Conversations with Dental Friends

✨ Episode 7 is now live! ✨

This week I’m joined by the amazing Vicki Griffiths, a dental therapist whose career has honestly been one of the most inspiring we’ve featured so far. From making the most of her scope as a dental nurse to carving out her niche in dental therapy, Vicki’s story is full of insight, honesty, and plenty of motivation for anyone in the dental world.

We get into:

🦷 The incredible scope of practice for dental nurses

📄 Applying for dental therapy

💬 Tips for supporting patients with additional needs

🎯 Finding your niche

🤝 BSDHT and community in dentistry

📱 Navigating social media as a dental professional

This was such a fun conversation — I learned so much, laughed a lot, and honestly left feeling a bit like I’d had therapy myself. A huge thank you to Vicki for being so open and generous with her experiences.

And of course, massive thanks to our sponsors Dürr Dental, DMI, and The ICE Dental Institute in Manchester for hosting us for this episode!

If you enjoyed listening, make sure to check out the show notes for all the links, share this episode with your dental friends, and hit follow on the podcast so you never miss a new chat landing on your phone each week.

🎧 See you next Thursday for another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends!

You can find out more about applying for Dental Nursing here

Absolutely look into applying to your local dental hospital to really step up your dental nursing career, the Belfast trust website has loads of information here or Google in your area

If your interested in applying for dental therapy you can find out more information here

If you’re already a dental therapist (or dental hygienist) and you’d love to get that feeling of community by joining a society you can find more information on BSDHT here and BADT here

If you think studying in Manchester sounds amazing (because I do) you can find out more information about Salford university here

You can find links to all the post grad quails and more information about ICE Dental Institute here

You can find Vicki on Instagram and TikTok @vic_dental_therapist

You can find Conversations with Dental Friends over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can find me on Instagram and TikTok @homegirlhygienist

If you’re interested in the face spray you can find it on Amazon

You can check out Siobhan Kelleher’s brilliant episode on Season 2 Episode 3 of this podcast and find out more information on her course here

Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends 💬

This week I’m joined by the brilliant Shennae Bartlett from Chairsyde a dentist who’s diving deep into how AI can actually support us in dentistry, rather than replace us.

We’re unpacking:

✨ The myths (and truths) about how AI will really impact our careers

🦷 What AI actually means for the dental world

🛠️ How tools like Chairsyde can make your day-to-day easier and more efficient

💡 And how leaning into innovation can help us rediscover our passion, tackle burnout, and build a more sustainable future in dentistry

A huge thank you to Shennae for such an insightful, inspiring conversation and for reminding us that embracing change doesn’t have to mean losing the human side of what we do.

Big thanks to our sponsors Dürr Dental and DMI for supporting this episode.

🎧 Don’t forget to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode and let me know in the comments: How are you using AI in your dental career?

You can find out more about Chairsyde here

You can find out more about research opportunities here

You can follow conversations with dental friends over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends

And I’m over there too @homegirlhygienist

Finally apologies for any sound issues on this episode we are working with the latest technology but sadly there can occasionally be feedback even after sound enhancement but I hope you still enjoyed it!

See you next week for another deep dive into all things dentistry and beyond 👋

🎙️ Welcome back to another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends!

This week we’re joined again by Aoife and Lucy for part two of Surviving Dental School and trust me, it’s a good one.

We’re diving into everything from:

🦷 staying sane through exam season

🧠 looking after your mental health

💼 joining the BDA and spicing up your CV

✨ making the most of your time outside of study

📄 and of course, navigating foundation training applications.

A huge thank you to Aoife and Lucy for coming back to share such honest, relatable insights into life as dental students at Queen’s University Belfast it’s the kind of conversation every dental student needs to hear.

If you’re currently studying (or gearing up for foundation training this year 👀), let us know in the comments what resonated most — we love hearing your thoughts!

See you next week for another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends! 💬

You can find quizlet here

You can get more information about dentistry at queens university here

You can find the student wellbeing service at QUB here

You can get more information about student membership at the BDA here

You can find more information about research at QUB here

You can find more about the BDA future leaders program here

Post graduation courses can be found in Northern Ireland at NIMDTA here

You can find out more about foundation training here

New episode alert!

