The Dentalessence family

The dental industry faced mammoth change amidst the global pandemic the gap between the great and the average widening more than ever. What exactly is it that separates the two? Dentalessence share their experience of how they began, where they are going and the ongoing battle of changing the ‘age old’ perception of dentistry

If you took a national survey of how people feel about visiting the dentist, it would be safe to say that the majority of that feedback would be negative.

“When we decided to embark on this journey, opening a group of practices - site by site - altering that perception was our sole focus. It’s an all-encompassing task, requiring all arms of the business to be in sheer synergy.”

Synergy which starts at home. As a brother-sister partnership, owners Dr Sachin Anand and Dr Shalini Anand share an inherent talent in dentistry and more importantly, it’s compassionate delivery.

Sachin says “I decided to buy my own practice as a principal when the new NHS contract kicked in during 2006. It seemed like the right time for me to venture off with my own ideas and aspirations. Knowing that Shal was due to qualify a few years after this, it would allow us to then move forward with further plans to expand as a brother-sister team.”

In 2009 the pair branched out, acquiring a second practice in Weybridge, followed by a third in Worthing, a fourth in Sompting and then their latest acquisition in Haywards Heath. Shal says “Our current focus is streamlining our processes, making the patient journey as simple as possible and our delivery seemless. The goal is to be regionally recognised as the best dental practices in Surrey and Sussex, which we feel we have made headway towards”

The right team; Many of our staff members have been with us for years and are like family to us. We have a very diverse mix of staff and clinicians, bringing a plethora of skills and personalities to the brand. We take a lot of time to get to know each of our staff members on a personal level as best as possible, supporting them and understanding their personal needs. As a result; they each comprehend and buy into the ethos of the business.

Our clinicians take the time to deliver an informative and calm service, explaining everything in detail every step of the way. It is not uncommon to see our patients emerge from our surgeries raucously laughing! We know that a visit to the dentist isn’t going to be the highlight of someone’s day, so we go the extra mile to make it as pleasant as we can! Feedback: Sachin and I each work across the five practices, meaning we have a microscopic perspective (pardon the pun!) of each of the sites and learned in our infancy that no feedback is bad feedback! We listen intently to what our patients have to say. We pride ourselves on being ‘patient-led’, if something isn’t being received well publicly, we simply change it. Our staff are confident in relaying feedback and we are not too proud to change what isn’t perfect.

Compassion: We strive to make each patient feel valued and cared for. We understand a “one size fits all” approach absolutely does not work in this industry and that each patient has their own individual needs and expectations. Taking the time to get to know these and tailoring the service to those requirements, is imperative for a healthy and long-term patient/dentist relationship.”

“It goes without saying that the pandemic threw some very unforeseen and unavoidable spanners in the works. We have worked hard to navigate through those challenges and are extremely fortunate to say that the road to repair has not been as harrowing as it may have been for some. That being said, we are under no illusion that further change will need to be embraced in this ever-evolving situation, so it’s difficult to accurately forecast exactly how we will grow from here. Technology in dentistry is pretty fast-paced and the market is regularly stunned with the next innovative creation, so even when it appears we’re stood still, the business is expanding; adding various digital methods and alternative treatments to its repertoire will be the main focus for now.

dentalessence Burgess Hill 69 Station Road, Burgess Hill 01444 232 292 burgesshill@dentalessence.co.uk

detalessence Weybridge 39 St Mary’s Road, Weybridge 01932 857 998 weybridge@dentalessence.co.uk

We have been banking with Natwest Business for over 7 years now. Charlotte Winbolt is our account manager and her customer service has been second to none. I can say this with full confidence as we have business accounts with other banks and the service from Natwest stands out by far. They keep in touch with you on a regular basis to check if your business needs are being met. During the pandemic, they were very forthcoming in providing financial support to help our business recover. They have a great understanding of our sector.

What we know for certain though, is that we’re committed to continuing to strengthen the brand in the areas which we currently operate, with the possibility of adding a few more to the litter! Watch this space.”

detalessence Worthing 19a Broadwater Street West, Worthing 01903 823 838 worthing@dentalessence.co.uk

dentalessence Sompting 43 Busticle Lane, Sompting 01903 754224 sompting@dentalessence.co.uk

dentalessence Haywards Heath 49 Hazelgrove Road, Haywards Heath 01444 452112/ 01444 458847 haywardsheath@dentalessence.co.uk