4 News United Kingdom Edition March 15-21, 2010 34 is the magic number! I t’s been a fantastic start to 2010 for leading custombranded dental plan provider Practice Plan. Not only have they recently achieved a 3 -star status from Best Companies, making them an “extraordinary company to work for”, but they have now been ranked position 34 in the prestigious Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For! This year, The Sunday Times Best Companies lists were derived from entries of 964 companies and in total they surveyed more than 230,000 employee opinions, as well as evaluating each organisation’s key statistics, processes and policies. Practice Plan made a significant impression by gaining an enviable top 50 position, particularly being a brand new entry, and sailing straight into position 34 to beat off stiff competition. Managing director Nick Dilworth explained: “Ranking 34th place in our first entry into The Sunday Times Top 100 is fantastic. It gives recognition for the way in which we have all pulled together as a team in what has otherwise been a challenging year. I am privileged to be part of such a formidable team who are not only fun to be around, but whose continued enthusiasm and commitment is beyond question.” The company gained amazing results from the employee questionnaires, which evaluated the staff’s opinions on factors such as leadership, their manager, pay and benefits, wellbeing, the firm’s willingness to give something back, people’s personal development and overall sense of affiliation with their employers. This year’s annual awards ceremony, held at the Battersea Evolution, was a particularly special event as Best Companies themselves were celebrating their tenth anniversary, and so the glamorous black tie evening was bigger and better than ever. In usual Practice Plan style though, it wasn’t the list of directors who attended the celebrations, Managing Director Nick Dilworth invited nine guests, picked at random from all areas of the business to attend the ceremony with him. Dan Griffiths senior graphic designer who was at the awards said; “I love working at Practice Plan. My colleagues are all fun to work with and know what they’re doing. Also, we benefit from flexitime, a weekly fresh fruit basket, loads of tea and coffee, as well as bosses that respect us and make us feel worthwhile.” DT The team at Practice Plan receive their awards One in five say they would benefit from braces The survey, commissioned by British Lingual Orthodontic Society (BLOS), found six per cent – equating to 3.1m of the population – would consider giving orthodontic treatment to a friend as a present, while 15-17 year olds were shown as the most favourable to treatment, with one in four saying they would definitely benefit from teeth straightening. The survey revealed that people living in the South East are more likely to believe they need braces. Of those living in the South East of England, 30 per cent felt their teeth would benefit from orthodontics compared to seven per cent of those living in the South West. Gender does not make much of a difference, with 18 per cent of men responding positively compared to 19 per cent of women. The age group least interested in orthodontic treatment appeared to be the 45-54s, with only five per-cent believing they would benefit from treatment, while the over-70s were next with six per cent. The survey also flagged up poor awareness of less visible lingual braces, with 72 per cent of people unaware of the treatment. Rob Slater, chairman of BLOS, welcomed the positive attitude to orthodontic braces among the British and said: “The fact that so many young people today have conventional braces, thanks to the National Health Service, might explain the lack of awareness of invisible lingual braces. “Another factor is that in the past, the UK has been influenced by American trends. Lingual braces are not so widely adopted in the USA where people tend to be happy to talk about the work they are having done. In countries like Italy and France, lingual braces are more popular, since Europeans appreciate the discretion of invisible braces.” He added: “Already we are finding that a fair proportion of teenagers would rather, where possible, pay privately to have lingual braces because it makes them feel less self-conscious, joining forces with those in their 30s and 40s who, for professional reasons, prefer not to have visible braces.” DT Dentist immortalised in song P O T ne in five people believe their teeth would benefit from having a brace, according to a new report. op singer, Owl City, has immortalised his dentist by writing about him in one of his songs. His song ‘Dental Care’ details his terror of visiting his dentist. Adam Young revealed in a BBC interview that he has had the same guy for years now and said: “We’re friends and I don’t know if he’s heard that track. But if he did, I’m sure he would be very amused and not be offended.” DT Digital impression-taking technology market set to grow he digital impressiontaking technology market will see rapid growth as dentists adopt this quick and accurate solution to manufacturing and fitting dental restorations, according to a recent report. The US market for digital impression-taking systems is estimated to reach $83.5 million by 2015, and the UK is set to follow suit, according to an online report by DentalProductsReport.com. Dr James Hooper from The Dental Practice, Hove, who uses the Lava chairside oral scanner COS from 3M ESPE said: “I’m not surprised by this news as I recognised this was a big move forward as soon as it came out. “I’m amazed by the accuracy and storage of the information and being able to store it for so long – something a plaster model just can’t do.” He believes that ‘every dental practice and laboratory will be looking to use digital impressioning’ in the near future.’ The primary advantages of using a digital impression system over traditional processes is the elimination of many manual steps involved in creating a restoration. The technology produces a very accurate restoration because the three-dimensional image is produced instantly, allowing the dentist to make any adjustments necessary to the prep site in real time. Taking impressions can also be an unpleasant experience for the patients as it can induce a ‘gag’ reflex, making the procedure distressing for both patient and dentist. A spokeswoman for 3M ESPE which produces Lava COS said: “Digital technology has truly found its place in the dental industry.” DT ‘I’m amazed by the accuracy and storage of the information and being able to store it for so long – something a plaster model just can’t do.’