Practice profile: Optimal Dental Health

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Optimal Dental Health

1 Melcombe Street, London NW1 6AE

Telephone: 020 3921 1000

Email: hello@optimaldental.co.uk

Website: optimaldentalhealth.co.uk

James Goolnik shares the journey that led him to opening Optimal Dental Health.

Having been a dentist for 33 years, I’ve seen lots of changes within the industry. My first practice was in the City, where I soon gained an insight into the type of dentistry that both worked best for me and was most effective for my patients.

It’s an honour that several of my patients have stayed with me for many years, and I’ve witnessed how diet and lifestyle changes can influence oral health over time. This has led to an appreciation of which factors can really make a difference, not only to oral hygiene, but to overall wellbeing.

A key factor has been understanding what motivates individuals to make positive lifestyle changes – and paying regular visits to the dentist and hygienist definitely help motivate people to better look after their oral health.

A positive patient experience

From the early 2000s, I was at the forefront of making dental practices more relaxing and welcoming for patients. We were one of the first practices to move away from the more traditional colour schemes associated with dentistry (namely green and blue), adopting purple as our brand colour (we were the first clinic to order a purple dental chair from A-dec in the UK!)

For me, purple is vibrant, aspirational and joyful, and the colour immediately set our practice apart from the rest.

From the early days, we incorporated aromatherapy scents to help create a more relaxing atmosphere, and we also offered video glasses to patients so they could watch films during treatment (now all our surgeries have ceiling-mounted screens that stream Netflix or Youtube).

Nutrition as a key element

I recognised early on the importance of diet in improving both the oral health and general wellbeing of my patients, and my interest in nutrition quickly grew.

In 2020, I set out to help individuals reduce their sugar consumption by writing a cookbook Kick Sugar: Reawaken Your Taste Buds and Boost Your Health, in which I consulted chefs and nutritionists.

I’m currently midway through a diploma course with the Institute of Optimal Nutrition to further my understanding of functional nutrition and how dietary, nutraceutical and lifestyle changes can optimise patient health.

These personal interests all came together to form the concept of Optimal Dental Health, my new practice on Baker Street in London.

Beyond oral health

The clinic is first and foremost a dental practice, but we aim to go beyond our patients’ oral health to improve their overall physical and mental wellbeing. This is achieved through a multidisciplinary approach – we have a psychotherapist to assist patients experiencing dental anxiety and/or general anxiety (and a beautifully calming therapy room); a nutritionist on hand to offer dietary advice, and a myofunctional therapist to help support better breathing, and sleeping in our patients. We also have a health coach who puts it all together and helps make the patients accountable.

We also work in conjunction with Randox Health to offer our patients screening services, referring them to their GP if any particular concerns are picked up. Eventually, we aim to have a phlebotomist on site to conduct health screening at the practice.

A complete picture

Our ethos is to always go above and beyond for our patients.

When a new patient joins, we conduct a 15-point dental health assessment – this includes their medical history, general health, sleep habits and any additional supplements they may be taking, as well as their oral health, to form a complete picture of their wellbeing and personal health journey and make suggestions on how it might be improved.

A natural, preventive approach

In terms of treatment, our focus is very much on prevention combined with a reduction in the usage of chemicals. We’re committed to using natural alternatives wherever possible but always ensure these are proven to be as effective as their chemical counterparts. For example, we don’t use fluoride – instead, our hygienists use products containing hydroxyapatite, which offers similar remineralising and decay-prevention benefits to fluoride, without the associated health concerns.

We also opt for flavour- and preservative-free products.

Thanks to our Clark Dental CBCT scanner, we’re able to provide accurate 3D scans to help determine what treatment each patient requires on an individual basis and only perform procedures that are strictly necessary. We believe strongly in ethical and evidence-based methods.

Creating a new practice

Our holistic approach was also a key element in the design and build of our clinic. I appointed Apollo Interiors to carry out the clinic build, working alongside interior design company, Walker Malagoni.

I’d previously worked with Apollo Interiors so knew the build would be carried out to a high standard and by a fantastic team. I was especially pleased I had chosen the company when it came to the new building controls that had recently been introduced for high-rise buildings – ours was the first dental clinic to be created under the new regulations and the Apollo Interiors team was adept at finding solutions and approaching everything with a ‘can-do’ attitude.

Eco-friendly and sustainable

In keeping with our eco-credentials, the reception area at Optimal Dental Health features a natural, decorative clay finish from Clayworks. We’ve worked hard to source eco-friendly furniture wherever possible and run the practice as sustainably as we can – for example, opting for sterilisable instruments rather than single-use disposables.

We are also a Terracycle recycling hub for oral hygiene products and welcome everybody – both patients and non – to dispose of their old toothbrushes and dental products in our bins for specialist recycling.

A welcoming design

The practice design scheme features our trademark purple, as well as interesting artworks – including 3D art and one based on local Baker Street crime-fighting resident, Dangermouse!

Our patients are always amazed at how big the practice actually is.

On the ground floor, we have our reception area, a surgery designed for disabled access as well as disabled WC facilities.

The majority of our treatment rooms are located at the basement level, which we have developed to be a bright and welcoming space, thanks to the plentiful natural light that comes from newly installed lightwells as well as expertly designed feature lighting.

Accessible and empowering

I’m really excited about this next step in Optimal Dental Health’s journey and where it will take us. We aim to educate and empower our patients to improve their lives and this is our key motivation behind the clinic.

We’ve tried to make holistic dentistry more accessible and we’re looking forward to transforming the lives of a growing number of people. Watch this space!

Holistic dentistry 101

Interested in finding out more about integrative dentistry and holistic care? Dive in to a different way of thinking with our essential guide to holistic dentistry, curated by Dr James Goolnik.

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