Gym memberships and Denplan

Posted on 25th June 2017

The perks of being a member

Their are so many people who are members of gyms across the country. It is almost a mandatory membership for most people – almost as mandatory as having a mobile phone contract. In our world today we are so much more aware of health and welbeing. Most people understand that regular exercise will reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disorders and make them more capable of living comfortably. I am a keen advocate of keeping fit, whether it is going for walks or training for a triathlon.

When you first go to the gym you are given an option to ‘sign up’ to a contract or to just pay and use the services as an ‘introductory’ offer. By signing up to the services you are more likely to become a regular attender at the gym as you know that you have made a pledge to invest in the service. This psychological effect ensures that on days when you feel ‘lazy’, you will pluck up the will power to go to the gym. Would the same thing happen if you were just a pay-as-you-go member? 

I see dentistry as a similar model to this. We know in dentistry that a lot of the dental diseases are preventable. With regular dental check ups we can usually detect and treat problems before they become a more serious and costly issue to treat. The problem is, most people live busy lives. Work and other commitments always get in the way and therefore, many patients will only make the time to come to the dentist when the problem has elevated to a serious issue.

The benefits of prevention is available to everyone

This problem can be overcome by joining a dental plan which is similar to the gym memberships. Denplan is a dental insurance organisation that helps our patients ensure that they receive the required number of check ups and hygiene appointments per year. No appointment is ever missed and every effort is made to ensure appointments can works around the patients busy lifestyle. The most important feature of this is that we find that our Denplan patients have less dental diseases and are less likely to suffer from serious dental issues in the future. All this for a small monthly fee.

A personal story

My passion for dentistry all began with the 6 monthly check ups I had as a child at our family dentist. Dr Christopher Lee was a brilliant dentist who looked after our family’s dental health. My mother has been a member of Denplan for as long as I can remember and attended the dentist every 3-6 months for her hygiene appointments and she always made sure I went regularly as well. I always listened to Dr Lee’s advice and I know this has contributed to the fact that I have never had to have a filling. He also ignited my passion to become a dentist once I realised that becoming a world beating Formula 1 racing driver was not possible!

Following my qualification as a dentist, I did what all dental graduates do, I examined my mother’s mouth. I found that my mum was incredibly vulnerable to gum disease as she had what we call a “thin-biotype”. She had however kept most of her teeth due to the regular and thorough hygiene sessions she had continued to have over the last few decades. If it wasn’t for her Denplan membership, I expect that my mother may have had less frequent hygiene sessions with periods of breaks and this may have resulted in poorer gum health and greater tooth loss. This is what I see in many patients.

We go to the gym to prevent chronic health problems, we should also be going to the dentist to prevent chronic dental diseases. If you want more information on Denplan, please contact our treatment coordinator, Jasmin, using the form below.

Thank you for reading.

Mohsin Patel BDS MJDF RCS (Eng)

Talk to us

Please fill out the form below with your enquiry or you can call us on 0113 2633199. You can even pop in to the clinic.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

Related articles...

Book a Consultation

At Infinity Dental Clinic we see patients for routine dental check-ups with our dentists. Regular dental maintenance and good oral hygiene will ensure that you keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Book a Consultation