Through the Keyhole- Surgery

Dentists spend most of their waking hours working in practice, and don’t get many opportunities to see inside other dentists’ surgeries. DentaltownUK’s recurring feature takes you through the keyhole into surgeries in the UK and around the world. You’ll meet the dentist, their teams and practices, and learn about what’s made it work for them.

Tell us what made you pursue a career in dentistry.
My name is Robert Hughes, and I’m the owner of Dental Excellence Smile Makeover Centre in Liverpool. A career in dentistry for me is the opportunity to make a change to the public’s perception of dentistry in the UK—the impact it can have on people’s lives and the amazing technologies and innovation we have at our disposal.

Which university did you study at, and what qualifications do you have?
I qualified from the University of Liverpool with an honours degree and distinction grades in restorative dentistry. I also gained awards for excellence in oral surgery and paediatric dentistry examinations. I gained further postgraduate certificates in restorative and cosmetic dentistry from the University of Warwick, and also basic and advanced implantology.

What are your particular interests and skills in dentistry?
I have an eye for aesthetics, and I am somewhat renowned for creating bespoke smile makeovers for my clients, which include a large list of celebrities.

My techniques include alignment, bleaching, bonding, direct composite veneers and digital smile design. I love digital dentistry and I believe my brand-new clinical facility is leading the way, fully adopting 100 percent digital workflows for all aspects of our work.

Who would you say has had the biggest influence in your career?
In dentistry, it has to be Dr Michael Apa. His patient-centred approach and dedication to his craft is exceptional. Nobody can deny the impact he has on how dentistry can be made relatable. Free of politics and ego, he just gets on with what he believes in, balancing his dedication to dentistry and entrepreneurial success.

(Click here to read an Office Visit profile with Dr Michael Apa, which was the cover story of the February 2018 issue of the U.S.version of Dentaltown magazine.)

Personally, my wife has been a huge influence. Without her support and belief, none of this would have been possible.

What is your favourite procedure to carry out?
I love digital smile makeovers. They satisfy my creative side, and the impact our results can have on a person’s life never fails to inspire me.

What could you not work without?
I’d have to say my nurse, Amy. Like all roles within my practice, she is far from your traditional dental nurse. She’s fully dedicated to the patient experience, and works tirelessly to ensure that both my and the patients’ appointments are stress-free and enjoyable.

What’s the biggest problem or challenge in dentistry today?
Adapting to and accepting change. Whether we lik----e it or not, our industry is changing fast. Not just the era of digital dentistry being well and truly in full swing, but also how our patients’ approach dentistry and how we manage their expectations.

What’s the biggest advancement you’ve seen in dentistry?
The shift from full-mouth restorations to minimally invasive dentistry. Ten years ago, it wasn’t unusual to provide patients with 16 traditional veneers when they came for a smile makeover. Now, with orthodontic clear aligner systems such as K Line offering fast and affordable solutions, patients are far more open to aligning their smiles and then finishing with minimal prep veneers such as those used in the Skyn concept or well-placed composite bonding.

The emergence of digital technology is continuously offering us ways to improve our workflows, planning and predictability of treatments.

What would you like to see change in dentistry in the next 10 years?
I’d love to see the focus shift even further to the patient experience, and every dentist within the UK using a digital workflow.

I think as we see corporates buying up more and more practices, the traditional general practices will struggle to compete with such buying and marketing power. Unfortunately, I predict that they will all but disappear, leaving patients with a choice of either corporate general dentistry or investing in their smile at a dental facility that offers so much more.

We have a huge following on social media—in fact, it has helped our business grow immensely. Everything is now documented for all to see, and the younger generations expect and demand so much more in terms or service levels and luxury in all areas of life, including dentistry. My brand offers this patient focused superior level of service which represents accessible luxury with a focus on quality.

Describe the most successful or rewarding experience in your professional life.
I feel at the moment I’m riding high having just opened my new facility. It’s been really well received and we are incredibly busy, so I can’t complain! I believe we’ve created something special, a first of its kind in the UK.

Do you work alongside other dentists? What interests/skills do they have?
I have two full-time clinicians at the moment, both of whom are highly skilled, driven and focused on the company ethos. Dr?Craig Dewdney is a supertalented dentist with a special interest in digital smile makeovers, orthodontics and implantology. Dr?Kamran Rasul is a unique dental therapist with an incredible eye for detail that’s second to none. We also have several part-time dentists and therapists who offer specialist treatments. These include endodontics, periodontics, complex implantology, facial aesthetics and full-mouth rehabilitations.

How many other members do you have in your dental team, and what are their roles?
We don’t have traditional roles in clinic—for example, we don’t have a practice manager, we have a part-time operations manager, marketing manager and a business development manager instead.
We also don’t have a traditional ‘reception desk’; instead, we have a front-of-house concierge and an admin team in the offices to deal with enquiries, etc.

I’ve been very careful to surround myself with dedicated and talented people, and by recognising their strengths I’ve developed their roles further to enhance our practice.For example Amy is completely competent at taking digital impressions and clinical photographs pre- and post-treatment; Kamran also takes on a lot of the same-day smile, (composite bonding) cases.

Our most recent addition is our full-time videographer. He captures a patient’s journey from start to finish, and produces short films for the patients, which they love to show their families and friends.

With the recent Instagram TV being launched and the fact that the average under-35-year-old spends at least 2½ hours a day on social channels, we see a massive opportunity in educating the public on what can be achieved with minimally invasive digital dentistry.

What do you think are the most important things about your team?
The one prerequisite I insist on before anyone joins my team is that he or she buys into the vision and ethos of the practice. We’re not a traditional dental practice; knowing that all of my team understands the vision and goals and how to implement them allows me to focus on the dentistry and larger business plans.

Do you have team meetings? What format do they take?
We have daily morning huddles, at which all aspects of the day are covered, such as: What patients are in clinic? Do any of them need concierge pickup from the airport? Have we warned them about the videographer? (Many women like to make sure they have their makeup, etc., done beforehand if they’re planning on showing their video to friends.) General day-to-day stuff such as lunches are planned so that for patients, their experience is one they’d expect at a boutique spa hotel, not a dental practice.

How is your practice laid out?
We have an extremely detailed patient journey protocol that the entire staff follows. The layout of the practice is customised to this purpose, which includes a concierge, a dedicated photo studio, the onsite dental laboratory, six dental surgeries and a facial aesthetics treatment room.

Do you play music in the practice?
We have speakers in every area of the practice that are controlled via iPad. Usually my nurse has taken control and we end up listening to Drake!

How do you market your practice?
Our brand and reputation have grown organically. With the advent of and widespread use of social media, we haven’t found the need to invest at all in paid advertising. What I feel my team and I do well is dedicating time to consistently generating content to use on these platforms by taking high-quality before and after shots and videos. I also employ a videographer to capture the patients’ journey throughout treatment. I strongly believe that investment in good quality equipment and staff is much better than an advert.

What are you most proud of about your practice?
I believe we’ve created something truly unique within the UK dental market. We offer accessible luxury, and we’ve combined hospitality and dentistry to create a unique, high-quality experience for our patients.