The River Tree | Danny Chan
  • WELCOME
  • VIDEO PRODUCTION
    • WEDDING VIDEOS
    • MUSIC VIDEOS
    • CORPORATE VIDEOS
    • EVENT VIDEOS
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
  • WRITING
    • DENTAL COPYWRITING
    • DENTAL BLOG PACKAGES
    • FEATURE ARTICLES
  • ONE STOP MARKETING
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
    • BOOKING

​Downtown Chic

10/9/2018

 
Levitch Design Australia showcases urban elegance in Melbourne CBD practice

By Danny Chan

When you make a living from designing and beautifying your client’s smiles, surely you would want your dental surgery to reflect the aesthetic nature of your work. That was what Dr Chris Dimos had in mind when building his new downtown surgery.

Although Dr Dimos had the idea to update the look and feel of his practice about three years ago, he was then too busy developing the “dento-facial aesthetics” side of his practice. Nevertheless, he met up with several prominent dental fit out companies at an ADX dental exhibition. Even at the time, Dr Dimos had set his sights on a possible relocation, hence required a fit out company that had the experience of building a dental surgery from the ground up. The company that clearly stood out was Levitch Design Australia, one of the leading names in specialised healthcare design and construction.

 “I’ve heard of Levitch as they had renovated rooms for other dentists and specialists that I know. They were also known in the business for taking a project all the way from site location to pre-design to final construction.”

Although it would be another 3 years before construction work commenced, Dr Dimos was already benefiting from the professional guidance of the LDA team.
 
“They were there with me before I had even found our new premises, throughout the lease negotiations, design and fit out process and they are still here supporting me 6 months down the track with anything that I need.”

The Practice Principal’s main brief to Levitch Design Australia was to give the new clinic a “spa-feel” that reflects the cosmetic-driven services. Upon realising that Dimos Dental’s address sits on the corner of Collins Street and Queen Street in the Melbourne CBD, namely the Mecca of Australia’s Style Capital, you would be forgiven for thinking the dentist’s goal sounds a tad modest. Yet when you walk into the new surgery for the first time, any notion of a modest fit out quickly evaporates.

Instead, you would be struck by how appropriately the trendy and luxuriant interiors match its hallowed locality. Whether in terms of style, modernity or grandeur, the purpose built clinic radiates all the chic qualities you’d associate with two of the most iconic streets in the character-filled CBD.

Located at level 7 of the 20-storey ICBC building on 379 Collins Street, Dimos Dental is perched high enough to offer its occupants magnificent city views. The pomp and splendour of the streets below and glossy veneer of high-rise neighbours add an interesting vibe to the charming interiors. It is the perfect oasis from which to peek out into the concrete jungle, enjoying its vim and verve from a cosy distance. Here, Levitch designers more than do justice to the clinic’s vantage position – they practically co-opted it. 

The waiting area is a classic example. Seated in the leather couch facing a wall-insert plasma TV, with an ottoman and two plush chairs arranged on either side in a squarish, carpeted room, it’s easy to imagine yourself lounging in a 5-star luxury apartment. Relaxing to piped-in soft music under a unique timber-grilled tray ceiling with hidden luminaires, the illusion is complete as you look out of an adjacent window into the sprawling cityscape.

The Hilton-like experience extends into a cosy corner where waiting patrons get to enjoy a fresh brew in a quiet spot, thanks to quality soundproofing that keeps high-pitched whirrs and low rumbles at bay. Modish chairs and a coffee table sit loosely in a circle, zoned by a custom rug that lie flushed level with the solid timber flooring. It is a stylish yet not-too-laidback setting for urbanites to get their caffeine fix.

The front desk area is clearly where the designers took the boldest gambles – that paid off handsomely. The adventurous mix of textures and avant-garde designs could easily have backfired in the hands of less talented individuals. From the faux cracked marble reception console to the fabric feature wall adorned with a back-lit gold plated logo, this typically uneasy ensemble looks surprisingly posh and artsy – nary a whiff of ostentation.

