Comfort zone

Practitioners are well aware of their obligation to offer dental implants as a treatment option where clinically indicated, and many choose to refer patients to specialist implant centres. Now a service is available that allows practitioners to offer the benefits of implant treatment to their patients within the familiar comfort of their own practice.

Offering this new approach to implant dentistry is Fadi Barrak, who, through his company, Visiting Specialist Services is providing a reliable source of implant placement and restoration for a growing network of GDPs.

Fadi qualified in 1993 from Bristol and by the time he left University he already had a keen interest in oral surgery and further postgraduate qualifications followed. Through his early hospital career, Fadi soon became aware that much of the work he was undertaking could be referred to a practice rather than a hospital.

This realisation was supported by his theory that such a service would have benefits for practitioners and patients alike. For the majority of dental practices, the route to increased profits is through new treatment offerings. Since implants remain a fast growing area of dentistry it makes sense for general practices to offer implants as an option. Not offering implants could be considered bad practice. Meanwhile, for patients, the familiarity of the practice environment would clearly put them at their ease and encourage treatment take-up.