College of General Dentistry Student Advice

From rubber dam isolations to social isolation: a dental student’s perspective

Angela Li, first year MChD student at the University of Leeds, shares advice on successful online learning from home.

The unprecedented coronavirus pandemic is having a large effect on dental student life, impacting on our studies, social life and wellbeing.

I spent the first few weeks worried and unproductive, not knowing what tomorrow could bring and constantly being bombarded with news updates and anxious messages from fellow students. We were worried about missing clinical experience, unsure about whether to go home or remain in university accommodation and wondering if summer exams would be cancelled. Around the same time as all of this, we also received our February exam results – some students had the added stress of resits and hoping they could still progress to next year.

Unlike students on most other courses, non-final year dental students are still waiting to hear if and how exams will still take place. This seems bothersome but makes sense when we remember our clinical responsibility and professional accreditation requirements. It is tempting to delay revision until further exam clarification is given, but this may only increase future stress, since we will need to learn the material sooner or later. As the next generation of dentists, we should study not only for the sake of exams, but for our own clinical competency and most importantly, for our patients.

Universities have migrated to online learning, and although this allows for greater learning flexibility, it is much easier to get distracted at home and lose our sense of routine. Many of us are accustomed to revising in the library with fewer disturbances and structuring our day around attending lectures and other activities. It has taken time to adjust my learning habits, but I have found these changes beneficial in terms of improving my mindset and productivity.

Here are a couple of my top tips to help you make the most of your home learning:

1) Be organised
Creating a to-do list is a great way of organising your tasks. I also find it useful to assign specific tasks to each section of the day (early/later morning, afternoon and evening), rather than to rigid time slots, allowing you to organise each section in your day as you go along. Setting up a distraction-free work zone at home is a key part in allowing for focused work, and I find productivity apps that use the pomodoro technique particularly effective.

2) Be proactive!
I’ve recently discovered a world of online dental webinars and Instagram live sessions led by top clinicians. Topics range from digital dentistry to facial aesthetics and from implants to biomimetics, which are highly exciting areas often not taught at undergraduate level. For webinars, I recommend signing up for the ‘Lockdown 2020’ series organised by Dr Clive Schmulian and the weekly Smile Dental Academy webinars. These can encourage the discovery of new interests within the field of dentistry and significantly helps to increase motivation.

In these uncertain times, it’s important to not get overwhelmed by all the changes around us. Instead, we would benefit from using this time as an opportunity for learning, personal growth, and setting goals for our next academic year. Before we know it, we’ll be back in dental school fitting rubber dams to phantom heads in no time.

Author bio

I am currently a first year MChD student and dental year representative at the University of Leeds. Through my experiences so far, I have developed an interest in Restorative Dentistry, and I would like to explore this area further through undertaking work shadowing, attending courses and getting involved with academia. Following graduation, I would like to gain experience as a Dental Core Trainee.

In my free time, I enjoy playing badminton, hiking and travelling.

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in July 2020 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Finding your feet in fitness and well-being whilst studying dentistry

Sumeet Sandhu, fourth year BDS student at Peninsula Dental School, gives you some advice about looking after yourself and staying fit whilst studying.

As dental students, we can easily get caught up in our studies that we can forget to look after ourselves. By being in our ‘dental school bubble’, we tend to dismiss the other opportunities available to us from being at University, such as joining a club. 

Well-being does not have to be a chore, and you do not have to be a gym-junkie either. Health, fitness and well-being gets put into this ‘box’ so easily that it becomes an unattractive stigma to some people, because they don’t want to be ‘that person’. Don’t get me wrong, I love wearing all the stereotypical sports club kit, but not to show-off; more-so I am proud to be part of another community, and want to encourage others to consider trying it too. 

We have all heard about the worst pain in dentistry – back pain! Staying active can strengthen our muscles to withstand and counteract the long periods of sitting down, as well as improving our posture. 

Not only this, but the mindset that accompanies exercise when it comes to persistence and endurance will be beneficial in long days on clinic to build adaptability in times of physical and mental stress in our careers. 

Undoubtedly, we will be faced with busy clinics and lecture days in which lunch may be forgotten or dismissed. In times like these, it is important to know what energy-dense nutritious food will be able to keep us going, even if it is a quick snack in-between patients (within your 4 acid attacks a day, of course).

Staying fit in body and mind whilst studying can have many benefits; namely its ability to decrease stress and anxiety- something we are all too familiar with in our demanding course. It enables you to escape the world of dentistry for a few hours a week, speak to people outside of our profession and gain transferrable skills.

Here are my top tips on improving your physical and mental well-being whilst studying dentistry, but also for beyond…

Make it sustainable 
Your health should be a priority, but this does not mean it becomes your only focus. Studying dentistry alone provides a busy schedule, and you want to be able to make a lifestyle choice, not an item on a checklist. My tip for making it sustainable is to plan your exercise into your week on a Sunday evening, for the week ahead. 

