Welcome to What I Wish I Knew by Dental Head Start. This is a podcast where we learn from people that have been there, made the mistakes, learnt the lessons and have developed into the accomplished dental professionals they are today.

It’s your weekly mentoring session.

Hosted by Erica Hwin

So you’ve gotten yourself into a little bit of a sticky situation and received a complaint…now what? Now, fingers crossed this never actually happens to any of us, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry, to be informed and to have all our bases covered. 

Harry Nicolaidis is one of Australia’s leading alternative dispute and litigation lawyers, and assists health practitioners and dental practice owners across a wide range of issues. In this episode, we talk about what to do and perhaps more importantly, what not to do when faced with a complaint. We talk about the protocols we should have in place to look after ourselves and our patients, and who our first point of call ought to be.

Litigation is a scary part of dentistry, but at the end of the day, there is a wide support network around us that we can tap into. You don’t have to face it alone. 


Harry Nicolaidis

Harry Nicolaidis is a partner at K&L Gates, a global law firm with a strong Australian footprint with 67 partners and more than 200 lawyers. He has gained the confidence and trust of many health practitioners and dental practice owners with his ability to identify and minimise their legal risks and resolve their legal issues when they arise.

Harry assists health practitioners and dental practice owners across a wide range of issues, including the preparation and implementation of Services and Facilities Agreements, the acquisition and disposal of interests in dental practices, contractual disputes, the enforceability of restraint of trade obligations, breach of confidentiality and breach of warranty claims. 

He has practised in New South Wales and Queensland in State and Federal Courts for more than 30 years. Harry has significant experience in employing various methods of alternative dispute resolution including arbitration, mediation, and facilitated negotiation in order to achieve commercial and cost effective outcomes for clients.

Harry has presented at various forums on a range of topics affecting clients in the dental profession, including on issues arising in relation to different types of contracts, breach of obligations, damages and other remedies.


RIPE Global

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As a student or new grad, CPD can be expensive. The cost of the course itself, flight tickets, accomodation, and finding time amidst clinic, lectures and exams can be a lot. 

Thankfully, our friends at RIPE global have got you covered. RIPE global offers an education platform with hundreds of hours of lectures, hands-on procedures and recordings of live content from their full day courses – all of which you can access from the comfort of your own home. In a market flooded with online content, RIPE Global sits head and shoulders above the rest. Enjoy some of the most useful yet professionally created online content anywhere in the world.

From now until September 1st, you can use our code HEADSTARTRIPE30 to get 30% off the annual membership AND go in the running to win a spot at RipeGlobal’s Crown Prep Bootcamp where you’ll spend a whole day drilling crown prep exercises until you’re confident! 

Get 30% off the membership for life – use the code “HEADSTARTRIPE30” 


Principle Practice Management Software 

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Cloud based dental software, rethought from the ground up for 2021 and beyond. Finally, an intelligent platform that optimises every process and workflow from scheduling to treatment planning to account management.

Designed for intuitiveness, Principle offers seamless interconnectivity between patients, appointments, staff, tasks, notes, meetings, labs and more. This means fewer clicks, fuller books, faster communication, nothing slipping through the cracks and greater business transparency. 

Principles of best practice embedded in software design to keep your team lean and your time productively occupied.

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