The Dental Jobs Diaries
Here, we pride ourselves on providing you with insightful and informative podcasts, discussing everything from oral health to job opportunities in the dental industry.
Our mission is to equip you with the latest news, updates, and advice so that you can stay informed about the world of dentistry. Whether you’re a dental professional, student, or enthusiast, we have something for everyone. So, sit back, relax, and tune in as we delve deeper into the world of dentistry with our recent Podcasts with Clyde Munro Dental Group & Scottish Dental Care & Advanced Dentistry.
Our team of experts comprises dental professionals, hygienists, and educators, who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our platform. With their expertise and dedication, we ensure that you receive only the most accurate and relevant information that helps you navigate the dental landscape.
From dental procedures and hygiene to career tips and advice, we cover a wide range of topics to cater to your diverse needs. So, whether you want to learn about the latest dental techniques or understand how to make a successful career in the industry, we have got you covered.
The Dental Jobs Diaries
The Winding Path to Dental Success
Welcome to the Dental Jobs Diaries podcast in association with DentalJobscom, a leading job board for dental professionals.
Speaker 2:Please sit back and relax and listen to some of the thought leaders across the dentistry sector.
Speaker 1:Hi there, welcome to another episode of the Dental Jobs Diaries introduced by DentalJobscom, and I'm here excited to present another episode Today. I have Dr Rebecca Reid with me and I'm going to go through some of her background and history, and we have some exciting news to share from her as well. Hello, Dr Reid, how are you?
Speaker 2:Hello, I'm good, I'm good, you well.
Speaker 1:I'm very well. Yes, thank you, and whereabouts are you based in the world?
Speaker 2:So I'm currently in sunny, 21 degree Glasgow at the moment. Oh, my word, a bit of a novelty. Thank you.
Speaker 1:So, and you work for Clyde Munro, correct?
Speaker 2:Yes, I do. I'm an associate dentist. I'm practicing in the city centre of Glasgow.
Speaker 1:That's great. So tell us a little bit about your background. What first interested you in dentistry?
Speaker 2:So I'd always been interested in sort of science and art and things and I used to work a lot with clothes, I used to do a lot of tailoring and I came across a dentist when I was about 19, 20, and he was dental practice and he had said look, you know, you'd be really good You're good with your hands if you thought about dentistry Took me up for an interview, handed in my resignation the week later to the shop, started off as a receptionist. So it's not too far from where I actually practice just now it's a storm through about half a mile of that and I quickly decided that the clinical side of things excited me more than the admin thing side yeah, yeah so we looked to see what courses we could get me on.
Speaker 2:At school I'd never thought about being a dentist, so I didn't have the credentials really to just apply and get in. So I started off and I gained my qualification to be a dental technician. So that took me two years. In Edinburgh I worked as a lab technician in plaster room making the products that I now fit onto my patients, and then I decided that wasn't quite enough as well and I wanted to be a bit more clinical and deal with the patients face to face as opposed to, you know, just seeing a model.
Speaker 2:At that time digital dentistry wasn't really a thing. So then I applied for dentistry and I got told look, you don't have the grades to get in, so you're going to have to go to night school, get a bit more science background behind you. So I did that and then I got in to be a hygiene therapist. So I got into oral health sciences and I studied in Dundee for three years and I became a hygiene therapist for six years and then I decided you know what? Still just not enough. I'm still one little bit more. Yeah. So I applied to be to dentistry at that point, having done really well and getting a good mark in my therapy degree and I got in and I was part of the COVID cohort and that was I graduated in 2023 in Aberdeen and then came back home to Glasgow.
Speaker 1:Well, that's great, congratulations.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's quite an unusual pathway. I don't think I know anyone else has quite done it that way, but it's really's quite an unusual pathway. I don't think I know anyone else has quite done it that way, but it's really difficult, it was really hard. There was a lot of hiccups along the way. Um, and I think now about the other side of it, albeit a little bit older, definitely wouldn't do it any other way. I don't think some of the conversations that I have on a day-to-day basis with patients, and particularly maybe more difficult ones, that I could have had when I was maybe 22 yeah, yeah whereas now I don't.
Speaker 2:A little bit of life experience has taught me not to blink at these things. So, um, and I think my patients appreciate that as well, and certainly the other members of my team. You know the labs that I use, the nurses I work with reception desk, they all appreciate because I appreciate their side of things also. So it's quite nice, I quite like it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, that's quite fascinating. You had experience in both the manufacturing side and the materials and stuff, as well as the dental therapy Right, it's great, and you blended those together.
