Why you can trust in your dentist

When we need to see a doctor, we visit our GP as and when the need arises. But if you have good physical health it can be possible to go a few years at a time without seeing a doctor. Like physical health, your dental health is just as important and it can be harder to know when something is wrong with your teeth or gums, which is why it is encouraged to see your dentist and hygienist at least once a year. Sometimes people go years or even decades without seeing a dentist, which is when longer term dental issues can arise.

What does it take to become a dentist?

Although not all dentists choose to use the title ‘doctor’ at the front of their name, they must all undergo extensive training for many years. To train to become a dentist you must have three A-Levels, usually covering Biology and Chemistry, and typically they need to all be A*s. A degree in dentistry is the next step and this usually takes five years, and covers learning across lectures and seminars as well as developing practical skills, such as treating patients in dental hospitals and community clinics. After graduating, all dentists must register with the General Dentistry Council (GDC), as well as completing two more years of postgraduate dental training.

Even after full training and securing a job, all dental professionals are required to take part in Enhanced Continual Professional Development (CPD) to maintain their registration and meet current GDC standards. This is important as it enables dentists to remain up-to-date with developments in the dental field. Over a five-year cycle, dental care professionals are required to undertake 100 hours of Enhanced CPD. Dentists continue to develop and expand their skills throughout their career with some choosing to focus their skills and specialise in particular areas.

It’s not all about the qualifications

Although training to become a qualified dentist is a big commitment and a huge amount of work, part of being a fantastic dentist is being great at working with people and patients. Some patients feel very anxious about visiting the dentist, while others are concerned that they will be judged by their dentist for the state of their teeth, particularly if they have left it a long time between visits. Dentists are extremely passionate about helping people and creating beautiful smiles for their patients. They see teeth and gums in a wide variety of states of health, so they are never judging anyone, and they never ‘tell a patient off’ if they haven’t been to visit in a long time. Dentists always enjoy helping patients to gain dental health and are particularly keen to ensure that patients have comfortable pain-free mouths.

The dentists at McGrath Dental & Implant Clinic (a Portman Dental Care practice) kindly shared some recent before and after images of patients whose lives were transformed by the dental expertise and care that they received:

While the qualifications and dental expertise are important, a key part of being a great dentist is being good at both listening and communicating well with others. Visiting the dentist can make some people feel uncomfortable or anxious, so it’s important that a dentist can put patients at ease, often talking them through their treatment clearly and calmly, answering any questions with certainty that may arise.

Dentists are able to adjust their treatment plans and pace of delivery depending on the patient’s needs, age or concerns, helping all patients to find confidence in their dream smile.

At Portman Dental Care, we pride ourselves on our exceptional patient care in our calm and relaxing practices. You can find your nearest Portman Dental Care practice here.

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