Transforming dentistry through branding

A VISIT to the dentist is often synonymous with pain and avoided at all costs by most. But this is an experience that Smile Inc has been keen to avoid, carefully calibrating the dental experience for its customers. And this achievement - helping to change the public perception of dentistry in Singapore - is one that the firm is proud to highlight. "The success of Smile Inc and its lifestyle focus has changed the Singapore public's perception of the dental industry - from one associated with pain and fear of visiting the dentist to one associated with enhancing one's self esteem and confidence through an improved smile," says its CEO and co-founder Grace Chong-Tan. "Dentistry is no longer about fillings, drilling and extractions, but providing the consumer with a myriad of choices: with procedures from maintaining and sustaining one's oral health to techniques on improving one's smile, in addition to restoring dental function and aesthetics."

Established in 1997 by Mrs Tan and Ernest Rex Tan, the firm had set out to revolutionise the dental experience from the beginning. It aimed to provide high quality specialist and general dental care and services through the use of the latest technologies and state-of-the-art facilities. These are set amid a patient-friendly setting with a strong emphasis on architecture and design - like its current duplex-fronted dental practice at The Sail at Marina Bay - which would help to allay patients' fear of visiting the dentist, says Mrs Tan.

Architecture and design has always been an integral part of Smile Inc's brand. The firm set up its first reconstructive and aesthetic boutique practice at Mandarin Gallery in 2010, and then its duplex fronted dental practices at The Sail, Marina Bay Downtown in 2013 and at One Raffles Place last year.