The Dental Head Start Podcast

Explore the concept of digital dentures, 3D printed dentures, and CADCAM dentures. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of digital dentures compared to traditional ones. Emphasize the need for more clinical trials in this area.

Meet Amelia Musulin, an Oral Health Therapist at The Centre for Prosthodontics. She discusses the fulfilling career path in prosthodontics, emphasizing the importance of confidence, communication, and experience when dealing with complex cases. Amelia highlights the variety in her role compared to general practice, including performing work ups and collaborating with specialists. Tune in for valuable advice on pursuing a unique and rewarding pathway in oral health therapy.

Welcome to What I Wish I Knew by Dental Head Start. This is a podcast where we learn from people that have been there, made the mistakes, learnt the lessons and have developed into the accomplished dental professionals they are today. It’s your weekly mentoring session. Hosted by Hieu Dong Hey dental students, exam period got you stressing? Same… In Part 2 of our series with Dr Ben Lee, he gives us an epic pep talk for our time at dental school. Dr Ben unpacks the real reason he decided to specialise in prosthodontics and reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously while studying. Feeling over exams and time for a study break? Have a listen to this ep and get your motivation back! Dr Ben Lee Ben completed his MDSc in Prosthodontics from the University of Sydney. During this time, he was given the Young Prosthodontist Award by The International College of Prosthodontists. He is past President of the Australian Prosthodontic Society (NSW) and Australian Asian Association of Dentists. He is a mentor for implant diploma courses offered by the University of Sydney and Charles Sturt University. In addition, being a visiting honorary Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney and a Course Co-Ordinator for Nobel Biocare, Ben frequently presents on the topic of dental implants and fixed prosthodontics nationally. As a prosthodontist, Ben works full-time in his referral-based specialist centre in Chatswood, Sydney, with particular interest in the surgical aspect of dental implant treatment. Dental Protection Limited Dental Protection have proudly been supporting the Dental Head Start podcast since day one! The Dental Protection team understands the ever-changing challenges faced by dental professionals and we take our responsibility to members seriously. Our professional protection package helps you practise with confidence, safe in the knowledge that we are always by your side if things go wrong. With over 40 years protecting Australian dental professionals, we have the global stability and financial resilience to be by your side for a lifetime of support, even in the most uncertain times. Dental Protection membership is free for students and new graduates and includes access to professional indemnity, support and advice when you need it, free CPD and a whole lot more.  Join today at https://www.dentalprotection.org/australia/join Credabl Credabl is a team of medical finance specialists, passionate about fuelling the ambitions of the dental community. We enable dentists with finance that is quick, simple and backed by experience, so they can do it as big as they can dream it. Credabl offers a range of medical finance solutions, such as equipment finance, practice fitout finance, commercial property loans, car loans and home loans. Call the team today on 1300 27 33 22, or go to credabl.com.au. The post TIP #141 – A Pep Talk for Dental Students in Exams… with Dr Ben Lee Part 2 appeared first on Dental Head Start.

Hosted by Dr David Keir In this episode, David chats with Dr. Namita Gupta about her career journey from dental school to owning multiple dental practices and starting her tech business, Restocq. Namita discusses her early career experiences working in both regional and city practices, which helped her gain a variety of skills. She emphasizes the importance of mentors and continuing education and shares lessons learnt as a practice owner, including the value of setting processes early on and focusing on associates’ education, well-being and job satisfaction. She provides valuable advice for associates and new business owners based on her experiences, encouraging them to dream big and take opportunities that come their way. Key moments 0:01:59 – Namita’s early career experiences, including graduating at 23 and working short term jobs to gain experience and travel before deciding on their career path. 0:06:36 – How Namita’s upbringing as the child of immigrant parents in Australia shaped their values of hard work, business focus, empathy, and desire to contribute to society. 0:11:48 – The source of Namita’s passion and drive, which they attribute to high expectations from their parents to constantly succeed and prove themselves. 0:23:05 – How Namita chose dentistry over medicine based on advice from their parents about its artistic/creative aspects and better fit for eventually starting a family. 0:31:28 – Lessons Namita learned from working in multiple dental practices in both regional and city areas, including exposure to diverse treatment options and approaches to patients. 0:44:22 – The importance of having financial conversations with associates, focusing on the dental team, and supporting dentists’ continued education and well-being. 0:53:08 – Namita’s experience deviating from dentistry to start a tech startup, and lessons taken back to improve their dental practice organization and growth. Namita Gupta Dr Namita Gupta is an Implant and Cosmetic surgeon, educator, and visionary entrepreneur, with over 21 years of dental industry experience. As the Co-founder of Restocq and multiple greenfield dental practices, Dr. Gupta blends her passion for dentistry with a keen entrepreneurial spirit. Her mission is to combine passion with purpose, empowering dentists and their teams to operate at their full potential. Restocq was created by Namita and her dentist husband Stephan to eliminate the complexity and high costs associated with ordering  dental supplies. Their vision is simple- to empower dentists to utilise digital technology and AI to ensure they never run out of stock, stick to budget and reduce the headaches and manual processes of stock control and ordering. Beyond her entrepreneurial pursuits, Dr. Gupta actively contributes to dental education, holding roles as an examiner, lecturer, and planning committee member for the Graduate Diploma in Implant Dentistry at the University of Sydney, and as an examiner, lecturer, and clinical supervisor at The Implant Institute in Perth, WA. Credabl Credabl is a team of medical finance specialists, passionate about fuelling the ambitions of the dental community. We enable dentists with finance that is quick, simple and backed by experience, so they can do it as big as they can dream it. Credabl offers a range of medical finance solutions, such as equipment finance, practice fitout finance, commercial property loans, car loans and home loans. Call the team today on 1300 27 33 22, or go to credabl.com.au. Dental Protection Limited Dental Protection have proudly been supporting the Dental Head Start podcast since day one! The Dental Protection team understands the ever-changing challenges faced by dental professionals and we take our responsibility to members seriously. Our professional protection package helps you practise with confidence, safe in the knowledge that we are always by your side if things go wrong. With over 40 years protecting Australian dental professionals, we have the global stability and financial resilience to be by your side for a lifetime of support, even in the most uncertain times. Dental Protection membership is free for students and new graduates and includes access to professional indemnity, support and advice when you need it, free CPD and a whole lot more.  Join today at https://www.dentalprotection.org/australia/join The post FEATURE #93 – Dreaming big: A journey from dentist to entrepreneur with Dr Namita Gupta appeared first on Dental Head Start.

