Find your specialism and you could change lives
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 7th May 2021
The need for dental specialists is greater than ever. Last year, when clinical practice returned, it soon became clear that certain modifications made to services wouldn’t be temporary. Enhanced infection control protocols, more virtual consultations and rigorous triaging before physical appointments – these are just some changes that are here to stay.
Ultimately, we want fewer patients to develop a dental problem that requires treatment. This means that the need to deliver quality preventive care and educate people about daily at-home practises and behaviours is even more of a priority. When treatment is necessary, because the patient is in pain and/or their quality of life is being or will be impacted without an intervention, it must be carried out by the right person. It is therefore imperative that all general dental practitioners commit to the timely referral to a specialist, for a correct diagnosis and successful outcome.
When a GDP refers to a trusted specialist, they can tell their patient that they are in the very best hands. The patient will get a treatment plan that will solve the problem efficiently and, with support and maintenance, provide a solution that endures, improving their health and wellbeing for years to come.
Becoming a specialist will test your clinical and mental skills, creativity and knowledge, while also keeping you motivated, inspired and engaged. You will need to immerse yourself in the latest scientific research and developments in technique, as well be open to trying all the tools and materials available, to keep pushing the standard of your dentistry higher. Also, in this climate, when we’ve all been reminded of how health is our most precious asset, to know that you are making a difference to – and in some cases, changing – people’s lives will be an intensely rewarding experience.
Dental education was impacted by the pandemic; curriculums had to be adapted, exams were disrupted and there were fewer opportunities for hands-on clinical experience. Although arrangements have now been put in place to ensure speciality training can continue, is commencing a new learning journey now a good idea?[i]
Absolutely yes. Dentistry was already changing, and professionals need to stay ahead of the curve to ensure that patients’ needs and expectations are being met, so levels of oral health can improve. Pre-COVID-19, there were discussions about skill mix, also how the profession could adapt to the challenges of an ageing population and treating patients with mental health issues. Access to NHS dentistry was described as being at a “crisis point” before the pandemic made the situation even worse.[ii],[iii] Even in private practice, we will continue to see the repercussions of missed appointments and delayed treatments for some time. We can predict a greater demand for specialist services, to treat problems that were not intercepted early. Most patients would rather avoid an extraction, so in cases where an infection was able to take hold, there will be more recommendations for root canal therapy.
An endodontic specialist will diagnose the source of pain, then deliver comfortable, efficient and stable treatment to return the tooth to health. A specialist will lay out the pros of going ahead, and what the outcome could be if a patient decides not to. Empathy and excellent communication skills are a must, to allay anxiety and reassure them of their safety and of the treatment’s success. Endodontic specialists will need to establish this instant rapport because good clinical outcomes rest on good relationships. When the relationship between patient and specialist is positive, the former will accept their part in the treatment’s maintenance, and also know what is ‘normal’ in terms of post-endodontic therapy discomfort and pain, and when they should contact the practice.
An endodontic specialist will be able to tell patients about the tools and materials they will use to support success. Generally, people need to forget their preconceptions of root canal therapy as a painful, invasive experience, because innovation has put this field of dentistry at the cutting edge. Tools have been developed to aid patient comfort, as well as allow a specialist to work quickly – for example, COLTENE’s HyFlex™ EDM files for canal preparation are suitable even for highly curved canals and will follow every unique anatomy perfectly, reducing the risk of ledging, perforation and transportation. Less files will be required to complete treatment, meaning they’re cost effective – an investment into gold-standard root canal therapy is less expensive than most people think.
When you choose to become a specialist, you will support GDPs with your skills, knowledge, experience and techniques to keep their patients in good oral health. The future will see more opportunities for specialisms to thrive, as dentistry intensifies its focus on prevention, to keep people well and to deliver quality treatment to those who need it. If you’re considering specialist training, you should grasp this moment to help more patients, to make a difference and to elevate your practise.
For more on COLTENE, visit www.coltene.com,
email info.uk@coltene.com or call 0800 254 5115.
Author: Mark Allen, General Manager at COLTENE
[i] COVID-19: updated arrangements for dental education and training. FGDP, 1 September 2020. Link: https://www.fgdp.org.uk/news/covid-19-updated-arrangements-dental-education-and-training (accessed January 2021).
[ii] NHS Dentistry: Crisis mounts as patients offered appointments in Aug 2020. BDA, 17 September 2019. Link: https://www.bda.org/news-centre/press-releases/Pages/NHS-dentistry-crisis-mounts-as-patients-offered-appointments-in-Aug-2020.aspx#:~:text=Three%20out%20of%20five%20dental,BDA%20analysis%20of%20official%20figures. (accessed January 2021).
[iii] Coronavirus: Dental services at ‘crisis point’. BBC, 18 December 2020. Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-55317252 (accessed January 2021).
