An insider’s guide to making key investments during your Foundation Training

CGDent NextGen Ambassador, Dr Choudhury Rahman, made some important investments during Foundation Training and shares his advice about investing wisely.

Ahhhh… the feeling of getting your first pay cheque as a dentist. Nothing quite beats that feeling! After five years of grafting in dental school, you are finally being remunerated for your hard work. Not only that, if you haven’t earned any money during the current tax year, you won’t have tax deducted from your pay cheque for the first month or two! I’m sure many of you reading will be thinking of the holidays you want to plan or the new car you want to buy for yourself, but there are some key things that I recommend you invest in early to help you get the most out of your Dental Foundation Training (DFT), and set you up for the rest of your career in dentistry!

1. Loupes
   
   If you haven’t already got a pair of loupes, I cannot stress enough the importance of buying some. The initial investment may seem steep, costing upwards of £2,000 for a good quality pair, but the return on investments is enormous. I got my loupes during 5th year of undergrad, and they have transformed the way I practice dentistry. I used to dread doing certain treatments because I just couldn’t see the fine details in certain procedures such as root canal treatments or crown preparations, however after getting loupes, these are now treatments I actually enjoy, and am able to do at a higher quality. Not only that, I have found my posture has greatly improved, especially since my loupes are refractive. To summarise, getting loupes will make your general dentistry more enjoyable, better quality, and potentially elongate your career by looking after your neck, shoulders, and back! I personally use the Bryant dental 3.8x Refractive loupes.
   

2. Camera
   
   One of the first things I put money aside for was my own camera. Many of the training practices will have a camera lying about somewhere, but having your own is much better. You can set it up, and leave it so you can easily and quickly take pictures whenever you need to. Photography is mega important in dentistry for several reasons. Firstly, it supports patient consent. By showing the patient what their teeth look like, and exactly the issues you are seeing, they are better informed in their decision-making, thus ensuring the consent you have obtained is valid. In addition to this, having before and after pictures for treatments is very useful medico-legally if you find yourself in some hot water (make sure your camera’s date and time settings are correct). Lastly, and most importantly, by taking pictures of your work, you can reflect on the good and bad things, finding ways to improve your work and develop as you go along. A bonus of having pictures of your work is that it enables you to compile a portfolio that you can use to show patients and future employers what you are capable of.
   
   It may seem daunting at first when trying to figure out exactly which photography equipment to buy, as I found out for myself. To break it down, most camera set-ups will require a body, lens, and flash. My own build consists of the Canon 2000D body, 105mm Sigma lens with a Sigma ring flash (Pictured below). This is by no means the best set-up, however it’s a good place to start if you want to get into dental photography!

3. Income protection
   
   I’m sure many of you guys reading will remember the Wesleyan finance lectures from undergrad – I think most of us will have attended just for the free food and goodies. At the start of your career, you will think and feel like you are invincible, but you never know what life will throw at you which could cause you to put your tools down. I recently sprained my wrist and didn’t anticipate how much impact this would have on my work. Thankfully I recovered quickly and fully, but imagine if you had a serious injury, accident, or decline in health. If dentistry was your only source of income, and you had dependents/bills to pay, you would be under immense stress trying to stop the ship from sinking. By having income protection, if life throws a curve ball at you, you will be in a better position to manage financially, allowing you to focus on yourself and getting back to work. As a Foundation Trainee, the NHS will provide some form of sick pay for a limited period, but by having an additional income protection, if for whatever reason you had an extended period off work, you could be paid a certain % of your earnings until retirement age. It is one of those things to have, which you hope don’t need to use it, but is there if you do!
   
   
4. Membership of the College of General Dentistry
   
   As I spent my time going through Foundation Training, I felt more and more unsure of what I want to do with my career. I applied for Dental Core Training (DCT), but felt as though I enjoyed working in general practice. However, I knew that I wanted to continue expanding my skills through postgraduate training. That’s where the College of General Dentistry is really helpful. They provide an excellent framework to help you navigate the world of being an associate in general practice, helping you develop the knowledge and skills you require to progress your career in dentistry and foster a commitment to lifelong learning.
   

These are only some of the things which I recommend you invest in for yourself. There are many more investments you will make over your career such as your own equipment, materials and postgraduate training. You don’t have to do them all at once, or at the beginning. Don’t make yourself feel like you are behind if you see your colleagues or friends having invested in more of these things than you. Dentistry is not a race; you should learn, improve, invest and develop at your own pace. At the centre of this all is providing the best care possible for your patients, whilst also looking after yourself.

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