Speaker 2:Because if something goes wrong, they can say oh well, it was your fault. Well, no, actually it was your fault. Do you know how? I know, because I used to do it yeah, right.
Speaker 1:So you must have a good network as well to to uh go back to and communicate with and uh keep you yeah, really lucky.
Speaker 2:A lot of dentistry and you know the dentistry world's super small and I would say you know they say six degrees of separation, I would say it's more like one or two with dentistry. We're a super small cohort of individuals and I love the little network that we've got. I think it's really important to have people that you know you can rely on both you know job-wise but also support-wise as well and mentorship.
Speaker 1:Yes, of you know, you can rely on both.
Speaker 2:You know job wise but also support wise as well. And mentorship yes, of course, yeah, of course. I strive to do a little bit of both on both ends. I heavily lean on my senior colleagues that I work on, but I also like to support the younger ones I work with as well, so what?
Speaker 1:what do you think were the biggest challenges you faced during your sort of journey into you know, it sounds like you made some crunch decisions and you said about them and you made some life decisions. Really, so what were the biggest challenges you faced over that period of time?
Speaker 2:I think you know getting up and moving your life around. I was lucky that I managed to keep it in scotland, but moving around and not settling in one place until you're satisfied it's quite difficult. Uh, I've got a really supportive fiancé and anyone who knows me will know him because we've been together for 15 years and they will know that he's moved around Scotland with me supporting me, so that was really helpful.
Speaker 2:I think there's a lot of failure in dentistry that no one really sets you up for. We're a group of individuals who are quite tough on ourselves. We're very over analytical and self-critical and I think there's a big stigma with not giving yourself enough credit for when you do well. So I think when there is a lot of rejection and that could be daily, you know so I think we are quite quick to take it on board ourselves and not share. So I think my early years I took a lot of the rejection quite personal. Now it's it's made me really self-reflective and a better clinician, but I don't think anyone really sets you up for that. There's certainly a lot of advocates. There's a fantastic charity, um, the cam were trust that's set up by a dentist who does a lot of work with young dentists and vets and medics and things.
Speaker 1:None of that was really around when I was starting in my early years, so I think it was quite lonely at the start, yeah yeah, it'd be interesting to share some of those resources that you found that were helpful, and we could actually post those as well for our listeners, I'm sure.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I like to share quite a lot on my social media, more so my stories than my grid. I am getting better, but you know time. But yeah, of course, I'm more than happy to make a little list and things. And you know almost. Uh, if I could go back 10 years, what would I have wanted to know? Almost, yeah.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, yeah, more than happy to to do that and regarding those kind of um, especially your partner sort of sticking with you throughout that journey, I I know firsthand, you know I've I've moved countries and my wife stuck with me the whole way.
Speaker 2:It's really important to have that level of support, you know yeah, yeah, I think someone out with dentistry as well, you know who can see things from a slightly different perspective yeah yeah, I was super lucky to do both my therapy degree and my dentistry degree with one of my best friends. We became best friends on our in Dundee in our therapy degree so and she's now a dentist and she practices in Edinburgh and I think having her alongside things, you know, just to bounce things off all was a huge comfort blanket for each other.
Speaker 2:We were the COVID cohort for dentists, so that had its other challenges as well. You know what the all Scottish dentists had to repeat a year during COVID, so I think that threw everything up in arms as well, especially for those of us who weren't in our early 20s and just were eager to get out into the world. So yeah, but I think dentistry daily is set full of challenges and I think the sooner you realize that, the easier it becomes, because you just have to reflect and find a way around it.
Speaker 1:What other challenges did COVID throw in your way as well?
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness, what did it not have? It was quite sudden for us. I can't speak, for I know every dental school had slightly different rules, but certainly, being quite up in the north, we were super isolated and it it really happened overnight. I think rules changed, you know, if anyone can remember way back, it seems like an eternity ago now, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:yeah, potentially looking to move into the next year to exams went online. You know we, the teaching staff, had to come up with new functions and new formats to have us be able to sit exams. We couldn't see patients.
Speaker 2:I was quite fortunate that, because when I was studying dentistry I had my hygiene therapy background yeah and I worked as a hygiene therapist throughout my degree, so I still managed to dip my toes in and keep my skills up, but I think it was the more return, having had pretty much 18 months of non-clinical for a lot of people, learning how to use your hands again and just learning to speak to people and get used to things, because everyone had a different opinion and different rules. So yeah and even now I'm still dealing with patients who haven't been in since before covid, and it's mad, it's wow, yeah, it was crazy times.
