Charlestown, Nevis, June 11, 2019 (DBSKN) — Persons in Nevis, St. Kitts, and the neighbouring islands now have choices that can help them smile with confidence. Nevis-based dental company Caribbean Smiles has recently partnered with the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis and is offering ‘service to smile about’.
Caribbean Smiles, owned by Dental Technician Mr Angelo Le Blanc, had been operating from rented premises at Keys Complex in Cedar Trees, Charlestown, since 1996. The company has since expanded, and in April last year moved into a much bigger and own building in Ramsbury Site, also in Charlestown.
“When we finished (the building), the problem was getting it equipped,” noted Mr Le Blanc. “I secured a loan from the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis for equipment and office partitioning which were sourced from China. They were pretty helpful and the loan was approved in 2017 and equipment arrived here in January of last year, and we started here on April 1, 2018.”
At the time when Mr Le Blanc approached the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis, it was giving out loans to local businesses through the second phase of the popular Fresh Start Programme. The original phase had been launched in September 2015 by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance with responsibility for the Development Bank, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris.
“The Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis has a mandate to promote economic growth and development by providing financial and advisory services to viable ventures,” noted Ms Corliss Wilkinson, Credit Analyst at the bank’s Nevis branch. “The fact that Caribbean Smiles was a successful dental services venture, the bank took a decision to partner with it by way of providing financial services through our Fresh Start Programme.”
Caribbean Smiles employs two fulltime dentists, and two on a part time basis. Coming in two days a week is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who does more facial reconstruction, nose, mouth and working as a general dentist; while an orthodontist comes in two Saturdays in a month.
The move to Ramsbury had its teething problems as both old and new clients had difficulties locating the new premises. But after a signpost was erected outside the new building Mr Le Blanc noted that “people have been finding us.”
Caribbean Smiles is popular and the reason, according to Mr Le Blanc, is: “We still maintain the lowest price dental service you get in the Federation, and we have clients coming from St. Maarten, and from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Although there are quite a few dentists in St. Kitts we still get clients coming from St. Kitts.”
Originally from Dominica, the Dental Technician observed that customer satisfaction has led to patient referral and is doing wonders for Caribbean Smiles especially in St. Maarten and the British Virgin Island where he says that they have not done any advertisement. He sees it as the start of a lucrative medical tourism because when the dental patients come to Nevis they will need food and accommodation.