Dr Emma Laing - Oxford 1988 - 1997

A Career in Dentistry

 As someone relatively new to the profession this is a brief introduction to a career such as mine. I qualified a year ago from The University of Bristol having previously attended Oxford High School. In Year10 at school I had taken a week’s work experience at The John Radcliffe Hospital in the Oral & Maxillofacial Department  - in short varying from some hospital dentistry to complex surgical cases of head and neck cancers. I was inspired to follow a similar career having been overwhelmed by the time I had spent there. A great advantage of a dental career is that you can easily combine it with a family and work part-time. This was the case with many of the staff at the John Radcliffe.

You need three A-levels, two in sciences (or equivalent level qualifications) to apply to University for a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree. It takes 5years and you need to be enthusiastic about the career to get through it! It is a very academic course and unlike several other degree courses you don’t many lie-ins at university! It is a diverse course and patient treatment starts at the beginning of the third year. This is a major advantage over courses such as medicine which are far less hands-on until you have qualified.

Once qualified most graduates complete a year of Vocational Training in general practice after which you are allowed to practice in the NHS. Even if you eventually intend to become a private practitioner it is best to start off in this way as you are appointed a ‘trainer’ for the year who is essentially your boss in practice but you have tutorials and build on your knowledge from university. It’s a good transition to working life! This is the stage I am at in my career.

From here you can choose to stay in practice, follow a hospital career, an armed forces career or use your degree working abroad. Once you have the degree you enter a very flexible career whose pathway you can choose. There is currently a slight shortage of dentists so you have a wide choice of positions available upon qualification.

At present I am working in East London in a busy mixed NHS/Private practice. It can be a stressful job when you are very busy but I enjoy the diversity of the people you meet and that you are continually mentally challenged by the job. If you are contemplating this career I would recommend taking some work experience to really see what you think of it . I am pleased I have chosen a flexible, well-paid career which is sociable and intellectually stimulating.

 If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me via the website.