Tag Archives: dentist

On Top Of The World

Iva made it to the top!

Iva made it to the top!

ON TOP OF THE WORLD AND BACK

FOR ME 2014 HAS BEEN A TURNING YEAR TO SAY THE LEAST.

IN MID 2013 I HAD DECIDED TO CLIMB THE MOUNT KILIMANJARO IN AID OF RAISING FUNDS FOR THE YOUNG EPILEPSY, CHARITY CLOSE TO MY HEART.

I CHOSE THE YOUNG EPILEPSY FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS BUT THE MAIN REASON BEING THE FACT THAT I HAVE SUFFERED FROM IT AS A CHILD HOWEVER THANKFULLY I GREW OUT OF IT.

WHY MOUNT KILIMANJARO? IT WAS A HUGE CHALLENGE FOR ME TO OVERCOME AS A SIGN OF SUPPORT TO CHILDREN AND ADULTS SUFFERING THE CONDITION ON A DAILY BASIS.

IN AUGUST 2014 I SET OFF WITH 24 OTHER THEN STRANGERS, NOW FRIENDS, ALL RAISING MONEY FOR THE CHARITIES CLOSE TO THEIR HEARTS.

THE TRAINING WAS NOT EASY.WORKING FULL TIME AT THE HSDP,  I  WAS ONLY ABLE TO TRAIN IN THE EVENINGS IN MY LOCAL “ENERGIE” GYM IN THE WEEK AND EVERY WEEKEND I HAVE BEEN GOING FOR 8-13 MILES WALKS ACROSS THE SOUTH DOWNS.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ME I AM “ALL OR NOTHING” KIND OF GIRL SO WHEN PEOPLE ASKED IF I HAVE DONE ANY OTHER MOUNTAINS LIKE SNOWDONIA…. AND I ANSWERED NO I OFTEN GOT SOME WORRYING LOOKS.

8 DAYS SLEEPING IN A TENT WITH A COMPLETE STRANGER WITHOUT SHOWER OR BATH JUST A BOWL OF “WASHY WASHY” AS IT WAS CALLED (SMALL BOWL OF WATER AND BABY WIPES FOR THE WHOLE DAY) AND USING A PORTO LOO WAS ALL PART OF THE EXPERIENCE.THIS IS FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER DONE A DAY OF CAMPING IN HER LIFE AND GIVEN A CHANCE LOVES HER 4+ HOTELS.

EVERY DAY HAS BEEN A FULL DAY OF TRACKING ,WALKING NO LESS THAN 4-5 HOURS BUT MAINLY AROUND7-8 HOURS .THE LOCAL PORTERS WERE AMAZING THEY LOOKED AFTER US IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY WITH 3 MEALS AND SNACKS EVERY DAY AND IF NOTHING ELSE BY SINGING TO US TO KEEP OUR MORAL UP ON A HARD DAY.DAY 1 AND 2 WERE HARD AS WE JUST KEPT WALKING,STILL TRYING TO ADJUST AND ALREADY YOU COULD START FEELING THE EFFECTS OF AIR GETTING THINER.THE BREATHING GOT HARDER AND MINOR EFFORTS BECAME MORE OF A TASK.DAY 3 WAS FULL ON HARD WORK AND I LOVED IT. WE CLIMBED UP THE ROCKS UP THE BARRANCO WALL IT WAS A FULL BODY WORK OUT AS YOU HAD TO LITERALLY GRIP AND PULL YOURSELF UP USING UPPER AND LOWER BODY STRENGTH.

DAY 3 ALSO GAVE US A FIRST VICTIM OF ALTITUDE, LOVELY FRAN WAS TOO ILL TO CONTINUE AND HAD TO RETURN TO BASECAMP AND HOTEL.EMOTIONS HAD BEEN FLYING HIGH AS BY NOW WE WERE TIRED AND LOSING ONE OF US WHO WAS A STRANGER ONLY A FEW DAYS AGO , SEEMED LIKE WATCHING A FRIEND HAVING TO GIVE UP.

