As part of the inclusive educational programme at Dentistry Show London 2022, there were various sessions that explored current challenges and opportunities for team members.

Lauren Long’s session in the Clinical Excellence Theatre (delivered with Educational Partner, College of General Dentistry and Sponsor, Listerine) was one such session, entitled “Dental therapy: unleashing the hidden potential in practice”. As the name suggests, this was all about how practices could better utilise their dental therapist for the benefit of their patients, the dentists and the overall business. She shared the working model she follows that allows her to offer 100% of her scope of practice. This focused on a collaborative approach to patient care and enabled the dentists in her practice to concentrate on the types of treatment they most enjoyed – and which often provided higher revenue for them, creating a win-win situation.

Dental therapists in attendance, Rosie Anderson and Poppy Grout, commented:

“Lauren was very clear in comparing the working models for dental therapists – it is difficult to find that information. We attended because we wanted to know more about how to implement a dental therapist’s skills and we will take a lot back to help sell ourselves a little more. It’s been thought-provoking and we have many questions we hope to go and ask Lauren while at the event!”

For dental care professionals interested in digital dentistry, Cat Edney provided the perfect opportunity to find out more about their role in digital scanning. Cat’s enthusiasm for digital scanning was evident from the beginning as she shared her own journey from finally cleaning off the dust on her practice scanner to making it an integral part of her everyday appointments. She described the “visual learning journey” that the scans create for patients and discussed just how much of an impact this can have on both their understanding and their engagement with their oral health.

Commenting on the session, Head Nurse Ewa Fares from Elgin Dental Care said:

“I want to encourage team members to use the scanner that is sitting in our hallway collecting dust! I thought the speaker was very good and very clear in her session. I didn’t realise dental therapists could do so much, or how many scanner models were available.”

Of course, to really make this work in practice, it is important that principals appreciate the opportunities to utilise the team’s skills too. One of the dentists in the audience for this session said:

“I wanted to hear more about the dental therapist’s role and thought this session covered everything it needed to. Cat was very clear and clearly very enthusiastic! I have found the lectures in general to be good and have enjoyed browsing the exhibition.”

All dental therapists, hygienists and nurses in attendance had access to numerous other sessions of potential interest throughout the two-day programme. Topics covered included periodontal challenges and updates, advice for managing orthodontic patient, minimally invasive dental techniques and getting involved with facial aesthetics. The Enhanced CPD Theatre and Compliance Theatre also both offered useful information for delegates to update their records and build confidence in their everyday tasks.

It was a delight to see so many team members at the event and we hope you enjoyed your time at the ExCeL London as much as we did!