Keep it real
Organising your time to exercise is one thing, but actually doing it is another. Motivate yourself by keeping your workouts manageable and bitesize – you do not have to run a marathon in the first week. Set yourself small goals for each workout, even if it is just to clear your head and escape reality, and just go for it. 

Find what works for you
Fitness does not have to be running as fast as you can, or lifting twice your bodyweight. There are so many other aspects to fitness, for example balance or flexibility, which people may not consider (yoga is a great tool to work on these). You can build all-round strength from rock-climbing for example. Maybe try participating in sports, either for the competitive atmosphere or community. At the end of the day, keep exploring until you find something for you. It will happen and that’s when it will become part of your routine organically. 

Mindset is key
Believe in yourself and what your mind and body can achieve, it is amazing how much you can learn about yourself. One thing I do to improve my mindset is a form of reflection (yes, the buzzword), by writing out my ‘gratitudes’ and ‘positive affirmations’ each morning. Yoga or meditation can really help with mindset too – if you don’t know where to start use videos or an app to guide you. These mental exercises alone will improve your mood and well-being daily. 

Food is fuel
Nutrition is such a key part of fitness, not just exercise. This tip is a short one, it is all about balance. Do not restrict yourself from anything (especially in exam season) and eat nutritious foods most of the time. You need food and drink just to function, as well as all the tasks we do in a day – so don’t overthink it. Try new things (go vegan for a week?) and eat what you enjoy.

Enjoy the empowerment 
Looking after your physical and mental well-being requires self-care and resilience. That is an achievement in itself. Be proud of the little wins that come with developing your health and fitness and don’t be afraid to share them with others, you might just be their inspiration for them to start looking after their well-being too!

It may feel like a juggling act at the beginning. When you start considering all of the above, it may sound daunting to even begin. My tip is to acknowledge that it will be hard but listen to your mind and body and rest if needed. If you commit a little bit of time each day you will realise that you will eventually manage to fit it into your schedule without even thinking about it. 

I hope these tips help you consider investing some time into your well-being and exploring what’s out there and what your body can do. Good Luck.

Author bio

Embarking on my final year of my dental degree is an exciting experience, though I am still exploring my aspirations beyond this. I am aiming to apply for DF1 and DCT in the future to find which speciality fits me best. 

When not studying dentistry, I enjoy sports and fitness as well as art, travel and socialising. I am currently creating a blog to share my experiences in all these areas. 

I have been part of my University Netball Club for 3 years as a player, captain and committee member. This passion for sports led to me winning Sportswoman of the Year at the Future of Dentistry Awards 2019. I was also the Sports Secretary for Dentsoc 2017/18.

I also enjoy writing and have published a joint paper in the Journal of Education Of Primary Care.

To help other students with self-directed learning, myself and 3 other colleagues created the educational website revisedental.com. 

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in June 2020 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Taking the big step – student to dentist

Dr Janine Brooks MBE, dental coach and mentor, offers essential advice to help you flourish as you take your first steps into general practice.

1. Celebrate

The day you become registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) is a great day, wonderful, exciting, full of promise and a little bit scary. Suddenly you are no longer a dental student, you are a dentist, with all the privileges and responsibilities that brings. Savour the moment and celebrate, you made it. You are one of a small number of dental professionals, but never forget that we are in service to our patients, not the other way around. 

2. Humility

You have just spent five years of your life at dental school. You know lots of ‘stuff’, particularly about oral health, operative techniques, general health, how to restore teeth, and more. However, you are the newest members of the profession and you need to build your experience and skill. This takes time, be humble enough to know that. Be respectful of your dental nurse’s knowledge and skills and you will become a good team.

3. Networks

Dentistry can be a lonely place, so build your networks from day one. Keep in contact with friends from dental school, make new friends amongst your fellow foundation trainees. Go along to meetings, CPD events, join CGDent and other specialist organisations. Social media is fine, but you really cannot beat face to face networks.  

4. Take it slowly 

Needing to work more quickly is often something that new dentists find very difficult.  You will get there, but it will take you some time and some people need more time than others. Your educational supervisor (ES) knows this – they were a new dentist once. Expect to be slow at first, talk this over with your ES and your fellow foundation trainees. Alongside working clinically more quickly and efficiently, it’s important to take time to learn about NHS regulations, what is included and what is not. The business of running a dental practice is complex and there is a lot to know about employment law, how to recruit and retain good staff. Watch how others in the practice manage their time, this will help you to work quickly and efficiently with your patients.  

