Implant dentistry for the young aspiring dentist
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 10th November 2022
In any field of work, navigating the beginning of your career can feel like a challenge. For young, or newly qualified dentists, deciding on a career path in implant dentistry is no exception. It can be incredibly daunting as a young dentist to think about all that is required to move your career forward into the field. For example, considering which training courses might be appropriate, which systems you should use, where to find the right mentor for you, and also the significant extra time and dedication required to establish yourself as an implant dentist.[i] Finding a likeminded community is the perfect way for young dentists to come together and network with more experienced practitioners in their field of interest.
A strong foundation
There is currently no access to dental implant training as part of undergraduate education, often due to limited funding and time restraints.[ii] This makes the need for newly qualified dentists to seek out training and experience opportunities all the more important, in order to expose themselves to the treatment process, and network in the community. The GDC has not outlined a specific educational pathway required to start providing implant dentistry,[iii] but there are many fantastic opportunities available for implant training. There are a number of MSc courses in dental implantology available to choose from, or you might consider looking for relevant training courses/workshops, run by experts in their field, and building up experience outside of a traditional academic setting. Developing a strong foundational knowledge in your early career will mean you’ll feel competent and confident later on when you are ready to start placing dental implants.
Making connections
Making connections within your field of interest is incredibly valuable, as you open yourself up to a wide variety of networking and mentoring opportunities. Because implant dentistry is a constantly evolving area, making connections with experienced colleagues is a great way to gain mentorship, trustworthy advice, and insight into the profession. By joining these diverse groups, you are likely to come across clinicians at a similar point in their journey as you, as well as professors, tutors, and course instructors who are experts in dental implantology with a passion for educating those new to the discipline.i Where possible, make connections with these experts to discover exciting training opportunities, career development guidance and start building a dedicated support network around you.
A mentor will usually help you set goals[iv] to help you build the skills you need for competence in clinical assessment, treatment planning, and placement and restoration of dental implants.[v] Once you’ve had a good amount of exposure to implant dentistry over your first couple of years, you can create a development plan which incorporates dental implant specific training courses with input from mentors and those you look up to.[vi] Your development plan could aim to first enhance your skills in restoration, before you start observing cases, and later performing the surgical aspects of treatment under supervision and then independently.
After gaining experience and a more thorough knowledge of dental implantology, you may decide to further develop your skillset from single unit cases to multiple. In time you may also be interested in immediate placement and loading techniques, full arch solutions or zygomatic options. As you progress, it is essential to have continued support and guidance from peers, so remaining engaged with the wider community is hugely beneficial.
Finding your community
As a young dentist entering the world of dental implantology, becoming a member of the Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) is a fantastic way to make connections, gain training opportunities, and stay up to date with issues and topics within the field. The ADI is making their membership benefits even more accessible to dentists who are just starting out. The ‘First Five Years’ membership option is now free for UK dentists in their first two years post-qualification. And, dentists in the third, fourth and fifth year post-qualification are offered ADI membership at a heavily reduced rate. Young dentists should take advantage of all that the ADI has to offer, including free attendance to ADI study clubs, discounted attendance to ADI Team Congress, access to the ADI Members’ Forum on Facebook, and lots more.
Any opportunity to be part of a community that is actively engaged and working on developments in dental implantology will provide you with insight into what to expect throughout your career going forward. It will also allow you to learn from the experiences of your peers and renowned experts. Being in touch with dental professionals across the field is incredibly useful at all stages of your career for advice and support, but these connections are even more valuable when starting out in dental implantology.
For more information about the ADI, or to join, please visit the website www.adi.org.uk
[i] Dentistry. Are you interested in implant dentistry? (Date accessed: 26.07.22) https://dentistry.co.uk/2017/07/25/calling-young-dentists-interested-implant-dentistry/
[ii] Hare, Arminder, et al. “Current Undergraduate Dental Implantology Teaching in UK.” Dentistry Journal 10.7 (2022): 127. file:///Users/officeone/Downloads/dentistry-10-00127.pdf
[iii] Patel, A. Conference report: ADI Young Dentist Implant Day. Br Dent J 221, 374 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2016.716 https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2016.716
[iv] ADI. Guidance for mentor and mentees. (Date accessed: 27.07.22) https://www.adi.org.uk/resources/mentors/guidance_for_mentors_mentees.aspx
[v] ADI. ADI register of mentors. (Date accessed: 27.07.22) https://www.adi.org.uk/mentors/
[vi] Dentistry. Implant training pathways. (Date accessed: 29.07.22) https://dentistry.co.uk/2019/02/11/implant-training-pathways/