This week on Conversations With Dental Friends, I’m joined by Dr Emma McCrory, a specialist orthodontist who’s built her own orthodontic practice right here in Northern Ireland.

We’re diving into everything from:

✨ What speciality training really involves time, cost, travel, and all the realities

✨ Relocating as a specialist and finding your place

✨ The highs and hurdles of setting up your own practice

✨ Building and empowering an incredible team

✨ The secret weapon that is orthodontic therapy

✨ And how Emma’s journey has evolved into education and beyond

A huge thank you to Dr Emma for sharing so openly there are so many brilliant takeaways in this one, not just for orthodontists, but for the entire dental team.

For more information on speciality orthodontic training you can click the link here

For more information on Orthognathic Surgery you can get a brief overview here

To refer to Emma and her team at Lisburn Orthodontics you can click here

To find out more about orthodontic therapy training here in Northern Ireland you can click here

And you can find out more about Rebekka Hamilton’s journey into orthodontic therapy on Season 2 Episode 5 of the podcast or clicking here

You can follow Dr Emma on Instagram @dremmamccrory and her practice @lisburnortho

You can follow all things Conversations with Dental Friends over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can follow me @homegirlhygienist

To book onto a course with Dr Emma you can find out more info at the British Orthodontic Society here

You can tune in now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts 🎧

New episodes every Thursday hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!

See you next week for another Conversation With My Dental Friends 💬🦷

🎙️ Welcome back to episode 3 of this season of Conversations with Dental Friends!

This week, we’re switching things up diving into what it really takes to get a dental product from idea to shelf with Dr. Mike and Dr. Toby, the minds behind Dr. Heff’s, the dental supplement your patients definitely need to know about.

We’re talking:

💡 Getting into dentistry

🚀 Turning a product idea into reality

🧩 Balancing innovation with a full-on dental career

🌱 And how big ideas just… keep growing

A huge thank you to Dr. Toby and Dr. Mike for such an inspiring chat and for proving that your dental product dreams might be closer than you think. If you’ve got an idea, reach out to the podcast or to Dr. Heff’s directly let’s see how we can use our dental community to lift each other up.

As always, let me know what you thought of this one and if you’d love more behind-the-scenes conversations like this 👀

You can follow Dr Heff’s on all social media @drheffs or you can find out more on their website here

You can shop Dr Heff’s on their website or on Amazon

You can also listen to Victoria Sampson’s Diary of a CEO episode here

You can follow the podcast over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can follow me there too @homegirlhygienist

See you next week for another episode 💬

We are back with episode 2 of conversations with dental friends! Today I’m joined by the London hygienist herself Anna Middleton discussing the last decade of her career highs and lows and everything Inbetween

In this chat we get into

- getting started in dental hygiene

- Widening your scope of practice with additional dental therapy training

- Becoming an entrepreneur

- How dentistry and poker aren’t that far apart

- Protecting yourself against burnout and honouring your mental health

Massive thankyou to Anna for being so open and honest I know there will be loads of comments and questions after this so our DMs are always open

See you back here next week for another episode of conversations with dental friends

We’re back with episode 2 of Conversations with Dental Friends 🎙️

This week, I’m joined by the London Hygienist herself — Anna Middleton — to look back on ten years of breaking boundaries in the dental industry. From the highs and lows of building a career and brand, to the realities of burnout, balance, and being your own boss, Anna shares what it’s really like behind the success story.

We cover:

💬 Getting started in dental hygiene

🦷 Expanding your scope with dental therapy training

💼 Stepping into entrepreneurship

♠️ Why dentistry and poker might have more in common than you think

🧠 Protecting your mental health and recognising burnout before it hits

A massive thank you to Anna for such an open, honest, and inspiring conversation. I have no doubt this one’s going to spark a lot of thoughts (and probably a few DMs) — so as always, our inbox is open.

You can read Simon Senek start with why here

You can get your own copy of Instagram for Dentists here

You can find out more about Anna’s course thrive here

You can find Aces High on Instagram @aceshighlondon

You can follow Anna on Instagram @londonhygienist and annaconda_life

You can follow Victoria Wilson on Instagram @mysmilerevolution

You can follow Joe Lovett @joelovettcatalyst

You can follow me @homegirlhygienist and of course this podcast @conversationswithdentalfriends

If you don’t know about chat GPT you can find out more here

If you want to practice dental therapy at home

For more info on the BDA you can click here

Phillips sonicare here

EMS here

For more info on becoming a dental hygienist dental therapist you can check out ucas here

See you next week for another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends.

