Quality dentistry can be determined in a number of ways. For me, it is a combination of ethics and ethos and involves delivering the best treatment outcome using the most appropriate techniques and technologies while ensuring a positive patient experience.
I believe that you are shaped as a clinician by your peers, mentors, the events you attend and the courses you take. Any form of training should inspire you to provide better patient care. The quality of your dentistry must also be continually assessed – self-critique is key. This is one of the many reasons why clinical photography is so important; the images are good for social media, but they also provide the perfect way to assess and reflect on your work and consider where you could improve.
To maintain the high standards I strive for, even after almost 30 years in practice, I remain passionate about continuously developing and refining my clinical skills. Remaining up-to-date with the latest research and evidence-based techniques is crucial. Throughout my career, I have always attended as many courses and programmes as possible to enable me to bring quality to different clinical areas. With a special interest in cosmetic and restorative dentistry, my educational journey led me to the Kois Centre in the US.
This is an expert educational facility renowned for delivering advanced dental education. Led by John Kois himself, the faculty consists of highly knowledgeable and talented instructors. The full curriculum is comprehensive, covering everything from diagnosis to treatment planning, occlusion, restorative, implant and periodontal treatment. The teaching is evidence-based, so you learn from the latest research in the field, with a hands-on element ensuring practical skill development. The courses are taught in small groups within a collaborative learning environment, which I find valuable.
I attended the treatment planning course a few years back and most recently joined the functional occlusion programme. The courses are always intense, with 11-hour days and highly involved topic discussions. However, the ability to constantly mix with peers for that time, share ideas, and learn from each other as well as from the instructors makes it a very worthwhile experience. They think of everything – even your snacks are customised in your personal learning area! The courses are more in-depth than anything else I have attended around the world. They also focus on real-life dentistry so you can apply what you’ve learned in practice immediately.
Of course, training like this requires a substantial investment of time and money, but this is necessary for those who wish to continue progressing by learning from a master in the field. It’s vital to choose your educational pathway carefully and ensure that you complete training courses of sufficient length and depth for the topic at hand. Single-day courses may have their place, but you need to be utilising much more comprehensive training to successfully introduce new skills.
I am certainly a better dentist because I have completed some of the Kois Centre programmes, and that’s what it’s all about. As clinicians, we want to do our job well, to advance our skills and progress our careers. But ultimately, our priority is always providing the best care we can for patients. Greater knowledge, understanding of clinical techniques, and exposure to innovative technologies all mean we can offer more comprehensive and tailored treatments designed for longevity.
Sadly, many of our colleagues are faced with the incredibly difficult situation of providing dental care in a restrictive system that doesn’t facilitate the time or resources to access the best materials and techniques. The UK’s UDA system does not lend itself to the provision of comprehensive quality dentistry. Too much is expected from very limited resources in a poorly thought-out system.
Clinicians are being encouraged by their profession to take a holistic approach to care – including educating patients on the links between dental and systemic health, as well as focusing on prevention and the management of dental disease to stop or slow down its development. However, with its limited financial resources, the current NHS dental contract restricts access to quality products, modern aesthetic materials and techniques, new technologies and that precious resource of time. For these reasons and more, my desire to provide the highest quality care that’s in the best interests of my patients means that I now offer solely private dentistry.
If I had to define one of the most important things I have learnt throughout my career, it’s that to do something once, you must do it right the first time. That means taking your time to learn the techniques fully and then performing them properly in the appropriate clinical situations and in an environment that allows you to deliver your best for your patients. As dentists, we have to use the evidence in front of us, so we have to make sure we’re operating from the most recent studies regarding treatment and planning protocols. This, alongside good training, is how we ensure quality dentistry.
For more information visit www.bapd.org.uk