Perfect Smile invests in youth, technology as competition intensifies

A CBD dental practice is investing in technology and youth as competition with a growing network of corporate and insurer-owned clinics intensifies.

Perfect Smile directors Nick Jackman, left, and Rueben Tzeng with dentist Kate Chen. AAP Image/Brenton Edwards.

A CBD dental practice is investing in technology and youth as competition with a growing network of corporate and insurer-owned clinics intensifies.

The directors of Perfect Smile have invested more than $200,000 on digital clinical technology in the past two years, and plan to spend at least $200,000 more in the year ahead on 3D scanning, milling and printing equipment. Despite heightened competition from insurer-owned networks, the Hutt St practice has expanded its medical centre to 12 treatment rooms managed by a team of 28 staff, including seven dentists with an average age of just 34. Director Nick Jackman said the growing influence of major insurers in the industry had forced independent operators to rethink their business models.

He said a major turning point came a few years ago when the major insurers established themselves as direct service providers in the market.

“They got in as practice owners, they set up their big clinics and then they’ve started, through those corporate models, buying up little clinics and turning them into corporatised clinics,” he said. “That was the point where we said we could either bang our heads against the wall or do things a little bit differently.

“We’re finding that we’re a real retail service and we are part of the weekly retail budget for households. It’s hard to compete on price so we do it on service – the number of dental services we offer but also the physical service we give people.

“We’ve done a lot on training staff in customer service and giving them (customers) a good experience and making them want to come back.”

Mr Jackman said Perfect Smile had a history of employing graduates, and continued to support young dentists in the industry.

“We try to promote that young, fresh, not so stale old feeling that a lot of people get when it comes to dental surgeries,” he said. “We’ve been really successful at getting good young guys that will blend in really well, and Rueben (director) and I are going to be there for another 30 years potentially – we’re in for the long haul and we want good young people around us.

“Clinically we’re making quite a bit of capital investment at the moment. We’re looking at a lot of 3D digital scanning, printing, milling devices – a lot of the crowns, bridges and implants we do are completely computer planned, designed and milled so that’s really exciting.”

Mr Jackman said the two directors were investigating the potential of opening a second suburban clinic in the next 12 months after reaching capacity at Hutt St. “We need to identify where we would do that second site and perhaps bring someone else into the business (as owner),” he said.

Perfect Smile was established in 1986 by Laurie Henbest, who at one stage oversaw a network including clinics in Coober Pedy, Roxby Downs and Hindmarsh. After battling illness Mr Henbest – a pioneer in the use of technology in the local dental industry – passed away earlier this month.