Opening a UK dental practice? Here's how to do it!
Finding the right Dental Practice can be an exercise in frustration and extremely long waiting lists (sometimes exceeding more than three years for NHS patients). Seeing a new practice open in the local area can be a welcome sight.
Getting started requires planning, an understanding of the area, the needs of your potential patients, and abiding by the regulations and legal obligations that govern dentistry in the UK.
Getting Set Up with Your Practice
Before you start to dentistry, you need to register with the General Dental Council (GDC). The license will come directly from the GDC or the local council Trading Standards office. You might also want to register with your local Health Authority, but it isn't a legal requirement.
You need to find a suitable place with the correct zoning laws to open your practice - and take into consideration: location, local transport services, parking (both for staff and customers), and whether there's room to expand should you require it down the line.
Hiring staff will largely depend on the type of practice you're planning to run. Whether you're providing preventative dental services or cosmetic ones (or both), you need qualified individuals capable of performing the procedures and operating the machinery.
You also need a reception team that can work in a high-pressure environment, understand the local area (especially in regards to local traffic and potential delays), and are capable of promoting your practice professionally.
What Type of Practice are You Going to Run?
The type of services you offer and the patients you plan on practicing with will impact a lot of your decisions.
Are you going to provide to NHS customers, run privately, or cater to both?
Will you offer cosmetic procedures that are not covered by the NHS (such as implants or teeth whitening)?
You should take some time to look into what the locals need - are people desperate for an NHS practice? Do they want more private options?
The final decision will fall to you, but understanding local needs and wants a good way of gauging the potential registrations and interest.
What Dental Equipment and Supplies Will You Need?
There are different machines, tools, and disposable supplies needed to operate a successful dental surgery - you're going to want to find a provider that can handle these needs efficiently, cost-effectively, and without compromising quality.
The perfect dental supplies will not only help with the daily running of your practice but also generate a positive reaction with patients - leading to positive reviews, improved reputation, and increased signups for your practice.
Some of the general goods you need, regardless of practice, include:
- PPE for Staff (such as masks, gloves, and coverups)
- PPE for Customers (such as gowns, seat covers, bibs, and masks)
- Tools (such as mirror sticks, scalpels, tongue depressors, scissors, and retractors)
- Cleaning Supplies (such as disinfectant wipes, sanitizing sprays, trays, and paper towels)
Depending on the type of practice you are planning on running, the supplies you need will vary in many cases but might include:
- Operational Machinery (such as X-Ray machines, lab testing machines, adjustable seating, overhead lighting, and computers)
- Teeth Cleaning Supplies (such as syringes, polishing tools, paste tubes, and mouth rinses)
- Cosmetic Products (such as teeth whitening kits and mixing tools)
It is important to know what sort of procedures you plan on performing and have the perfect dental supplies on hand to do this properly.
Your customers are looking to you to help them with their oral hygiene, to improve their quality of life (especially with chronic pain caused by dental issues), and give them a high-quality service that they are happy to tell their friends, family, and social peers about.
There's a lot to think about, work through, and decide before you can open your new dental practice; and working with a dental supplies company that can offer you high-quality products, at affordable prices, with regular and reliable delivery is certainly something you need to be looking for when making your purchasing decisions - you can only operate your practice as well as the services you're providing, and you can only give these services properly when you're equipped to do so!
Take the time to research your options, and make sure you've covered every angle - from daily disposables to machinery and operational tools, and make your decisions based on the needs of your customers and your services, to make running your dental practice a smoother and more satisfying experience for everyone.
