Dr Mariam Bedford is about to join the team at Lumino Dargaville. Mariam has been practising dentistry since 2003 and has completed an impressive amount of further training since then.
What made you decide to get into dentistry as a career?
I was selected for both Dentistry and Medicine disciplines at the time and I had to choose. I chose dentistry because the practical element of the job appealed to me.
How long have you been practising dentistry?
Since July 2003.
Tell us about your career background?
I graduated as a dentist in 2003 and went on to complete my compulsory community service. I then returned to Cape Town to work in the government sector. In 2004 I opened up my private practice which is still running today.
As of July 2009, I worked in Australia in the public sector dental workforce scheme. In 2010, I returned to Cape Town and started working as a part-time lecturer at the University of the Western Cape teaching dentistry to undergraduate dentistry and oral hygiene students.
In 2014 I obtained my specialist degree in Dento-Maxillofacial Radiology (DMFR). As of 2015, I became a full-time specialist lecturer at the University of the Western Cape which allowed me to mentor postgraduate students at the university as well. I was also the course coordinator for the BOH (Bachelor Oral Hygiene) students in their final year. I then left the University at the end of 2017 and started working full time in my private practice.
What is your most memorable case to date?
It involved intermaxillary fixation in a patient who sustained fractures to the lower jaw.
What do you love most about your job?
I find the most rewarding aspect to be the restoration of self-confidence in patients when the treatment has been completed (for example- fixing the anterior teeth so that they can smile again).
What are your special interests in dentistry?
I absolutely love the surgical aspect of dentistry. I have a flair for wisdom tooth removal or any surgery that needs to be done within the mouth.
What is the main piece of advice you give your patients?
Like the eyes that are the windows to your soul, the state of your oral health is a reflection of your overall well being.
Where would we find you outside of the practice?
In most cases at home. I also travel quite a lot but this is mainly limited to school holiday breaks.