A keen sense of contemporary style with a nod to classic design have set the tone of a new dental surgery in a modern high-rise development in inner suburban Sydney.

1. 182 Australasian Dental Practice July/August 2018
keen sense of contemporary
style with a nod to classic
design have set the tone
of a new surgery in
a modern high-rise
development in inner
suburban Sydney.
Dental House Gladesville is the cul-
mination of a dream between dentists,
Dr Amy Dempster and Dr Kate Aitken in
collaboration with Kate’s close friend and
sister-in-law, Kylie Aitken.
The trio have long wanted to establish a
family dental practice close to where they
and their families now live in the thriving
suburb of Gladesville, 10 kilometres from
the Sydney CBD.
With a wealth of clinical experience in
the Air Force and private practice, the two
dentists found the catalyst for the move
was the urging of their friend and corpo-
rate accountant Kylie, who has left her
career to come on board as the business
manager of the practice.
After viewing numerous potential prop-
erties, the dream to convert an old home to
a dental practice took an unexpected twist
when a gleaming new development in a
busy shopping strip with associated retail
and restaurants became available.
Guided by their chosen builder, Perfect
Practice, who had viewed and rejected
some other properties, the trio decided the
Wharf Road address on the corner of Vic-
toria Road, Gladesville would be the ideal
location and presented a “blank canvas”
to design and build a practice to meet their
current and future needs.
Perfect Practice was at their side for
the entire process including negotiating
approvals and coming up with a workable
design that incorporated the client’s tastes
and requirements.
First impressions of the finished result
are of a stylish and modern practice, with
a palpable warmth and classic style.
This has been achieved by the girls’ eye
for colour, which features contemporary
charcoal and white with the warmth of
champagne-hued laminates on the cabi-
netry and timber grained flooring. This
is offset with the classic look of heritage-
patterned pressed metal.
In addition to complementing the new
building, the key charcoal colour was
chosen to match the charcoal upholstery
of the A-dec chairs.
Modern meets classic in Gladesville
By David Petrikas
surgery | DESIGN
A

2. July/August 2018 Australasian Dental Practice 183
The “designer” look is accentuated by modern light fittings,
contrasting brushed metal 3D logo, floor to ceiling glazing,
tasteful artworks and beautiful fresh flowers.
Inside the tones are crisp, sharp and clean, but not in any way
sterile. The unusual shape of the space has been leveraged with
some triangular walls and a hallway that disappears around a
corner, adding to the sense of interest.
At the same time, the centrally located semi-open lab and steri
room ensures the practice does not feel in any way cramped,
while the staff amenities located discretely behind reception pro-
vide privacy while still being close to the front desk if required.
The amount of usable space eked out of a relatively small
footprint shows how good planning avoids any compromise in
functionality - and in this case - style.
The 89 square metres accommodates three surgeries (two are
currently in use), a combined lab and steri room, concealed plant
room and PC server at the end of the hallway, sunny waiting room
and reception desk, private staff amenities and separate OPG room.
A bonus to the chosen location is the open plaza outside and
exposure to northerly sun during the middle of the day through
the full-length concertina glass doors in the reception and waiting
room areas, plus louvered glass in the private amenities area.

3. 184 Australasian Dental Practice July/August 2018
The interior colour palette including the charcoal framed doors
and windows flows seamlessly from inside to outside whether the
doors are open or closed.
Of course, the new practice is not just about good looks, it’s
also very well-equipped and functional which is where the den-
tists and their business partner relied heavily on both their own
experience and advice from their equipment supplier, Presidental.
Presidental, through equipment specialist, James Wallace and
senior equipment technician, Neville Lynch, were able to advise
on the type of dental units, handpieces, sterilisation equipment
and compressor/suction to suit their requirements.
Both Amy and Kate have previously worked with A-dec equip-
ment and know it to be of high quality and very reliable, so it was
always going to be top of their list in spite of looking at other
brands for comparison purposes.
Their decision was cemented when they visited the A-dec
showroom at Mascot with Presidental, who ran through the
various options with them to allow them to get a feel for what was
on offer to meet their needs.
They also put a high priority on patient comfort and for that
reason, chose A-dec 500 patient chairs with plush sewn uphol-
stery. The A-dec 500 also has the benefit of a very smooth and
quiet hydraulic lift mechanism which helps relax patients, while
the thin and ergonomically designed flexible backrest and easily
adjustable “floating” headrest is both comfortable for the patient
and allows the dentist to work in the ideal position.
Another plus for the A-dec 500 is its large range of vertical
motion and load rating which means it can cater for the smallest
and largest of patients and both tall and petite operators.
They have equipped their surgeries with quality W&H LED
handpieces and a combination of turbines and electric motors.
Another feature of the new surgeries is the use of the award
winning A-dec multi-LED operatory light, which provides nat-
ural “daylight” quality illumination without harsh shadows. This
reduces eye-strain compared with conventional surgery lighting.
In keeping with contemporary thinking on infection control,
the dental units are without a cuspidor and equipped with both
high volume evacuators and low speed suction.
The sterilisation room features the very latest W&H Lisa
VA steriliser which features B Type cycles with automatic load
sensing which reduces cycle time and in turn saves on power and
prolongs the life of instruments.
surgery | DESIGN

4. 186 Australasian Dental Practice July/August 2018
Dental House Gladesville is also fortunate to have secured the
services of experienced support staff, including a senior sterilisa-
tion nurse with both dental and general hospital experience.
The practice employs instrument tracking with the
help of an integrated LisaSafe barcode printer that
prints pouch labels. The cycle data is automatically
captured by the on-board data
logger and labels will not
be produced if the cycle parameters for time, steam pressure and
temperature have not been achieved.
All instruments are pouched and individually labelled and
the barcode information scanned again at chairside so that all
instruments used on each patient can be linked with a successful
sterilisation cycle.
Despite being a brand-new practice, Dental House Gladesville
runs like a well-oiled team thanks to the combined experience of
each member and their bright and positive outlook.
“We wanted to work close to where we live so we can balance
our family and work life and we all enjoying coming here to work
as it is a nice environment and we all get on well as a team,”
Dr Aitken said.
Business partner Kylie Aitken agrees. “We all love it here; it is a
great atmosphere and everything seems to have come together well
and I think our patients also enjoy coming here which is great.”
The trio were full of praise for Perfect Practice and Presidental,
who despite the ambitious plan of a greenfield site still under
construction, were able to deliver the surgeries on-time and
on-budget and equip it with quality equipment.
Partner, Dr Amy Dempster said it was a nice change
to be using brand new equipment of their choice,
which made it easier to work and provide a positive
patient experience.
Summary
The Practice
The Practice Dental House Gladesville
The Principal Dr Kate Aitken, Dr Amy Dempster and
Kylie Aitken
Practice Type General
Location Gladesville, Sydney, New South Wales
Size 89 square metres
No of chairs 2 + 1
The Team
Design Company Perfect Practice
Senior Designer Owners and Azhar Khan, Perfect Practice
Construction
Perfect Practice
& Joinery
Project Manager Craig Cullen, Perfect Practice
Installer Presidental
Equipment
Dental Units A-dec 500
Sterilisation W&H Lisa VA Steriliser with
W&H LisaSafe Label Printer
W&H Assistina Twin maintenance unit
X-Ray KaVo Focus
OPG Soredex Cranex
Compressor Cattani KAC300
Suction Cattani C1A0000 Turbo Smart A Cube
with Hydrocylone
Software EXACT