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Benjamin Tighe

@thegumsguy

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🎙️ Podcast cohost - @yourdentalbesties
🎓 Tutor Dental Therapist - The Eastman
🇨🇭 SDA trainer - @emsdental
💜 KOL - @listerineukireland

POSTS STORIES REELS

Today was a full circle moment for me.

Just over 13 years ago, I graduated from Newcastle University as a Dental Therapist.

None of us can predict where our journey will take us or what opportunities we’ll encounter along the way.

For the past 4,860 days, I’ve dedicated myself to becoming the best clinician and version of myself.

Today, I had the incredible opportunity to return to Newcastle University, not as a student, but as a teacher, helping to guide the next generation of NCL graduates.

16 years ago, as I sat in the skills suite, eagerly awaiting my training, I never imagined I’d be on the other side, teaching students myself.

To those aspiring to get into the therapy course, to students working tirelessly, and to colleagues who may be feeling lost —don’t give up. Keep working hard, stay focused.

Your time will come, whatever that may be.

Thank you to all of those who believed in me 🥰 by @thegumsguy

We started filming season 2 of the pod this weekend and we want to take this moment to say we are BLOWN AWAY by the response we are having to it.

It seems to be achieving what we set out to achieve, brightening up your commute, making our job fun, making you realise you are not alone and empowering the profession we love. We want you to feel like you’re sat with us having a catch up.

We are also so honoured to be sponsored this season by:
@drheffs 💚
@skrubzofficial 🧡
@ohmygob_au 💜
@boutiquewhitening_ 🤍

Do keep commenting, subscribing and following. We want to build a community of besties.

New episode released tomorrow at 6am. Set your alarm 😉 by @thegumsguy

Ever feel like you have to prove your worth in the dental field? 🤔

Drop a comment if you’ve felt this!

This was taken from our latest episode with Dr Bryan of @threetwothreedentistry he is a hygienists BIGGEST advocate and hear what he says about why 🙌🏼

Go to Your Dental Besties on Spotify to listen. (Link in bio).

It’s tough being a hygienist, dentist, or therapist with all the pressures we face. But what if we shifted our mindset? Instead of controlling everything, let’s empower our teams.

Imagine bringing your hygienist into the conversation about how you deliver your services, practice protocols, investments and new technologies/ideas. They might know more than you think!

The truth is, it’s okay for them to be smarter in certain areas. When you bring them into business/clinical decisions and unleash their potential, everyone wins, especially the patients. So why resist? Let’s encourage our teams to grow and thrive together! 💪

#DentalCommunity #Empowerment #Teamwork #HygienistLife #Dentistry by @thegumsguy

For World Menopause Day, let’s talk about the whole picture.

The mouth doesn’t exist in isolation, and the menopausal transition may bring changes that are relevant to our patients’ oral health.

We have a role to play in recognising symptoms, assessing our patients and helping them manage their oral health.

That’s why YDB has developed the 3 Rs of Menopause & Oral Health:

Recognise. Report. Refer.

Because supporting our patients means looking beyond the symptom and considering the whole picture.

More on this coming soon 🧡💙

#WorldMenopauseDay #MenopauseAndOralHealth #DentalHygienist #DentalTherapist YourDentalBesties by @thegumsguy

Chapter 9 - September
1. Lisboa
2. My first Pastel de nata
3. My one souvenir
4. A Portuguese Pilates retreat
5. Waiting for my 12th flight of the year
6. My new @admetec_uk loupes and 🦩
7. Palma with my bebés
8. Obviously found a dentist
9. @londonhygienist @clairelouisesays
10. Showing off my moon capturing tricks
11. Palma crib by @thegumsguy

Chapter 8 - August
1. Podcast recording for @yourdentalbesties
2. Teaching students @sigmundfreudprivatuni
3. Oxford college
4. Cute little dog
5. Cruciform library
6. Pilates in purple by @thegumsguy

This is just one of MANY amazing conversations we had with @toothlife.irene

Loupes aren’t a one-size-fits-all decision for her. And after speaking to her about the unbelievable selection of loupes she has, we agree they shouldn’t be a one-size-fits all piece of kit (finances allowing ofcourse).