Speaker 1:You know that. That obviously impacted us. It does seem like a long time back and uh, luckily it's behind us and hopefully we won't ever have to come across anything like that again. Fingers crossed. So on to more exciting and interesting and happy news. So you have some, some news to share with us about uh, your recent nomination I do.
Speaker 2:Um, this took me as a little bit of a surprise. To be fair, we yeah, young, young, young dentist.
Speaker 1:Finalists of young dentist of the year. Finalist, absolutely Congratulations.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Yeah, you know, I think I've seen a lot of my peers when I was younger win these awards and even, you know, be finalists for these awards, and I always remember thinking God, that'd be great to get the recognition. Or you know, how am I ever going to be, you know, and it's everything combines and it's just a recognition status, which is amazing. But being quite a fresh I'm not a fresh clinician, but being quite a fresh dentist didn't think there would be any way that I would make it into that top 10. Here we are. So listen, yeah, I think if I could say to little old me 10 years ago, who wasn't, you know, no dental school would look at me. Never mind, and to where we are now, hard work definitely pays off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that's coming out of. What you're telling us here is obviously that that work and that determination and and your, your decision making as well, and almost a risk-taking kind of background, I think, is what's driven you to that. How did you feel when you first heard the news?
Speaker 2:Well, to be fair, it was actually a fellow finalist who I went to university with that had messaged me to say, oh, congratulations. So he must have got the email first.
Speaker 2:And I said I was between patients and I said what do you mean? How do you know? He sent me the list. He sent, got the email first, and I said I was between patients and I said what do you mean? How do you know? He sent me the list, he sent me the email and that was fine and he did really well last year and he's you know, he's re-nominated and finalist again this year. So it was quite nice and quite you know.
Speaker 2:But, um, they send you a lovely email and you know you're, you have to do an application and a full presentation. You have to put a little bit of work, a lot of work into it and put forward your sort of best and worst clinical cases and things. So I think when you're working on a surgery, that's by yourself, you know and you're in your own head. You see a lot on Instagram as well and you think, oh gosh, I'm nowhere near that level. And then you know they actually get the recognition to say, well, actually, we think you know, you're all right, which is quite nice.
Speaker 2:So yeah, that's absolutely brilliant laswegian girl, though, doesn't like to take a compliment, so a wee laswegian girl, all right yeah, I said, are you sure? Are you sure there's not two?
Speaker 1:Yeah, are you joshing me? What advice could you give, you know, young people starting out in their dental career to sort of help them drive towards that? I mean, is it about a sort of mental capacity or physical capacity to deal with the things, or determination, or all of the above?
Speaker 2:capacity to deal with the things, or determination or all of the above. You know what? Um, I'm in awe of some of the elite dentists that practice out there and have time to do everything that comes with being out with a dentist. You know being a family member, a parent, a sibling, an athlete, you know a baker everything. So I think we are a lovely group of people that are quite hard on ourselves. But you need to be resilient, you need to be quite certain of yourself and, in a mental way, mental capacity you need to be able to accept criticism, pick yourself back up when there's a bit of failure, not take yourself too seriously, which might sound controversial, but if any of my patients are listening to this, well, 99 yeah, they will, they will generally, my motto is feeling relaxed, and I'll read the room.
Speaker 2:You know, if someone it doesn't want a bit of banter, then you know they won't get it. But my, my nurse are quite, dare I say. We're quite funny and we're quite chilled and relaxed and we like to have a good time and I think that's really important because you need to find someone that you can lean on. Certainly if I was starting out, I'm so lucky to have the mentors that I had when I was a young aspiring clinician before you even, you know, set foot in a dental surgery. But I would say, if you're considering a career in dentistry, get a little bit of exposure to all aspects of practice first, because I don't think I had any idea what I was getting myself in for and it just so happens that I adore it. I wouldn't do anything else and happen maybe sometimes on the odd foot to be okay at it. But if you're neither of those, you'll hate it and you won't enjoy it and it'll become a chore and that's I would hate and I have seen.
Speaker 2:I would hate to think that anyone that I work with feels that way, because it's just it's so hard. Dealing with the general public is hard. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that goes across many areas of business and practice as well. How does your role at Clyde Munro help with your goals here and your activities Do?
Speaker 2:you know they've been great. I'm so fortunate that the team that I work with most of them, or if not, some of them, I've worked with in a past life being a hygiene therapist or in other cases and things as well. So we we all on the offset had a really good relationship, but I think working for I think it's the largest corporate I could be wrong the largest corporate in scotland.
