Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

W ith the fantastic Lon- don Olympics now over, our excitement levels can drop back to normal while we get on with our work- ing lives. But, for some, there are still aspects of the Games that offer a real opportunity. Part and parcel of a modern Olympics is the massive devel- opment effort that goes into the host area, and the long- term benefits that it hopes to gain as a result. For East Lon- don, and for several other host areas, this legacy planning has meant large-scale rejuvena- tion and home building pro- jects of a size we don’t often see in these difficult economic times. The former Olympic Vil- lage, for example, will be- come 2,818 new homes. Other housing developments nearby are also set to benefit from the massive improvements to public transport and other fa- cilities that were developed for the Games, and which have encouraged developers to cre- ate further homes. This will see a huge influx of people moving into a radi- cally changed area. And when nearly 3,000 families move into an area almost overnight, followed by more as additional new homes are completed, op- portunity is bound to follow. Parts of Stratford that used to house light industrial units will now house hundreds of families with children, for ex- ample. Just a decade ago the area was a place where only brave first time buyers on a tight budget tended to seek homes, but it is now becoming accessible and desirable. With the new people will come a demand for new den- tal and healthcare facilities. Populations the size of a small town will be coming into these areas, and they will be in need of dentists. With so many peo- ple arriving at once, existing practices will be finding it dif- ficult to cope with demand. There can’t be a clearer oppor- tunity to launch new practices than that. It has been said before that dentistry is a good profession in which to weather an eco- nomic downturn, and here is an example of an ideal oppor- tunity presenting itself despite the country’s fall back into a double dip recession. Innovative and entrepre- neurial types pride themselves on their ability to move quickly to capitalise on opportunities. Here is a chance for ambitious dentists to emulate Usain Bolt in the search for places to de- velop a new practice. Even now the games are over there is still a chance to win gold. DT The London Olympics 2012mean opportunities as people follow the rejuvenation process, says Richard T Lishman Olympic legacy beyond the Games About the author Richard T Lish- man of money- 4dentists, which are a specialist firm of Independ- ent Financial Ad- visers who help dentists across the UK manage their money and achieve their financial and lifestyle goals. For more information please call 0845 345 5060, email info@ money4dentists.com or visit www. money4dentists.com 7News FeatureOctober 22 - 28, 2012United Kingdom Edition