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A massage, then get your teeth done!
26th Mar 2009
Left to right: Nicole Hunter, Trish Gallagher, Gemma Still, Agnieszka Oosthuizen
Two chiropractors have opened a dental practice that boasts a beauty salon in reception.
Dr Mark Blokland and Dr Simon Clarke launched the new holistic dental practice in Swindon this month.
The practice, under the clinical direction of dental surgeon Helen Barnes, is fully computerised, with digital X-ray facilities.
The venture boasts ‘luxurious surroundings with no-syringe anaesthetics, painless laser cavity detection, a central sterilisation area and an emphasis on utilising the skills of the whole dental team including dental therapists and hygienists'.
It even has a beauty salon in the dental practice reception area so that patients can combine the two or relax with a massage before dental treatment.
Practice manager, Gavin King, explained: ‘We have had a most successful first three weeks. We have tried to make the practice as “wow” as possible and as less like a dental practice as possible, hence the beauty salon in reception.
‘The surgeries themselves are open plan but have “aural curtains” playing softly in the background and patients like the fact that they don't feel isolated as they do in individual surgeries.'
He added: ‘The best comment we've had so far – “I love coming here” – this from a confirmed dentaphobe who said it is more like a hairdressers. I couldn't have asked for more.'
The dental practice is just the latest addition to Drs Blokland and Clarke's Ridgeway Health and Wellness brand which has now developed into a complete health and wellness centre.
It includes sports and Swedish massage, reflexology, counselling and psychology, nutrition and beauty treatments and is situated inside a converted 19th-century stable block in Wroughton, near Swindon in Wiltshire.
Gavin said: ‘The general dentistry of the practice – including cosmetic dentistry – will be enhanced by the ability of inter-referral between the multi-disciplines allowing the dental practice to also carry out functional work on areas such as headaches, neck pain, jaw pain and providing splints to stop the biting and grinding of teeth, a result of stress which can lead to such symptoms.'
Smile Month
The practice's multi-disciplinary approach reflects the recent line of thinking regarding the systemic connection between oral health and the rest of the body, and ties in nicely with this May's National Smile Month message which coincides with the practice's official opening on 16 May.
Gavin said: ‘It's a very big leap for the chiropractors, but they are convinced that this is the way forward.
‘The whole practice is fired up to get the systemic and holistic message across to patients.
‘Taking time out to talk and listen to patients has always been part of the clinic's philosophy.'
Dr Blokland originally opened Ridgeway Chiropractic Clinic in 1995. Such was his success that within five years he was employing three further chiropractors.
This was followed by the creation of the country's first capitation scheme for chiropractic patients – based on the dental prevention model – and, in 2005, Mark, along with his new chiropractic business partner, Dr Simon Clarke, purchased the whole stable block.
Together, they devised a business plan to develop the stable block into a one-stop, multi-disciplinary, health and wellness centre.
The future plan is that within two years the Ridgeway Health and Wellness model will be opening sites near Cardiff and Oxford.
Author
Julie Bissett
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