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Taking the world of endodontics by storm

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  Posted by: Dental Design      5th December 2019

Winner of the Young Dentist of the Year award at The Dental Awards 2019, Kreena Patel is dedicated to her profession and continues to move from strength-to-strength. Here, the talented dentist shares her experiences of working in dentistry – and why endodontics means so much to her.

When did you realise you wanted to become a dentist and why?

I enjoyed science at school and knew I wanted a career that combined this interest with a practical skill. Following my work experience, I started dental nursing in my school holidays. I found this interesting and particularly enjoyed communicating with the patients, which reinforced my decision to go into dentistry.

Who has had the biggest influence on you in your dental career so far?

My father – he is a very skilled general dental practitioner who is adored by his patients. Even after 40 years in dentistry he still loves his job and remains dedicated to both learning and teaching. Watching him when I was younger inspired me to go into dentistry and he continues to make me want to learn and progress further.

It’s impossible to know what being a dentist was like half a century ago… But on the whole, do you think practising now is more advantageous?

It’s a difficult question because I think each era has different advantages. Dentistry is progressing rapidly and we now have so many different techniques at our disposal. One of the reasons I specialised in endodontics was because there were many innovations and research in the field. I love working with the latest gadgets and equipment to provide the best patient care possible. Currently, there are also more ways the dental community can share knowledge and improve our skills than ever before, for example, social media and webinars.

Was your training a positive experience?

I did my undergraduate training at The University of Manchester. Manchester is a fun, vibrant student city and I had an excellent university experience. The education element consisted mainly of problem-based learning (PBL), which I feel is the best way to learn because it helps you immediately apply the knowledge you gain to clinical situations. You also acquire the skills for self-directed learning which are useful later in your career. I think Dental Outreach Programmes are a really important part of undergraduate clinical training. I felt my placements were essential in honing my clinical skills and preparing me for my DF1 year.

I did my DF1 year in busy mixed NHS & Private practice in South London. I was keen to gain as much out of the year as possible, and the practice and my trainer were amazing. The London Deanery also provided excellent study days throughout the year. My DF2 year involved a paedodontics and oral surgery rotation. I feel a hospital placement is so beneficial for young dentists and I gained so much from this year. Following this, I worked in general practice and held a staff grade position at St Helier Hospital in paedodontics and at Kingston Hospital in endodontics.

I knew fairly early on that I enjoyed endodontics and attended several more advanced courses which reinforced this. Having observed various specialists during my career I was extremely impressed and influenced by their skill and attention to detail. This confirmed my ambition to pursue a specialist pathway and I carried out my endodontic speciality training at Kings College London. The course was hard work but extremely rewarding. I gained so much knowledge, research experience and had excellent clinical exposure throughout. I could not recommend the programme more and I feel very lucky to have been mentored and taught by the very best teachers. I now teach on the programme myself and hope to inspire and motivate our students in the same way.

What was your first thought when you realised you had won the award for Young Dentist of the Year at this year’s Dental Awards?

I was very surprised and over the moon! There are so many fantastic young dentists and I was grateful to even be chosen as a finalist. I know aesthetic dentistry features heavily in the awards so I was particular happy to be able to gain recognition and represent endodontics.

Other than finding out you had won, what was the best part of the night?

The atmosphere was electric and I had a great evening. I met many people, many of whom I am now friends with.

When you’re not in the practice, what hobbies are you enjoying?

I really enjoy going to the gym and have developed an interest in weight training over the last few years.

I also love to ski and travel.

What’s your ultimate dental ambition?

I enjoy teaching and would like to build on this in the future. I also enjoy being involved in research which I never thought I would until I started my postgraduate training. I would love to carry out more clinical research in the future and be able to contribute to the academic side of dentistry.

What advice can you give other young dentists who aspire to win the award?

I think my key piece of advice would be to keep a record and photograph your work. I have done this since I started and it has really helped me analyse my work carefully and improve with time. You see things from a photograph or radiograph later that you would totally miss otherwise. It is also essential when applying for the award.

I also think it is really important to have a close dental network so you can lean on and encourage each other.

Kreena is a specialist in endodontics. She graduated from the University of Manchester and completed her specialist training at Kings College London, where she qualified with distinction. Kreena has also worked in general practice and carried out further hospital training in oral surgery, paedodontics and restorative dentistry.

Kreena currently works in referral practice in South London (Brigstock Dental Practice) and Reading (Oaktree Dental Practice). She also teaches on the endodontics specialty degree at Guy’s Dental Hospital, London.

Kreena is passionate about her work and enjoys the technical precision involved in the field of endodontics and endodontic surgery. She is also keen on improving the field of endodontics and her research has been published in several international journals.

Follow Kreena’s work on Instagram & Facebook: @kreenaspecialistendodontics


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