There are 35,000 dentists in the UK working in approximately 10,000 dental practices, but only a few can offer long opening hours. So how can young professionals and working parents find treatment?
My name is Anushika Brogan. I’m the managing director of Damira Dental Studios. At Damira, we offer NHS and private dental services. We try to be as flexible as possible with our patients. We offer extended hours in most of our practices. We understand people are busy. It’s difficult to find a dentist who opens at times when life gets busy, and you just can’t fit everything in.
In a lot of our practices, we open weekends, and Saturdays, and Sundays. In many of our practices, we are open eight till eight 365 days a year. I think the relationship that patients have with our team is really important. From the moment they step foot in our practices, they are made to feel welcome. The dentists are caring and gentle. We try to make our pricing as affordable as possible, so that everybody is clear on what they can expect from our sites.
I had really crooked teeth. My wisdom teeth came through, and they pushed my teeth out of alignment, both the top and the bottom. And it really impacted my confidence. I felt conscious of my teeth at work, meeting new people, so I came to Damira. And I told them about my concerns, and what I didn’t like about my smile.
Using the latest technology, they were able to show me what my teeth looked like now, and what they could look like if I go through with the treatments. And the process was really great. You know, wearing them in the day, they’re comfortable. No one really notices that you are straightening your teeth, so yeah, it’s completely changed my life. I feel confident. I’m really happy with my smile. I smile all the time. People comment about how I’m always smiling, and I’m really happy with the end result.
The biggest thing that we’ve agreed on is attitude. People can learn most things if they have the right attitude, and we’re quite prepared to teach people. We don’t expect people to come to us knowing everything. But if they’ve got the right attitude to work, and they’re flexible, then Damira is the right place for them really.
Hi, my name is Siddhika. I’m a dentist that works in Damira Dental Studios in Oxford.
I’m a deputy manager at Bury Knowle.
I’m the practise manager.
And I’m the trainee dental nurse at Damira.
I was relatively new to the system and this scheme, because I moved from Scotland.
I started with the company as a trainee dental nurse. I was able to show different leadership qualities. The company was able to see where I’d like to progress to in the growth to a practise manager position.
I have been offered lots of opportunity for progression. And if you’re looking for progression, then there is plenty of opportunity.
Previously, I was in retail. I wanted to do a bit more with my life, and I thought dentistry was a great path to take down.
They would put me on an invisible brace course. They also put me on an ethical sales course. That’s all through the company itself providing you these opportunities, which would otherwise be quite difficult to come by.
I definitely want to finish off my course I’m currently taking now to be a qualified dental nurse.
And then I’m also looking into going down even the hygienist route or becoming a dentist myself.
The company have given me lots of opportunities to change my workload pattern hours due to my changing circumstances with my personal life, and I’ve done auditing from home. I’ve been an area manager, a practise manager. And now I’m back at Bury Knowle part time as a deputy, which I’m loving.
We always make reference to the fact that you’re part of the Damira family, and that relates to our patients. We want patients to feel like their welcome in our practices. We want them to feel relaxed, and comfortable, and the same with our staff as well. We want to feel like there’s an open door approach to everything.
To find out more, visit damiradental.co.uk
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