New clinic elevates standard of local dental industry

PATIENT comfort is an utmost priority at this latest GAOC branch.

Within this newly opened clinic of Gan Advanced Osseointegration Center (www.gaocdental.com), its president and CEO, Dr. Steve Mark Gan, has created an environment that is nothing short of spectacular.

A visit to the clinic located at the ground level of The Residences at Greenbelt in Makati City is akin to entering the set of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. There’s even the ubiquitous sound of hydraulic doors opening and closing.

Most evident in the expansive lobby is a futuristic-looking receiving area dominated by two 21-inch iMacs. A little to the left, you will be drawn to a video wall—made up of nine 42-inch LCD screens—that dominate the four-meter-high wall.

As you get past the lobby, you will notice that on the left side of every sensor-operated sliding door hangs a Samsung Galaxy Tab that shows the list of patients’ schedules and their particular dental concerns.

World class

“But rather than simply impress the patients and guests with some clinic ‘bling,’ we want them to realize that this newly opened GAOC center was established to show that this country now has a very capable dental center that offers an extensive array of world-class services, a number of which are not yet available in a regular dental clinic,” Gan said.

As one of the premiere dental centers in Southeast Asia, Gan said this GAOC’s latest addition to its growing network of branches boasts state-of-the-art equipment that uses cutting-edge technology.

“Leading the pack is the three-in-one digital dental diagnostic scanner which combines cone beam computed tomography scanner, cephalometric X-ray, and panoramic X-ray in one machine,” Gan enumerated.

He said this machine that provides an accurate high-resolution image that GAOC dentists use to assess the best treatment for their patients, also dramatically reduce the radiation dosage and the time needed for a full scan.

This three-in-one machine even provides accessibility for wheelchair-bound patients.

Since the machine is already digital, patients can hold on to their X-ray results via CDs or flash drives. These images could even be e-mailed upon request.

Also in each operating room, Gan said he has installed Intra-Oral cameras that can be comfortably placed in the mouth so the patient could actually view their teeth via a 43-inch high-definition monitor.

“We also have a consultation room where our dentists use visual aids and animated videos to explain the choices of procedures available for the particular patient,” he said.

Aside from these advanced equipment, GAOC’s resident dentists also undergo continuous training abroad in countries such as the United States, Germany, Hong Kong and Singapore so they could stay abreast of the latest techniques and methods that are best for their patients.

Strategic location

Gan explained that with the center’s strategic location, they are slowly attracting many foreign patients.

In fact, GAOC is the first dental center in the country to be accredited by the Department of Tourism for medical tourism.

“Having been in the industry for more than 10 years, we have built a solid reputation as a first-class dental center among distinguished local celebrities, famous names and now, foreign tourists. With regard to tourists, many insurance packages in their home country don’t offer sufficient coverage for dental work, meaning, they have to pay the bulk, if not all, of their expenses. These costs are often prohibitively expensive,” he explained.

Given exorbitant prices for dental operations as well as the unrealistic waiting lists in their home countries, foreign patients are now enticed to seek dental care in places like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Gan said he would like the Philippines added to that short list.

Recovery time

“Recovery time is usually short for dental work. For this reason, outpatients can travel here, receive dental work and then spend the remainder of their time enjoying a vacation—all for less than the price of receiving dental work in their home country,” Gan explained.

The newest branch has four operating rooms for dental operations ranging from a simple tooth extraction to complicated dental procedures like dental implant that employ highly biocompatible titanium screw and gum recontouring that sculpts and shapes excessive and uneven gum tissue so the appearance of a “gummy” smile may be improved.

Relaxing ambience

The GAOC branch at The Residences at Greenbelt is definitely a cut above the rest as it provides an extremely relaxing ambience a dental patient deserves.

“We are committed to provide only the utmost standard of personalized service in all areas of dental medicine, GAOC’s team of dentists is well-versed with the latest techniques and technologies available in first-world countries,” he said.

He said patient comfort is also an utmost priority that he even bought dental chairs and surgical dental from the United States that use memory foam for ultimate patient relaxation and comfort.

“I also acquired ultrasonic scalers that vibrate at a frequency that breaks down tartar without harming the teeth and gums. And while undergoing any procedure, the patient could even choose his or her movie via a giant LCD screen located just above the chair. We want to make them feel at ease with us dentists,” said Gan.