r/dentastic

Hi all,
Graduating from a 5-year dentistry degree in Spain mid-2027.

I have an undergrad Bach of science from Monash Uni, and will be registered as a dentist in Spain and the UK upon graduation.

I’m an Australian citizen and my long term plan is the ADC pathway back to Melbourne, but I’m also looking at applying to DCNZ’s individual assessment pathway (since I’d be applying within 12 months of graduating, which waives the case-logbook requirement) as a parallel option, I don’t mind living in NZ.
I had a few questions that regarding the DCNZ;

1.Has anyone gone through DCNZ’s individual assessment with a Bologna-model (EU/ECTS-credit) qualification rather than a NZ/AU accredited one? Curious how the academic assessor’s desktop review actually handled translating ECTS/credit-hour documentation against their competency-domain framework in practice.

2. For those within the 12-month post-grad window — did you submit case examples anyway even though they’re not required? DCNZ told me directly that it ‘could be pertinent’ if you think your qualification might not be seen as fully equivalent. Did this actually help, in anyone’s experience?    
    
3.Anyone who’s used Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition after NZ registration to move into Australia afterward — how smoothly did that go, and did any condition from your NZ registration carry over into your AHPRA registration?    

4. How was the interview with the DCNZ, what do they look for / ask?

Thank you all.

Evening everyone,

Had a difficult situation today where a patient returned a week after an uncomplicated crown insertion complaining that it "doesn't feel like their natural tooth" and immediately demanded a full refund before I could even check the occlusion or refine the contacts.

For clinic owners and senior associates: what is your standard protocol and wording when managing unreasonable refund demands for clinically successful treatments?

I’m a GP dentist in Australia considering applying for prosthodontics, particularly USyd, and would really appreciate some honest perspectives from current/former registrars and prosthodontists.
I have two young kids, so I’m trying to work out whether the 3 years of training and lifestyle/financial sacrifice is actually worth it in the long run.
A few things I’d love to hear about:
What is the reality of the USyd program in terms of workload and family life?
For those who have finished, has specialising genuinely improved your career, income and lifestyle compared with staying in general practice?
Is specialist prosthodontic work as enjoyable as you expected, or do you end up seeing a lot of failed treatment, difficult patients and cases that other dentists don’t want to deal with?
Knowing what you know now, would you specialise again if you were in my position?
I’m particularly interested in honest experiences from people who were already reasonably comfortable as GPs before specialising, rather than just the usual “specialisation opens doors” perspective.
USyd experiences especially welcome, but I’d love to hear from prosthodontists from other Australian programs too.

Any recommendations for a crown lengthening/soft tissue course, focusing on anterior aesthetic work, ie veneers, DSD etc? Thanks heaps ☺️

I feel like patient management is one of those things you only really learn once you start working. Knowing how to explain treatment, keep an appointment moving, and deal with nervous or difficult patients takes a lot more practice than I expected. Would be interested to hear when other new grads started feeling more comfortable with it.

Fairly new grad here with almost 2 years experience. I’ve been in a job for around a year, and their patient flow has never been fantastic, but recently they have added more clinicians to the clinic and due to tough economic times I’ve noticed that I’m only seeing 3 patients a day on average. Some days I don’t have any patients at all, and other days it’s fuller but still maybe seeing 6 patients max. No base salary, so some days I earn less than the nurse and more importantly feel like I’m lagging behind clinically. Is this normal for a prolonged period of time for new grads? I’ve been in this job for around 12 months now.

Been thinking about doing my grad year at a regional/ rural hospital where I live. To be honest, I find filling and scaling super boring, but love extractions, RCT's, and other more complex surgeries. If i could never do another cavity prep once I graduate I would be the happiest dentist in the world.

Obviously going running head first into complex procedures in private practice in my literal first year out would be immensely stupid, so I am considering a regional / rural hospital job in hopes of seeing more complex cases with strong training & mentorship.

Anyone have experience in the hospital as a new grad? What sort of cases did you see? Was the mentorship & experience worth the pay cut?

TIA!