Five Minutes with Dr. Waseem Gohar, General Dentist

Where did you start your dentistry career?

I started my formal dentistry career in The University Dental Hospital in sunny Dubai after graduating with a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from Hungary. Having been away from my family during undergraduate years, I wanted to spend some time with them in Dubai before I embarked on my journey to work in Ireland.

I spent the following months as a dental intern in different departments of dentistry gaining indispensable skills from the specialists in the hospital. During this time, I also completed Part 1 of Membership of Faculty of Dentistry postgraduate examination from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (MFD RCSI). I intend to take Part 2 of this examination imminently.

Dubai is a home to over 200 nationalities, so meeting new people and understanding different culture has strengthened my communication skills, which is an important aspect of dentistry.

What do you enjoy most about dentistry and how do you spend your spare time?

The beauty of being a dentist is this- every day is different, each patient presents a unique challenge, keeping you motivated. You never get bored or have a mundane day at work. I enjoy all things dentistry, from meeting and greeting my patients to the treatment procedure itself but my particular interest lies in Endodontics or root canal treatment.

I am an avid reader and gym enthusiast; I spend my spare time reading psychological thrillers, weightlifting, and occasionally dabbling in cardiovascular exercise.

What is the last thing you have done to improve your skills/knowledge?

I keep myself up to date with contemporary literature, reading scientific articles, attend courses and live webinars to provide the best possible treatment to my patients. I recently attended a webinar hosted by an endodontist from the UK titled ‘Introduction to a Perfect Root Canal Treatment’ which was excellent as I can apply those skills into my daily practice. I follow dentists from all over the world on social media to learn different tips and tricks. As a healthcare professional, simply put, the learning never stops.

Why is the routine dental health check so important?

Changes to teeth happen on both macro and microscopic levels. As dentists we are trained to detect both during a routine dental health check. There are tests and tools at our disposal such as X-rays which can aid our diagnosis. During regular visits, the changes can be detected early and treated in the initial stages before they have had the chance to deteriorate. For example, the presence of tartar or calculus, a tenacious hard plaque deposit which develops slowly over time and is adhered strongly to the teeth which can cause gum disease cannot be removed at home with toothbrushing. It requires cleaning with our ultrasonic scaler performed at a dental clinic. Dentist can further evaluate your overall oral health and guide on how to improve it, if needed. In the long run, regular visits are more cost-effective and contribute to your overall general wellbeing.

Should I use mouthwash regularly?

The one thing that should not be regularly used in an oral care regime is Mouthwash. In simple terms, our mouth or oral cavity has both friendly and harmful bacteria -we want to lessen the harmful bacteria while encouraging the friendly bacteria. Unfortunately, mouthwash is 100% antibacterial and cannot distinguish between the two. Recent studies have shown that people who use mouthwash twice a day for a certain period are at 55% higher risk of developing pre-diabetes or diabetes. No concrete reason for this has been found yet.

The American Dental Association suggests the use of mouthwash for therapeutic use or symptomatic relief, for instance, in the treatment of bleeding gums under the prescription of a dentist. Toothbrushing, manual or electrical for 2 minutes twice a day and daily flossing is absolutely sufficient for maintenance of good oral hygiene without the use of any mouthwash.