By Dr Karl Walker-Finch
My journey into dentistry and implant dentistry so far has been influenced by a great many factors, from the early days shadowing dentists (most memorably Dr Simon Wright, before he became a Professor and got his MBE), an innate curiosity about how things work and a realisation of how we as dentists can make a real difference to our patients’ lives. Immersing myself in the world of implant dentistry has meant building relationships with the people in it, from peer-to-peer case discussions, quizzing more experienced friends or listening to inspiring educators.
The most significant influence of all however is guidance from my mentors. From my early days of watching, I was learning from a mentor (several in fact). The first implants I placed were done with a mentor by my side and many more followed with them in the surgery next door. Through ICE Dental I’ve had further mentoring from Professor Wright, Professor Ucer and several other clinical mentors including Dr Nafees Zakir and Dr Usman Hameed.
I’ve been very fortunate to be able to learn from many different mentors, some who I would consider as friends rather than mentors now, each of whom have gifted something slightly different and allowed me to see things from an alternate perspective. There is always someone new to learn from, with a different view, a different technique or a different approach. Taking in a broad array of views has allowed me to find the ones that work best for me.
Mentorship is a very broad term that encompasses everything from informal case discussions, remote case planning, shadowing a mentor, the mentor shadowing a mentee and for those very first implant placements or first times doing advanced procedures, a mentor scrubbing in to assist with the entire procedure. It might be over ten years since I placed my first dental implant, but I can still remember the feeling of anxiety before that first procedure and the comfort and confidence I gained from having my mentor by my side the whole time.
It’s because I feel so empowered and uplifted by the mentoring I’ve received that I want to pay it forward to the next group of implant dentists to be. The most effective teachers I’ve had have challenged my thinking, pushed me to come up with solutions myself instead of spoon-feeding and they’ve given me the confidence to undertake the treatments I’m capable of and highlighted the ones that are beyond me.
For the past four years I’ve been trying to give the same back to the students on the MSc in Dental Implantology at ICE. I always try to empower the students I work with, to give them the tools to make the right decisions by themselves. I want to stretch the limits of their knowledge, it’s only through stressing our minds that they grow stronger. I want to give them the confidence to undertake the treatments that they’ve dedicated three-to-five years to master.
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I’ll never forget my mentors and everything I’ve learned from them on my journey so far. I hope that I can pass this feeling on to each new group of students at ICE, by inspiring them with my love and passion for implant dentistry.
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