SUMMIT NIGHT STARTED AT 11.30PM!! AND WITH A “SNAKE OF” HEAD TORCHES WE FOLLOWED EACH OTHER THROUGH THE DARKNESS TO OUR FINAL DESTINATION.THE AIR WAS SO THIN, YOU EITHER WALKED OR TALKED.EVERY BREATH WAS GETTING HEAVIER AND HEAVIER .TEMPERATURE HAD DROPPED DOWN SO MUCH THAT EVEN MY WATER IN MY INSULATED WATER BAG HAD NOW FROZEN.ALL THE YEAR AND A HALF OF TRAINING AND TIRELESS FUNDRASING HAD NOW COME TO ITS GOAL BEING SO NEAR.

JUST WHEN IT SEEMED THAT THE NIGHT WOULD NEVER END WE CAUGHT THE GLIMPS OF SUNRISE APPEARING IN THE DISTANCE AS A SIGN OF POSSIBLE NEAR FINISH LINE.BY NOW I WAS REALLY STRUGGLING TO BREATH AS EVERY OUNCE OF MY ENERGY HAD BEEN USED UP.ONE OF THE GUIDES TOOK ME ASIDE TO ASSESS ME AND TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS ONLY AROUND 40 MIN TO THE FIRST SUMMIT POINT.I DUG DEEPER AND FOUND ENOUGH ENERGY TO CARRY.WE FINALLY REACHED THE “STELLA POINT” AT 5756 M AND THE ADRENALIN TOOK OVER.I HAVE NEVER FELT SO OVERWHELMED WITH PRIDE AND A SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT. THE VIEWS OF GLACIERS WERE AMAZING.

WE SOON AFTER REACHED THE FINAL AND HIGHEST PEAK OF THE MOUNT KILIMANJARO “UHURU PEAK AT 5985M.

I HAVE NEVER CRIED SO MUCH FROM THE FEELING OF JOY AND SENCE OF ACHIEVEMENT LIKE I DID IN THE LAST FEW DAYS.

WE WALKED BACK DOWN FOR 5-6 HOURS AND AFTER THE LUNCH WALKED FURTHER TO OUR LAST CAMP ,BEFORE THE NEXT DAY GOING FOR OUR LAST WALK RETURNING TO THE BASECAMP.

I HAVE RAISED OVER £5600 IN AID OF YOUNG EPILEPSY BUT I HAVE ALSO GAINED THE MOST SPECIAL EXPERIENCE THAT HAS INSPIRED ME TO CARRY ON CHALLENGING MYSELF WHILE HOPEFULLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO OTHERS.

AINT NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH …..

Building Strong Relationships

imageDalmaira, or Maira for short, is 8 years old. And she’s in pain. From a horribly decayed lower first molar. She’s sat in our chair in our ‘MASH’ tent in El Jebba on a very warm Tuesday morning. I say our chair because I’m working with Amy, a dental therapist, whom I first met and teamed with last year.

 

The tooth needs to come out. But did I mention that it’s horribly decayed?

Anyway, Amy and I have developed an almost instinctive working relationship. One where we don’t need to prep each other about what to do, or say. We use our very limited pidgeon Arabic. Mix it with some French, Spanish, English and masses of body language, and we can communicate. So that ultimately, a language barrier isn’t a barrier.

We go through breathing techniques with every child we see. We try to make them laugh. And most of the time, we do.

 

Maira was brilliant. Not once did she flinch let alone get upset. But I couldn’t get her tooth out. It kept crumbling. Again and again. And I was struggling.

Despite Amy’s help, what remained of the tooth was becoming less and less visible. Access was becoming more difficult and even though it was loosening, it wasn’t coming out.

 

As our team were stopping for lunch, Maira was the only child still being treated. Richard Howarth, one of my dental muckers, came over to help. So did Chris Branfield. Another dentist friend who I met when I came out on my first Dental Maverick trip in 2010.

They both offered advice as to the best instruments to use, as well as the technique. But I wasn’t succeeding. Laura, a nurse had come to help as well by now. And with her and Amy’s help, I drilled the roots to separate them.

And Maira? Well, she was still perfectly ok. Despite the fact that she’d now been in the chair for about 45 minutes.

 

Eventually, both Richard and Chris suggested that I take a break. I refused. I was tired, but this had become a matter of pride. After another failed attempt, I took stock. I was acting selfishly. Letting my personal pride get in the way of Maira’s welfare. So I asked Chris to take over. He did without hesitation and, shortly after he’d managed to extract the tooth.

