A New Dental Experience in Dubai.
If you are a dentist in the UAE you have probably heard of Alphamed. Entering the dental market in 2018 under the umbrella of Al Khayyat Investments they now represent major dental brands such as 3M, A-dec, Carestream, Durr, Hu-freidy and Zeiss.
Dental News heard about their new dental showroom and education center in Dubai Healthcare City opened in partnership with A-dec. In October our own Dr. Tony Dib visited the facility to see what everyone is talking about, here is what he found!
Located on the third floor of Building 26, Al Baker Building, Dubai Healthcare City I enter the Alphamed/A-dec facility and am greeted by Mustafa Abu Adas (Key Account Manager, Alphamed) and Nick Olive (Territory Manager, A-dec). I am immediately struck by the variety of equipment options on display and by the enthusiasm of Mustafa and Nick as they start to explain how dentists and dental business owners are using the facility to help educate their equipment buying decisions.
We start by sitting at a large conference table with coffee, there is a large TV at the head of the table and this is where floor plans, design concepts and configurations can be displayed and reviewed. Nick explains why meetings with customers always start here. “When we first meet customers here we always start by sitting down and discussing their plans and visions for their clinic. With so many equipment options available it is useful for us to understand the customers’ priorities so we can focus on the options which might be most suitable.”
Mustafa explains that the customers’ vision really affects the most suitable equipment options for them. ‘There are many factors we need to consider, for example, the customers’ budget and whether they have shared clinics that require ambidextrous units. The feel of the clinic that customers aim for can also be very different. We may suggest different equipment if the customer is creating a boutique VIP clinic or a family focused community style clinic.’
As we start to look at the equipment on display, I’m taken on a journey through the range of A-dec chairs starting with an A-dec 200 unit through to their flagship A-dec 500 VIP unit. Being able to see the equipment so close and having the opportunity to try using the various configurations with a moveable training head I started to appreciate why dentists must find it so useful to visit this facility. Comparing the units side by side I start to imagine how I might configure equipment for my own dream clinic.
A-dec is known as a premium equipment brand and when you see the equipment up close you can really see and feel the quality. What surprised me was how affordable the A-dec product line is at the entry level. Mustafa talks me through the local pricing for A-dec 200 and how many options are available to personalize and upgrade the unit. Mustafa explains ‘A-dec 200 has become very popular in the UAE as a simple reliable unit benefiting from the legendary A-dec quality at an affordable price. As with all A-dec equipment, you get a 5-year warranty as standard.
I really enjoyed experiencing the A-dec 500 set up with USA-style 12 o’clock delivery system. I had never used this type of system before and was surprised at how easy it was to use. Nick discussed why this system is so popular in USA. ‘The A-dec 12 o’clock system is a unique offering in the market allowing dentists to create an open patient chair by mounting the dentist and assistants’ elements to a cabinet at the rear of the patient chair. This system really needs to be seen and tried before buying, it is a different way of working and very popular with specialists who may have patients in the chair for long periods of time and benefit from a large, shared working space with their assistant. Particularly if they are practicing true 4-handed dentistry’.
Having tried the various configurations on offer I can see why Nick and Mustafa claim that it is rare customers visit without reconsidering the type of equipment they thought they wanted. During the visit we discussed many topics related to dental equipment such as ergonomics, infection control and patient experience. Nick is a certified ergonomics assessment specialist (CEAS) and explains that helping dentists to select equipment which allows them to improve ergonomics in their clinics and reduce musculoskeletal pain is key.
So, is there a charge for visiting the facility? Mustafa says ‘There is no charge to visit our facility, of course we hope that customers will choose to work with us whether with A-dec equipment or our other equipment brands such as Carestream and Zeiss but our advice and support is always for free’.
And how about dentists from outside of the UAE? Nick says ‘We partnered with Alphamed to open this facility in Dubai for the benefit of our customers and partners across the region. We have already hosted customers from Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait and look forward to welcoming many more dentists to the facility.
Visits to the Alphamed showroom are by appointment and can be arranged by contacting Nick or Mustafa.
Building 26, Al Baker Building, Dubai Healthcare City
Or booking online here