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15 Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 4+5/2016 TRENDS&APPLICATIONS In April 2016,Dr Ian Lane,a manag- ing partner at Queensway Dental Clinic, together with Richard Elliott, Managing Director of Queensway’s Dental Laboratory, presentedawebinar toaglobalau- dience of over 350 dentists, giving their insights into what they feel have been the most fundamental factors of growing a successful dental implant clinic. Queensway Dental Clinic (www.queensway.co.uk) was found- ed in 1993, when Dr Paul Averley tookoverthenorth-easternclinic. At the time, it was at the heart of an area where the population’s oral health was significantly lower than that of the national average. Over the next 23 years, the practice grew into the award- winning business it is today—a journey that Lane believes would not have been possible without the partners, specialists, nurses, managers, technicians and thera- pistswhohaveinvestedtheirtime and passion in every step. Between 1998 and 2013, Queensway Dental Clinic was the largest referral centre for con- scious sedation in the region, and the clinic treated over 100,000 patients during that time. How- ever, as of 2011, the business model started to change and the partners turned their atten- tions to expanding the private side of the clinic. By applying the same principles learnt from building a successful NHS prac- tice,QueenswayDentalClinicgrew from a four-surgery practice into a 25-surgery practice over time. Lanesuggestedthatthissuccess can largely be attributed to the Queensway ethos with its patient- centred approach to dentistry: “We focus on holistic care, mean- ing there is real choice for the patient, as well as ensuring that shared decisions are made, over which patients have full control.” “We have always invested in our team,” continued Lane. “Indeed, the strong foundations of our clinic have been built on the knowledge and experience of our team. To build a truly successful implant clinic, it is vital to have the right team in place.” With Gold Standard Investors in People accreditation, it is clear that Queensway Dental Clinic understands the importance of nurturingtheskillsofitsteam.In- vesting heavily in the continuing professional development (CPD) of every single member, it has seen its nursing teams progress through the Nobel Biocare basic and advanced nursing courses, as well as attain the dental implant nursing qualification from King’s College London—and all are ex- perienced to some degree with the All-on-4 treatment modality. Of course, it is not just the clin- ical skills that contribute to the success of an implant practice. Queensway Dental Clinic has striven to improve the training of its front-of-house staff to ensure thatpatientsreceiveonlythevery highest standard of service from the moment they enter the prac- tice.Thishasincludedsendingthe teamonlunch-and-learnsessions with Nobel Biocare representa- tives, having cue cards developed to act as prompts on the phone, and giving each of the staff the necessary understanding of im- plant treatment options in order for them to communicate this effectively to prospective and current patients. Furthermore, Queensway un- derstands the importance of in- vesting in the skills of its partners and takes great pride in the indi- vidual achievements of its team members. Indeed, the partners at Queensway Dental Clinic have allgraduatedfromtheKoisCentre in Seattle in the US—five of only 15 practitioners in the UK to have done so. “The skills we have learnt at the Kois Centre have transformed thewaywepractise,”saidLane.“As well as improving the outcomes we can achieve for our patients. Seeing many patients who have suffered from many different problems with their teeth, it’s vi- tal that we have the skills—like those that the Kois Centre teaches so well—to be able to manage the complexityofthesecasesinareli- able way. Without a doubt, these skills have also enabled us to reassure our patients that they are being treated with the most up-to-date and predictable pro- cedures and techniques.” Elliott too graduated from the Kois Centre and was the very first technician in the UK to have done so. This significant achievement ismirroredinthewayQueensway invests in the skills and CPD of its laboratory technicians, rep- resenting recognition of the im- portance of technicians in the provision of implant therapy. Indeed, owing to the training provided by the Kois Centre, as well as the benefits of Nobel- Clinician Software, the team at Queensway has managed to streamline their case assessment and treatment planning process. “We’re all speaking in the same language now,”said Lane.“We can provide effective risk assess- ments for our patients, deliver effective and reliable treatment plans for implant treatments, design our patients’ smiles, pro- vide diagnostic assessments with models and photos, and review cases with the entire team pres- ent.” Vital to all this, Lane went on to explain, are communication and working alongside colleagues who all have the same skill and experience. “This is why,” he said, “we take our training and educa- tion seriously at Queensway.” It is also down to the implant provider. Since 1993 (with the exception of a very short depar- ture in 2009), Queensway Dental Clinic has used Nobel Biocare implants. “It’s the mix of quality service and quality products,” ex- plained Lane.“We don’t use cheap productsandNobelBiocaredoesn’t provide them. In all, it helps us minimise the risk to our patients and enables us to achieve excel- lent results.” Working with Nobel Biocare enables the Queensway team to use a variety of different tech- niques, including immediate loading, and provides the op- portunity to scan and plan treat- ments in full 3-D. It also allows the clinical staff of Queensway to liaise effectively with the labo- ratory staff, expediting and im- proving the process from start to finish. This kind of professional knowledge, when brought to- gether effectively with clinical, technical and management skills, has been one of the greatest con- tributing factors to the success of Queensway’s implant business. “It’s been a challenge,” admitted Lane, “and it requires excellent communicationfromallaspectsof our business, but it has certainly paid dividends—and it certainly would not have been possible without the relationship we share with Nobel Biocare.” This relationship seems in no waylikelytoendsoon;indeed,the team at Queensway Dental Clinic andlaboratoryhasfoundworking with Nobel Biocare so effective that it has seen an 87 per cent increase in spending on Nobel clinical products, as well as a 250 per cent increase for laboratory items since 2011. “Having a single Growingasuccessfuldentalimplantclinic By DTI Dr Ian Lane ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providersof continuing dental education. 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