With a worldwide understanding of what truly makes a good practice, Craig Mallorie turned to Planmeca and its ProMax 3D Plus CBCT imaging unit to establish the flow of the South Wales Specialist Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Centre
Craig Mallorie’s impressive career includes a couple of years on London’ Harley Street, as well as a stint as a Clinical Teacher of Oral Surgery at King’s College Hospital. His CV also boasts some international flair, as he spent half a decade down under, delivering oral surgery in Melbourne. However, Cardiff is where Craig calls home. The Welsh capital is where his career began almost two decades ago, and it’s where he now serves as Specialist Oral Surgeon and Clinical Director at the newly established South Wales Specialist Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Centre.
No matter where he is in the world, when it comes to preparing a new practice from scratch, Craig pays particular attention to one key aspect: the flow of the practice.
“I’ve always had interest in the flow of practice,” he explains. “The equipment and the setup are always important to me because it all has a knock-on effect on the outcomes for patients.”
When it came to setting up and equipping the South Wales Specialist Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Centre, Craig drew upon his varied experience to create a practice with an environment designed as much for his team as it was the patients.
“I’ve worked in 25 or so different locations over the years,” Craig recalls when discussing his vision for South Wales Specialist. “I didn’t want to build a big, chop-shop centre. The building we found had the layout and the square footage that we were looking for. I wanted two operating rooms and two consultation rooms, so that patients experience a nice, fluid journey.
“We also have ample space in each of the operating rooms. For the patients, this results in a nice, peaceful place to undergo treatment.”
Craig has been placing implants for near enough the entirety of his 20-year career. Each and every time has, of course, required a CBCT scan.
“I’ve been exposed to various CBCT units over the years,” says Craig. “I must have used eight or perhaps even 10 different machines in the various facilities I’ve worked in. Just as with all types of equipment, you become a bit of a connoisseur over time, getting to understand what makes a user-friendly unit.”
So, what did Craig opt for when selecting a CBCT imaging device for his new practice?
“Planmeca has always been the standout,” Craig replies. “There’s a very clear distinction with the usability of their machines, from the patient positioning, the settings, the options of the different fields of view alongside the option of ultra-low-dose and the linking up with Planmeca’s Romexis software. Planmeca is in a class of its own.”
Firm in the knowledge that he was going to acquire a Planmeca imaging device for South Wales Specialist, Craig ultimately opted for the ProMax 3D Plus – a complete 3D imaging unit that provides an extended view of the maxillofacial region, covering even more than the dentition.
“With some other scanners that I have used previously, it can be awkward to position patients in the unit,” says Craig. “I’ve had to ask patients to adopt all kinds of weird contortions to fit them into those machines. With the Planmeca ProMax 3D Plus, however, you can scan just the canine or premolar, or you can work your way around the arch. Either way, the results are extremely accurate.”
That accuracy is in part thanks to the innovative movement correction that the ProMax 3D Plus offer. Recognising that patient movement often poses a challenge to 3D image quality, Planmeca developed its CALM algorithm, which allows the clinician to remove artefacts caused by movement, which ultimately leads to a much sharper final image.
“If, for example, you select canine, you will get a nice field centred on the patient’s canine,” Craig explains. “It works very well. Whereas with other scanners I was finding it difficult to orientate the field of view to where I wanted it, which meant either having to do larger scans or play around with moving the patient to essentially trick the machine into getting the scan we needed.”
The high level of usability and attention to patient comfort is by design. Planmeca has developed the ProMax 3D Plus imaging unit to combine smooth usability and optimised patient comfort to deliver an enjoyable and efficient treatment experience from start to finish, for both patient and practitioner.
The Planmeca ProMax 3D Plus also offers advanced ENT imaging. The unit’s voxel sizes range from 600 to 75 μm, while Planmeca’s Romexis software provides versatile tools for visualising airways, sinuses, soft tissues and the smallest bone structures in ears.
Craig is particularly impressed with the speed at which information is relayed. “There is no time at all between doing the scan and having an image up on the screen – it’s instantaneous.”
The ProMax 3D Plus CBCT unit is put to good use at South Wales Specialist. “It is the cornerstone of the practice,” Craig reflects. “Each patient’s journey begins with that machine and the images are displayed immediately on Romexis. This allows me to show the patient their images along with the diagnostic data as soon as the scan is complete. They are always impressed by instantly seeing their skull – or their jaw – in three dimensions. It always gets a nice response.”
While Craig has travelled around a fair bit, this was the first time he was involved in setting up a practice from scratch. “There’s always a bit of a fear factor when you’ve been associate for such a long time and you’re looking to set up a place,” he admits.
“The whole build was orchestrated by Tom Cross at Woodlane Dental Equipment. It was clear that he was passionate about his trade, and he is highly regarded within the profession. Once we started working with Tom, he facilitated the introduction to the Planmeca team, who then organised the installation of the ProMax 3D Plus.
“The Planmeca and Woodlane teams worked well together, compiling the specifications for the room and completing the setup and installation. James from Planmeca got us set up on the software side, following which Jonathan came in to deliver an excellent training session for our staff. Overall, the support we have received has been fantastic.”
When asked what his top tips would be for those looking to follow in his footsteps and establish a new practice – or refurbish an existing clinic – Craig says: “If you’re going to make a big financial investment, make it a wise investment. I get asked quite frequently about what my opinions are and I’m always honest in that I would only recommend something that I would have in my practice, and that’s why, for me, Planmeca was the way to go.”
To discover more features of the Planmeca ProMax 3D Plus, visit https://www.planmeca.com/imaging/3d-imaging/planmeca-promax-3d-plus/
Watch the full interview with Craig Mallorie here: https://www.planmeca.com/testimonials/
