Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Have van, will travel! Forget the fixed clinic. These dental companies are shaking up the status quo and bringing check-ups and fluoride treatments directly to their patients. By Rachel Smith
Any dentist will tell you they’ve heard every excuse in the book as to why patients skip their twice-yearly check-up. There are only so many reminder emails and fun postcards you can send trying to lure your customer base back—so why not take the dental chair to them?
It’s a strategy that’s taken off in the pediatric space—for both oral health therapist Stephanie Roper, owner of Tooth Fairy & Co in QLD, and Dr Cecilia Yong and Bond Kam, co-owners of Smyla Dental in NSW.
Roper already owns a number of QLD-based clinics but after recently celebrating 20 years in business, she wanted a new challenge. And because she started her career in a mobile dental van, putting her own on the road was coming full circle. “I wanted to spread my wings and do something in the community, reach out to the ones who weren’t reaching out to us,” she says.
Meanwhile Smyla’s husband-and-wife team wanted a business that combined Kam’s accounting and marketing skills, Dr Yong’s dentistry, and their combined love of working with kids. “We got the idea in 2016 but didn’t launch until 2020,” recalls Kam. “In between, we got married, COVID happened and we used our savings to kit out our first mobile dentist van, so there were a lot of detours.”
One in three Australian preschoolers have never darkened the door of a dental clinic, a horrifyiung statistic that mobile dentistry is trying to change. By venturing deep into local communities, dentists can educate and engage with schools and busy parents. “Lots of parents say to us, ‘I can’t get my kids to the dentist’,” says Roper. “So I’m like, ‘Okay, we’ll bring [the dentiust] to you’.”
Smyla’s vans attend disadvantaged areas where staff see rampant caries. “We believe it’s got to do with cultural backgrounds and beliefs around baby teeth not being as important as adult teeth,” says Dr Yong.
We have two vans on the road now, and a number of part-time dentists working for us, which seems to work because the travel can get tiring.
Dr Cecilia Yong, co-owner, Smyla Dental
Smyla issues detailed feedback reports highlighting the number of children seen and types of treatments performed (such as fillings or extractions). “We also pass on data from a parent questionnaire about the percentage of kids who’ve never been to the dentist or who have more than seven teaspoons of sugar a day. That way, the schools can make improvements in their canteen,” adds Kam.
Obviously, a mobile clinic needs to follow standards for safety and quality of care—and the costs can be significant. Roper’s costs were in excess of $100,000.
“I had a second-hand dental van which we did a lot of work on; we wrapped it with our branding, refurbished and replaced the interior and got everything re-certified so it was compliant,” Roper remembers. “We also installed video surveillance which parents need to consent to; it’s for the safety of the child and also, kids are good storytellers. We don’t want them going home saying, ‘Mum, Fairy Steph whacked me over the head with her wand and gave me a filling I didn’t want!’”
Dr Yong and Kam purchased Smyla’s first van and kitted out the interior from scratch. “It was during COVID so everything was more costly,” says Kam. “We probably spent around $250,000.”
Roper operates as Fairy Steph in her van with her dental assistant Erin Williams aka Fairy Floss. “There are just the two of us right now, but we’re currently seeking motivated tooth fairies willing to go the extra mile for our kids’ smiles!”
Smyla have already expanded from two staff to 12. “We have two vans on the road now, and a number of part-time dentists working for us, which seems to work because the travel can get tiring, and our dentists can also have some work-life balance,” says Dr Yong.
Being in a different area, going to a new school and working with different teachers and managing the school’s expecations can be quite challenging.
Dr Cecilia Yong, co-owner, Smyla Dental
Smyla visits schools, childcare centres and retirement homes in greater Sydney—bringing dental care directly to patients who may have difficulty accessing it, or to children with time-poor working parents. Their teams may spend up to two weeks at a school treating school aged children.
Roper’s van covers schools in QLD’s Redlands, and may treat a whole school in 5-10 weeks. Parents sign online consent forms and pay via invoice but there are still logistics to overcome.
“Being in a different area, going to a new school and working with different teachers and managing the school’s expecations can be quite challenging,” says Dr Yong.
For Roper, there have been difficulties contacting parents whose kids may need additional treatment. “A lot of parents have no internet at home; the only way we can reach them is via hard copy letters,” she says. “So getting kids back can be hard.”
Creating a cosy, safe environment that’s just for kids was top of the list for both companies. Both give kids dental gift packs after a check-up. In the Smyla vans, kids can choose their favourite TV show, and Kam acts as a go-between for anxious first-timers. “Kids love him,” laughs Dr Yong. “He ends up outside playing handball with them in the playground.”
Tooth Fairy & Co also dial up the fun factor, with a ‘Never Fear, the Tooth Fairy is Here’ banner and Roper dressed like a fairy. “We have a Bring A Buddy policy to reduce anxiety, and we also play their favourite music in the chair. I had a kid the other day who wanted rap music and he’s sitting in the dental chair tapping with his little feet. He said, ‘This is the coolest dentist ever!’ This makes my heart sing because, to me, success is seeing children want to come to our van. I’m so ‘fairy’ proud my service has finally come to fruition.”