Speaker 2:People are always going to have pretty sure, yeah, yeah um, and I think, like any job, people are always going to have an opinion and I think unless you really can back up that opinion with experience, then it's just words. Really, I, I, anyone that works with me will probably laugh, because I I'm not a quiet clinician, I'm not shy. If I want something, I'll ask for it, and if oh no, then that's fine. But I want to know why. Or I want to explain. Look, I've got this idea. It's going to be good for my patient, it's going to make you know things easier for everyone, it's going to be quicker, it's going to potentially earn us a bit more money, or it's going to be better because it's going to last longer, anything yeah and, I think, climbing, or really good at being able to just say yes to these things because of that environment without you know saying, oh well, no, you'll have to wait or you'll have to do this.
Speaker 2:And you know, they've got loads of courses and they've got training facilities and just an intranet or a group of clinicians that you can all get together and and that's really nice as well um, there's a lot of support. We um the vt, so I didn't do my initial foundation training with clive minot, but I know that they've got a vt foundation course thing that they run so they do a couple of days a year for their dentists and training right and then for the post vt year, which I was a part of, they they also have a similar thing, but a little bit more tailored to what you might be more interested in.
Speaker 2:So there's a lot of support, which is really good, and I don't think that working elsewhere would have necessarily fast-tracked me and been able to have such clinical freedom yeah. I I'm I'm doing things that I honestly didn't dream that I would be doing in my first year out of VT, and I love it.
Speaker 2:I really quickly learned what dentistry I enjoy doing and what dentistry I don't as well, and I think that'll continue to grow, but sometimes that takes people five, ten years and they'll have given me that opportunity to just do as I wish, as I please, and yeah, and be the clinician I want to be, and so I'm quite quickly turning into that, which is really really nice as well, and it makes me happy that sounds.
Speaker 1:That sounds phenomenal. What tell us? Are there any mentorship opportunities or training programs etc in Clyde Monroe at the moment that you found invaluable?
Speaker 2:they sent us on a course a couple of months ago.
Speaker 1:I believe there's something called the flying start. Is that correct?
Speaker 2:yeah, I couldn't remember if that was a vt1 or not, but yes, there's a flying start program and that they sent us to Germany. They sent us around. I'm a little bit of a geek when it comes to things like science-based dentistry, which I never thought I would ever hear myself say, to be honest, and I think at university and my I need to be careful here because he might be listening but my dental materials lecturer at uni was great. He was fab, so knowledgeable, in fact we had two, but they're actually best friends, so it's fine that neither of them will mind. And I think at the time I, you don't know what you don't know, so you're learning about things, and you think, oh, my god, I'm trying to put this into application now. I love it.
Speaker 2:I love um, the, the digital and the science-based things took us to Germany on this flying start program and they, you know, showed us all the new technology and the bits and pieces that are coming out, um, and showed us around and that was really, really good. And I think most people that go to places like this think, oh my goodness, especially if you're just out of foundation year, you think, well, I'm not going to be using any of this technology for x amount of years. And obviously I come home and I'm like, well, I, I want one.
Speaker 1:And there it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I use it every single day, every day. It is fantastic and that's given me a great opportunity. And then the Flying Start program also had a couple of other courses here or there. There was one with John Gibson who runs the Canmore Trust Charity, as I was talking about earlier, and he was talking about mental health and suicide and dentistry, which I think is very important, and that was potentially releasing a little bit of a stigma on a subject that people might not know that it's okay to talk about yeah the mentor that I had back that owned the practice way back at the beginning, when you, when I spoke about my journey, he died by suicide and I always remember thinking for years, oh I can't talk about this, it's awful, I don't, I, there's no way.
Speaker 2:And then John has opened up a world of dentists who know so many people who have died by suicide to make it say, guys, it's absolutely fine to talk about this and that's what's made him, you know, start this charity and he's changed so many lives, not just dentists, medics, so many people. So that was a really important talk I think to to get people in their early careers to start out with. And I think if I'd had something like that when I started, it might have made my mental health journey a little bit easier along the way as well. And then they, they do a lot of things. They did a Jason Smithson program, what it was, a taster session on composites and things so, which then got me a little bit interested. So about a fortnight ago I went on his full weekend course from the back of that, which was incredible.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I mean, I think everything they've done is really, really tailored to what you're doing at that stage and then allows you a little snippet of this could this, you could be interested in this, you can be interested in this and then allows you to make a decision of no, I hate that, it's not, not for me. Or yeah, I want to learn a wee bit more about that, and that's. It's all included. It's free, you know. So that in itself is great when you're a young dentist and you know, I think there's a misconception that we're all absolutely rolling in it at that stage and you know you're, you're not, and any free cpd and courses that will benefit you at that stage yeah yeah yeah, it's great I think that's an interesting factor.