Behind partially frosted glass doors, each room is well appointed with ample space for operators, assistants as well as the patient’s accompanying family members. The high-end clinical equipment are presented differently according to the treatment zone. In the dentist’s rooms, the design is decidedly pared down, with white walls and neutral-coloured fixtures, to accentuate the natural light-filled environment.

Over at the Facial Aesthetics room, a spa-like ambience is created through the combination of dark-coloured cabinetry, walls and mood lighting. Meanwhile, the baby blue chair upholstery teamed with baby pink swivel chair and bright yellow strip lighting brings out the subtle youthful messaging often aligned with facial aesthetic goals.

The five surgeries – two occupied by Dentists; two by Oral Health Therapists and one designated for Facial Aesthetics – are equipped with an array of sophisticated wares. Each of the dentist and OHT rooms are fitted out with Sirona Teneo and Intego Pro chairs, paired with integrated intra-oral cameras and Sirona Heliodent plus digital radiography, in addition to a shared KaVo Diagnocam. The Facial Aesthetics room houses a FOTONA Lightwalker Laser, Hydrafacial Unit, Dermastamp Unit and a VISIA skin and complexion analysis device.
 
The technology does not end at the surgeries. In an annex room, the portable equipment are neatly arranged to optimise access and storage space. The CEREC cart, diode laser, Zoom Light, Endo Trolley, Ortho Trolley and other dental gear occupy their designated spots without obstructing the workflow or blocking access to neighbouring equipment. As the centrepiece hardware, the Sirona Orthophos SL imbues the hi-tech imagery within generous space reserved for convenient 2D and 3D CBCT imaging services.  
 
More patient convenience, thanks to the provision of single-visit cosmetic restorations, is highlighted by the CEREC MC XL mill and Ivoclar Progromat furnace. The in-house lab also features Scheu ministar vacuum form unit, model trimmer, electric motor and other lab equipment. The plant room houses the Cattani Tandem Turbo-smart suction units and the Cattani AC400Q compressor.

Obviously, the dental-specific knowledge of the builder played a key role in the overall construction and surgery set up, from layout and space utilisation to piping and installation.
 
“I was surprised at how much knowledge (the LDA building team) had with regards to the actual day-to-day running of a dental practice and the workflow, etc. They had some great ideas that I hadn’t considered,” Dr Dimos remarks.

“We established a great working relationship. Their project management of the job allowed us to complete the project on time in a very tight time frame.”

Faced with unforeseen challenges – some of which were thrown up by the new landlord – the LDA team, with input from Dr Dimos, project managed the construction flawlessly and delivered within just four months. Due to their customer-oriented approach, Dr Dimos was able to develop his business alongside a renovation project that was three years in the making.
 
“They provided exceptional service even before we had found our new premises. They would come and inspect potential sites with me, offer opinion and even mock-up quick designs to see if the premises fitted with my vision of what we hoped to achieve.”
 
“Their work ethic is matched only by the actual construction. The final result truly combines great aesthetics with great functionality. I would recommend their services in a heartbeat!”

​We’ve got your back

10/3/2018

 
Dr Tania Nixon | Gentle Dental Geelong | Ekera DentalDr Tania Nixon
​Ekera Dental provides gentle, unobtrusive support to Geelong-based practice partner.
 
By Danny Chan
 
As the name suggests, Gentle Dental Geelong (GDG) is a practice that prides itself on achieving successful treatment outcomes in a way that prioritises patient comfort. Underpinning the ethos is the practice’s drawcard as specialist providers of sleep dentistry and their conscious efforts to raise dental care standards for nervous patients. GDG’s hallmark of gentle, pain-free dentistry is not lost on their patients, many of who have been visiting the 12-year-old clinic since the early days for that very reason.  
 
Yet despite a name tweak four years ago – the practice was formerly known as Gentle Dental Dr Tania Nixon & Associates – even the most loyal of customers would not have realised that their beloved family clinic had actually changed ownership. Behind the scenes, the Geelong surgery had officially joined the Ekera Dental Group as a partnering practice in 2014.  
 
