Clydesdale Bank funding puts Scottish dental chain in good health

Brian McMillan and Iain Maudsley, longstanding owners of St. Leonards Dental Practice in East Kilbride, recently took over Bannockburn Dental Practice and Bankhouse Dental Care in Airdrie. In addition to offering new services at the sites the pair have relocated Bankhouse Dental Care to a new, more prominent pavement-level site on Airdrie’s High Street. Previously, it was on the first floor and as well as being less visible was also inaccessible to some patients.

The deal, which is creating new jobs and enable the registration of more patients, was delivered by Jim Wales, relationship manager at Clydesdale Bank’s Lanarkshire Business and Private Banking Centre in East Kilbride.

Mr Wales said: “Acquiring our Bannockburn and Airdrie sites is a big step forward for us. Since taking over the clinics we have introduced new services including dental implants and we’re creating high quality jobs. One of our dentists at Bannockburn has gone from being part time to full time and we’re advertising for a third dentist in Airdrie.

“We’re also extremely pleased that we are able to offer local communities greater access to dental services. In Bannockburn we are increasing the number of patients we treat from 6,700 to 9,000 and in Airdrie we’re increasing our patients from 8,000 to 10,000.

“We are grateful to Clydesdale Bank for facilitating our expansion and providing ongoing support. Being a full time dentist and running a number of clinics as a business is a challenge but Clydesdale Bank’s knowledgeable staff have eased the pressure by offering first class advice and support.”

Mr Wales added: “Brian and Iain have built a first class reputation for providing quality dental services and it is extremely rewarding to see them expand and thrive. The dental sector plays an important role in Scottish healthcare, with practices offering an increasingly diverse range of services to local communities.

“Clydesdale Bank has extensive experience of working with businesses in the dental industry, and we remain keen to support high quality, ambitious operators with strong business plans.”