Dr Madalina Ignat, owner of Emicare Dental & Spa, explains the ins and outs of putting together her practice, and how she overcame the challenges that she faced along the way.
Dr Madalina Ignat heads up Emicare Dental & Spa in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.
Qualifying in 2014 from the University of Medicine in Romania, she then completed her postgraduate training diploma in advanced dental implant dentistry at the Tipton Training Academy UK.
With a special interest in cosmetic dentistry and dental implants, Madalina also has a strong foundation in general dentistry.
Here, Madalina explains what it was like setting up her private practice last year and how the Henry Schein team helped to bring her dream alive.
What made you want to start your own practice, and why did you go with the dental and spa theme?
I’ve always wanted to put my vision into practice and it can be hard to do this when you are working as an associate in a different practice. It was always my dream to offer patients a different experience and this was the main reason why I wanted to open my own practice.
The traditional dental practices can be quite intimidating. A clinical environment doesn’t always feel comfortable and relaxing. The team helped us to offer a different experience.
Here, we offer a holistic approach to traditional care as well as a selection of cosmetic treatments, such as tooth whitening and facial rejuvenation. We also use a range of digital technology, which Henry Schein provided for us too.
What challenges have you faced since opening?
It was quite difficult as it was post-pandemic. It was a squat practice, so we had to start from scratch, including the building works.
Henry Schein helped us to choose the right equipment and design the surgeries. It was easier for me after having their support and help.
What made you reach out to the Henry Schein One team?
When I was researching dental software I wanted to use in my practice, I came across Dentally. I had previously worked with the system for four years and Dentally is a part of the same group as Henry Schein. I met Blair Bexon from Henry Schein One and he introduced me to Dentally.
He was good at explaining the software itself. I also knew Henry Schein as a professional company and one of the oldest in the UK. I found good support from their side.
For example, Blair introduced me to Chris Kriek for the equipment, and Chris introduced me to Sharna Gillon for consumables. I had the whole team introduced to me.
It was smooth – having the right team always makes things easier. Like I said, the team at Henry Schein helped me design the surgeries as well as choosing the right equipment. In a market with so much out there, it’s often difficult to choose the right chair, the right scanner. But they really helped make those decisions and it made the process quite easy.
What kind of support did you receive before opening the practice?
The most difficult part of opening a new business is to have the financial support to invest into it. This was a challenge and we had to raise finance and apply for loans.
Henry Schein Finance offered us a finance option to pay for equipment and consumables, which was helpful. Sharna was amazing with introducing us to the finance side of Henry Schein.
You’ve only just opened. What plans do you have to increase your revenue?
Things are going quite well since we started. We have had two months of activity and we’ve been fully booked since we started. Being a fully private practice and the only one in the whole area of Potters Bar, we want to increase our revenue and have a loyal base of patients come to our practice.
For this reason, we offer different types of treatment and a different approach to traditional NHS mixed practices. We aim to offer the best experience in terms of general dentistry, but also implants, orthodontics and facial aesthetics.
We also have the best technology, including a CBCT scanner, which gives the patient the information they need to know before they go ahead with their treatment. We also have a high-tech dental chair and use all the best materials on the market.
How have you found working with the Henry Schein team?
It was easy. Like I said, they’re responsive and whenever I needed help, they would reply very quickly.
If we have any troubles or anything that we needed support with, the service team is good. As a result, it was easy so far to work with them.
For future plans, how do you feel that Henry Schein can support you?
For every practice owner, increasing the business number is the best thing you can do. Evaluating the practice is one of the things that Henry Schein helps with.
In the long run, that will be something we will use and we will look further to invest in a new practice as well. My short-term plan is to open another surgery. Henry Schein will be very helpful with this as well.
You were initially working with other suppliers. How has changing supplier helped with setting up your business?
Because Henry Schein offers support for everything you need in the practice, it was quite easy. It was the best decision I took – they helped me not only with the equipment and consumables, but also design and supplies.
When you have such a strong team behind you, success is easier to achieve. I’m happy I chose them!
To find out how Henry Schein can help transform your practice visit hsdental.co/transform or call 0800 023 2558.
