According to recent reports, waitlists for dental care have reached an all-time high across the UK, with many patients waiting years for check-up appointments. Here, Dr Deepa, Principal Dentist for London based dental clinic, Whites Dental, provides insight into the launch of the brand, how the business has expanded across the Capital, together with top tips to aid busy business leaders and CEOs in caring for their teeth.
What inspired the launch of Whites Dental?
At Whites Dental, we provide high quality private dental care at down to earth prices. We noted there weren’t that many practices in Central London, specially around London Waterloo and London Paddington, that offered affordable private dental care to the general public. This prompted us to step in to offer something to the local communities in these two areas and we opened our first practice in 2018.
How has Whites Dental grown into one of London’s top dental clinics?
Whites Dental started small, providing high quality dental care from one room initially in London Waterloo. The demand for affordable care was so high that we expanded into 2 additional rooms within 2 years. A lot of our patients told us they travel from London Paddington, which then prompted us to open a second dental clinic in London W2. Currently, we employ 9 highly experienced dentists across both locations, providing affordable dentistry to our community.
Are you planning to expand across London in the coming years?
We are considering opening a third dental clinic in East London, driven by our mission to offer affordable dental care across a wider area of Central London.
What are the main trends shaping the dental industry? For example, there are still extensive waiting lists following the COVID-19 pandemic, has there been an influx in new private patients as a result?
During Covid and immediately after, patient numbers dropped dramatically, as we would expect due to social distancing etc. Private patient numbers however returned in a significant way 6 months after from Feb 2021 and have only been growing since. A lot of patients who previously visited an NHS dentist are now visiting us due to the long wait times to see their previous dentists. We have seen private patient numbers grow significantly in the past 18 months as a result. Demand for private dentistry in Central London is very high.
Have you seen an increase in demand for more aesthetic based treatments following the boom in social media influencers investing in ‘Turkey Teeth’? And what are the risks everyone should be aware of?
In our experience, dentists in the UK have much higher clinical and ethical standards compared to those in many other emerging countries where dental tourism is popular. I cannot imagine any dentist in the UK undertaking a clinical procedure that will adversely impact the patient’s teeth or long term oral health. We are saddened to say that we regularly see patients who have had aesthetic dental treatments performed oversees that have negatively impacted the patients’ teeth in a significant manner. Correcting the negative impacts often ends up being more costly that the original procedure that was performed overseas.
On the whole, we have indeed seen a strong increase in demand for cosmetic dentistry treatments in the past 18 months, particularly composite bonding. Composite bonding can dramatically improve your smile, without damaging the patient’s natural teeth. We usually receive 3-4 new enquiries a day for composite bonding, up from 1-2 a week till 18 months ago.
What advice or ‘hacks’ can you provide for busy CEOs and business leaders who may lack the time for optimum oral health?
Achieving good oral care requires investing the time into looking after your teeth and gums. Visiting a dentist or hygienist to professionally clean your teeth really helps prevent new issues from arising. We advise all busy CEOs and business leaders that one simple trip to the dentist or hygienist every 6 months to improve and then maintain oral health.
Anything else to add?
More and more office professionals in London are taking up cosmetic dental treatments in the past 18 months, driven by increased use of social media such as Instagram. We know as they show us which influencer was their motivation.
Thankfully, most of the patients we see are keen to preserve their natural teeth while undertaking these aesthetic dental treatments, aligning with our commitment to happy smiles everywhere.
To find out more about Whites Dental, please visit: https://www.whitesdental.co.uk/marble-arch-w2/
Leave a Comment