PRESS RELEASE

Dorset Dentist Winning Smiles scores a hat trick with a triple win in National Dentistry Awards!

December 2013: Dorset based dental practice Winning Smiles has done it again and scooped three national awards in the National Dentistry Awards 2013 bringing the total number of awards it has won this year to an impressive 10. Beating off competition from dental practices across Wales and the South West, Winning Smiles was awarded Best Practice in the South West and Wales as well as receiving the national award for Best Marketing.

The evening, held at The Athena, Leicester on 6 December, also saw the award for Most Outstanding Team Member go to Winning Smiles Clinical Dental Technician, James Nielson. James was one of the very first people in the UK to qualify as a Clinical Dental Technician and in this role is qualified both to treat patients in the clinic and to fabricate their full or partial dentures in the laboratory.

He received his training in Manchester, Toronto, New York and London and was awarded the status of highly commended for the UK Clinical Dental Technician of the Year award 2009 and was a finalist again in 2011. There are still only around 200 Clinical Dental Technicians in the whole of the UK and working with the dentist, who has clinical responsibility, means that James can make impressions of the patient's mouth, manufacture the denture and also fit them himself.

Owner of Winning Smiles, Murray Hawkins, commented, "James brings so much to the role in terms of attitude, commitment and skills. The training he has received both abroad and in the UK means that we have someone who is a real expert in 21^st century dentures."

During 2013, Winning Smiles has picked up seven other awards including Best Patient Care in the Private Dentistry Awards announced last month. South West based awards include "Creating a Great Working Environment" from the Western Gazette Business Awards 2013 and Outstanding Customer Service from the Blackmore Vale Business Awards 2013. Nationally the practice picked up two more business awards from the highly competitive Best of Business Awards organisation joining the ranks of other winning businesses like Unilever, the Air Ambulance Service, Brunel University and the Metropolitan Police.

Winning the Best of Business Award prompted Andrew Areoff, the Chairman of the Judges, to comment: "Anyone with a fear of going to the dentist should visit Winning Smiles. The friendly dentists have done just about everything possible to make it a pain-free experience. There are soft comfy chairs, TVs on the ceiling, no needles and no drills. Instead there are flavoured topical anaesthetics and air abrasion drilling. The company likes to stay ahead of the competition and it specialises in offering new cosmetic treatments that are not available elsewhere in the UK. With a range of flexible payments options thrown in, customers can't help but smile."

Picture 1 shows the Winning Smiles team at the National Dentistry Awards with Murray and wife Sue and CDT James and partner Wendy in the centre. Picture 2 shows James Nielson receiving the award for Outstanding Team Member

For information on cosmetic dentistry or any other dental treatments, contact Winning Smiles Dental Care, T/: 01747 826222 or E/: dentist@winningsmilesgillingham.com or check out: www.winningsmilesgillingham.com

Further press information and images from: Jane Adkins, T/: 01935 813114 or M/: 07960698089 or E/: jane@aheadforpr.co.uk

Dec 2013 (WS 12)