Dentist Kirkwood recently paid a visit to Pulpdent’s HQ in Boston. Here, he shares his experience with readers….
Kirkwood Young qualified from the University of Dundee in 1978. Following graduation, he worked as an associate in Doncaster before starting Young’s Dental Practice in Yorkshire in 1981. The size of the practice has increased over the years and now focuses on providing private treatment. Young’s Dental Practice won the title Preventive Practice of the Year in 2009. Kirkwood gained the MFGDP in 1996, was a VDP trainer between 1997 and 2004, and lectures on the topic of minimal intervention dentistry (MID).
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Kirk Young is an advocate of minimal intervention dentistry. On this he says: ‘It is something we strive to achieve in our practice, and I am always on the lookout for new products that may help us achieve our clinical aims. Not too long ago, I read in the dental press about a new bioactive restorative product that really piqued my interest.
‘I contacted Prestige Dental about the advertised product, ACTIVA™ BioACTIVE (Pulpdent USA), to find out more. Having benefited greatly in the past from seeing other dental companies’ manufacturing centres, not only was I interested in seeing ACTIVA™ BioACTIVE’s evidence base but also hoped one day to visit Pulpdent in the States.’
As it happened, Kirk was due to visit his daughter in Boston in the autumn of 2014 and, having put the idea of a visit to Pulpdent via Prestige, an invitation was extended to him and his wife Sheena, also a dentist.
On the day
It was a bright and early start for Kirk – just one day after flying over! Picked up by Larry Clark, Pulpdent’s Director of Marketing and Clinical Affairs, it wasn’t long before Kirk was touring the factory and discussing ACTIVA™ BioACTIVE at length with the people who researched and developed it.
Kirk says: ‘Something like that really reinforces what we had read about. It also gave them a chance to ask my wife and me what we thought of it. We now have a thorough knowledge of what it’s been tested for, the evidence behind it and the studies. We learned the uses for it and shared how we use it on a day-to-day basis for various things. I think it would be fair to say we all learned something new that day!’
More than meets the eye
One of the things that struck Kirk was how happy the staff appeared to be. From manufacture to shipping, everywhere he went he felt very welcome and got the impression that everyone was very proud be part of Pulpdent.
‘That’s always really interesting,’ comments Kirk. ‘When the people at the heart of the process seem happy with what they are doing, it really boosts my confidence in what’s on offer.’
Kirk was also impressed by the extent of Pulpdent’s range of products. From a fluoride varnish that is awaiting a licence to disposable mirrors, etching gels and calcium hydroxide, he and his team are now looking to use more of Pulpdent’s products than they had previously. In fact, armed with samples they’re off to a flying start at the practice in Yorkshire.
Says Kirk: ‘We were treated wonderfully by the people at Pulpdent and what I’ve learned is invaluable. Having materials like ACTIVA™ BioACTIVE – used as part of a total preventive, restorative and minimally invasive treatment plan – is a real step forward and, having seen how everything works over there in Boston, I couldn’t be more confident to take that journey with Pulpdent.’