As far as patients are concerned though, nothing has changed. The team led by Principal Dentist, Dr Tania Nixon, continues to deliver high quality dentistry with an assuring sense of patient care. The emphasis on pain-free dentistry remains unabated but in fact, has increased through greater consumer awareness driven by Ekera Dental’s bespoke local marketing program and greater digital presence.   
 
On the clinical side, Dr Nixon says Ekera Dental has been supportive of the practice’s long-standing commitment catering to patients suffering from dental phobia or anxiety. GDG offers these patients a choice of oral or IV sedation, the latter administered by a trained medical sedationist.
 
“We also use soft lighting and a friendly environment to help relax patients. This can help build trust for some patients. The patients are always in control and are encouraged to communicate if anything bothers them throughout the procedure,” the gentle dentist conveys.
 
The subtle changeover owes much to the deliberate low-key manner in which the corporate acquisition firm operates – indeed there were little, if any, external hints of the switch. Ekera Dental prefers to operate in the background with its proven and successful support framework that allows the practice itself to shine – and continue to do what it does best.
 
The somewhat laissez-faire approach seems consistent with the company’s stated vision to “partner with high quality dental practitioners operating successful practices”. After all, why change the formula when the status quo already works?
 
It makes practical sense as well. For one, the transition would appear seamless to existing customers – which is important to ensure their continued support. Perhaps more importantly, the existing dental team gets to operate in their element, unhindered by disruptive interferences, while giving them the support where required.
 
Such is the case with Dr Nixon, who relates her post-Ekera experience as being freed to “spend more time working as a clinician and less time in book-keeping and practice management”, which were her main motivations for selling the practice.
 
On the other hand, the dedicated dentist appreciates Ekera’s hands-off approach, relishing the autonomy to run the clinic the way she knows best:
 
“I still maintain my position as Principal Dentist and I’m still able to make decisions on the main day-to-day running of the practice,” says the mother of two boys, who also welcomes the reduced administrative workload – and hours.
 
“Spending less time dealing with HR and accounts allows me more free time after clinical hours. I now work 4 instead of 5 days a week which is great to allow a balanced work-home life.”
 
The Ekera Dental Group provides support services to its practice partners across the spectrum of management duties, including: Financial management; human resource advisory and recruitment services; marketing and public awareness initiatives; practice management as part of its upskilling programs.
 
Besides upgrading the clinic’s infrastructure to meet new Australian healthcare standards and those of accreditation bodies – those related to the provision of Sedation Services, including adding a ramp for easy access by wheelchair-bound patients – Ekera has also boosted the practice’s marketing efforts via Social Media (Facebook) and Online Booking engines. Such efforts include throwing some light on the “Gentle” aspects of the practice, generating awareness around a service that is close to Dr Nixon’s heart.   
 
Having a professional team behind her practice, Dr Nixon gets to focus on what fuels her passion for dentistry: Implementing advanced techniques that she continues to learn through attending global conferences and seeing the real-life benefits of pain-free dentistry in the eyes of grateful patients. All things considered, the Geelong dentist would not hesitate recommending Ekera Dental to existing practice owners but qualifies “if the shoe fits”.
 
Personally though, it has been a welcome change:
 
“It is a great way to enter into retirement or just reduce the stress of running a surgery.”  

    The
    ​Dental Blog Writer

    Danny Chan | Dental Blog Writer

    Danny Chan

    Danny is founder of The River Tree, a Multimedia Company based in Melbourne that provides Quality Content & Digital Marketing Services to Dental Professionals across Australia and New Zealand.

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    April 2013
    November 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    February 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    February 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008

    Categories

    All
    Dental Business
    Dental Fitouts
    Dental Laboratory
    Dental Plant Room
    Dental Software
    Dental Technology
    Dental Workflow & Efficiencies
    Funnies
    Interesting
    Video Production

    RSS Feed