When Maira left our ‘MASH’ tent, she was met with a chorus of applause from the rest of our team. And she deserved it. I stayed behind. Feeling a mixture of shame and embarrassment. And as for having my photo taken with her, no chance! Anyway, I did. But only after others’ insistence.

 

And I wonder why I do this.

 

But, every year I see at least one child who manages to break through my testosterone impregnated guard. A child who demonstrates a strength of mind and composure that is so wildly unbecoming of their age that it fills me with awe.

Last year, it was Ayesha. This year, Maira. And even though my memory is failing, I’ll never forget them.

 

This was my third visit with the Dental Mavericks. The ‘WHAT’ we do and the ‘HOW’ we do it are self explanatory. But, if you were to ask any of us ‘WHY’ we do it, I suspect that you’d get several different answers:

 

 

‘Helping rid the children of dental pain’,

‘Leaving a worthwhile legacy’,

‘Doing good for others’.

 

These are just some examples and they’re all equally worthy. In fact, I often use them myself.

 

But, there is another ‘WHY’. One that I experienced in abundance this last week. And that is ‘Building Strong Relationships’. I consider many of our team to be firm friends. Even the newer Mavericks, as well some of our Moroccan hosts. And that’s priceless.

According to recent research, having close friends you can count on has massive benefits for your physical and mental health. A strong social network can be critical to helping you through the stress of tough times.

 

I believe that. Last week proved it to me.

Later that day, I thanked Richard and Chris. Not just for helping me but for not pulling rank. I knew that they both wanted me to take a break. Let someone else try. But they weren’t insistent. Just supportive. And the reason for that is because we know each other well. We’ve become friends.

 

We’ve built strong relationships.

Deliver ‘WOW’!

When we were asked to write about our experiences of our Core Values, I immediately was hoping that Jas would be thinking/writing about the importance of ‘Embracing Change’, because then one day, maybe he will let me change his radio station….
I initially thought that I could write about ‘Spreading laughter’. In the short time being at High Street Dental practice I’ve spent many days in fits of giggles. I’ve witnessed Maggie sit on a non-existent chair at Reception, and grip onto the desk for dear life. I’ve witnessed Penny fall flat on her face running up the stairs with a box of instruments, and then try to pretend nothing had happened. I’ve referred to a tooth surface as a part of the female anatomy by mistake, and I’ve been involved in some of the craziest, funniest stories/conversations I have ever heard. All of the above has had me in stitches, and all because of being with a team that has a brilliant sense of humour!
I have however settled on writing a piece on the ‘Wow Factor’, and the reasons why I believe The High Street Dental Practice has it.
I thought ‘Wow’ when I very first went to the Practice to enquire about the Dental Nurse position I had seen advertised. The first thing that struck me was how friendly and cheerful the receptionist (Iva) was, and what a nice feel the Practice had to it- not the usual overly-formal, clinical, scary environment I usually associate with Dental Practices!
At my interview, I was immediately put at ease by Lisa and Maggie- they were absolutely bonkers and absolutely lovely! I learnt a bit about the practice and the team, and I couldn’t have been more impressed. The fact that the majority of the team had been at the Practice for years and years (some before I was born!) I thought could only be a good thing. I was delighted to be called back for a second interview- at a bar!!! Wow!! WITH WINE!! DOUBLE WOW!!!
Since working at The High Street Dental Practice there has not been a week gone by where I haven’t thought ‘Wow’ at some point. Just today I learnt that some of our patients not only have been with us for years and years, but they travel from as far away Kent, Cornwall and even France to get to us! That’s pretty special! It’s also lovely to see the rapport that the practice has with its patients-many come in and chat with us like they would with their closest friends, and even the most nervous of patients come out either smiling or laughing!
It also amazes me the amount of charity work that the practice gets involved in, for example, The Children from Chernobyl as seen in the local newspaper, and Jas’s Annual trips to help the children of Morocco. Not to mention all the personal fundraising that goes on outside of the Practice by, for example, Jules (Tough Mudder) and Eva, who plans to climb Kilimanjaro for the Young Epilepsy Charity next year. Wow.
I have been overwhelmed with the amount of support I have had from every single person in the team since starting in August. Always willing to teach, help and all went the extra mile in making me feel welcome.
Overall….that’s a lot of Wow-age!! And I’m pretty proud that I work for The High Street Dental Practice, that delivers this so well. Dani.

