My endo journey so far

My endo journey so far

28th November 2022

Why I chose dentistry and… why I chose endodontics

[This article first appeared in The Probe, October 2022]

The clues were always there… 

I was good at science and maths, the thought of working behind an office desk was terrible and dentistry seemed like a much better option than medicine. I love to help people – either through treatment or teaching so I could see how that would fit in with my career profiling. I also liked the idea of the status attached to being a dentist – and I don’t mean that in a show-off kind of way, but more about being someone in the community who is there to help. 

At the age of 18, I shadowed Dr Pradeep Anand, a local dentist, and he was such an excellent role model it cemented my aspirations and I was inspired to pursue it as a career path. Dentistry it was then. 

So why endo?

I absolutely need to be challenged and (honestly) just got bored of the routine day-to-day dentistry. Endo was a way of pushing myself and, particularly in the early parts of my career, it was something that I found needed my focus and application to be good at it. 

Undergraduate ​training left me with many gaps in my knowledge and I felt I wasn’t delivering the high standards that I set for myself. Hence working towards becoming a full-time endodontist provided an opportunity to learn and grow and raise my own standards even higher. I have an exhausting inner desire and drive to be the best at everything I do so improving my skill set satisfies this need very well. 

I also realised quite early on that few dentists enjoy doing endo – including my own associates – and so I could see a clear path ahead of referrals and supporting other dentists. It made commercial sense as well as personal sense.  Endo isn’t the ‘sexy’ part of dentistry where I can post amazing before-and-after Instagram pictures and patient transformations… the best it gets is a clever X-ray image! But it’s a part of dentistry where I get to rescue patients who are in a lot of pain and save the tooth for as long as possible. It feels genuinely rewarding.

Taking plenty of time with fewer patients is the ideal scenario for me. It means I am using my skills properly and my days are less pressured. The patients receive a really attentive and focused service so it works for everyone. Seeing more complex cases means I am presented with different challenges, so I am really engaged with the process.  

By working in a practice limited to endodontics I am able to translate my day-to-day work away from the surgery when I’m training which is what I love best. Learning, growing and passing it on – it’s a great feeling.

For now

I own my Twickenham practice with Amit Anand, son of the inspirational Pradeep, so I’ve come full circle and also fulfil the community side of my personal career brief. Honestly though, between me and you, I haven’t quite figured out the whole work/life balance yet but I’ll keep trying!

I’ll continue to teach endo for as long as QMUL and HEE will have me, along with my own evo endo training courses, as that’s where real satisfaction is found. Seeing a student at the start of a hands-on endo day, apprehensive and nervous about endo, then leaving afterwards ready to face some cases at work confidently and with more self-belief than before… that’s what it’s all about.

It’s good to examine your approach and motivations so you know where you’re headed and can foresee any changes that might need to be made along the way. And it might sound cheesy but it’s taking the journey that matters and not the final destination – especially if it means I continue to avoid that office desk!

A useful book recommendation that links all of this together – and well worth a read – is: ‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek.

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