Dental Nurse changes school snacking policy – Read the full article on page 31
Launch an oral health promotion project / business - Course launch
Read full articleJoin the Smile Revolution Podcast – the pioneering dentistry podcast in association with Dentsply Sirona dedicated to promoting oral health.
The Smile Revolution Podcast, in association with Dentsply Sirona, is an all-new dentistry podcast series conceived and presented by Dental Therapist Victoria Wilson. Primarily aimed at dental hygienists and therapists, but with content that should be of interest to all dental professionals, Smile Revolution is an informative, entertaining podcast that talks about all things concerning oral health promotion and career development.
Thanks to the increasing popularity of podcasts on all manner of topics for people to listen to on the go, anywhere and at any time, Victoria spotted the opportunity for hygienists and therapists to listen, learn and interact with their fellow dental professionals and to take that knowledge forward to incorporate into their own career paths.
Here Victoria explains more about what inspired her to launch Smile Revolution, the support she received from Dentsply Sirona to get her idea off the ground, and her vision for the future.
“My inspiration behind Smile Revolution was to amalgamate my two real passions – working within dentistry and being able to interact with colleagues in a new way to help prioritise oral health, patient care and career progression.
Our profession has so many individuals doing incredible things, yet most of the time others are unaware of what they’re doing. The idea of the podcast is for me to have an open, honest conversation to tap into people’s careers, the choices they’ve made and what they have learnt from their experiences to really inspire others.
It’s my great pleasure to talk in depth to dental professionals from around the world who’ve made an impact on my career and on furthering oral health promotion in general. It gives a genuine and honest insight into what other colleagues have done well; what they’ve tried to do and maybe not been so successful in; and whether they’ve made the decision to change their career path for the better.
It’s not always easy working in practice and dealing with the daily challenges and I think it’s fair to say that people don’t generally love coming to the dentist! I want to change those perceptions as well as bring inspiration to those who may feel stuck in limbo and wondering which way to turn next. By interacting with colleagues on the podcast we can learn how they’ve overcome such obstacles and really moved on in their career.
My thanks to Dentsply Sirona
The Smile Revolution podcast series would not exist without my colleagues, my amazing guests and of course the fantastic support of Dentsply Sirona for which I am so grateful. They not only had real faith in my initial concept but they then did everything they could to help bring the podcast dream to life. Dentsply Sirona’s philosophy in continuing professional education and bringing together like-minded clinicians to help bring about change and help develop their skills, knowledge and influence is so important.
Charlotte Sale, Clinical Affairs Manager (East Region) at Dentsply Sirona said, “Throughout the Smile Revolution podcast series, the passion for oral health and enhancing smiles is clearly evident from all the contributors and this is something we very much have in common here at Dentsply Sirona.”
Come and join the Smile Revolution!
I’m so excited to be a part of Smile Revolution. I’m learning so much from it and I want all my fellow dental professionals to do so as well. I want to encourage anyone inspired by the podcast or who have things they want to hear more about to contact me – I would love to hear from them or to put them in touch with anyone I’ve interviewed.”
The Smile Revolution podcast in association with Dentsply Sirona is FREE. Subscribe today at Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/user-108396645. Also available at iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Acast and Pocket Casts.
To find out more about the range of oral health care products from Dentsply Sirona, visit www.dentsplysirona.com/smilerevolution
To contact Victoria Wison, please e-mail info@victoria-wilson.com or
Visit: www.smile-revolution.net/call-to-action/ for more information and podcast links
Facebook: @smilerevolutionpodcast
Instagram: @smilerevolution_podcast
Introducing the Smile Revolution Podcast – the innovative dentistry podcast dedicated to promoting oral health
‘Be bold and get out of your comfort zone’ says Preetee Hylton, our new editorial board member.
The Philips-sponsored place was awarded to dental nurse Preetee Hylton from The No.8 Partnership in London’s Chelsea, who was honoured to be picked and to join the course at a time where people needed to diversify more than ever and to find new ways to deliver oral health messaging.
Before embarking on the course, Preetee thought that delivering oral health education meant giving presentations and lectures, creating and distributing oral health leaflets or pamphlets; but what she has realised throughout her journey on the course is that oral health education is not only about delivery, but it is about creating pathways to provide a better service to the public.
She explained that as a start point the course delegates explored existing oral health projects which had been developed and look into which had succeeded and why. The idea was to learn from the successes and also learn how to avoid the pitfalls.
To read more – https://www.dental-nursing.co.uk/features/business-planning-is-for-you
Yet again Philips are offering another opportunity for a dental profession, by fully sponsoring a place on the Smile Revolution 5 week course ‘How to launch an oral health promotion project / business’.
