Australasian Dentist Magazine Sept-Oct 2021

116 Australasian Dentist Aquisitions H eathmont Dental is a 55-year-old suburban practice in Melbourne’s east with a well-preserved and cherished heritage – but it’s not what you think. By heritage, I don’t mean a jaded dentist’s office marked by ornate decor, antiquated furniture and orange-tinted tiles. The heritage here refers to the practice’s laidback style of operations that dentists, staff and patients alike have come to appreciate over the years. It is what Dr Joseph Langdon inherited from Heathmont Dental’s founder, Dr Bruce Kaighin. “I started out working part-time at a couple of practices, one of which was Heathmont Dental. I enjoyed working there because it had a casual and relaxing atmosphere,” he says. So when an opportunity arose, Dr Langdon bought into the practice in 1980 and then in 1990, purchased the remaining shares from Dr Kaighin. “Once I took over, I wanted to preserve that light-hearted atmosphere that’s quite unique to the practice.” Laughing matters To this day, Dr Langdon believes that Heathmont Dental’s informal and non- hierarchical style of operations remains the enduring hallmark of its success. Eschewing a more tradition-bound structure; for example, where the dental staff would address clinicians as doctors – the practice’s egalitarian outlook means that “nobody stands on ceremony around here”. The result is a close-knitted dental team – comprising six dentists and 14 nurses – in which almost every single member has served more than 10 years. The practice manager, Melissa, has been with Heathmont Dental for over 40 years. The clinic’s friendly and jocular mood owes much to this sense of familiarity within the team, or with patients, many of who are second- and third-generation customers. “Patients in the waiting room are more likely to hear spontaneous laughter spilling out from the surgeries than the Ekera Dental gets it Dr Joseph Langdon is convinced that other corporates have much to learn from the practice buyer By Danny Chan groans of anxious patients,” he adds. When it came time for Dr Langdon to sell his practice this year, he was hopeful that the new owner would recognise the value of maintaining the team camaraderie and patient rapport. No corporates please The practice has remained in the same vicinity since it was founded in 1966. It moved into its current 300-sqm purpose built facility in 1995, which is located just across the road from its original site. Due to Heathmont Dental’s success, longevity and sizeable clinical space, Dr Langdon received dozens of offers from dental corporates. However, the dentist had a few bugbears with their modus operandi. “When the corporates take over, they would usually change the name of the practice to that of their brand. This changeover would disappoint many loyal patients who may leave and never come back,” says Dr Langdon. “Corporates also have the habit of running a dental outfit like a medical practice. They would obscure the identities of the dentists in such a way that patients are being assigned the next available dentist, rather than being given the opportunity to request for someone they are familiar with. “What they don’t realise is that it doesn’t work like that in dentistry.” Non-corporate corporate For these reasons and that of preserving the same style of practice, Dr Langdon had always assumed that he’d be selling to a private buyer. It was only after meeting Dr Tony Coulepis, the Executive Chairman of practice-acquisition firm, Ekera Dental, did he become convinced that a “non- corporate corporate” actually exists. “In our initial meetings, Tony basically described exactly how I would like a private buyer to be,” he enthuses, “the only difference is, Ekera Dental has the financial muscle, size and infrastructure to run a practice as big as ours – which in hindsight, would have been difficult for a private buyer.” Having inked the sale in April, Dr Langdon is happy to report that Ekera Dental has lived up to its “non-corporate corporate” reputation. For one, the clinic still displays each team member’s name and photo at the entrance, allowing patients a more personalised choice. “Ekera Dental does not have an ego about putting its name on the practice. Heathmont Dental has a wonderful reputation accumulated over 50 years. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they had the good sense to leave whatever already