5. Be professional 

Even as a student it was important to be professional, but now it’s crucial.  As part of a profession there are standards we must adhere to. Remember you do not stop being a professional outside work, it’s not the uniform you put on, it’s who you are.  Particularly in the age of social media, your poor behaviour can get you into trouble and being a good clinician will not be enough.  Professionals know it is part of who they are to be honest, truthful, uphold confidentiality and act with integrity at all times. 

6. Listen 

Now you are working with more patients and more colleagues you need to sharpen your listening skills. Listening will help to make sure you do not miss important information whether that be from your patients, your educational supervisor or on training days. Listen for words, the spaces in between, what’s not said, body language, emotions and values. Look at people when they are speaking to you, if you don’t you are missing some of the communication and you are not really listening.

7.  Ask questions 

Alongside listening, your foundation year is the time to continually ask questions.  Hone your skills with your patients by asking questions that will give you useful answers. Ask questions of everyone; your educational supervisor, your TPD, your nurse, your practice manager and the tutors at your training days. Ask questions that are open rather than closed, begin questions with What? How? Who? When? Where?  Use why? sparingly, it can seem like an accusation.

8. Keep learning  

You have completed your degree, but that is only the start, there is so much more to learn. You need to learn to put what you did as a student into everyday practice. You need to learn what it takes to run a dental practice. You need to learn how to work with the NHS and the commissioning teams. You need to learn about dentistry, which is a highly technical, constantly evolving profession. 

9. Boundaries 

Now that you are a dentist you need to think about and beware of boundaries.  In your first year you may feel unsure of taking the lead in your surgery. You may want to be friends with all the other staff, go out for drinks, meals and socialising. However, be wary of overdoing this, particularly with staff in more junior positions, especially with your dental nurse. You need to have a professional relationship which must be maintained if you are to provide good patient care. Boundaries with patients are particularly important. It is generally thought unwise to treat family and friends, this makes the therapeutic relationship blurred and difficult. At no time should you begin a romantic relationship with a patient, that is a serious abuse of your position.

10. Breathe

It’s important that you take time out to breathe. I mean to have time to enjoy your life and your other interests and to make time for family and friends. You will be putting in the ground work of balance and that’s important throughout your career.

Author bio

After qualifying from Birmingham Dental School in the early 80′s, I spent my whole clinical career in Community Dentistry, the last 17 years as a Clinical Director working in Herefordshire and South Warwickshire. 

I have a portfolio career. Currently I am an educational associate for the General Dental Council; a coach for the Professional Support Unit, Health Education England, Thames Valley; an expert witness, lead clinical tutor for the Law and Ethics module for University of Bristol BUOLD programme; Trustee of the Dentists Health Support Trust and a Fellow for the Society of British Dental Nurses.  

I launched my own coaching and training consultancy, Dentalia, in July 2011, providing coaching to dental professionals I am a founding partner of the Dental Coaching Academy and in December 2016 I launched Dental Mentors UK with a colleague.  

I write extensively and have published four books, plus a number of articles and papers over the years.

Dr Janine Brooks MBE

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in August 2019 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Careers, Student Advice

Specialising in restorative dentistry

Dr Tom Willan, General Dental Practitioner in Yorkshire, describes the career journey that led him to specialise in restorative dentistry.

I qualified from Leeds university in 2011 and began working in general practice in West Yorkshire. The variety and flexibility of life as a GDP appealed to me and after my Longitudinal Dental Foundation Training years; where I had posts in orthodontic practice, community Dental Care and general practice I began working life as an associate. 

After working in a busy NHS practice in Leeds I moved to my current practice, Horbury Dental Care, in a small town outside of Wakefield. Horbury Dental Care is a large practice with 10 surgeries and a referral centre for implant dentistry, restorative dentistry, treatment under sedation and periodontics. Shortly after working here I felt it was the right stage in my career to consider undertaking further postgraduate to improve my skills and further my career. 

I am glad that I was patient; waiting 5 years before undertaking further postgraduate training; as I felt that gave me real life experience as core foundation for me to build my knowledge from. I researched the numerous post graduate courses on offer and chose the FGDP Diploma in Restorative Dentistry. The course had been thoroughly recommended by colleagues and I felt offered a fantastic blend of academic, clinical and hands on experience. 

The course consisted of 14 modules where small group teaching, lectures, hands on teaching and assignments developed my knowledge in all aspects of day to day restorative dentistry. Periodontics, Endodontics, Composite Bonding, Crown and Bridgework, the restorative aspects of implant dentist and prosthodontics were all covered. 
I found the course thoroughly enjoyable and I feel I have gained confidence and developed as a practitioner as a direct result. I found the course days enjoyable and developed a strong bond with my cohort. I surprised even myself with how I enjoyed the written assignments as they were all on relevant topics and helped contribute to my clinical work. 

