Acquiring a well-established dental practice has many advantages. You have a ready-made patient base, your surgery is equipped with everything you need to start practising on day one and you can be assured people know where the practice is.
There are a couple of challenges to this, though fortunately they are not insurmountable. One is some patients may not feel comfortable with a new dentist springing up where their familiar dentist had been looking after their teeth for years. Another is recognising the need for modernisation and putting your mark on your new surgery without alienating the patients which came with the practice.
This is the situation that faced Nihir Shah when he acquired the Stag Lane Dental Centre in October 2007. Located in Edgware, Stag Lane was established in 1983 by Harvey Sevitt who stayed until his retirement in September 2008 having served the community for 35 years.
Nihir said: ‘I chose to acquire the Stag Lane practice as it was very well established in its area with a strong base of roughly 1,000 private patients. In addition, Harvey has a similar ethos to myself with regards to how a practice should treat its patients; using quality dentistry with careful attention to patient care and high standards.’
Nihir qualified from King’s College London in 1992 having also obtained an additional basic science degree. He subsequently trained at some of the leading oral surgery units in the UK and passed the fellowship exam of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1996. He worked in the local hospital network for many years during which time he was also actively involved in teaching and carrying out research. He then embarked on a full-time career in a specialist dental practice before acquiring Stag Lane.
As a specialist in oral surgery, part of the reasoning behind the refurbishment was to make the practice ready to become a referral practice for implants and oral surgery. Naturally wanting to brand his own identity on the Stag Lane practice, as well as desiring to create more space for a bigger surgery and a decontamination room, Nihir spoke to Chris Knight of SPS Dental.
‘Having met Chris at Dental Showcase in 2007, I found him to be extremely knowledgeable and approachable. We had similar views about attention to detail and patient care, and so I decided to work with SPS Dental for our refurbishment project. I had three main challenges in mind with the project. The first was to try and bring in some new equipment to update the technology in the surgery, and create some extra space. The second was to create a homely and welcoming environment at the practice whilst still maintaining the levels of service people were used to. The third, and for me, the most important challenge, was not to alienate existing patients who had been with the practice for many years with too many changes, whilst still putting a new stamp on the place. I was very aware I had to strike a balance between the expectations of established clients and my plans for growing the practice and to project the right image for an implant referral clinic.’
The project was divided into two phases to enable Stag Lane to remain open throughout the refurbishment. ‘I was lucky my wife Alpa was able to project manage the work schedule for me. SPS undertook both phases. Phase one took roughly five weeks to complete. In this we enlarged the back surgery and created a smaller room to house the decontamination suite. This entailed a lot of structural work as we needed to move walls in order to create the space we needed. Phase two was much more design and aesthetic based; we redecorated the waiting room, the patient and the staff WC, laid new flooring, installed new lighting and repainted the entire surgery. This took approximately three weeks to complete.’
One of the biggest pieces of equipment to be purchased for the practice was a new treatment centre for the enlarged surgery.
‘We decided on the Cleo from Takara Belmont, it ticked all the right boxes for us in terms of functionality and design. It was sleek and elegant, but I knew from my hospital days that Belmont chairs would also be reliable and hardy,’ Nihir added.
What have patients thought of the new Stag Lane Dental Centre?
‘We have had a lot of positive comments from our patients. It seems to have that ‘Wow’ factor patients are looking for; the modern look yet with a cosy and welcoming atmosphere. The team loves it too. The clinical team is made up of three dentists, three dental nurses and two dental hygienists. The new layout is easier for everyone and much more spacious, making for a great working atmosphere. We have gone from having one main surgery and a small dental hygienist treatment room to having two large main surgeries and the space to bring us up-to-date with guidelines for decontamination and sterilisation procedures.’
One further phase remains in the refurbishment; Nihir is planning a revamp of the second surgery and is dealing with SPS again to complete this part of the project, including the installation of another Belmont chair.
Nihir has some advice to anyone planning on embarking on this type of refurbishment project.
‘Planning is important. You should have a clear idea of what you want to do, taking into consideration the points of view not only of yourself, but your team and patients. Always ensure you get professional dental contractors who know the needs of a dental practice. One last thing, keep up-to-date with all new regulations concerned with the running of a dental practice during the planning and building process.’