Ben Atkins

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Well… this is it. Iceland bound.The training is done, the bags are packed, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.I...
08/08/2026

Well… this is it. Iceland bound.

The training is done, the bags are packed, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

I don’t think I’ve been this nervous about anything in years. But I’m also incredibly excited to get started.

From Sunday, it’s the Rat Race Adventures Iceland Coast to Coast:

🚶 30 miles / 48km on foot
🚴 201 miles / 324km on the bike
🛶 12 miles / 20km rafting
🌋 7 days across Iceland

It’s a 250+ mile north-to-south crossing through some properly wild terrain. Glaciers, lava fields, rivers and geothermal landscapes.

I’ve trained hard for this one.

Huge thanks to everyone at UNLTD Fitness for helping me get ready.

Nervous. Excited. And very ready to crack on.

B x

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Just over a month ago, NHS England published a new framework for maintaining the oral health of our ageing population. O...
05/08/2026

Just over a month ago, NHS England published a new framework for maintaining the oral health of our ageing population.

One of its most important messages is that we need to stop thinking of oral health in later life as simply a care-home issue.

More people are keeping their natural teeth - and often heavily restored teeth - for longer. That is progress, but it also creates new challenges. As frailty, cognitive decline, reduced dexterity and polypharmacy begin to affect somebody’s ability to care for their mouth, their oral health can deteriorate very quickly.

Of course, there is plenty we can do within care homes as dental professionals. But by the time somebody enters residential care, we may already be playing catch-up.

The bigger opportunity is to intervene earlier: supporting prevention while people are still independent, maintaining continuity as their needs change and ensuring oral health follows them from their own home into supported or residential care.

For me, the strongest takeaway is that services should be planned around need and dependency - not simply age or setting.

That means identifying risk earlier, adapting support as someone’s ability to care for themselves changes, and making sure they can access the right level of prevention and treatment wherever they live. We should not wait for a person to enter a care home before their oral health becomes a priority.

Dentistry, healthcare and social care must work together if we are serious about preventing disease throughout ageing.

What were your key takeaways from the framework?

Read it here: https://buff.ly/uyAGFZA

B x

I sold my dental practices back in 2019.That business had been my life and, in many ways, my baby.I was excited about th...
31/07/2026

I sold my dental practices back in 2019.

That business had been my life and, in many ways, my baby.

I was excited about the next chapter and having more time with my family and my beautiful children. But, if I’m honest, I was also worried.

I had been so involved in dentistry and cared so deeply about the profession. Part of me wondered whether, once I stepped away from practice ownership, that world might slowly fade away.

Thankfully, the opposite has happened.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with some amazing organisations across the sector. I’ve chaired and judged awards, been on advisory panels and continued working with people who share my passion for patients, prevention and improving oral health.

It has allowed me to carry on doing what I love, just in a different way.

So, I’m honoured to have been included in the Dentistry Top 50 2026.

A huge thank you to everyone who put my name forward, and to Dentistry and Denplan for doing such a brilliant job of bringing the Top 50 together.

It has been a pleasure to remain part of this profession.

Plenty more to do. I can’t wait to crack on.

You can see everyone included in this year’s Top 50 here:

https://buff.ly/NvHl78p

B x

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Some awesome photos from the brilliant Anna at NHD Photography, capturing another great day with Philips Sonicare at Boo...
28/07/2026

Some awesome photos from the brilliant Anna at NHD Photography, capturing another great day with Philips Sonicare at Boots in Leeds.

A massive shoutout to Anna. Super-talented photographer and captured the conversations and energy of the day brilliantly.

You can find more of her work here:

Instagram: .fashionphoto and .uk
LinkedIn: Anna Shahriarpour

Thanks again to Philips Dental Professional UK & Ireland and Boots UK for a fantastic couple of days.

B x

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Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the oral care aisle at Boots UK in Leeds with Philips Dental Professional UK & Irelan...
25/07/2026

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the oral care aisle at Boots UK in Leeds with Philips Dental Professional UK & Ireland

After spending so much time away from direct patient conversations, I’d forgotten just how much I missed them.

Talking to people is what dentistry is all about.

Not overcomplicating things. Not lecturing. Simply helping people understand how the right products, combined with the right technique, can make preventing oral disease at home much easier.

We spoke about brushing slowly and gently, letting the brush do the work, and using simple tools to show where plaque is being missed.

I’ve worked with Philips for many years, and they continue to sit at the cutting edge of home oral healthcare. But even the best technology only works when people understand how to use it.

That’s why the patient communication side matters so much. A simple conversation can create a better habit, and better habits can create better health.

A big thank you to the team at Philips, including Lauren Ward, for organising the day, and Boots for hosting us.

And yes, I made the journey in a hired white Fiat 500. Apparently it suited me rather well - compact, practical and with just enough Italian style.

