Banking on future success
Park Dental Company has re-located to an iconic refurbished building
Park Dental Company has re-located to an iconic refurbished building
Uddingston-based dental firm, Park Dental Company, has purchased a former Royal Bank of Scotland branch building as the business sets its sights on expansion. Thanks to a six-figure funding package from its bank, owners Jeremy and Cate Wiewiorka were able to purchase and convert the old bank into a dental surgery following increased demand for its services.
The move to the new premises on Thorniewood Road is expected to create two new jobs and will enable the practice to grow its offering to include dental implants and cosmetic dentistry treatments.
The move to larger premises has enabled us to expand our service offering and welcome new patients
Jeremy WiewiorkaPark Dental Company has re-located to an iconic refurbished building
Having first opened their first practice in 2005, the husband and wife team also operate another site in Bridgeton. Combined, they currently employ eight members of staff who provide treatment to more than 8,000 NHS dental patients.
“Over the years, patient numbers have increased significantly, and we have established ourselves as a trusted and reliable dental practitioner within the communities we operate in. The move to larger premises has enabled us to expand our service offering and welcome new patients,” said Jeremy, the practice manager.
Jeremy explained the background to the move: “We opened our original Uddingston practice in a shop unit in January 2005, located next to and owned by Scotmid. Initially, we equipped two surgeries but within six months we had equipped the third surgery and had three dentists and a part-time hygienist working with us. We opened our second three-surgery practice in Bridgeton in 2012.
“However, our landlord in Uddingston was unwilling to give us any longer than a three-year lease and, with a refurbishment needed, we felt it was the perfect opportunity to purchase, relocate and expand into the old branch of Royal Bank of Scotland that had announced closure in 2018.”
Park Dental in Uddingston is a three-surgery practice
The renovation was a substantial undertaking; the unit was stripped back to its four walls and a 12sqm reinforced concrete vault had to be removed. The roof also required replacing, but it gave Jeremy and Cate the opportunity to make the building two stories, thus providing room for expansion.
“The bank closed in June 2018 and we got the keys to the building in October,” said Jeremy. “Planning and the building warrant took eight months, with builders starting in July last year. Our practice inspection was in January this year. Most of the equipment was new but we did take some x-ray machines, LDU equipment and a compressor we had recently purchased. We also transferred most of the IT equipment.
“We closed on a Friday night and staff volunteered to move everything over the weekend. Juggling running both practices and overseeing the build and move of the new practice was a challenge, but now owning our building provides security and the opportunity for continued growth over the coming years.”
The new location is a three-surgery practice at the moment, with the latest chairs, rotary endodontics, digital X-ray, air flow and teeth whitening. “We are hoping to purchase a 3D scanner and milling machine in the near future,” said Jeremy. “We are also planning a fourth surgery.”
Cate qualified in Dundee in 1996 and has a special interest in dental implants, which she has been placing for fifteen years. She has been a VT trainer, is a qualified enhanced domiciliary dentist and has a keen interest in dermal fillers and wrinkle treatments. Jeremy has an information technology and engineering degree which comes in handy when it comes to the smooth running of the IT system and dealing with equipment issues.
Staff at the practice include Laura MacAleer-Harvey, who has worked at Park Dental for more than ten years. She has just secured a placement on the Enhanced Domiciliary Dental care programme and has a keen interest in facial aesthetics. Laura is also aiming to be a VT trainer.
Also working at the new location is Ahmed Khalid, who has been with Park Dental for three years. Ahmed completed his implant training last year and has a special interest in smile design.
Due to the practice’s location, it has a wide demographic of patients and provides a full range of NHS and private treatments. Cate and Ahmed place and restore implants and Ahmed also does teeth straightening. Park Dental’s nurses are all trained to assist in placing dental implants.
“Our ethos is to provide a wide range of NHS and private dental treatment to the highest standards and at an affordable cost,” said Jeremy. “Having both worked with our patients for more than fifteen years we have a close and strong relationship with them.”
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