Hot Manchester nights

Lousy photograph – but at the front, there I am, presenting my comments on the past, present and future of Uk dentistry to a crowd of 45 who attended La Tasca Spanish restaurant last night.

We didn’t get started until almost 20:00 and, as tribes of late commuters and early revellers swarmed over the pavements of Deansgate in blistering heat and humidity, there we all gathered in the gloom.

First up Paul Tipton with 45-minutes on crown and bridge work, then tapas, followed by my good self.

The evening rounded off with the “one and only” Prem Semhi and a Q&A session for all the speakers.

Finish line was 23:00 when, again with my daughter Ellie (almost falling asleep in her chair), we emerged into the (still bustling) City Centre and made our way home under a yellow moon.

What did the VT’s who braved the elements want?

• free beer and tapas (let’s be honest)
• a clinical lecture from one of the all-time greats
• some idea of how to frame their career pathway

A great pleasure to bump into Chris O’Connor, who had travelled from Newcastle for the gig – an individual who I first met at a Northern Deanery day earlier in the year and has since galvanised himself into action as a prominent blogger. Delighted to hear that Chris is really forging an exciting career for himself.

The attitude in the room?

Some trepidation as to the opportunities for general dentists going forward and a clear bias towards more specialised training over time.

The realisation that the best way forward (to quote Paul) is to have three essential qualities:

1. good hand/eye co-ordination
2. a fantastic mentor
3. confidence