In 1997 Peak Implant Clinic in Matlock, Derbyshire, was founded by Nigel Rosenbaum, a specialist in prosthodontics and teacher in implant dentistry. The success and consequent growth of the business meant that 10 years later the practice had outgrown its premises. Nigel wanted to expand the range of services he could offer and improve access for patients. He explains. “The Matlock practice is spread across two floors which meant patients needed to go upstairs for X-rays and hygiene visits. Many of our implant patients are elderly and we felt it was better for us to have a building with ground floor surgeries and imaging. We also wanted to create an outstanding teaching facility that would allow the clinical team to be able to pass on their skills and experience.”
A dormer bungalow was purchased in February 2008 with the vision of creating a state of the art dental facility. Located on the outskirts of Sheffield, the building was within a reasonable drive for patients from across Yorkshire and the Midlands. The building is located at 180 Baslow Road, Sheffield, hence the new practice name of one80dental.
The new practice was to include four custom-designed surgeries, a decontamination room and a large training room with live video feeds from the surgeries. The building’s previous use as a complementary health centre and a doctor’s surgery meant it had potential but was in a poor state and required significant investment to create the optimum environment for delivering high quality dental care.
Nigel reflects on how the project evolved. “Our initial aim had been to demolish the existing building and build a new structure designed to incorporate our needs. We engaged a firm of architects and worked with them to create an exciting design for our new clinic. Planning permission was granted but with this came a raft of planning conditions, which made a significant impact on the development costs. At that time the recession was really starting to kick in and we felt the need to stop and reconsider the project in the light of the changing economic climate.”
After a year Nigel revisited the project and considered an alternative strategy to develop the site and achieve their goal. At this point he discovered Roger Gullidge of Roger Gullidge Design and together they worked on a new design, which would retain the existing building enhanced by a first floor extension and total refurbishment. With the building project underway he turned his attention to the purchase and supply of the dental equipment. This element of the project was put out to tender and Nigel met with several specialist dental equipment suppliers to discuss his requirements. The choices were narrowed down and he contacted colleagues to find out their experience of Yorkshire based DB Dental Equipment Ltd. Their response was universally positive.
For the dental chairs a dependable brand was chosen. He explains: “We chose Takara Belmont equipment initially for our Matlock practice because we knew it was reliable and met our needs. I’ve been very pleased with the equipment there and having had experience of a cheaper dental chair I know this can be false economy.” He opted for the Cleo II knee-break chair in two of the surgeries. With a small footprint the Cleo II provided the space saving solution he was looking for, the versatility that allows easy access for elderly and disabled patients and the facility to sit comfortably upright when required. With more space in the third surgery a tbCompass treatment centre was chosen as this room could accommodate a traditional chair arrangement with left or right-hand options.
Following six months of building work the new practice opened for business in September 2013. The end result is a building unrecognisable from its origins. Nigel and his team are thrilled with their new workplace and proud of what has been created. “After many years and plenty of hard work we are pleased to finally make one80dental a reality. The new interior is everything we had hoped for and the first floor extension has nearly doubled the size of the building. Our visitors are greeted at an expansive reception desk as they enter the open plan ground floor and a bright, light-filled seating area with quality chairs. A curving staircase leads to our training room upstairs. This unique room has a large screen on the end wall and small skylights, which can be completely blacked out by remote control. The room is capable of seating thirty people and has a high ceiling creating a feeling of space.”
Nigel has a few words of wisdom for those considering a similar project.
"Of course, had we known there was going to be the greatest recession in memory we wouldn’t have embarked on such an enormous and costly project! Whilst building costs were a little cheaper than in previous years the banks’ attitude to lending was quite different. You simply can’t believe the cost of a project like this. Unless you plan very carefully and maintain control, things can soon spiral disastrously."
Harry Singh