Students

Name: Stanley Gelbier
Age: I guess that I am not in the normal age group for interviewees! 
I was 82 in November 2017
How would you sum yourself up in just three words? 
The eternal optimist!

Name: Dr. Ruth Brady

Age: 58
Qualified: December 1981, Liverpool University Dental School
How would you sum yourself
up in just three words?
Hard-worker. Compassionate. Perfectionist.

I live in a small countryside village 10 minutes from where I work at ‘Dental Excellence at Harewood’. The practice is situated within the beautiful grounds of the Harewood House estate, 20 minutes outside of Leeds on the West/North Yorkshire border in Wharfedale. The views from my surgery window of the estate, with rolling fields populated by roaming deer and red kites soaring overhead, are simply to die for! I eat a fruit/greens smoothie and an omelette for breakfast, because I don’t stop to eat lunch on workdays. I drive to work in a Range Rover (muddy country lanes, sometimes snowbound in winter).

What are your favourite areas of dentistry, and what do you find most challenging?
I have spent 35 years in general practice, and so my favourite areas have changed over time. I originally enjoyed treating nervous and phobic patients, then did a lot of postgraduate training in advanced restorative procedures including implantology and occlusion.

Facial aesthetics, however, has become the work that I most enjoy. I use much of the knowledge that I’ve gained during my long career in dentistry to assist me in analysing the face from all the angles.

I don’t know how I would analyse the features to the degree that I do without my dental background.

I now limit my work to this field and to the treatment of TMJ disorders and headaches, and refer standard dental treatments to other clinicians.

I correct facial abnormalities using dermal fillers and other non-surgical techniques in the most natural-looking way possible and according to the correct anatomy. I improve profiles by correcting nose, lip and chin projections.

I rejuvenate the aged face by restoring the volume and projection of the tissues that have become lax over the years and control unwanted, negative muscle actions. I treat TMJ disorders and headaches using botulinum toxin and occlusal appliances, and also treat excessive sweating conditions (anhydrosis).

By correcting features or rejuvenating the tissues of the face, I consider that I am now treating the ‘frame’ rather than the ‘picture’, (the teeth being the picture). I find it both challenging and rewarding.

I believe in the natural look. I don’t like the false look of ‘done’ faces which frequent our television screens. My hallmark is ‘natural treatment done in accordance with correct anatomy’.

It is now very much considered to be a field within dentistry, as demonstrated by the FMC Aesthetic Dentistry Awards, where it forms no less than three of the categories alongside others such as orthodontics and restorative categories. I won the Full Face category in March 2017, and was highly commended in the Botulinum toxin and perioral categories.

Since winning three further awards in November 2017, I was approached by an impressive practice in Leeds called ‘The Yorkshire Dental Suite’ and I decided to join their dynamic team. This practice is owned by an amazing oral and max fax surgeon called Dr. Dalghous.

My role includes working with him on some very interesting reconstructive cases (including some cases from the Middle East). This is a fantastic new challenge for me!

What appealed to you about a career in dentistry?
I have always had an interest in things medical and a love of animals. For a time I considered a career in veterinary surgery and spent many weekends during sixth form assisting a vet from a large animal practice, working on farms.

He was very negative about the job and advised against me joining the profession— especially because I was a woman, who might want a family! How times have changed.

One of my main hobbies as a young child through to adulthood was needlework, dress designing and creating soft furnishing. It was apparent from a very young age that I had extremely good manual skills, powers of analysis and a perfectionist attitude.

Who were some of your influences that you looked up to during your childhood?
I looked up to my parents, who gave me a principled upbringing where professionalism and honesty were paramount. They were both perfectionists in their own way and everything had to be executed to precision! My mother taught me how to do fine needlework and my father instilled in me an obsession of straight lines and parallelism.

Do you express an interest in business?
I have absolutely no interest in business. I am fortunate that the business aspects of my entire professional career have always been taken care of by my husband, both when we had our own practice and now that I have my own company restricted to facial aesthetics.

I’ve been told that I am a natural at ‘soft selling’ because of the passionate way I talk about my subject. I dislike the word ‘selling’ within the dental profession and find it hard to talk about money and costs of treatments. That does not come naturally to me at all.

What advice would you give to dental students starting out in their careers?
Work hard, be dedicated and don’t rush things. It takes time to hone your techniques. Always be open to suggestions; realise that the more you learn, the more you need to learn. Never think that you know it all; there is always someone else who is preparing to be the best. Never stand still; don’t have money as your goal. Aim for good results every time, and contented patients and the rest will follow. Be caring and empathetic. Your career may take many turns along the way and you may end up having several phases during your career in which you are passionate about completely different things. This makes your career interesting and never boring.