Mark James, BSc, Dip. Dental Hygiene.

Mark has a wealth of knowledge and experience having lived and practiced in many countries.

Mark James, BSc, Dip. Dental Hygiene.

Mentor

More About Mark

Hi, I’m Mark. I live and practise in Dorset in the southwest of England, UK. If you feel left out by the conventional nature of mechanical hygiene therapy, at odds with the industrial take-over of our educational environment, believe in unorthodox value-driven approaches to clinical excellence and, ultimately, great client experiences and feedback, get in touch with me. I am the classic example of a simple but effective, holistic, evidence-guided storytelling clinician. In this space, I am happy to offer free support, advice, guidance, and a foot up to what I believe to be the true essential nature of the dental health experience.

Areas of experience include:

  1. Holistic approaches to dental healthcare provision, including nutritional, mineralization, ecological and environmental interventions.
  2. Working and living in New Zealand and in the UK, registration and CPD compliance regulations. Strategies for finding employment.
  3. Protocol and recall strategies.
  4. Creating self-directed learning outcomes, peer reviewing and mentoring.
  5. Enhancing client-centred care and understanding your client base better.
  6. Presenting confidently to a clinical audience.

Firstly, I am, to be honest, quite unconventional in my approach to dental health. This is due to my innate nature of not taking anything at face value, not always subscribing to established norms and questioning virtually everything is the truth. Don’t be put off by this, as I once used to be quite the opposite. I believed everything was sacristan, the only way, but I began to question and challenge this like a detective would approach a tricky case. I may have a reputation for being a contrarian, a maverick, perhaps. Still, I am this way because I value alternative thinking, which occasionally means challenging those in educational and dental establishments. I must confess, too, that Tim and Trish are a tad responsible. Sorry, guys, for allowing me, as a beta student many years ago, to bring more significant personal and educational awareness (and resolve) to my professional journey.

Clinically, I am what I believe is called an oral ecological and environmental balance and sustainability advocate. The locus of my practice is centred around dental health storytelling, tailored to the client’s oral health, understanding and life journey. This is how I believe my role within dental health now belongs, at the front line, the coal face if you like, and it’s where I will continue until my hands and back fail. I have worked in the thirty years plus of hygiene practice in both conventional and, on occasion, unconventional environments. From the hospital, specialist, private, orthodontic, orthotropic, and industry scenarios to community and education. I have trained and practised in some near and far-flung places, like England and Scotland, to Russia, Western Europe, and New Zealand. My educational journey has led me to exciting places like New York, USA and Tasmania, Australia. I am also a level 3 trained Mentor, undertaken at the University of Surrey, England. I have experience in mentoring and continue to support colleagues in New Zealand.

I am available to help guide you on your unique learning journey and gently support and honour your growth, whether in person, online or both. Professional life thrives when centred on your values and beliefs. These evolve through your learning experiences and their reflection

My website charts my learning journey over the last ten years, particularly since 2019. It is a living testament to being a Dental Hygienist in New Zealand and continues to be written in the context of my return to the UK in 2022.

 

My email address is elementaldental@outlook.com. I look forward to hearing from you.