Interview With Dr Chris Hardwicke in January 2015: Our Practice, People and Philosophies

Corinna Dental Group has been a part of the dental landscape in Canberra for many years. Dr. Jim Granger opened the premises in about 1973 in Corinna Chambers in Corinna Street. Dr Chris Hardwicke joined the practice in 1989. Both dentists worked together for a couple of years before Dr Hardwicke bought the practice from Dr Granger. Dr Hardwicke has owned the practice since about 1990-1991.

Since then the Corinna Dental Group has evolved into a multiple site operation. There are now three surgeries at three separate locations around Canberra. This has been as a result of growth within the practice and trying to offer every opportunity to meet the needs of Canberra locals.

The main practice, which is the flagship practice, is located in Corinna Chambers in Woden, adjacent to Woden Plaza. The second practice that was opened was out at the Brindabella Business Park, near the Canberra International Airport. And the third practice is down in Deakin, just south of the Royal Australian Mint and close to the John James Hospital.

Several dentists work within the practices, and they move from one practice to the other. Patients are able to see any of these dentists at any of the three locations.

Each dentist has certain elements of dentistry that they enjoy perhaps more than other elements. And so with such a large group of people with a degree of diversification between them, the dentists of the Corinna Dental Group cover many aspects of dentistry competently and within the group. As a result, there’s very rarely a need for people to be referred out of the practice for the majority of routine dental care.

The over-arching philosophy of the practice is that we try and treat patients in an empathic, caring environment and offer them the best clinical outcome that we can obtain. This has been the philosophy for a long period of time. As Dr Hardwicke reflected in this interview, “I think all the clinicians feel quite strongly that that’s what they’re trying to do.”