Making the choice to retire after a long and fulfilling career is never easy. However, it is also an exciting time and a chance for you to finally reap the rewards following years of hard work.

Now, as you head into the last few years of your career it’s important to make sure that you have an exit plan in place that will ensure your retirement meets your expectations.

What do you want from retirement?

All of us have different goals, and not every retirement vision is the same. That’s why the first part of every exit plan should be to sit down and think about what you want from the years beyond your career. Of course, achieving stability and having enough money to maintain a certain standard of lifestyle will be desired by everyone, but there are other aspects to consider.

For instance, say you want to use your retirement to travel or to start a new hobby that requires significant finances – you need to make sure that this is financially viable. If you have family, now is also a good time to plan for the future and see how you can maximise funds to support your loved ones.

Your pension/s are paramount

In your final years of employment, you need to ensure that your pension is working its hardest for you. Depending on when you started your career, you may have multiple pension policies. For some people, amalgamating these pensions into one pot could be beneficial, especially as this would make keeping on top of any associated paperwork more straightforward.

You may also use this opportunity to scout the market for any new pension policies that will provide better benefits for you. A new policy may provide better returns, for example, and help you to earn more capital in the remaining years of your career so that you have a bigger lump sum available once you can claim it.

Bank accounts – are you getting the best deal?

Much like ensuring you’re on the best pension policy, your bank accounts can also help you to accrue extra capital as you head towards retirement. Part of your exit plan should be to look at the current and savings account you currently use and see whether there are alternatives out there that will offer you something better.

There is an element of risk here – high interest accounts are generally not as predictable as those with very low interest rates – but putting your money in these can result in a much higher return.

Accounts offered by leading banks also have some very enticing benefits depending on your goals. For instance, if travelling a lot in your retirement is a part of your plan, you could look at bank accounts that offer travel insurance as a perk. Some bank accounts will also offer useful everyday cover such as car insurance and mobile phone insurance as part of their offering – it’s a smart idea to compare accounts, their usage fees (if there are any) and the perks available to see which are the best fit.

Offshore bank accounts are also an avenue worth exploring. Despite their bad press, there’s nothing illegal about banking offshore, and these accounts can sometimes offer interest rates that are far more palatable than those in the UK.

What about investing?

Retirement doesn’t automatically mean you only have a finite amount of money in your life. If you want to continue to capitalise on your available funds and even make money, investing and exploring the stock market could be a good avenue to explore.

This isn’t without risk – in fact, stocks and shares are never a guaranteed way to make money and there are always market fluctuations and other factors that can impact the worth of your investments. However, if you invest wisely this can be a great way to ensure that your finances remain healthy throughout retirement. Additionally, these investments can be transferred to friends or family during your lifetime, and can be included in your will. 

Make the right choices with expert advice

Creating an effective exit plan requires preparation and understanding of your finances. To ensure that you have all the elements in place for the retirement you desire, you should seek guidance from independent financial advisers.

The team at money4dentists are here to help you create an exit strategy that will help guarantee you the retirement you desire. With decades of experience, our award-winning advisers only work with dentists, meaning that we understand the unique needs of professionals. Plus, our advice is always up-to-date and tailored to you, ensuring you can maximise your finances and reach your goals.

Start planning now for the best future

The sooner you put your exit plan in place, the better your finances for retirement will be. By enlisting the help of experts, you can ensure that your money goes further and that you have everything you need for the retirement you hoped for.

For more information, please call 0845 345 5060 or 0754DENTIST.

Email info@money4dentists.com or visit www.money4dentists.com

Richard T Lishman

Managing Director of the 4dentists Group of companies

No dental treatment comes with a guarantee but, in any scenario, failure is frustrating ­– for the team that delivered it, as well as the patient. During the consent process, the patient would have confirmed they understood all the risks, also the risks of doing nothing. They would have also confirmed their role in keeping the result stable, by practising good oral hygiene behaviours and attending regular maintenance appointments.

