Discover how Dr Lena Qiu has successfully established a stylish and functional practice incorporating the A-dec 400 dental unit.

1. 140 Australasian Dental Practice January/February 2023
Y
oung Hurstville den-
tist, Dr Lena Qiu, has
successfully estab-
lished a stylish and
functional practice
in a quiet corner of
the thriving southern
Sydney suburb.
A local, Dr Qiu’s foray into dentistry
started with her graduating with a Bach-
elor of Oral Health at the University of
Sydney and working for some years as an
oral health therapist. She then continued
her studies, completing a Doctor of Dental
Medicine at the University of Western
Australia to become a dentist.
After spending several years working,
combined with dental studies, the lure of
home never left, leading to her wanting
to practice dentistry close to where
she grew up.
“I have been in the dental industry for
16 years. I grew up and went to primary
school across the road at Hurstville Public
School and I attended St George Girls
High School, which is also in the area.
“I wanted to build a space where I could
treat the locals for years to come, just like
family, in a boutique style setting. Every
detail has been chosen to give a sense of
warmth and a feeling of home. ‘Meili’ means
‘beautiful’ and is the name of my daughter.
“I wanted to create a beautiful and calm
space for families to come and improve
their oral health. I want everyone to feel
comfortable, calm and not feel that the
space is too clinical and not just rush
them through treatment like a medical
centre. It is a place to come and choose
your favourite show/song to watch with/
without headphones and even sit and have
a cup of tea while waiting.”
This decision to name the practice
Meili Dental Care also enabled a clever
logo design to be produced, resembling
a molar rendered in striking gold above
gloss black lettering.
Dr Qiu went in search of help to create
the new practice. After approaching
four dental surgery design companies,
she enlisted the help of Craig Exley of
Commodore Medical & Dental Fitouts
to come up with a plan and a design to
accommodate two surgeries and convey
the modern, quality feeling she was after.
“Craig has had some very good reviews
and he was very easy to work with. I
emailed his designer with several dif-
ferent styles I liked and pictures I found
on Google and they got back to me with
some ideas and also helped pick out dif-
ferent finishes, right down to the style of
the cabinet handles.
Small in size, big on substance
By David Petrikas
surgery | DESIGN

2. January/February 2023 Australasian Dental Practice 141
“I wanted a more high-end look, not like lots of dental clinics
which have the typical ‘healthcare’ look in blue (or some in bright
green). There are a lot of dental clinics around and I wanted to
stand out and not have the look of a health fund or corporate
practice,” she said.
The resulting setup is something of a Tardis, with two fully
equipped surgeries each with a premium A-dec 400 dental
unit and Acteon X-ray unit, chair mounted monitor (and
separate desktop computer monitor) and ceiling mounted
entertainment screen.
Most importantly, Dr Qiu wanted to incorporate ample
storage space which is achieved by a combination of floor to
ceiling cupboards and both overhead and below bench cabinets
in the surgeries.

3. 142 Australasian Dental Practice January/February 2023
There’s even a separate OPG room, plus a small staff amenity
area and kitchen, complete with meals nook, refrigerator and sink
and locker storage, plus a discrete rear exit.
A bonus was the ability to remotely locate the compressor in
the underground carpark which both frees up space inside the
compact surgery and eliminates noise inside.
In fact, the only challenge was not an engineering one but
negotiating approvals from the body corporate and local council
which thankfully Craig Exley from Commodore Medical &
Dental Fitouts was able to assist with.

4. 144 Australasian Dental Practice January/February 2023
Design-wise, although the choice of marble and natural timber
has become very popular, the unique combination of purple soft
furnishings with the woodgrain and marble finishes manages to
give the practice an individual look.
The timber wall cladding extending above the upholstered
built-in waiting room benches in particular imbues a warm feel,
while a completely mirrored wall makes the area feel lighter and
much more spacious.
The logo and illuminated signage on the marble finish recep-
tion desk and the bold gold logo and gloss black lettering on the
waiting room wall reinforce the “high end” quality feel, despite
the compact size of the practice.
The use of marble finishes on the reception desk and white
walls throughout the rest of the practice also reflects natural
lighting well inside the space, despite the absence of windows
down the side of the building.
After evaluating options to equip the practice, Dr Qiu
worked closely with Tanya McRae and Darren Welsh
from local A-dec dealer Dental Installations located at the
nearby suburb of Miranda.
“I found Tanya and Darren were honest and helpful and
took the time to walk me through the available options,
build a relationship and support me through the purchase
process,” Dr Qiu said.
Reliability and good after-sales support was a key
consideration, together with an ambidextrous delivery
system. This made the choice of A-dec 400 with tradi-
tional delivery system a no-brainer as she employs three
other dentists.
“I looked at other chairs but when I went to the A-dec
showroom the A-dec 400 turned out to be the ‘happy
medium’ for me and is so much more cushioned than
older style chairs and is just so comfortable,” Dr Qiu said.
Summary
The Practice
The Practice Meili Dental Care
The Principal Dr Lena Qiu
Practice Type General
Location Hurstville, Sydney, New South Wales
Size 60 square metres
No of chairs 2
The Team
Colour & Design Commodore Medical & Dental Fitouts
Construction Commodore Medical & Dental Fitouts
Project Manager Craig Exley
Installer Dental Installations, Miranda
Equipment
Dental Units A-dec 400 x 2
Sterilisation W&H Lisa Automatic steriliser
Imaging Acteon DC X-ray units
Acteon PSPIX phosphor plate scanner
SoproCARE intraoral camera with
caries detector
Orthophos XG OPG
Compressor Cattani AC200
Suction Cattani Turbo SMART B
Software D4W Cloud