In our podcast with Irene Iancu, she talks about having multiple pairs of loupes for different procedures, because different clinical situations call for different approaches.

It’s about finding what works for you, your vision, your posture and, the thing we don’t always consider, the work you’re doing in the moment.

You don’t have to stick with one solution just because it’s what you’ve always done, or what someone else does.

Take ownership of your clinical practice. Explore your options. Invest in yourself and your clinical practice.

Catch the full conversation with Irene on Your Dental Besties. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EPISODE IT IS FULL OF GOLD 🧡

#YourDentalBesties #DentalHygienist #DentalEducation #DentalLoupes #Ergonomics by @thegumsguy

YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EPISODE

YDB X @laurasmileclub

This clip is taken from a moment when Laura tells us about a patient who loved her veneers, but Laura knew they weren’t right. What she did next turned a mistake into lasting trust.

Honesty matters more than perfection. How would you want your clinician to handle it? Don’t miss some amazing insights from a truly talented clinician and all round beautiful person. She’s also super fun 🤩

#DentalCare #PatientTrust #Dentistry by @thegumsguy

The mouth matters. 🦷

We loved joining @drnighatarif to talk about menopause and the often-overlooked role of oral health in women’s healthcare.

Dry mouth, burning mouth, changes to taste, oral discomfort and changes in the gums can all be part of the picture too, yet the mouth isn’t always part of the conversation. Dr Arif makes it part of hers and advocates for oral health to be considered alongside all the other aspects of women’s health.

Healthcare is about the whole person, and that includes the mouth. It’s a body part we use all day, every day, and changes can affect quality of life, confidence, comfort and overall wellbeing.

We come together to have these conversations because we want to empower women to understand how menopause can affect their mouths and, importantly, to know that what they’re experiencing is valid.

We hear you. We see you. And we can help you manage it. 💗

So let’s keep talking, keep connecting the dots and keep collaborating across healthcare to make oral health part of the wider menopause conversation.

@drnighatarif, thank you for creating the space for this conversation and for being such a champion for bridging the gap between oral health and wider healthcare. by @thegumsguy

Have you got your GBT summit tickets yet?

2nd October - come learn, network, laugh by @thegumsguy

…
To be exceptional, you have to be the exception.

In a world obsessed with efficiency, trust is built through the moments patients remember. Would you choose speed, or a better experience?

Sometimes being exceptional means having the courage to challenge the way we’ve always done things. Like the way we have delivered hygienist and therapist services. To stop measuring success by how many patients we can squeeze into a day, and start asking what those patients actually need.

Better care doesn’t always fit neatly into a 30-minute appointment. And having the courage to change the model that seemed to ‘work’ for so long, could be what transforms the patient experience, and the value we place on our profession. In turn, that will boost the practice. But we have to be willing to be the rogue bee. Listen to this episode (release Monday 21st September at 6am).

#Dentistry #patientexperience #dentalleadership #dentalhygienist #dentaltherapist by @thegumsguy

We started with a microphone, a friendship and plenty of opinions…

But honestly? We had absolutely no idea where Your Dental Besties would take us.

What started as two friends having conversations about dentistry, careers, life and everything in between has grown into something we’re incredibly proud of.

We’ve had amazing conversations, brilliant guests, plenty of laughs and, hopefully, created a space where people in dentistry feel like they’re not alone in whatever they’re navigating.

And this is only the beginning.

We have BIG ideas for where we want to take Your Dental Besties next. More conversations, more community, new ways to learn, and hopefully something that brings the dental world together in a way that feels a little less formal and a lot more real.

So, whether you’ve been here from episode one or you’ve only just found us…

Thank you for being part of the journey.

We genuinely can’t wait to show you what’s next.

Much love, Ben and Claire xxx

#YourDentalBesties #DentalPodcast #Dentistry #DentalCommunity by @thegumsguy