All of us have been to the dentist. What do we expect when we make the decision to book and attend our appointment?

✔️ We expect that the appointment will be made in an efficient manner.

✔️ We expect that if the appointment is urgent, that the receptionist will recognise this and that the practice will have some provisions in place to be able to offer us an appointment on the same day.

✔️ We expect that when we arrive, there will be safe and accessible parking (including disability parking).

✔️ We expect that the premises will be clean and well maintained (both inside and out).

✔️ We expect to be welcomed by the receptionist and made to feel comfortable.

✔️ We expect that the dentist will be approachable and friendly.

❓ We do not ask him or her if they are capable of the treatment required – we just assume that they are a qualified dentist and therefore should be competent in the area of dentistry.

❓ We don’t ask the dentist and support staff if they undertake continuous professional development to ensure they remain current in their practise.

❓ We don’t ask them if the instruments they are using have been sterilised between patients – the contrary would be unthinkable.

❓ We don’t ask them if the equipment they are using is the most effective and has a good service history.

❓ We expect that if we require a local anaesthetic the drugs used are current, safe and effective.

❓ We expect that our personal and dental records will stored electronically in a safe and detailed manner to ensure they are easily accessible for continuity of our treatment.

On occasion we get asked to justify our costs in direct comparison to the services offered by other veterinary practices.

Despite the client’s perception that all vets do the same thing, this is most definitely not the case. Just as we expect all dentist to consistently offer the same experience (unless we are dentists) how would we really know if all the boxes have been ticked. There is very likely a significant difference in the practise of veterinary medicine between one practice and the next.

Simply stated, at Port Adelaide Veterinary Clinic we started by documenting the standards of veterinary care we wanted to practice (and which our clients expect). These are reviewed and updated as advances in veterinary medicine are made.

We ensure that our staff continually engaged in professional development and are able to recommend and practice best medicine. We purpose built our practice to ensure that it conformed to hospital standards. We ensure that our equipment is advanced and maintained to exceptional standards. We recognise that without the right resources, expertise and experience cannot be brought to fruition.

Above all we unequivocally recognise that without care, expressly communicated through actions and words, all the expertise, equipment and facilities amount to very little. Our strength lies in our differences.