Sarah Mourtos Mint*d is unlike any dentist you have seen before.
More than half of Australians are regularly avoiding a trip to the dentist. However, would this be the case if a checkup on the pearly whites was more like getting a massage or haircut? If it was an experience that is enjoyable and easy?
Leah Elder seems to think so. She is the manager of Mint*d, the new dental hygiene and concept studio in Westfield Miranda, and there are plans to open a location in Bondi Junction. Mint*d is unlike any dentist you have seen before, with its youthful branding and wellness-studio like reception. There is even a retail space and bar.
“It’s quite different from a lot of traditional dentists. We offer complimentary teas and drinks on arrival and stock a new brand called Swirl It, which we are testing out. It’s all about oral care and great tasting drinks,” Elder said.
Mint*d was born out of the desire to change people’s perception of dentistry. For younger generations, going to the dentist is viewed as something you did with your parents after school every six months says Elder. It’s not a habit many continued into adulthood, and that is when it can become an issue. Dentistry is predominantly a preventative health measure rather than corrective.
“Younger demographics are now all about self-care and looking after their mental health and fitness. Why can’t we infiltrate that with oral hygiene as well?,” Elder said.
Run by a team of clinically trained and qualified dental health professionals, Mint*d is far from anything you’d expect from a traditional dental practice. For starters, there is not a crusty magazine or drab waiting room in sight. The space is light, airy, and the personality is palpable. The experience is seamless from check-in, which can be done electronically, to treatment. Patients have access to their records via an online portal, and the services are clear-cut and transparent. They know what they are getting well before they sit in the chair, whether it’s a fifteen-minute stain removal or an one hour consult on teeth straightening.
Elder says she is hoping to change the category to encompass more of a wellness approach to oral health. Through clever branding, Mint*d is reinventing a trip to the dentist as something fun and fulfilling.
“People have their routines, especially women. They will do their tanning or nails on a Thursday night. We have never stopped to think what about dentistry? Can we do an express clean every fortnight or month to avoid having a big dental treatment that can be costly down the line?”
“We want to encourage people to think about dentistry as more of a preventative matter, and we did that by creating a studio, an experience and a brand that appeals to that idea,” she concludes.