Dr. Ben Lee, a prosthodontist in Sydney, discusses crowns for beginners. Topics include assessing tooth structure for crowns, restoration planning, physical factors for tooth restoration, patient communication, and dental material options. Emphasizes patient satisfaction, assessing patient perspectives, and learning from mistakes in practice.

Rochelle Fisher, with 27 years of dental assistant experience, discusses the importance of well-trained assistants in dental practices. She highlights challenges faced by new dentists without formal assistant qualifications and offers solutions through her courses. The conversation covers the qualities of great assistants, communication in the dentist-assistant dynamic, and valuable advice for dental graduates. It emphasizes the impact of teamwork and clear communication on patient care and practice efficiency.

Join Christina Potestas in a fascinating discussion with Mirna Yousif, an experienced OHT who transitioned to working in orthodontics. Mirna shares insights on her university journey, supporting orthodontists, patient care collaboration, and advice for those interested in orthodontics. Learn about autonomy in treatment planning and the role of OHTs in enhancing patient satisfaction. Dive into the challenges and rewards of pursuing a career in dentistry, emphasizing perseverance and continuous learning.

Rerun Series: Find your support network on social media. Picked by Christina Potestas This series of re-run episodes is a curated selection of interviews to help listeners cut through the noise of social media and start finding their support network of dentists who are actively sharing their expertise and life online. These interviews reveal more about the real person behind the Instagram profile – I hope that it opens doors to a network of potential mentors and starts what may be a guiding and inspiring relationship beyond graduation.  In today’s episode, I am throwing back the amazing chat between Dr Erica Hwin and Oral Medicine Specialist Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen. Not only is this one of my favourite episodes but one that provides answers to some challenges we may face in life as a dentist; from trying to fit everything in as a busy clinician, to finding the courage to say no and even simply being a female in the dental profession. Dr Nguyen shares clinical evidence, practical advice and her interest in oral medicine and pathology to her 6000+ Instagram followers so do yourself a favour and make sure to follow along as well. Links to her socials can be found below. Sit back and enjoy the re-run of What I Wish I Knew tip #94 – Standing your ground with Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen. Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen Amanda is a Perth Oral medicine specialist, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Australia, and Consultant at Perth Children’s Hospital. She is passionate about oral medicine, and her professional roles include co-chair of the Australasian Sleep Association Dental Sleep Medicine Council, and is the College News Editor and an Examiner of Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. She is also on the Board of Studies in Oral Medicine for the RACDS. She is President of Women in Dentistry WA, Vice President of the Dental Specialists Society of WA, secretary of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons WA, Treasurer of the International Association for Dental Research (Perth region), on the board of directors of the Jaye Radisich Foundation and Uniting Smiles, and on various other committees. She was the former Vice President of the Australian Dental Association Western Australian (ADAWA). She represents her specialty at several multidisciplinary meetings and at the Ehlers Danlos Society. An accomplished international and national speaker, she is passionate about her speciality, regularly lecturing and teaching and sharing educational content online. Amanda has received multiple awards and commendations, including a peer review award, an ADA Valuable Service award and ADHF Wrigley Community Service Grant for her work.  A keen researcher and clinician, she regularly publishes and reviews for renowned journals. Her interests include oral mucosal disease, orofacial pain, temporomandibular disorders, dental sleep medicine and paediatric oral medicine. Facebook: /oralmedicineoralpathology Instagram: @oralmedicineoralpathology Youtube: AmandaPhoonNguyenOralMedicine Credabl Credabl is a team of medical finance specialists, passionate about fuelling the ambitions of the dental community. We enable dentists with finance that is quick, simple and backed by experience, so they can do it as big as they can dream it. Credabl offers a range of medical finance solutions, such as equipment finance, practice fitout finance, commercial property loans, car loans and home loans. Call the team today on 1300 27 33 22, or go to credabl.com.au. The post TIP #138 [RE-RUN] – Standing Your Ground with Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen appeared first on Dental Head Start.