Speaker 1:It takes a long journey to get to that point where you're comfortable, as far as you, you know, just in the career itself, right, and as well as the earning capacity. But everything about it is a journey and a challenge. So you mentioned about Clyde Monroe support and the culture there, but how do you think Clyde Monroe specifically fosters growth and allows young dentists to thrive, such as yourself?
Speaker 2:growth and allows young dentists to thrive, such as yourself. Okay, I mean, listen, the, the team's good. There's um, there's a big support network everywhere and um, it's just good to have a big network of people, I think, who are non-judgmental and you can go to different people for different things. You know it's. It's a good network, it's a good corporate to work with. Anyone who knows me. I'm so straight up and if I wasn't happy and I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't still be there so you mentioned about digital dentistry.
Speaker 1:What, what aspects of dentistry are you most passionate about? You feel right now?
Speaker 2:I just love it. I love digital dentistry. It's, it's an, it's an area of dentistry that is almost still a bit of a novelty expand on what it what it actually encompasses.
Speaker 2:Tell the listeners a little bit about it so basically, I mean, in an ideal world I would do everything digital, but I still work um in a, an NHS practice, where things need to be a little bit more fast-paced and you don't always have the luxury of time. But the aspect of of digital dentistry is essentially to try and be a little bit more fast-paced and you don't always have the luxury of time. But the aspect of digital dentistry is essentially to try and be a little bit more environmentally friendly, because I use a lot of it for education. So simple things.
Speaker 2:We've got an intralogical scanner, intralogical camera, quick snap, quick snap. And then when a patient can understand and they can see their mouth on your laptop screen next to them and you can zoom in, zoom out, draw on them and show them. That in itself is so good for education and things. Because how often have we been to the dentist and we've heard these numbers and it's like a game of battleships and you don't know what's happened and they go okay, bye, we'll see you in six months. That what's that doing for anyone?
Speaker 2:yeah as if you can say look, you need a filling or you need this, you need that. And it's kind of like when I take my car to the garage and the mechanics go, you need this, and I go do it. Are you sure it's the same aspect much more engaging.
Speaker 1:It's much more engaging when you've got that visual aspect to it and that explanation behind it.
Speaker 2:Yeah well, I can blow the patient's mouth up on the laptop and say well, look, this is why you need it the pros and the cons and and at the end of the day, my style of dentistry my patients will attest to this is I will give you all your options and I will tell you the risks and the benefits and I will send you the quotes for everything you pick. What one is right for you I'm? I'm not a white coat clinician. It's not my style at all and quite often, if we've got a good relationship, I'll say well, because see, if it's the wrong one, it's not my fault. I'll advise you. I'll advise you what I think is right and I'm allowed to tell you. You know the pros and the cons. And if it were my tooth, what would I do?
Speaker 2:but, you have to take into consideration all your patients, you know wishes financial situations and time and you know everything. Yeah, but the the things that just excite me about digital dentistry, just record keeping in general. If you've got a digital scan of someone and the classic story is patient comes to you. They've been out. I was going to say playing sports, but let's keep it glaswegian. They've been out in the lash on a saturday night with the pavement, the pavement suffering.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean they're suffering the whole weekend, yeah yeah, a man tail between legs on a monday morning and half a tooth or half a face, whatever.
Speaker 2:Can't fix faces, just teeth. So you pull up that digital scan that you took six months ago. You say, well, do you know what I can give you back? What you, you had we don't need we don't need to recreate.
Speaker 2:We can give you back what you had, bar your dignity. But yeah, it's so good and it's good for education and it's quick, it's really good for me. I, I love um. For example, we're doing a veneer case, we're doing a crown case and I do all my nhs and all my private work digitally as well. I do not discriminate between patients. I don't, you know, just separate because one's fancy and the other and one patients, I don't um. You, you scan what you've prepared before you put your temporary on and that gets sent to the lab. So there's no lab boys, girls, women, men driving in, driving out. We're in an lez zone as well in our practice, right? So environmental thing, and it's, it's easy's digital. The lab gets it, the file's there, they 3D print it, they build on top of it and then they send it back to you. And my experience albeit it's only maybe been about eight months that I've properly been using digital dentistry every day is that the fit of these things that come back. It's like a glove.
Speaker 2:It is like a glove, and then you have a 3d printed model and you store them and it's nicer and it's kinder, as opposed to storing all the stone and plaster and things that brilliant yeah and it's just such a lovely way of working and patients love it because sometimes you know if I haven't been the best at communicating with them and I take the scan and they go right when's the impression I go?
