Interview with...

Suddenly, you had colleagues?

“Exactly. We started with two dentists and two treatment rooms. The practice quickly grew to seven treatment rooms and just as many dentists. It was a fantastic time.”

“I built up a loyal patient base there. I’d see couples who had just started dating come back later as a family with children. Entire families would come to us for dental care. Along the way, I’d hear their stories about travels, education, hobbies... and, of course, their cars. That last topic was always a favorite of mine.” (laughs)

And now here you are?

“Not quite; there was an important phase in between. Together with two colleagues, I started an emergency dental practice in the Netherlands. We took over emergency dental care for dentists in the Eindhoven region, so they no longer had to handle on-call duties themselves on a permanent basis.”

“At first, we invested our own money and just hoped the initiative would catch on. And it did. We had clearly identified a gap in the market. Eventually, about 600 dentists joined us, and we had two locations.”

“It was a fascinating time. During the day, we treated patients who couldn't get an appointment with their own dentist—tourists or expats suffering from toothache, minor dental trauma, a detached retainer wire, or some other urgent issue.”

“But the real emergencies came in the evening. That’s when we dealt with situations involving accidents, altercations, post-operative bleeding... You never knew what might come through the door.”

“Do you want to see some photos?”

“Er... no, that’s not necessary.”

(laughs) “All the while, I was also working a few days a week at an ultra-modern practice in Oud-Turnhout.”

Were you taking on too much?

“That’s right. By nature, I’m actually a calm person who doesn’t get angry easily. But during a holiday, a colleague called me about a trivial issue at the emergency clinic, and I reacted much more sharply than usual. That’s when I realized: something wasn’t right. As we say in Belgium: I wasn't on the right track.”

“My wife had warned me about it plenty of times, of course. But you know how it is... sometimes you have to come to that realization yourself,” he says with a smile. That was a turning point. We had to reorganize our lives. I stepped away from the out-of-hours clinic and worked only during the day—a few days a week—in Oud-Turnhout. We once again enjoyed our holidays in Spain and quiet evenings together, and we got our social life back.

And then came Spain?

“During our holidays in Spain, we met some Dutch people who later became friends. It was through them that we heard Hans’s story.”

“And gradually, I felt a new urge stirring. The entrepreneur in me wanted to build something again, yet also desired a slower pace of life. I longed for a better balance: working with passion while enjoying the sun, the pleasant climate, and the relaxed, friendly Spanish atmosphere we had come to know so well over years of holidays.”

“And that’s how we ended up here.”

What does the future hold?

“My wife Nikki and I are preparing the practice for the future, step by step. Not just by painting the walls and installing new equipment, but also by investing in digitalization, administration, and modern care processes.”

“Our goal is simple: to continue providing patients with the same personal attention and high-quality care that Hans offered for so many years. And the best part is: my passion for the profession is well and truly back.”

Has Hans stopped working completely?

“No. Hans remains involved and still performs certain procedures on Mondays, such as placing implants.”

Those are big shoes to fill?

“That’s true. Fortunately, Hans and I share the same vision: high quality, personal care, and excellent service.”

“Our patients can rest assured. They will continue to receive the same trusted care they’ve always known.”