Mr Sebastian Evans

While many claims in the courts for damages against dentists can at first appear easily defensible, it all too often emerges that any defence has been seriously compromised by poor record keeping. Understandably, as dentists, we consider ourselves to be clinicians rather than scribes, but this attitude and its consequences play right into the hands…

Last year I had a teenage patient, Josie, who presented with buried upper canines that were buccally placed in the bone but apparently unwilling to erupt. We referred her to the local hospital which recommended that, as an initial strategy, we uncover the canines and treat the case with twin blocks before another assessment, so…

By now most of you who have been practising under the NHS will have either signed the new contract or decided to opt out. Either way, the contract will have a huge impact on dentistry in the UK. The changes that are about to happen are the biggest thing to hit dentistry since the NHS.…

As the Department of Health’s juggernaut careers towards the start of the new dentists’ ‘contrick’ there is still a major issue of which dentists considering signing this contract need to be aware. Some could argue that it is a fantastically clever way to get dentists to sign over the entire goodwill value of their businesses…

Advertising and PR are still relatively new concepts to most UK dentists, yet interest in them is booming. That is because more practices are coming to understand the power of these tools in boosting their business, which is helping to ensure their success in an increasingly competitive market. Let’s look first at advertising. There are…

So there I was, in Herefordshire at 9pm on a cold Monday night in early March, following directions to an unfamiliar hotel to deliver a dental workshop the next day. The fact that my destination, the village of Trumpet, was barely on the map did little to raise my expectations of the venue – probably…

Dental courses around the UK are changing. The last few years have seen schools develop different approaches to the way students are taught and this is becoming more obvious when you look at the way dental schools approach their curriculum. It may only be a small tweak here or there, but it can have a…

According to a survey by Britain’s Consumer Credit Counseling Service, personal debt levels in the UK have risen alarmingly in the last two years, particularly for people under the age of 25. Increasing numbers of young people are failing to stay on top of their unsecured borrowings. This growing trend for debt is a concern.…

Over recent decades, dental implant therapy has become a major part of restorative dentistry and a number of clinical studies have indicated favourable long-term success rates. To my mind, one of the key elements in the success of implants is careful patient and case selection. Running a periodontal referral practice involving implant placement, I regularly…

Under the new General Dental Services (GDS) contract, payments to dentists should become much simpler because the monthly amount will be calculated simply by dividing the annual contract value by 12. In April, all non-PDS, NHS dentists will receive their normal payment under the old GDS contract and it is likely that there will also…

Many practice managers dwell over whether their businesses should have a website. In my opinion even dental practices, which invariably do not sell products online, must have a professionally designed website. But how many dentists actually consider the importance of technology outside their practice? The internet offers a wealth of instant and up-to-date information. Dental…

NHS dentistry is facing its biggest shake up in 50 years. Under increasing pressure to improve both productivity and raise the level of patient care, practice managers are charged with identifying new ways to gain a competitive advantage over rival practices. Customer satisfaction and practice profitability are undoubtedly linked closely to product and practice quality.…

What are the main attributes you’re looking for in potential vocational dental practitioners (VDPs)? The most important thing for us as trainers is for our VDPs to show a willingness to learn. They also need to have the ability of reflective learning, so if they do a filling and it goes wrong, they should then…

At some stage after graduation, many dentists will find themselves looking for a new practice and there will be many to choose from. But as with checking out rooms to rent, a property to buy or simply a piece of equipment at a dental exhibition, don’t forget that you’ll be talking to sales people who…

Since detailing a full arch Cerec reconstruction case carried out in one day in a previous Dentistry article (April 2004), I have carried out many similar cases. Not every restoration has been a Cerec as in that case, but many have been at an increased vertical dimension. I would like to share with you another…

I was watching a fascinating series on television about the pioneers of surgery a while ago and was amazed at the discussions on the development of transplant surgery. What soon became clear was that the pioneers of transplant surgery were willing to take risks on the outcomes of treatment to learn, and eventually provide a…

A junior colleague recently asked me when she should start seeking financial advice – should she speak to an adviser early in her career or wait until she has accumulated some savings? It is question many people ask. I have worked in the financial services industry for more than 20 years and, having been an…

Ask most dentists how much they spend on marketing each year and the response is likely to be a few hundred pounds on Yellow Pages advertising, and maybe a bit extra to keep the website going. But in reality, an average practice expenditure is around £30,000. So why the big discrepancy? It’s all about how…

Before I talk about what I think constitutes a private patient, I have to tell you about a recent lecture I gave to a group of 60 postgraduates in the north of England, the majority of whom were principals or associates delivering NHS dentistry. However, before I was due to speak, I spent an hour…