Speaker 1:that was it well, sometimes they might not be a listening kind of person, they might be a visual person and they might be a feeling person. That that really explains it to them very well, you know yeah, it's great, it's, I, I would.
Speaker 2:I would never go back and I I really utilize our hygiene therapists, um and tcos in the practice where, um, if a patient's coming in and they want a bit of education or they want, you know the one, they're interested in straightening their teeth or something like that then, I'll ask them to use it because I think I would have loved that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, six years ago yeah it's such a great tool to have. It's bloody expensive, but it's so worthwhile. I love it. It makes me happier, it does. It makes my day so much more enjoyable, and my nurses, I think, as well.
Speaker 1:So yeah, it sounds like it. It really sounds like it. Now, this, this next question, might be a little bit of a loaded one. Um, what does your typical day look like, and and perhaps your typical week? Is there such a thing?
Speaker 2:for me, every day is different, obviously. Um, I learned quite quickly, way before I was even a practicing clinician, um, throughout my admin days, that it's really important to zone a diary. So a day for me where I see 40 patients with checkups is gonna be me staying in the practice until 10 o'clock at night doing paperwork, being sick of the sound of my own voice by probably about half a day I'm a nurse probably not giving the patients past 11 o'clock a proper consult. So for me, I I just don't do days like that. I like my days to be a mixture of consults, treatment, active treatment, education, you know. So I like to zone my diary, but it could be anything from you know simple things to consultations. I think a lot of the time as well.
Speaker 2:I don't know if this is just the questions that I ask or just the pair type of person that I am, but a lot of the time as a dentist, you're also being when I say therapist I don't mean hygiene therapist you're. You're being like a shrink to patients because the health care doctors I need to be careful here, right, because not all doctors, but the the NHS system of health care is a little bit conveyor belt in and out, right? Please don't anyone at me for saying that it's just experiences that we've had and and I know and you don't have time to sit and ask your patients whereas I just do I add an extra five, ten minutes on to my checkups. You know, um, just because I care and I think I'm, I'm still I've not been at this practice for a year yet. I'm still getting to know patients and I'm still meeting some of them for the first time. So if it gives me and my nurse a bit of breather space to do an NHS check-up in 30 minutes, then I take it. I don't care.
Speaker 1:I think you're removing the sterility from that conversation as well. You're making a conversation and a connection with you, with your patients, you know yeah, my voice gets a little bit higher the more stressed I get.
Speaker 2:So by four o'clock, if I'm running an hour late, the hives start coming out and the voice gets higher, and yeah. So, but it could be anything. I I always try, at least once or twice a week, to have some form of digital dentistry in there, whether it's a fit or a prep and a scan, but I'm finding that I normally use it now for active treatment. But because I'm still an active nhs dentist, it could be anything checkups, dentures, crowns, gum disease, bridges, veneers, whitening, smiles, anything.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, do you, do you see yourself getting involved in in training other people or any uh any of your, your staff there that, or are you already involved in that?
Speaker 2:I've always been quite on board with sharing my, my knowledge and my. I'm not a gatekeeper, you know. So I, yeah, I I love that aspect of things and and I do. I do a lot of it on my social media, where I will share unapologetically unedited photos of things that just go wrong or things that perhaps six years ago I thought that looks incredible and actually now I look at it, I go who did that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I did that yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm so in a comfortable position with myself now, and I quite often a phrase on my instagram always unapologetically be your number one fan because you have to. I think if you're not happy with who you are and what you're doing, then no one's gonna be so I. I'm always happy to share tips and tricks and bits and bobs, and I've sat with my hygiene therapists and gone over silly little tricks that I've learned on courses or just along the way, or bits and bobs, and I think they're well received.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, Are there any areas specifically that you're looking to in dentistry to specialise in or further develop as you go? Is there anything upcoming that you're looking to in dentistry to specialize in or further develop as you go? Is there anything upcoming that you're looking to get involved in?
Speaker 2:I think specialize is a strong word for me. Yes, a specialized thing in dentistry comes associated with academics, and that's not something I see myself going down the journey of. But the phrase special interest, I think, was created for those like me who would like to do that type of dentistry but not specialize in it with the academic side of things. So I love, um, I love restorative dentistry, um, and that means that could be something really from a simple filling to, you know, full mouth crowns or something um and you know, for lack of judgment for starting at my dental career early or starting this type of work early.
