The FINANCIAL — Forget everything you have been told up until now – the ‘Hollywood smile’, having the brightest, whitest teeth, is not in fashion anymore. The most covetable, flattering smile is actually all about looking completely natural. Having beautiful, natural-looking teeth which have a straight structure is what is super trendy nowadays, according to Nino Beridze, owner of Nino Beridze’s Orthodontic Center.
“21st century dentistry in developed markets is putting an accent on preventive inspection, minimal invasion and a maximally natural aesthetic. All of this is achievable through computer technologies. Unnaturally white teeth are not popular anymore. Unfortunately, like many other trends, this one is also arriving in Georgia later than the rest of the world. This means that many Georgian patients are behind the times and are still asking for super white teeth,” Beridze told The FINANCIAL.
“Everything that is advertised is very popular in Georgia including ceramic crowns and teeth veneers. Straightening one’s teeth with braces is in very high demand,” she added.
The dental clinic Nino Beridze’s Orthodontic Center upgraded some of its equipment by replacing it with modern equipment in 2014. “We have purchased a very expensive tip sterilizer from Germany, which is really a luxury for Georgia. This is because the safety of our patients is the most important and valuable thing for us. There is constant control over sterilization and disinfection at our clinic,” said Beridze.
As a result of active PR and marketing activities, more people have started to care about their dental problems, says Beridze. “People have more interest today in their oral hygiene and try more than ever to have a beautiful smile. I think our people’s history and lifestyle, which has been full of endless problems, has had an effect on the fact that a large part of the Georgian population is in need of some form of dental treatment. Nonetheless, a problem with one’s teeth can cause considerable inconvenience for people in a relationship. It can create a sense of inferiority. Altogether it can impact on one’s private life as well as the advancement of one’s career,” Beridze believes.
The prices of dental treatment have increased slightly, Beridze says. “The suppliers have increased prices and accordingly, we have increased our prices as well, but only slightly. We are directly dependent on the medical market,” she said.
Q. What is the gender distribution of your patients?
A. About 70% are female and 30% are male. Out of the total number, 60% are teenagers. We have foreign patients as well who make up 10% of our total number of patients.
As my dental clinic is an orthodontic centre, the main complaints of our patients are about getting their teeth straightened.
Q. Visiting the dentist is still a frightening thing for many people. How do you create an environment at your clinic that attracts patients who do not feel confident visiting the dentist?
A. A white coat is associated with doctors, hospitals, disease etc. One’s first contact with a dentist and subsequent emotions are crucial in any further treatment a person gets in their life. We have therefore decided to dress our personnel in pink coats instead of white ones. That way we are trying to create a maximally comfortable environment for our patients. We also provide a relaxing environment helped by playing pleasant music on our premises. For children we have cartoons for them to watch. Parents react very positively to all of this and it should be underlined that listening to music helps one to forget about the stress you might otherwise be feeling in a situation.
Q. You often say that the way you work is innovative for Georgia – in what way?
A. We have a very purposeful and hard-working team. All of our dentists are constantly improving their qualifications by keeping up with current innovations and modern standards. We provide consultations for problematic patients to find solutions to even the most complex of problems.
Q. You have many years of experience of working in the field of dentistry. How would you assess the developmental stages of dental treatment in Georgia of the last 10-15 years?
A. During the last 10-15 years the Georgian dental sector has made quite a big step forwards. This was facilitated by free trade, increased competition and available information. Today, modern dentistry has moved to the aesthetic genre which means that the “patient” has become the “client”. People do not only visit the dentist when they have an aching tooth and swollen jaw. People are more oriented on aesthetics now, wanting to have a more beautiful smile. So, those who sell the product better will survive and see the benefits.
I would say that the word “patient” is associated with a person who is unwell. When it comes to the aesthetics no one wants to have the status of patient. That is why more people now prefer to be called “clients”.
In Georgia we are exactly in the middle of the process of moving from the mentality of people being “patients” to “clients”. The reasons why this process has taken so long are again the financial problems in the country, lack of information and bad memories people have about visiting the dentist.
Lack of a professional labour force is another problem. This is an issue in our country in many other sectors as well. We have the equipment and finances but lack a good work force. There is a lot of work to do and we really need good professionals. It would be better if the state mobilizes the resources it has and gets more involved in solving this issue.
Q. What is the general response that you get from your clients? What is their level of satisfaction?
A. We regularly monitor our patients’ opinions by reviewing evaluation forms which are filled out voluntarily and anonymously. I will not say that the evaluations are only positive and that there is never any disappointment from our clients. But we are here to listen to them and take into consideration all of their remarks, whether positive or not. However, the overwhelming feeling is very positive, which we can see through the fact that new clients come to our clinic based on the recommendations of existing ones. As for the remarks themselves, most of them are recommendations more than remarks, and are mainly about expanding the network of Nino Beridze’s Orthodontic Center, something to consider for the future.
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