Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

November 19-25, 201226 United Kingdom EditionPractice Management www.ctscan.co.uk IDT Dental Products Ltd, Unit GC Westpoint, 36-37 Warple Way, London W3 0RG. Tel. +44 (0)20 8600 3540 i-CAT is a Trade Mark of Imaging Sciences International LLC 2nd Hand i-CAT Next Gen 4 years old, fully maintained unit with Warranty until January 2013 • Flat Panel Sensor Technology – superior 3D image quality with resolutions from 0.4mm down to 0.125mm • Large Scan Height and Diameter – scans up to 13cm in height and 16cm in diameter - perfect for craniomaxillofacial scans or orthodontic applications • Medium Field of View Scans - reduce the scan height and width to 8cm x 8cm – perfect for implant scans • Adjustable scan heights - adjust the scan height from 13cm down to 2cm for routine scans • Fast scan times - 4.8 to 26.9 seconds • Low Dose - measured by SEDENTEXCT to be one of the lowest dose CBCTs on the market in both the maxillofacial and single jaw categories Only One available sO call nOw! CBCT Scanner Full manuFacturer’s warranty attractively priced FOr quick sale! W hen I first started vis- iting dental practices doing consultancy work some years ago, I was surprised at how often I had to play the role of intermedi- ary. I’d worked as a manager, including in dental practices, so I knew that staff don’t get on with each other all the time. But it still amazed me how often a member of a den- tal practice team would say: “Oh, I didn’t know (so and so) felt that way.” Practice owners would also comment (for ex- ample): “I wish I’d known (so and so) wanted to work extra hours.” It was not that staff didn’t speak to each other or that principals and managers ig- nored team members – they just didn’t communicate. And do you know what? It’s still happening all these years lat- er. I’m no longer surprised at adopting a liaison role – telling each person what the other will say to me but not directly to their colleague. Sometimes it’s because the subject matter is a bone of contention and I need to act as a mediator. Of- ten, it’s because one or other person doesn’t feel confident enough or sufficiently empow- ered to speak up. For example, in team dis- cussions about changing the practice opening hours there’ll often be a member of staff who contributes very little. Then I come on the scene doing some consultation about, say, front of house staff training and that person tells me in confidence that they wanted to work extra hours and earn more but the opportunity went to another team member. When I con- fer with the practice manager they’ll often exclaim (with some frustration): “I wish I’d known that!” Sometimes, I come across team members who just do not get on. They may be clinical and non-clinical staff, man- agers and dentists, hygienists and front of house staff or any combination of these roles. There is, to coin a phrase, a clash of personalities. Quite often these occur in small practices with only a handful of staff and the situation invar- iably arises when something disturbs the equilibrium – a new person joins or someone gets promoted. I’m not about to dive into trait theory (if only I could!) or expound the My- ers Briggs model of person- ality – let’s keep this simple. Surely, if you’re working in or applying for a job in a small dental practice you need the ability and disposition to Why improving your practice is a mystery – part 13 The GDC doesn’t require you to love your colleagues, says Jacqui Goss