Husband and wife dentists Dr Mahmoud Pourghadiri and Dr Noushin Attari are respective principals of Elite Orthodontics and Weymouth Street Paediatric Dentistry, two practices which occupy the same central London premises. Here, they explain why they chose to join the Dentex group
Mahmoud Pourghadiri: As we are dealing with large practices, we knew that when the time came to sell it would be to one of the corporates. From the onset, we really liked the team from Dentex, I found them very easy to speak to and they were very open about how their partnership model could work for us. They took the time to get to know and understand what we do and what makes our practice unique and successful.
Noushin Attari: I really liked the idea that Dentex was still new and growing. Also, that it was less rigid than other corporates in how it operated. I really like the idea of co-ownership and believe it’s a great option to have for any practice.
Mahmoud: There were understandably concerns from our respective teams – we were asked about their future roles, their salaries and so on. As we progress with Dentex we’ve found that it has brought new developments and opportunities for our staff, without affecting their existing arrangement or long-term future here at the practices. Our staff work well alongside the Dentex team and there has been very little upheaval, everyone feels safe and secure.
For us, dentistry is changing so much, it has been very difficult to manage the business as well as do our clinical work. To get Dentex’s support with the administrative burdens such as CQC and recruitment aspects of running a practice has been great for both of us. It’s meant we can now focus more on clinical dentistry and our patients. We’re able to spend our time diagnosing, treatment planning, communicating with patients, as well as dedicate more time to our own professional development.
It has also been very good to be able to meet with others within the Dentex group, to learn from them, discuss our own experiences, as well as to generate referrals and develop entirely new professional relationships.
PATIENT EXPERIENCES
Mahmoud: Most of our patients are not aware of the business change, both businesses remain as specialist dental practices offering high-quality care. What has changed is that we are able to give them more time to discuss treatment plans and ensure that overall, they feel they are receiving better care.
It is important to us both that our practices retain their own brand, cache and reputation; and we continue with exactly the same ethos as in the past. Dentex realise that it is important to preserve what we had spent 17 years building, and for us to run the practices as clinical directors.
Dentex has helped with a number of things that we felt we were weak on previously. One of the main areas is their support in marketing and social media as it was an area we had relatively little experience in and it has been good to benefit from their expertise. It has really helped us attract more of the right sort of patients to both practices.
THE FUTURE
Mahmoud: We have no intention of retiring any time soon. For the next five years at least, we want to work as close to full time as we can. Obviously at some point in the future we will wind down slowly. We are also interested in looking at opportunities within Dentex and especially non-clinical roles which may be available, possibly playing a role helping other practices with their development and helping them to run efficiently.
Noushin: It’s a matter of us not planning to retire, but it is nice to know that the pathway is there for you to take if you want to. We are still young, but dentistry is quite a physical job; we find lots of fellow dentists always worry about not being able to work into their later years or need to sell quickly due to unforeseen circumstances. In our situation now, if the worst did happen, there is a way out for us. The security means we don’t have to worry about the other partner shouldering all the responsibility themselves.
Mahmoud: Having sold the practice takes away lot of the stress, I find I don’t worry so much about the future. You don’t want to be in a situation where you are under pressure or forced to sell for any reason. Having the exit strategy in place removes lots of stress and allows you to focus on what you do best.
Dr Mahmoud Pourghadiri
BDS MSc MOrth RCS(Eng) MOrth RCS(Edin)
Dr Pourghadiri qualified as a dentist in 1991 at Guy’s. Following hospital posts and a year in general dental practice, he became a specialist orthodontist in 1998, and achieved his Membership in Orthodontics of the Royal Colleges of England and Edinburgh. Dr Pourghadiri has been practising orthodontics exclusively since 1995.
Website: www.eliteorthodontics.co.uk
Dr Noushin Attari
BDS MFDS RCS(Eng) MClinDent MPaedDent
Dr Noushin Attari qualified from Guy’s in 1996. She qualified as a specialist in paediatric dentistry in 2001 after gaining experience in hospital posts and general practice. Dr Attari is an Honorary Lecturer at the Eastman Dental Institute and has worked as a specialist involved with postgraduate teaching.
Website: www.wpddentistry.co.uk
To find out more about partnering with Dentex, please email or visit the website.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.dentexhealth.co.uk
