Jul 31, 2009
Baby boomers race to embrace teeth implants
Recession puts a temporary bite on dentistry
by Graeme Kennedy [NBR]The economic slowdown could not have come at a better time for Dental Artistry partners John Worthington and Heidi Sauer whose Auckland surgery has in just three years become New Zealand’s busiest implant practice.
“Our growth has been so huge and fast we needed a break to catch our breath and spend some time on training staff and attending to business issues,” Dr Worthington said.
“Implants are down due to the recession, which has affected discretionary spend on all big-ticket items including other professions such as plastic surgeons but there will be an explosion when consumer confidence returns.
“I performed 800 implant procedures last year — more than any other dentist in the country — and expect about 400 in the current 12 months although demand is growing again as it usually does in the half-year run-up to Christmas.”
Dr Worthington has specialised in implants since 2000 and Dr Sauer opened her own cosmetic dentistry practice, Dental Artistry, in Australia 10 years ago, bringing the brand to New Zealand and the partnership.
“Implants are the gold standard for tooth replacement,” Dr Worthington said, “and Heidi’s work as a restoring dentist fitting the post and crown after I perform the surgery makes us perfectly complementary.
“Implant patients normally need to go to two different places but we are here in the same practice with a combination of talent which has become the envy of the industry”
Dental Artistry topped the dental sector in The National Business Review’s monthly Exciting Companies series with a 66 rating in surveys conducted by strategic business consultancy New River. It was followed by Sirona Dental Systems, Nobel Biocare, Dr Alan Hunter and Duxton Dental (see table).
Dr Worthington graduated from Otago University Dental School in 1982 and developed an interest in implant surgery. He opened a general practice atWhitford in 1989 and become the country’s first dentist to specialise solely in implants 10 years later.
“They were first used to secure lower dentures,” he said, “then in the 1970s single teeth were replaced with porcelain implants.
“They have advanced over the years and although the basic concept has remained the same the emphasis is now on making them indistinguishable from natural teeth — smile and only your dentist will know it’s artificial.
“The surgery is very sensitive and requires a good deal of experience where we can introduce subtleties and innovate to create better outcomes.
“Demand is high across the board although younger people tend to have them due to accidents, the cost being covered by ACC.
“The main area is the 45 to 75 age group, people who have suffered poor or indifferent dentistry or haven’t properly looked after their teeth. Their mortgage is paid, the kids are gone and one morning they look in the mirror and say — no more.”
Dr Sauer graduated with honours from the Queensland University Dental School in 1996 and trained with leading cosmetic dentists in the US, Europe and Australia before opening Dental Artistry.
Founder of the Australian Institute of Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr Sauer was in 2003 runner-up in the Australian Businesswoman of the Year awards — her father Trevor twice won the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? quiz show.
The couple met at a US implant conference in the US four years ago and she moved to Auckland in 2005, working in a downtown practice for only four weeks before re-starting Dental Artistry with Dr Worthington in Newmarket.
“With implants,” she said, “he does the foundations and I build the house.”
HANGING IN
New Zealand’s average household spend on dentistry has fallen to around $4 a week — but not all practitioners are hurting.Strategic business consultancy New River found in its survey of the dental sector that 15% of respondents considered conditions buoyant and 5% very buoyant while 40% said they were difficult and 40% neutral.
New River said market segment was the major influence on business conditions with cosmetic and elective procedures decreasing as less discretionary income was available in the economic downturn.
But general dentistry, including essential health services such as gum disease treatment and oral hygiene, continued to do well as were dentists with established customer bases and strong patient relationships.
One respondent said that patients who visit their dentists regularly were still going while others visit only when they are in pain.
New River said Auckland dentists were finding conditions more difficult than in rural areas or Wellington, due partly to greater competition in Auckland, which has the country’s highest practitioner- population ratio.
New Zealand has more than 1800 dental services businesses employing almost 4700.
Business conditions
Respondents’ rating of current business conditions in the DENTAL SectorVery buoyant =5%
Buoyant =15%
Neutral =40%
Difficult =40%
Very difficult =0%
Top 10 DENTAL
Rank / Company/ Excitement rating1 Dental Artistry 66
2= institute of Dental Implants & Periodontics 65.0
2= Sirona Dental Systems 65.0
4 Nobel Biocare 61.0
5 Dr Alan Hunter 60.5
6 Duxton Dental 59.5
7= Henry Schein Shalfoon 56.0
7= Ovoclar Vivadent 56.0
9 Seaside Dental Laboratory 55.0
10 Symes de Silva 53.0
