White Winchester opens its doors and discusses placing individuality, comfort and aesthetics at the forefront.
Beauty is an integral part of our bespoke dental practice. From the moment patients enter, they are met with a tranquil environment that makes even the most nervous attendee comfortable.
White Winchester is more than just a dental practice – in fact, it has become like a second home! We even took inspiration from our previous house with thoughtfully chosen colour schemes, artwork and furnishings to create a modern yet warm ambiance that reduces anxiety and fosters relaxation.
In the realm of modern dentistry, where precision meets artistry, White Winchester combines beauty, customisation and a complete focus on patients. We designed White Winchester dental and aesthetics practice as a place where our patients are the centre of our care, redefining the way they experience dentistry.
Natural landscapes
We were so fortunate to find a beautiful location in a small village with stunning natural landscapes. We believe recreating the essence of nature in our practice environment has a therapeutic effect on our patients, which is why selecting the right location was pivotal.
One of the biggest setbacks during this journey was choosing the ideal location. We spent a long time trying to find a location worthy to start building White Winchester but, after years of searching, mulling and changing our minds, we found it. We purchased an old orchid farm that stood on four acres of land and included a house, commercial outbuildings and a field just outside of Winchester, Hampshire. It was perfect!
We are so grateful to live and work in a beautiful, friendly village that has a wonderful community, and we wanted to create a practice that reflected this. The orchid farm had stood derelict for many years, but with meticulous planning and help from local gardening businesses, we have brought the surroundings to back to their former beauty.
We’re always coming up with creative ideas to find ways for our patients to enjoy the charm of White Winchester, from the idea to grow a wildflower meadow where they can sit on benches and take everything in, to the little white hutches that will be the new homes for our soon-to-be chickens. We plan to print our logo on the boxes and give out cartons of eggs to our patients.
Another project is to create an area whereby people can bring their dogs and leave them in a safe dog-friendly space while they have treatment with us. They’ll get to walk their dogs in our meadow as something to do as they wait for their appointment or after! It’s completely up to them.
Phase one
We split the build into two stages. We wanted to get the practice up and running before figuring out how we’re going to use the three enormous derelict greenhouses in the future.
Phase one is now finished, incorporating innovative dental technology and equipment to enhance patient care. We are also working on incorporating more sustainable and eco-friendly practices into White Winchester, which is why Em is very proud to be part of our local community climate change group, Grows. We are looking to implement as many positive initiatives into our practice as possible.
Phase two is to maximise the space and create a larger reception area for our patients to have more space to relax in, plus a new private consultation room to discuss treatment plans. We also plan to create a separate place for our fabulous team to take time away from the working environment during their breaks to energise for the afternoon.
Our principal dentist, Ben, mentors and provides lectures for referring dentists, so it would be great to have a space to better cater for this.
The patient experience
Understanding that many patients may experience anxiety when visiting the dentist, we spent hours considering how to create a tranquil and calming atmosphere. Features like noise cancelling headphones, choosing their own music and warm blankets contribute to a stress-free experience.
When it comes to creating a calm space, it really is all about paying meticulous attention to detail. We found that simple, everyday items such as relaxing music, fresh flowers, and Jo Malone candles does a great job of capturing a calm environment within a place where many can feel uneasy.
To help break the serious feel of visiting a dental practice, we added some fun elements – such as our flamingo light and scuba diving monkey, which always help bring a smile to our patients and are often a great conversation starter!
A-dec dental chairs and supporting equipment perfectly match our bespoke dental practice. The stylish dental chairs are ergonomically designed with the patient’s needs in mind. Our patients are often pleasantly surprised at the consistent level of comfort when they undergo lengthy treatments.
We’ve found that our A-dec 500 units are amazing at performing consistently and handling the day-to-day operations of a busy dental practice. We felt supported throughout our journey with A-dec – from the showroom visit to the installation, territory manager Justin Hind was approachable, friendly and extremely knowledgeable.
We have built a dental practice where every aspect has been meticulously crafted to cater to the individual needs of every patient. We achieve this by ensuring we understand each patient’s concerns, aspirations, as well as their oral care history.
Team talk
Behind every successful dental practice stands a remarkable team and the White Winchester dental team plays a pivotal role in providing high-quality care and ensuring a positive patient journey.
We are a small, close-knit team that recognises the value in teamwork and being happy and healthy at work. We are fortunate to have this amazing team who always put our patients first.
Dora, our bubbly cockapoo and Yogi, her funny cavapoo friend, are always excited to greet our team and patients alike. Our patients describe them as being like ‘emotional support dogs’, feeling more at ease when they’re around.
Community is so important to us. We believe that a practice that actively engages with its community builds a solid foundation of trust and we love being a part of this wonderful community. We have participated in local events, such as the Owslebury scarecrow week and hosted a sponsored BBQ at our local fête.
In addition, we support two wonderful charities: Access Medical Research, which is on a mission to save and change children’s lives through medical research, developing treatments, vaccinations and cures, and Ladies Lashes Lunches, which raises funds and awareness to help to improve the physical, mental and social wellbeing of people in our community.
Marketing the brand
Over the years, White Winchester has grown through personal referrals and great word-of-mouth recommendations, which makes us very happy.
Although we don’t require a lot of active marketing, we care very much about our brand perception. We always want to ensure we feel trusted by patients and that we consistently convey our commitment to excellence. It allows us to convey our values and principles visually.
The White Winchester logo is the combination of a ‘W’, a tooth and a love heart. First impressions matter and a well-crafted brand design creates a positive and lasting impression.
Creating White Winchester was a labour of love, and we are so passionate about the work that we do and are immensely proud of our team. Our patients and community are the heart of everything we do, and we are touched to have been part of some very special moments like patient Ruby’s wedding anniversary party. We often receive cards and gifts from patients and many of them have become friends.
The reality
We have to thank our builder, Greg Cummins, and his team, and photographer Simon Heron. They gave so much of their time and worked so hard to create something special for us. Our vision for White Winchester is now a reality.
We try to ensure that we are always operating according to our core values of trust, integrity and transparency. We believe that our practice – with our ethos and exemplary patientled care – is the pinnacle of innovation and compassion.
Practices like ours challenge the traditional dental model by placing individuality, comfort and aesthetics at the forefront. For those seeking more than routine dental care, this approach offers a refreshing and deeply satisfying experience where every smile is unique and beautiful as the person behind it.
This article first appeared in Private Dentistry magazine. To receive a copy, sign up to Dentistry Club.
