Growth & Serving The Community in Leeds – Our Journey So Far

What an incredible 18 months it’s been since we established Meliora Dental!

We’ve recently been reflecting on our journey so far since establishing Meliora Dental, and something that’s resonated with us the most is amazing our community are, and the wonderful feedback we’ve received.

Making patients feel good about their teeth and feel safe in the dental practice environment is why we do what we do. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support!

We thought this would be a good time to look back on how Meliora Dental has evolved and to wish the very best of luck to our Practice Principal Dr Kunal Rai with his entry for Principal of the Year at the Dentistry Awards!

We caught up with Kunal and quizzed him about all things Meliora Dental – take a look at the interview with him below….

Q. Hi Kunal. Tell us a bit about the origin of Meliora.

Dr Kunal. Hi.

I bought the practice at the time when my wife was pregnant.

The sale went through 3 days after she gave birth to our lovely boy – it really felt like Meliora Dental was meant to be!

Nevertheless, I ensured my work and family didn’t feel neglected and ensured there was a good balance. I wanted to lead by example with both my family and with my colleagues. Consequently, I was at work throughout the infancy of the practice – and being a supportive father and husband too, of course.

I feel that as a Practice Principal, you have to practice what you preach. I wouldn’t expect my team to feel motivated if they didn’t have a leader who brought his best to the table every single day! Equally, I hope they respected my decision to skip some team social events when my son was very young (in fact I know they do –  they’re great people!)

Q. Sum up the ethos of Meliora Dental in a nutshell.

Dr Kunal. In a nutshell, I would say impeccable service and a seamless patient experience are as much at the heart of what we do at Meliora Dental. Equally though, so is an excellent level of clinical care.

Whether we’re delivering NHS or private dentistry, we use the use the latest tools at our disposal.

Q. What kind of tools did you introduce at the practice to make a difference to the patient experience?

Dr Kunal. In the first month in the life of Meliora Dental alone we introduced the Kiroku note-taking system for the whole practice. This has been a game-changer, giving dentists much more time with patients, as less time needs to be spent writing up notes post-appointment.

We also installed Pearl to ensure the team was fluid and working efficiently, with no compromise on the quality of treatment and service patients received. Pearl is an AI X-ray machine that can show patients a colour-coded X-ray, clearly outlining how extensive a cavity is. This can help them understand the justification for getting a filling or a crown and motivate them to take preventive steps to avoid cavities in the future.

The new 2 iTero scanners at the practices have also significantly improved the efficiency of the practice, speeding up treatment for patients and helping the team to help more patients on a daily basis.

Q. What have been your biggest personal achievement from the last 12-18 months?

Dr Kunal. I Embarked on a 3-year diploma in oral surgery with Dr Chris Waith. This is to complement my MSC in Dental Implantology. I’ve also joined the “Elite Dental Leadership” course which is a MBA-style module-led course teaching us how to grow the practice both clinically and non-clinically.

This is with a view to growing my aptitude as a Leader and Principal dentist – I believe any good leader should always be learning, no matter what their skill level and experience!

Q. Are you actively involved in helping your community and if so, what are you involved with?

Dr Kunal. Absolutely – we love supporting our community where we can.

We are now one of the Official Sponsor and the dentist for the Yorkshire cricket team including players like Joe Roots and the legendary Darren Gough.

I believe in creating a culture of giving back. This year I have supported the Wells on Wheels charity at our practice. We donate shoes as part of the Wells on Wheels. Recently I have also sponsored and given free oral health advice at my father’s old school in Hazaribagh, India, to children under the age of 16.

As a practice, we also believe in helping others and have strongly supported work experience on a regular basis. We have been asked to come in October by Allerton High School and Roundhay School in Leeds to give a talk on dentistry to year 12/13, which I’m really looking forward to.

Meliora Dental Sponsored the charity ball at Leeds Dental School this year I provided the prize for the winner of the raffle (a free teeth whitening kit). We were also proud sponsors of the Indian/Hindu festival at the Leeds Hindu Temple.

Q. Describe your practice culture – how do you foster a supportive and caring environment?

Dr Kunal. I always have an open-door policy and allow the team to express themselves directly to myself or if there is something they are not happy about can post it in the anonymous box.

Each member of the team has my personal number if they need to reach out about any issues.

Providing great dentistry to patients starts with having a superb team around me, and I’m very fortunate to have dedicated clinicians who share in my love of helping and supporting others with their healthcare.

Contact Meliora Dental For Dental Care With A Difference In Leeds

Contact Meliora Dental for a new patient consultation. Our sign-up process is simple and our friendly reception team will be more than happy to help.

We look forward to getting to know you and helping you maintain great teeth and gums for life.