23rd March 2015

Why we should take the time to mentor others

Collaborating, teaching and mentoring is pivotal to development in advanced dentistry. The motivation behind the BSAD organisation (The British Society for Advanced Dentistry), is to provide a support network for dentists to ask questions, keep up with the latest techniques and to learn from the very best in the industry.

I myself have just returned from a long day mentoring two colleagues in London. Both of them are studying on the Royal College Implant Diploma Course, and have me as their tutor. We looked at two different cases:

Case one

The first case was the colleague’s first bone graft, which is a reasonably daunting procedure and one where mistakes are painful for the patient. We had done one on Wednesday in the practice, so I was well rehearsed for my part. In the event, it went well.

Case two

The second colleague was placing his first two implants on his father-in-law, so again failure would have had repercussions of a wider nature.  Fortunately we succeeded in placing two implants in the correct position without any major trauma.

We’re filming a case this morning to compose a teaching video which should hopefully prove useful as training material for other dentists.

Development in the dental industry

It is very easy as a professional in any industry to focus on your own career development, but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture. Taking the time to coach and mentor the next generation of dentists means that the industry can continue to move forward, to develop new techniques and pioneer new methods. In the process, you are developing your own career as a teacher and mentor.

You can find out more about BSAD and “who we are here” here: https://bsad.website/who-we-are/