And the winner is...

Dr Susan Nadebaum, a dental therapist who practised for 19 years before returning to university at the age of 39 to complete her dental degree, is the winner of the $120,000 surgery makeover contest sponsored by Halas Dental and Medifit.

"I can't believe I've won; I'm stunned," said Dr Nadebaum immediately after the win was sprung on her in the middle of a staff meeting by Halas Dental representatives Geoff Parkes, Jenny Willson and Kristie Hill, together with Mr Joseph Allbeury from Australasian Dental Practice.

The practice manager of Jetty Road Dental Care in the Adelaide suburb of Glenelg, Ms Sandy Chryssidis, had been taken into confidence two weeks prior while the clandestine plan to present the prize was hatched. Mr Parkes and Mr Allbeury subsequently flew to Adelaide the night before, ready to interrupt the practice's Thursday morning staff meeting and training session.

The group gathered in the morning chill outside the practice with the obligatory super-sized cheque for $120,000 waiting to be discretely let in. Dr Nadebaum was completely taken by surprise as she sat in the corner of the staff room with the 15 other members of the team, wondering who all these new faces were.

Wonderment quickly turned into surprise as she realised that an event as life-changing as returning to dental school mid-life was about to be thrust upon her. The entire practice clapped and cheered and shared in their colleagues surprise; even the other dentists at the practice were unaware.

"I'm just so excited," Dr Nadebaum later repeated from the more cramped and somewhat dated surrounds of the treatment room that had been the inspiration for her entry in the contest. "I've wanted to change this room since I got here four years ago and now I have the chance."

Coincidentally, Dr Nadebaum is in the final stages of negotiating to become a partner in the practice so the timing of the win was perfect. Jetty Road Dental Care is the only practice she has worked at since graduating as a dentist in 2000 from Adelaide University.

"I was a dental therapist for 19 years and I enjoyed it very much but I knew there was so much more. I really love dentistry and it is truly my passion. My husband and I have three girls and when I turned 39, we thought the kids were at a stage where I could go back to university. It was really a case of now or never and I've never looked back," Dr Nadebaum said.

"Winning this prize will change my life and I'm just so happy. I thought when I entered I might have a reasonable shot at winning if the judges could see my passion and how much I love dentistry but when I realised there were 450 entries, I didn't think much of my chances.

"We only entered at the last minute and my husband was flying overseas and I made him quickly take the photo and he helped with the design. He's going to be over the moon about me winning this as he was the one who totally supported me while I went back to school. You can't make a 5-year commitment to university with a family unless you have that support.

"I was also very fortunate to find this great practice to work at. The staff, other dentists and partners are all great people and very supportive. We're one big happy family. It's great that the prize includes something for everyone as they are all very deserving as well."

As the months after she entered ticked on, Dr Nadebaum was convinced she had no chance of winning as she was unaware that the judging process was so arduous that the announcement had to be delayed.

"As one of the judges, I can vouch for the fact that selecting a winner was no easy task," said Mr Joseph Allbeury, publisher of Australasian Dental Practice. "There were so many deserving people who entered and as a judge, we each had to select the best three in each state and the ones we considered to be the best overall. It literally took a couple of months for all the entries to be rotated around Australia and New Zealand to all the judges. Each judge then sent in their choices individually. We didn't just sit around and choose a winner cooperatively on a Saturday afternoon; each entry was evaluated separately by each of the six judges. At the end of the day, Dr Nadebaum's entry received the most votes from the most judges."

The surgery makeover contest was a joint promotion between Halas Dental Limited and specialist dental design and construct company, Medifit. The first prize roughly equates to $75,000 worth of new equipment from Halas and $45,000 worth of design and building work from Medifit. New uniforms and day spa visits were also included for the staff.

"The surgery makeover contest is the most successful promotion we have ever undertaken at Halas," Mr Parkes, the equipment sales manager Australasia for Halas, said. "The response we received was incredible overall and it culminated today with the look of total surprise and joy on Dr Nadebaum's face. I also got to see first hand how much of a difference this will make to the practice and Dr Nadebaum in particular.

"We now have to plan in conjunction with Medifit and the practice to 'deliver' on the prize and customise a solution that caters to Dr Nadebaum's exact needs. It will be an exciting process and I am personally looking forward to seeing the results."

"We have worked with many dentists in Adelaide already to design and build practices," said Mr Sam Koranis, managing director of Medifit. "We're looking forward to our first meeting with Dr Nadebaum and the partners at the practice to begin designing a solution to their specifications. It is always a challenge to complete partial renovations of working practices and Medifit are uniquely placed to ensure the work will be completed as smoothly as possible."

The results of Dr Nadebaum's surgery makeover will be featured in a subsequent edition of Australasian Dental Practice once the work is completed.

Dr Nadebaum's WINNING entry:

At the age of 39, with three young children, and 19 years as a dental therapist I decided to become a dentist.

Five years later in 2001, and dux of the dental school, I accepted my first position. A great practice with great staff and great patients. My surgery however is far from great. Originally used as a spare surgery, I struggle with lack of space and contort to work around the poorly designed chair that is nearly as old as I am. My trolley has constant mechanical breakdowns and occupies valuable floor space.

While many of my colleagues at this stage of their life may be looking to 'wind down', I am rearing to go. I need the inspiration of excellent equipment.

I'm in for the 'long haul' as an associate. I need to focus on my work without the constant dilemma of faulty equipment, cramped space and back-breaking working position.