Discover Dentistry

Dental patient Dave White was due a dental check-up with Dr Adrian Jowett (Dentist) and Sarah Hayward (Dental Nurse), and we filmed it. In this video Chris replays the event while talking to Adrian, who explains what is going on, shows the equipment he used, and offers insights on what a dentist is looking for when you go for a checkup.

Chris is joined in the Discover Dentistry Kitchen by Professor Ric van Noort (Dental Materials) and Dr Lynne Bingle (Cellular Biology) for some experiments you can try at home to explore some of the science we have discussed so far on the course. We explore the strange behaviour of dilatant materials (which relates to dental impression materials) and look into what is really in that 0.5% of saliva that is not water. Detailed instructions to try these experiments at home are in the next step. As alcohol is used in one of the steps, under 18s must ask a parent/guardian for their permission before attempting this experiment.

When we looked at the dental specialisms in Week 3, there was a specialist we did not meet. We’ll fix that with this interview. Chris Stokes discusses dental public health with Peter Robinson, Professor of Dental Public Health at the University of Sheffield.

In this video Dr Adrian Jowett, dentist and Head of the Academic Unit of Primary Dental Care at the University of Sheffield, gives us a tour of Surgery 5. Adrian talks through the space and equipment, and offers insights into the surgery that you might not have noticed before

In this video we again see Dr Tony Johnson, Dental Technician, in the dental laboratory. This time he shows how dental porcelain and metal are used to create dental crowns.

In this video we visit Dr Tony Johnson, Dental Technician, in the dental laboratory to observe how dentures are made. You will see the skills of the dental technician, the specialist equipment used, and some of the materials we have been learning about so far on the course. The construction of dentures requires a patient to attend a number of visits to the dentist, with the dental technician making a sequence of models, trays and ‘try-ins’ before the completed dentures are fitted. The following is a brief overview of the steps required to provide a set of dentures for a patient, and the video shows you each step in the dental laboratory.

Professor Ric van Noort, an expert in dental materials, tells the story of the history of materials used in the mouth. During this video, think about the main challenges faced by the early dentists as they tried to choose or make materials to go into the mouth. We’ll explore this topic in more detail in the next step and in the following discussion.

Professor Paula Farthing talks us through the role of the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathologist in more detail. Using an example of an oral disease Paula shows us how a Pathologist works.

In this video we visited a selection of dental specialists at Sheffield and asked them a few questions about their roles, and you can watch their answers. We asked: What’s your job title? What defines your specialty? What do you do in your role in a typical day? What training did you have to complete to get the job?This is a long video, so here the times of when each specialist starts speaking: Paediatrics - 0:08; Restorative Dentistry - 2:04; Oral Surgery - 4:42; Endodontics - 7:29; Periodontics - 9:12; Orthodontics - 10:22; Oral Pathology - 12:13

In this video Chris attends the dental surgery to meet Jill Rushforth, dental hygienist, to learn how to brush his teeth according to the advice recommended by oral health educators. You’ll see not only the recommended technique, but the role of the dental hygienist. Don’t worry about the details too much, as we’ve put together a written summary with more information in the next step of the course.

Watch the video of Chris talking to dentist Sandra Zijlstra-Shaw, looking at examples of dental texts, instruments and prostheses from the past and comparing them to those used today.

In this video we asked four members of the Dental Team (Adrian Jowett, Sarah Hayward, Jill Rushforth, Tony Johnson) to explain their role when providing patient care. When watching the video, here are a few things to think about: What defines each role? Is it clear what each person does?What other roles might you expect to meet during a visit to the dentist?