Dr Sam Jethwa explains the benefits of The 1-1 Residency, an ethical cosmetic dentistry programme delivered through one-to-one mentorship, online masterclasses and hands-on training.
Dentistry is a career that allows incredible freedom, but at the same time, it means one is left to find their own way. This is both a blessing and a curse.
As we adapt to the new norms of self-marketing, cosmetic dentistry, and high patient expectation – it is imperative now more than ever that ambitious clinicians train not only to do the best dentistry, but also to communicate it to patients, lab technicians, and predict the challenges that can come their way. Many of these clinical and non-clinical skills are learned the hard way, through years of experience making mistakes and correcting them.
Since 2018, Dr Sam Jethwa and Bespoke Smile Academy have been teaching dentists ultra thin porcelain veneer workflows. Since last year, The 1-1 Residency program has brought incredible success to the lucky dentists who managed to secure one of the three places available per year.
The 1-1 Residency
The course is delivered through a strict mentorship program, one-to-one shadowing and teaching, hands-on training with real patients, online masterclasses and the world’s only postgraduate diploma in occlusion and porcelain veneers. Dentists are exposed to a decade’s learning in a short space of time. The one-to-one mentorship programs are designed to fast track clinical and non clinical success. They also put ethical cosmetic dentistry and minimally invasive techniques at the forefront.
Dr Sam Jethwa, who is also president elect at The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry states: ‘True progress comes from implementation of knowledge, and mentors who care. That is how I built my career, and that is what I founded The Bespoke Smile Academy to provide for our dentists. Our aim has always been to build a community of ethical dentists who believe in predictability, consistent workflows, and confident treatment planning.’
How has one-to-one mentorship benefitted previous graduates?
Dr Cony Caravotas, graduating from the six-day flagship occlusion and porcelain veneer course, where she treated a patient for 10 upper minimal/no preparation porcelain veneers.
After this Dr Cony embarked on a six month one-to-one residency to focus on implementation and associated clinical challenges, and business growth relating to full mouth reconstruction cases.
She is now working on a referral basis, doing the dentistry she wants to do, and receiving the remuneration she deserves.
Dr Jethwa says: ‘We have built our academy on reputation. We keep in touch with every graduate, to ensure support is there if they need it long term with our faculty of previous mentees, who have progressed into mentors.
‘We aim to address any gaps in knowledge immediately, to allow our dentists to implement their learning.
‘The future of dentistry is occlusal disease, and tooth wear, we are building a network of like minded dentists who can and will treat complex problems ethically.’