The Business of Dentistry Podcast

Mark talks to Nigel Jones about why CSR should be a fundamental part of every business and dispels the myth that it is only relevant to big corporations. He explains how focusing on CSR within your practice can increase both patient and team engagement, the positive impact it can have on your business as a whole and how to begin forming a CSR policy.

What you’ll hear today:

• How CSR can be applied in a dental practice
• Where to begin when considering CSR
• The numerous benefits to your practice
• The positive effect CSR can have on your team

Dental foundation trainee, Jasmine Lobo shares her thoughts on how the reality of working in dentistry compares to her expectations before graduation. She talks about the choices faced by young dentists when it comes to planning for the future and touches on the way her peer group feel about working within the NHS.

What you will hear today:

• The main challenges faced by a new graduate when entering general practice
• Jasmine’s thoughts on younger dentists taking a specialist or secondary care route
• The importance young dentists place on work life balance
• The factors effecting young dentists career paths to practice ownership.

Petros Mylonas talks to Nigel Jones about the different career paths open to young dentists today. Having graduated only 5 years ago, Petros is at the beginning of his career, yet has a clear idea of the path he would like it to take. He discusses the different options that are open to younger dentists today and how their career goals may differ from that of their predecessors.

What you will hear today:

• What are the career goals for young dentists today?
• The variety of career options available
• The pros and cons of the different career pathways
• The importance of career planning

Dr Austin Banner, Trustee of the BDA Benevolent Fund, gives us an overview of the Fund. He explains exactly how it works, who can apply for financial help and the process to follow. Dr Banner also touches on the changes he has seen with regards to the demographic of people seeking their help.

What you’ll hear today:

• Information about the type pf help the fund can offer and who is eligible
• The common factors that can cause a dentist to require help
• A case study of a dentist who has benefitted from the Fund’s support
• Details about how to contact the Fund if you are in difficulty

Award winning young dentist Dev Patel shares his views on the results of the 5^th NHS Confidence Monitor results with Les Jones. As a dentist at the beginning of his career, having only graduated 5 years ago, Dev brings a different perspective to the results. He talks about what they mean for his generation and how the expectation of dentistry while in education differs from the reality.

See the results of the 5th NHS Confidence Monitor survey here

What you’ll hear today:

• Dev’s thoughts on the large number of NHS dentists wishing to leave the profession
• The possibility of NHS dentistry moving to a core service in the future
• What Dev believes the UK can learn from other countries when it comes to dentistry
• The opportunities available to young dentists

Myke explains the fundamentals of a good dental practice website and helps to de-mystify the “dark art” of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).  He talks about how to establish meaningful marketing metrics for your website from which you can improve performance.

What you’ll hear today:

• The importance of outlining your objectives at the beginning when considering your website
• An insight into SEO and how it works
• What “buyer behaviour” is and why is this relevant for a dental practice website
• Practical advice for setting metrics.

Simon chats to Nigel Jones about how the fear of litigation is on the increase within the dental profession for both private and NHS dentists. He talks about why he believes these fears are justified, how flaws in the current system play a huge role in cases being brought and steps you can take to protect yourself.

What you’ll hear today:

• Which aspects of appointments leave dentists particularly vulnerable to complaints
• The benefits of keeping accurate clinical notes and documentation
• Simon’s thoughts on the GDC and the progress that is being made with regards to regulation
• Why building rapport with patients shouldn’t be underestimated.

David Houston is joint principal of a mini-corporate and successfully combines one of the largest NHS contracts in the UK with a thriving private provision within his practice. Nigel Jones caught up with him to learn more about how his business model works, the role his 34 associates take within the business and how he balances private and NHS dentistry on such a large scale.

What you’ll learn today:

• How David’s business model is structured and the changes it’s undergone since 2006
• The role associates take within the practice and how progression works
• How the private and NHS parts of the business fit together

With 18 years experience as practice manager at The Old Surgery in Crewe, Lisa Bainham is well placed to share tried and tested methods to help you fully utilise your appointment book. She explains the benefits of zoning appointments and how little changes can improve working life for everyone in the practice as well as have a positive impact on your patient experience.

What you’ll hear today:

• How The Old Surgery manages its appointment book and how changes are implemented
• The benefits of zoning your appointment book
• What a practice manager needs to be aware of when implementing changes
• The importance of ensuring all the team are on board and how to achieve this.

Les Jones caught up with award winning young dentist Dev Patel at this year’s BDIA Dental Showcase to discuss the role of the entrepreneur in the future of dentistry.

At only 28 Dev is co-founder of two businesses, a practice owner and FTA trainer. With such an impressive CV, we were keen to hear what drives him and if he thinks an entrepreneurial spirit is on the rise in the profession as a whole.

What you'll hear today:

• The key principals that Dev deems vital to success
• The opportunities available to dentists to bring new innovation to dentistry
• The impact of the lack of business training dental students receive at University
• Advice on how to begin turning great business ideas into reality