The course was assessed by the assignments and also clinical casework. I submitted 8 case reports and 20 mini case reports on clinical cases from my practice over the 2 years. These were challenging but again developed my confidence as they were constructively analysed by my course tutor, who was approachable and very generous with his time to support my learning when needed. 

I was pleased to find out in December 2018 that the hard work had paid off and I had passed my final case assessments and I have now been awarded the FGDP(UK) Diploma in Restorative Dentistry. I would whole heartedly recommend the restorative diploma to any GDP looking to improve their clinical skills, knowledge and confidence.

Author bio

I qualified from Leeds university in 2011 and have worked in general practice in Yorkshire since then. I currently work at Horbury Dental Care, a large practice near Wakefield which is a referral centre for implant dentistry, restorative dentistry, treatment under sedation and periodontics. I recently decided to specialise in restorative dentistry and after two years of study have now been awarded the FGDP(UK) Postgraduate Diploma in Restorative Dentistry.

Dr Tom Willan

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in June 2019 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Experience working in different care settings boosts confidence

Dr Harriet Jones reflects on how a varied early career in secondary and tertiary care settings has given her increased confidence in her work as a primary care dentist.

Having graduated from Newcastle in 2016 I carried out Foundation training in a small mixed private and NHS practice. Following this I worked as a Dental Core Trainee in the speciality of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery. I am now currently working part time as a Community Dental Officer and also in NHS practice.

I think gaining an experience in a wide range of areas of dentistry is essential. Having a dental degree opens up so many avenues and the number of career options available is vast. The start to my career has allowed me to experience dentistry in different settings and see a small section of the scope of dentistry.

Gaining experience working in secondary and tertiary care settings has given me increased confidence working in primary care. Working within practice it is inevitable that referrals will need to be made. Having experience working at the receiving end of referrals has increased my ability to refer appropriately. For example, Oral and Maxillofacial referrals can be sent with different grades of urgency and I feel I have an increased ability to understand the appropriate referral to make when I see a patient in general practice.

Working within different settings has also given me the opportunity to work with a variety of dental colleagues who have different interests and specialities. These links have enabled me to organise teaching events for general dental practitioners to maximise learning opportunities. Interacting with colleagues from a variety of specialities allows you to keep up to date with dental advances which is essential in the dental world. Overall, I think this has had a beneficial effect on my ability to treat patients with varying needs. 

It is important when working in practice not to become isolated. I work in a large mixed NHS and private practice with a close group of dentists in a supportive environment. This allows us to comfortably discuss cases and gain advice where needed. On graduating and completing foundation training I still feel the need to gain a second opinion often and working within a supportive environment allows you to do this. I am the Secretary of our regional FGDP(UK) team which involves organising CPD events for dentists within our area. This allows me to meet local dentists and also with our speakers who work within different specialities. Attending Local Dental Committee meetings is also an excellent way to network with local dentists and have a voice regarding important matters and issues as part of a committee of dentists.

Dentistry is a very exciting career with so many possible avenues to take. I think it is important to embrace new opportunities and interact with dental colleagues in order to improve skills and maximise job satisfaction.

Author bio

I qualified from Newcastle in 2016 and gained my MJDF in 2018. I completed my Foundation training in general practice and then went on to work as a Dental Core Trainee in the speciality of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery. I now work in an NHS practice and am a part time Community Dental Officer

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in March 2019 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Reducing risk at the chairside

Dr Antony Visocchi, General Dental Practitioner and Independent Dental Expert Witness, explains how practising with ethics, morality and integrity will help you reduce the risk of litigious action.

We all know that dentistry is a challenging profession. In these days of increased legislation, tighter financial constraints and a blossoming blame-culture, working in a busy practice whilst taking care of your patients is a very tall order.

Having now worked for over 20 years in general dental practice, I have gained a great deal of knowledge and experience and I have drawn together some of that experience which you may find helpful. 

In my opinion, the best way to deal with the threat of litigious action is to minimise the chances of it happening in the first place. Nonetheless, complaints will occur. What we can do, is practice in the patient’s best interests with the ethics, morality and integrity that will allow these matters to be dealt with quickly and as painlessly as possible. 

I would advise you to ensure you maintain good relationships with colleagues and patients, you can communicate well, are empathetic, are humble and are confident that you follow a robust system that is employed each and every time, regardless of the apparent insignificance of the task. This will not avoid complaints, but it should stop most in their tracks and allow a degree of assurance that you have done your best. In the end, that is all any of us can do.

Communication

Of all the virtues to master, I think communication is king. Use simple techniques when discussing matters with your patient. For instance, sit the patient upright, wheel yourself to the front of the patient so your eye levels are the same, use good eye contact and remember to listen to the patient. 

Be precise in your speech, avoiding jargon, and use terms appropriate to the patient. Constantly check if the patient follows what you are saying by asking; “does that make sense?”, “do you have any questions?” and “what do you think?”.

