Dr Martin Wanendeya is an award-winning implant dentist with a keenness for restoring serve as, aesthetics and self belief for his sufferers. Along scientific apply, he’s a key opinion chief and passionate educator. Since co-founding Ten Dental in London greater than two decades in the past, he has evolved his scientific apply amid important advances and transformation inside the box of dentistry. Finally yr’s Dentsply Sirona Global Birmingham, Dr Wanendeya spoke with Dental Tribune World about his adventure to working a state of the art virtual dental hospital and the first light of related dentistry.
Dr Wanendeya, what impressed you to pursue a profession in dentistry?
I grew up in Uganda and one in all my godfathers, additionally named Martin—Dr Martin Aliker—was once a dentist. When the time got here to select a profession, I knew that I didn’t need an administrative center task. My folks did the ones types of jobs, and I knew that I didn’t need to be caught in an administrative center all day. Medication appealed to me as a result of I favored the speculation of running with folks and the usage of my fingers. I bear in mind having a more in-depth take a look at one of the crucial other jobs that had been to be had on the time, one in all which was once veterinarian. My mom, very cleverly, took me to a pig farm. After one odor of the pigs, I realised that I didn’t need to be a vet. Since I used to be bearing in mind medication, I went alongside to look Uncle Martin in his dental hospital. I favored what I noticed, and I revered and admired him, so I believed, “I may do that. It has the correct steadiness of coping with folks in a certified setting. It’s one thing bodily.” And that’s the place the adventure started.
At the moment, what conjures up you to visit the hospital each day?
I will hint this inspiration again to 2 moments. First, there was once the instant after I nearly gave up dentistry. I used to be running in an atmosphere that was once now not conducive to enlargement. I used to be running with individuals who anticipated the whole thing and weren’t in particular thankful for the paintings I did. I felt totally under-appreciated. Any individual instructed me that I had to get myself into a special setting and the way in which to try this was once thru training. After attending quite a lot of classes, I were given into a greater apply, and I began to look the entire fascinating issues that had been conceivable.
The second one second was once at a birthday party, across the time that beauty dentistry began to achieve in recognition. In the past, I had now not sought after to inform strangers that I used to be a dentist. Other folks had steadily mentioned, “Oh, a dentist,” and reacted negatively. Abruptly, folks at this birthday party had been truly . I realised that the general public belief of dentistry had modified, as a result of dentists had been doing issues that individuals sought after relatively than issues that they wanted. It was once a fully other kettle of fish. For me, that was once the beginning of the exchange. It made me realise that attending classes, staying up to the moment with the newest therapies and staying related to different execs had been massive portions of the task.
The icing at the cake is the adjustments that I will make as a dentist. It began off with enamel whitening, and now we will totally turn out to be a affected person’s smile and—in particular in implantology—oral serve as. Lately, I had simply completed treating a affected person who had passed through a full-mouth reconstruction, and she or he simply checked out me and mentioned very truthfully, “Thanks very a lot. I truly respect what you’ve completed.” In that second, I knew that I had modified her lifestyles. She may smile, chortle, spend time along with her grandchildren, do no matter; she now not had to concern about her tooth. Moments like that encourage me. I need to give that feeling to extra sufferers and assist different dentists to do the similar thru training.
“Each a part of what we do is digitised, and we’re all the time searching for new virtual processes and equipment to include.”
May you let us know about your apply?
We’re two companions, me and Dr Nik Sisodia, and we’ve one department in Clapham and one in Balham. We’ve been established for over 20 years. All through that point, we’ve all the time seemed to undertake the newest applied sciences and strategies, and we’re now on the level the place the practices are totally virtual and, I might say, slightly state of the art.
For instance, in our Clapham apply, we’ve two Primescans and an Orthophos XL, and we use virtual equipment reminiscent of DS Core for speaking inside the apply and with laboratories and different practitioners. Our dentists have get entry to to scanners all day, each day. We now have a CBCT unit and a pictures room the place dentists can take before-and-after footage of sufferers. In our instrument adventure, we use synthetic intelligence-powered equipment to analyse, for example, the varieties of affected person enquiries coming in, workforce efficiency, and remedy patterns. Each a part of what we do is digitised, and we’re all the time searching for new virtual processes and equipment to include.
Dr Martin Wanendeya in dialog with Dr Michael Norton at DS Global Birmingham 2025.
At DS Global Birmingham, we heard so much about the concept that of related dentistry. What does it imply to you?
Once we first were given into virtual dentistry, we had been so fascinated about the applied sciences; alternatively, we had been growing some of these other report varieties: DICOM, STL, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PDF, and video report codecs. We needed to retailer and retrieve all this knowledge somewhere else. We’d ship a report to the laboratory on one platform, and the laboratory would ship it again on some other. Around the many alternative places and platforms, this value a large number of time. What related dentistry lets in us to do is to have a unmarried platform, like DS Core, the place pictures, CT scans and 2D radiographs can also be uploaded and shared with whoever wants or needs them. If we select the instance of sending information to the laboratory, up to now, we’d ship a scan by the use of the scanner instrument and pictures by the use of e mail. There was once a large number of back-and-forth and a few misplaced information and a large number of dropped verbal exchange. Now, on a unmarried platform, we will click on to ship the STL report, and inside the similar window, we will upload a prior model of the report, in addition to pictures and radiographs. The laboratory receives the information in a single package deal.
