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In Bangalore, Mysore, Pune and Ahmedabad, you can have a dentist visit your home—bringing the dental chair along!
Doctors tell us every child should visit a dentist every 6 months while adults need a dental checkup at least once a year. Yet most of us neglect visits to the dentist till an emergency occurs -- like acute pain or a festering cavity.
Vivek Madappa, a serial entrepreneur and Dr Devaiah Mapangada, a reputed dentist trained in Switzerland, came together two years ago with a unique proposition: People are reluctant to go to the dentist. So why not have the dentist come to your home? You will immediately ask: What about the "Chair" -- that complicated contraption on which we lie spread-eagled while the dentist works with his drill ?
The duo came up with an inspired answer: they compacted the dentalchair and all the other apparatus into a suitcase, creating the first portable dental clinic.
They called their venture MobiDent and it has turned out to be a huge success. In Bangalore alone they have served 44,000 patients and have expanded to Mysore, Pune and Ahmedabad.
The charges are: Rs 1150 per annum per person, Rs 1750 per couple or Rs 2750 per family( up to 5) -- with two visits every year. For an average family it could work out to less than Rs 300 person for each visit. The annual plan also includes a ‘Mouth Spa’ twice a year, which includes deep cleaning; plaque & tartar removal using Titanium tipped ultrasonic painless scaler.
There are 33 dentists currently on board with MobiDent. Every dentist goes through a structured world class training in soft skills and technical skills at the MobiDent Academy for Dental Excellence (M.A.D.E). Only the best who have treated over 2000 patients and performed over 2500 procedures are qualified to offer treatment at home.
The founders have extended the business to other verticals including corporates and hospital chains. The compact model they have evolved is ideal for holding camps in areas badly served by dental care.
Earlier this year, this piece of quintessential jugaad or frugal innovation was honored as
best start-up idea by Royal Academy of Engineering London—The Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) under the aegis of IIM-Ahmedabad has recently invested in MobiDent. The company has already set its sights on serving patients elsewhere in South Asia and Africa.