DR MEEKS

For Dr Jeffrey Meeks, smiles are serious business. He perfects them as an orthodontist at the orthodontic clinic, Island Smiles and in the same environment creates lasting ones through good customer service.

Dr Meeks acknowledges that while orthodontics is not life-saving work, the benefits are far-reaching and Jamaicans have become increasingly receptive.

"It's not only something that is good-looking but healthy at the same time," he said. Some of the benefits include reducing strain on the lips and tension in the face and neck caused by protruding teeth. This can produce myriad problems, from headaches to eating disorders.

"But of course it's something that people can opt not to do because they are not going to pass away because they didn't have braces," he explained.

But for a process that is time- consuming, as patients can have appointments up to every eight weeks, and a device which is lifestyle-altering, as they have to avoid certain foods in order to avoid damaging their braces, it can be intrusive. Not forgetting that the device alters a person's smile Dr Meeks said making the experience as pleasant as possible is the company's aim.

Highly motivated patients

"I deal with patients who are highly motivated, not people who are losing their teeth. And largely I deal with a nice age group, children between 10 and 20 are about 70 per cent of my patients and I deal with some adults too, so that I don't become a child myself," he quipped.

Because of its customer base, a blend of child-friendly and participatory customer service forms a great part of Island Smiles' image. A PlayStation game stands in the corner of the Hillcrest Avenue office. An underwater-themed mural colours one wall of the waiting room; a flat screen television broadcasting CNN is mounted on the opposite wall. The balance is further carried out with the contrast between child and adult seats within the same waiting room. Pictures of smiling young patients run in a slide show that reminds you that you can get two movie tickets if you recommend a patient. It's various prizes and opportunities for patients to see themselves reflected that keep patients happy, Dr Meeks said.

An interactive website gives tips not only about orthodontic concerns, but homework pointers for children and features high achievers in school. An in-house newsletter, Hotwire, is another forum in which clients are represented.

Customers can earn 'orthobucks', coupons which resemble Monopoly money, which can be used to purchase a variety of items such as phone cards, toys and water bottles. The prizes are priced and displayed so you can work towards a goal. Orthobucks can be earned for arriving on time to appointments and visiting your dentist.

The company also runs an annual calendar competition where patients can submit a drawing to represent the months of the year and win a prize if their work is selected.

State-of-the-art facilities

Some members of the Island Smiles team (from left), Margaret Brown, Dr Jeffrey Meeks, Kevin McKay and Justin Lopez, in the Hillcrest office. - photos by Norman Grindley/chief Photographer

But fun aside, Dr Meeks said that their state-of-the-art facilities. Customers check themselves in on a touch-screen computer; each patient gets a call from a computer to remind him/her of appointments, with an option to reschedule.

However, the human touch is not missing. When new customers call the office, they deal with one of only three persons who handle new clients.

On the client's first day he/she is taken on a tour of the facility by a treatment coordinator who will also prepare the client to see one of the two orthodontists, Dr Meeks, or his partner, Dr Gail-Ann Allen. The coordinator takes pictures of the teeth before the doctor enters the room and that person is knowledgeable enough to answer the patients' questions.

"We want to make the whole experience pleasant and for prospective patients to be treated well, because, like it or not, orthodontics is an expensive thing. So therefore, when you come in, you know you will be spending a fair amount of money and you want to have a good experience. So you want them to come and be treated like they are special," Dr Meeks said.

Island Smiles is located at 20 Hillcrest Avenue, Kingston 6, tel: 927-9467/5552 or 356-2637 (emergencies). Website:www.islandsmiles.com

Invisalign braces, as Dr Meeks explains, offer a clear option for patients.

Take a turn on this PlayStation game in the waiting room of Island Smiles. The orthodontic office tries to keep its customers satisfied.

Magaret Brown (left) and Sandra Stephenson, scheduling coordinator, explain the check-in process for patients at Island Smiles.