Last year Sheena Tanna became Dentistry‘s Next Top Digital Dentist. As her journey draws to a close, she reflects on how the programme has impacted the practice, as well as her personal and professional growth.
Being named Dentistry’s Next Top Digital Dentist has granted many opportunities for Sheena Tanna and Billericay Dental Care.
Run in collaboration with Align Technology, Dentistry‘s Next Top Digital Dentist offers a unique opportunity to embark on a year-long journey of mentoring, coaching and access to cutting-edge Align digital tools designed to drive clinical excellence and practice growth, unlocking the full potential of digital workflows.
In this interview, Sheena shares the impact winning Dentistry‘s Next Top Digital Dentist has had on her and the practice over the last year and explains why anyone with a passion for digital dentistry should enter the next competition.
Since winning Dentistry’s Next Top Digital Dentist last year, what stands out as the biggest lesson you’ve taken from the experience?
The biggest lesson I’ve taken from winning Dentistry‘s Next Top Digital Dentist is the importance of just giving things a go, going in with both feet forward, and just making the best of everything, because amazing things can happen.
I feel so lucky that my husband saw an article in Dentistry showcasing the amazing opportunity that day, and he sent me a screenshot, and said: ‘You should enter this.’ I feel so happy that I put down what I was doing, and I got to work, and I took my entry video, because this has really changed my life, and it has now opened doors for me, and made my work so much more enjoyable.
What opportunities have come your way over the past year that might not have happened otherwise?
When I won Dentistry‘s Next Top Digital Dentist, I was really excited, but I’m not sure I knew what to expect, except what was listed in the prize. And actually, what’s been amazing is how many other opportunities and how many other things I’ve been exposed to.
I’ve been able to collaborate and speak to peers I’ve never met before, and really elevate my own confidence and empower my practice forward, it helped me personally grow and become a better leader. The more knowledge I had, the more I was able to empower my team.
I’ve also really enjoyed spreading the word of digital dentistry amongst the locals and amongst my peers and networks through radio and through newspapers, and these are all things I’ve never done before, and it’s been really fun and really exciting.
One of the best things about winning Dentistry‘s Next Top Digital Dentist was the exposure to more learning. I got to go to Align HQ in Birmingham, and there I was given one-to-one training on the iTero Lumina scanner, and I was shown the Align Oral Health Suite.
The Align Oral Health Suite is a way of showing patients what is going on inside their mouths, so you do a quick scan of the dentition, and then you can show the patient. So rather than me saying to a patient you have a feeling, I’m able to show the patient the decay on the tooth and advise them what the treatment option is and why we are doing it, and it’s helped the journey so much.
The relationship between the patient and the dentist is no longer us talking at the patient; it is much more collaborative. The patient is so much more engaged in their journey.
How has the past year affected the wider team at Billericay Dental?
With any dental practice, you are only as good as the team around you. We were always engaged in digital dentistry; it was a major part of what we were doing and developing at the practice. But what’s happened now is rather than it just being clinician-led, it’s now spread to the wider team, from my clinical lead right the way down to my trainees.
I think my team have been essential in the progression we’ve made over the past year, and I’m very privileged to have had them part of this journey with me. And we wouldn’t be where we are without them.
How valuable has the wider Align community been throughout the last year?
The lovely thing about being involved with Align is that there are so many people involved in that journey, so I’ve been really privileged to spend a lot of time with Aligner Dental Academy, and with MySmile, they have done so much to help elevate my team to that next level. The great thing about digital dentistry is that it is constantly evolving.
What I’m really excited about is to integrate it even further into the way we’re approaching treatments and the way we’re examining patients. At the recent collaborative event that I went to with Align where they showed us the Invisalign ClinCheck inside the patient’s face in a 3D format, so they can see the treatment before the treatment has even started, and I think that’s going to be the next step in really engaging a patient. If you can visually see things from a 3D angle, I think that will really elevate that experience.
When you think about the next 12 months, what are you most excited about for yourself and for Billericay Dental?
Billericay Dental Care has progressed so much in this past year, and I’m really excited to take it forward. I want to continue to be a digital hub, and I want to continue to show how we can use digital to humanise dentistry and provide that personal touch. For me personally, I have really grown this year. I’ve networked with amazing people, and I’ve continued to strive forward, and I’m really excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. I’d love to be involved in panels and discussions around digital dentistry, and help spread the word and drive it forward.
A new group of dentists will soon be entering the Next Top Digital Dentist competition. What advice would you share with this year’s applicants?
I have loved every second of being Dentistry‘s Next Top Digital Dentist. My advice to anyone considering entering is that if you have a passion for digital, then you should just enter. If you do nothing, nothing will change. If you do something, something amazing could happen!
Dentistry’s Next Top Digital Dentist competition is run in collaboration with Align Technology, empowering the next generation of digital clinicians and supporting the advancement of digital workflows. Watch this space for details of how to enter Dentistry’s Next Top Digital Dentist!