B x

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The deadline for the inaugural Dentistry DSO Awards has been extended.You now have until 23:59 on Sunday 26 July to subm...
22/07/2026

The deadline for the inaugural Dentistry DSO Awards has been extended.

You now have until 23:59 on Sunday 26 July to submit your entry.

These awards aren’t simply about recognising successful businesses. They’re about celebrating organisations that are making a measurable difference to patients, their teams and the future of dentistry.

From prevention and patient outcomes to innovation, workforce development and access to care, we want to hear from dental groups that are helping move the profession forward.

So, if your organisation is doing something you’re proud of, this is your final opportunity to share it.

We also have an excellent panel of judges, and I’m really looking forward to reviewing the submissions alongside them.

Download the entry kit and view the categories here:
https://buff.ly/pDK7O3U

"You're just happy you were there—with your eyes open." — Anthony BourdainAn amazing week in Sicily.Ancient temples, bus...
17/07/2026

"You're just happy you were there—with your eyes open." — Anthony Bourdain

An amazing week in Sicily.

Ancient temples, bustling markets, beautiful churches, incredible food, endless history and some truly stunning scenery.

I also spent much of the trip trying to convince myself I was a half-decent photographer.

So be honest...

Rate my photography skills out of 10 📸

(And bonus points if you can identify where some of these were taken!)

B x

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Less than one week remains to enter the inaugural Dentistry DSO Awards.These awards aren't simply about recognising succ...
13/07/2026

Less than one week remains to enter the inaugural Dentistry DSO Awards.

These awards aren't simply about recognising successful businesses. They're about celebrating organisations that are making a measurable difference to patients, their teams and the future of dentistry.

From prevention and patient outcomes to innovation, workforce development and access to care, we'll be looking for examples of dental groups that are helping move the profession forward.

If your organisation is doing something you're proud of, now is the time to share it.

📅 Entries close: Friday 17 July

Really looking forward to reviewing your submissions.

Enter here: https://bit.ly/49Sv2DQ

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07/07/2026

A huge part of leadership is learning not to take things personally.

That's easier said than done.

Whether you're leading a practice, a team, a business or a project, there will be times when people disagree with you, challenge your ideas, or point out something you've missed.

I've come to realise that those moments are often the most valuable.

The people closest to the delivery of care often see things that leaders don't.

Dental nurses.
Reception teams.
Therapists.
Hygienists.
Associates.

If we're serious about improving patient care, building better services and creating stronger teams, we need to listen to those perspectives.

Not defend ourselves against them.

One of the simplest leadership habits I've tried to develop over the years is saying:

"Thank you."

Thank you for the feedback.
Thank you for the challenge.
Thank you for highlighting something I hadn't considered.

The same applies when things go well.

Great teams aren't built on criticism alone. They're built on recognition, appreciation and making sure people know that their contribution matters.

And when people become fearful of giving feedback, organisations stop learning.

When organisations stop learning, improvement slows.

When improvement slows, patient care ultimately suffers.

The best teams create environments where people feel comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas and respectfully challenging one another.

That's how we learn.

That's how we improve.

And ultimately, that's how we deliver better care for patients.

A huge thank you again to Dr Rana Al-Falaki for having me on the Nail It Podcast.

The full conversation is available here - https://buff.ly/cds1XwC

B x

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The future of dentistry isn't about doing more dentistry.It's about creating healthier populations.For years, we've meas...
03/07/2026

The future of dentistry isn't about doing more dentistry.

It's about creating healthier populations.

For years, we've measured activity.

Appointments.
Fillings.
Extractions.
Root canal treatments.

But what if we started celebrating something different?

What if we measured:

• Fewer patients developing new disease.
• Improvements in plaque and bleeding scores across the whole patient population.
• Earlier intervention.
• Better patient compliance.
• More teeth retained for life.

The exciting thing is that much of this information already exists within our practice management systems.

I'd encourage practices to speak to their PMS provider and ask what preventive reporting is already available, or what could be developed.

Imagine having a monthly dashboard that showed:

• Disease prevalence across your patient population.
• Changes in plaque and bleeding scores over time.
• High-risk patient cohorts.
• Compliance with preventive recalls.
• The impact of new preventive initiatives.

That gives you something to measure, review as a team, and continuously improve.

Imagine reviewing your practice data each month and seeing disease levels falling across your patient population.

Imagine identifying trends early, spotting areas of risk, introducing new preventive approaches, and then measuring whether they actually work.

Now that's something worth celebrating.

Of course, this doesn't mean less dentistry.

Quite the opposite.

Healthier patients create opportunities to focus on the dentistry that improves quality of life, whether that's aesthetic treatment, restorative care, or helping people keep healthy mouths for decades to come.

It's a different way of thinking.

One where prevention isn't something we squeeze into appointments.

It's the backbone of how we deliver care.

For me, that's what the future of dentistry looks like.

B x

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