5 things I cannot work without! By Ross Chapman

from The Dental Technician Magazine April 2021

Tension-type headaches. By John Forde

5 THINGS I CANNOT WORK WITHOUT!

By Ross Chapman I Chapman Dental Solutions

l By no means exhaustive here are the 5 things I currently can't work without at our clinic and laboratory:

This month we speak with CDT - Ross Chapman from Chapman Dental Solutions – Denture Clinic and Dental Laboratory based in Newcastle Upon Tyne. We thought it would be interesting to gain an insight into what things a Clinical Dental Technician cannot work without.

1. MY TEAM: Clichéd as it may sound I really can achieve nothing without the other cogs in our machine. From our implant dentist through to my receptionist, everybody has their role to play and their area of expertise. We work well as a team, everybody knows their role and we try to have some fun along the way. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my staff, both past and present, for helping my business get to where it is currently.

2. DIGITAL DENTISTRY: I’ve written for The Dental Technician before about my journey in digital dentistry and I genuinely couldn’t and just as importantly wouldn’t want to work without it in my daily workflow. Analogue knowledge is paramount but our digital workflow be it our Medit intraoral scanner, DOF desktop scanner, Exocad software or 3D printers just makes our life quicker, slicker and easier.

3. PATIENTS: Self-explanatory really as a denture and implant clinic if we don’t have any patient we aren’t going to do very well, however, what I mean is the variation from patient to patient and case to case that keeps my job exciting and interesting. No two working days are the same and the adrenaline of a busy clinic day and the ability to changing people’s lives for the better can be intoxicating.

4. MUSIC: I never have nor never will work in a job where I can’t listen to the radio or background music. I’m very jealous that my technicians can listen to what they want on Spotify all day every day as I have to have patient-friendly music in the clinic. I think most technicians take for granted what a blessing it is to be able to enjoy the beautiful escapism of music whilst at your place of work.

5. CHALLENGES & GOALS: I’m not one to rest on my laurels and I find always having a goal or a new project keeps me motivated and according to the wife easier to live with! I’ve been lucky enough to work with and alongside some fantastic technicians and clinicians over the years and there is nothing wrong with absorbing what knowledge you can whilst in the presence and then using it to push your career and aspirations forward. Surround yourself with people you admire and it will rub off eventually.