Fundamentally, every patient has the same expectation, which is that the dental team will always put their ­– the patient’s ­– needs first and provide quality care that is appropriate and safe. When dentistry is founded on partnerships, communication and trust, the patient will have confidence that, in the event of treatment failure, their dentist and team will facilitate a solution. In certain cases, this can mean being referred to another practice where there is the greater depth of knowledge, experience and training required to achieve a stable result.

Timely referral, to save and restore

The failure of dental implant therapy is particularly frustrating – not least because it would have cost the patient a lot of money. Also, until it started to fail, they would have enjoyed a wealth of benefits, some which they may not have expected and that could have been life-changing. The ability to smile again with confidence, eat a wide range of foods and look in the mirror and like what they see – failure of a dental implant doesn’t have to mean losing these, and going back to square one.

Patients need to know when to take immediate action, such as if they have started to experience pain, or there are other signs of infection, like red, swollen gums. A dental implant should feel as stable as natural dentition, so if there is any movement, they must also get in touch with you asap.

With a timely referral, it may be possible to save and restore the implant. An implant team with the collective expertise to diagnose the problem correctly, then offer appropriate treatment option(s), will allow the failed implant to be treated quickly. Your patient can get on with their life, knowing that you have acted to protect their oral health, and keep their implant viable for many more years.

An implant team will consider the problem holistically, and take into account all the possible reasons why it has become mobile. These can be mechanical, patient related (local/systemic), or connected to surgical technique (including materials used).[i] Knowing why an implant has started to fail is key to finding the right solution.

Referring your patient will help them understand the process required to restabilise their treatment, and the pros and cons of all their options for what to do next. More than any other area of dentistry, for quality implant therapy, teamwork is critical. The implant team will ensure your patient is well looked after, and treated with kindness and empathy. They will give them all the support and information they need to make the right decision, also the confidence for a good outcome. The core implant team will have well-trained individuals with the clinical expertise to perform any additional procedures that may be required to mitigate failed osseointegration in house. In cases of insufficient bone volume, width or density, these could include things like bone grafting or a sinus augmentation. This is where the sinus floor is lifted, to provide sufficient bone under the maxillary sinus to make it ‘taller’.

Experienced implant teams, such as the team at The One to One Dental Clinic, have the knowledge, skills and techniques to offer an alternatives to removing a failed implant, if that is appropriate. They will support your patient on their journey, empowering them with solutions that meet their expectations and that have a good success rate. With the insight to diagnose, they will work with you, as the general practice, to help ensure that, by working in partnership they are able to enjoy not just a stable dental implant, but a lifetime of good oral health.

When an implant fails, this can be an emotional blow but it does not have to be a disaster, if a timely referral is made. Step one is identifying reasons for failure before giving the patients their options. Referring them promptly can prevent any dissatisfaction escalating and underline how you are invested in their ongoing health and wellbeing – implant treatment doesn’t end after it has been placed. Ultimately, referring them out shows your commitment to gold-standard care to keep them smiling for many years to come.

To find out more, visit
https://121dental.co.uk or call 020 7486 0000.

Dr Fazeela Bio

Dr Fazeela Khan-Osborne is the founding clinician of the FACE dental implant multi-disciplinary team for the One To One Dental Clinic based on Harley Street, London. She has always had a passion and special interest in implant dentistry, particularly in surgical and restorative full arch rehabilitation of the maxilla. She has been involved in developing treatment modalities for peri-implantitis within clinical practice.

Dr Khan-Osborne is also the Founding Course Lead for the One To One Education Programme, now in its 20^th year. As a former Lead Tutor on the Diploma in Implant Dentistry course at the Royal College of Surgeons (England), she lectures worldwide on implant dentistry and is an active full member of the Association of Dental Implantology, the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.

[i] Dutta SR, Passi D, Singh P, Atri M, Mohan S, Sharma A. Risks and complications associated with dental implant failure: Critical update. Natl J Maxillofac Surg. 2020 Jan-Jun;11(1): 14-19. doi: 10.4103/njms.NJMS_75_16. Epub 2020 Jun 18. PMID: 33041571; PMCID: PMC7518499.

