South Dublin practice is refurbished with ergonomics, neutral colours and a clean, minimalist style as its top priorities

Deansgrange Dental Clinic in Deansgrange, Blackrock, County Dublin, was founded in 2014 by husband- and-wife team Dr Alastair Woods and Dr Noelle McCourt. Their practice offers general dentistry to the public, with a special focus on implantology, orthodontics and endodontics. They are joined by Dr Ronnie O’Donovan, an associate, specialist orthodontist, two hygienists, two dental assistants and one office manager.

After being in practice with Dr Fleetwood at Eyre Square Dental Clinic in Galway for the last eight years, Alastair made the decision along with his wife to set up a practice of their own in South Dublin, near to Noelle’s childhood home. They found the three-year-old building and began the project to transform it from an empty shell into a brand new dental clinic housing five surgical rooms.

The key priorities for the new clinic were ergonomics and a centralised storage area. For the styling they wanted to use neutral colours throughout and a clean, minimal American style.

They enlisted help from highly experienced dental equipment supplier, Dental Medical Ireland (DMI) who assisted them with the whole project from the initial drawings and surgery design to equipment choices and the final fit-out process. From the outset, Alastair and his brother were keen to take on the project management work themselves with the support of Pat O’Brien at DMI.

He explained: “Before deciding which dental equipment we wanted to choose for our renovation, we did lots of research. We visited the International Dental Show in Cologne, met various manufacturers and asked our colleagues for their opinions too.”

DMI were on hand to guide the team when it came to making the ultimate decision on equipment. Alastair continued: “We chose A-dec based on its reputation. A-dec is renowned for having sturdy, reliable equipment and it comes with a five-year guarantee giving us extra reassurance. They also have a fantastic after-sales service.”

Surgery one is equipped with an A-dec 400 dental chair with plush, sewn Granite coloured upholstery and a side delivery system giving the room a minimal, uncluttered feel. To complement this they decided upon a rear delivery system to house the assistant’s instrumentation creating a more ergonomic working position for the whole team. To complete the package they opted for the award winning A-dec LED light.

Next door in surgery two, they again opted for an A-dec 400 dental chair in luxurious sewn Granite-coloured upholstery and the A-dec LED light. This time they chose a traditional delivery system along with a rear assistant’s delivery system.

Surgery three is fitted with an A-dec 300 dental chair again in sewn Granite upholstery with an A-dec side delivery cart keeping the theme consistent throughout each surgery.

Alastair is keen to note that no surgery in the clinic belongs to him or any other dentist. Each room is equally available to whichever professional works there and needs that particular room. Every room is set up to provide full dental services to the patient.

In addition to the A-dec equipment, DMI supplied them with colour co-ordinated cabinetry, suction, a compressor and CAD/CAM in the surgeries. They also have separate decontamination, OPG and plant rooms ensuring the treatment rooms are as minimalistic and efficient as possible.

Once all planning and fire certificates had been received, Alastair, along with his brother and DMI were able to complete the renovation in just four months. They have an additional two rooms which they are able to use as treatment rooms and even have the option to expand into another part of the building if they need to grow further.

“Our patients love the new surgery,” Alastair said.“They love the clean, minimal look. The chairs are both welcoming and comfortable and the patients enjoy sitting comfortably while looking out of window.

If I could offer any advice to anyone thinking about doing something similar it would be that planning is key.”

To find out more about the practice, visit www.deansgrangedental.ie