cost for setting up a surgery in a dental clinic in the UK and Ireland has been quoted to me in the region of £20,000-£30,000 per surgery. WOW!! This price is in my opinion outrageous. When I set up a new dental surgery in our country practice I was able to completely fit out the dental surgery with all the requirements except for a dental x-ray machine which I am currently waiting for permission to be installed and the total cost outlay was less than €10,000.00 and everything that was used was bought brand new and paid for without financing or leasing which is pretty well unavailable here in Romania. Since then I have discovered that I could buy an EU approved dental unit, dental chair, for $3000.00 direct from the manufacturer. This would include all shipping, delivery and import duties to Romania. It is the same price to ship and import to the UK and Ireland.

So I look at the UK and Irish markets, I see a huge need for dentists and a huge supply of potential patients who are willing to travel over seas to get dental treatment and I begin to think that instead of bringing the patients to us why don’t we go to the patients. But WHY are the UK and Irish dentists not attacking this market themselves and reducing their prices and grasping a huge market of patients who can be taken on board today? Over 20,000 patients went to Poland and Hungary to have dental work done in 2009 and there is at least 100,000 more enquires for overseas dental work. So the market potential is huge and the barrier currently for these patients and UK/Ireland based dental practices is simply price.

Now with dental treatments you have the importance of it being a health issue so to most of our enquires I decline to do the work as I know the follow up is of the highest importance when dealing with these patients and when you travel abroad to have dental work problems do occur.

So back to the question in hand, an EASYJET Dental service in the UK and Ireland, is it viable or will it be attacked by the GDC/IDC and local health authorities? The government and the NHS are killing dentists with more and more paperwork, just like here, patients are screaming they can’t get dental work done within their budgets and are looking to go abroad.

With the amount of work a dentist has to do to achieve 500 NHS Units per month and the back log of patients and payments and EASYJET Dental Practice in the UK or Ireland would soar by offering exactly what a private practice currently does but at a price the public will grab onto.

Dr Luana O’Connor
CEO

www.happydental.ro