It’s important to regularly take time to assess our current professional achievements, and the care that dental professionals can provide to patients. Often, after years of education, this is a moment for celebration, but it’s important not to rest on your laurels. Instead, it is valuable to look for the next step in professional progression, and the rewards – for the individual, their dental practice, and the patients they support – that come with it.
Dental professionals should assess their clinical ambitions, and reflect on the steps that will need to be taken to achieve them. This includes by recognising which courses will provide thorough knowledge and support, as well as opportunities such as mentoring.
Personal progression
When a clinician embarks on a new course – whether this is a two-day or two-year endeavour – they gain new knowledge and skills that can change the way they approach patient care and the management of the practice. This is encouraged by current regulations, with the modern continuing professional development (CPD) scheme coming into effect in 2018. (General Dental Council, -) It ensures dental professionals complete a minimum number of verifiable hours committed to personal education, across a range of professional areas, through a rolling five year cycle.
For the clinician as an individual, the courses they choose can have significant impacts on their career outcomes. There is a freedom toward the subjects that they can engage with, enabling them to focus on areas that are rewarding and specific to select aspects of oral healthcare. For example, a dental professional could commit a large volume of their CPD hours towards progression in implant dentistry. At first, this would encompass surgery management, treatment planning for implant patients, and single unit placement and management, but this could progress into more complex elements such as full arch reconstruction, and hard and soft tissue augmentation.
Taking the leap towards the latter topics can open up new doors, enabling clinicians to focus their practice on cases that their peers would typically refer. This can be professionally fulfilling, with studies showing that professionals who obtain a postgraduate degree are often more satisfied with their career than those without. (Samman & Alsharif, 2025, #) It may also create opportunities to advance the dental practice as a whole. It may tailor more of the available clinical time to supporting patients in this line of care, and by choosing educational opportunities for complex treatments, referrals can be targeted as an increased referral stream. This requires professionals to make their achievements well known to local practitioners, ensuring that other clinicians know that the practice can be a trusted source for support in such scenarios.
Improving patient care
Advancing the professional skillset also aids patients by ensuring their dental practitioners have both a wider range of treatment techniques to rely upon, and an increased awareness of viable options. This can inform conversations about a patient’s concerns or potential avenues for care, with professionals able to confidently answer queries in the moment rather than waiting for the patient to be referred to another clinician.
With more clinicians engaging in advanced education opportunities, patients also have a greater opportunity to find a care provider that suits their needs. Not only could a clinician who has the adequate skillset to provide support be more local to an individual, saving additional expenses and time travelling for care, but patients may have previously undergone care with a select set of clinicians; when these professionals are able to offer a wide range of treatments, the patient can develop trust over time, ensuring they are more comfortable when seeking support.
Patients with complex needs may benefit most from professionals seeking further training. Clinicians should only provide care within the limits of their own skills and knowledge, (General Dental Council, -) however if complications are not easily apparent, there is the risk of a professional unknowingly engaging in care that they are not suited to provide. An increased knowledge in select treatment areas improves the chances of identifying complications before they develop further, and in turn benefitting treatment outcomes.
Find the right support
When looking to take the next steps in the professional journey, it’s important to trust education providers with proven track records of success.
One to One Implant Education provides exceptional support for clinicians looking to advance their implant dentistry skills, especially through the PG Diploma in Advanced Techniques in Implant Dentistry. The Diploma provides further skills to professionals already familiar with this form of care, including bone regeneration, soft tissue augmentation and full arch reconstruction. All skills learnt do not limit themselves to implant care, but support surgical dental workflows on a larger scale.
When reflecting on achievements, striving to find new ways to improve is always vital. Not only can professionals and practices benefit, but patients will reap the rewards too.
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
References
General Dental Council. (-, – -). CPD for dental professionals. General Dental Council. Retrieved December, 2025, from https://www.gdc-uk.org/education-cpd/cpd/cpd-scheme
General Dental Council. (-, – -). Standards & their guidance, 7.2. Focus on Standards. Retrieved December, 2025, from https://standards.gdc-uk.org/pages/principle7/principle7
Samman, M., & Alsharif, S. B. (2025). Assessing career satisfaction and trajectory among dental professionals: 10 years repeated cross-sectional analysis. International Dental Journal, 75(3), 2262-2271. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653924016186
