Sebastian Evans

Rotary nickel titanium (RNT) files have been an exciting addition to the endodontic armamentarium. The files are superelastic, meaning they will regain their shape after being curved during function. These files vary widely across different brands with regard to cross sectional design, tapers, tip sizes, helical angles, rake (cutting) angle, length, tip configuration, flute length,…

I may sound like a scratched record sometimes, but the more I listen to enquiries from new and existing clients, the more I realise that there are some very basic steps missing from the day-to-day activities in many dental practices. In fact this also applies to all other businesses – so if you are not…

On 31 December 2006 the British Dental Receptionists’ Association (BDRA) sadly ceased to exist. The British Association of Dental Nurses has generously offered BDRA members the chance to transfer their membership to them, an offer which has been taken up by our members. When the BDRA was founded in January 2002, its primary aim was…

We are a nation of great knockers. We love to knock success and celebrity. We also love to hate profitable businesses – they are money-grabbing capitalists! A few weeks ago, Tesco announced record profits of £2 billion. However, I am somewhat mystified; if ASDA is the cheapest, why are we not all shopping there? Maybe…

Full government inspections of wholly private dental practices may be in operation in Wales from March. Legislation to eliminate the gap occupied by practices which treat no NHS patients has been introduced into the National Assembly in Cardiff. Tamsin Dunwoody, Labour AM for Preseli (Pembrokeshire), hopes the law to require inspections by Healthcare Inspection Wales…

As a newly qualified dentist, you’ve considered the options and decided to pursue a career in primary dental care. So, what do you do next? The idea of a ‘career’ in primary care can be hard to define for general dental practitioners (GDPs). Unlike the secondary care sector, where there has traditionally been a structure…

Dentists have accomplished one of the greatest hurdles of their careers when they master case presentation skills. This involves more than simply educating patients about their dental condition and discussing the different treatment options. Good case presentation skills include the ability to be completely committed to understanding the patient’s point of view and clarifying the…

The patient in this article presented with a fractured lower molar tooth. This tooth was asymptomatic but had sustained a fracture after years of effective restoration with an amalgam (Figure 1). The patient was a fit and healthy female. The treatment options considered were: 1. Restoration with amalgam/composite 2. Indirect restoration with gold/porcelain/composite. The patient…

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have vowed to embark on an international search in order to find 100 extra dentists for the country. As part of their manifesto for this year’s elections, party leader Nicol Stephen MSP said the dentists would be recruited from other European countries to work for a minimum of five years. Scots…

For those of us studying at dental school, Christmas time not only marks the end of a long and taxing term, but a period of hard work and panic revision in preparation for our upcoming exams. These exams are common during the pre-clinical years of study and, depending on your dental school, may fall at…

At some time or another, every receptionist will encounter a situation where they will need to make a decision to protect a patient’s confidentiality. At times this will require them to act in a way that frustrates the person requesting information, who will then become irate. Dental receptionists are by no means alone in, from…

I was reading the new GDC guidance on complaints handling and was struck by 5.1: ‘Do not be defensive when dealing with complaints.’ What excellent advice. It is all too easy, isn’t it? You’re feeling a bit guilty and you bristle. I could recall a few sticky moments of my own, but it also brought…

A dentist who committed what investigators believe is one of the largest frauds in NHS history has been jailed for four years. David Heppleston claimed £450,000 from the health service over an eight-and-a-half year period, York Crown Court heard. The 45-year-old widower, who in 2002 won £64,000 on the TV quiz show ‘Who Wants To…

It’s all change at Bristol Dental School, with alterations to the curriculum in place and plans for expansion on the horizon. So far, these have resulted in an increase in the number of students being accepted onto its Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) course, rising from 55 to 88. Until 2008, a period of redevelopment…

I was once accused, following a lecture I presented, of not living in the real world. I actually accepted it as a compliment. Perhaps I do like to find alternative ways of looking at things – it makes life interesting. Do you remember a vote on the greatest invention in history? The bicycle won. Personally…

Taking out private medical insurance (PMI) should not be viewed as giving a ‘thumbs down’ to the NHS. For a start, it is not designed to replace such things as Accident and Emergency or GP services provided by the NHS. What it does do is pay for some (or all) of the costs of treatment…

The Abbey Road training scheme for dental surgery assistants (DSA), which celebrated eight years of hard work this summer, is something of a one-off achievement. First set up as an urban regeneration project funded through Stratford Development Partnership, and adopted by an established local dental practice, it is now funded as an NHS training provider.…

I believe that general dentists should do as much endodontic treatment as is within their capability and comfort level. This judgement should be based on an honest assessment of their skills, experience, equipment and time available. Integrating endodontics into general practice is multi-factorial and complex. For example, is the obturation to be done with a…

How many times have you failed to achieve goals you have set for yourself? Perhaps the goal was too ambitious, perhaps you did not show enough commitment to it, or perhaps it was just a figment of your imagination? Many people fail to set goals, yet they expect to achieve something even without working towards…