Tony Thurling meets an oral surgeon who combines entrpreneurial flair with Yorkshire grit.

It takes a certain kind of courage to be a certain kind of dentist. Few professions demand so much of their practitioners, or ask them to put so much on the line to realise their ambitions.

Ebi Bamgboye is a good example of that certain kind of dentist. He is prepared to back his belief in his ability, not simply as an oral surgeon, but as an entrepreneur (with all the risks and responsibilities that entails).

Ebi is prepared to invest in the fulfilment of his vision; it is not out of arrogance but rather from a genuine desire to offer better dentistry to his patients. Certainly he is proud of his new referral centre in Dodworth, Barnsley, but he is not complacent in his determination to provide the people of South Yorkshire with technologically advanced procedures.

To become a registered specialist in oral surgery Ebi worked in a number of maxillofacial units.

‘I worked under some wonderful consultants such as Mr McAndrew at Rotherham and Mr Price at Barnsley,’ says Ebi, ‘Not only did I learn a great deal, but I was also taught the value of understanding and embracing new technology. From an early stage in my career the importance of accurate and genuinely informed diagnosis was impressed on me.’

Yorkshire folk

Having undertaken a year-long didactic course in dental implantology in Harley Street, it might be expected that Ebi would at least be tempted to practise in London. Instead he bought a practice in Barnsley.

‘I had spent some time working as an associate in the area and I just love the people’. For Ebi, that is reason enough to be where he is. In Barnsley he first put into practice that simple commitment to raising the bar. He wasted no time gutting the premises and upgrading the equipment. ‘I suppose I could have been cautious, but to be honest, I had few doubts that I was doing the right thing’, said Ebi. The rapid growth of the general practice and the referral side

vindicated his decision. In almost no time at all three more GDPs joined him and today the practice continues to thrive.

With new registrations, referrals and increased activity from existing patients, Ebi quickly realised that he would need to think bigger. ‘Some people thought I was stupid when I invested in my first practice. When I told them what I now had in mind, they thought I’d lost it completely, but I had faith in what I was doing,’ said Ebi.

And so the early plans for what was to become a 4,000sq ft referral centre began to take shape.

Personal vision 

Ebi is acutely aware that referring to a specialist worries a good number of dentists. In his Barnsley practice he knew he had to reassure a number of practices that referred patients, and those which potentially might refer patients, that poaching was absolutely forbidden. He felt that removing all the referral business from Barnsley and setting up an exclusively referral centre would be both sensible and reassuring to his colleagues.

The Kings Capitol Clinic opened in December 2007, and now attracts implant referrals from a 50 mile plus radius. It is located on a green field site at Dodworth, about five miles from the centre of Barnsley. It’s only a minute or so away from the M1 and ample free parking is available. It has four surgeries, a conference suite, a theatre for complicated work and a recovery surgery. It makes Ebi happy because he is able to offer a standard of excellence to his patients in an environment that allows him to give his best.

Ebi’s vision for his referral centre is remarkably similar to his vision for his patients, ‘I always say ‘I want it to look like this’ to my patients. I like to share with them a clear understanding of the restoration programme I have in mind and I want them to say ‘that’s what I want’. Then we decide how. To my mind too much implantology focuses simply on functionality without sufficient thought given to aesthetics.’

Investing in support

Like all good clinicians, Ebi has a justifiable confidence in his ability and knowledge. This makes him an uncompromising and demanding customer when it comes to equipment purchasing. Ebi knows what any given piece of equipment should be capable of delivering and if it falls short he is not interested.

A case in point is Ebi’s choice of dental CT. He met a colleague at BDTA Dental Showcase in 2007, explained he was looking to go digital and asked for some guidance. He was directed to Picasso Trio.

‘The image quality was exceptional, the product knowledge first class and the price extremely reasonable when I considered how much in advance the Picasso was in relation to its competitors,’ claimed Ebi.

The Picasso delivers exactly what Ebi wants. It is user friendly and he makes no bones about the fact that he and his colleagues enjoy using it, stating, ‘it makes treatment planning so much easier, and the software enables me to communicate effectively with referring dentists and patients.

I see it as Ebi’s choice of dental CT. The Picasso Trio from Vatech & E-WOO

supporting the work I do and it unquestionably assists with accurate diagnosis. Where it is particularly helpful is in exposing unforeseen problems and providing predictable implant placement.’