Through the Keyhole

ABOUT THE DENTIST

Introduce yourself and tell us what made you pursue a career in dentistry.

My name is Carol Somerville Roberts, and I am the founder of Evolve Dentistry in Portishead Bristol. Becoming a dentist was a bit of an accident: I had always wanted to be a doctor, but in a throwaway comment my mother told me that I would be a rubbish doctor, because she thought I had no natural empathy! So I looked around for another career and found dentistry. The irony is that as a dentist you need masses of empathy, and my mother doesn’t even remember the comment. I graduated from Bristol University in 1996, and have generally stayed in the area all my working life.

What are your particular interests and skills in dentistry?

Initially I thought I would pursue a hospital career and spent around three years in various SHO posts, but eventually found myself in an NHS practice. I lasted nine months. I think that was the lowest career point for me, because I just wasn’t fast enough, and I realised that I needed to change something when I resented an elderly patient taking 30?seconds too long to take off her coat when I had already been running 30?minutes late.

I was ready to stop doing dentistry and find another career, but I couldn’t think what else to do, so I found a different practice instead. From the year 2000 I have worked in private practice—first as an associate, then as an owner. Over the years I’ve found myself drawn to minimally invasive dentistry, and for the past year I have been using the Bioclear system, which I think is fantastic. The finished result that can be achieved is outstanding and now seeing the patients a year later, the composites still have an amazing polish. It has changed how I do my dentistry.

I am a member of the BACD, which continues to inspire me by the cases I’ve seen presented at the annual conference.

When did you decide to become a practice owner, and how did you go about it?

I was really lucky as an associate that my boss was happy to share his knowledge and his passion for dentistry with me and I started to love what I do. One day he called me up and asked me if I would run the practice for a year because he and his wife wanted to take a sabbatical, so I said yes. One year turned into two, and by the time they came back I knew I could run my own practice.

In November 2007 I made the decision to open my own practice and really started to get the process going. I was lucky to find some great premises with the correct building consent adjacent to a large new Waitrose in Portishead, close to Bristol. It?was a commercial unit under some flats but because I was the first business to go in, there was literally nothing there—no floors, no shop front, no electricity, no water, nothing! I had to put it all in.

I knew from the start that I wanted to create my practice and not buy an existing one. This was my opportunity to create my dream practice. My vision was to create a beautiful environment, providing the best dental experience a patient can expect.

Who were your influences when you set up your practice?

Paddi Lund, who was lecturing around the world, really made me realise that you can make the experience something wonderful for your patients.

I also joined the BACD at that time and discovered a group of like-minded dentists who were talking my language. Not only did they create amazing smiles, they also worked in beautiful practices! Whenever I met someone who sounded like they had a nice practice, I would ask to visit them and look around. I went on a road trip and visited some fabulous practices and met some wonderful people. At the same time, I was also developing my skills as a dentist and finding my niche. On top of that, I have worked with various business coaches over the years and they have really helped me realise my dream.

How did you go about the design of the new practice, and did everything go to plan?

To create my ‘perfect practice’, I used a specialist dental architect who understood how a practice had to flow. I also used a construction company that built only dental practices, so they understood what was needed from the outset. Another company created my branding and website.

It was not without setbacks and challenges: During the negotiation of the lease, I was told that they were offering it to someone else (eventually they came back to me and I got a better deal); trying to get the electricity connected almost broke me; and then the worst recession in history began after the global financial collapse of 2008. It took a long time and a lot of hard work, but by January?2009, Evolve opened.

How do you market the practice to the public?

Because Evolve was a squat private practice in an area well served by the NHS at the time, I had to do a lot of marketing in advance of opening—and of course this is still ongoing, as well. I think we tried just about everything going at the time, but over the years we have learnt that we get our patients from three main sources: our website, word of mouth and people passing by. Because the practice is in a retail unit, a lot of people go past and often pop in. I believe that every practice is similar in the first two sources of patients, but each practice has its own unique source of patients depending on its situation.

How many staff do you have and what are their roles?

When I opened Evolve, I had one nurse, one receptionist, a very part-time hygienist and myself. I quickly added an orthodontist in to the mix. Now, almost 10 years later, we are a team of me, three associates, three hygienists, four dental nurses, two receptionists, two treatment coordinators, one practice manager and a marketing manager. Not all full time—in fact everyone works part time.

What types of treatments do you offer?

We are a fully private practice that offers a wide range of treatments, including orthodontics, sedation, facial aesthetics, hypnorelaxation and TMJ treatment.

Tell us more about the layout of the clinic.

We have three treatment rooms that all open into the decontamination room. The reception area is light and airy, with a natural wood floor and beautiful sconces that hold fresh flowers. We have a consultation room for the TCOs to use, and a unique feature is all of our Gromit figurines. I started collecting them several years ago when there was a Gromit trail in Bristol, and now we have them all. They are a good talking point, and some people come in just to look at them.

I also make a particular point that Evolve never smells like a dental practice.

What would you say is the most important factor in your success?

I think a huge part of the success of Evolve is the team. I always hire on attitude and passion. My team is passionate about creating a superb patient experience and therefore as a team, we try to experience and note excellent customer service.

Do you have staff meetings or huddles?

I think that communication is key within the team and we have various ways to keep in touch. As well as a daily morning huddle, I write a weekly newsletter for the team, to which everyone can contribute. We are all on a WhatsApp group, and have regular practice meetings and several training days throughout the year. My front-of-house team, TCOs, marketing manager and practice manager all send me a daily update email so that I know what is going on. In this way, I can delegate but I also know what’s going on and keep my finger on the pulse. I know it is my passion for Evolve that drives everyone else’s.

You are rightly very proud of Evolve. How important is the brand to you?

Every single thing that we do has to be on brand, and my team really understands my brand standards. Essentially, we need to live and breathe the brand. Even my car is branded—so no road rage allowed, because everyone in the area knows the car!

What do you think sets you apart from other practices?

It is a beautiful environment and the team really knows our patients. Patients are not just numbers—they are our lifeblood and deserve to be treated with the utmost care and respect.

What is the biggest advancement you have seen in dentistry in your career?

It is just incredible how digital dentistry has changed what we do. I have used a Cerec machine for years; my patients love that they don’t need to have an impression taken.

It will be fascinating to see how this continues to develop over the next few years. I think it is very important to keep learning and updating skills. I do far more than the required amount of CPD and take inspiration from every course that I go on.

Thank you for allowing us ‘through the keyhole’ at Evolve!

Thank you, DentaltownUK! Next year we are celebrating 10 years and we will be having a big party. I am amazed that 10 years have passed since this journey began, and I can honestly say that I’m excited about what the next 10 years will bring.