Spreading Smiles

Earlier today, Paige, my number one child came up to me and asked “Dad, can we talk?”
Putting my book down, I asked how much this talk would cost me.
“It’s not about money”. She replied. And then she smiled.

Did you know that children smile on average about 400 times a day? I didn’t. And did you know that adults only smile about twenty times a day? I didn’t know that either but I do know that they don’t all work for me.

By the way, I’m not talking about a fake smile. The one that just involves the lips. I’m talking about the one which includes our eyes and raising our cheeks. The real smiles. People can tell the difference.

Paige’s was the real type. Lips, cheeks, eyes. Everything. She told me she has a new boyfriend. His name is Sven, he’s German and he’s asked her to visit him in Berlin. So Paige, still smiling and her head leaning ever so slightly to one side, was asking my permission for her to go.

In his Ted talk “The Hidden Power of Smiling,” Ron Gutman talks about the positive effects of smiling. Reducing the number of stress-related hormones like adrenalin and cortisol. Reducing blood pressure. And increasing the number of hormones that improve our moods.

Apparently, one really good smile can give us a feel-good factor equivalent to 2,000 chocolate bars! Substitute your own favourites here: Running, especially at the practice, for Jules, dancing for Debbie, anything sweet for Iva, and alcohol for Lisa. Sausage rolls for Nikoletta, sex for Maggie, and more alcohol for Lisa. Debbie’s cakes for everyone -I’ve heard that they’re delicious but I’ve never been quick enough to get any- and diet coke for Alex. Answering emails for Penny, public speaking for Andrea, cheesecake for Sue and any food for Amy. Wearing spotty undies for Kate, more sex for Maggie, camping for Dani and HTM0105 for me.

“So, what does this German boyfriend of yours look like?” I asked. But only after I’d asked the usual dad-type security questions.
“He’s blonde with blue eyes.”
“It’s gonna be interesting when he meets me then.” I half joked.
She laughed. “No, he’s not like that.”

In Richard Wiseman’s book ‘Quirkology’, researchers looked at photographs of women in a college yearbook when they were in their early twenties. Nearly all were smiling. But when they looked carefully, they noticed that about half of the photographs showed a false smile and half a genuine smile. They discovered something. Those with the real smiles were much more likely to be married, to stay married, to be happier, and to enjoy better health throughout their lives.

According to social anthropologists, smiling makes us appear less dominant and more approachable.

You get the idea. Basically, a genuine smile is pretty good for us. So why don’t we (notice I put we) do it more often?

Back to today. Anyway, I agreed to Paige visiting Sven. I know that Denise would have already said yes. So I know that I had to say yes. But I played my part well. It’s a game and it makes me feel important. And any of you girls with children probably do the same with your other halves.

“Oh, thanks dad.” She said. Cue even bigger smile.

My work was done. As head of the family, I had performed my role. And that is to pretend to be head of the family.

My point here is that smiling can be used as an act of persuasion. For someone to like us, trust us, have faith in us and even to get permission to go to Germany to stay with some random person that I’ve never met.

But it has to be a genuine smile!

Smiling is contagious. As an expert on HTM0105 I know that it’s not yet been banned.

I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to underusing it. But I promise to start from tomorrow. Just forgive me if I look silly.

Will you join me?

“Every smile makes you a day younger”
Chinese Proverb

Jas

Delivering WOW!

Many, many years ago, when the Earth was flat and I was an associate, I remember hearing the following adage:
Y
‘If you upset one customer, they’ll tell 10 people. And if you please one customer, they’ll tell 2 people’.

In other words, people are far more likely to talk about you if you upset rather than please them.

As a newly qualified dentist, the last thing I wanted was bad press. So I used to treat my patients with the simple mindset of not upsetting them. It was my compass and it worked.

These days of social media, one unhappy customer could easily spread their message to many, many hundreds. So, keeping this mindset would seem to be the best thing to do wouldn’t it?

The answer is yes. That is, so long as we’re happy staying below the radar. Not really being noticed and not really being talked about.

In other words, the safety of anonymity.

But, just a few years ago, I learnt a really valuable lesson:

There is no safety in anonymity.

