Nick Lamb joined Island House in August 2008 to look after Mike Smith’s patients while Mike took his three-year sabbatical. Nick, who has recently been appointed to the prestigious role of Dental Practice Advisor for the Great Yarmouth and Waveney Primary Care Trust, is now delighted to be a permanent part of the Island House team:
“The practice impressed me from the moment I first saw it,” says Nick Lamb. “It’s extremely forward-thinking, with a real commitment to carrying out top end dentistry. I love it.”
Nick moved to Island House after working in a practice in Norwich, where he also completed his training. His career choice surprised some, coming as he did from a family of medics.
“I initially studied for a degree in parasitology, having decided that I didn’t want to follow my family into medicine. It was only during work experience that I discovered the appeal of dentistry.
I loved the way that this profession combines practical skills with specialist medical knowledge. In practice, every day is different, plus we have the option to pursue specialisms.”
Already, Nick Lamb is earning a reputation for his work with dental implants, a specialist area of dentistry that enables lost teeth to be replaced with titanium implants. Not only does the technology provide solutions for patients who have lost individual teeth and had nowhere to fix a crown, it provides much needed help for denture wearers who have suffered from having nothing to anchor their false teeth to.
“Professionally, it’s hugely satisfying to be able to develop further dental skills,” says Nick. “I’m delighted that the Island House has been so supportive of my work with implants and in celebrating me taking on the role of Dental Practice Advisor.”
Dental Practice Advisors, or DPAs, are responsible for advising a Primary Care Trust on dental practice issues in their region. This includes matters such as legal and dental issues as well as clinical governance. It’s a responsible appointment and one which Nick will be committed to one day a week.
“The DPA role is the reason that I won’t be in Island House on Fridays,” explains Nick. “My time will be spent helping to shape the PCT’s policies as well as visiting and assessing dental practices in the region. I’m sure that the role will be both interesting and informative and will enable me to feed new ideas and experience back into my work at Island House.”
It’s certainly going to be a busy year or two for Nick Lamb. His wife, an oral surgeon, recently gave birth to their first child, and the family, which only recently moved to Woodbridge from Norwich, is getting used to living in the area as well as to a new set of patients and friends.
“Life is great, at the moment,” says Nick, “and I’m genuinely looking forward to the future at Island House.”