Luke Moore and Paul Wilkinson, co-founders of Dental Elite join The Probe Dental Podcast to discuss how the Coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns and restrictions have affected dental practice brokerage and recruitment in addition to talking about the impact Brexit is having.
Established in 2010, Dental Elite is a consultancy specialising in dental practice valuations & brokerage services, dental jobs & dental practice finance services. For more information, visit https://www.dentalelite.co.uk/.
The Probe Dental Podcast is presented by The Dental Awards.
The Dental Awards is the original and most respected awards programme in British dentistry. 2021 marks the 22nd anniversary of the Dental Awards, and over the decades, this prestigious event has recognised the outstanding individuals and teams whose commitment and drive continue to raise standards throughout the profession.
The Dental Awards is attended by over 600 clinicians each year. Winning, or being a finalist, is a tremendous accolade and provides a massive publicity boost to the profile of your practice and your team. After all, who wouldn’t want to be treated by the Dentist or Dental Team of the Year?
The Dental Awards are sponsored by B.A. International, Colgate, Colosseum Dental, Dental Elite, and Water Pik. The Probe and The British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show are official partners.
Megan Fairhall, dental hygienist and therapist, discusses her career development, what inspired her to start the #LiveToSmile campaign, and the importance of education, as well as her own courses.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Google, and Spotify:
Megan qualified from the University of Portsmouth in 2010 with a BSc degree in Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy. She has since developed her own dental brand #LIVETOSMILE, where by she utilises social media and online marketing to attract new patients, focusing on her teeth whitening treatments, a part of dentistry she has discovered a real passion for.
#LIVETOSMILE has since been introduced into three different dental practices one being on the famous Harley Street in London. Subsequently Megan was asked by the global brand Philips to represent them as a key opinion leader. Megan has since been working closely with Philips on many projects including helping to raise awareness of the issues surrounding illegal teeth whitening which has included featuring in documentaries with the BBC, press and much more. Megan now runs whitening training courses in association with Philips for DH&DT’s, helping to uplift and inspire them to elevate their careers within dentistry.
Megan Fairhall
Megan also works with the prestigious toothpaste brand Regenerate as a KOL helping to raise awareness to the consumer on acid erosion. This has lead to exciting opportunities and features in lots of beauty press and events. Including a world wide feature in Virgin Atlantic’s inflight magazine.
Megan’s latest project her #LIVETOSMILE Dental Beauty Box is another great passion of hers. Aiming to educate and inspire the public when purchasing their dental products. Providing them with the dental products they need combined with beauty products they want all delivered to their door in a bespoke reusable pink beauty box.
The Probe Dental Podcast is presented by The Dental Awards.
The Dental Awards is the original and most respected awards programme in British dentistry. 2021 marks the 22nd anniversary of the Dental Awards, and over the decades, this prestigious event has recognised the outstanding individuals and teams whose commitment and drive continue to raise standards throughout the profession.
The Dental Awards is attended by over 600 clinicians each year. Winning, or being a finalist, is a tremendous accolade and provides a massive publicity boost to the profile of your practice and your team. After all, who wouldn’t want to be treated by the Dentist or Dental Team of the Year?
The Dental Awards are sponsored by B.A. International, Colgate, Colosseum Dental, Dental Elite, and Water Pik. The Probe and The British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show are official partners.
In this episode of The Probe Dental Podcast, Dr Linda Greenwall discusses the formation of her charity: the Dental Wellness Trust.
Established in 2011, the Dental Wellness Trust charity has one simple mission and that’s to improve the general health and wellbeing of children through dental wellness – especially those most in need.
The charity’s LiveSmart supervised tooth brushing programme addresses the ever-worsening crisis of child dental health. Initially set up to help communities in Dr Greenwall’s home country of South Africa (with over 80% tooth decay rates in children under 5 years old), it is now being rolled out in schools and nurseries across parts of the UK.
In addition to discussing the Dental Wellness Trust’s aims and the LiveSmart campaign, Dr Greenwall speaks about how rewarding charity work can be, as well as how others can involved through volunteering or interning – particularly student dentists looking for a more unique experience.
The Probe Dental Podcast is presented by The Dental Awards.
The Dental Awards is the original and most respected awards programme in British dentistry. 2021 marks the 22nd anniversary of the Dental Awards, and over the decades, this prestigious event has recognised the outstanding individuals and teams whose commitment and drive continue to raise standards throughout the profession.
