V S Venkatesh, CEO, Apollo Hospitals-White Dental in conversation with ENN, talks about the twist in dentistry amidst the range of relaxation therapies that the new spa has to offer
CEO, Apollo Hospitals-White Dental
Please tell us about the origin of Apollo White dental?
Dentistry is in the midst of illness and wellness. Our aim is to deliver personalised and superior dental care along with the expertise offered by the best dental practitioners and Apollo White Dental is a pioneering step in this direction.
Established in the year 2004, Apollo Dental Center is the dental vertical of multi-disciplinary healthcare giant Apollo Hospitals. With 14 dental clinics and one dental spa in India, Apollo Dental Centers is the one-stop destination of quality dental care needs.
Envisioned to take Indian dental care to the next level, Alliance Dental Care Ltd was incorporated in the year 2011 as a Joint Venture between Apollo Hospitals and Trivitron Healthcare. Alliance Dental Care Ltd delivers dental care in two formats: Apollo White Dental Clinic and Apollo White Dental Spa. Spread across length and breadth of the nation with a presence in 15 cities, we have now 69 dental clinics and six dental spas.
Impressive advances have been made in dental technology and scientific understanding of dentistry with a significant increase in awareness level. Does this translate into reduction of dental treatment?
The oral health of Indian population is influenced by age, diet, stress, genetics and life style patterns. The advance in dental technology only alleviates the fear of dentists amongst people and encourages them to take up dental treatment. A significant increase in dental awareness only makes more people visit their dentist on a regular basis. With changing lifestyle, dental problems are always going to be there. The awareness levels will only motivate people to take up their treatment. Even if there is not going to be a dental problem, people should visit a dentist because studies have shown that many life threatening diseases such as cardiac, diabetes, cancers, migraine and pain of unknown origin have been diagnosed with a good dental check up.
Cosmetic dentistry is the new face of dentistry. The trend has been changing. More people look up to having that perfect smile and feeling good and dentistry sure will stay to cater the same!
Please share your thoughts of emerging oral diseases. Total oral healthcare for all by 2020 is the goal of IDA. How realistic is it?
Total oral health care for all by 2020 is a fantastic goal set up by the IDA. But to achieve the goal is going to be a tedious path; though not impossible. Dental awareness will for sure help achieve the same in a big way. Treating oral diseases alone does not enable us achieve total oral health care for all. We have to take preventive measures to control further occurrence of any oral diseases. That alone will make the goal attainable. For example, oral cancer is one of the most widely-occurring dental diseases and curbing it would be impossible without putting a stop to the factors which cause the disease. As long as the risk factors are going to be there, the disease too will be around. So, to attain the goal, a holistic approach is required.
Creative awareness on the use of tobacco, chewing and/or smoking, is an ongoing effort to avoid that.
What are the most popular cosmetic dentistry treatments? How important is whitening today?
Nothing is better at boosting ones confidence and self-esteem than a bright, healthy smile. Teeth whitening, tooth veneering, smile correction, jaw bone deformity correction, cleft lip surgery, tooth crystals, tooth tattoo, ornamentalisation of tooth, orthodontic treatment, etc, are the most popular dental procedures done for cosmetic reasons.
Life style and current food habits make discolorisation difficult to avoid. Brightening or whitening will give a clean and healthy smile.
What are the new developments and trends that have shaped the field of cosmetic dentistry?
Silver amalgam, commonly known as silver fillings, was the material of choice for more than several decades and is still widely used. Despite the material being effective, long lasting and durable, it is aesthetically unappealing. Porcelain ceramic is just one of the many new material types that offer same benefits in addition to matching the appearance of the natural tooth.
Introduction of CAD/CAM dentistry has revolutionised dental prostheses delivering more accurate and faster zirconia crowns. 3D Digital imaging systems such as CBCT are used during cosmetic recontouring and orthodontic treatment for better treatment planning and precise treatment outcomes.
What do you think the future holds?
Durable restorations such as dental implants when combined with technology and precision will be the treatment option for most edentulous patients. Though technique and/ or technology are important, its the clinicians skill which plays a major role. However, with computer aided or guided software for implants, the outcomes are better with precision. Newer methods of implantation are also reducing the number of implants at the same time providing for the teeth is distinctly on the horizon.
“The spa aims to provide best dental care in a patient friendly luxurious environment with an avant-garde atmosphere”
Why should Apollo White dental be my choice for oral healthcare?
Fear of going to dentist affects over 90 percent Indians. The noise of drill, the fear of pain, the dental phobia and the inhibition due to privacy contribute to dental stress and anxiety. In contrast to the highly clinical set up where the patient is sitting in a wooden bench and hearing noise of drill inside the chamber, Apollo White Dental Clinic is outfitted with ambient luxury lounge and personalised treatment rooms.
Apollo White Dental Spa caters to a premium clientele which is used to a certain standard. We have patients from different parts of the globe. So the idea is to provide best dental care in a patient friendly luxurious environment with an avant-garde atmosphere.
The idea behind conceiving the new age dental spa was to design a dynamic space that does not resemble a typical clinic. The new age dental spa offers a wide variety of luxurious services which includes special lounge with Wi-Fi, Zero Gravity Electronic Body Massage and manicure or pedicure “ spa facility and gaming room for kids. The purpose behind these facilities is to minimise patient discomfort and alleviate the fear associated with dental treatment.
Internationally trained doctors, high-end technology and equipment, strict quality protocol, mandatory Blood tests (to prevent unknown complications), trained dental hygienist and assistants, efficient guest relation utives to guide you from hassle free registration to final bye are also a few reasons for one to choose Apollo White Dental for dental treatment.
What are the expansion plans for Apollo White dental?
Currently, the chain operates 70 clinics across 15 cities. To increase the accessibility, AWD is looking to be a 250-clinic chain over the next two years. Also, we are planning to have 15 dental spas across the country. Our vision is to be the largest and the most preferred dental care service provider in Asia and the Middle East region and we aim to achieve a 10 percent share of the dental care service market in India.
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