Sebastian Evans

Nurturing the young talent of their students and preparing them for a demanding career is the responsibility of the UK’s 13 dental schools. Each year, around 700 new dentists graduate from them, and the teaching they receive helps ensure that patients continue to get the high quality of care they deserve. Over the next few…

Some patients wonder what added benefits they will receive from specialist referral. It is a good idea to make it clear to them that the treatment is exactly that – specialist – and therefore at a high standard. Being honest and upfront, while explaining why you are recommending this service, is crucial. I, for instance,…

It was supposed to be a routine whitening follow-up visit. The record indicated that the patient began with a shade of C3. Home whitening was performed for approximately one week, using 10% Carbamide Peroxide. Her shade at the follow-up visit was B1, but the treatment was still deemed a failure. How is that possible? Easily.…

We know that the restorative abutments in implant dentistry attach the crown, bridge, or over-denture to the implant, but how is the attachment made? A crown or bridge may be cemented onto an abutment or it may be screwed on. But why the difference and which is better? Cement retained An abutment which has had…

Although almost three years ago now, my memories of being a dental school fresher are still as vivid as ever. All the nerves, excitement, new experiences, new faces, everything. So what was I nervous about? Well, the short answer is everything. Of course there were all the usual worries that go with the transition to…

Confidentiality is the cornerstone of good practise. All patients expect that personal and clinical information about them will be held in confidence by the dentist and members of the team and will not be released to any third party without their expressed consent. Such information should only be used for the purposes for which it…

Many articles have been written about aspects of the sale process, but this two-part series identifies the key problems that have troubled both buyers and sellers alike from time immemorial. The key problems that have cropped up during my years of experience are: 1. The sale package In order to make meaningful progress on a…

In the last article we considered abutments, discussing primarily healing abutments, while this time we will focus on restorative abutments. The primary purpose of restorative abutments is to make the connection between the head of the implant and the implant supported restoration, which may be a crown, a bridge or an over denture. Abutments may…

One of the most important factors for long-term success of dental implants is the maintenance of healthy peri-implant tissues. In today’s market, patients are more keen to have implant-borne prostheses than a conventional fixed or removable prosthesis. Therefore it is very important that all underlying dental disease is treated or stabilised before implant therapy can…

Specialist referral is a well-established procedure in many countries and is becoming more common in the UK. However, a number of problems still persist that limit the specialist facilities that are on offer to patients and these include: • Lack of referral facilities across much of the country • Perceptions on behalf of both dentists…

It is startling to find that, in this day and age, some companies have still not realised the importance of their email communications. Many send replies late or not at all, so if your company is able to deal professionally with email, this will provide it with a competitive edge. A company needs to implement…

I believe there is a three-step process that drives the sale of anything people buy. If you find yourself having difficulty in convincing patients of your treatment recommendation, then read on. Many sellers think to themselves ‘my business is different’, but this is a common, mistaken belief. I sell healthcare. I have a colleague who…

If you have followed my articles with some interest, I am sure by now you must have realised how important it is to analyse your practice’s financial performance by using certain techniques. In this article I will discuss why it is important to have predetermined targets to measure business performance, and how such targets can…

Conflict is an inevitable issue which arises within any dental clinic, may it be between staff or with patients. Dealing with it and understanding the root cause is key for managers. It is important to realise that early signs of conflict can be identified and there are strategies for resolution that do work. Disputes usually…

I’m sure we all need reminders about things from time to time, and denture cleaning is an aspect of dental health that is frequently overlooked. Some patients come into the surgery with their dentures wrapped up in a handkerchief and we never even see them, but when they are removed in the surgery I take…

Within the restorative part of implant dentistry there is a lot of new terminology with which one has to become familiarised. Abutments, impression copings, analogues (or replicas), bridge and abutment screws are the most common items that will be encountered. Abutments can be broadly classified into two types: 1. Healing abutments 2. Restorative abutments. Healing…

In April, change was forced upon us all. For some it was a time of great uncertainty and worry, while for others it was a time of excitement and opportunity. One opportunity I hope many took advantage of was the chance to start delivering great periodontal and preventative care to your patients. After April, many…

This article is powerful and could make you about £55,000 better off. It focuses on the psychological principle of reciprocity, whereby you give something to someone and they then feel obliged to return the favour. The power of reciprocity can be used to get your patients to write testimonials about what great care and service…

Every month I spend a full day on the telephone with my clients – that’s 15 minutes with each of them – asking ‘how can I help?’ and coaching them live. I listen for trends during each of these days, and in July there were noticeable examples of the appointment book becoming a bit ‘gappy’…