Read all about it – https://smile-ohm.co.uk/2021/01/20/philips-offers-the-chance-to-win-a-sponsored-place-on-next-smile-revolution-course/
Victoria Wilson, Dental Therapist and creator of the Smile Revolution podcast series, is once again set to run her highly acclaimed 5-week programme entitled ‘Launch your own oral health promotional project/business’, starting on Monday 25th January. In addition, Philips Oral Healthcare is offering one dental professional the chance to win a place on the course… Continue reading
Philips Oral Healthcare recently offered one dental professional the chance to win a sponsored place on the second of Smile Revolution’s 5-week course to ‘Launch Your Own Oral Health Promotional Project/Business’. The place was won by Jo Dawson, a Dental Nurse who works at Devonshire House Dental Practice, Cambridge. The course is designed to help… Read more
2020 has been an enduring year to say the least! The majority of us in the dental profession have found ourselves at home for a substantial amount of time this year, the longest time we have ever taken a break from work throughout our careers.
Some things we have learnt from this is, we must never take our health for granted for a second. We also know we are not in control of the future, or know what the future holds. Returning to work has taken it’s toll on so many, yet due to the comradery of the dental profession we continue to strive to serve the publics oral health. So now more than ever is our opportunity to take ownership and look after our own wellbeing as dental professionals. Self care is something we can take control of. Owning every moment and becoming mindful of these has helped me. Yoga is one of my activities that brings structure and mindfulness to my days.
Everyone takes something different from yoga. Yoga taught me through consciously connecting my mind to how my body is feeling, and working with my mobility I can feel energised and so much better, along with being mindful and living in the moment. I officially qualified as a yoga instructor, around 3 weeks ago after studying to be a yoga instructor on and off for about 4 years. The journey in itself has been enduring to say the least. I initially began my yoga teacher training course before having my first daughter and then returned to complete the course just after she was born. This clearly wasn’t the right time to be thinking about completing a yoga course, so I was forced to take a break, 4 years on and 2 daughters later I have successfully committed to completing the course. This is an example in itself that taking a break has had a positive impact, and stepping away has given me the ability to see so much more. Could this time away from the clinical setting do the same for our profession.
Yoga impacted my professional life in such a huge way through becoming more mindful about my body and posture. It has been well documented that on average 70%(1) of the dental profession suffer with varying degrees of lower back pain, and are at a highest risk of musculoskeletal problems. With a third of these seeking medical help for the pain.(2)
At dental school maintaining a correct posture is drummed into us throughout our clinical training, yet from my recollections one of the greatest occupational hazards highlighted is the risk of developing carpel tunnel syndrome. A short time into our careers it becomes apparent that our bodies are being impacted by our occupation through varying degrees of neck and back pain. As we all become conscious of this we search for varying alternatives from chiropractors, physiotherapy treatment, and varying forms of exercise to help manage our discomfort. Considering the nature of our profession, and the high percentage of those who are affected by back pain, there seems limited resources specifically available targeted to us. In light of our professional preventative approach to oral disease, why is our approach to negating back pain not lead by preventative models.
Accepting that back pain will inevitably affect us at some point in our career, and the mindset that we will seek treatment when needed, could be one of the fundamental challenges we are facing reflecting on the high percentage of those experiencing this discomfort. This mindset could potentially inhibit us engaging with steps to prevent back pain and musculoskeletal problems before we are affected by them. It has been documented that work on posture needs to be improved, as well as incorporating relaxation.
For this reason I have decided to begin teaching colleagues during this time in isolation to help all colleagues through a mindful yoga approach, and share parts of how various aspects of Yoga have benefited me specifically relevant to our professional needs.
It is important to consider that back pain is not isolated to the back but can present itself in varying different manifestations. So now is your opportunity to focus on you to ensure your wellbeing, and help reduce any discomfort that you have lived with for years or help prevent discomfort, to be able to return to work stronger than ever. Through Smile Revolution Yoga I hope to share daily exercises that you can do on a daily basis to support your wellbeing moving forward. Imagine what the future could look like, free of any discomfort in your body that could be preventing you from performing to your full potential every day.
I look forward to you joining my zoom yoga classes running every Monday and Thursday at 7am, 9.30am, and 8.30pm for 30 mins. These classes are particularly structured to meet the needs of the dental profession and reset your bodies, as we work through mobility, posture and mindfulness, so you can continue to be the best version of you, and I continue to support you to continuously reach this. Please simply request a trial by emailing info@smile-revolution.net or subscribe for a month join the zoom class.
Victoria Wilson Dental Therapist – BSc, Dip. DT (RCS Eng.), Dip. DH (RCS Eng.)
(a special thank you to Beverley Watson for sharing content)
1.Riziq Allah Gaowgzeh, Mohamed Faisal Chevidikunnan, Amer Al Saif, Salwa El-Gendy, Gamal Karrouf, and Samira Al Senany. Prevalence of and risk factors for low back pain among dentists. Journal of physical therapy science 2015 Sep 30
2.Alavinia SM, Van Den Berg TI, Van Duivenbooden C, Elders LA and Burdorf A (2009) Impact of work-related factors, lifestyle, and work ability on sickness absence among Dutch construction workers. Scand J Work Environ Health Sep 1: 325-33