Lately, a clinician I used to be mentoring requested for my opinion on a case. He was once now not within the apply. Having this connectivity intended that he may ship me the pictures, STL information and CBCT information, and I may view all of them at once in DS Core. I didn’t want to depart that platform, and it was once very simple. He’d laid it out for me, and I instantly had a way of what was once happening.
Having the whole thing related brings some other stage of merit. For instance, scanning at once to the cloud frees up clinicians as a result of the entire knowledge is robotically uploaded and can also be shared with practitioners in any location. In the long run, it is helping me diagnose, plan remedy, and ship care extra predictably, successfully and successfully.
To your communicate in Birmingham, you spoke about leveraging virtual workflows. What had been the important thing issues for your presentation, and the way can clinicians get began?
My communicate was once about implant placement and fast loading, and it associated with some great benefits of related dentistry. I confirmed attendees the previous approach of doing issues, after which I confirmed them how it may be completed now, when the entire parts, together with making plans equipment, are within the cloud. It implies that you’ll be able to plan and feature a premade prosthesis in a position. It saves time chairside by means of combining surgical and restorative workflows, permitting clinicians to supply remedy extra successfully and with awesome aesthetics.
I additionally talked concerning the subsequent development of man-made intelligence and the way the related scientific advantages are handiest going to boost up. Right here, I believe it is very important take into account that a platform like DS Core supplies greater than garage and verbal exchange. It’s the computing energy inside this is now at our disposal. As synthetic intelligence advances, there can be some other bounce ahead and I sit up for seeing what that computing energy mixed with the information already related will permit clinicians to do.
How can younger clinicians steadiness the pursuit of mastery and foundational talents whilst additionally incorporating those complex applied sciences into their practices?
At the beginning, not anything beats wisdom of the elemental sciences and biology. In terms of era as opposed to biology, biology will all the time win. Clinicians want to perceive what they’re doing, in addition to the explanations at the back of the method or process, and the science at the back of it. As soon as they’ve that wisdom, I’d say step one is to shop for a virtual digital camera and a scanner, as those are one of the robust equipment for day-to-day apply. It permits you to take a look at what you’re doing and to look the place you’ll be able to reinforce. With only a digital camera, clinicians can input the virtual global.
From this level on, virtual equipment are simply that—equipment. Clinicians can use them to their merit, however it’s now not on the subject of the scanner. It’s about what you’ll be able to do with the information and the way you’ll be able to percentage them. Similarly, it’s about having the correct folks within the community and the correct workflows. You wish to have one thing that works properly, this is well-connected, and this may occasionally make scientific lifestyles so much more straightforward. Past that time, training occasions and self-learning are crucial as a result of they’ll convey clinicians to some other stage. Mentors also are necessary. I had the correct folks assist me on the proper time, and it’s been necessary for me. To find your self a mentor, anyone somewhat bit forward of you—anyone you’ll be able to communicate to and paintings with. That may help you see the pathway ahead and to reinforce.
Some other matter you touched on was once virtual smile design. May you discuss your reports the usage of this software in implantology?
I believe that virtual smile design has been one of the most giant developments in our dental apply and in my apply of implantology. Within the analogue workflow, steadily, the technician would handiest see a collection of tooth. She or he would now not see a face or an individual. Including that part, at the side of a formulation and framework at the back of it approach we will plan predictably. The affected person can see what we’re making plans and supply enter earlier than the paintings takes position. Then, that very same plan is distributed to the laboratory and achieved. What it lets in is a better level of making plans and predictability—and after I say “making plans”, I imply anatomically, functionally and biologically. It’s been basic for us within the apply, and we use it each day. I apply it to maximum of my sufferers who want substitute of more than one tooth.
“It truly is helping if there may be one platform the place everybody can attach and think about the similar knowledge.”
Have you ever encountered demanding situations with regards to cross-disciplinary making plans with virtual smile design?
Demanding situations can rise up when cross-disciplinary clinicians running on a case lack a unified platform for verbal exchange and knowledge sharing. This will imply that everybody is of their silos—somewhat love it was once in early virtual dentistry. It truly is helping if there may be one platform the place everybody can attach and think about the similar knowledge.
For instance, an orthodontist the usage of SureSmile can use CBCT scans for making plans, and we’re in a position to make use of the similar CBCT scans for implant making plans. The orthodontist can transfer tooth extra predictably, we’re in a position to put implants extra predictably and the laboratory is in a position to plan extra predictably.
There are all the time demanding situations, however the era has allowed significantly better and extra complete multidisciplinary making plans. 5 years in the past, that dialog between the orthodontist, endodontist, restorative dentist and dental technician wouldn’t have been conceivable. It might have intended dozens of emails, screenshots and WhatsApp messages. That’s the facility of related dentistry. Once we pair it with equipment like virtual smile design and an working out of the science and the biology, this is after I assume dentistry turns into very thrilling.
So, again to younger dentists, I might say that dentistry is in its most enjoyable segment since I started running. In truth, I’m excited for the clinicians coming into the sector at this level—it’s handiest going to recover. They are able to leverage those equipment with their working out of biology and era to get to the place they need to be.
