Published:

Name: Andrew Scott.

Age: 37.

Job title: Principal dentist at Queen’s Cross dental practice.

Qualifications: Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc), Diploma in Postgraduate Dental Sciences (DPDS).

Getting there: You will require to obtain very good grades at either Higher or A level. You will then go to university to study dentistry for five years, with a further year working under the supervision of a qualified dentist – called your vocational training (VT) year. During this year, you will need to keep a log book and attend study days once a month. At the end of the VT year, you will have to prepare a case study and make a presentation. Once qualified, you will be required to carry out some continuing professional development (CDP) in order to remain registered as a dentist. This is obtained by attending conferences, seminars and training sessions. Your time at university will be fun, but also hard work. Students of dentistry do not benefit from long summer holidays like other courses, making it harder to get summer jobs and, therefore, more difficult to raise finances to keep you going throughout the year.

Best bits: The job varies so much that you never get bored and there are always further developments in dentistry, which means that there is always more to learn. I also really enjoy the interaction with patients, which also contributes to the enjoyment of my job. I am always looking to developing my skills and am really interested in new technologies and developments. We recently got a new piece of equipment that allows me to make crowns and inlays at the practice rather than sending away to a dental laboratory to make them. This sort of advancement keeps me interested in what I do on a day-to-day basis.

Worst bits: I really don’t enjoy the paperwork involved in the job, although this does not take up too much time. It can be difficult to deal with nervous patients, and this can be awkward when you know you have other patients waiting to be seen and they perhaps are a bit annoyed by being kept waiting. However, you have to be patient and sympathetic with patients’ anxieties. It is also physically tiring, and other dentists complain of having a sore back from bending over for long periods of time.

Advice to others: I really enjoy my job and would recommend others who have a real interest in medicine and dentistry to consider this as a profession. It is worth gaining as much work experience as possible while at school. Keep a detailed log of any experience you gain as this will help in gaining a place at university. There is a high demand for places and a successful application will not be completely dependent on the grades you obtain. You will be required to attend an interview and, the more you know about the course you are applying for, the better your application will be received by the university. You also need to be prepared to work hard at school and university.