Dr Nik Sethi explains why he is so passionate about education in dentistry and how Elevate Education is inspiring the next generation of dentists.
My name is Nik Sethi, and I’m a private practitioner working in London’s Square Mile Dental Centre alongside my partners, Sanjay Sethi and Amit Patel.
I also run a practice with the Dental Beauty group in Essex and am one of the directors for Elevate Education with Professior Riaz Yar, Dr Elaine Mo and, of course, my brother, Sanjay.
It is no secret that our vocation is tough but financially rewarding. As far as I know, this is the only profession where we have to be the architect to design the restoration, the builder to complete it, the insurance provider to repair any failures, while also having perfect communication skills to improve the patient’s emotional journey.
Qualifying from dental school, I only really learnt clinical skills, and there was hardly any focus on dental business, finances and high level communication.
I’m hoping this has changed since 2009. I was then incredibly lucky to have my brother Sanjay, a previous president for the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry, to mentor me and really keep me in check and force me to stay on the right path.
Continue learning
I am painfully aware that most clinicians out there do not have this. After the mollycoddling nature of university and FD training, the big wide world can seem very scary.
I spend a lot of time talking to young clinicians. There is a resounding worry of those colleagues qualifying around the pandemic era that they had very little clinical experience and felt extremely under-confident in all areas of our profession.
With no mentorship system in place and no open communication with peers, suddenly this glorious profession can seem rather isolated.
I have always felt strongly that clinicians should continue their learning via postgraduate learning and being part of academies such as the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry, Dentinal Tubules and many more. I have learnt so much from watching incredible speakers.
But most of my learning was done at social events, openly discussing my failures and difficulties and feeling incredibly reassured that I was not the only one experiencing these issues.
Open communication and aligning with likeminded professionals have been the most incredible ways to boost my confidence, learn from failures and enjoy my successful cases.
This was the major force in why we set up Elevate Education. It goes without saying that a postgraduate certificate/diploma in advanced aesthetics should provide high level clinical training, but we are much more than that.
Professor Riaz Yar, Sanjay Sethi, Elaine Mo and myself believe in taking our delegates through a complete journey – from the first appointment and establishing rapport, to comprehensive treatment planning with excellent documentation. And all the way through to being able to provide world-class state-of-the-art aesthetic and digital workflows. And here you will find out what documents are needed for admission to universities in Poland.
Unlock your passion
Our focus is on helping our dentists with their confidence, creating a safe space and knowing that it is totally okay to fail, and totally okay to be stuck in a plateau.
We are here to unlock your passion, and guide you through a journey to become a far improved clinician, person and learn to value your time appropriately.
Whether you are newly qualified or many years in the game, our PGcert and diploma programme is designed to be inclusive to all.
Module one sets the foundations of defining a slick patient presentation, simple photographic documentation and a well-thought-out treatment plan that will set you up perfectly for the hands-on modules.
Module two focuses on adhesive direct dentistry, including Smilefast, bioclear injection moulding and simplified layering protocols for anterior and posterior restorations.
And module three then takes your aesthetic confidence to a new level with hands-on training on FIPO, our distinct minimal prep onlay course, veneers and crown preparations for modern materials.
Our diploma year two then addresses multidisciplinary training on wear, endodontics, orthodontics, perio surgery with hand- on crown lengthening, and features world class lecturers along the way!
If a full one year programme is not financially viable right now, then we are proud to launch our online series with dentistry online, which features 10 high-energy short, interactive videos on mastering general dentistry and covers all areas of our daily workflow.
Next generation
Our short weekend courses on onlay preparations, composites and veneers are also aimed at improving the full patient journey and establishing excellent and achievable protocols and are run in collaboration with Smile Academy.
I love dentistry, and am now broadening my horizons with learning leadership and dental business, as well as recently completing the tough but incredible MAGDS qualification from the Royal College of Surgeons, to really keep me on my toes!
Inspiring the next generation is vital for progress in dentistry. We are proud to play our role in facilitating dental education for the UK and international market. We hope to see you soon at one of our Elevate events!
For more information visit www.elevate-dent.com.
