As a little girl, my aunt who was a GP always used to visit and tell us stories of her time in practice helping people. I was in awe of her and I thought I would like to do a similar job but with no on call nights. Neither of my parents had been to university, so I did my own research. My dentist was a down to earth, friendly, pleasant person, and I felt I could imagine myself doing the job.
I qualified in Liverpool University where I had some lovely tutors. I did my F1 training year in Peacehaven, Brighton. Whilst working in general practice, I decided I wanted to improve my skills and offer more. I studied part-time, as I had two young children and had moved to the midlands. I studied at the Eastman, UCL - restorative diploma with a special interest in endodontics. I got a distinction in dental materials in 2005. This changed my life. I have also trained in complaints handling over years. I found the evidence-based dentistry course at Oxford useful. I believe in learning and continual development - I do believe every day is a school day!
As a dentist working in three different places I have a lot of variation which is lovely. The best thing about my roles is to input into my profession and to try and make a difference, however small. In my job as a dentist in general practice, to see a patient be grateful after you have helped them is always a good feeling. It has been nice to see patients and families over the years and look after them. It’s great to be part of a good team. I love prevention and maintaining oral health.
I have been teaching at Birmingham Dental School since 2007 which is a real pleasure and privilege. I feel like I am giving something back, as I remember how much I appreciated all my helpful teachers. It has been lovely to help final year students, to develop and grow. It is nice to see them later doing well in practice/hospital/receive prizes. They are always so grateful. I always believe everyone has a niche, sometimes it takes a little longer to find. I have an interest in bone and medications and enjoy teaching about this subject too.
I also work in a different region, looking after two practices as a non-executive clinical director. This involves a lot of different skills, problem solving, staff guidance, working with individuals and in teams. I have loved this leadership role, and watching the teams develop is fantastic.
The most challenging part of the job is that I am generally a perfectionist and balancing this is important.
If I am in general practice I see all age ranges of patients. I arrive early and log onto the computer and see my day appointments. My nurse prepares the room. I perform a variety of procedures from check- ups, treatment planning, emergency appointments such as traumas, gum visits, fillings, root fillings, extractions, work involving a dental lab (e.g. crowns, bridges, veneers, dentures), tooth whitening etc. I liaise with the dental labs, ringing them to discuss cases. I work with my nurse who helps assisting with procedures, checking my lab work is there and with all the cleaning and sterilisation.
At the dental school we usually have a tutorial in the morning with the students and two colleagues. This can range from a variety of topics, and the students often prepare beforehand. After this the students bring in their patients for treatment and we supervise them on clinics and sometimes sit to take over. We mark the students on iPads, discuss treatments, and give them feedback.
As a non-executive clinical director I arrive early, often before 9am. I work with a lovely, friendly team who have small pre-meetings for discussing a variety of topics e.g. spreadsheets, any problems, staffing, dental materials, courses, development of team members, strategy, and planning. There is a lot of problem solving and lateral thinking involved which I love. Then we head into the practices. I have 1 to 1 meetings/appraisals with individual dentists and discuss if they are struggling with anything. We look at audits. I work with the team to see how we can help improve what they are doing. We usually have a lunchtime clinical meeting with the dentists and the hygienist. I like to ensure prevention for patients is the top of the agenda, and like to involve the hygienist. We try and look at various topics per clinical meeting and ensure the hygienist and dentists can raise any issues if they want to. I then look at other general issues and appropriate solutions.
As in every type of job, there will be good and bad days. You have to look at bad days, especially early on in your career, as a learning experience rather than too much self-criticism which can be soul destroying. Look at negative experiences as an opportunity to improve. I know I truly care about my patients, and most patients will appreciate you trying to help them to achieve better oral health. It does not matter where you work, so long as you can develop and are happy. Try to do your postgraduate courses earlier on if at all possible, never stop learning, join dental societies, and find your passion. Remember to try and keep fit and find a new hobby, as dentistry can be stressful if there is no outlet.
If you are considering studying dentistry, make sure you are not put off by blood or saliva. If you like routine, then dentistry is ideal. If you are happy working indoors (great when we have freezing winter days) and if you like talking to and helping people it’s a good job. Make sure you see a dentist in action - talk to your own dentist about the pros and cons of becoming a dentist. However, what might bother one person may not affect you. Do not do dentistry just because someone tells you to. It involves a lot of hard work and possible stress - it is important to enjoy your degree and job.