Scottish Dental

My life in dentistry

15 August, 2024 / editorial
 Pam Auld Née Moir  

I attended Craigholme School in Pollokshields, Glasgow, between 1949 and 1959. I originally wanted to be an air hostess, but my father said no; it was nothing more than being a “glorified waitress”. He suggested I go and speak to a dentist, Iain Hawthorn, who lived near us to find out what a dental assistant does. I thought this sounded like a good idea, so I set about finding out more.

I started my first job in 1960, working for Hugh Cameron, a dentist based in Govan. My starting salary was £3 per week and my uniform consisted of a white coat that I wore over my own clothes, which was sent to the laundry once a week.

Some early duties

• Child extraction given gas – I was responsible for recovery until a parent could take over.
• Syringes and needles were kept in a large glass jar containing liquid.
• Zinc oxide cement was mixed with a pestle and mortar.
• Stood up while doing fillings etc.

Mixed zicoxcide and eugenol liquid, rolled into a sausage and wrapped in a gauze square soaked in eugenol liquid to make it last.

I qualified as a dental nurse and assistant in June 1962. In 1963 I moved to a practice located closer to home and worked with Mr Barnett at Thornliebank. Here, instead of the dentist administering anaesthetic, we had a doctor, Dr Richard Wolfson, who came to the practice to administer, and he brought his own nurse with him. When his nurse moved on, he asked if
I would like to work with him.

This was the start of a new venture for me. I learned how to administer IV sedation and keep patients’ airways free, making sure there was no danger of choking. We travelled to many dental practices where I checked medical histories and made sure patients visited the toilet and had nothing to eat before their appointment. Extractions were completed. We went to one dentist where I saw all the remaining teeth were extracted and then the patient was fitted with upper and lower dentures. How these patients got on with their F/F [full upper and full lower dentures], I don’t know.

In 1968, it was time to move on from my work with Dr Wolfson. I wanted to work chairside again, so I took up a post with James Smith, based in East Kilbride Village. This was an extremely busy practice with two dentists. I was now required to wear a proper uniform, indoor shoes and tie my hair back; this made me feel more clinical.

The materials used were very similar to previous ones, but the local and syringe were easier to use. We used sedanol, zincphosphate, chemfil and light curing composite (and cavit in a small jar). We took X-rays which were developed using a dark cupboard, three tanks, developer fixer and water. After getting married in 1970 and taking some time out to raise my young family, I returned to work part-time with James Smith in 1975. Dr Wolfson would still visit us from time to time.

In 1982, I started working for Graham McKirdy and Bryce Morrison, based at Bridgeton Cross and Burnbank in Hamilton, which meant I was back to working full-time across two practices. My position was head nurse and my duties included doing chairside, stock control, staff rotas including annual leave. I made up stock books (detailing all stock within the practice and the companies they were ordered from) and rotas for the staff across both practices. I would have to travel between both practices; the car came in very handy. We also had a hygienist who worked across both practices.

In September 1998, I enrolled in a BTEC-accredited Practice Managers Certificate Course, which I passed.

The materials we used were now changing. We used Kromopan for impressions, for crowns we were now using a putty and activator. Some materials remained unchanged such as Lumicon, Protemp, Dyract, Ledermix, Temp-Bond, to name a few. I would take a half-day in each practice, once a month, to undertake a stock check and ordering. We were not computerised, which meant everything was done manually; having a stock book made the task a lot easier.

The practice was growing, which meant hiring another dentist and more staff. I was now responsible for training a new employee. I devised a training manual and advised her to attend college once a week. We worked through the manual, and she quickly learned what materials were to be used for each procedure. We also covered which instruments the dentist required for different treatments, including extractions, fillings, root treatments etc.

By 2003, I was getting itchy feet; the practice was running well but it was time for a change. I applied for a practice manager role with IDH in Battlefield and was appointed. IDH consisted of two practices, seven dentists, two hygienists, three receptionists and numerous nurses. It felt quite daunting when I stepped through the door on my first day in the job; it was certainly not what I expected.

My line manager would hold weekly meetings with all the practice managers from different practices. All was good, I was coping well with the challenges of my new role, positive changes were being made and I was happy and enjoyed the challenge. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a false dawn and I felt I had no option but to move on.

In 2004, I joined Pollokshields Dental Practice, where I was given a dental nurse job working alongside a new VT, who was just starting out. It was lovely to get back to chairside and I enjoyed passing on some of my experiences while she worked. She was getting quicker as time went on and her confidence grew.

In 2005, a vacancy was advertised in a practice close to home, I applied and was successful. The practice was Alistair McPhail and Associates, which consisted of three dentists (two of which were part-time), two hygienists both part-time, three nurses and a practice manager. The practice was fully computerised which was completely new to me. It was quite a small practice with only three surgeries, which meant when either of the part-time dentists were not working, the hygienist took over their surgeries. It’s a friendly practice and I got on well with my colleagues. All dentists worked for both the NHS and private practice.

The materials were changing once again. They were becoming more sophisticated, most of the materials were now capsulated or in a tube. Composite fillings were light cured as was the bond. The impression material for crown prep is now mixed by a machine.

In 2008, all dental nurses had to be registered with the General Dental Council, with a retention fee payable annually. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) was introduced over the next five years, which requires me to undertake 150 hours of CPD a year, 50 of which must be verifiable. To date, I have attended numerous verifiable courses over the past 16 years, covering all requirements.

As time went by, Alistair and dentist colleague Jillian Clare started doing implants, which I assisted with. I got to know some of the patients quite well, so it became a very friendly environment. I cut my hours from full-time to working three-and-a-half days a week. I loved my job, but old age doesn’t come alone.

I am now nearing 80 and having gone through COVID-19, and the restrictions the practice had to cope with, I have reduced my hours even more. Alistair has been a wonderful dentist to work with, and I have enjoyed every minute. Now is the time for me to retire. I will miss everybody at the practice, but life must go on. My other interests are my painting classes and my afternoon bridge.

Being a dental nurse is a job which can be extremely rewarding. There are so many different aspects to it, meeting new people, training in all aspects of dentistry and getting involved. It is certainly not boring.

Categories: Magazine