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 amanda.jackson@hscni.net
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!
Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends!
This week I’m chatting to Dr Maria Catney however you may know her as someone else when you get to the end of this episode 👀
Maria first and foremost is an amazingly gifted dentist and here are some links to the courses she suggested here
MJDF
Occlusion course
Perio course
Orthodontic Course
However if you are interested in creative writing or just want to find out a bit more you can check out the Romantic Novelists association here
You can follow along with Maria’s writing journey over on Instagram @saoirse_morrigan and if you are interested in perusing some creative writing persuits then I’m sure Maria would be happy to chat via DM
You can follow along with all thing Conversations with Dental Friends over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can find me over there too @homegirlhygienist or over on TikTok if that’s more your thing @homegirlhygeinist1
Thankyou so much to our sponsors Dürr Dental and Lighthouse Dental Compang and of course Marlborough Clinic Belfast for hosting us to record
See you again next week for another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends
Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends!
This week I’m joined by the amazing Nina Farmer who is a DUAL QUALIFIED Dental and Nutritional Therapist
This chat with Nina as so amazing because not only does Nutritional Therapy enrich your life but it can also enrich the lives of your patients and colleagues too.
To find out more about Nutritional Therapy you can click the link here
If you’re interested in becoming a dental therapist generally you can click the link here
If you’re interested in joining BSDHT or coming to an event you can click the link here
To find out more about the ADI you can click the link here
You can follow Nina on Instagram @nina.integratedhealth and if you love Nutrition you might want to also give @juliettereeves1 a follow because she’s amazing too
Thankyou so much to our sponsors Dürr Dental and Lighthouse Dental Company and of course big thanks to the girls at Megagen for testing our Vitamin D levels
You can find all things conversations with Dental Friends over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and I’m over there too @homegirlhygienist
See you next week for another episode
Welcome back to another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends
This week I’m chatting to Aoife Lordan, who has just graduated from Dentistry at Queens University Belfast and Lucy Mulholland who’s in final year.
This is a two part special in this episode we chat about A Levels, Applying to University - UCAS personal statements interviews and choosing to do dentistry at Queens University Belfast
If you’re interested in applying for dentistry you can find more here
If you want to find out more about queens university belfast you can find out more here
Thankyou so much to our sponsors Dürr Dental & Lighthouse Dental Company and Marlborough Clinic Belfast for hosting us to record
See you next week for part 2 of this conversation with Aoife and Lucy on Surviving Dental School
Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends! This week I’m chatting to the incredible TCO Shelley Dawson
If you’re interested in training to be a dental nurse you can check out the NEBDN website here
You can find some amazing dental implant training courses below
https://www.nebdn.org/qualifications/post-registration-qualifications/dental-implant-nursing/
https://www.smilewisdom.co.uk/nebdn-certificate-in-implant-nursing/
https://icedentalimplants.co.uk/introduction-to-dental-implant-nursing/
https://www.campbellacademy.co.uk/the-online-dental-implant-nursing-course
If you’re interested in exploring more about treatment coordination
https://dentaltrainingcollege.com/courses-certificate-in-treatment-coordination-course.html
https://www.smiledentalacademy.com/short-course-treatment-coordinator
You can also follow Laura Horton over on Instagram for some more amazing ideas
Thankyou so much to Shelley who you can also follow on Instagram @shelleyd1986
Thankyou so much to our sponsors Dürr Dental and Lighthouse dental company and Marlborough Clinic Belfast for hosting us to record
You can follow us over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and I’m over there too @homegirlhygienist
See you next week for another episode
Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends this week I’m sitting down with Jack McHugh Engineer, Industry Expert and Founder of Lighthouse Dental Company which he launched this year.
This conversation is not just interesting from Jack’s perspective of starting a business but also has so many transferable messages if your thinking about opening your own dental practice or launching your own venture
To hear more about Jack’s story you can follow him on LinkedIn here and follow the company on Instagram @lighthousedentalcompany_ire
You can follow friends that invest (formally girls that invest) wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow all things conversations with dental friends over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can follow me too @homegirlhygienist
Big Thankyou to our sponsors Dürr Dental and Lighthouse Dental Company for sponsoring this episode and Marlborough Clinic Belfast for hosting us to record
See you next week for another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends
Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends!
This week I’m joined by Rebekka Hamilton an Orthodontic Therapist working in Northern Ireland.
I don’t know about you but I was blown away by Orthodontic Therapy and what you can do within your role in practice.
If you are interested in starting where it all began you can find out more about being a dental nurse here
If you want to take the next step or feel it would help with your application process you can find out more about orthodontic dental nursing here
If you are interested in studying orthodontic therapy or want to know more about the role you can explore the different schools below
University of Central Lancaster
This is also amazing information to have if you’re a practice owner or Dentist practicing Ortho and you feel your team would benefit from adding an Orthodontic Therapist into the mix
Thankyou so much to Dürr Dental and Lighthouse Dental Company for Sponsoring this episode and of course Marlborough Clinic Belfast for hosting us to record this episode
If you loved this episode leave us a comment and don’t forget to follow and of course share it with your friend who would be a great orthodontic therapist or someone who just needs to know more about the role.
