Dentists share their stories on the transformation of the largest dental provider and how the future is bright for clinicians who work there.
While working for a large dental care provider may seem daunting at first, a growing number of clinicians are recognising the benefits of scale for accelerating dental careers. Being part of a large network of clinicians offers increased levels of support, with ample learning and development opportunities available to help you realise your preferred career path. Additionally, there is a ready-made community of people to turn to for support.
No group demonstrates this more than mydentist. Previously called IDH Group, the UK’s largest dental provider admits it didn’t get everything right.
But, over the last five years, that has changed. Now branded mydentist, the company has transformed how it operates, focusing on doing dentistry differently and building its practices around its clinicians and practice teams so that they are supported to deliver the best possible care to patients.
Tom Riall, executive chairman of mydentist
We learned that we had some work to do to put our clinicians at the forefront of our business to truly transform it – so that’s what we did. Over the last few years, we’ve built the largest clinical leadership team in the UK, with six clinical directors and 40 clinical development advisors, led by chief clinical officer, Nyree Whitley. Through the expertise of this leadership team, we created a Clinical Advisory Board to guide our decision making.
Tom Riall
Executive chairman, mydentist
Tom added:
‘Since then, we’ve supported our clinicians in growing their private revenues by an average of more than 250% in five years. Looking ahead, we want to accelerate the growth of our practices and create environments in which our clinicians and practice teams can truly thrive. That’s why we’re investing more than £325 million across our network of 530 plus practices across the UK over the next five years to upgrade facilities and invest in the latest technology, such as the TRIOS intra-oral scanners, which are now in use across our practices. We have also invested a record eight million pounds in the salaries of our teams.’
He concluded:
‘Dentists tell me all the time that they left IDH but that they have come back to mydentist. They can see how different our business is now, how focused we are on supporting clinicians and our wider practice teams, and the investments we’re making to reflect this. That’s how I know that we’ve really changed, and we remain committed to making mydentist the best place to work within dentistry.’
Neelam Prasad, dentist at mydentist Alresford
These changes have been noticed by practising clinicians too, including Neelam Prasad at mydentist Alresford. She commented:
‘I had worked for mydentist under IDH for 13 years and was primarily delivering NHS appointments. Then Covid came and ways of working changed for everyone, me included. During covid, I realised that I was quite interested in doing some cosmetic and private work, so started looking for opportunities outside of IDH to explore this more, as I didn’t feel I could achieve this within IDH.
‘After I left, I realised I wanted to re-join mydentist. It was a completely different company, and its size is one of its strengths. I believe that being part of such a large network has massive advantages, namely the support you receive from other clinicians.’
Neelam concluded:
‘I’m glad I returned to mydentist and the practice manager welcomed me back with open arms. It has also become easier to achieve my goals of practising more private treatments, as access to private courses has been really accessible since I returned. The practice team supported me in my decision to go private and subsequently offer affordable private treatment options to our community, leaving me with room to grow within my role here.’
Edward Abramian, dentist at mydentist Blackburn
Similarly, Edward Abramian, dentist at mydentist Blackburn, had worked for mydentist under the IDH umbrella for 12 years when he decided to explore pastures new, opting to work for a private practice. A native of Münster, Germany, Edward returned to his hometown to work out what direction he wanted to take within his career.
I felt it was essential for me to explore smaller private practices, having spent the majority of my career working for mydentist under IDH. Having taken the time to do this, I’m glad I returned to mydentist. During COVID, the CEO at the time, Tom Riall, did a brilliant job of navigating us through what was a difficult time. He made sure everything ran smoothly for us so we could concentrate on delivering the best possible patient care, keeping us informed every step of the way.
Edward Abramian
Dentist, mydentist Blackburn
When discussing the benefits of working for a larger or corporate provider, Edward commented:
‘I have colleagues that I’ve known for some 16 years, so we work incredibly well as a team. I also feel that the resources available to dentists at mydentist such as the Academy training platform and Wisdom, our internal communications platform, are a huge benefit for dentists who need support. There is clear communication, plenty of support and development opportunities, and a good balance of combining NHS and private dentistry available at mydentist.’
Sorin Caba, dentist at mydentist Lancaster
Expanding opportunities for clinicians to grow their private offering, mydentist launched {my}options in 2019. This gives patients access to a range of affordable private treatment options through fixed and transparent prices. The launch of {my}options provided clinicians with their first step into growing private, with the support and advice that only a big provider can offer.
The simple, transparent pricing model helps dentists who struggle with having the confidence to talk to patients about treatments available. It provides clinicians with the best of both worlds, helping them to strike a balance between NHS and private care.
The balance between private and NHS was something that also appealed to Sorin Caba, dentist at mydentist Lancaster. He first joined mydentist in 2013 before going to work for a small private practice.
My friend owned a small private practice in Yorkshire, and I decided to relocate with my family and join him to grow my private portfolio. While it was a great practice and I enjoyed working with my friend, I did find the transition quite difficult and ultimately felt quite lonely in my role. Due to being a smaller team, the pressure felt much more intense, and I found myself having sleepless nights due to worry and stress.
Sorin Caba
Dentist, mydentist Lancaster
Speaking on his return to mydentist, Sorin said:
‘I quickly realised that I enjoyed being part of a larger structure and business, and I approached the practice manager at Lancaster who welcomed me back to mydentist with open arms. I feel supported, secure and happy at mydentist and have noticed that since mydentist left IDH behind, there are more opportunities to grow your private practice than there were before.’
While returning to mydentist has brought Sorin some fantastic progression opportunities, he also said his work-life balance has vastly improved. He commented:
‘I really value my work-life balance as I have a young family, so our time together is precious, and I’ve been able to retain this balance since returning to mydentist. There is a lot of room to grow here at the Lancaster practice, which has recently undergone a huge injection of investment to make it bigger and better for the local area.
‘I feel extremely passionately about technology and feel that mydentist is investing in tech more now than ever before, which I’m really excited about. The future at mydentist looks bright with plenty of room for me to grow, develop, and support and mentor new talent as our practice continues with our expansion.’
For more information on careers at mydentist, visit www.mydentist.co.uk/careers.