One visit to Dentalia Clinics in Jeddah dispels any misperception that this is a traditional dental clinic. “Our vision when we built the clinic was to introduce the latest concepts in dentistry and to create excellence in everything we do – from the water we use, to the dental equipment we purchase, or to the staff we hire. We make sure everything is of the highest quality,” explains Dr. Dina Al-Tayeb, one of the founding partners of Dentalia. Al-Tayeb and four of her colleagues from
King Abdul Aziz University founded Dentalia in 2005. All five partners were involved in the design and construction of the clinic, which was built from scratch with their own funding.
“It was a big risk but you don’t want to starta dental clinic with a lot of financial obligations,”she notes. Dentalia is the first fully digital clinic in Jeddah, and it was built with state-of-the-art European dental equipment. The clinic has its own water plant and disinfects all water using ultra-violet lighting. Intent on being as “green” as possible, the clinic recycles 100 percent of its trash.
In designing the clinic it was important for Al-Tayeb and her partners to maintain a balance between technical sophistication and the comfortable environment they want to offer their patients. “We have a homey atmosphere. Everyone – from our patients to our staff – is treated like family,” she comments. When Dentalia started, there were three other clinics in Jeddah with comparable standards. Today there are five. “It’s very competitive because we are all catering to the same selective clientele,” explains Al-Tayeb, who believes it is their team approach that makes them stand out. “Our personalized touch, excellent service, and the care we take in choosing our doctors and staff is what defines the Dentalia team. We are all heavily involved in the business,” she says, noting that their goal is to raise the standards of dental care and oral health in the Kingdom. Dentalia has 15 dentists and a staff of 30, of whom 12 are female dental assistants. Services include aesthetics, endodontics, pediodontics, orthodontics, periodontics, dental implants and oral surgery.The personalized approach clearly works.The clinic began with 100 patients in 2005
and now has more than 10,000 patients registered. Al-Tayeb and her partners are proud of their ranking on the 2010 Saudi Fast Growth 100 list of start-up companies. “We were competing against large companies, not just against other dental clinics, and we were very
happy to have been selected. It impressed our patients,” she notes. Periodontist and implantologist Al-Tayeb is a reflection of the excellence she and her partners have achieved in Dentalia Clinics.
A professor at the King Abdul Aziz University College of Dentistry, she is also on the visiting
faculty at Tufts Dental School in Boston, Massachusetts, where she completed a Master’s
degree. In her “spare” time, she trains for tri-athalon and Ironman competitions in both
the United States and Canada. “I love what I do and I hope I can always be a role model for young people in our country,” emphasizesn Al-Tayeb.
