Refurbishment profile A new extension has made a big difference at the Ardmillan Orthodontics practice
Adding a ‘wow’ factor A
s they make up the vast majority of their patients, it is only natural for orthodontic
practices to tailor their prac- tices towards children and young people. However, for one practice in
Edinburgh, it was the principal orthodontist’s children who have – inadvertently – had a major impact on the very existence and, more recently, the extension of the practice building itself. Eman El-Bahnassawy quali-
fied from Glasgow Dental Hospital in ı999, gaining her MFDS at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) in 200ı. She completed her MOrth at the RCSEd in 2006 and was subsequently accepted onto the General Dental Council’s specialist list. In 2008 she was working as
an associate at an orthodontic practice in East Lothian, but had plans to set up in prac- tice herself, should the right property become available. In April that year, an opportunity presented itself from a rather unexpected source. She was
told that her daughter’s nursery in the Gorgie/Dalry area of Edinburgh was closing and, after the disappointment and inconvenience were put to one side, she came up with an idea. Eman contacted the nurs-
ery’s owners and made an offer on the building, fortuitously working with the architect retained by the childcare company to turn the nursery into an orthodontic practice within a year. The new practice – named Ardmillan Orthodon- tics after the road on which it is situated, Ardmillan Terrace – featured a single surgery, LDU, X-ray room, reception area and staff room. Since opening, Eman has built
the patient base up and now has more than ı,000 patients on the books. She now works four days a week and employs a full-time dental nurse and a part-time receptionist. And, with her daughter’s
nursery school closure leading to the purchase of the building, it was her third child’s birth – along with a harsh winter – that dictated the timing of the latest development at the practice. Eman had always planned to
alter the reception and waiting room facilities at the practice and had highlighted a lean-to structure to the side of the building as a possible area to extend into. However, after a seriously heavy snowfall in December 20ı0, the roof of the lean-to collapsed after 30cm of snow accumulated on top. This unfortunate incident
forced Eman’s hand and she contacted a number of compa- nies to get a conservatory-style extension, with a glass roof and a brick exterior wall built. However, in order to avoid disruption to her practice, Eman managed to time the construction to be completed while she was on maternity leave with her third child. With
a very young baby and two other children to look after, she was able to oversee the build and, as her locum only worked one-and-a-half days a week, there was little, if any, disrup- tion for her patients. The room was ready for use
on 5 January and was opened by one of the practice’s adult lingual patients, Annie Porter. Eman explained that, although a relatively small space, it has made big difference for her patients. She said: “It has been fantastic to hear the patients’ response. I think the most frequently heard comment has simply been “wow”! “It’s great to be able to have
this space available and I’m delighted with the results.”
“It’s been great to have this space available and I’m delighted with the results”
Scottish Dental magazine 75
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