The Dental Awards is attended by over 600 clinicians each year. Winning, or being a finalist, is a tremendous accolade and provides a massive publicity boost to the profile of your practice and your team. After all, who wouldn’t want to be treated by the Dentist or Dental Team of the Year?
The Dental Awards are sponsored by B.A. International, Colgate, Colosseum Dental, Dental Elite, and Water Pik. The Probe and The British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show are official partners.
Claire Stevens, an NHS Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry working in Greater Manchester and former President for the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD), joins The Probe Dental Podcast to discuss the society’s recent backing of Marcus Rashford’s campaign to extend the free school meal voucher system into school holidays for underprivileged children.
Not only is there a clear known link between dental decay and poor nutrition as well as between food insecurity and poverty, but Claire also notes how other aspects of child poverty come into play.
In addition, Claire speaks about her experiences in working with CBeebies (BBC) to help produce content aimed at promoting oral health on shows such as Hey Duggee and JoJo & Gran Gran, in what promises to be the most unpredictable episode of The Probe Dental Podcast yet!
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts:
Full BSPD membership is available to all GDC-registered members of the dental team, with an earnings-based fee structure. Anyone else interested in joining can become and associate member. For more information, visit: https://www.bspd.co.uk/
The Probe Dental Podcast is presented by The Dental Awards.
The Dental Awards is the original and most respected awards programme in British dentistry. 2021 marks the 22nd anniversary of the Dental Awards, and over the decades, this prestigious event has recognised the outstanding individuals and teams whose commitment and drive continue to raise standards throughout the profession.
The Dental Awards is attended by over 600 clinicians each year. Winning, or being a finalist, is a tremendous accolade and provides a massive publicity boost to the profile of your practice and your team. After all, who wouldn’t want to be treated by the Dentist or Dental Team of the Year?
The Dental Awards are sponsored by B.A. International, Colgate, Colosseum Dental, Dental Elite, and Water Pik. The Probe and The British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show are official partners.
The Probe Dental Podcast is proud to present its first bonus episode, contributed by Dentsply Sirona.
In this inaugural edition of ‘The Probe Dental Podcast Presents’, Dentsply Sirona’s GVP Commercial EMEA, Gerry Campbell, discusses how technology has come to the fore during the pandemic and how now is a great opportunity for dentists to explore the innovations currently available.
Listen here or search wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
To learn more about how digital technology can transform your practice or laboratory, tune in to Dentsply Sirona’s first webinar on 12 October at 7pm with Dr Nikhil Sisodia and dental technician Steve Campbell.
Subsequent webinars will take place on the following dates:
– 19 October, 7pm, with Dr Martin Wanendeya and Steve Campbell
– 9 November, 7pm, with Dr Eimear O’Connell and Steve Campbell
– 23 November, 7pm, with Dr Simon Fieldhouse and Jack Gleave
– 7 December, 7pm, with Dr Clive Shmullian and Martin Leca
Ian Mills and Onkar Dhanoya from the Faculty of General Dental Practice – better known as FGDP(UK) – join The Probe Dental Podcast to discuss the issues of equality and racial discrimination within the dental profession, which have come to forefront of general conversation thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Ian Mills is the current Dean of FGDP(UK), while Onkar serves as one of the Vice Deans. They discuss their own experiences and where there’s severe inequality within the dental industry, as well as how they both continue to learn. For more information, you can watch a webinar that Ian and Onkar both took part in in conjunction with CGDent, titled Why Colour is the Elephant in the Room, which you can view here: https://www.prodentalcpd.com/module1316/-black-lives-matter—experiences-from-the-dental-profession-
Listen here or search wherever you get your podcasts.
The Probe Dental Podcast is presented by The Dental Awards.
The Dental Awards is the original and most respected awards programme in British dentistry. 2021 marks the 22nd anniversary of the Dental Awards, and over the decades, this prestigious event has recognised the outstanding individuals and teams whose commitment and drive continue to raise standards throughout the profession.
The Dental Awards is attended by over 600 clinicians each year. Winning, or being a finalist, is a tremendous accolade and provides a massive publicity boost to the profile of your practice and your team. After all, who wouldn’t want to be treated by the Dentist or Dental Team of the Year?
The Dental Awards are sponsored by B.A. International, Carestream Dental, Colgate, Coltene, Dental Elite, Geistlich Biomaterials, Simplyhealth Professionals, Sparkle Dental Labs, and Water Pik. The Probe and The British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show are official partners.
The Probe Dental Podcast is available to listen to now!
