From backpacking to board member in four years – my career so far with Mydentist

Dr Alexanne Hood, of Mydentist Haslingden, discusses why Mydentist has taken her career from strength to strength.

Clinicians in the early years of their careers have endless choice in where they want to practise, the type of dentistry they want to offer and even where to live.

Choosing a first job after DFT/DCT or VT is an important first step to make sure that you have the support and flexibility available to build the career you want.

At Mydentist, it has the UK’s largest community of early careers dentists. One such clinician is Dr Alexanne Hood who joined Mydentist for almost a year following DFT before taking some time out to backpack across the Americas, returning just as the country went into Covid-19 lockdown.

Since returning from travelling, Alexanne has made full use of the opportunities available to her through the Mydentist academy by training in treatments such as teeth straightening, composite bonding and whitening. She has also undertaken several external courses, receiving support and equipment from Mydentist so she can offer both facial aesthetics and minor oral surgery.

Privileged position

Now, just a few years later, Alexanne has made the shortlist for Young Dentist of the Year category at the Dentistry Awards 2022 and Mydentist’s own Excellence Awards. She has also recently been appointed to the company’s Clinical Advisory Board where she has the privileged position of guiding the company on how to best support young dentists in developing their own careers in the future.

She said: 'I decided at 14 that I wanted a science based career that offered me unlimited opportunities to learn and grow alongside a positive work life balance, and dentistry fit that bill perfectly.

'I first joined Mydentist in South Wales, fresh out of DFT in 2018. After eight years of university and DFT, my immediate goal was to work for a short period of time and save up to go travelling with my partner, Max.

'Mydentist was the only company to take my plans seriously. I spoke to a brilliant recruiter who found us both temporary, employed positions so we could plan our backpacking adventure and kept in touch so that he could help us find a position when we came back to the UK.

'One thing we adored was the clinical induction programme at the Mydentist Academy in Manchester. To have a room full of young graduates networking and building support networks was invaluable and actually was instrumental in us choosing to live in Manchester after travelling because we had so much fun that week.'

Perfect transition

She continued: 'When we returned home, Mydentist was the only company we contacted and right from the start it was clear that we’d made a great choice. We both took employed roles in the same practice in Haslingden, Lancashire which offered a welcoming, rural location close enough to Manchester.

'The employed role was perfect for us to transition back into clinical life after a break and put us in good stead for things like mortgage applications.

'Young dentists are presented with so much choice early in their careers that it can feel overwhelming, but I do feel that the employed role is a really special opportunity to find your feet in the clinical world and build some stability before venturing into self-employment.

'Beginning a new job just as the pandemic started wasn’t easy, but I was reassured by the company and local area team who did their best to support us. They brought in aircon units when we were melting in PPE, doubled the contact from our clinical support manager and quickly rolled out air filtration units meaning we were able to get back to ‘normal’ dentistry much more quickly.

'In the years since the pandemic began Mydentist has really shown me that it is committed to supporting clinicians, from partnerships with huge global brands to the rollout of new technology such as digital scanners.

'This is now helping me progress my career as I develop my interest in aesthetic dentistry. The company is supporting me in finding a positive work-life ratio which is so important and helping me balance my NHS commitments with my growing private list as I develop my career.

Knowledge and guidance

'A real strength of Mydentist is being able to access the nationwide clinical support network and wealth of knowledge, guidance and experience of the team.

I attribute a lot of my growth and success to the opportunities and support I have been provided with, such as being put forward by my practice colleagues for the Dentistry and Excellence Awards which is something I’d never have had the confidence to do myself. That’s why I am so grateful to be able to support the development of other young dentists as part of the company’s Clinical Advisory Board.

'I’m one of seven dentists chosen to provide guidance to the company from a dentist’s point of view. It’s really exciting for me as someone at an early stage in their career to have input into decisions that will make Mydentist a great place to practise for thousands of dentists.

'I’d recommend Mydentist to anyone in the early stages of their dental career. There’s a wealth of experience available to help you find your feet, and there is always someone to turn to for support. Plus, you can take advantage of all the investment Mydentist is making in its practices, training and clinicians.'

Mydentist has opportunities available across the UK for dentists in the early stages of their careers. For more information or to apply click here.