A new wellbeing platform is on a mission to support everyone working in dental practice

Says Ubhi, who has worked in both the NHS and private practice, and now owns his own clinics: “Being a dentist can be quite an isolating profession and myself and my colleagues have been through various struggles. We also have a kind of bravado, which means if we need help, we don’t ask or don’t know where to ask. Post Covid I thought it would be great to create something that united the entire profession – not just dentists, but everyone behind the mask.”

He adds that where other medical professions have support networks, nothing similar exists that unites everyone working in dentistry, or that isn’t purely focused on the clinical aspects of the profession. “That’s why Canny Dentists aims to focus on what people do in their personal lives that make them feel and perform better at work: It’s saying, ‘forget you’re a dentist, a nurse or a practice manager…How are you feeling, what support do you need?’ And then opening that up to peer-to-peer support, alongside signposting to a directory of services and resources where people can access additional help if they need it.”

The platform, which is currently still in its test phase, is designed to be intuitive to navigate, with many familiar features similar to those on other social media sites - an infinite scroll newsfeed, notifications, groups and a chat function, but with content uniquely tailored to each user.

Phillips explains new members are asked a series of questions to ensure their Canny Dentists experience is bespoke to them: “One of the challenges with Facebook, for example, is that it just bombards you with tonnes of content, whether you want it or not. We’re trying to create an experience that only shows things people are interested in; new members are put into groups with like-minded people who share their interests, so their newsfeed only includes those topics,” he says, stressing that it’s easy for to filter the site according to interests, or the type of advice someone might be seeking.

And to ensure Canny Dentists suits members’ needs, the test phase sees around 100 dentists, therapists, hygienists and practice managers helping Ubhi and Phillips to hone content and the user experience. “We’ve got a vision of how Canny Dentists should be, but the test will ensure it’s what the profession actually wants and needs and will benefit from it,” says Ubhi.

Phillips adds that Canny Dentists also features content, including podcasts, from experts both inside the dental profession and parallel markets. “For example I’ve recently interviewed the former head of performance at Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club to talk about performance, and how you can get the best out of your day. The site will also include things such as how to spot if someone else is struggling and how to be supportive without being intrusive. So, we’re offering learning from experts, but also learning from each other, because the peer-to-peer communication is really, really important.” He adds that as Canny Dentists evolves it will include webinars with experts, plus online and in-person events and meet-ups.

The initial aim is for around 15,000 members, and while Canny Dentists is, for now, primarily aimed at people working in dental practices based in the UK, Ubhi and Phillips expect it to attract professionals from other countries. “Plus, in this increasingly nomadic world we live in, people can work from anywhere, so we have potential to scale,” he adds.

Canny Dentists is the first ‘Canny’ branded platform under the wider Canny Healthcare business created by Ubhi and Phillips, which gives them scope to expand into other sectors. “If we can get the format rights, we can roll out Canny Doctors, Canny Chiropractors, or Canny Opticians,” Phillips concludes.

To find out more about Canny Dentists visit the website - https://cannydentists.com/, and to join the groups of practitioners helping to test the site email either andrew@cannydentists.com or jatinder@cannydentists.com.

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