The Business of Dentistry Podcast

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

In this episode of Bodcast, Nigel Jones and Tony Kilcoyne take a look at the NHS Confidence Monitor results in relation to the general views and feelings of the profession about NHS dentistry now, and in the future. Tony talks specifically about what the results indicate regarding the way NHS dentists feel about the level of patient care they can provide and the compromises they are having to make.

What you’ll hear today:

• The effects that changing patient expectations are having on the profession
• Tony’s views on the shortfalls of the current system and the need for total transparency during reform
• The possibility of the implementations of ‘levels’ of care standards as opposed to a single ‘gold standard’
• The need for action on falling happiness levels to secure the future of the profession

At the BDIA Dental Showcase, Nigel Jones hosted a panel discussion focused on the future of NHS dentistry. In addition to questions asked by Nigel, dental professionals in the audience were also able to put their own questions to the panel.

Eddie Crouch, Orthodontic Practitioner and Vice Chair of the BDA Principal Executive Committee (PEC) was joined on the panel by Tony Kilcoyne, owner of a private practice and member of the PEC Council, Paul Worskett, owner of an NHS prototype blend B practice and David Houston, joint principal of a mini-corporate mixed practice in the South West.

The diverse nature of the panel, each bringing their own experiences to the table, made for a lively discussion.

Today you will hear the panel’s views on:

• The profession’s confidence in its own future in light of the number of dentists talking about leaving the profession
• The progress of contract reform
• The compatibility of the prototype contracts and certain GDC requirements
• The idea that the Government maybe pushing dentists to leave the NHS and go private
• What dentistry will look like in 10 years
• The future for practice ownership

Sarah Buxton takes you through the latest amendments to Employment Law and how these will affect dental practices, highlighting the risks of non-compliance. She also discusses your responsibility regarding company social events and steps you can take to protect yourself and your team.

What you’ll hear today:

• Recent changes in Employment Law and their effects on dental practice owners and managers
• Risks to Practice Owners for non-compliance
• The distinction between an employee and a person who is self-employed and how this works in practice
• Your liability with regards to company social events
• Changes on the horizon.

There have been some changes in how claims are awarded in Employment Tribunals. This Bodcast with Employment Law specialist, Sarah Buxton, takes you through the changes and how they impact dental practice owners.

What you’ll hear today:

• An overview of recent changes to Employment Tribunal claims
• Detail of how these changes impact Practice Owners
• An understanding of what is involves in Employment Tribunal proceedings
• Advice on how practice owners can protect themselves from being taken to an Employment Tribunal

Vice Chair of the British Dental Association Principal Executive Committee, Eddie Crouch talks to Nigel Jones about the current feedback coming from prototype practices about NHS contract reform. They discuss the potential time scales for change and consider what will happen if the proposed changes are proven to be unsuitable.

What you’ll hear today:

• Concerns being shared by dentists working within the prototypes
• Details of the the extra effort and time often required to make a prototype practice successful
• Eddie’s views on what the future of NHS dentistry might look like