Try to assume an air of confidence, even if you don’t always feel that way! This is very important when dealing with matters that do not go to plan. Not only does this keep a lid on things, but you will have a better chance of getting things back on track. 

Humility

I recommend carrying yourself with humility. Yes, you are a highly qualified health care professional who worked extremely hard to get where you are. However, regardless of the qualifications you have achieved and the string of letters after your name, it all counts for nothing if you do not have the humility and empathy to go with it. 

Build strong relationships

Spend time at the beginning of your career building relationships that will provide a stable, supportive, empathetic and appreciative base for your working life. This will be invaluable if you find yourself backed into a corner. Patients will be more forgiving and colleagues will go that extra mile.

Mistakes will happen

You will make mistakes. If you don’t, you will not learn and will not become the clinician you want to be. Your mistakes have to be embraced. Be prepared to hold your hands up, apologise when appropriate to do so, and genuinely convey that you will do all you can to put it right.  Don’t ignore a complaint and hope the problem goes away. It is always worth reflecting on what happened to prevent the situation recurring. 

Vigorous systems

I think it’s a good idea to establish a vigorous system to follow. Get in the habit of writing contemporaneous, clear and accurate clinical records. If you use custom screens or autonotes, be sure to personalise them to the patient you are treating. Always ensure some “free writing” is added to the notes and the custom screen and/or the autonotes are not left as the sole entry.

Advice sheets

Have a bespoke advice sheet for all your common procedures. Record when these are given to the patient but ensure you also go through it verbally. It is not normally recommended to complete complicated or extensive procedures at the same appointment that consent was obtained. In that case, you must remember that consent is a dynamic and ongoing process. When the patient comes back, ask them if they read the advice sheet, understood it and are still in agreement that the treatment is what they want. 

Make the advice sheets simple but include all requirements; all the treatment options; advantages and disadvantages of each, risks, what would happen if the treatment was not accepted, success rates, long term consequences. A flow-cart works well. This is a good way of ‘testing’ if the patient has understood your proposals. You can then confidently record in the clinical records “satisfied informed consent obtained”.

Additional aids to communication can be added to the advice sheet and used to good effect; photographs, diagrams, Youtube videos. If you suggested that they watch a video on Youtube, again, you can as at the next appointment “what did you think?”.

Don’t give in to patient demands

Refrain from doing treatment that the patient demands which you do not think is in the patient’s best interests. If the patient insists that they want treatment which is against your advice or better judgment, in my opinion it’s best to bail out! This is not an easy conversation, but it is far easier than dealing with a complaint. 

Respect and trust

Win your patients’ respect and trust. If a patient has sleep-loss, constant pain and/or a swelling – I always try and do something straight away to help them even if my schedule is tight. If  something does not go right in the future, you have a solid, trustworthy relationship with the patient, hopefully making them less likely to complain.

Like everything in life, a balance must be struck. First and foremost, I believe that, in order to allow us to maintain ethics whilst having longevity in this profession, we must first look after ourselves. You cannot pour from an empty cup. My advice, then, in order to tread a sound and safe professional ethical path is to strike a balance when treating all our patients between compassion and professional detachment. But please always remember the line from the Hippocratic Oath; do not treat a tooth, pathology or an edentulous saddle but a “sick human being”.

The views and opinions expressed in this post are not necessarily those of the College of General Dentistry.

Author bio

I have been in general dental practice for over 20 years. I provide expert witness reports for the General Dental Council and dental indemnity providers as well as clinical negligence and personal injury solicitors. I now split my professional life between clinical care, mentoring colleagues, dental practice compliance advice, dento-legal work, dental practice inspections, teaching and examining. In 2016, I attained the Cardiff University Bond Solon Civil Expert Witness Certificate and am now undertaking an LLM in Medical Law and Ethics as well as working to complete the portfolio for FFGDP(UK).

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in February 2019 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Careers, Student Advice

Where will your career take you?

Dr Sahar-Tara Aghababaie, part time Dental Associate in North West London, recommends making a clear career plan to help you steer your career in the right direction.

Whilst you’re currently in dental school, how much thought do you give to your career development 5, 10 or even 20 years after graduation? Any plans you may have will certainly need to be flexible enough to reflect the changes the profession will undoubtedly go through over the coming decades. 

I graduated from King’s College in 2015 but soon discovered that once you graduate, the learning never really stops. And that’s the wonderful thing about dentistry – it’s definitely not a ‘one size fits all’ career path. The profession is constantly evolving and developing, and as a clinician you will need to ensure you have a good grasp of these changes – not just for your own personal development, but also to ensure you provide the best quality of care for your patients. 