The official podcast from The Probe – the UK’s longest running and leading magazine for all members of the dental team and home of the Dental Awards – The Probe Dental Podcast features discussions that explore all areas of the British dental sector. Guests join us from all corners of the industry to provide their own unique perspectives on a wide range of topics, from manufacturers and figureheads of various dental organisations, to those in the trenches working in practice, and more.
Chris “Coach” Barrow joins us on episode one to discuss how he became involved as a business consultant for the dental sector, how everyone, including himself, has had to adapt during lockdown, his Extreme Business Academy, and how he’s helping dental practices to bounce back better through Extreme Business’s Regeneration Programme 2.0.
Melanie Pomphrett qualified in 2015 after studying at the University of Essex and became a dental nurse. Oral hygiene soon became her passion, so, when a year on, the prospect to study for a Masters in Advanced and Specialist Healthcare (Dental Professional Practice) it was too exciting opportunity to turn down. It was reasonably priced course and she could still work full time to fund it since most of the educational sessions were run at weekends.
During a podcast conversation on Smile Revolution, Melanie discusses what the Masters has given her three years down the line, with podcast host Victoria Wilson. She also talks about how important it is to seize as many opportunities as possible to be able to give yourself the flexibility of a different career pathway.
As she explains: “I had no idea where this Masters was going to take me, I had no idea what I was going to be doing in a few years’ time but I knew it was important not to shut any doors. The Masters does not tie me into clinical – it will hopefully open up some doors – and that was my thought process at the time and I think it has paid off. Having a Masters is not going to mean you can start doing more things in practice, but it means that if you want to do something outside of practice, or if you want to really push for something, your voice is a little bit louder if you done further training.”
Melanie goes on to describe the findings of her dissertation about Direct Access, and how she is hoping that her research is going to help her peers achieve prescribing rights.
Throughout the podcast, it becomes evident that Melanie’s passion is not only for oral hygiene and research, but also her desire to instil confidence in her peers, to let them realise – if they have not already – that the work options are endless if they just want to apply themselves and look out for opportunities. She says that if she has been able to achieve so much in such a short time, so can they too! She also talks through the whole cycle of team collaboration and the benefits of it.
Melanie chats about the Dental Nurse Network and how her skills were utilised as a tutor and writing CPD content; how she was also asked to put together online oral health education course for dental nurses, develop tutorials and even a course work book which students could work through.
One element that Melanie expands on is how some course content she worked on includes community work with projects extending to care homes, children centres and scout clubs, which she thoroughly describes as an exciting way of trying to promote oral health not only in surgery and practice but into communities.
She adds: “It is not until you step out of the surgery that you realise that there are people out there, groups – especially vulnerable groups – that just have very little to no awareness about how to maintain their oral health. Sometimes we can look through rose tinted glasses because we see patients who come and see us and can pay and have their treatment done but there is a huge group out there who don’t, and nurses and hygienists are definitely the best people who can help them. I wish I could do a lot more of it. If anyone is interested in oral health promotion, there are jobs out there and they are so rewarding I would recommend them to anybody”.
Melanie also described her work with Philips Oral Healthcare, how she always aspired to work for the company because she loved its products, and how, as a professional educator, she is now able to educate and support her peers with lunch and learn in practices, one to ones with hygienists, nurses and dentists, as well as her work with the BSDHT.
“As hygienists and therapists, we have the theory behind everything, but also the practical side of thing and our dexterity skills. The transferrable skills have become very handy in all the other roles I have done too – the empathy we have for our patients. When I go to a practice now and speak to the teams there, because I have come from a clinical background there is a bit of relatability there because people understand I have come from that background myself. It definitely helps.”
Melanie explains in this podcast how she speaks with a many hygienists who are interested in exploring different avenues but don’t know where to start. She speaks of the trials and errors and about confidence to reach the stage she has and believes it all about believing in yourself. About giving it a go. 5 years from now, Melanie hopes to continue working for Philips Oral Healthcare and continue seeing her patients in practice. She is encouraging her peers to find what works for them.
She concludes: “There are so many opportunities. Find out what other things interest us. We are all brilliant in surgery and we all know we can do our jobs brilliantly. But there are other things out there that hygienists and therapists the can do, contribute to writing, creating content, raising awareness for the public and people who wouldn’t necessarily come through our doors on a day to day basis. Now is the perfect opportunity to explore these avenues because some of us have a bit more time to spare”
Ten years ago, Megan Fairhall qualified from the University of Portsmouth with a degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy. She went straight into private practice, predominantly carrying out hygiene work. Pretty soon Megan started to feel a little bit frustrated by the monotony of her day job, and wanted more from her career.
