Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

15Showcase TribuneOctober 2013United Kingdom Edition Implantology Sealing of Hollow Spaces in Implants www.hagerwerken.de Tel. +49(203) 99269-0 Fax +49(203) 299283 Video GapSeal® The Decisive Weapon against Periimplantitis • Seals implant gaps and hollow spaces bacteria-proof • It durably stops an infiltration of germs into the hollow spaces thus eliminating the risk of a reinfection of the periimplantal tissue • So effectively avoids a main reason for periimplantitis • In clinical use successfully at the University Düsseldorf, Germany for more than 16 years • Easy in handling and application by a special applicator GapSeal® The Decisive Weapon against Periimplantitis Visit our booth No. Q12 at the BDTA Dental Showcase GapSeal-Anz-156x219mm-GB.indd 1 21.08.13 11:57 adults (aged 18+)]. Providing your patients with a range of options to pay for their treatment ensures their loyalty and can mean the differ- ence between attendance and a depleted appointment book due to cancellations or post- poned treatment in the cur- rent financial climate. It can also help you to differentiate yourself from the competition, increasing the success of your practice. Some payment plan specialists can also provide a wide range of value added services worth thousands of pounds as part of your mem- bership and can provide the help and advice you need to ensure that, whatever your in- dividual goals and aspirations may be, the transition runs smoothly and is as stress free as possible. This allows you to get back to the kind of dentistry you trained to deliver without worrying about the future. It sounds simple and, in the right circumstances, it can be. Why now? The current target-driven ap- proach favoured by the NHS is believed by many to be at odds with the patient-focused ap- proach that is at the foundation of professional training. This was cited by many as one of the main reasons for practices moving away from the NHS when the last new NHS con- tract was introduced in 2006. However, the Department of Health seems to have learned from these experiences and the piloting of new approaches to fund NHS dental care is well under way, although the con- firmed details of such a new contract remain unknown. The next version of the NHS contract does, therefore, need to learn and build from its past experiences, but it does so against a predicted future of flat healthcare spending and further budgetary constraints. It will also be at least another year before the evaluation of the NHS pilot outcomes is suffi- cient to inform a new contract. And, with a general election in May 2015, it would seem that the coalition’s commitment to introduce a new contract be- fore then may be a tall order. That said, it’s interesting to note the intention of introduc- ing a new NHS dental contract based on registration, capita- tion and quality, with a focus on preventive care. This is a system that payment plan spe- cialists such as Denplan have been operating and develop- ing for more than a quarter of a century, with a rich history of helping practices achieve and sustain financial stability while being able to truly focus on helping patients to achieve optimal oral health. With such a significant amount of turbulence inevita- bly on the cards for NHS dental care, it seems that, now more than ever, the question of mak- ing at least a partial transition to private practice is a viable one and a very real way of se- curing your practice income and future success. DT • Denplan will be exhibiting at BDTA Dental Showcase in Birmingham. Visit Stand F10 to discuss what Denplan could do for your practice. About the author Roger Matthews MA BDS DGDP(UK) FDSRCS(Edin)- Chief Dental Officer, Denplan. Roger joined Denplan in 1995 having spent 20 years working in general dental practice and as a dento-legal advisor for the Medi- cal Defence Union. He oversees dental advice to the company and its links with professional bodies, and is responsible for Denplan’s professional services. Look at all the options open to you to allow you time for your patients