Orthodontist Dr Amina Abdel-Karim says keeping up with the times on a clinical, academic and social level means that you are well prepared for new techniques and procedures. Also, being in tune with patient expectations goes a long way in delivering high quality patient care.
Can you tell us a bit about your background?
AAK: I am originally from Sudan and was bought up in Saudi Arabia. I moved to UK to attend boarding school. I studied dentistry at Bristol University and after I graduated, I moved to London to complete my vocational training. My vocational trainer was such an inspiration to me; he had a specialist interest in oral surgery. Let’s just say, I also caught the bug! I always had a sense of wanting to learn more, on a more detailed level. So, I took on senior house officer posts in maxillofacial surgery and paediatrics in Sheffield instead of an associate position at my practice.
I then taught at Bristol University for a year and worked in oral medicine and special care dentistry. When accepted onto a three-year orthodontic training programme I felt absolutely thrilled – my post was split between King’s College Hospital and Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford. It was such a fantastic time, my passion for orthodontics just seemed to grow and grow and I was taught by a world-class teacher.
After I qualified as a specialist orthodontist, I still wanted to know more and offer more to my patients, especially the treatment of complex cases. I then trained for another two years at Guy’s Dental Hospital and Royal Surrey Children’s Hospital and qualified as…
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