Speaker 2:I think I'm quite open and honest with my patients of where I am in my career and if they choose to go on that journey with me for a big case, then I obviously feel comfortable with it. I have the proper mentorship. But we do it, we do it together and the cases that we've done in the restorative side of things have excited me. The, you know the, the cliche oh, you changed my life.
Speaker 2:All that stuff and that could be one filling. It could be one filling, could be a veneer, it could be 18 crowns, you know, and I've done both recently and got the same reaction, and so I love that. But I've always said I want to teach, and now that I'm out of dental school I can say this because I've come across some fantastic teachers, but I've also come across some horrors who you think, think why are you teaching? You don't want to be here, and I would.
Speaker 2:I remember as a student sitting thinking I am, I would be better sitting at a blank wall than sitting this yeah, and I would love I still have that fire and that passion and I'd love to be the type of teacher that sometimes I maybe would have wanted so I think I do see myself expanding my knowledge with restorative dentistry in general practice, because I love seeing every type of patient as well, and also potentially teaching.
Speaker 1:Whether that's in a hospital environment or through courses, I'm not sure yet, but yeah, yeah, I mean, I think, with your personality and your passion in this, I think it would be great to see you up there presenting to people and teaching people, because you know it does help when people are learning from somebody like you, because it sort of rubs off on them, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I enjoy public speaking. I enjoy presenting. It's part of dentistry and just part of my general personality that I do like to do so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know, we'll see watch this space so this is a little bit of a repeat, but since we've talked a little bit since, since it came up. But, um, on the advice side for young dentists, what, what would you give them as some bullet points to think of as they're starting their career out?
Speaker 2:I think, first and foremost, choose wisely.
Speaker 2:You have to know your why, and your why has to be for you yeah I know a lot of people along the way who, even my age, who are no longer dentists because their why was not for them or they didn't know. And when they actually got into it they were like, okay, this is not for me. Or they didn't know. And when they actually got into it they were like, okay, this is not for me or this isn't what I expected it to be. Yeah, lean on people, I'm all. My door's always open. It doesn't matter who you are, what advice you've given. I was still in dental school helping people write their CVs for dental school I and and their personal statements and helping them do their UK cats. My door is always open and I will always help in any way that I can. But having a good mentor or a good aspirational person not not a TikTok dentist, someone you know who it's fine to have all these people out there that you think, oh my god, that's amazing and I want to do work like them.
Speaker 2:But knowing the realistic side of things first, yeah getting in the door with work experience in all these environments and figuring out if it's actually what you want to do. If you know dentistry is not glamorous, I tell you it is really not. Making it look glamorous is hard yeah but, it's not, it's. You're covered in spit, you're sweating, you're stressing, you've got a million things on your mind.
Speaker 2:You've got paperwork coming out your ears yeah you know you want to make sure that you're home in time, you know. So I think, knowing what you get into, knowing that why you want to do it is for the right reasons and not for you. I come from a really, really rough upbringing in Glasgow. I was brought up, I went to a fantastic school. My mum did me really dearly, but I come from one of the roughest areas in Glasgow and I had a dental, a kid that wanted to do dentistry.
Speaker 2:Once come to me and say, yeah, I want to be like you, I want to be a dentist. So I'm like if you want to earn money on this career, if money is your driver, it won't get you anywhere. I promise it would. Just yes, and it's you. Yeah, okay, I've done all right for myself, but I've started with nothing and no one's helped me. And that's because I love what I do. I have such a passion for it. Yeah, a hundred percent of me, every day, regardless of what's going on in my personal life or what's happening. I thrive off of making my patients happy and making them do well and just striving to do better every day, and that's my why. Just now it may change, but it's always for me.
Speaker 1:So you should mention that my son-in-law is identical to that. Yeah, it's, it's, it's absolutely. What drives him is making his patients happy.
Speaker 2:Yeah so I I think if you're doing it for the right reasons, the rest of all fall into place, but don't do it because your friends doing it, or because your mom did it, or your dad did it, or someone said it would pay you. Well, that's not the right way.
Speaker 1:Right. So, drawing close to the end of our podcast here, I want to get into the Dr Rebecca Reid, remove the doctor hat for a minute. And how do you balance your career versus personal life? That can be challenging. What do you use for some of the strategies to keep a healthy work-life balance?
Speaker 2:I am learning to do better. I'm learning to try new things, to try and not stay at work an hour or two hours after and email my patients their treatment plans of all the options that I've given them, rather than just saying just get this crown and this is how much it is and let's do it, which probably would work half the time. But, like I said, it's just not my style. I think moving is super important. We sit in the same position for potentially seven to eight hours a day and having a regime, and I'm now early 30s, so I can say this because I'm starting to get older and feel it. I think in my 20s I thought I could sit in this position and it would never affect me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It does, and it catches up with you fairly quickly. So, whether it's exercise, whether it's walking, I'm an avid spin goer. In fact, actually, I think a lot of people that know me would know that if I wasn't a dentist, I'd probably be a spin instructor.