You can find out more about the podcast over on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and I’m over there too @homegirlhygienist
See you next week for another episode!
Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends!
This week I’m chatting to Marie Sharkey a Dentist with a Special Interest in Periodontics
Marie has such brilliant insights in this episode not just about periodontics (which if you know me is my favourite) but also working at home in Northern Ireland but also travelling for her work in clinic in England, lecturing and moving into the educational space and of course navigating all this as a new mum in Dentistry
You can look at pursuing a Masters in Periodontology just like Marie at the following
Manchester here
UCL here
Newcastle here
Bristol here
Central Lancaster here
Kings College London here
You can find out more about Marie’s study clubs back to basics or otherwise by signing up for Marlborough Academy which I’ll leave the link to here. You’ll receive more information about upcoming study clubs from all the clinicians at Marlborough and of course reserve your space for the next Marlborough Academy Conference in 2026
Thankyou so much to our sponsors Dürr Dental and Lighthouse Dental Company and of course Marlborough Clinic Belfast for hosting us to record this episode
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast by clicking above to get a new episode straight to your phone every week. You can follow the podcast on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can find me Rachael over there too as well @homegirlhygienist
Thanks so much for listening see you next week for another episode
🎙 Welcome back to another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends!
Today, I’m joined by the totally inspiring Siobhan Kelleher, who’s encouraging us to reimagine what life as a dental professional can look like, both in and out of the clinic.
In this episode, Siobhan shares her journey from clinical dental hygiene into education, brand partnerships, and beyond. We also dive into the power of mindset and how it can truly be your greatest superpower when navigating the ever-evolving world of dentistry.
💬 Whether you’re just starting out or deep in your dental career, this chat is full of practical wisdom and uplifting energy. You won’t want to miss it.
⸻
🔗 Connect with Siobhan and learn more:
⸻
📲 Let’s stay connected!
⸻
🙏 Big thanks to our amazing sponsors:
Dürr Dental and Lighthouse Dental Company — thank you for supporting conversations that matter who you can also find on Instagram @duerrdental and @lighthousedentalcompanyire
🎧 See you next week for Episode 4!
Hi everyone welcome back to another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends! In today’s episode I’m chatting to Alan Clarke who’s redefining what it really means to be in Dentistry in 2025
You can find more about Alan and Paste Presents on Instagram @alanclarkedentistry and @pastepresents
Alan mentioned so many great resources in our chat which I’ve linked below
Monik Vassant totally composite course
You can check out Spear Study Club here
You can sign up for Perio courses with Ian Dunn here
Simon Sinek Start With Why on Amazon
Jen Sincero You Are A Badass on Amazon
Cat Edney The Modern Therapist
Ben & Claire @yourdentalbesties podcast
More info on Siobhan Kelleher courses here
You can find this podcast on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can see me Rachael over there @homegirlhygienist
Thankyou so much to our sponsors Dürr Dental & Lighthouse Dental Company and Thankyou to Marlborough Clinic Belfast for hosting us to record this episode
See you next week for Episode 3
Welcome back to SEASON 2 of Conversations with Dental Friends this week I’m chatting with Claire Berry & Ben Tighe aka Your Dental Besties In this episode we chat about progressing your career past the dental surgery setting, moving into a teaching and educational space brand collaborations and being authentic to yourself whatever your dental career.
Thankyou so much to our Season 2 sponsors Dürr Dental and Lighthouse Dental Company and of course to Marlborough Clinic Belfast for hosting us to record this jam packed episode.
As promised here are the links we chatted about
You can find more information on the women’s oral health roadshow and more great courses on their Instagram Dental of Course
You can find out more about applying to Dental Hygiene or Dental Therapy here from BSDHT and through UCAS here
You can find Claire on Instagram @clairelouisesays and Ben @thegumsguy and you can follow their podcast @yourdentaldesties and listen here
You can follow this podcast on Instagram @conversationswithdentalfriends and you can follow me Rachael @homegirlhygienist
Thanks so much for listening see you next Thursday for another episode
Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends!
This week, I’m joined by the brilliant Dr. Madelaine a Dentist, educator, and all-round social media powerhouse with nearly 40,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok. If you’ve ever wondered how to grow your professional brand online or what it really takes to build trust in the digital space, this episode is for you.
A huge thank you to Dr. Madelaine for such an honest, insightful, and genuinely inspiring conversation. We covered so much ground, we’re already manifesting a Part 2 so stay tuned!
This episode was kindly hosted by Marlborough Clinic Belfast, thank you so so much for providing the perfect space for us to record.
Make sure you’re following Dr. Madelaine @doctormadelaine on all social platforms for expert insights and updates on her upcoming courses. For even more brilliant content around professional growth and social media strategy, follow @londonhygienist too.
We’ve now wrapped up Season 1! What a season it’s been! Thank you so much to every guest who’s joined us, and to all of you for listening and supporting.
You can catch up on all episodes right here on Spotify, and don’t forget to follow the show @conversationswithdentalfriends for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and updates on Season 2.
You can also find me over on Instagram @homegirlhygienist for more dental life, career chat, and oral hygiene advice!
Thanks for tuning in, Season 2 is coming very soon!