During my dental foundation year I completed my MJDF exam and then undertook further post-graduate training on a one-year course in Dental Education, as I have a keen interesting in teaching in the future. So, I would say to any dental student – post-graduate training is paramount!

Many young dentists agree the main challenge facing them is working within the current NHS system. Dental school certainly helps prepare you for practice, building the core clinical skills needed to be a dentist, but it doesn’t really prepare you for the minefield of UDA targets, associate contracts, accounts and finances, the ever present fear of litigation and of course, rising indemnity and registration fees. All of these can place a lot of pressure on newly qualified dentists and might cause some to lose the drive and motivation to further their careers. 

Through every stage of my professional journey, I have been fortunate enough to have key people to support me along the way. In addition to my strong family unit, key clinical tutors at dental school gave me a solid clinical foundation, my principal in general practice who has been guiding me through the challenges of managing a dental practice, and most recently the consultants I work with currently, who are providing new insight and guidance on further specialisms in Dentistry. They, along with my mentors, have supported both my clinical and professional development – which is paramount for any dentist, whatever stage they are in their careers. 

In 2017 I passed my MJDF exams and became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and Faculty of General Dental Practice. But as the saying goes, ‘it’s who you know, not what you know’, and the same can be true in Dentistry. Becoming a member of FGDP(UK) offered the opportunity to network within the profession, which has allowed me to meet fellow dentists, seek advice from more experienced clinicians and get more involved generally. 

Networking and social media are an increasingly invaluable way to keep up to date with advances in the profession. There are lots of dental groups where dentists can discuss different cases with peers, and can prove an invaluable learning forum for young dentists looking to increase their knowledge – And not just clinical knowledge; I’ve learnt about the implications of new regulations, such as GDPR. So, once you start working in practice and you have a question about managing certain cases, or want advice on courses to take, you might find these groups can offer a different perspective and support. 

The wonderful thing about dentistry as a career is that you can make it whatever you want it to be. I thoroughly enjoy working within a multi-disciplinary team and different clinical environments. During the working week I’m mainly based at the dental hospital, where I’ve been able to conduct dental treatments under general anesthesia. At the weekends I work in general practice as an associate. It’s really been this variety that has given me an insight into different specialties and working environments plus the unique opportunity to manage more complex cases.   

There are so many different opportunities and career paths you can pursue, that the only limitation is you. You just have to have the drive to go for it. Whether that’s working in general practice, hospital, community, dental public health, research or training, you really have the unique opportunity to change paths during your career.  And that’s what makes dentistry so exciting as a career choice- you never know where it may lead you next.

Author bio

I qualified from King’s College London School of Medicine & Dentistry in 2015, after which I completed my dental foundation training. Following my training, I started to work as a general dental practitioner in a mixed NHS/Private dental practice in North West London which I help to manage.

In 2017, I started my position as a Dental Core Trainee at the Paediatric Department at The Eastman Dental hospital, whilst continuing my commitments in general practice part-time.

I have continued my post-graduate education and gained Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties of the Royal College of Surgeons England and the Faculty of General Dental Practice in 2017. I also have a passion for academic teaching and have recently completed my post-graduate qualification in Dental Education.

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in January 2019 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Careers, Student Advice

Working in a Maxillofacial unit in a District Hospital

As a DCT 1 in a District Hospital in Yorkshire, Dr Kenny Strain takes us behind the scenes of a busy Maxillofacial unit, describing the range of treatments he has been providing.

I’m currently a dental core trainee [DCT] 1 working in the maxillofacial team at Rotherham District General Hospital in South Yorkshire. I wanted to give you a bit of a glimpse into what it’s like to do dental core training in a district hospital.

I completed my foundation training in Barnsley, I enjoyed my time in practice and felt like I learned a huge amount but I was keen to get some more surgical experience as this was an area of dentistry that I had not had a huge amount of exposure to as an undergraduate or during my FD year.

I researched various options in terms of getting more experience of oral surgery and there are quite a few to choose from. There is mentoring/shadowing, hands on courses which can be small group based and involve patient or more class room based and use pig mandibles to provide a hands-on experience. The other main option is to apply for a position as a dental core trainee.

Within the Yorkshire Deanery, all of the DCT 1 positions are a 12-month contract working in Maxfac. The positions are either in teaching hospital, major hospital or district generals. From speaking to previous DCTs, I got the impression that working in a major unit would involve more oncology treatment and I was keen to work in a unit with a more general focus and therefore I opted for a district hospital.

At Rotherham we work on an 8-week rota covering Rotherham and another hospital in Mexborough. The rota will cover doing on-call duty or being assigned to work with a consultant as their senior house office [SHO] for the week. SHO is a term still used in some hospitals and corresponds roughly to a DCT.

The consultant team at Rotherham / Mexborough is made up of 5 consultants with a variety of interests ranging from skin cancer, head and neck cancer, trauma, orthognathic and TMD. The variety of specialist interests of the consultants mean that no two weeks are ever the same.

