Throughout the course of a career in dentistry, a clinician will have the opportunity to learn from many professionals around them. This begins with tutors in undergraduate programs, but extends to peers in clinical roles, members of the dental team, dental technicians, and more.
Mentors provide a key source of support to dental professionals, and can be beneficial to individuals no matter their career experience. One could seek guidance when foraying into a new clinical field, or be able to have second approval over their treatment plans when a vote of confidence is necessary.
Seeking out a good coach or mentor is key, and clinicians have a number of aspects to consider. The first step, however, may simply be understanding what you want to learn from this partnership.
Finding purpose
Mentoring helps an individual learn new things and develop as a professional, leading to change in their care and possibly the future of their practice.[i] A mentor will be a trusted colleague who helps to progress skills and knowledge, provide new ways to assess challenges, and realise any opportunities for future training.[ii]
In dentistry, the chances to develop professionally can span across many aspects of everyday care. An individual might choose a mentor that can help them tackle new clinical fields such as dental implantology, endodontics, or orthodontics, or perhaps provide new insights into how to run a practice as a business. Whilst these will be engaged with in formal educational settings, a mentor can provide supplementary knowledge and guidance that enables clinicians to implement new approaches safely and confidently.
As a person-centred approach to teaching, mentoring enables direct conversation and sharing of ideas in a way that might not always be possible in a larger classroom setting. Some mentors might also be able to work closely in person, offering shadowing opportunities if the aim is to develop clinical knowledge and skills. However, communication online now enables effective mentoring relationships to take place across the globe.
Opportunities for success
Choosing the right mentor can be a considerable process. The elected individual should be knowledgeable, with an understanding of how best to support individuals by managing their own behaviours.i This can enable them to adapt their teaching style where it will best help the mentee. The literature notes that some of the most important qualities of a successful mentor include approachability, communication, non-bias, patience, enthusiasm, trust and empathy.i Each quality can also be used as examples of what makes a good dental professional.
Alongside these, a mentor needs to realise the importance of commitment, their potential to network and open doors for their mentee, as well as having the relevant experience or credibility to provide support.i
A dental professional may be able to learn more about a prospective mentor by finding them online, or speaking to clinicians who may also know them. A mentor may also be a clinician that one has worked with or learned from before, with the formalisation of this educational relationship building upon this prior collaboration.
Embracing mentoring
Previously, clinicians have believed that mentoring is a useful technique that responds to issues, such as gaps in clinical knowledge and experience, rather than a preventative approach.[iii] Some suggest that mentoring not only has educational benefits, but can also improve morale and create a positive professional culture of communication, with the literature noting increased professional productivity from those who have been mentored in a clinical setting.iii Engaging in these opportunities can therefore have such a benefit on clinical care that it could be worth pursuing consistently.
To ensure mentoring remains rewarding over time, clinicians should push themselves in fields that they enjoy, find professional success in, and those that take professionals out of their comfort zones. This could include the provision of complex care, from orthodontic cases, to dental implant restorations.
One to One Implant Education offers leading mentoring opportunities through its courses, including the PG Diploma in Implant Dentistry, the ultimate entryway for any professional. A tiered peer mentor system ensures each delegate has a dedicated tutor who has previously completed the program, and is able to provide guidance and advice throughout their journey. Supported by world-class speakers, this mentoring set-up allows professionals to thrive with the support of their peers, simultaneously growing a network of confident and talented dental professionals.
Mentoring is to be embraced, but clinicians need to know what to look for in a mentor, and where to find one. By first considering how they want to progress their own path, it’s possible to develop a fruitful professional relationship.
To reserve your place or to find out more, please visit
https://121implanteducation.co.uk or call 020 7486 0000
Author: Dr Fazeela Khan-Osborne is the founding clinician of the FACE dental implant multi-disciplinary team for the One To One Dental Clinic, London
[i] Nathwani, S., & Rahman, N. (2022). GROWing in dentistry: mentoring the dental professional. British dental journal, 232(4), 261-266.
[ii] National Careers Service, (N.D.). How to get a mentor. (Online) Available at: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/getting-the-most-out-of-mentoring/ [Accessed November 2025]
[iii] Seath, R. J., Radford, D. R., Mudford, L. P., & Reed, D. P. (2019). Should mentoring be routinely introduced into general dental practice to reduce the risk of occupational stress?. British dental journal, 227(2), 121-125.
