Irish Dentistry Awards: unforgettable moments

Irish Dentistry catches up with Andy Davies, whose practices won Best Treatment of Nervous Patients and Most Improved Practice at the 2022 Irish Dentistry Awards.

How does it feel to have won Best Treatment of Nervous Patients and Most Improved Practice at the 2022 Irish Dentistry Awards? 

I only opened my practice in September 2019, so we never dreamed of winning. My team and I were shocked at first. It took several days to sink in. 

We feel privileged and humbled to have won and every member of the team is immensely grateful. 

What was your reaction when you heard your name announced? 

We were all sat around our table eagerly cheering on all the finalist announcements. When the practice name was announced, we all jumped up screaming with excitement. That is a moment that none of our team will forget. 

What do you think have been the main benefits of entering the awards? 

Since winning, we have seen an increase in new patient enquiries and the local newspaper also featured our win with the local community. 

It has been so pleasing to see that patients who have not seen a dentist in years due to nerves/anxiety have found the courage to contact the practice to make appointments to come and see us. 

It is fruitful to see that the award has given patients the confidence in making the step needed to finally getting dental treatment. 

Have you entered before? 

We have entered the awards on a few occasions over the years, but over the last 18 months we had particularly stepped up our game. 

The first lockdown proved a game changer, where all my dental team finalised all our open action plans. We chose to enter to see if all our targeted work would be recognised.   

What do you think the Irish Dentistry Awards are doing for standards within the profession? 

I feel that the Irish Dentistry Awards promote and create drive within professionals and their teams. 

It demonstrates a goal that can be achieved with a constant focus on bettering our patient care. 

It gives great opportunities to meet and share knowledge and open our minds to the ever-changing world that dentistry presents itself with. 

Also, it opens doors to networking and relationship building, which only unites all clinicians in Ireland. 

What advice would you give people who are thinking of entering the awards? 

The main advice would be to communicate with your team. Let each team member understand your goals and ambitions as a practice. Identify what your strengths are; involve them all in creating and developing your entry. 

I have always said a team effort makes light work and brings out the best in everyone for not missing any points. 

Go for the entry and believe in yourself and your teams!

What’s been your favourite product of the last 12 months and why? 

My best product this year has been my C Flo material heater. It has been a game changer in the surgery and has a large variety of uses. Not only heating our composites ampules and syringes but also our local anaesthetic, bonding agents, root canal irrigants, composite glaze and our instruments. I would not know what to do if that little machine went down. 

Will you be entering the awards again? 

We are very much looking forward to entering the awards again this year. Since winning, we have introduced even more measures that make our patient experience even more exceptional. 

It is a great way to maintain the high standards and morale within our dental team. 

The whole experience of writing our entries together and attending the awards ceremony is exciting and brings us all closer together. When united, we always achieve more. 

The awards process is an overall game changer. 

Our patients become involved, our families become involved and the local community. It is a way of looking for ways of developing and growing to enable us to become the best that we can be. 

The Irish Dentistry Awards 2023 take place on 9 September at Clontarf Castle, Dublin. For more details, visit www.irishdentistryawards.com.