Is a mentor worth it? If you want a successful and fulfilling career, the answer would have to be yes
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 22nd October 2023
Mentoring is a fundamental ingredient of a successful and fulfilling dental career. Once you understand that in dentistry, learning is lifelong, you will always be looking for people who can guide, teach and advise you. I’ve been practising for many years, starting out when there were very few women delivering implant treatments, and I’m an educator too, but sometimes when I see an incredible case, I just want to know “how?”. As such, I still have mentors, as well as mentees of my own.
I also see novice dentists learning how to navigate practice culture and processes, feeling overwhelmed by how much they don’t know and things that aren’t coming as easy as they expected. The ability to communicate effectively with patients, to talk to them in a way that engages them, enabling them to understand the diagnosis and give informed consent, is one example. Another is becoming aware of what wasn’t covered in your degree, in any significant hands-on form. The temptation is to start booking courses, to fill in the gaps in your knowledge, right away. But without guidance, you might not choose the right programmes, that offer quality and value and develop confidence as well as ability.
A mentor can help you to navigate these decisions. They can anchor you, and also steer you on to the right career pathway. As a mentor myself, I share my successes and the things I wish I’d done differently. I’m a big advocate of building on basic skills within a framework of clear, measurable goals. This approach will keep you focussed, and always working within your own competency. A mentor will give their input on cases that you need to refer out, while discussing what they would have done, to deliver a safe, stable outcome. They will teach you how to appraise your work without being too self-critical. They will be by your side, supporting you as your self-belief grows, and you become more resilient. The encouragement you’ll get from your mentor, is crucial. To be a caring, compassionate dentist you need to be supported yourself, for days when things don’t go according to plan, of if you’re having a crisis of confidence.
Knowing that you belong
Your mentor will help you realise that you belong, and have a lot to offer, essential if you’re ever struggling with imposter syndrome! Our industry is full of amazing people who have achieved incredible things in a short space of time and it can be easy to feel over-awed by the superstars. But dig deeper, and you’ll often find their achievements came by establishing solid foundations, building on the basics and keeping up-to-date with the latest scientific advances and techniques, through ongoing training and education.
A mentor is absolutely worth it for expanding your network, opening doors and making the right connections. You might be a brilliant fit for working alongside a particular dentist or in practice – the more you know, the more you’ll increase your chances of finding these opportunities.
Find a mentor through further training
If you haven’t been able to connect with a mentor so far, quality postgraduate training that offers pathways taught by prestigious teaching teams are an excellent place to look. I believe that all general dentists should train to deliver and restore dental implants – these are modern and high-demand treatment modalities that can offer life-changing results to people of all ages. As more patients are appreciating how function and aesthetics can be transformed, practices that can take care of them in-house, because there is an experienced implant team in-situ and ready to go, will see their reputation and revenue soar. It’s a fulfilling area to work in too, and will challenge your technical ability, problem-solving and interpersonal skills. General dentists starting on the implant pathway will find a mentor invaluable as they progress from beginner to advanced practitioner. At One to One Implant Education, in the heart of London’s west end, peer mentoring is incorporated into fully accredited Implant Diploma programme, allowing all students to benefit. Lectures and hands-on, practical sessions are delivered by some of the most renowned educators and implantologists in the industry, allowing you to start building your professional network. With small cohort sizes you’ll make friend for life, too.
During your career, mentors can help you professionally, and personally. You can learn from them, be guided by them, and map out a path to success with their support. There are different skills needed to become an exceptional practitioner, and finding your way without a mentor by your side, at various stages, can lead to you doubting your ability, and losing focus and confidence. A mentor will advocate for you and, as you continue your career journey, you may become one yourself!
To reserve your place or to find out more, please visit
https://121implanteducation.co.uk or call 020 7486 0000
Dr Fazeela Bio
Author bio:
Dr Fazeela Khan-Osborne is the founding clinician of the FACE dental implant multi-disciplinary team for the One To One Dental Clinic based on Harley Street, London. She has always had a passion and special interest in implant dentistry, particularly in surgical and restorative full arch rehabilitation of the maxilla. She has been involved in developing treatment modalities for peri-implantitis within clinical practice.
Dr Khan-Osborne is also the Founding Course Lead for the One To One Education Programme, now in its 20thyear. As a former Lead Tutor on the Diploma in Implant Dentistry course at the Royal College of Surgeons (England), she lectures worldwide on implant dentistry and is an active full member of the Association of Dental Implantology, the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