Speaker 2:I love it so just moving or getting out, you can't always do that in the Glasgow weather. Or getting out, you can't always do that in the Glasgow weather. So, whether it's stretching a physio, something having that is really important for both body but also mind, and having a good network of just good people around you, you know, I've got a really good group of friends, I've got a really good fiance, my family are super supportive, you know. And just having a bit of fun, I like to travel, I like to drink wine, have a good balance and just remember that you're a person as well as a professional.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, we have to be professionals out with work as well, but you know, I think, don't take your work home with you too much, and I'm learning not to do that as well. But yeah, I think I don't know. It's hard, it's difficult. There's not one, one answer for everyone, I don't think.
Speaker 1:But I think you're right.
Speaker 2:I think you're right, yeah, don't be married to the job.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think I know part of your answer here for this this how do you recharge? Is it? Is it? I mean you, you sound like you've got a lot of passion in your work and so that kind of recharges you to some degree, just getting back into it. But maybe elaborate a little bit on how you go about that relaxation and recharging.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I started off working Monday to Friday and a little bit on weekends as well, and I quickly, quickly, quickly realized after about month four that I was, I was going home and I was falling asleep in my clothes yeah and as a workaholic it took mother, I have to say no, this is not on, you can't, because you're not alive monday to friday, and then you spend sat, spend Saturday, sunday, recharging.
Speaker 2:So I made the unanimous decision to drop my Friday clinically, and I do a little bit of teaching, I do a little bit of my admin, a little bit of my social media. So I'm still working, but I'm not, my head isn't in a mouth, my body's getting a bit of a rest and I'm working on my self-development and where I want to go and where I want to be, and that that's been a godsend for me. It doesn't work for everyone, but I think four day week, three day weekend per se has been a godsend for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I don't plan out anymore for that. But other than that, I think everyone's slightly different. I know dentists leave at five o'clock, they have no worries, and they can work monday to friday, no problem at all. Go home, be mums, be dads, go out, be athletes, climb monroe's, come back, get sloshed on a saturday night and then be ready to go to work on a monday. That just doesn't work for me. I I time. So yeah, I think, but but not being scared to say, oh, this is not working we need to try.
Speaker 1:I think enough is enough kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, so do you? Do you have any animals, pets, do you have any pastimes?
Speaker 2:it's oh okay, so my, my dog is my child, oh, and he has a dog, so he's a chihuahua. I actually have three, but my mom has two of them because I grew up with them so she wouldn't give me them. When I moved out, she said, no, no, they live here. So then we ended up. Who is? He's almost a child. You know, when you have two children and you think they're angels, and then you have the third and you go, okay, we should have stopped here yeah that's Max and he's.
Speaker 2:Anyone that knows me will know him. He's an absolute terror, but he's a joy to be around. He's the tiniest wee tricoloured chihuahua of personality and he's a godsend. He keeps me going. He's such a good wee boy.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's lovely to come home to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's a good one and unapologetically love. You know what is it? They say unconditional love. You can wait for two minutes, come back and they're the happiest things in the world.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's lovely.
Speaker 2:It's just the best thing ever, absolutely yeah, he's my baby and we do dress him up and we do have a social media.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't have much time for it anymore, but his birthday is around Halloween. That's all I'll say.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we used to have a miniature dachshund.
Speaker 1:We did the same thing with oh how sassy are they though oh, yeah, and yeah, a little man person all in glasgow any, any last thoughts on on your career or your clyde monroe experiences, or just you know, dr rebecca reed I mean, I'm just excited I asked me 10 years ago, when I got my first rejection, or 12 years ago, when I got my first rejection from dental school, that I'd be in this position now.
Speaker 2:I couldn't have imagined, I couldn't have dreamt it, and I'm so, I'm just so excited. I'm I'm excited to be early in my career, but also with a little bit of knowledge to share and I think, just knowing the kind of person I am, the world is my oyster and I was just going to say the same thing. It could be anything. I really don't know where my journey is going to take me, but I'm sure whatever happens will be the right one. And yeah, we'll see. We'll see what happens.
Speaker 1:Well, congratulations and definitely good luck. I think you've got the right personality and you've definitely got the right skill set and company you're working with. So, yeah, enjoy.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much Pleasure.