In this ever more competitive market place, we do need to be noticed. And we do need to be talked about. For the right reasons, obviously! In the words of Seth Godin, we need to be remarkable. We should aim to be the Purple Cow (also Seth Godin). The one that stands out.

If we’re proud of WHAT we do and HOW we do it: and I know you all are. And if we really do believe in our WHY, then we should stand out in peoples’ radars.

A bright red flashing dot! A Purple Cow!

And how do we do this?

By Delivering WOW.

Firstly, what is WOW? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it means ‘To impress and excite greatly’. That’ll do for me.

I feel it every time I walk into an Apple store. It happens every time I watch Roger Federer. Win or…….come second. For certain companies and individuals, it’s part of their brand.

And I’d like it to be part of ours too.

So how do we deliver WOW? The simple answer is to do something above and beyond a person’s expectations. I’m not talking about ‘under-promising and over-delivering’. That’s just dishonest, in my opinion. I’m talking about ‘Promising and Over-Delivering’.

I can think of lots of lots of examples where you all do this already. Promising pain-free dentistry for one. During as well as after. Phoning our members after they’ve had major treatment is another. Gifts. Discounts. Charitable donations. Charitable activities like Debbie’s triathlon, Jules’s Tough Mudder (nutter), Iva’s forthcoming Kilimanjaro. And lots more.

But I confess that I don’t have all the answers. Sometimes I don’t have any. You all know that. But together, we do.

So I’d be really grateful if you could help me by replying with any suggestions of your own so that we can start putting them into practice. Regularly.

Let’s not be anonymous. Let’s not stay below the radar.

Let’s Deliver WOW.

Excellent Customer Service

Why do you come to work?

Obviously, the money. But why else, and why here? And, for that matter, why do you call it work?

Put all of our core values, and our WHY together. Stick them in a bag and give them a shake. And pour them out. What do you see?

If it’s a jumbled up mass of words, maybe you’re not seeing for looking.

Me, I see work as a place to play. I see what I do not as dentistry, but as art. I see our practice as a playground. One in which our patients become members. Because they can have fun, share smiles, spread laughter. I see our role as not to treat people, but to care for them, get to know them. Who they really are. Their likes and dislikes.

And I see us not as a team, but as a ‘Tribe.’

Tribes, according to Seth Godin, are those groups of people who are playing a part, forming a movement, going somewhere with purpose and a desire to create change.

Last week, I was accused of being an ostrich by a duty nurse at A&E. To be fair, she did have a point. More often though, I’m accused of having my head in the clouds. But, I actually think my head’s above the clouds. Because this is where I can choose to see exactly what I want. In any direction and where nothing clouds my vision.

In other words, I see HAPPINESS.

That’s important to me because I spend the majority of my waking day at our practice. With you. So, if we become a tribe, with common goals, with common values that we ALL believe in, we will be happier.

And if we are happier, our members will be as well.

This could be us…

Now, I’d like to remind you why I share an email a month relating to one of our core values.

A young Benjamin Franklin sought moral perfection. So, he developed a list of thirteen virtues he wanted to follow. But he learned that he couldn’t change them all at once. So he developed a system by using a chart. The days of the week were listed at the top and the virtues listed in the in the first column. Then he tracked his progress daily. Each week, he focused on one virtue. And, after thirteen weeks, he’d covered them all. He continued this for the rest of his life.

If it’s good enough for Ben, it’s good enough for us.

This month’s core value is ‘Excellent Customer Service.’

It goes without saying that this means being courteous and polite. Not just delivering on our promises but exceeding them. On that note, our recent survey revealed that 95% of our members felt no pain and 5% felt slight pain. I know we can do better. Let’s make that our number one priority.

But there’s more to excellent customer service. Much more!

As I’ve said before, put yourselves in our members’ shoes. What do you want above all from a business?

For me, it’s recognition. I want to be listened to, not just heard. Our members, our prospects, our social media followers are all looking to be recognised. When we listen, we’re showing an interest. And there is no greater compliment than giving someone your un-divided attention. It allows you to get an insight into their personality, their needs and their wants. Then, and only then can you better serve them.

Remember, being a good listener is the most important part of being a good communicator.