Welcome back to Season 3 of Conversations with Dental Friends!

In our opening episode for this season I am thrilled to introduce Dr Colin Campbell!

This was such a brilliant chat where we discuss

- moving forward through adversity

- building a purpose built practice

-stepping into education

- leaving a legacy in dentistry

Thankyou so much to Colin for such an honest and open conversation, we mentioned loads of good resources so I’ll try and link as many as possible below

You can find out more about the Campbell Clinic, the Campbell Academy and Colin’s Blog here

If you’d like to find out more about the absolute gentleman Mark Pollock you can find out here

All of Simon Sinek’s literary catalogue is available on Amazon

There are many many great dental photography courses but here’s an online one from UCL London

The Marlborough Academy Conference is amazing if you would like to sign up for 2026 you can via the Marlborough Academy here

If you’re looking for your community within dental implants you can find out more about the ITI here

or the ADI here

And you can sign up for the next ICE dental institute course here

You can follow all things conversations with dental friends over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can find me over there too @homegirlhygienist

See you next week for another conversation with my dental friend

Bonus episode drop ✨

It’s that time of year again… application season. Whether you’re going for Oral Health Sciences, Dental Hygiene or Dental Therapy, I’ve pulled together some golden advice from two people who’ve been there and done it Aaron Stewart and Rosie Murphy from way back in Season 1.

We’re covering:

📝 UCAS & personal statements

🎤 The interview process

🧩 CASPer testing

📩 A special message from Aaron & Rosie themselves

A massive thank you to our sponsors Dürr Dental and Lighthouse Dental Company for supporting the pod, and of course to Aaron & Rosie for sharing their wisdom.

If you’re applying this year, good luck, and remember my DMs are always open if you need a bit of guidance.

If you’re interested in a course in Oral Health Sciences or Dental Hygiene or Dental Therapy you can find out more here

If you’re interested in studying dental nursing you can find out more here

You can find out more about post graduate dental nursing courses through NIMDTA here or through the NEBDN here or through tempdent here

If you’re interested in an access course you can find out more info here

If you’re applying to a uni using a Casper SJT you can find out some more info here

You can follow Rosie on Instagram @r.j.therapy and you can follow Aaron @aarondentaltherapy they’re more than happy to answer your questions via DM

you can follow all things conversations with dental friends over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and I’m over there as well @homegirlhygienist or on TikTok if you prefer

P.S. Season 3 is wrapped and ready to go… we’ll be back next week with another brand new episode of Conversations with Dental Friends.

Hey everybody welcome back to the season finale on Season 2 of Conversations with Dental Friends

In this episode I’m taking to NI dental legend Amanda Jackson

Amanda has had such an amazing career from Dental Nursing to Management to Education and Course Creation.

There were SO many things to add to the show notes so here are as many as I can cram in

If you’re interested in becoming a dental nurse you can click the link here

If you would like to move into formal education training you can explore some more info here

NIMDTA has so many amazing post qualifications for DCPs which you can explore here including fluoride application, practice management, orthodontic therapy, training for nurses of FT dentists, operator training and full team cross infection training

You can find out about NIMDTAs open day for sixth form here

And of course the NIMDTA conference is happening on the 17th of October which you can register for here

And of course you can contact Amanda via her email [email protected]

Thankyou so much to all of our amazing guests on season 2! We have a special bonus episode next week and we’ll see you soon for Season 3!

Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends in today’s episode I’m chatting to the brilliant Michelle Molloy about practice management

You can find out more about dental nursing here

More information about Michelle’s practice management course here and you can also check out a similar course through NIMDTA here

You can follow Larne Dental Centre on Instagram @larnedentalcentre

Thankyou so much to our amazing sponsors Dürr Dental and Lighthouse Dental Company and a special thankyou to Larne Dental Centre and Dr Jillian Saulters for hosting us to record

You can follow Conversations with Dental Friends over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can find me over there too @homegirlhygienist

See you next week for another episode!