PHOEBE Bell began planning Dental At Home a year before the pandemic, an event which has fuelled growth in her business.
Dental At Home launched in 2020 in Sydney with a preventative dentistry focus, its team of dental practitioners (including hygienists, oral health therapists and dentists) assisting those in the disability and aged care sectors.
When COVID-19 arrived, the 35-year-old entrepreneur saw demand lift within a cautious public.
"There are a number of reasons why clients are reluctant or unable to visit a dental practice and now COVID-19 has added to this, and we've received more enquiries than usual as a result," Ms Bell says.
"During the pandemic I realised we can really open this up to anyone who prefers to have the safety and convenience of treatment at home, all our practitioners are vaccinated and we take all measures to operate in a COVID-safe manner."
Dental At Home services Sydney and the Central Coast and is now in Newcastle. It sees clients in their homes and is aligned with dental practices should a client need clinic treatment.
"We are doing alternate weeks in each location but we are trying to build it up to being available every week. We are doing a lot more emergency work now but at the end of the day maintaining your oral health and hygiene is essential for quality of life, being able to eat, mental health, everything really," Ms Bell says.
Born on the Central Coast and schooled mostly in the Hunter, Ms Bell says dentistry first caught her attention in childhood when she visited her prosthodontist uncle in his practice and glimpsed the sets of plaster teeth sets. Developing an interest in health care and the disabilities sector, she says it was her friend Libby, a dental hygienist, who encouraged her to study Oral Health at the University of Newcastle. She did further orthodontic training as she worked at length in private dental practices in Melbourne and Sydney.
Working part-time in a Newcastle dentistry, Ms Bell will soon launch Dental At School, offering services to schools and mums at home.
The idea of mobile dental providers isn't new, however Ms Bell believes her business adds a personal touch that is sorely needed.
"Poor oral health is really prevalent in aged care and those living with disabilities and there are not many services," she says.
She says her business model of "dental anywhere, anytime" brings comfort to those who want treatment in the comfort of their homes, reducing phobias and anxiety.