I posted this on our facebook page a few months ago. It’s called the ‘Connect With Anyone Creed.’ We should use this as our compass.

Now, just for a change, here’s a story about a little-known tech company by the name of Apple.

Back in the year 2000, Apple was a company dwindling. Michael Dell, of Dell Computers fame, was asked what he’d do. He said I’d give the cash back to the shareholders and close the business down.

But Apple invested during that downturn. That’s when they started to build its chain of stores.

Every Genius Bar employee was given a training manual staff and had to pass a 14 day training course. Not just about technical tips and tricks but also how to empathise with customers.

Apple doesn’t want high-pressure sellers behind the bar – quite the opposite. The manual reinforces a constant message that staff must be empathetic to a customer’s needs.

If you visit the Genius Bar at an Apple Store you’ll discover the real job of the Genius. And it’s not to fix things. The first job of the Genius is to acknowledge your problem and to change how you feel. Apple Geniuses get twice as much training in changing how the customer feels as they do in solving tech problems. The only thing that the Genius has to do is make people walk out feeling better than when they walked in.

And if we do the same, it’s also a kind of genius.

The Apple training manual focusses on an acronym – APPLE.

Approach customers with a personalised warm welcome.
Probe to understand the problem.
Present a solution.
Listen for issues, and
End with an invitation to return.

Apple takes ‘Excellent Customer Service’ to a new high. It improves customer relationships, it can transform a disappointed customer with the potential to become a negative voice in the marketplace into a fan. It creates a tribal following.

That’s where we should be aiming.

£10,000 Gift Of a Smile Winners Story

I was asked to record a short message about my experience of being the lucky winner of the High Street Practice – Gift of a Smile competition, which seemed easy enough but it was such a short window and I had so much to say. So I thought I would put into words my experience.
I remember reading the paper and seeing the competition and thinking, wow, what a fantastic prize I would love that. I know everyone dreams of winning a lovely holiday or a shiny new car but a smile, now that was different and something I would dearly love, but didn’t do anything about it.
The following week I saw the advert again and I thought to myself I would really love to win that prize and I could not stop thinking about it. 2012 was an important year for me, my daughter was due to graduate and it was my 50th birthday both big photo opportunities. All I could think about was the competition and if I had nice teeth I would be able to smile in the photo’s rather than the usual grimace that looked like I was chewing a wasp. The competition stated that you could nominate someone or nominate yourself. I decided I would rather selfishly nominate myself, so I completed my entry and sent it off never expecting to hear any more.
It was a rare weekend when my daughter was home from university when I received my letter telling me I was one of the finalists in the competition. I was so excited and when I told my daughter I was a finalist in a competition to have £10,000 of dental work she said she was really surprised that I had applied but also very pleased for me as she knew how unhappy I was about my teeth.
I was invited to visit the practice to have a dental consultation as part of the competition process. I had not been to the dentist for quite some time and was worried about the poor condition of my teeth. I must admit I was really nervous.
I recall being greeted by some of the nicest staff who were so excited for me and I was soon totally at my ease. I was shown through to the dentist and that was when I first met Jaspal Sandu the man who was behind this fantastic competition. He carried out a very thorough examination of my mouth and teeth. He asked me lots of questions about what I did and didn’t like about my teeth and what my expectations were. He was lovely and made me feel totally comfortable to be able to speak about my teeth and the problems I had.
I must admit I did enjoy the examination as it not only covered the condition of my teeth but also the health of my mouth and we spoke about mouth cancer which was not something I had previously thought about. The x-rays that were taken revealed the true horror my teeth and I remember thinking that there was a lot of work required and I could not expect to win. If nothing else, I had had a very thorough examination and discussion about oral health and left the practice feeling very upbeat as it had been a most pleasant and informative experience.