This week I’ve been working with the lead consultant for head and neck cancer, we had a major oncology case involving a radical neck dissection, there have also been new patient assessment clinics for patients referred on a 2 week wait suspected cancer pathway. On these clinics you can either be helping the consultant or seeing new patients and then presenting them. I’ve also been in the day surgery unit this week working with one of the staff grade oral surgeons, these sessions involve treating patients under local or general anaesthetic. Types of treatment carried out are often surgical extraction of wisdom teeth, difficult teeth or extractions for patients with severe dental phobia. Working on the day case list, it is not unusual to carry out full clearance on patients.

As I was saying, no two weeks are the same and last week I was the on-call SHO. Being on-call is probably the busiest part of the job. Our rota has various on-call slots, it can be days, nights, weekend days or weekend nights. All of these on-calls can be very different. On-call days is definitely the busiest and will test your administration and delegation skills to the limit. It’s not unusual to have calls to go see patients in A&E and paediatric A&E at the same time as you are managing patients on the ward, discharging other patients and ensuring that they are going home with the correct medication, arranging follow up appointments for patients, helping out in theatre and getting phone calls for advice from GPs and general dentists.

On-call nights can be very different, there is much less of the administrative work to do and more dealing with patients presenting to A&E or getting referred from other hospitals that don’t have a Maxfac team. The types of patients that you’ll see at night varies massively from shift to shift. Some nights involve lots of trauma such as fractured mandibles and zygomas or lacerations. The next night you may see patients with dog bites, children with dento-alveolar fractures and dental abscesses.

Since working in Maxfac I’ve seen a wide variety of dental abscess from can barely tell there is anything there to Ludwig’s angina and calling your consultant at 2am to ask them to come in as the patient is going straight to the emergency theatre.

I’ve really enjoyed my time working in Maxfac and would highly recommend it. Initially your skills and knowledge will be pushed to the limit and you’ll be learning constantly, but with time and a bit of experience you will get the confidence to deal with situations you may only have read about in a text book. At the end of your year in Maxfac, you’ll realise that not only will your dental and surgical skills have improved but your medical knowledge will have expanded and you’ll have a solid foundation for working in practice or for further specialist training.

Author bio

I initially studied dental therapy and dental hygiene at the School of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Sheffield. I Covered all areas of Oral Health, Periodontal treatment and Dental Therapy.

After graduating I took a full-time position in practice as Hygiene/Therapist working in the Lake District. When I wasn’t fixing teeth I was running marathons or climbing rocks. After working in practice for just over a year, I decided to return to university to study dentistry at the University of Aberdeen. I really liked Yorkshire and was keen to return, so I completed my foundation training in Barnsley. I’m currently a dental core trainee [DCT] 1 in the maxillofacial team at Rotherham District General Hospital in South Yorkshire.

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in June 2018 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Top tips for young dentists

Dr Sahar-Tara Aghababaie, part time Dental Associate in North West London, gives you some key pointers as you start your career in dentistry.

Dentistry is continuously evolving, and because of this, we ourselves should be moving along with it and getting the most out of our chosen career. Here are a few tips aimed at young dentists to hopefully help you with the first stages of your career.

  1. Build a portfolio

    Start a clinical portfolio sooner rather than later – this can include anything from the clinical cases you have done, audits, prizes etc. It is good practice to get into the habit of doing this earlier on as more employers are requesting to see portfolios at job interviews to see what you are capable of. So, if you have it – show it off!

  2. Clinical Photography

    A picture is worth a thousand words so they say – so ensure you have your camera at the ready. Invest in a clinical camera and kit and start taking photos of your clinical cases. Not only can these photos go towards your portfolio, but they can also help with treatment planning more complex cases as well as creating before and after pictures for your patients.

  3. Invest in Loupes

    Poor vision and insufficient lighting when performing dental treatment often results in poor posture. The use of loupes has been shown to help maintain a better posture – so invest in your back! Before buying a pair of loupes, ensure you do your research.

    Go in person and try on the different loupes from different companies and see which one feels right for you. Many companies provide personal visits to your place of work to provide demonstrations, or alternatively go to dental conferences so you can try all the different ones in person. Remember as newly qualified dentists most companies
    offer discounts!

  4. Get networking

    As the saying goes “it’s who you know, not what you know” and in dentistry this can often be true. In order to meet future employers you need to put yourself out there.

    This can be at dental conferences, dental talks and meetings at your local dental associations to give you the chance to not only meet your future employers but give you the chance to network with fellow peers and get involved in exciting
    opportunities.

