We can give more than just dentistry!

  Posted by: Dental Design      24th July 2020

As an undergraduate, myself and others often questioned if we had made the correct decision to pursue a career in dentistry. Committing to five years at university and all the debt made it feel like that this was it, decision made and we would have to be dentists for life. However, if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that we as a profession are so much more than just teeth!

I had such an interesting study day recently about how we as a profession need to stop calling ourselves ‘just dentists.’ We offer so much to society and to the wider NHS, and this was proven through the number of us that volunteered to be redeployed throughout the pandemic. Through redeployment, not only did we serve the NHS and the country in what is likely to be the most challenging period of our lifetimes, but many of us grew not only as professionals, but as people.

I volunteered, however was not needed and therefore not placed in a role. At the time, facing redeployment was frankly terrifying. Of course, part of this fear was being thrown on the front line with a highly contagious, deadly virus.The other half of this was the fear of being out of my comfort zone. On reflection, we as dentists have a huge number of transferable skills that can hugely benefit others. Many of the skills enable us to just slot into different roles. Of course, none of us are going to be doing brain surgery tomorrow, but there are so many skills we overlook when focussing on finding that MB2 canal or creating that perfect composite restoration. I will never forget a lecture I had at university, early on in my studies, which taught dentists are ‘physicists, engineers, doctors, pharmacists, artists, communicators’ (and the list went on!). Being a good dentist means we need to be good at all these different skills too; of course, some of us are stronger in particular areas but these are skills we all have behind us.

I felt disappointed and let down throughout the pandemic and I felt that we as a profession were forgotten, by virtually everyone. It made me feel undervalued and underappreciated. However, we really do have so much to offer in providing essential services to society. Seeing what so many of us did to help made me proud to be a part of dentistry. We really are so much more than just dentists.

Reflecting on these transferable skills and the fact we all have so much to offer has made me think about how I can broaden my career. Perhaps dentistry isn’t going to be my full-time job and perhaps I can slot myself into another role part time. We all know the high pressures we face in this career, particularly at this time. By utilising our abilities in different ways, we could offer so much more to society whilst broadening our own horizons. Balance is key and by dividing our time we could find ourselves happier with our careers.

I urge you all to never again think of yourself as ‘just a dentist’!