I remember quite clearly the day I received the telephone call to say that I was the winner of the competition. I have never won anything before and this for me was just the best prize I could have won, I was ecstatic. Then the reality kicked in and I thought, what was I doing, I hate going to the dentist and my mind was filled with horrible thoughts of drills, injections and discomfort. I then thought about the dental practice and how lovely everyone had been and how comfortable I had felt. The practice had been so professional yet caring and it was this thought that re-assured me and made me realise how very lucky I was.
A treatment plan was created for me that entailed teeth whitening, replacement white fillings, new crowns, and a replacement bridge.
Never once in all my appointments did I feel uncomfortable or in any pain. In fact I really used to look forward to my appointments as I could very soon see the improvement with my teeth. I recall on one occasion I was so comfortable and relaxed that Jas had ask me to open my mouth wider as I was actually biting down on his finger as I was drifting off.
I must mention the lovely Alex who replaced my fillings. She has such a passion for what she does and really takes such a great pride in her work. She is such a credit to the practice.
I cannot tell you what a difference having this treatment has made to me. I was always reluctant to smile as I thought people would be looking at my teeth, but now I smile at any given opportunity. As for having photographs taken I can now step forward without any hesitation giving my biggest cheesiest grin. Not a day goes by when I don’t give myself a great big smile in the mirror just to make sure that it was not just a dream and yes I do have a great smile.
I am very fortunate to have won this prize and not a day goes by when I don’t acknowledge that fact. I can only encourage other people who have been worried about having dental treatment and perhaps like me had neglected their dental health to visit the dental practice to find out how they can help you. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised and might even leave with a smile on your face.
I would like to close by saying a big thank you to all the staff at the practice; you have all made my experience an amazing one for which I am truly grateful.
Jackie

Be Adventurous

Me: “I’m about to enter our team for the OLYMPIC triathlon. I need a team name ASAP”
Adam: “OLYMPIC? Behave. 1500m swim will be a joke.”
Me: “I don’t want any negativity Jackson! We rowed the Channel, not the Thames!”
Adam: “The running and cycling doesn’t faze me, but swimming is tough man!”
Me: “So we have lessons. I can’t swim either. We go to one of the local swimming baths together and get on it.”
Adam: “F*** it, alright then! We’ll smash it!”
Me: “YES Jackson!!! You make me proud.”

That was a text conversation that I had yesterday. Very similar to the ones I had when I was recruiting for our row.

But, being adventurous doesn’t have to mean entering a triathlon or jumping out of a plane. It can just as easily mean trying out a new idea or a new method. In other words, getting out of our comfort zones.

So how can we be adventurous during our working day?

Let’s start by taking a leaf out of Seth Godin’s book and refer to our work as art. That is what we do after all, isn’t it? We create art and we should be proud of that.

We should also address ALL of our members by their first names instead of their titles. Irrespective of age. Titles are barriers and they should be broken. Our first goal is to connect with our members. You won’t connect with me if you call me Mr Sandhu. I’m Jas, plain and simple. But not necessarily in that order!

But beyond connection, we should aim to engage our members. Every single one. The best way to do that is by telling stories. About ourselves. And I’m not talking about dentistry, I’m talking about our personal lives. Who we really are. What we did at the weekend, what we’re going to do. What drives us, what makes us mad!

And here’s where we can be the most adventurous. Be ourselves. Don’t hide behind a mask – literal or metaphorical. Don’t be the person that we think we should be. Just be ourselves. I’d wager that most of us aren’t entirely comfortable with who we are all of the time. And that there are times when we’ve modeled ourselves on someone else. I know I have. There’s nothing more courageous than allowing people to get to know us. Faults and all.

I got an email last week and, with Andrea’s permission, I’ve copied it below:

Hi Boss,

Thank you for yesterday’s meeting.

Believe it or not that is the first time in my adult life I have stood up in front of people and presented something and felt in control and I hadn’t had a drink. I avoid anything like that at all cost. It makes me panic and I can’t cope with it. However, yesterday I wanted to do it, I could have easily left it to my intoxicated partner but I wanted to try and that has never happened before. I actually found it ok. So thank you x

Have a great weekend and see you soon.

Andrea

A fear of public speaking is one of the most common phobias. It’s a big deal. So well done Andrea and thank you.

Finally, one of the hardest things to say is “I don’t know.” As the practice leader, I have a vision which I’ve shared with you. Goals, SMART and ‘Fuzzy’ which I’ve shared with you. But I don’t know all the answers. I don’t know. That’s why I rely on you all to help find the answers.

It doesn’t matter if we make mistakes. In fact, we should, otherwise we’re not improving. The important thing is to learn from our mistakes, learn quickly and then adapt. In the words of Michael Masterson “Fail fast and fail forwards.”

Remember,
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller

Jas