Student dental nurse Alis Fleming notes her top 10 tips to help you to write your own future

1. Fall in love with laminate. Check stock every day. This is a really important one for me, as there is nothing more frustrating being mid treatment and you suddenly find you forgot to stock something you need. The key is to be as organised as you can. As you’re all aware, there are hundreds of different instruments and materials kept in the drawers, so how do you remember to keep everything stocked up? My top tip for this is to have a laminated piece of paper with ALL stock written down – if you want to be really organised, you can section them into different treatments. When I notice something starting to run low, I will tick it on the sheet. Then whenever I have spare time – or at the start of each day – I will have a clear idea of everything that needs to be stocked up. As the sheet is laminated – and because I use a non-permanent marker – I can rub the sheet clean as soon as I’ve stocked up and start again the next day.

2. Get ahead of yourself. Completing the day sheet for the following day has become routine for me. Once I’ve printed the day sheet, I make a habit of writing notes. For example, if I see a crown fit has been booked in, I write the patient identification and check the lab work on the day to make sure it has arrived. I will also check what material the crown is and write notes on what material I will need to prepare to cement the crown. If I have an extraction booked in, I take note of what tooth is being extracted. I will also write what extraction forceps I will need or if they require a certain type of local anaesthetic. This makes life so much easier when you’re having a really busy day because you don’t need to think – everything is ready to refer to. It’s important for me to collect all of my lab work the day before the treatment. I keep them locked away in a cabinet with my day sheet. If one hasn’t arrived or is lost, it means you have enough time to sort it out.

3. Grab and go. Always have your trays set up for the day. All of my trays are set up, sealed and dated as soon as they come out of the autoclave. As you’re all aware of the busy environment we work in, you need to be quick. Organising the trays, such as a restorative tray, orthodontic tray, rubber dam and so on means it is easy to grab what you need and go.

It is always a good idea to keep spare trays set up in your decon room, too.

4. Be that early bird! I arrive at work at least 30 minutes earlier than my starting time. This isn’t compulsory but I choose to do it to help myself, especially as a trainee dental nurse. I like to take my time to prepare the surgery and make sure it’s clean, stocked up and ready to go. During this time, I put some music on and get my head into work mode. If I start my day rushed and everything is last minute, a lot of things don’t go as planned. I prepare my surgery by cleaning and setting up, preparing my trays and checking if any appointments have changed. I can then alter my notes on my day sheet if I need to make any unexpected last-minute changes to the day ahead.

5. Build and nurture. I like to have a good relationship with patients. This is really what makes me love my job so much. Building a good rapport is so important – for patients and for yourself. I always thought the majority of people didn’t like coming to the dentist and I was soon surprised to realise how amazing my practice was at building such good relationship with patients – it’s all about the journey. Everyone takes part to make the patient feel as welcome and as comfortable as possible – from a welcoming receptionist to a friendly dental nurse. If patients are scared, it’s our job to reassure them and make them feel as ease. I do this by talking to them about general life. My top tip is to remember your conversations with patients because this shows the patient they’re not just another person walking through the door, but someone we really appreciate coming in to see us. Remember the little things such as family events, holidays and so on.

6. Support the dentist. This is a really important step and cements your team-working ethic. You need to work well together in order to achieve the best results. You are a team and both of your roles are important in different ways. Have the mindset of helping each other out. I do as much as I can to make the dentist’s job easier. The dentist I work with really helps me learn more and pushes me to be better each day. If you work well together, everything in the practice is more likely to run efficiently and smoothly.

7. Keep learning. It’s very easy to get carried away with working your nine-to-five shift and leaving it as that. But for me, keeping in touch with changes in dentistry outside of the surgery is just as important – especially as a trainee. We are all aware of the fast-paced environment we work in – it is difficult to learn or remember things when there is so much going on and so much to think about. In work, it is important to focus on your day, your patients and your treatments, and leave the rest for home. I learnt in this job that you can never learn too much. Research your instruments, materials and treatments in depth – if you learn more than you need to, then your job will be much easier. There are so many courses and information sources out there to help you learn, I find the Carol Hollins book so helpful and they have everything you need to know in them. Speak to your dentist about any new treatments, ideas and materials within dentistry; more knowledge will always enhance your experience as a nurse.

8. Take time to tackle different roles. In my practice, everyone has assigned roles. However, it is important to learn every role to help build a strong team. As a dental nurse, I found it really useful to learn about the receptionist duties, such as booking appointments, learning the different methods of joining the practice as a patient and so on. This way, if I’m available or need to cover sickness, I can help the receptionist answer the phone and book people in, as it can get really busy. It is also important to help the head nurse with stock, talking to patients about different treatment options or plan options and also help to write notes for the dentist, for example. If a patient is booked in for a consultation, my dentist likes to have a face-to-face conversation with them (not looking at a screen) and it is my job to help out and write lots of notes about what is discussed. This helps the dentist remember key points, patient concerns and questions, as sometimes the conversation can be long and a lot to remember.

9. Embrace four-handed dentistry. For me, this was really difficult at first. But, the more you practise, the more it helps both you and the dentist. This makes the treatment quick, yet effective. It can save minutes which we all know is a great help when patients are booked in back to back. If you’re unsure on how to do this, take time with your dentist to learn different techniques and keep practicing. To go back to point number 7, do your research. There are so many amazing tips on the internet that are helpful. Remember your job is to help and assist the dentist in the most effective way, as well as assist in giving the best treatment for the patient.

10. Be one step ahead. My top tip for this is to learn your treatments step by step. Again, take your time at home to learn this. This really helps the dentist and allows them to focus on the treatment and what they need to be doing instead of telling you what needs to be done next or asking for the next material. Of course, every treatment is different and, if they need something different to usual, they will ask. However, a lot of treatments are routine. For example, with examinations it is routine for us to check teeth then gums, so my dentist doesn’t ask me to do a BPE chart – I know to do it as soon as we’ve finished checking teeth. Another example is a composite filling. As soon as the dentist has applied etch, I know to get my aspiration ready and, as soon as I see him drying the area, I know to prepare the bond. This might be such a small tip, but it really helps the dentist and goes a long way. This makes sure they can focus on giving the best clinical outcomes.

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