The UK dental market is estimated to be worth about £3.5 billion per year with a 14% per annum rate of growth (of which 40% comes from private treatment). There is still no uniformity of branding, pricing or quality of service within this market sector.

There are 27 Dental Bodies Corporate who see this as an enormous opportunity present. They aim to provide private clinical services and have invested heavily in providing the latest dental equipment. They know that patients want a quick, efficient and quality service from their dentist at times convenient to them. To meet this demand on the high street, there needs to be a rapid turn-around of diagnosis and treatment plans - fulfilling the promise of convenience to patients. To facilitate this and a greater emphasis on quality in dentistry, their use of specialists in the sector is growing.

In the UK, there are currently 3,463 specialists, 10% of dentists registered, compared to 31,345 specialists in the USA, 21% of dentists registered. Not only are there less specialists in the UK, but many of the trained specialists are in the hospital service. Of the restorative dentistry related specialities, there are 350 prosthodontic specialists, 252 periodontics specialists and 261 restorative dentistry specialists. Consultant specialists are at a premium.

At time of writing, Boots had 6 specialists covering all the specialities, James Hull & Associates (4), Ora (22), and Dencare (12) with particular emphasis on implants & prosthodontics. The dental corporate bodies are keen to forge more partnerships with academic institutions, teaching hospitals.

As a general dentist operating in this modern competitive environment, you need the support of a backroom specialist to maintain a competitive edge. Dental-Consults aims to provide you with this.