  5. Keep on learning

    The 5 years of dental school is only the beginning – get out there and keep on training. This is important to maximise your learning, improve on your skill set and help build your clinical confidence. There are many opportunities out there, such as the MJDF, hands-on clinical day courses, and more long-term post-graduate courses. There are also many free taster courses out there too so you have nothing to lose!

  6. Start a career plan

    Time flies by so quickly, so to help plan your career create a plan for yourself on what you hope to achieve, starting from in 5 years’ time then to 10 years’ time. Then brainstorm how you will get there. This is a great way to manage your future career and acts as a fantastic motivational tool.

  7. Relax – and enjoy the ride

    At times dentistry can be stressful. However, life is not a race but a journey. Do not expect to have reached all your goals by tomorrow, and do not compare yourself to others. Always make time to relax, start new hobbies, go on holiday and recharge your batteries – it will help maintain a good work-life balance!

Author bio

I qualified from King’s College London School of Medicine & Dentistry in 2015, after which I completed my dental foundation training. Following my training, I started to work as a general dental practitioner in a mixed NHS/Private dental practice in North West London which I help to manage.

In 2017, I started my position as a Dental Core Trainee at the Paediatric Department at The Eastman Dental hospital, whilst continuing my commitments in general practice part-time.

I have continued my post-graduate education and gained Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties of the Royal College of Surgeons England and the Faculty of General Dental Practice in 2017. I also have a passion for academic teaching and have recently completed my post-graduate qualification in Dental Education.

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in June 2018 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Four important reasons to get involved with research

Qasim Mohammedbhai, fifth year BDS student at King’s College London, explains the benefits of conducting research whilst at university or as a dental practitioner.

In this blog I am going to be talking about getting involved in research, either as an undergraduate, postgraduate or even a fully-fledged member of the dental team. The two questions I am going to address are:

  1. How do I get involved in research? 
  2. What can I gain and how can I benefit from doing research? 

In answer to the first question I will tell you about how I got involved in research. I got on really well with one of the professors at King’s College, Dr Ian Thompson, luckily, he was one of the teachers that had a lot of time to give to his students. I was always interested in research so I asked him whether I could get involved. He did a lot of work with bioactive ceramics, a burgeoning area of research within dentistry. From that point forward, we worked on a project which tests the ability of bioactive ceramics to prevent dentine hypersensitivity. 

So how can you get involved in research? My first piece of advice is to think about what you are interested in. It will make the work you do a lot more engaging and far more relevant. For me that happened to be dental material science. The next thing is asking around, be it your personal tutor, PhD students, or senior dentists in practice, and ask them whether they know of any research opportunities. This is where studying or working in a teaching dental hospital is invaluable, as there are so many research opportunities available. I had to ask a lot of people before I landed my research project, so you need to persevere with it.  

NB. Remember you are not pestering them; you are going to be a valuable asset as you will be the one doing a lot of the hard work!

The second question is what skills can one gain from doing research. Now the obvious one is something to write on your CV, but there are far more useful things to be gained:

1. Lateral Thinking
In research things always go wrong. Results will be off, the methodology won’t work out or the machine breaks, the list goes on and on. Ultimately, it is up to you to find a way around this hurdle. It can be very frustrating at times, but it hones your problem-solving skills. If you speak to the experienced clinicians, they will tell you that is what dentistry is all about.

2. Perseverance
Research is not as glamorous as it may seem. At times it can be cumbersome and disheartening when things are not going your way. This is where determination and patience are invaluable. 

3. Critical appraisal
One of my clinical supervisors always used to say: “If you have a patient seen by 5 different dentists, you’ll end up with 6 different care plans”. What this means is that unlike medicine there is no set guideline or protocol for dental treatment. Ultimately, the choice is in the hands of the practitioner. The way one decides is by reading papers, but these need to be critically examined and not blindly followed. Once you have carried out experiments of your own and evaluated your own research, you can understand the shortcomings of other experiments. Experiments can be hard to visualise, so the analogy I offer is imagine reading about doing an extraction versus actually doing one yourself. There is something to be said about actually doing the procedure in order to properly understand it. 

4. Public Speaking
This is a skill you learn by experience alone. Academics get the opportunity to discuss their research at conferences in front of large audiences. In my case, I was fortunate enough to give a talk at the British Dental Hygienist and Therapists conference and present a poster at the annual biomaterials conference. 

In summary research is not a members-only club and is easier to get involved in than you may think. Not only does it enhance your CV, but more importantly it enables you to develop a number of skills, key to becoming a successful dental practitioner.

Author bio

I am a final year dental student at King’s College London. During my five years of university I have found an interest in Prosthodontics and research. Outside of Dentistry my biggest hobby is sport. I have competed in first teams for hockey, table tennis and squash. Another passion of mine is languages, I speak Spanish, Italian, Gujarati and am currently learning Arabic.

Qasim Mohammedbhai

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in March 2020 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.