Every implant dentist wants their patients to leave the practice happy ­– thrilled, even ­– that their smile has been restored. On a practical level, you won’t want them to have had any nasty surprises either, especially regarding things like cost and timeframes.

It is crucial, therefore, that they feel satisfied they had all the necessary information when they made their decision to go ahead with treatment. The delivery of an implant doesn’t mark the end of a patient’s journey. In fact, that journey started long before they sat in the chair. The minute they tapped ‘dental implants’ into their search engine, or made their first call, or you brought the topic up during an appointment, they will have been learning about this treatment and gathering information.  

These are people who want to invest in dentistry, to improve their quality of life. They’re proactive, engaged and positive. But all professionals accept that the modern patient will not only be talking to their practice about how to fix a functional or aesthetic problem, or both. They will be doing their own research, asking around and going online. The internet can be both a friend and foe; friend because it can pique the curiosity, be a springboard for further questions and help a patient develop knowledge. Foe, because not everything out there is evidence-based, or applicable to every case. Going online could have given them unrealistic expectations about what is possible, that will only become apparent once they’ve had a full assessment.

Implant therapies, although accessible and popular, are still a complex, advanced and cutting-edge area of dentistry. Dental implant treatment isn’t suitable for everyone, and there are various procedures available. With more and more people interested in implants, the need to have quality patient information, that is relevant, accurate, concise and comprehensive, has never been greater.

Creating a whole-team experience is paramount, for informed patients who are confident in their choices and go on to successfully complete treatment plans. The whole team approach means care that is holistic, starting at the planning stage. When the dental hygienist and/or dental therapist are involved in all the early conversations, for example, an accurate picture will start to emerge about that individual’s needs and wants, as well as the social and medical factors that could compromise the implant’s long-term stability.

With the right information, an individual won’t be disappointed or frustrated to hear “no”, or “not right now”, because they will appreciate this is their unique journey, to reach the destination of a functional and beautiful smile that, with maintenance, will last for years. When the team coordinates and communicates, the patient will understand their options and, if alternatives are being suggested, why. Perhaps their susceptibility to gum disease and high risk of bone loss is the reason why a partial or complete denture might be favourable, in those circumstances.

The informed patient will be willing to improve their oral health, because they will acknowledge they can give themselves the best chance of implant success when existing problems have been managed and any behaviours like smoking and drinking too much alcohol have changed. They will know their commitment to elevated and effective hygiene is key, also their attendance at regular appointments, for inspection and a professional clean. 

The whole-team approach will educate, inform, bust myths and build relationships. From these relationships will come happy, healthy patients who look after their implants and enjoy life! Their reviews are essential, for having a reputation for excellence.  

To give your patients all the information they need to make the right decision about their treatment journey, the Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) has compiled leaflets to help. Written in a commercially unbiased way, these resources enable them to deepen their understanding about dental implants, and what to expect if they say “yes”. ADI members get a number of free copies, with a discounted rate thereafter; this is just one benefit of joining the UK’s go-to organisation for anything and everything related to dental implants. The ADI is also proud of how it has long promoted the importance of a full team approach and experience for all patients. It extends a warm welcome to all members of the implant team, offering bespoke educational programmes for nurses, practice managers, hygienists and therapist alongside clinicians, as part of its events’ calendar.

Informed patients are crucial to implant therapy success, and the whole team has a role to play. Even the most skilled and knowledgeable implantologist will need the support of others in the practice, who will work hard to ensure anyone having a dental implant understands the rationale behind every stage in their treatment plan. The informed patient will know their options and the alternatives and feel well-looked after, having received premium care to support long-term stability and success.

For more information about the ADI, or to join,
please visit the website www.adi.org.uk

Amit Patel
President of The Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) is registered with the General Dental Council as a specialist in periodontics. His special interests are dental implants, regenerative and aesthetic periodontics.

Amit graduated from the University of Liverpool and completed a four year specialist training programme in Periodontics at Guy’s, King’s & St Thomas’ Dental Institute.