Hosted by Hieu Dong In this episode, we get a glimpse into the world of dental school and dental students in 2024. Join Nathan from Griffith Uni, Emily from UQ, Jack from USYD and Ashton from UWA as they share what a day in the life is like at their uni’s and give valuable advice for younger students. From the parties and fun to the grind and stresses of clinic, we unpack it all! If you’re a current dental student, we hope you can relate and find some encouragement from our conversation today. And if you’ve already graduated we hope this gives you a bit of a POV on what the next generation of dentists are up to. Nathan Lau (Griffith) Meet Nathan, a fourth-year dentistry student at Griffith University. Originally from America, he grew up in Singapore before settling in Australia for high school and university. Nathan is an alumni of Griffith’s Student Academy of Excellence and serves as the class representative for his cohort. Ever since his first year, he has also been deeply involved with the Griffith University Dental Students’ Association (GUDSA), having progressed from subcommittee roles to Head of Sports and finally President in 2024. Outside of university, Nathan enjoys hitting the gym, playing his guitar, and exploring the best eateries with friends. Fun fact: Nathan has climbed up Mount Everest Base Camp! Emily Lee (UQ) Emily is a 4th year dental student currently studying at the University of Queensland. She was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and came over to Brisbane to study dentistry. Emily is currently the president of the University of Queensland Dental Students Association (UQDSA) and was previously apart of the UQ Union as Herston officer in 2023. On her days off, she enjoys reviewing food around Brisbane, and enjoys practicing violin and playing badminton. Emily also is an avid photographer and you can catch her occasionally filming YouTube vlogs. Jack Awad (USYD) Hi everyone, I’m Jack, the 2024 President of the Sydney University Dental Association. I’m originally from Tamworth NSW, but have lived in Sydney for the past 6 years completing my undergraduate degree in Medical Science and now my DMD. I look forward to returning home to give back to my community when I graduate! Beyond my passion for dentistry I like spending time with family and friends, going to the beach and enjoying quality feeds! Ashton Foo (UWA) Hi my name is Ashton and I am a third year dental student from UWA. I enjoy doing dentistry because I am able to do practical work while also being able to communicate with patients. Outside of dentistry I enjoy going outdoors and spending time with friends and family. The post FEATURE #92 – POV: You’re a Dental Student in 2024 with Nathan Lau, Emily Lee, Jack Awad and Ashton Foo appeared first on Dental Head Start.

Welcome to What I Wish I Knew by Dental Head Start. This is a podcast where we learn from people that have been there, made the mistakes, learnt the lessons and have developed into the accomplished dental professionals they are today. It’s your weekly mentoring session. Hosted by Christina Potestas  Wow, we are well within the first semester this year and whatever part of our dental school journey we might be at, I think it would be pretty safe to say it’s only going to get harder before it gets easier at this stage. My guest in today’s episode is someone who has amassed over 1500 followers on social media by sharing her life as an OHT student and you can tell she’s a devoted one as she manages to share her oral health knowledge in such a way that would make the most anxious patient passionate about their smile. We caught up since wrapping up uni last year and talk about what we’re doing to thrive and survive another challenging year of school. Key moments: (0:00:02) – Kaitlyn’s journey to oral health therapy and current year/semester of study (0:01:38) – Kaitlyn’s current feelings about university (0:04:05) – What Kaitlyn enjoys about their degree so far and looks forward to (0:04:15) – Something that surprised Kaitlyn about the degree (0:06:19) – What Kaitlyn dislikes about university (0:07:32) – How Kaitlyn plans to improve their experience this year compared to last (0:09:34) – The role of university clubs and societies in providing additional support (0:12:51) – What Kaitlyn hopes to achieve this year Kaitlyn White Kaitlyn is currently a second year student studying oral health therapy at the University of Newcastle. She graduated from high school in 2021 and originally wanted to pursue nursing to become a paramedic. After one semester of nursing school, Kaitlyn realized it wasn’t the right fit for her. She then started working as a dental receptionist and assisting at a dental clinic, where she discovered her passion for oral health therapy. To gain experience, Kaitlyn completed a certificate in dental assisting and diploma in practice management. In her first attempt, she was accepted into the oral health therapy degree program at the University of Newcastle. When not studying, Kaitlyn enjoys socializing with friends, going to the beach, and participating in creative hobbies like crafting. She also serves as a social media manager for the university’s Oral Health Society (UNOHS) to help connect and support other OHT students. You can follow Kaitlyn’s journey on Instagram & Tiktok @kaitlyn.oht Kaitlyn is also the social media officer for the University of Newcastle Oral Health Society (@UNOHS) The post TIP #137 – OHT Student Spotlight with Kaitlyn White: Thriving and Surviving Uni appeared first on Dental Head Start.