Our #pledge in 3 words?
Prevention. Prevention. Prevention.
The CHD’s reason for being is to make dental hygiene and prevention accessible to all.
Pioneers in preventive dentistry
Prevention has never been as important in general medicine. It limits the emergence of diseases and prevents their development. And yet, only one medical discipline still ignores prevention: our own, dentistry.
So far, there are no specific public health objectives for dental care, and the figures speak for themselves:
After the introduction of toothpaste and fluoride salt in the 1950s, there was a marked reduction in cavities. But despite an increase in the density of dentists since the 2000s, the cavity rate hasn’t fallen any more, and even increased slightly in the early 2000s.
Why? While there’s no single reason for this stagnation, we think that our way of looking at dental care must change:
Dentists need to change their working methods so that hygienists no longer play a supporting role, relegated to serving as “tartar removers”. And if other dentists won’t do this, then we will!
All studies show that most diseases and complications from oral pathologies can be avoided through prevention and proper oral hygiene. It’s time to give patients control over their oral health so they’ll never have to go through endless dental treatments again: a preventive rather than a curative approach.
This was the philosophy, founded on a clear public health objective, that inspired us to open the CHD in April 2016.
We have a two-part approach:
Prioritizing preventive treatment
By placing hygienists at the heart of dental care: less tartar means fewer bacteria, which means fewer dental problems!
Helping patients appreciate dental medicine
By offering clear, complete care they understand in a warm and relaxed environment. We’re modernizing the dental field, even breaking the codes of your typical dental office: a cosy décor, relaxed atmosphere, and extra attention to our patients… These details matter to us!
Who are we?
We’re neither an investment fund nor financial specialists. We’re just Thainara, Sofian and Robin, a dental assistant and 2 dentists (you’ll see us at the clinic every day) who are passionate about prevention and epidemiology and strongly believe that dentistry can do better than austere clinics focused on never-ending treatments.
We are convinced that dentistry has better to offer than austere dental clinics based on repeated overpriced treatments.
Needless to say, this different vision of dentistry was hard to explain to the banks when it came to finding funds for our first clinic!
Our history
Geneva
This different vision of dentistry was hard to explain to banks when we needed funding to open our first clinic! We had to rely on student loans and organizations such as the FAE (Fondation d’aide aux entreprises) to open our first clinic on 8 April 2016 at Rue de Lausanne 65 in Geneva.
Lausanne
Thanks to all the patients who loved this preventive concept, we got off to a flying start: after only 2 years, we were ready to open our second clinic in Lausanne!
Meyrin and Yverdon-les-Bains
We did it again two years later, opening the CHD in Meyrin in 2020, followed by Yverdon-Nord Vaudois in 2021.
And since we like to do things differently, we made sure to accompany this rapid expansion with a unique protocol to ensure the quality of the treatments we provide.
Once a month, we work with clinic managers to examine all our practitioners’ consultations. This “quality control” ensures that we offer clear, transparent, and standardized service. Though this verification is time-consuming, we’re committed to providing our patients with a treatment plan that is adapted to their needs and financial means.
Though some imperfections remain, we’re always looking to improve. This is why we’re eager for your feedback to become even better!
Our pledge
We also support organizations that share our values or have prevention initiatives.
Pink October
Each year, we donate part of our profits to the Vaud Cancer League in October (called “pink October”) and all our staff change their uniforms to inform our patients about prevention, in whatever form.
Carbon emissions
Similarly, we buy back our carbon emissions for the products we use that aren’t available in Switzerland, such as surgical masks.
Red Cross
We’ve also created fun t-shirts that educate patients about prevention, with part of the proceeds going directly to the Red Cross.
Blood donations
And we’re putting the final touches on a collaboration with the HUG for blood donations—more on that soon!
Patouch
In collaboration with the “Patouch” Association, the CHD is committed to preventing violence against children. We donate 5% of our profits with CHD KIDS to Patouch.
If there’s a not-for-profit organization you’d like us to support, let us know: we’re always looking for new philanthropic projects!
We know that public health isn’t a very exciting topic. But if we can make even a small impact on the community, we’ll have s쳮ded in changing dental medicine by promoting a preventive rather than curative approach, as is already the case in human medicine.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our patients, without whom none of this would have been possible, as well as our clinical staff who continue to inspire us with their professionalism and endless enthusiasm!
See you soon,
Teeth & Love