Five years later, Megan started developing her brand #Livetosmile brand. As she explains in a podcast interview with Victoria Wilson:
“I saw that social media was transforming a lot of industries and at that point not a lot of people in dentistry were utilising these channels. So I started building my own brand and talking about tooth whitening and cleaning treatments, so that patients could contact me directly and come to the practice to see me, which meant I no longer had to purely rely on referrals from the practice I was already working at”.
When developing the plans for her campaign Megan wanted to create a lifestyle brand which was more relatable to the millennial generation. Her idea was to help inspire people from her generation to consider the aesthetic and health benefits of treatments in a positive light and as a sought after and desirable part of a health and beauty routine.
“Social media helped break down barriers within dentistry – this was always my aim. It has encouraged people to book appointments directly with me and has had a huge impact on my career path”.
Megan commented that creating her brand needed a lot of thought and research. “A brand is an extension of yourself and reflects who you are as a person. I loved the process and it gave me a new passion for branding and marketing. So I am a hygienist, but this does not mean I am confined in dentistry. My scope as a professional has been broadened by the different avenues I have undertaken. Admittedly it is difficult to let go and trust somebody else with your brand when you need to get help. If you are just outsourcing creative work, the best thing to do is look for reviews and get recommendations, and again social media is an ideal platform to exchange good contacts!”
Nowadays, according to Megan, it is a lot easier to create your own website and there are also different apps which you can use create content. It has democratised dental hygiene and allowed whoever wishes to go on a different journey to do so without fear of being judged. Putting yourself out there means that you think your content is relevant and has a value, and so long as you feel it is going to make a difference, this is what ultimately matters.
“I am trying to help the public and make an impact on their oral hygiene. If I can spread a positive message and that one post is making a difference to even one person then it is worth doing. It is all about having the right mind-set. Ultimately if you don’t try what seems a good idea for you, you are going to be frustrated and have regrets, so just give it a go”.
Megan also told Victoria during the podcast that “The dental beauty box I recently launched is my pride and joy. Coming from the dental industry, I wanted to combine dentistry and beauty to make it a bit more desirable. Patients may find it overwhelming to go down the dental oral hygiene aisle in the chemist, with so many different products to choose from, they trust my professional recommendations instead and I have included beauty and wellness products in the box too to make it more aspirational. This collaboration of beauty, dentistry and wellness makes me feel as if I have hit the jackpot, with the belief that I can have a positive impact on people’s lives on so many levels, is definitely thrilling”.
“With social media, you can only feel more connected, compared with years ago. There are forums, Instagram, smaller online groups, so social media has opened up new doors, which is particularly important for the profession, as it can really be a lonely place when confined to the surgery on your own. So when you then go to conferences or events, you will be able to recognise people and their faces – even though you have never met them, that’s the power of social media!”
“For me social media has been much more than a means to connect with people. Social media has made me stand out from my peers and given me incredible career prospects. Philips (Zoom whitening and Sonicare) and Unilever (Regenerate) approached me having seen what I was doing with my outreach to patients. That was the start of so many amazing opportunities working with those brands and being involved in things I would have never dreamt of when I was in university. I am also very proactive in my role with them now and I will reach out to them if I feel there is a good opportunity presenting itself”.
“Every hygienist and therapist is unique. Everyone has something to offer and unique selling points that make them special. So with determination and hard work, everything is possible. Just figure out what makes you different, and what you are passionate about, and reach out to people and give it your best shot”.
“Beside my patients, it was important to me to also help other hygienists and therapists. I had found that whitening had become a huge part of my treatment focus, and I wanted to share that passion with my peers. So Philips and I put together a series of whitening courses to show hygienists and therapists that there is something beyond back to back cleaning appointments. Whitening is within our scope of practice, albeit under a prescription. My reward is when hygienists and therapists walk out of my courses and start working on a marketing plan, on social media and implement what has been explained during these courses. Zoom take home whitening demonstrations also help giving my course delegates confidence to make a start with whitening. I run about ten courses a year and locations are generally London, Manchester and Leicester although we can discuss locations wherever
someone has a need. However, with lockdown limiting our travel opportunities at present I am launching online training courses too”.
There have been times in my career where dentists in the practice were receptive to my ideas. Other times, less so. But if you have a vision or a dream, you need to find people who will help you and allow you to make your ideas a reality. Let’s not forget how lucky we are to be able to always go back to the practice for your clinical work which gives you that security. So take big leaps if you have to, as you only have a few chances in life. Find your passion, be confident in everything you do and be fearless”.
