Pawel Sobocinski knew that it would be a long journey to achieve his lifelong ambition of placing implants, but little did he know that the small Shropshire town of Shrewsbury would prove to be such an important stop along the way.
A graduate from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Pawel travelled to the UK in April 2006 keen to further his studies and pick up the experience he required so that one day he could return home to Poland as a highly-skilled, professional practitioner in implantology. He currently combines his 'day job' as a National Health Service dentist at the St Andrews Dental Care Practice in Radcliffe, Manchester, with additional after hours work learning the art of implant dentistry, and is in the final year of studying for an MSc in Aesthetic Implantology at Central Lancashire University in Preston.
He says the biggest kick-start his career has received so far, has come from the experience gained before embarking on his MSc from enrolling on two courses run at the Shrewsbury clinic of dental training provider Dentale.
'I'm very much someone who looks to combine theoretical knowledge with real practical hands-on experience, which seemed to be the biggest advantage to these courses,' Pawel explained.
He initially signed up to the five-day Introduction to implant dentistry course, which provides 35 hours worth of verifiable CPD. After receiving a broad theoretical overview on the background to dental implants and the make-up of a surgical kit, along with being given the opportunity to practice post-operative care techniques using pig's heads, delegates on the course get the chance to take part in live surgery and actually place an implant.
'This was a real eye-opener for me – with many academic courses you can often end up studying theory or simply watch other, more experienced dentists, carrying out implant placements, but here was the chance to put all this knowledge into practice within just a few days, and with your own hands too,' he said.
After completing the introductory course, Pawel immediately signed up for Dentale's more in-depth 10-day Advanced practical implantology programme, which offered the prospect of treating a number of full cases, from initial assessment and treatment planning, right the way through to placing at least 15 live implants.
'This completely exceeded my expectations. During my time on the advanced course, I worked on six full cases covering the whole treatment life-cycle, from the very first meeting and initial assessment, then explaining all the possible options to the patient and developing a full treatment plan, before actually going on to place the implants during surgery and providing full after care. In addition to these complete cases, I also got to work with countless other patients at various stages of their treatment, which was a valuable experience as it enabled me to work with patients that had already been treated by other dentists. With some, it would involve placing an implant, whereas with others it would mean restoring an implant or taking impressions – all vital, hands-on experience.'
Whilst Pawel admits that being able to gain such a wealth of practical surgical experience to back up his theoretical knowledge has undoubtedly been the major benefit, the Dentale courses have also had a wider impact on his overall confidence as a dentist.
'I've been very lucky in that Ken Nicholson, who is now a mentor on my MSc course at UCLAN, was also a supervisor on the Dentale courses I studied beforehand in Shrewsbury, so I've been able to strike up an extremely positive long-lasting relationship with him. Ken is very supportive and encouraging, but he is also very realistic, and makes it quite clear to patients that if a treatment isn't suitable, he won't do it. This has been a fundamental lesson for me to learn – one of the most difficult skills any dentist has to develop is the ability to say 'no' to an unsuitable patient, and it is something that hasn't come easily to me. But because on the advanced course you are involved with a patient right from that initial consultation, you have already built up an element of trust, so that you can outline the whole range of treatment options with a certain confidence and conviction, and even make your case if you feel a particular course of action isn't suitable.
'Having this additional confidence and understanding under my belt has really enabled me to get the very most out of my current studies at UCLAN. It has been noticeable that the surgical experience I have gained is giving me a big advantage compared to some of my fellow students on the MSc course. Whereas they may have a strong grip on the theory behind dental implants, through reading textbooks, case notes, and scientific papers, there's no substitute for the practical experience I've been lucky enough to gain. Because of the variety of patients I've been fortunate enough to work with, I'm willing to ask more probing questions during lectures and classes, as I've had the opportunity to see many of the theories behind implant dentistry applied in a real life surgical situation. I'd even go as far to say that anyone thinking of studying an MSc in implantology should consider enrolling on one of the Dentale courses beforehand, as it will give them a much more well-rounded insight into the discipline and provide the perfect preparation for a future career in implant dentistry.'